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Starting life before there was a town as four walls and some dry goods for fur trappers, it served its first beer just 19 years after the town was founded and near-half a century before it was incorporated.The story below is the third in a series on America’s small businesses, their struggles under the shutdowns, and what they’re doing to survive. Over two weeks, The Federalist is traveling the country to tell more stories like this one.HUNTSVILLE, UTAH — Across the Wasatch mountains from the county seat of Ogden, in a tony country neighborhood by the Pineview Reservoir, and around...

Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., led a letter signed by 27 Republican senators asking Attorney General William Barr to investigate how several Planned Parenthood affiliates got $80 million worth of coronavirus relief funds from the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) despite rules restricting them from receiving the money due to the number of employees the organizations have. The letter comes after "Tucker Carlson Tonight" learned earlier this week that the Small Business Administration (SBA) is reaching out to the affiliates that improperly self-certified that they are eligible for the stimulus cash aimed at keeping small businesses afloat during the pandemic, and asking...

The weight to having a family business,' Raymond says while guiding me through massive walk-in freezers holding a fraction of their capacity, 'is you don't want to be the one who fails.'The story below is the second in a series on America’s small businesses, their struggles under the shutdowns, and what they’re doing to survive. Over two weeks, The Federalist is traveling the country to tell more stories like this one (and a few about the outlaws).SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH — Raymond and Jill Zaelit massively expanded their facilities in 2017. Their business is meat, or more specifically, carving, crafting...

Sidwell Friends School, a Quaker-affiliated independent school known for enrolling top lawmakers' children—including the daughters of former presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama—accepted a $5.2 million loan under the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), Congress's bailout fund for small businesses affected by the coronavirus crisis. The school, which brings in over $40 million in tuition annually, declined to give back the loan after Secretary of the Treasury Steven Mnuchin called on "private schools with significant endowments" to "return" PPP funds. In a letter to the community, the board of trustees cited its "fiduciary responsibilities" as well as "our Quaker values" in...

Senate Judiciary Committee Member John Kennedy, R-La., channeled actor Jack Nicholson Tuesday to describe his response to the latest coronavirus stimulus bill pushed by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif. "Go sell crazy somewhere else, we're all stocked up here," Kennedy told "Hannity," quoting Nicholson's character Melvin Udall in the 1997 movie "As Good As It Gets."

Yesterday's employment report for April showed 20.5 million jobs lost and an unemployment rate of 14.7%. This is its worst since the Great Depression. It was at a 50-year low of 3.5% just two months ago. Awful, yes, but only half as bad as it looks for the economy. Why? Because roughly half of American workers can earn more from unemployment benefits than they earned at their jobs prior to the coronavirus shutdown, according to Eric Morath at the Wall Street Journal. On top of state unemployment, federal coronavirus stimulus is adding $600 per week. With my sister, I co-own...

Senior Editor Chris Bedford interviews Congressman Chip Roy on federal bail outs and reopening the economy amid the coronaviurs shut down. No dime of bailout money should go to state or local governments that continue “to lock down commerce,” Texas Rep. Chip Roy told The Federalist Radio Hour in a far-reaching Friday interview now available in its entirety. “Frankly, I’ve got to think about [giving money] at all, but if we think it’s appropriate to help them from losing some of their tax base, I sure as hell don’t want money to [state and local governments] who are continuing to...

On Thursday, Congress approved another wave of small business relief. An additional $310 billion has been appropriated to replenish the popular Paycheck Protection Program (PPP)—which provides forgivable loans to America’s small business community. These entrepreneurs have been on the frontlines of the pandemic and keeping them primed will be the key to restarting the economy as the country begins to reopen. The initial $349 billion allocated for the PPP under the CARES Act was a blockbuster hit among the country’s entrepreneurs. Within 14 days of launching, the funding limit was reached and over 1.6 million businesses were approved for loans—which...

Jamie Black-Lewis felt like she won the lottery after getting two forgivable loans through the Paycheck Protection Program. Black-Lewis saw the $177,000 and $43,800 loans, one for each of the spas she owns in Washington state, as a lifeline she could use for payroll and other business expenses. She’d halted pay for the 35 employees — including herself — at Oasis Medspa & Salon, in Woodinville, and Amai Day Spa, in Bothell, in mid-March, when nonessential businesses in Washington closed due to the coronavirus pandemic. When Black-Lewis convened a virtual employee meeting to explain her good fortune, she expected jubilation...

There are reasons major companies got massive loans from the Senate's 'small business' bailout while thousands of small businesses that applied immediately were told there was no money left. There are reasons major companies got massive loans from the Senate’s “small business” bailout while thousands of small businesses that applied the first day funds were available were told there was no money left. Who is to blame, however, is more complicated.Imagine bankers who won’t deliver you taxpayer assistance unless you already owe them money. Imagine bankers who will put you at the back of the line so that franchises worth...

Shake Shack is returning a $10 million loan it received from the U.S. government under an emergency program that was touted as a way to help small businesses pay workers and keep their operations running during the coronavirus crisis. The burger chain was awarded the loan as part of the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). The $349 billion stimulus package, overseen by the Small Business Administration (SBA), ran out of funding last week. Over the last few days, there has been a growing backlash over the distribution of the funds. Several media outlets have revealed how large chunks of the package...

Senator Majority Leader Mitch McConnell announced an unplanned Senate session will take place Tuesday as Democrats continue their refusals to restock funding for the Paycheck Protection Program.  “It’s now been four days since the Paycheck Protection Program ran out of money. Republicans have been trying to secure more funding for this critical program for a week and a half. At this hour, our Democratic colleagues are still prolonging their discussions with the Administration, so the Senate regretfully will not be able to pass more funding for Americans’ paychecks today," McConnell said in remarks on the floor Monday. “However, since this is...

was unaffected by the coronavirus, appeared virtually on a late-night television show to flaunt her mansion and personal stockpile of gourmet ice cream. "I like it better than anything else," the speaker mused, in the middle of a viral outbreak that has killed tens of thousands of Americans and left millions unemployed. The PPP was part of the CARES Act, the relief bill passed after the government shut down businesses they deemed nonessential. Small businesses, which employ a majority of the workforce, were depending upon the PPP for funding to retain workers and keep their businesses afloat as the government...

What? And leave the safety of her twin $12,000 freezers? Donald Trump has signaled over the last twenty-four hours that if Nancy Pelosi wants to play hardball over an issue of replenishing the Paycheck Protection Program from afar, he’s willing to play hardball, too. For the second day in a row, Trump demanded that Pelosi and Chuck Schumer bring Congress back into session and start dealing with the COVID-19 crisis in person.The “ENDLESS VACATION” is a nice touch, but I still prefer the Brave Sir Robin Congress: Today people started losing their jobs because of Crazy Nancy Pelosi, Cryin’...

There are a lot of people on Wall Street and in Washington who see no problem with an America defined by big box stores and chain restaurants. California released a plan Tuesday to reopen businesses. One thing conspicuously missing from the governor’s slideshow was any sort of timeline, replaced instead by a six-point plan to remake society around fear of the coronavirus. Could be June, he said in a press conference, or even July or August. One thing conspicuously included was the observation that “things will look different,” including restaurants having to open “with fewer tables.” California’s Gov. Gavin Newsom...

Why Churches Should NOT Take The PPP Loan From The Government! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6NhKH91nvJg

Has your business or non-profit been adversely impacted by the COVID-19 shut-down or slow-down? Will you be able to pay your employees? Or the rent? Will you be able to pay yourself? Congress is trying to help by giving away quite a bit of free money, and that should get your attention. There are still details to be worked out about how these new plans will be implemented, but here’s some initial info: The first and quickest option for relief is an Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) from the Small Business Administration. You can borrow funds necessary to meet expenses...

Leaders who spoke during a Friday morning ribbon-cutting ceremony to open a new Interstate 15 interchange touted the $31 million project as a prime example of what can be accomplished when entities cooperate. The Northgate interchange opened to the public a few hours after the ceremony concluded, with Pocatello Mayor Brian Blad, Chubbuck Mayor Kevin England and members of the Bannock County Commission all driving their cars across the bridge as the official first users. The interchange is located north of both the Pocatello Creek Road exit and I-15’s “flying Y” with Interstate 86. The interchange was first added to...

Development of a proposed hyperloop transportation system linking Pittsburgh, Cleveland and Chicago would not only be a boon to communities along the travel corridors but also would be a strong business investment. That’s the conclusion of a 157-page feasibility study released Monday in Cleveland by the Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency and Hyperloop Transportation Technologies Inc., a California-based company developing the technology to move passengers and freight at more than 500 mph through low-pressure tubes. Consultant Transportation Economics and Management Systems performed the $1.3 million study of the proposed Great Lakes Hyperloop System. For the first time, the study estimated...

Leaders within the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation have approved a public-private partnership to reconstruct a portion of Interstate 81. PennDOT’s P3 Board approved the project, which will involve the reconstruction of a 4.5-mile section of the route near Wilkes-Barre, on Dec. 4. Wilkes-Barre, the seat of Luzerne County in northeastern Pennsylvania, is 20 miles southwest of Scranton. The project will involve widening a portion of I-81 to three lanes in both directions, realigning 2.5 miles of southbound interstate and replacing eight bridges. Other safety measures include eliminating a left-hand exit and improving a substandard weave distance between two routes that...