As the founder of the Stovall Center for Entrepreneurship, where hundreds of college students come from around the world to earn their degrees and learn how to start their own businesses, I’m always amazed at the misconceptions about investors.
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins, August 12, signed the World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates (WASDE) report. This is prepared monthly by the World Agricultural Outlook Board (WAOB) and provides market-moving annual forecasts for supply and use of U.S. and world wheat, rice, coarse grains, oilseeds, and cotton.
“American farmers feed and fuel the world, and this report equips them with the trusted, timely data they need to make informed business decisions,” said Secretary Rollins. “Thanks to President Trump’s historic trade wins over the past few months, new and expanded market opportunities are opening for American agricultural producers in every corner of the world. This follows today’s inflation report that came under analysts’ expectations, giving producers greater certainty to plan ahead, invest in their operations, and compete globally. These victories, paired with the first-rate analysis from USDA, ensure our producers have the tools, the markets, and the confidence to grow their operations and strengthen the American economy.”
Illinois’ chronic delay in publishing its annual financial reports is more than just a bureaucratic hiccup. It’s a breakdown in fiscal accountability. The state’s fiscal year 2023 ended over two years ago, and yet that report has never been released. Fiscal year 2024’s report isn’t available either. In the corporate world, “timely” generally means publishing audited financial statements within 90 days. The Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) standard for governments is more lenient—180 days—but Illinois has blown far past even that generous benchmark. This level of delay would be unacceptable in nearly any other context where stakeholders rely on financial transparency.
In the stunning flow of President Donald J. Trump’s necessary governmental reforms, it is hard to keep up with what media has called the “fire hose of news.” Your local robust conservative outlet, Tulsa Today, is therefore glad to highlight a Presidential Executive Order we hope becomes a part of future legislation. It is focused on Federal Grantmaking “while ending offensive waste of tax dollars.”
The Executive Order is reproduced below and should be in every grant writers’ top drawer.
A new study from Construction Coverage has identified the U.S. metros and states with the most construction workers and the Tulsa metro has a total of 27,438 construction industry employees. That 6.9 percent of the workforce is 0.8 points higher than the national average of 6.1 percent.
The U.S. construction industry faces a high degree of uncertainty in 2025. On one hand, demand for new housing and infrastructure remains high, driven by a persistent housing shortage and a wave of federal investment. On the other hand, the sector is grappling with notable headwinds: labor shortages have tightened the market for skilled workers, while overall construction spending has slowed in recent months amid elevated interest rates and broader economic uncertainty.
