6 True-Life Facts About St Patrick to Impress Your Friends (and Deepen Your Faith)

Tennessee Star

  Saint Patrick’s Day is here, and so it goes we join millions across the globe to don our best green garb and imbibe in a panoply beverages from the unnaturally verdant Shamrock Shake to the local pub’s green draft – all in a joyous tradition to cheer one another in the name of a spiritual hero of Ireland. But did you know the true-life story of the man who would become St. Patrick is as harrowing as any high adventure you might find in the pages of a Batman comic? Here are 6 facts you might not have known about the life and times of St. Patrick: (1) St. Patrick was not Irish. St. Patrick’s only known name prior to his canonization is “Patricius.” He was a born late in the fourth century in Roman Britain – most likely the modern Wales region, although some scholars say it was Scotland. Like many Romans of that era, his family were devout Christians. His father, Calpurnius was a deacon, and his grandfather Potitus, was a priest. (2) St. Patrick did not share his family’s faith, and was a skeptic. In his book, Confessio, St. Patrick writes that as a boy, he was…

Read the full story

Teens Upset About Pizza Toppings Arrested For Firing Gunshots At Market

Tennessee Star

  Three teens were arrested this week for firing shots at a market in North Nashville from a car because they were unhappy with their toppings on a pizza. The teens, ages 18, 17, and 16, were taken into custody after an undercover detective doing surveillance in the area witnessed the gunfire Tuesday afternoon, called for backup and followed the car to a house on 32nd Avenue North, according to a Metro Nashville Police Department news release. Police seized three handguns and one hydrocodone pill from the car, which had been reported stolen. One of the suspects told police that shots were fired at the D.B. Todd Market on Dr. D.B. Todd Jr. Boulevard because the clerk gave them a pizza with the wrong toppings. The teens are each charged with aggravated assault x 12, unlawful handgun possession and vehicle theft. Djuan Bowers, 18, and Tynerick Turner, 17, are also charged with aggravated robbery for a Feb. 20 hold-up in which the victim was robbed at gunpoint off Hickory Hollow Lane in Antioch. Bowers is being held on a $50,000 bond. Turner and the 16-year-old are being charged in juvenile court.  

Read the full story

Huge Crowd at Trump Rally in Nashville ‘Optimistic About the Future’

The unseasonably cold temperature that topped out about 40 degrees with a substantial wind chill had no apparent impact on the enthusiasm of President Trump’s supporters who showed up by the thousands in Nashville on Monday. About 10,000 made it in to the Nashville Municipal Auditorium in time to hear the president’s speech, while as many as 5,000 who had stood in line did not make it in, due to the TSA security clearance process. Most of those waiting in the line that extended more than a half mile from the auditorium’s entrance had been there about six hours before being able to get inside. For many, the positive experience started while standing in that long line of rally ticket holders. Robin, who called in to Ralph Bristol’s Morning Show Ralph Bristol on WTN 99.7 the morning following the rally, said that there was “camaraderie” amongst those waiting in line and that everyone was “optimistic about the future.”  Even though she arrived at 2:30 p.m., Robin was not able to get into the Auditorium before President Trump finished his speech, but said she would do it all again. Inside the Auditorium, the event started with comments and heads bowed for…

Read the full story

Refugee Resettlement and Illegal Immigration Driving Up Education Costs in Tennessee

Refugees

The TN Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition (TIRRC) is among the most aggressive opponents to the legislature’s constitutional challenge to the federal refugee resettlement program and to current and past legislative efforts to reduce illegal immigration to Tennessee.  However, TIRRC takes credit for “helping to pass a bill to increase statewide funding for English language learner (ELL) programs in public schools by $30 million.” As the legal and illegal immigrant population in Tennessee has grown, so has the cost to state and local taxpayers to teach non-English speaking students in the state’s public schools. State funding for English Language Learner (ELL) services in Tennessee public schools has increased annually bringing the 2012 $49 million up to $65.8 million in fiscal year 2016.  The required local share has increased from $21 million to $28.2 million during the same time. In September 2016,  Metro Nashville Public Schools sued the state wanting more money for ELL services, alleging that the state did not meet the Basic Education Program funding formula and as such, state funding was inadequate to pay for the proper ratio of students to teachers and translators. Tennessee Department of Education spokeswoman Sara Gast wrote that the state had provided $220 million in new…

Read the full story