Tag: Alberto Gonzales

Expert Testimony on Study of Emergency Powers: Governor Lee’s Executive Orders Consistent with Powers Granted in State Law

Laura Baigert

In testimony to the Joint Ad Hoc Committee to Study Emergency Powers Thursday, retired Tennessee Supreme Court Justice and president and dean of Nashville School of Law William C. Koch, Jr. said Governor Bill Lee’s executive orders are entirely consistent with the inherent power in his office and granted to him in state statute.

The 17-member ad hoc committee, consisting of five senators and 12 representatives, was established by the respective speakers of each house at the request of members in light of the emergency status caused by COVID-19.

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California Businessman Wants to Build Another Sports Stadium in Nashville, This Time for Major League Baseball

Jason M. Reynolds

  California businessman John Loar is leading a charge to build another taxpayer-funded sports stadium in Nashville – this time for Major League Baseball. Loar and other baseball boosters plan to travel to New York City to meet with Major League Baseball, WSMV said. “What intrigued me about Nashville is just the growth, the corporate growth,” said John Loar, who is leading the efforts, earlier this year. “With the existing sports teams and just the music element to it, it has the Las Vegas vibe without the gaming.” The group, called Music City Baseball LLC, wants to build a stadium in a mixed-use project near Nissan Stadium, home of the Tennessee Titans, or the PSC Metals scrapyard. Loar has previously discussed finance options with public officials, according to a story by Ballpark Digest. That publication said his venture is called Music City Equity Group. Montreal, Portland and Las Vegas also are interested in pursuing baseball franchises, Ballpark Digest said. As The Tennessee Star reported last September, the Metro City Council decided to pay $275 million for a new soccer stadium instead of using the Titans’ Nissan Stadium, which itself needs $300 million in upgrades. Who is the man leading the…

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Alberto Gonzales Endorses Tommy Vallejos in Tennessee State House Race

Wendy Wilson

Montgomery County commissioner Tommy Vallejos on Friday was endorsed by Alberto Gonzales in his race for the state House seat currently occupied by retiring Rep. Joe Pitts (D-Clarksville). A Republican, Vallejos is a pastor and board chairman for Latinos For Tennessee, a conservative political action group. Gonzales served as U.S. attorney general under former President George W. Bush and currently is dean of the law school at Belmont University. “Tommy’s story is a powerful reminder that redemption and reconciliation are entirely possible in America,” Gonzales said in a news release. “How else do you explain a rough street kid growing up to become a county commissioner, now serving his community with selflessness and passion?” Vallejos grew up in New Mexico and was involved in gangs before joining the Army and cleaning up his life. As a pastor, he has helped steer young people away from gangs and find direction. Gonzales said he has “seen firsthand Tommy’s passion to serve others and minister to the least of these in our community. He is a leader in every sense of the word, inspiring others to give back and bridging differences for the good of all.” Earlier this year, Vallejos said he intended to…

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Former AG Alberto Gonzales: In America, Dreams Can Still Come True

Wendy Wilson

NASHVILLE, Tennessee — As he travels the country speaking to young people, Alberto Gonzales asks them, how big can you dream? Many are afraid of getting laughed at if they talk about their ambitions, or they are afraid of failure, Gonzales said Thursday at a Latinos For Tennessee fundraising reception. But he wants them to know that in America, dreams can still come true. Gonzales is a former U.S. attorney general who served under former President George W. Bush and today is the dean of Belmont University’s Law School. A product of humble beginnings in Houston, Texas, Gonzales spoke of his own life as an example, telling of how his mom lived to see her son become a high-ranking official in the nation’s capital. As another example, he joked that as a young boy he dreamed of the Houston baseball team that became the Astros one day winning the World Series. That dream came true Nov. 1 when the Houston Astros beat the Los Angeles Dodgers to win the title for the first time in their existence as a Major League Baseball franchise. Thursday’s fundraiser at The Standard at the Smith House in downtown Nashville was held to raise financial…

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Latinos For Tennessee to Hold Fundraising Reception for New Internship Program

Wendy Wilson

Latinos For Tennessee will hold a fundraising reception Nov. 16 to support a new internship program for Austin Peay State University students who will serve with both Congress and the Tennessee General Assembly. Guest speakers will include former U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, currently dean of Belmont University’s law school; Mary Ann Gomez Orta of the Congressional Hispanic Leadership Institute; and Hergit “Coco” Llenas of American Federation for Children. The event will be held at The Standard at the Smith House in downtown Nashville. Latinos For Tennessee is partnering with Austin Peay and the Washington, D.C.-based Congressional Hispanic Leadership Institute to pilot the dual internship program. Participants will be Tennessee students currently enrolled at Austin Peay. Preference will be given to applicants of Hispanic descent. “Our hope is that the program will be expanded to include other partner schools in the state, but for now we are launching this as a pilot program,” said Latinos For Tennessee coordinator Michelle Garcia. The reception Nov. 16 will benefit the two students who will be selected for the first semester of the program. Garcia said the goal is to cover tuition, airfare, housing, transportation, books and a stipend for each of the students.…

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