Tag: Knoxville

Multiple Shooting Victims Reported at Knoxville, Tennessee High School, Police Say

Admin
Austin-Magnet High School

by Andrew Trunsky   Multiple shooting victims were reported at a Knoxville, Tennessee, high school Monday, the city’s police department said. One person was confirmed dead at the scene, and a police officer was sent to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, the Knoxville Police Department (KPD) said in a statement. The shooting occurred at Austin-East Magnet School, where one person was detained for further investigation. – Officer Involved Shooting at Austin East High School – @TBInvestigation will be the lead investigating agency and provide further information as it becomes available. pic.twitter.com/Hjetzf1vNT — Knoxville Police TN (@Knoxville_PD) April 12, 2021 Multiple agencies are on the scene of a shooting at Austin-East Magnet High School. Multiple gunshot victims reported, including a KPD officer. The investigation remains active at this time. Please avoid the area. pic.twitter.com/ViQirnQSpx — Knoxville Police TN (@Knoxville_PD) April 12, 2021 “Based on the preliminary investigation, Knoxville Police Department officers responded to Austin East Magnet high school on the report of a male subject who was possibly armed in the school. Upon approach of the subject, shots were fired,” the statement said. Knox County Schools Superintendent Bob Thomas confirmed the shooting in a tweet Monday afternoon, but added that the building was secure.…

Read the full story

Knoxville Marks One Year of ‘Safer-at-Home’ Order; Other Tennessee Counties Allow Mask Mandates to Expire

Corinne Murdock

April Fool’s Day marks one year since Knoxville Mayor Indya Kincannon issued the “safer-at-home” order, after three counties dropped their mask mandates. The counties of Hamblen, Roane, and Claiborn allowed their mandates to expire on Wednesday. Similar “15 days to slow the spread” practices turned into weeks, then months, and now, for many across Tennessee and the country.

Kincannon’s Safer at Home order lasted for nearly a month. It prohibited gatherings over 10 and forced closure of all “nonessential” businesses. The order empowered city officials with regulatory authority to take action against anyone who violated the order. The city even made available a non-compliance reporting process to enforce the order – which is still active.

Read the full story

Music Spotlight: Sam Hatmaker

Bethany Bowman

The first time I saw Sam Hatmaker was with the Song Suffragettes before COVID. Every songwriter who is part of the Song Suffragettes collective is amazing, but Hatmaker was unique and different. I knew even back then, I wanted to interview her.

It turns out that Hatmaker is from Knoxville, Tennessee. Her mom did theater and her dad was a performer too. It was natural for her to want to be on stage. When she was ten-years-old, she auditioned and was cast in a Christmas show at Dollywood. That ended up with her working at Dollywood for three years.

Read the full story

Member of Senate Committee Considering Legislation for Randy Boyd’s Taxpayer-Funded Baseball Stadium is Employee of Law Firm That Could Benefit From Bill’s Passage

Laura Baigert
Yarbro

A member of the Senate State and Local Government Committee is an attorney with a law firm that could benefit from the passage of the legislation enabling Randy Boyd’s taxpayer-funded baseball stadium in Knoxville.

Democrat Sen. Jeff Yarbro of Nashville sits on the Senate State and Local Government Committee, the first stop for SB 0783.

Read the full story

Five Sponsors of Bill Enabling Randy Boyd’s Taxpayer-Funded Baseball Stadium Received More Than $90,000 in Campaign Funds from Individuals with Ties to the Project

Laura Baigert

Five of the eight sponsors of the bill that will enable a taxpayer-funded stadium for Randy Boyd’s minor league baseball stadium in Knoxville received a total of more than $90,000 in campaign contributions from several individuals who are involved with the proposed project.

All but one of the legislators are from the Knoxville area and all but one are Republicans while three are freshmen.

Read the full story

Knoxville’s African American Equity Restoration Task Force: $100 Million to Solve Racial Inequity

Corinne Murdock

This year, Knoxville will deploy an African American Equity Restoration Task Force to solve “disparity and disenfranchisement in Black communities.” The city created the task force in mid-December at the request of Vice Mayor Gwen McKenzie, as part of a larger resolution issuing an apology for the city’s past impacts on Black people.

According to the City Council website, the task force will include business, community, financial, education, faith, healthcare, youth, and city leaders capable to create policy and programs for the city. The Community Empowerment Department will assist the task force in their assigned task. Additionally, the city stated that the task force’s recommendations may be afforded up to $100 million in government grants over the next seven years.

Read the full story

Former Knoxville Utilities Board Employees Paid More Than $10K for Time They Did Not Work

The Center Square

Two former employees of the Knoxville Utilities Board (KUB) collected more than $10,500 in pay for hours they did not work between 2016 and 2019, an investigation by the Tennessee Comptroller’s office found.

Utilities board officials reported questionable compensation of two employees – an engineering associate and a student worker – prompting an investigation by the state comptroller.

Read the full story

Mayor of Knoxville Latest Politician to Have Home Vandalized

Peter D'Abrosca

The Mayor of Knoxville is the latest politician to have her home vandalized, in a trend that has become commonplace since last summer’s Antifa and Black Lives Matter riots. 

“The Knoxville Police Department is investigating after a vandalism report at Mayor Indya Kincannon’s home Sunday night,” according to a Monday report by WBIR. “When officers arrived on the scene, they observed the word ‘Death’ spray-painted in black on the backside of a detached garage at Mayor Kincannon’s house.”

Read the full story

Knox County and City of Knoxville to Consider Establishment of a Sports Authority, First Step to a Taxpayer-Funded Stadium for Multi-Millionaire Randy Boyd’s Tennessee Smokies Baseball Team

Laura Baigert

The establishment of a sports authority that is the first step to a taxpayer-funded stadium for the Tennessee Smokies minor league baseball team owned by multi-millionaire Randy Boyd will be considered by the Knox County Commission at the regularly scheduled work session scheduled for Monday, December 14.
The application for the establishment of The Sports Authority of the County of Knox and the City of Knoxville was signed by Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs, City of Knoxville Mayor Indya Kincannon, County Commission Chair Larsen Jay, City Councilmember Gwen McKenzie, well-known local teacher and coach Tommy Schumpert and Dan Brown.

Read the full story

Citizens Groups Hold Rallies in Franklin, Knoxville to Declare ‘We Will Not Comply’ With Mask Mandates

Jason M. Reynolds

Grassroots movements combating Tennessee’s never-ending mask mandates are gaining steam.

Tennessee Stands held a “Mask Free Tennessee Rally” Saturday on the Public Square in Franklin. A similar rally was held Sunday in Knoxville by No Mandates Tennessee.

Tennessee Stands organizers on Saturday evening posted on their Facebook page, “So thankful to all of the patriots that showed up today for the Mask Free Tennessee Rally today in Franklin! Our voices are louder together. We will not give in to the mob. We will not relinquish our liberty. We. Will. Not. Comply.”

Read the full story

Sen. Rand Paul in Knoxville for Dr. Manny Sethi: ‘I Have Never Seen a More Sincere Opponent of Obamacare’

Laura Baigert

Sen. Rand Paul, who was in Knoxville Saturday for a town hall event in support of Dr. Manny Sethi for U.S. Senate, said he has never seen a more sincere opponent of Obamacare.

“I guess that’s what sort of bothers me is that people would lie about that,” said Paul. “Obamacare has really messed up healthcare. I think it’s been a disaster for the country.”

Read the full story

18-Year-Old Charged with Inciting a Riot, Civil Disorder in Knoxville Unrest

Anthony Gockowski

An 18-year-old from Heiskell, Tennessee was charged Monday with inciting a riot and civil disorder for his involvement in a May 30 riot in downtown Knoxville.

According to WVLT, a group of 50 to 100 people gathered in Market Square around 11:30 p.m. on May 30 to commit acts of vandalism as unrest spread across the nation in response to the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis.

Read the full story

New Numbers Show Tennessee’s ‘Staggering Increase in Unemployment’

Chris Butler

Officials with the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development released statistics Thursday showing what they call “a staggering increase in unemployment for each of Tennessee’s 95 counties” in April. This, as many businesses closed to help slow the spread of COVID-19, according to a TDLWD press release.

“The unprecedented and historic spike in unemployment impacted some counties more drastically than others, but no area of Tennessee escaped the pandemic’s effect on the state’s workforce,” the press release said.

Read the full story

Knoxville Opts Out of Controversial Practice of Sharing Personal Data of COVID-19 Patients with Police

Admin

The City of Knoxville said Tuesday it will opt-out of sharing the names and addresses of COVID-19 patients with law enforcement following a statewide controversy over the practice.

Mayor Indya Kincannon and Police Chief Eve Thomas said that the Knoxville Police Department will leave a state program that allows law-enforcement officers across Tennessee to access a database of persons who have tested positive for COVID-19.

Read the full story

Knoxville Manufacturer Needs to Hire Many Employees Despite Effects of COVID-19 Pandemic

Chris Butler

While other sectors of Tennessee’s economy languish during the COVID-19 pandemic, officials at Republic Plastics in Knoxville want to hire people for several new positions, including full-time machine operators and other manufacturing positions.

Staff at Republic Plastics manufacture custom private label foam tableware, including plates, bowls, food containers, and more for individual homes, restaurants, and hospitals.

People have high demand for this product, especially now, said Republic Plastics spokeswoman Suzanne McGowan.

Read the full story

Tennessee Medical Association Asks All Mayors to Issue Shelter in Place Orders

Anthony Gockowski

The Tennessee Medical Association (TMA) sent a letter to every mayor in the state Friday asking them to request authority from Gov. Bill Lee to issue shelter-in-place orders for their communities.

Lee has thus far declined to issue a statewide shelter-in-place order, which prompted more than 2,000 health care workers to sign a petition asking him to change course, The Tennessee Star reported. As of Sunday, 26 states had issued stay-at-home orders, including the neighboring states of North Carolina and Kentucky.

Read the full story

Questions Arise About Rick Staples’ Campaign Spending

Chris Butler

The media is raising questions about Tennessee State Rep. Rick Staples, D-Knoxville, and how he has spent his campaign finances.

This, according to a report The Tennessee Journal published Monday.

Staples did not respond to The Tennessee Star’s repeated requests for comment Monday, by email, at his office, and on his Facebook page.

According to The Tennessee Journal, “Staples spent $1,200 at a local restaurant just before his wedding last year, and on a rental car, hotel stays, and air travel coinciding with his honeymoon.”

Read the full story

SWAIN: Socialist City Council Member Amelia Parker’s Refusal to Swear ‘So Help Me God’ Reveals Who She Really Is

Julie Carr

Live from Music Row Thursday morning on The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy – broadcast on Nashville’s Talk Radio 98.3 and 1510 WLAC weekdays from 5:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. – Leahy was joined in studio by all-star panelist Dr. Carol Swain to discuss a newly elected socialist to the city council in Knoxville, Tennessee last week.

Read the full story

PJTN’s Laurie Cardoza-Moore Reveals Co-Sponsors for Anti-Semitic Awareness Act Legislation in Tennessee

Julie Carr

  On Friday’s Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy – broadcast on Nashville’s Talk Radio 98.3 and 1510 WLAC weekdays from 5:00 am to 8:00 am – Leahy spoke with Laurie Cardoza-Moore President and founder of Proclaiming Justice to the Nations about the continued anti-Semitic activity at UT Knoxville that’s gone conveniently unnoticed by the chancellors. Moore explained how many textbooks are teaching a false narrative about 9-11 and the Jewish people which is creating a violation of civil rights for those Jewish students. Towards the end of the segment, Moore revealed the two co-sponsors for her anti-Semitism Awareness Act in the state of Tennessee and advocated for a federal investigation of college campuses where anti-Semitic incidences occur. Leahy: And we are joined now on our newsmaker line by our very good friend Laurie Cardoza-Moore founder of Proclaiming Justice to the Nations. Welcome, Laurie. Moore: Good morning. Thank you for having me on the program again this morning. Leahy: We always are happy to have you on here Laurie. And you know you started Proclaiming Justice to the Nations just a few days after the original 9-11 attacks in 2001. Tell us a little bit about how you got…

Read the full story

Knoxville Taxpayers Reportedly Must Pay $150,000 for Public Art Project

Chris Butler

  Knoxville taxpayers will reportedly pay more than $150,000 for a public art project that a Seattle-based artist is overseeing in the downtown section of the city. This, according to KnoxNews.com, which reported the artist, Addison Karl, and four local and five out-of-state artists are helping him paint a mural. The website said the artists are painting the east side of the Market Square Garage between Wall and Union avenues. “The city-sanctioned work’s the latest of the public murals throughout downtown Knoxville,” according to KnoxNews.com “It’s funded with $151,000 approved in March by the Knoxville City Council. That money is all inclusive, paying for everything from accommodation expenses to materials and assistants.” The website went on to say public art is controversial — but Karl reportedly defended the practice because he said past civilizations left behind their own art. “They have left us their culture. … Even when we were hunters and gatherers, we left pictograms … The human spirit has always done graffiti — ‘we’ve been here; we were here,’” Karl reportedly said. The mural, named “Cassiopeia,” reportedly highlights the faces of six diverse East Tennessee residents. Karl will reportedly finish the project in August. This is not the first…

Read the full story

Knoxville Airport Gets More Federal Funding

Chris Butler

  U.S. Rep. Tim Burchett, representing Tennessee’s Second Congressional District, announced on his Twitter page Friday that McGhee Tyson Airport, outside Knoxville, will receive a $10.6 million grant via federal taxpayers. According to Burchett, the funds will go to reconstruct the airport’s runway. “This is great news for our community and local economy, and I appreciate the administration funding this request,” Burchett said. According to the Knoxville-based WATE.com, the U.S. Department of Transportation gave out the taxpayer money. “McGhee Tyson Airport is a first-class facility that continues to break passenger records, and this grant will help the airport continue to be an important economic driver by improving and expanding its existing infrastructure,” the station quoted Burchett as saying. According to the station, the agency awards grants to public agencies and sometimes private owners and entities to plan and develop public-use airports. According to WBIR.com, airport officials announced changes to infrastructure in May. The station also said the last concrete slab for a 10,000-foot runway is poured, but the project is not done. “This grant continues the work with the Airfield Modernization Program including the runway. We appreciate the Congressman’s continued support of the airport,” the station quoted McGhee Tyson Airport…

Read the full story

Knox County May Reportedly Prevent Taxpayers from Seeing Police Videos

Chris Butler

According to various news outlets out of Knoxville, Knox County prosecutors are working to make sure members of the public can’t see police videos outside a courtroom. According to KnoxNews.com, these include all police cruiser and body-camera videos in criminal cases. Anyone who allows taxpayers to see these videos may face fines or jail time, the website reported. “Anyone on the list who shared a video before it’s filed in court could be held in criminal contempt, including members of a defendant’s family,” KnoxNews.com reported. “The ban would last until prosecutors drop or decide not to file charges, a grand jury chooses not to indict, a judge throws out a case, a jury votes not guilty — or longer in case of a guilty plea or verdict. Videos not introduced at trial could take years or decades to become public. The prosecution file would become open at the end of the last appeal, plus one year.” The Knoxville-based WATE said Knox County District Attorney General Charme Allen drafted the order. The station quoted Deputy District Attorney General Kyle Hixson as saying the prosecution file would become open at the end of the last appeal, plus one year. As KnoxNews.com reported, “appeals in Tennessee…

Read the full story

Tuesday’s Gloria Johnson Press Conference Railing Against School Vouchers Brought to You by the Letters F and U

Chris Butler

On Tuesday Tennessee State Rep. Gloria Johnson (D-Knoxville) held a press conference to rail against school vouchers and Education Savings Accounts, but one of the women who flanked her seemed to steal Johnson’s spotlight. Going by a picture of the press conference on Twitter, an unidentified woman standing to Johnson’ right wore a T-shirt that said “Arming Teachers? How about Fund Us Instead?” The people who manage the TN House Democrats’ Twitter page posted the photo Tuesday. Whoever designed the shirt wrote the letters F and U (the first letters from the words “Fund” and “Us”) at a much larger font than the rest of the text. In fact, in the photo The Tennessee Star saw, taken from a good distance away, only the letters F U were visible to the naked eye. The photo included at least seven children, some standing alongside Johnson, some sitting down. The T-shirt generated buzz on Twitter. The Twitter page InsideTNpol, for instance, posted the following: “Tennessee public school educators wearing shirt that basically says “f### you” to @GovBillLee, @tnsenategop & @tnhousegop. Prob not too smart. Good move @TNDemocrats @TNSenateDems! Y’all are just making the school choice argument so much easier. #tnpol #TNLEG” On…

Read the full story

Tennessee Legislators Scared to Fight Civil Asset Forfeiture Abuse, Says State Rep. Martin Daniel

Chris Butler

Members of the Tennessee General Assembly won’t tackle civil asset forfeiture abuse because they fear a backlash from law enforcement, said State Rep. Martin Daniel  (R-Knoxville). Daniel serves on the legislature’s Civil Justice Subcommittee. Daniel told The Tennessee Star Monday that for the past three years he’s filed bills “that would have substantially reformed the problem.” Daniel said his colleagues don’t show his bill much, if any, support. And there’s a reason for that, Daniel said. “Law enforcement likes to have this revenue, I would assume, because there’s not a lot of accountability and transparency. They can use this money to spend it any way they want to without the legislature’s or a county commission’s oversight,” Daniel said. According to Justiceactionnetwork.org, Tennessee law enforcement officers can use civil asset forfeiture to seize and sell people’s property. They can do this “based only on their suspicion that it has been involved in criminal activity, without having to charge the citizen with a crime.” Law enforcement officers can sell or auction this property to supplement their budgets. Officials in Tennessee, Justiceactionnetwork.org went on to say, have seized and forfeited more than $85.9 million dollars in property between 2009 and 2014. These same…

Read the full story

The Tennessee Star Report: AOC and Social Justice Grifters Cast By Justice Democrats Via Knoxville, Tennessee Exposed

Julie Carr

On Tuesday’s Tennessee Star Report with Steve Gill and Michael Patrick Leahy – broadcast on Nashville’s Talk Radio 98.3 and 1510 WLAC weekdays from 5:00 am to 8:00 am – Gill and Leahy talked about the Knoxville, Tennessee location that allegedly acted as an office for two PAC, a campaign, and now a casting center for potential Democratic candidates. One of those candidates actually won a seat in the House, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez was cast out of the Gay Street office in Knoxville. At the conclusion of the segment the men discussed that this same scam had been done in Virginia two years ago and whether or not the people of Virginia would take their state back. Gill: Breitbart, written by Michael Patrick Leahy did a great story yesterday detailing this scam. I mean these are social justice grifters as you’ve termed them. Leahy: Oh, that’s a good term. Gill: That are out there you know scooping in money putting it into their own pockets under the auspices of creating political candidates to go out there and change the world. I don’t know if you’ve seen this video. This AOC video. Leahy: Yeah Gill: Of literally they did a casting call.…

Read the full story

The Tennessee Star Report: Phil Kerpen Provides Details on the Knoxville Location That Served as Campaign Hub for AOC and Justice Democrats

Julie Carr

On Wednesday’s Tennessee Star Report with Steve Gill and Michael Patrick Leahy – broadcast on Nashville’s Talk Radio 98.3 and 1510 WLAC weekdays from 5:00 am to 8:00 am – Gill spoke with Kerpen who is an American free-market policy analyst and political organizer. He is the president of American Commitment, a conservative 501c organization which he founded in 2012. The Tennessee Star Report spoke to Kerpen about his recent Twitter feed wherein a Knoxville location on Gay Street was the hub for the newly elected freshman congresswoman, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, which allegedly funneled funds through the location between PAC and campaign accounts through corporations. Gill: Yesterday I was reading through the twitter stream of Phil Kerpen who previously was vice president of American’s for Prosperity is now President of the American free market policy group, American Commitment. It’s a conservative 501 organization that he founded in two thousand and twelve. He and I actually ran into each other repeatedly at Grover Norquist’s regular weekly meetings and through American’s for Prosperity. So anyway I’m reading through Phil’s Twitter and there’s a picture of a building in Knoxville, Tennessee and I’m going, “Wait a minute, I’m from Knoxville, I know that building.”…

Read the full story

New Tennessee Law Cuts Off the Cash Knox County Gets from Truckers for Scale Violation Tickets

Chris Butler

Knox County officials apparently love to give tickets to truckers, but a new state law has cut off that county’s cash flow, according to CDLLife.com. The website caters to people in the trucking industry. County officials got this money by ticketing overweight trucks and last year gave out 1,600 citations. Last year the county made $250,000 for government officials to use, according to the Knoxville-based TV station WBIR. Knox County operates the nation’s second busiest scale house, CDLLife.com reported. “Under a law that went into effect on January 1, 2019, Knox County will no longer be allowed to take in revenue by ticketing overweight trucks at their scale houses,” CDLLife.com reported. “Truckers may still be ticketed, but under the new law, that ticket revenue will bypass Knox County and go directly to the state of Tennessee.” CDLLife.com quoted County Clerk Mike Hammond as saying his local government collects so much money because interstates 40, 75, and 81 go through there. State Rep. Bud Hulsey, R-Kingsport, is responsible for the law. Hulsey reportedly owns the Blountville-based trucking company Burlington Logistics. CDLLIfe.com reported. “He proposed the law after one of his drivers was ticketed in Knox County. Husley successfully argued that it…

Read the full story

ICE Places Hold on Immigrant Charged With Criminally Negligent Homicide in Fatal Knoxville Accident

Jason M. Reynolds

A man charged in the vehicular death Saturday of a Knoxville Fire Department captain’s son also has an ICE hold on his arrest, WBIR reported. Franco Cambrany Francisco-Eduardo, 44 has been charged with criminally negligent homicide, not having a driver’s license and failure to have proof of financial responsibility (having no insurance), WBIR said. The Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency has a hold on him. Francisco-Eduardo, of Oak Ridge, is accused of killing Pierce Corcoran, 22 in the crash that happened on Chapman Highway around 6:30 p.m. Saturday, WVLT said. The Knoxville Police Department said Francisco-Eduardo’s Chevy pickup, which was heading north, crossed into the opposite lanes and hit Corcoran’s Honda Civic, causing a chain reaction. Corcoran and passenger Jade Adams, 21, were transported to UT Medical Center, where Corcoran was later pronounced dead, WVLT said. Adams was treated for her injuries. The other drivers were not injured. Corcoran was the son of Knoxville Fire Department Capt. and Public Information Officer D.J. Corcoran. Corcoran’s obituary by Stevens Mortuary said: In his 22 years, he tried his hand at every sport possible, developing a love of golf, soccer, tennis and running 2 marathons in 2017. He became an advocate for eating…

Read the full story

Victor Ashe Commentary: Will Knoxville’s Mayor Rogero Spend Her Last Year in Office Settling Political Scores?

Admin

by Victor Ashe   Knoxville’s liberal Democratic Mayor Madeline Rogero starts her final year in office in two weeks and it seems like anything she does now days creates problems as she reveals a streak of vindictive attacks on those she dislikes to the amazement of friends, Democrats and the general public. Rogero, who had recommended $75,000 for Legacy Parks in her most recent city budget proposal which city council easily approved has now decided she will sit on the check and insist on better behavior and a new attitude by the longtime executive director, Carol Evans.  Legacy Parks is a non profit group which includes many significant citizens on its board and as donors. Evans is widely admired as a nonpolitical person and has strong backing from her Board. The Legacy Parks annual luncheon attracts a who’s who cast of civic leaders. It is unheard of in Knoxville for a Mayor to slow walk or withhold a grant which council unanimously voted.  Park and greenway backers are mystified if not angered. No one has a clue how this will end.  Rogero is not talking despite it being public money. Rogero has also waged in the same time frame a…

Read the full story

Congressmen Jim Jordan and Mark Meadows Will Be Featured Guests at Knoxville Fundraiser for Tim Burchett

Admin

Republican 2d District Congressional nominee Tim Burchett isn’t taking anything for granted in the final week of the midterm elections. Two key Republican House leaders are coming to Tennessee for a November 4th fundraiser/rally in Knoxville for the conservative former Mayor of Knox County. House Freedom Caucus Founder Jim Jordan (R-OH, 4th District) and Mark Meadows (R-NC, 11th District), the current Chair of the Freedom Caucus, will be guests at the event to be held at 4 pm the home of Scott and Hope Davis, 1515 Ashland Springs Rd. Tickets are just $50 and those interested should email [email protected] for details and to get tickets. Both men have been mentioned as potential candidates for Speaker if the Republicans maintain control of the House after the November 6 election. Current Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) announced in April that he was not going to seek reelection. If Republicans successfully retain the House majority it is expected that it will be by a narrow margin of only a handful of seats. Tennessee Star Political Editor Steve Gill noted that the event is a good opportunity for Burchett to raise money and create visibility heading into Election Day. But the two Republican leaders coming…

Read the full story

Former Gubernatorial Candidate Randy Boyd Likely to Serve as Interim University of Tennessee President

Jason M. Reynolds
Randy Boyd

University of Tennessee’s Board of Trustees says they will consider appointing Knoxville businessman and failed gubernatorial candidate Randy Boyd to serve as interim president, WJHL reports. The job could last up to 24 months or until the appointment of a new president at UT. If he’s appointed as interim president, Boyd has told the board that he will decline to be paid a salary. Boyd lost in a blowout primary election Aug. 2 in the Republican governor’s race to political newcomer Bill Lee. UT President Joe DiPietro said Monday that he planned to retire from active service Nov. 21, the university announced. Members of the public can preregister to address the board regarding the proposed appointment during a 30-minute comment period at the Sept. 25 meeting at the Visitors Center on the UT Knoxville campus. UT Board Chair John Compton said appointing an interim president gives the trustees time to plan for the university’s future. He and the other trustees, since beginning their work Aug. 1, have individually been meeting with and listening to key stakeholders, including legislators, faculty, campus leadership and alumni. Boyd is the founder and chairman of Radio Systems Corp., with more than 700 employees, offices in six countries and the…

Read the full story

Nowville: Senators, Governors and Celebrities Set to Flock to Tennessee in Upcoming Months for Election Support

Julie Carr

On Thursday’s Gill Report –broadcast on Nashville’s Talk Radio 1510 WLAC weekdays at 7:30 am– Star News Digital Media National Political Editor Steve Gill discussed the upcoming onslaught of Senators, Governors, and Celebrities slated to hit Tennessee soil in the upcoming weeks to support their chosen candidates and the motivation behind each parties voters in the November election. Gill went on to assure that Trump voters will turn out to defend and support their President if the Democrats make this election all about him. He continued: And you know that you’re going to see a lot of outside folks coming in to Tennessee to try to help things along for Phil Bredesen and Marsha Blackburn in the Senate race. And a lot of these out of town Senators, and Governors, and Celebrities already coming in, you’re going to see a lot more of it over the next fifty, sixty days or so. Now the latest for Marsha Blackburn is Mike Pence. The Vice President is going to headline a fundraiser in Knoxville for her Senate bid on September 21st. Now the cost is going to be a $1,000.00 per person, $5,400.00 per couple with a photo, or $25,000.00 per couple…

Read the full story

Pence to Headline Knoxville Fundraiser for Blackburn

Jason M. Reynolds

Vice President Mike Pence will headline a fundraiser in Knoxville for Republican U.S. Representative Marsha Blackburn (R-TN-07) in her Senate bid. An event invitation says the fundraiser will be Sept. 21, WATE reports, citing the Associated Press. The cost will be $1,000 per person; $5,400 per couple, with a photo; or $25,000 per couple, including a photo and round-table with Pence. Contributions will benefit Blackburn’s joint fundraising committee. President Donald Trump appeared at a Blackburn fundraiser and rally in May. Pence attended a Chattanooga fundraiser and related event in Cleveland in July. At the Cleveland event, held at Lee University, Pence praised Blackburn and Representative Diane Black (R-TN-06), The Tennessee Star reported. Black eventually lost in the Republican gubernatorial primary to Bill Lee. “The former Indiana governor called the 2017 tax cuts the biggest in a generation and a generator of American jobs in front of a raucous crowd,” the Chattanooga Times Free Press reported: “His wide-ranging 33-minute speech at Lee University addressed immigration, tax cuts, Supreme Court nominations, environmental rollbacks and chastised the ‘liberal left’ before narrowing his message to tax cuts.” Blackburn’s opponent is Democratic ex-Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen in the November general election. Blackburn last week received…

Read the full story

OFF THE RECORD: Randy Boyd Skips Knoxville Debate . . . For ‘Pricey Steakhouse Dinner’?

Jason M. Reynolds
Randy Boyd

Randy Boyd set off a chain reaction when he cancelled Sunday night’s GOP gubernatorial candidate primary debate in Knoxville. Now, one reporter says the cancellation was due to a “pricey steakhouse dinner,” as first reported at TNJ: On the Hill. Boyd had cited an unspecified scheduling conflict as his reason to miss the final debate of the primary election. Beth Harwell and Diane Black soon bowed out. Shelby County Republican and fellow diner Naser Fazullah posted pictures of Boyd, and company out at Folk’s Folly Prime Steak House in Memphis.   Yelp gives Folk’s Folly a four-dollar-sign rating, a sign of an expensive restaurant. The price range is cited as $31-$60. A 14-ounce, fully trimmed filet mignon costs $52, according to the restaurant’s menu. The meal may have been more expensive than Boyd intended. Bill Lee took advantage of the cancelled debate to hold a townhall meeting in Knoxville. A poll released Monday shows Lee in the lead. The poll of 500 registered Republican voters conducted between July 18 and July 21 puts Lee in first place with 26 percent, followed by Randy Boyd in second with 20 percent. But wait! It turns out there may be a few problems…

Read the full story

Steve Gill: GOP Gubernatorial Primary Debate Cancellation May Be Due To Perceived Lack of Effectiveness

Jason M. Reynolds
Steve Gill

A top political analyst says he is not surprised that three of the candidates running in the Tennessee Republican gubernatorial primary dropped out of the last statewide televised debate scheduled for this weekend in Knoxville. The cancellation comes after Randy Boyd, Beth Harwell and Diane Black dropped out, WKRN said. “My assessment is that I would guess is the debate was not going to move as many votes as [the campaigns] targeting where they need to move them,” Steve Gill, political editor of The Tennessee Star, told WKRN. An advisor to the Bill Lee campaign said he would be there regardless and if his opponents did not show, he would hold a rally at the debate site, WVLT said. Campaigns may not have believed a debate so close to Election Day on Aug. 2 and well into early voting would be effective, Gill said. The possibility of candidates attacking one another in a debate, like some have in recent advertising, may have been another factor, Gill said. “Who gets the benefit of that?” Gill told WKRN. “Because the attacker is going to lose a few points and the person you are attacking is going to lose a few points — where…

Read the full story

Eve Thomas Sworn In As Knoxville Police Department’s First Female Chief

Jason M. Reynolds
Eve Thomas

Knoxville Mayor Madeline Rogero has promoted Deputy Chief Eve Thomas to become Knoxville’s first-ever female police chief, WBIR reported. Thomas was sworn in Thursday and succeeds Chief David Rausch as he becomes director of the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation on Monday, June 25. Rausch is taking over the TBI after his predecessor, Acting Director Jason Locke, announced his retirement, WATE reported. Locke came under investigation and had lawmakers calling for his resignation after his wife accused him of having an affair with a high-ranking state worker at taxpayers’ expense. Rausch left the KPD in a good position for her, Thomas told WBIR. “The reason I know I am prepared is because of the great team we have. And Chief Rausch has left me in a great spot.” Thomas began her career at KPD in 1993, where her duties included Field Training Officer, Recruitment Coordinator, and working in the accreditation unit, among others. In February, she was named one of KPD’s four deputy chiefs and division commander of the Criminal Investigations Division, making her the second woman to obtain the rank. She told WBIR she wants to grow community relationships Rausch built and continue his focus on fighting drugs.    …

Read the full story