Day: March 23, 2017

Peyton Manning Will Not Run for Senate in Tennessee: ‘I Have NO Interest in the Political World’

Tina LaFleur
Tennessee Star

Rumors swirling of a possible US Senate run by legendary football star Peyton Manning on the heels of a possible 2020 retirement of Senator Lamar Alexander have been sidelined. For now. The Denver Post reported University of Tennessee alum Manning denied any interest in the Senate, stating: “I have NO interest in the political world.” Via the Post: “I don’t know where that came from. Last week I was going to run a team, this week I going to apparently run for Senate, and next week I’ll be an astronaut,” Manning said. “I have no interest in the political world, but would like to continue serving communities.” Manning said he’s “excited about the next chapter of my career” and that he has “a bucket list” of things he wants to do before finding something new. “The best advice I got was to not sign up for something full-time right away that you can’t commit to,” he said. “I’m taking my time and seeing what my options might be.” So… we’ll put him down as a “maybe.” Read the Post’s full report at: http://www.denverpost.com/2017/03/22/peyton-manning-political-world-interest/

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American Killed in London Islamic Terrorist Attack

Tina LaFleur
Tennessee Star

The New York Daily News reports at least one American was injured and another killed in the Westminster Bridge terror attack Wednesday. Utah couple Kurt Cochran and his wife Melissa were in London on a ‘dream vacation’ to celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary. Via the Daily News: “Our family is heartbroken to learn of the death of our son-in-law, Kurt W. Cochran, who was a victim of Wednesday’s terrorist attack in London,” said Melissa’s brother, Clint Payne, in a statement issued by the Mormon church. “Kurt was a good man and a loving husband to our daughter and sister, Melissa.”   Read the full story at: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/utah-man-identified-victim-deadly-london-attack-article-1.3006601

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State Rep. Sam Whitson is Proud of His Vote to Increase the Gas Tax in House Transportation Committee

Tennessee Star Staff
Tennessee Star

  State Rep. Sam Whitson (R-Franklin), one of the 11 members of the House Transportation Committee who voted yes on increasing the gas tax and moved the amended version of Gov. Haslam’s IMPROVE Act, tells the Spring Hill Home Page he is proud of his vote in committee on Tuesday. The amended version of the IMPROVE Act for which Whitson voted is said to be the same as the amended Senate version, which reduced the gas tax increase from 7 cents per gallon to 6 cents per gallon. The full details of the amended House version Whitson voted for have not yet been released to the public. “We made sure that a we stayed a debt free and pay-as-you-go state when it comes to our public roads,” the Williamson County resident and Army veteran told the Spring Hill Home Page on Wednesday. Whitson was not asked to comment on Chairman Barry Doss’ (R-Leaoma) violation of Tennessee House of Representatives Rule 34 in the committee, a rule breaking abuse of power that enabled the vote to be held on Tuesday in committee. Whitson’s colleague, State Rep. Timothy Hill (R-Blountville), invoked Rule 34 during the hearing. Rule 34 grants members of the…

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Bryan College, Union University Honored For Beautiful Campuses

Wendy Wilson

Two Tennessee schools earned spots in the top three in a ranking of beautiful Christian college and university campuses. Bryan College in Dayton was #2 and Union University in Jackson was #3 on the list of the “50 Most Beautiful Christian Colleges and Universities 2017” compiled by Christian Universities Online, an independent resource for prospective students and their families researching Christian higher education. The #1 spot went to Dallas Baptist University in Texas. Schools included in the ranking are members or member eligible of the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities (CCCU). Schools were evaluated based on continuity of campus, architectural style, signature buildings and natural setting. Bryan College, located north of Chattanooga, has around 1,500 students, 1,400 of them undergraduates. “Set on a large rural campus, Bryan College is nestled in the beautiful Tennessee mountains and features a contemporary architectural style that favors clean lines,” says an article on the Christian Universities Online website. Rudd Auditorium, the signature building, is “a unique and beautiful structure,” the article says, adding that the three arches in front are depicted in the school logo. “Located next to Chickamauga Lake, Bryan College borders the Dayton Municipal Park and the campus flows well with its…

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Grover Norquist Praised Chris Christie’s Gas Tax Increase in New Jersey Before He Signed Off on Haslam’s in Tennessee

Tennessee Star Staff

Washington insider Grover Norquist, founder of Americans for Tax Reform, praised New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie’s gas tax increase in New Jersey in 2016, a year before he claimed Gov. Haslam’s gas tax increase proposal here in Tennessee is “Taxpayer Protection Pledge compliant.” In the letter he sent to Tennessee state legislators on Monday in which he expressed support for the amended version of Gov. Haslam’s gas tax increase that passed the Senate Transportation Committee last week, Norquist also sang the praises of Christie’s earlier gas tax increase in the Garden State. “In New Jersey last year, Americans for Tax Reform supported a tax package enacted by Gov. Christie that raised the gas tax from 14.5 to 23 cents per gallon, but coupled that with a phase out of his state’s death tax, a reduction in the sales tax from 7 to 6.6%, and an increase in the earned income tax credit,” Norquist wrote. “The package, like SB 1221/HB534 was a net tax cut overall. As such, not only did ATR not oppose the deal, ATR urged lawmakers to support it,” he added. “Republican Gov. Chris Christie and the Democratic-controlled Legislature agreed to the hike because the state had run…

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Lawsuit Filed To Stop Construction of Mosque in Michigan Chaldean Christian Community

Wendy Wilson

The American Freedom Law Center has filed a lawsuit on behalf of seven residents of Sterling Heights, Michigan, who oppose construction of a mosque in their largely Chaldean Christian neighborhood. Robert Muise, senior counsel for the law center, said in a statement that the Islamic group behind the plans “wanted to ‘plant the flag’ in this Chaldean Christian community by building this huge mosque. This is a community of Christians, many of whom fled Iraq because they or family members were subjected to violence and abuse from ISIS.” The action taken by the law center is the latest in a long conflict begun in 2015 over plans for the new mosque in Sterling Heights, a suburb of Detroit. It would be the third mosque in Sterling Heights. Last month, the city settled lawsuits filed by the American Islamic Community Center and the Obama Department of Justice claiming that a decision by the city planning commission to deny an application to build was rooted in religious prejudice. Residents had concerns about the large mosque creating traffic and noise in their residential area and some voiced criticism of Islam. The American Freedom Law Center maintains that the city did not have a right…

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Commentary: Repeal Means Repeal!

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  For the past six years the Republicans in Congress have repeatedly demanded that Obamacare be repealed and replaced. In fact the House has voted over 60 times to repeal Obamacare but were regularly blocked by the Democrat-controlled Senate under Majority Leader Harry Reid. When Republicans took control of the Senate the House was able to pass a bill in 2016 to repeal Obamacare and defund Planned Parenthood that finally came to a vote and also passed in the Senate. President Obama vetoed it. As long as President Obama could wield the veto pen there was no hope of actually repealing Obamacare. But now, with President Trump in place and with his oft-repeated campaign pledge to “repeal Obamacare,” Republicans are positioned to keep their promises and kill the disastrous and costly government health insurance scheme. Yet, here we are on the verge of success and moderate Republicans like Speaker Paul Ryan and House Budget Chair Diane Black are desperately trying to simply replace Obamacare with a watered down version that replaces subsidies with credits and keeps the foundations of Obamacare firmly in place. Instead of “promises made, promises kept” the Republicans will claim “promises made, promises continued until phases two…

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