PITTSBURGH — Rookie Jake Guentzel scored twice to increase his playoffs-leading goal total to 12 and the Pittsburgh Penguins erupted for three goals early in the third period Wednesday night in a 4-1 win over the Nashville Predators in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final at PPG Paints Arena. The defending champion Penguins own a…
Read the full story
President Trump is laying the groundwork for withdrawing from the Paris climate agreement, launching a process that is likely to take some years. The details of the withdrawal are still in the works and the effort is being led by Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt, according to Axios, which reported Wednesday on the direction the…
Read the full story
Gov. Bill Haslam has signed a law requiring cities to spend more on security or allow people to carry handguns at parks, fairs, auditoriums and other public venues. Nashville Mayor Megan Barry had asked Haslam to veto the bill. The city of Knoxville was also opposed, as were gun control advocates, including the Safe Tennessee Project and Moms Demand Action For Gun Sense In America. The National Rifle Association supports the measure. According to a May 12 press release, the Tennessee Firearms Association said of the law signed by Gov. Haslam that it “could have been a good bill but that may have been intentionally amended to make the situation worse for gun owners. This bill significantly changes Tennessee law for the worse and we suspect most legislators who voted on it were not even aware of the problem in the bill.” The law provides lawful gun owners with a private cause of action to challenge local gun control policies that run counter to state law. The new Tennessee law “leaves to local governments the ultimate decision of whether to prohibit firearms in local government buildings, and the new provisions in this bill give local governments and their permittees more…
Read the full story
Tennessee State Senator Mark Green was selected by President Trump to serve as the next Secretary of the Army with the full support of Secretary of Defense James Mattis, and from Tennessee’s two Republican U.S. Senators Lamar Alexander and Bob Corker. At the time President Trump announced his intention to nominate Green in April, it appeared the conservative Tennessean had all the political boxes checked to ensure his confirmation by the Senate. As a West Point graduate and former combat infantry officer, and special operations combat veteran, the military establishment was excited about the prospects of “one of their own” being named to the top direct civilian oversight position for the Army. As a businessman who had built and sold a healthcare company, he even had the bonus appeal to the Trump team’s preference for those who had achieved private sector business success. A relatively easy confirmation was expected by those close to the process. Then, the left wing media establishment initiated a smear campaign against Green that was designed to “take out” another Trump nominee with nothing more than misquotes and comments taken out of context, innuendo, and completely false information. With the spurious claims against him amplified…
Read the full story
A 2016 Center for Disease Control (CDC) report estimates that “513,000 women and girls in the United States were at risk of or may have been subjected” to being mutilated, triple the number estimated in 1990. Immigration from high prevalence FGM countries is considered the reason for the spike, but the CDC admits that “scientifically valid data” is needed to more accurately assess the problem. They claim, however, that this data would be difficult to obtain “due, in part, to the cultural and legal sensitivity of the information needed.” Two years ago, however, Britain established a national database and began requiring health care providers to report “any instance of FGM/C described to them or discovered during physical exams.” Tennessee’s 2012 FGM law is limited to reporting incidents of FGM in girls under age 18 to law enforcement. While twenty-one cases of FGM were reported in Tennessee in 2011, there is no publicly available record that any official action was taken against the perpetrators. Neither the Tennessee Department of Health nor Siloam Health Center, the provider for refugees’ initial medical exam and primary care which estimated that eighty-six percent of its patients were foreign born in 2012, collect data on FGM. In 2007, the Department of…
Read the full story
President Trump resumed his search for a new FBI director Tuesday, interviewing two candidates for the position left vacant after the abrupt firing of James Comey. White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer said the president was meeting with John S. Pistole and Christopher A. Wray on Tuesday afternoon, though he declined to say whether the men…
Read the full story
President Donald Trump’s admonishment to NATO members to start paying more for their own defense is driving German Chancellor Angela Merkel and the U.S. media bonkers. With the added indications Trump’s is likely to pull out of the 2015 Paris accord on climate change, their mood is downright apocalyptic. Merkel and the media make a potent…
Read the full story
On May 25th, the Henry County GOP and Republican Women held a “Meet & Greet” reception for their state Senator John Stevens. Rep. Tim Wirgau who also represents Henry County, showed up to participate even though he had not been invited as a speaker. According to an attendee, both Stevens and Wirgau talked “pretty much in lock-step agreement on all issues discussed at this meeting.” Backing off of Boss Doss’ rebranded “Tax Cut Act of 2017” both Stevens and Wirgau talked extensively about the gas tax which they both supported, except now they were calling it Governor Haslam’s name for the tax increase – the “Improve Act of 2017”. Justifying their support for increasing taxes, both Wirgau and Stevens used what sounded like talking points provided to legislators that have to defend unpopular votes. Stevens started off by saying that, “”the voters should thank us for passing this bill!” He then went into great detail explaining how transiting big rigs will pay Tennessee fuel tax regardless of which state they refuel in because the International Federal Tax Agreement law which apportions fuel tax according to miles traveled in a specific state using specific states’ rates, will result in the big rigs paying 40% of…
Read the full story
All children in Tennessee deserve an exceptional education. School improvement is only possible when accompanied within a framework of collaboration and support.
Read the full story
A notoriously corrupt Department of Veterans Affairs manager fired the first day of President Donald Trump’s presidency—to rousing acclaim from veterans who heralded it as a sign of lasting reform—has been returned to work by VA officials after he filed a civil-service protections appeal. The return of the Puerto Rico hospital director is the latest example…
Read the full story
A year after the state legislature diverted its diversity funding, the University of Tennessee-Knoxville will see the funding come back July 1, but school officials have yet to decide how to spend it, reports the Knoxville News Sentinel. The school will receive $445,882 in state funding for diversity, an allocation that was used in the past to support the Office for Diversity and Inclusion. Lawmakers voted last year to divert funding to minority engineering scholarships for one year after outcry over Sex Week and the school’s promotion of gender neutral pronouns and discouragement of winter holiday celebrations that include any type of reference to Christmas. The school is still prohibited from using state funds on those particular efforts even though the funding is restored. Earlier this year, some lawmakers tried unsuccessfully to pass a measure that would encourage intellectual diversity on campus and make conservative views more welcome. State Sen. Todd Gardenhire (R-Chattanooga) told the News Sentinel that he wishes the university would continue to use the state funding on minority scholarships. Gardenhire sponsored the Senate version of the bill last year. Gardenhire said the Office for Diversity and Inclusion was “giving a horrible reputation to the University of Tennessee and the state.” “I…
Read the full story
VERSE OF THE DAY Be blessed and be a blessing May 28, Sunday Isaiah 41:10 “Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, I will help you, yes, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.” John 16:33 “I have told you these things so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But be of good cheer. I have overcome the world.”
Read the full story
Dan Meredith is doing his part to counter the steady stream of news from a liberal perspective. Meredith produces a TV show in Nashville on community access television that covers topics from a conservative angle. The show is called Veritas Populi, a Latin phrase meaning “Truth for the People.” “It’s getting more popular and I hope it’s doing some good,” said Meredith, a registered nurse and former minister. Meredith and his four-member volunteer crew began producing the show late last year and so far have made 16 episodes. This past Saturday, they taped three episodes featuring Richard Archie talking about the Tennessee Constitution. Archie is a board member and the West Tennessee director of the Tennessee Firearms Association. Veritas Populi tackles a wide range of political, cultural, social and spiritual topics. Past shows have featured discussions on the American family in crisis and children with Down syndrome. Past guests have included state Sen. Mark Green (R-Clarksville) and Joni Bryan, executive director of the 917 Society, a Nashville area group that educates young people about the U.S. Constitution. The show is produced at a studio at Nashville State Community College used by Nashville Education, Community and Arts Television (NECAT). Meredith and…
Read the full story
A 97-year-old WWII veteran from Florida visited the Bicentennial Mall in downtown Nashville on Monday. The mall, which includes a WWII memorial, attracted numerous visitors for Memorial Day. “I did not know about this place,” Quentin Brelsford told WKRN News 2. “It’s beautiful. It’s really nice.” Brelsford, who is originally from Michigan, was in a wheelchair and wore a WWII veteran cap. He told WKRN that he worked in aviation maintenance and worked on engines to keep planes flying on the North African and Italian fronts during the war. Others at the memorial came up to the former Army corporal to thank him for his service and some took his photo. Brelsford was at the memorial with his son and daughter-in-law. The WWII memorial was dedicated on November 11, 1997. It includes large granite markers giving a brief history of historic events during the war, such as the bombing of Pearl Harbor and the Battle of the Bulge. The memorial also includes a large granite globe that features a small map of Tennessee with lines showing the mileage to different theatres of war.
Read the full story
GOP congressional candidate Greg Gianforte body-slammed a reporter the day before the U.S. House special election in Montana and still won by six percent. Democrats should take that as a harbinger of political doom on par with meeting the weird sisters or receiving a visit from Hamlet’s father. You need no ghost come from the grave…
Read the full story
Editors Note: Rob Mitchell sent The Tennessee Star this “Open Letter to All 2018 Tennessee Gubernatorial Candidates and Citizens,” with the following note: “As I begin to explore the possibilities of a candidacy for Tennessee Governor I believe that ideas and experience should be considered. I would appreciate your consideration of my open letter for publication. Rob Mitchell Rutherford County Assessor of Property” We are running Mr. Mitchell’s letter in its entirety, as he sent it to us. Dear Tennessee Star, my fellow Tennesseans, and would-be Gubernatorial Candidates: We do not need a gas tax increase when our State has a tax collection surplus. The knee jerk reaction of raising taxes to solve management issues must stop. The issues both our thriving and our struggling communities alike are caused by poor management and worse policies. The next governor should immediately Repeal and Reform the state gas tax and sales tax. 2018 candidates, will you do that? My proposal would be to reduce the state portion of the sales tax by one cent or more and transfer that equivalent option of sales tax to local communities. These additional funds could be earmarked for infrastructure. The best government is local government and…
Read the full story
What caused the Barack Obama administration to begin investigating the Donald Trump campaign last summer has come into clearer focus following a string of congressional hearings on Russian interference in the presidential election. It was then-CIA director John O. Brennan, a close confidant of Mr. Obama’s, who provided the information – what he termed the “basis”…
Read the full story
The mosque where the Manchester bomber prayed is coming under the spotlight after it emerged at least two other British recruits of the Islamic State also worshipped there. One of the recruits, Khalil Raoufi, died fighting in Syria in 2014. The other, Ahmed Ibrahim Halane, is living in Denmark, where he holds citizenship and is banned…
Read the full story
The Tennessee Pastors Network announced today that they are encouraging Tennessee legislators, and candidates for Governor, to embrace legislation signed into law in Texas on May 19, 2017 which shields pastors sermons from subpoenas issued by state courts. “Religious freedom is one of our most cherished rights, and pastors in Tennessee should be assured that they will not be targeted for government interference, threats or intimidation for what they prepare and deliver from their pulpits,” said Tennessee Pastors Network President Dale Walker in calling for Tennessee to follow Texas’ lead The Texas bill was authored by state Sen. Joan Huffman (R-Houston) and signed into law by Republican Governor Greg Abbott after passage in the Texas legislature. Texas Senate Bill 24 provides that a government cannot “compel the production or disclosure of a written copy or audio or video recording of a sermon delivered by a religious leader during religious worship … or compel the religious leader to testify regarding the sermon.” “President Donald Trump made protection of our religious liberties a centerpiece of his campaign and he carried Tennessee by a huge margin on that platform, including carrying all but one of Tennessee’s 95 counties,” Walker noted. “I would hope…
Read the full story
It’s finally official. Obamacare is a public policy flop of epic proportions. That’s the only possible conclusion from the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Kansas City announcement last week that it will drop out of many markets in Kansas and Missouri. The firm lost $100 million under the Obamacare insurance exchanges from 2014-16. This is another…
Read the full story
Hillary Clinton, who lost the presidential election, just can’t quite seem to get it through her head – that she lost the presidential election. In a recent interview with New York Magazine, she told the writer she should’ve won – she would’ve won – had it not been for those dang, pesky Russians. Her words: “I…
Read the full story
The California Senate Appropriations Committee passed a $400 billion universal health care bill Thursday with no plan to pay for it. The committee passed the bill in a 5-2 vote, sending it to be taken up on the senate floor next week. The bill, known as the Healthy California Act, was introduced by Democratic Senator Ricardo…
Read the full story
President Trump has some unwavering support from a very unique demographic: Republican military veterans. An extensive new Pew Research Center reveals that 98 percent of these GOP vets approve of the job Mr. Trump is doing. He has some fans across the greater population of vets as well. The poll also found that 54 percent of…
Read the full story
In an interview with WTN 99.7’s Pamela Furr, who was standing in for Ralph Bristol on Memorial Day, State Senator Mae Beavers (R-Mt. Juliet), demonstrating resolve to her pending gubernatorial campaign said on two occasions, “We’re in it to win.” Saturday evening, after hosting the monthly Wilson County Conservative Republicans meeting and attending a Memorial Day service at The Stone Church in Alexandria, Sen. Beavers issued a press release stating she plans to announce her campaign for governor on June 3. Due to a scheduling conflict in her district, Sen. Beavers was not able to attend the Rutherford County Republican Party Reagan Day Dinner last Thursday, where four other stated or expected candidates for governor participated in a forum, U.S. Rep. Diane Black (District 6), Governor Haslam’s former state Economic and Community Development Commissioner Randy Boyd, state Senator Mark Green R-Clarksville) and businessman Bill Lee. The full transcript of the interview can be found below. Pamela Furr: You prayerfully decided to do it. Sen. Mae Beavers: Well, Pamela, you know I think that when we pray about something, I think we’ve got to commit it to the Lord and just put our faith in Him, and I think he’ll…
Read the full story
This is the ninth of twenty-five weekly articles in The Tennessee Star’s Constitution Series. Students in grades 8 through 12 can sign up here to participate in The Tennessee Star’s Constitution Bee, which will be held on September 23. Everyone who has watched a movie that includes a criminal trial or a Congressional hearing knows about one aspect of the Fifth Amendment: the right not to incriminate yourself. “No person . . . shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself,” reads the relevant clause of the amendment. Alleged crime boss Tony Accardo took the Fifth Amendment more than 170 times during the 1951 Kefauver Hearings in the United States Senate, a dramatic event captured on live television. But that important right is only one of five in the Fifth Amendment which guarantees individual liberties in civil and criminal trials and outlines “basic constitutional limits on police procedure,” the Cornell Law Institute notes. Here’s how the full text of the Fifth Amendment reads: No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a grand jury, except in cases arising in the land…
Read the full story
The Nashville Predators dropped Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final to the Pittsburgh Penguins 5 to 3 at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh on Monday. The Penguins jumped to a 3-0 lead in the first period, as WKRN reported: After dual penalties by Calle Jarnkrok and James Neal, the Penguins were able to capitalize as Evgeni Malkin scored his eighth goal of the postseason to give Pittsburgh a 1-0 lead. About a minute later, the Penguins scored again as Chris Kunitz found Conor Sheary for an easy finish and a 2-0 lead. Just before the end of the first period, the Preds got some bad luck as Nick Bonino’s shot was deflected by Pekka Rinne and off Mattias Ekholm for a 3-0 Penguins lead. The Predators fought back to tie the game 3-3 by the third period, but the Penguins went up 4-3 with about 3 minutes and 17 seconds left in regulation to go ahead for good, and scored again in the final minute after Nashville pulled goaltender Pekka Rinne. The Predators press office summed up the game with this tweet: #Preds force the comeback and dominate majority of the play but fall 5-3 in Game One.…
Read the full story
In a moving address to veterans and families at Arlington National Cemetery on Memorial Day, President Donald Trump singled out a member of his Cabinet – Secretary of Homeland Security John F. Kelly, a retired Marine Corps general, who lost his youngest son in the war in Afghanistan. The cameras panned to Kelly, who was seated…
Read the full story
Despite an onslaught of ridicule from the national media, chiding from their neighbors and repeated public relations flare-ups from the White House, President Trump’s voters remain remarkably loyal to him, pollsters and analysts say. These voters reject notions that they should regret their vote, saying that their frustration is not with Mr. Trump but with the…
Read the full story
President Trump on Sunday picked up where he left off upon his arrival home from a nine-day overseas trip, using his phone and thumbs to attack the media and decry the steady stream of governmental leaks that are embarrassing the White House. “It is my opinion that many of the leaks coming out of the White…
Read the full story
PITTSBURGH — A little more than 24 hours before the Pittsburgh Penguins and Nashville Predators launch the 2017 Stanley Cup Final with Game 1 at PPG Paints Arena, there was the craziness Sunday that was the NHL’s annual media day. The requisite off-beat questions — Who’s your funniest teammate? Which player could sing the National Anthem?…
Read the full story
MOUNT JULIET, Tennessee — At the Wilson County Conservative Republicans meeting Saturday, guest speaker Rep. Judd Matheny (R-Tullahoma) said of the battle over the 2018 state budget, “If everybody does stand together, government has to come down to our level.” Matheny was referring to the stand-off that occurred in the House of Representatives when he added a constitution-breaking amendment to the budget, which prompted House Speaker Beth Harwell (R-Nashville) to come down on the House floor and sit next to Matheny in Rep. Mark Pody’s (R-Lebanon) adjacent empty seat. Alluding to Pody’s absence that day preaching the eulogy at a funeral, “The seat was empty next to me, and believe me, I felt it,” said Matheny. The monthly meeting, according to host Sen. Mae Beavers (R-Mt. Juliet), started seven to eight years ago and was attended this month by a crowd of about 40 overflowing the room at the Providence location of Logan’s Roadhouse in Mt. Juliet. Pody introduced Matheny at the Saturday meeting, saying that sitting next to Judd Matheny was the only request he has ever made of Speaker Harwell when he came to the House and she asked what Pody wanted for a wide range of…
Read the full story
A couple of weeks ago, there was a protest in front of Senator Lamar Alexander’s Nashville home. The group that protested is called, “Moral Movement Tennessee.” A number of years ago, the left decided they could make mileage by calling themselves, “moral.” Conservatives have not seriously challenged the left on this. And with the help of the enemy media, the left has wrapped themselves in this cloak of, “morality.” As with all liberals, they have morality in name only. “Moral Movement Tennessee” has an agenda that reads just like the various bat guano crazy Democrat groups. They want single payer healthcare, they want massive tax increases, increase voter fraud and pretty much destroy Tennessee as a favorable business environment. Every Western morality teaches that theft is wrong, yet this is exactly these liberals want to do. Liberals are notoriously cheap. They want everything for free and hate to give to charity. These same liberals who would lecture real Americans about “morality” want to take from others by force. This is called taxation and the Libertarians are on to something when they tell us taxation is theft. Charity is a part of morality. But forced charity is not moral. It…
Read the full story
Alabama’s Republican governor has effectively safeguarded the state’s Confederate monuments from removal amid a recent purge of Civil War relics within neighboring states. Gov. Kay Ivey signed the Alabama Memorial Preservation Act of 2017 on Wednesday, putting in place measures to protect decades-old statues, monuments and other tributes from Decatur to Dothan. Officially the legislation prohibits…
Read the full story
Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel said on CNN on Sunday that Democrats who believe their party will retake both the House and the Senate in the 2018 midterm elections are “not having the right perspective” “State of the Union” anchor Dana Bash pointed to comments Emanuel recently made during an appearance at Stanford University in which he…
Read the full story
President Donald Trump touted the “extraordinary gains” made in his “historic” first overseas trip as president that “paved the way for a new era of cooperation” as he concluded the trip during a speech Saturday at the Sigonella Naval Air Station in Sicily on Memorial Day weekend. Both the president and first lady Melania Trump spoke…
Read the full story
In an interview with the Associated Press, Speaker Beth Harwell (R-Nashville) said that if she enters the race for the Republican nomination for Governor of Tennessee, she will not give up her current position as Speaker of The Tennessee House of Representatives. “I’m not going to give up the speakership, that would be foolish,” Harwell told the AP. “I’m serving a valuable role here, and I suspect the next session will be an easier session that this one, so I think we’re in good shape,” she added. She also said “she wants to take the rest of the month to decide whether to run,” according to the AP story. “We have a lot of good people that are interested in it. . . Our state’s headed in the right direction, and I’ve been part of the leadership team getting the state headed in that right direction,” Harwell concluded. Not everyone thinks it is a good idea for Harwell to hold on to her job as Speaker if she jumps into the race for Governor. “This is another example of those in power ensuring that they stay in power. This kind of behavior is exactly why so many Republicans, Democrats,…
Read the full story
Eric Church breaks records and gives it his all during his “Holding My Own Tour.”
Read the full story
Jim Bunning, a baseball star who later served nearly a quarter-century in the U.S. Congress, has died at age 85 in his home state of Kentucky. Bunning, who died Friday, had suffered a stroke in October 2016. He served six two-year terms as a congressman beginning in 1987, and was elected twice to the U.S. Senate.…
Read the full story
As the full picture of Salman Abedi’s ties to radical Islam and a network of extremist Muslims takes shape, fresh concern is sure to be cast on the ability of British authorities to handle the scale of the Jihadist threat in the country. As of Thursday, a total of eight people were arrested by U.K. authorities…
Read the full story
As we pause this Memorial Day to honor those who died so that we might enjoy the blessings of liberty, here are some facts to remember about the day and some inspiring words from a great president. Memorial Day was originally known as Decoration Day, set aside to decorate the graves of fallen Civil War soldiers.…
Read the full story
Landscaping businesses who heavily depend on foreign labor are begging the government to expand the number of visas available for workers, as lawns are apparently going unmowed. In a call Thursday with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, these businesses said without a big increase in the number of H-2B visas available for low-skilled seasonal workers,…
Read the full story
The Department of State quietly decided Thursday to drop a rule limiting the number of refugees allowed into the United States. Although the Trump administration has notably opposed an increase in the influx of refugees, the State Department moved in full opposition to his plans while he is out of the country, The New York Times…
Read the full story
VERSE OF THE DAY Be blessed and be a blessing May 28, Sunday Proverbs 6: 16-19 There are six things the Lord hates, seven that are detestable to him: 17 haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, 18 a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are quick to rush into evil, 19 a false witness who pours out lies and a person who stirs up conflict in the community.
Read the full story
For nearly a decade, Noon Exchange Club of Murfreesboro has put on the Healing Field Flags of Remembrance event over Memorial Day weekend. The volunteer-run event is a moving tribute to our veterans, military, and personal heroes. This year’s Healing Field is located at The Grove at Wilkinson Place, and will run through 5pm Monday, Memorial Day. At this morning’s opening ceremonies, volunteers gathered to dedicate and place hundreds of American flags across the Healing Field. A wagon brimming with American flags awaiting placement by the volunteers at this year’s opening ceremony. Boy Scout troop 3200 lent several helping hands. Sisters Mary Grace (left) and Elizabeth unfurl the Healing Fields flags. Long-time volunteer Joe is a Navy vet and his dog Jack is his fishing buddy. A group of Walmart employees volunteer again this year, and brought water to share with everyone. Sara Walker and her daughter Lilyana Gillespie were among the volunteers from the New Hope Lutheran Church in Murfreesboro. This is Mike Gann’s first time helping with the Healing Fields event. Shea Young and her children Julian and Rowan are first time volunteers at the Healing field. She and her husband are both veterans and they have a son currently serving…
Read the full story
State Senator Mae Beavers (R-Mt. Juliet) has decided to run for the Republican nomination for Governor of Tennessee in 2018, and her top priority will be repeal of the recently enacted 6 cents per gallon gas tax increase pushed by Gov. Haslam. Beavers released a statement late Saturday that says she “intends to formally announce a campaign for Governor of Tennessee at Charlie Daniels Park in Mt. Juliet at 1 pm on Saturday June 3.” She will become the third candidate officially in the race for the GOP nomination. Knoxville businessman Randy Boyd and Williamson County businessman Bill Lee have already announced their candidacies. Congresswoman Diane Black, State Senator Mark Green (R-Clarksville), State Senator Mark Norris (R-Collierville), and Speaker of the Tennessee House of Representatives Beth Harwell (R-Nashville) are all potential candidates. With her announcement, Beavers becomes the only clearly conservative announced candidate in the race, and is the only candidate, announced or expected, to come out in support of repealing Gov. Haslam’s gas tax increase. “Over the past several weeks, it has become increasingly clear that conservatives in Tennessee are looking for bold leadership that will not shrink from standing up and speaking up on the key issues…
Read the full story
After losing their second straight congressional election in 2017 and failing to win a runoff in a third, Democrats appear to be in complete disarray. Republican Greg Gianforte, a Bozeman, Montana, businessman who allegedly assaulted a reporter the night before the Thursday election, easily dispatched his Democratic candidate, Rob Quist. “The reasons [for losing] could include…
Read the full story
State Senator Mae Beavers (R-Mt. Juliet) says she has made no decision yet about whether she will run for the Tennessee Republican nomination for Governor in 2018. “Lots of people are asking if I am running for Governor. Despite what the Tennessean says, I have NOT decided whether or not I will enter the race,” Beavers told The Tennessee Star late Friday evening. “Voters across our state are looking for a Governor who doesn’t just talk conservative at election time but who will be a bold, clear leader on conservative issues once they are in office,” she added. “I have consistently provided conservative leadership from the County Commission to the State House to the State Senate, and I am truly humbled and blessed that so many want to see me bring those same values to the Governor’s office. My family and I are listening, praying, and soon enough we will be deciding,” Beavers concluded. Earlier on Friday afternoon, Beavers posted this on Facebook: Due to a scheduling conflict, Beavers did not attend Thursday’s Rutherford County GOP Reagan Day Dinner where two announced candidates for Governor–businessmen Randy Boyd and Bill Lee– and two potential candidates–Congresswoman Diane Black and State Senator…
Read the full story
The government in exile – the real one, according to the media – has had a busy week at home and abroad. “President Obama” has given up leading from behind and presumes now to lead from overseas. His secretary of State has a new mission, as missionary to the safe places where snowflakes fall. Mr. Obama…
Read the full story
A delay in getting standardized test results is frustrating school officials across Tennessee as they get ready to send out report cards and wrap up the year. As a result, many districts are opting not to factor in TNReady test scores for final grades. The problems come a year after a much larger debacle prompted the state Department of Education to find a new testing vendor, and is the fourth year in a row in which there has been some type of issue. Complications this year stem in part from some districts not meeting the state deadline to turn in completed tests for grading, forcing state officials to scramble to send back results. But the state could perhaps manage things better by enforcing fixed, staggered testing windows, said JC Bowman, executive director of Professional Educators of Tennessee (ProEd). The state typically sets one testing window for the entire state, which risks having numerous districts simultaneously waiting to the last minute, or past the last minute, to package up the paper tests and send them off for grading. “Calendar flexibility allowed for smoother administration of the test, but hampered the return of results,” Bowman told The Tennessee Star. In an email…
Read the full story
Our society survives by the service and martyrdom of these selfless souls. Tennessee, the Volunteer State, of all the states, should be the first to honor America’s veterans for their patriotism, love of country, and willingness to serve and sacrifice for the common good. Happy Memorial Day 2017!
Read the full story