Nashville Murders Up An Alarming 63 Percent Over Last Year

Tennessee Star

  Following the disturbing trend in heavily urban areas like St. Louis, Detroit, and Chicago, the murder rate in Nashville has spiked an alarming 63 percent over 2016. WKRN’s Joseph Pleasant reports, “In a span of 36 hours, there have been four homicides in Davidson County.” He continues: Early Thursday morning, a man was shot to death in West Nashville. Another man was stabbed on Murfreesboro Pike in South Nashville. Later Thursday afternoon, Ahmad Osborne was shot and killed on Glastonbury Road in South Nashville. Overnight in Hermitage, Suzanne Daughtery died and police believe her husband killed her. And: These deaths bring the total number of homicides so far in 2017 to 57. Last year at this time, there were 35. Year to year, homicides are up 63 percent. East Nashville has also seen a dramatic rise in homicides. 13 people have been killed in the East Precinct, compared to three this time last year. The rapid rise in homicides has been an ongoing concern of law enforcement professionals in recent years. The New York Times’ FiveThirtyEight blog reported in January spikes in murder rates in cities across the country, noting, “Murder almost certainly increased substantially in the U.S. in 2016, one year…

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WWII Reenactors Relive The Past At Amqui Station

MADISON, Tennessee–Reenactors and others relived the 1940s on Saturday at Amqui Station in Madison. Men wearing military uniforms and women dressed in period clothing pitched tents and brought out vehicles to help educate the public about World War II days. It was the third annual “World War II Remembrance Day and Living History Encampment” at the former train station, which today is a museum and visitor center but during WWII was where local men who fought in the war departed and returned home. Cate Hamilton, the recently retired director of the station and a volunteer at Saturday’s event, got the idea for the annual tradition from a similar event in Linden, Tennessee, which this year will be held Sept. 22 and 23. “It’s huge now,” she said. “They use all their downtown.” Though more modest in size, the event in Madison on Saturday was not lacking in colorful characters. Enthused reenactors spoke of how the country pulled together during WWII, with everyone doing their part. There also was at least one WWII veteran on the grounds who could relate firsthand experiences from the war. Al Hulstrunk, 92, served as an Army glider pilot in Europe. Glider pilots in WWII were responsible for transporting…

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Anti-Extremist Muslim Turns ‘Identity Politics’ On Its Head, Vows To Sue Southern Poverty Law Center

The founder of the anti-Islamist think tank Quilliam received a public gesture of support from Bill Maher while appearing on HBO’s “Real Time With Bill Maher” Friday night. Maajid Nawaz announced his plan to sue the Southern Poverty Law Center’s (SPLC) for defamation over its inclusion of his name on their “A Journalist’s Manual: Field Guide…

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Schwarzenegger and French President Macron Vow to ‘Make the Planet Great Again’ After Trump Pulls Out of Climate Pact

Arnold Schwarzenegger and newly elected French President Emmanuel Macron poked fun at President Trump on Friday in a video snippet shared on social media. The “Terminator” star-turned-California governor posted a 10-second video clip Friday afternoon flanked by Mr. Macron, the winner of last month’s French presidential election, seemingly mocking Mr. Trump’s former campaign slogan and catchphrase,…

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Commentary: Hate To Say It Democrats, But Nancy Pelosi Ain’t Your (Only) Problem

Tennessee Star

  By Jeffrey A. Rendall Chances are if you were to pick up a major establishment media newspaper at any given time or listen to one of their multitude of TV news programs that it wouldn’t take long to find a story detailing how President Donald Trump is dragging down the Republican Party in some form or another. The Trump denunciations are so commonplace they’re getting old by now. Here’s a sampling of the types of headlines one might encounter: “Trump’s tweeting sidetracks congressional GOP;” “Trump’s low poll numbers worry party candidates ahead of 2018;” “Russia/Obstruction of Justice probe limits Trump’s sway in moving legislation,” and, “White House staff circus atmosphere leaves everyone jittery.” No wonder the president says it’s all fake news. If Trump’s detractors actually looked at the vote tallies lately they’d discover Trump is hardly having a deleterious effect on the Republican Party. Sure, we’ve only got several special elections (to replace Republican congressmen in red districts) as a vote sample, but there’s little denying how the novice politician is not proving to be the albatross around the GOP’s neck the media swore he would be. Some argue the recent special election results reveal more about Trump…

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Trump Supporter Slams ABC News for Bias with Giant Billboard: ‘I Grew Up With You. We Are Through’

A longtime ABC News viewer from Texas is taking out his frustration over its coverage of President Trump with a giant billboard. San Antonio residents driving along I-10 know exactly how Kyle Courtney feels about ABC News’ stories on possible collusion between Mr. Trump’s associates and Russia. The Boerne resident and owner of Wellstar Groundwater Technologies…

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Grassroots Opposition to Nashville Sanctuary City Ordinance Grows

Tennessee Star

NASHVILLE, Tennessee–An overflow crowd of about 200 met at John A’s restaurant on Music Valley Drive in Nashville on Saturday morning at 9 a.m. and heard from opponents of the proposed Metro Nashville Council sanctuary city ordinance, who outlined the actions they can join to defeat the proposal at its third reading on July 6. As The Tennessee Star reported last week, “[t]wo ordinances filed by Metro Councilmen Bob Mendes and Colby Sledge, drafted with the assistance of the TN Immigrant & Refugee Rights Coalition (TIRRC) and cheered on by Mayor Megan Barry, will make Davidson County and Metro Nashville the most liberal sanctuary city in the U.S.; in fact, even more liberal in its policies than New York City or San Francisco.” TIRRC, an affiliate of the National Council of La Raza and a recipient of funding from a George Soros front group, has been agitating for Nashville to formalize its informal sanctuary city practices since the election of President Trump. The two bills co-sponsored by Mendes and Sledge which will have their second reading tonight, will accomplish that goal. Trying to pass off the ordinances as “in line with state and federal law” the other Mendes/Sledge bill if…

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Marsha Blackburn: ‘People Not Believing Evening News Is A Really Good Thing,’ Credits The Tennessee Star For Being ‘Reliable’

WOODBURY, Tennessee — U.S. Congresswoman Marsha Blackburn (R-TN-7), speaking to a group of 125 at the Cannon County Reagan Day Dinner held at the Rustic Elegance Event Center in Woodbury Friday evening, said that the American people don’t believe what they hear on the evening news, and that’s “a really good thing.” Blackburn was introduced by one-time fellow Tennessee House colleague, gubernatorial candidate and State Senator for the district Mae Beavers (R-Mt. Juliet), who later spoke about her campaign platform, as did fellow candidate and Franklin businessman Bill Lee.  Representatives Mark Pody (R-Lebanon) and Judd Matheny (R-Tullahoma), also gave brief remarks at the event. Referencing a survey of 3,000 people, Blackburn said 70 percent said “no” to the question of whether they believe what they hear from the evening news.  She blamed that on the fact that they are simply not reliable, in contrast to a reliable news outlet “like The Tennessee Star.” After pointing out that if the evening news is not believable, the next question is who do they believe. Blackburn gave a message of optimism in pointing out that the answer is “Y-O-U.” “They believe their well-informed friends and neighbors.  People they trust and know.  Not Fox,…

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Phil Montag, Nebraska Democratic Party Official, Ousted for Saying He’s Wished Steve Scalise Dead

The Nebraska Democratic Party ousted an official Thursday after a recording surfaced of him saying he wished House Majority Whip Steve Scalise had died in the Alexandria, Virginia, shooting that left him critically wounded. Phil Montag, a volunteer co-chairman of the party’s technology committee, unloaded a series of expletives in describing his disdain for Rep. Scalise,…

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Johnny Depp Skates on Kill Trump Joke: ‘When Was The Last Time An Actor Assassinated A President?’

Johnny Depp, Hollywood movie star, made a tasteless joke about President Donald Trump’s assassination – just the latest on the left to poke fun at killing or physically harming the White House commander-in-chief. If this had been about Barack Obama, the mainstream media would be alive with rage, and the jokester would be out of work.…

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Mae Beavers Says UT-Knoxville Chancellor Decision to Reinstate Pride Center Shows Disrespect

Tennessee Star

  Conservative Republican Gubernatorial candidate State Senator Mae Beavers (R-Mt. Juliet) expressed “disappointment” on Friday night in an exclusive interview with The Tennessee Star that the Chancellor of the University of Tennessee – Knoxville, Beverly Davenport, has announced plans to reinstate the Campus Diversity Office and hire a new Director of the LGBT Pride Center despite the Legislature defunding the highly controversial office last year. Earlier in the evening, Beavers, an announced candidate for the Republican gubernatorial nomination, touched briefly on the issue in her remarks to the Cannon County Republican Party Reagan Day Dinner in Woodbury. It was important, Beavers said in her talk, that we uphold the morals of our country as our Founding Fathers intended. She noted that the diversity department at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville had been mired in controversy, and for those reasons had lost significant state funding in the Tennessee General Assembly’s budgeting process. “They got their money back,” Beavers told the crowd of about 125, then added that the administration at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville then proceeded to hire a head of the “Pride Department.” Williamson County businessman Bill Lee, another announced candidate for the Republican gubernatorial nomination, also spoke at the event,…

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State Rep. Judd Matheny Pledges ‘To Orchestrate a Massive Response to Davidson County’s Attempt at Embracing Sanctuary City Status’

State Rep. Judd Matheny (R-Tullahoma) gave it to the Metropolitan Davidson County/Nashville Government with both barrels in a brief speech he delivered at the Cannon County Republican Party Reagan Day Dinner in Woodbury on Friday night. “I pledge, along with my colleagues in the House, to orchestrate a massive response to Davidson County’s attempt at embracing sanctuary city status,” Matheny told the crowd. Matheny then spelled out exactly how opponents of the Metro Nashville Council’s proposed sanctuary city ordinance in the Tennessee General Assembly will respond. “They come to us every year for a lot of money, for professional sports teams, mass transit, tourism, business development and other initiatives they ask the state to support,” Matheny said. “If the council won’t yield to the pressure they will face prior to the July 6 third reading of the proposed ordinance, then my colleagues and I will do everything in our power to deprive Metro Nashville of funds,” he vowed. “On July 7, there will be all out political war after July 6,” Matheny said. The crowd, estimated to number about 125, appeared to be unanimously in agreement with Matheny’s sentiments. In addition to Matheny, State Senator Mae Beavers (R-Mt. Juliet) and…

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Middle Tennessee Chapter of Democratic Socialists of America Looking to Make Impact

Tennessee Star

  A Middle Tennessee chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) is trying to gain a foothold in local politics. The group had its first meeting and created a Facebook page in April 2016. Early posts showed enthusiastic support for Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders in his quest to become the Democratic nominee in last year’s presidential election. More recent posts have announced the inaugural gathering of the chapter’s legislative working group and a regular monthly meeting with a focus on “discussing healthcare, labor, LGBTQ rights, feminism, anti-racism work, and much more through a socialist lens.” The group supports universal healthcare and minimum wage laws, and has backed causes promoted by Black Lives Matter and the Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition (TIRRC). The group’s Facebook page, featuring a portrait and quote by Marxist revolutionary Angela Davis, has only around 400 followers. But its affiliation is with the largest socialist organization in the U.S. which has several other chapters in Tennessee. The DSA was formed in 1982 as a result of the merger of two organizations. The DSA’s other Tennessee chapters and organizing committees are in Memphis, Knoxville and Chattanooga. There are campus chapters at Sewanee: University of the South and the University…

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Commentary: Trump Understates Mueller-Comey Friendship As ‘Bothersome’

President Donald Trump, in an interview with “Fox & Friends,” called the friendship between James Comey and Robert Mueller “very bothersome.” That’s the understatement of the year. The two don’t only share a warm relationship. They also share the common interest of investigating Trump and Trump-tied officials, supposedly in a non-biased, independent, above-the-political-fray type of way.…

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Senate Announces Probe of Former Obama AG Loretta Lynch Behavior in 2016 Election

The Senate Judiciary Committee has opened a probe into former Attorney General Loretta Lynch’s efforts to shape the FBI’s investigation into 2016 Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, the committee’s chairman announced Friday. In a letter to Ms. Lynch, the committee asks her to detail the depths of her involvement in the FBI’s investigation, including whether she…

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Councilman Robert Swope Speaks Out Against ‘Sanctuary City’ Ordinance

Tennessee Star

  Councilman Robert Swope told WTN 99.7 FM talk show host Dan Mandis this week that the proposed “sanctuary city” ordinance would create a new class of citizens that would conflict with existing laws. The measure, which would restrict local cooperation with federal immigration officials, was passed on a second reading Tuesday and is up for a final vote next month. Swope has been against the measure from the start, being the only Metro Council member to vote against it on the first reading June 6. Seven other council members joined him this week in voting against it, but 25 voted for it. “If you are breaking the law, then you need to be punished, not be put into a separate class of citizens that says, OK, well, you can break the law but nobody else can,” Swope said in his interview Wednesday with Mandis. Swope spoke of the dangers involved in obstructing the sheriff’s ability to detain criminal illegal immigrants for deportation. Opposition to the ordinance is not about “rounding up” Davidson County’s estimated 33,000 illegal immigrants and “throwing them back across any single single border,” Swope said. In a recent week, 19 illegal immigrants were detained for deportation by the Metro Nashville…

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Elizabeth Warren Inspires Followers to Threaten Violence on Republicans

Elizabeth Warren

In the aftermath of the targeted shooting of Republican congressmen in Alexandria, Virginia by a left-wing activist last week, many wondered if the shocking event would herald a new period of political civility and the rejection of sensationalist rhetoric. It hasn’t. On Thursday, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) posted a video to her Facebook page in which…

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Speaker Harwell and Speaker Pro Tempore Tracy Request AG Opinion on Metro’s Sanctuary City Ordinance

  House Speaker Beth Harwell (R-Nashville) and Senate Speaker Pro Tempore Jim Tracy (R-Shelbyville) issued a press release Friday morning that included a letter over their names to the State Attorney General (AG) requesting an opinion on Metro Nashville Council’s recently proposed sanctuary city ordinance, which passed a second of three required readings on Tuesday in a 25 to 8 vote. Accompanying the letter to the AG was a statement from Speaker Harwell: Our local, state, and federal enforcement officials must be able to work together to keep our families and communities safe.  The Tennessee General Assembly overwhelmingly passed a ban on sanctuary cities in 2009, and this ordinance demonstrates a reckless disregard for state and federal law.  Speaker Pro Tempore Tracy and I are seeking clarity from the Attorney General so we can determine how best to proceed.  This is not only public safety issue for Nashville, but for our whole state. – Speaker Beth Harwell Harwell’s statement included a link to the 2009 legislation. The letter, on official 110th General Assembly letter head, dated June 23, 2017, and addressed to The Honorable Herbert H. Slatery, III, Attorney General and Reported, signed by Senator Jim Tracy, Speaker Pro Tempore and…

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Brentwood Baptist To Hold Training Saturday On Combating Human Trafficking

Trafficking

Brentwood Baptist Church will hold a training this weekend on fighting human trafficking that is open to the public. The church has been working with other local churches to build awareness about human trafficking in local communities and around the world. Saturday’s training will feature leaders from Alliance for Freedom, Restoration and Juctice, Inc., Nashville Baptist Association and Brentwood Baptist’s Missions Ministry. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation has said that human trafficking is the second-fasting growing criminal industry after drug trafficking, according to a press release issued by Brentwood Baptist. “While Tennessee has been ranked as the toughest state in the nation regarding state statues that protect children from commercial sex exploitation crimes, TBI acknowledges that there is a need to develop more resources to aid victims and their families,” the press release said. President Trump has called human trafficking an epidemic that is not getting enough attention. In February, he signed an executive order to combat transnational criminal organizations and international trafficking. “These groups are drivers of crime, corruption, violence, and misery,” the executive order says. “In particular, the trafficking by cartels of controlled substances has triggered a resurgence in deadly drug abuse and a corresponding rise in violent crime related to…

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Scottie Nell Hughes Speaks in Cookeville to 6th District Patriots

Scottie Nell Hughes, who told The Tennessee Star last week “there’s a strong possibility” she will run for the Tennessee 6th Congressional District seat if Rep. Diane Black (R-TN-06) runs for governor, spoke to the 6th District Patriots in Cookeville Thursday night. “As a fierce Conservative Republican, I one hundred percent endorse the strategy of the Democrats which keeps pouring millions of progressive Hollywood dollars into races which result in another loss,” Hughes told the crowd. “Don’t change a thing in 2018!” was the message Hughes said she had for the Democrats, advice that caused more than one in the audience to laugh out loud. Hughes also addressed the current situation within the Republican Party. “President Trump needs strong fighters in Congress who are going to help him fulfill the campaign promises which got him elected,” she said. “Could you imagine if the time and energy spent on the Russian investigation (which has still not produced any evidence of collision between the campaign and the Kremlin) was spent on fixing our shattered health insurance program, we might actually have a program based on free market competition instead of Government subsidies?” the former Trump campaign surrogate asked. “Bravo to those who…

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State Rep. Judd Matheny Speaks at Jackson County GOP Reagan Day Dinner

State Rep. Judd Matheny (R-Tullahoma), who told The Tennessee Star last week he was “100 percent in the race for Tennessee’s 6th Congressional District” provided Rep. Diane Black chooses to run for governor, spoke at the Jackson County GOP Reagan Day Dinner Thursday night at the Center Grove Community Center in Gainesboro. The event featured Tennessee Republican State Party Chairman Scott Golden as the main speaker. Matheny made news again this week on Tuesday when he appeared on 99.7 FM WTN with Dan Mandis and tore into the Metro Nashville Council’s proposed ordinance that would, in effect, turn Nashville into a sanctuary city: “It’s the most egregious move against public safety that the city of Nashville could possibly expose its citizens, and emergency services and social work to,” Matheny said. “It’s completely antithetical to the United States Constitution, and America. And the city of Nashville – with all due respect – they need to remember that the City operates at the pleasure of the State,” Matheny added. “Plus, I’m telling you, the General Assembly in Tennessee will cut off funding to Davidson County if they pursue this,” Matheny stated. Matheny spoke briefly before Golden, and told the audience about his law enforcement career,…

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Partnership for a New American Economy Promotes Legal and Illegal Immigration in Nashville

  The Partnership for a New American Economy (PNAE) whose named members include gubernatorial candidates Randy Boyd and Karl Dean, awarded twenty cities “Gateways for Growth” (G4G) grants designed to “integrate immigrants as part of an economic growth strategy.” Openthebooks.com’s report Federal Funding of America’s Sanctuary Cities identifies half of the G4G grant recipients as sanctuary cities, including Nashville. The Tennessee Star asked the Randy Boyd campaign specifically for a comment on the Metro Nashville ordinance that would make Nashville a sanctuary city but has received no response. PNAE’s “15 key economic issues of immigration reform in America” include: Supporting legal status for the 11.4 million undocumented immigrants. In a 2014 Wall Street Journal oped, PNAE co-founder Rupert Murdoch said that illegal immigrants who are already here should be provided a path to citizenship. Supporting resettlement of refugees who PNAE says that after living in the U.S. between 16-25 years are earning well above the income of refugees who have been here for five years or less. Moreover, PNAE believes refugees are the answer to reviving aging and declining communities. Pushing state and local policymakers to support in-state college tuition for illegal immigrant students. The PNAE, now shortened to “New American Economy,” is a powerful and well-funded…

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Amor Ftouhi, Who Shouted ‘Allahu Akbar’ While Stabbing Michigan Police Officer, Is a Citizen of Tunisia and Canada

DETROIT — The man accused of stabbing a police officer at the Flint airport Wednesday is a married father of three children, who worked on and off as a truck driver and indicated he had no mental health problems, according to newly released audio of his federal court hearing. Amor Ftouhi, 50, was born in Tunisia…

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Police Investigate Prank Among Somalis At Memphis Mosque Where Someone Pulls Gun On An Imam

Police are investigating a prank among Somalis at a mosque near the University of Memphis, reports WREG News Channel 3. Overnight Sunday, someone pointed a gun at the head of a religious leader in an incident that was captured on Facebook Live. The man with the gun seems to be joking, but the imam, who appears to be the one recording the video, is dismayed and takes it seriously, admonishing the man. But then he continues with the broadcast. No one was injured, but the Islamic Association of Greater Memphis said they’re “deeply disturbed” by what took place and are calling it a prank involving an “internet famed pseudo-scholar.” The association said the imam did not have permission to speak at the mosque and that the incident happened after hours when the mosque was closed. “We are ashamed that he would abuse our place of worship for his quest for fame and by the gun incident that happened by a member of the group that was with him,” the association said, according to WREG. “Gun violence is a serious issue in our country and brandishing a weapon even in jest is a serious matter.” The imam was Abdurahman Haji, 52, who is leader of a…

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Commentary: Hapless Democrat Surfers Troll for Electoral Waves in Flat Political Seas

  by Jeffrey A. Rendall It’s always a curious thing when observing (at the beach) a gaggle of surfers paddling steadily on their boards far from shore on what looks to be a perfectly calm, wave-less day out on the water. It only makes sense the surf fanatics must be waiting for something – anything – to come along and rescue them from their smooth ocean dilemma. After the recent congressional special elections (in Kansas, Montana, Georgia and South Carolina) Democrats probably now appreciate exactly how those bored surfers must feel; they’re trolling for an electoral wave that just doesn’t seem to be materializing. Unlike the surfers, however, liberals across the country aren’t even able to enjoy a nice relaxing float among the gentle breakers as a consolation prize. Instead, all they’re getting is loss after loss in supposedly (at least to them) winnable contests and the frustration of realizing all their pontificating about President Donald Trump’s negative drag on the future prospects of the GOP isn’t coming true – not by a longshot. David M. Drucker of the Washington Examiner reported on how the Republicans pulled it off on Tuesday in Georgia’s Sixth District. “Voters in the traditionally conservative…

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Grassley Blames Comey for False Trump Narrative: ‘Played Right into Russia’s Hands’

Tennessee Star

A top Republican took to the Senate floor Thursday to blame fired FBI Director James B. Comey for fanning “conspiracy theories” about the U.S. election that “played right into Russia’s hands.” Sen. Charles E. Grassley, an Iowa Republican who as chairman of the Judiciary Committee has oversight of the FBI, also accused Mr. Comey of working…

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Metro Nashville School Board Supports Metro Council’s Proposed ‘Sanctuary City’ Policy

  The Metro Nashville school board is supporting Metro government’s proposed “sanctuary city” policy despite a growing chorus of opposition. The board sent a letter to the Metro Council this week encouraging passage of the ordinance, which was approved on a second reading Tuesday and will be up for a final vote next month. The ordinance would restrict local cooperation with federal immigration officials. “We celebrate the diversity in our schools and want them to be safe places for our students and families,” school board chair Anna Shepherd told The Tennessee Star Thursday. “Most of them are fleeing drug wars and/or civil wars and want better for their families just as our ancestors did.” Nashville Mayor Megan Barry, whose left-wing, open borders,  pro-illegal immigrant political philosophy is in line with the ordinance, has worked closely with the Metro Nashville school board since she was elected in 2015. When the search for a new director of schools stalled in 2016, Barry asserted a leadership role in the search process that ended in the appointment of  Shawn Joseph to that position in May 2016. In the letter to Metro Council sent on behalf of the board, Shepherd voiced concerns about illegal immigrant…

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Faith: Verse of the Day for Friday, June 23

Tennessee Star - Verse of the Day

  VERSE OF THE DAY Be blessed and be a blessing June 23, Friday Joshua 1:9 “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.” Romans 8:9 You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. Hebrews 11:6 And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.  

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1.4 Million Illegal Immigrants Working Under Stolen Social Security Numbers: Audit

Refugees

Most illegal immigrants who pay taxes have stolen someone else’s legal identity, and the IRS doesn’t do a very good job of letting those American citizens and illegal immigrants know they’re being impersonated, the tax agency’s inspector general said in a new report released Thursday. The theft creates major problems for the American citizens and legal…

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Nashville Gay Pride Festival Undermines Traditional Beliefs But Draws Broad Support

Organizers of the Nashville Pride Festival are cheering a resolution passed by the Metro Council recognizing June as “Nashville Pride Month.” The annual gay pride event will be held Saturday and Sunday at Public Square Park. The Metro Council resolution, as well as the event’s corporate sponsors, reflect the degree to which what once was a fringe movement has become mainstream, even here in the South where there are still many churches, a number of which continue to uphold traditional beliefs about marriage and sexuality. The resolution says that “the city of Nashville is honored to welcome members of the LGBT community and their allies to celebrate a very special and important event honoring the diversity, inclusion, and history of the pride and gay rights movement.” The resolution also says that the “celebration and movement continues to grow and celebrates inclusion as a necessary ingredient to making Nashville and the United States truly diverse. Nashville Pride has grown immensely and is now one of the largest public weekend festivals in Middle Tennessee, reminding us to embrace what makes each individual unique and to use those qualities to change the world for the better.” More than 20,000 people attended the festival year. This year,…

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Nancy Pelosi Says She’s Staying: ‘I Think I’m Worth the Trouble’

Defiant House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi said Thursday that she’s maintained marked unity among Democrats, fending off carping from rank-and-file members after yet more election defeats this week. Mrs. Pelosi said flatly she’s not giving up her leader’s post, and said the losses in four special congressional elections this year, which cost the party millions of…

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Kentucky Lawmaker Wants Members of Congress Armed

Following the shooting of House Majority Whip Steve Scalise and several others in Alexandria, Virginia last week, Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) introduced legislation that would establish reciprocity for nationwide concealed carry permits in Washington, D.C., H.R. 2909, the D.C Personal Protection Reciprocity Act. According to Massie the legislation, which will help law-abiding gun owners circumvent the…

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State Senator Jim Tracy Says Metro Nashville Council Sanctuary City Ordinance ‘Clearly Defies the Letter and Spirit of Our State Law’

  State Senator Jim Tracy (R-Shelbyville) said the “sanctuary city” ordinance that passed on second reading at the Metro Nashville Council on Tuesday “clearly defies the the letter and spirit of our state law,” in a statement released on Wednesday by the Senate Republican Caucus: Senate Speaker Pro Tempore Jim Tracy (R-Shelbyville), who passed a law in 2009 preventing any city in Tennessee from becoming a “sanctuary city” for illegal aliens, said any action taken by Metro Government of Nashville to try to skirt it will draw a strong legislative response. The Metropolitan Council approved the ordinance on Tuesday evening, setting the measure up for a final vote next month. The law sponsored by Tracy prohibits local governments in Tennessee, or the head of such localities, from passing any ordinances or policies that allows for a sanctuary city to be located in the state. It was designed to be a preemptive strike to guard against adoption of any policies to protect those who are in the United States illegally, like the one adopted by the Metro Council yesterday. It also urged the State Attorney General and local governments to pursue any federal funds allocated to combat illegal immigration. “There is a…

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Ingraham: ‘Phenomenal’ Trump Speech in Iowa Reminds Why ‘We Want Him on the Road’

LifeZette Editor-in-Chief Laura Ingraham said the “phenomenal speech” delivered by President Donald Trump in Iowa Wednesday “reminds us we we want him on the road,” during an appearance Wednesday night on Fox News’ “Hannity.” Ingraham noted the president has always been best able to communicate his agenda and message directly to the American people. “[Trump] rallied…

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