Day: July 29, 2017

Gas Tax Approving State Representative Bill Sanderson Gets Support From Gubernatorial Candidate and House Speaker Beth Harwell

Laura Baigert

  Gubernatorial candidate and Speaker of the Tennessee House of Representatives Beth Harwell (R-Nashville) was a featured speaker at an event in support of Rep. Bill Sanderson (R-Kenton) who voted for the gas tax increasing IMPROVE Act and said he will be facing a challenger in the 2018 Republican primary. Also speaking at the event, which Sanderson said was arranged by Farmers Insurance agent Tom Eison and lobbyist for Farmers Group Inc. PAC Harvey Fischer, was State Senator Ed Jackson (R-Jackson), who praised Sanderson’s work in the legislature.  Jackson and Harwell both also voted in favor of the IMPROVE Act. The State Gazette reported that approximately 75 people were in attendance at the event, to which all three speakers seemed to defend the vote in favor of the gas tax increase, focusing instead on the other aspects of the IMPROVE Act which Sanderson referred to as “the largest tax cut in the state of Tennessee’s history.” Harwell, said one of the most important things she does as Speaker is “determine who will chair my committees,” in introducing Sanderson, who chairs her State Government Committee.  One of the three challenges Harwell says she gave to Sanderson and “all of his colleagues,”…

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Buchanan: ‘Hard Thing’ for White House to Recover from Scaramucci Rant

Tennessee Star Staff
Tennessee Star

While political observers are scratching their heads over what motivated newly minted White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci to call New Yorker reporter Ryan Lizza and deliver a vulgar rant, one thing is clear: it doesn’t look good for the Trump administration. Appearing on “The Laura Ingraham Show” on Friday morning, Pat Buchanan, veteran commentator and…

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Commentary: Four Steps President Trump Can Take to Quicken Obamacare Implosion

Tennessee Star Staff

With the wee-hours even a modest partial repeal of Obamacare in the Senate, the ball now moves to the executive branch. President Donald Trump’s administration has considerable power to improve the health care system within the confines of the Affordable Care Act — or make mischief and hasten its demise. The president tweeted in the early-morning…

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Tennessee Unemployment Rate Hits Record Low

Wendy Wilson
Tennessee Star

  Tennessee’s unemployment rate for June of 3.6 percent was the lowest in the state’s recorded history. Gov. Bill Haslam and Burns Phillips, commissioner for the state Department of Labor and Workforce Development, shared the news last week. The previous low was 3.7 percent in March 2000. The state has not had an unemployment rate below 4 percent since it was 3.9 percent in February 2001. “Today more than ever, businesses have a choice of where to grow or expand, and because of the policies this administration has put in place working with the General Assembly, we’re seeing the job growth that comes when businesses choose Tennessee,” Haslam said in a news release. Phillips credited Haslam for making high quality jobs a priority, noting that seven years ago more than 10 percent of Tennesseans were out of work. The national unemployment rate for June was 4.4 percent, a slight increase from 4.3 percent in May. The national rate has seen 10-year lows in recent months. The unemployment rate has been dropping steadily over the past few years after rising sharply during the recession.

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House Republicans Seek Special Counsel for Hillary Clinton, Loretta Lynch

Tennessee Star Staff

Republicans on the House Judiciary Committee reportedly want another special prosecutor to investigate the 2016 presidential election – this one focusing on possible wrongdoing by Hillary Clinton and other Democrats. According to NBC News, Rep. Bob Goodlatte of Virginia and his fellow Judiciary Republicans have sent a letter to the Justice Department saying that Special Counsel…

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nMotion 2016 Transit Plan Update Meeting Held in Sumner County

Laura Baigert

  GALLATIN, Tennessee — Steve Bland, CEO of the Regional Transportation Authority of Middle Tennessee, was the featured speaker who updated Sumner County elected officials and citizens on the nMotion Strategic Plan Thursday at Volunteer State Community College.  The nMotion 2016 Transit Plan was approved by the Metropolitan Transit Authority in September 2016, but has not yet been adopted, executed or funded by any of the individual middle Tennessee counties. With approximately 100 people in attendance, including several County Commissioners, Gallatin City Councilmen, City Mayors, County Executive Anthony Holt opened the meeting by thanking the speakers and hosts of the event as well as the state legislature and governor for passing the IMPROVE Act. He questioned whether it had hurt anyone at all, saying gas prices aren’t any different, but it is “giving us resources.” Holt also said that Sumner County and the middle Tennessee region is facing a lot of challenges, predominantly related to tremendous growth of an additional one million people by the year 2040 that “we can’t build our way out of” or “build a wall to prevent people from coming.” Holt said “we can’t all travel in a car,” and that an alternative is needed in…

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Knoxville Mayor Madeline Rogero Faces Backlash Over Decision To Move Bible Verse Plaque

Wendy Wilson

Knoxville Mayor Madeline Rogero is facing criticism that she acted too hastily in deciding to move a plaque with a Bible verse at the Knoxville Police Department. Knox County Mayor Tim Burchett is among those saying that Rogero should have pushed back when the Freedom From Religion Foundation began to complain and threaten legal action earlier this year. Rogero announced her decision earlier this week, confirming it was the result of a complaint from the East Tennessee chapter of the national group, which is headquartered in Madison, Wisconsin, and pushes for the separation of church and state. The group said the placement of the plaque was unconstitutional “religious promotion.” The plaque, which was put up in the early 1970s, had been displayed above a staff entrance not typically frequented by the public. Rogero said she was not aware of any other complaints in recent years. Rogero said the plaque would be moved to a new “Hall of Inspiration” on the other side of the door featuring quotes from various traditions. The plaque quotes Romans 8:31 and says, “If God be for us, then who can be against us?” The plaque was moved Friday morning. Aleta Ledendecker of the Freedom From Religion Foundation…

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Faith: Verse of the Day for Saturday, July 29

Dana Hunsinger Gill
Tennessee Star - Verse of the Day

  VERSE OF THE DAY Be blessed and be a blessing July 29, Saturday Galatians 4:8-9 However at that time, when you did not know God, you were slaves to those which by nature are no gods. But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how is it that you turn back again to the weak and worthless elemental things, to which you desire to be enslaved all over again? Jude 10 Yet these people slander whatever they do not understand, and the very things they do understand by instinct – as irrational animals do – will destroy them.

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