Lipscomb University President Apologizes for Centerpieces After Accusations of Racial Insensitivity

Lipscomb University President Randy Lowry apologized Friday for cotton stalk centerpieces that offended some African-American students invited to his home Thursday for a dinner to promote diversity on campus. “The content of the centerpieces was offensive, and I could have handled the situation with more sensitivity,” Lowry said in an email to the Lipscomb community that the school shared on Facebook. “I sincerely apologize for the discomfort, anger or disappointment we caused and solicit your forgiveness.” Lipscomb is a private Christian liberal arts school in Nashville affiliated with the conservative Churches of Christ. One student who attended the dinner wrote on Facebook, “We were very offended, and also the meals that were provided resembled many ‘black meals’ they had mac n cheese, collard greens, corn bread etc.” The student’s post included a photo of one of the cotton stalk centerpieces, a type of trendy decor depicted in many varieties on Pinterest. Hobby Lobby is getting slammed by a woman on social media for selling similar decor because “there is nothing decorative about raw cotton” as it represents “a commodity which was gained at the expense of African-American slaves.” In his apology, Lowry said, “I have heard from a number of students who…

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Bob Corker’s Much Vaunted Meeting With President Trump Uneventful

Washington pundits were abuzz with speculation late last week when it was announced that Senator Bob Corker (R-TN) would meet with President Trump at the White House on Friday. News reports about what transpired at that meeting when the two men finally met in person after several weeks of mutual public criticism suggest the results were largely uneventful. “The president and Senator Corker had a productive meeting in which they discussed a wide range of shared legislative priorities for the fall session,” the Washington Examiner reported “the White House said in a readout following the sit-down.” That plain vanilla statement about a “a productive meeting” is standard operating procedure in Washington for describing meetings where nothing of substance is accomplished. The Examiner story continued: Corker, who chairs the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, sat down with Trump days before the president is slated to meet with several heads of state at the 72nd annual United Nations General Assembly at UN headquarters in New York City. The two men discussed the current state of foreign affairs and the administration’s desire for bipartisan tax reform, according to the readout. “The administration looks forward to continued partnership with Senator Corker and other members of…

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Trump Lets Loose on ‘Rocket Man’ Kim, ‘Crooked Hillary’

Donald Trump let loose on Twitter Sunday with a shoot-from-the-hip volley of posts referring to North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-Un as “Rocket Man” — and picturing himself taking out Hillary Clinton with a golf ball. The US leader spoke Saturday night with South Korea’s President Moon Jae-In, pledging joint “steps to strengthen deterrence and defense capabilities…

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Sen. Feinstein Defends Grilling of Federal Judicial Nominee Over Her Catholic Faith

Sen. Dianne Feinstein defended Sunday her much-criticized grilling of a judicial nominee over her Catholic faith, saying that Amy Coney Barrett had made “questionable” statements in her writings. Ms. Feinstein said that she considered Catholicism to be a “great religion,” but that it was appropriate for the Senate Judiciary Committee to quiz Ms. Barrett about her…

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Underreported: What Happened When Government Tried to Fix a Coal Town in Kentucky

Tennessee Star

PAINTSVILLE, Ky.—When Ben Larrabee heard about a new government-funded job training program for the digital age that promised to turn “coal country” into “code country,” he stopped looking for other jobs. “The thing that got 800-plus people to apply and go through the process was that it promised jobs that would run from $30,000 to $40,000…

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Constitution Week Kicks Off with Nationwide ‘Preamble Challenge’ and Constitution Bee in Tennessee

The country began its week-long celebration of the 230th anniversary of the signing of the Constitution by delegates to the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia on September 17, 1787 with a nationwide “Preamble Challenge” issued to secondary and elementary school students by the Civics Renewal Network on Monday. At least two schools in Tennessee are participating in the Preamble Challenge. “We plan to read ‘Shh! We’re Writing the Constitution’ and complete a Preamble Scramble and a Constitution Scavenger Hunt to learn what the Constitution says, what it means, and its importance. On Constitution Day, we will gather around our flag pole for a dramatic reading of the Constitution,” a participating teacher at Copper Basin Elementary School in Copperhill, Tennessee says. Camp Creek Elementary school in Greeneville, Tennessee is also participating. Constitution Week wraps up on Saturday in Pleasant View, Tennessee, when secondary school students from around the state gather at Sycamore High School to participate in what appears to be the first-ever Constitution Bee in the country. The winner of The Polk Foundation’s Tennessee Star Constitution Bee will receive a round trip flight to Washington, D.C. along with a parent. Among other scheduled events in the nation’s Capitol, the winner and a…

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Faith: Verse of the Day for Monday, September 18

Tennessee Star - Verse of the Day

  VERSE OF THE DAY Be blessed and be a blessing September 18, Monday Matthew 7:24-27 “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. 26 And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. 27 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.”

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