Dear Jimmy, I have watched your career closely over the years and wanted to share a few thoughts , as well as a recent interview you did with Vulture.com. But I want to talk a bit about your career first because it’s remarkable. I watched an awkward young man grow up to become a first-class entertainer…
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The chancellor of the University of Tennessee at Martin issued a statement late Friday identifying Dr. Charles Bradshaw, associate professor of English, as the author of an anonymous letter that contained threats of violence against the student sponsors of a Student Government Association resolution to allow students concealed carry privileges on campus, a story The Tennessee Star broke on Friday morning. “As many of you are aware, a situation arose this week from an open letter issued by Dr. Charles Bradshaw, UT Martin associate professor of English, under the pen name ‘Wesley Sniper’ that contained descriptions of mass violence on our campus,” Dr. Keith Carver, UT Martin chancellor said in the statement. “The letter was originally crafted as an example of satirical writing for one of Dr. Bradshaw’s classes; however, the letter soon became distributed to a much broader audience. Many individuals who saw the letter outside of the class became concerned for the safety of the campus and reported the matter to the police,” Carver continued. “After an initial investigation, the UT Martin Department of Public Safety quickly determined that the campus was not in imminent danger. Dr. Bradshaw was placed on paid administrative leave while the matter was…
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Brad Paisley Carrie Underwood CMA The CMA Awards are just around the corner. Gowns are being selected, suits are being pressed, guitars are being strung and the stage is being set. And Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood are rehearsing for their role as the show’s hosts for the 10th time. Since the very first time they…
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The space was recently discovered using particle physics, and cosmic rays. An illustration showing the approximate position of the void in the pyramid. canPyramids mission In the upper reaches of Earth’s atmosphere, a rain of high-energy radiation slams into the thin air. The impact creates a second shower of charged subatomic particles, like muons, which fall…
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U.S. Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN) on Friday blasted President Trump for refusing to rule out firing Attorney General Jeff Sessions if the Department of Justice doesn’t pursue investigations the president wants. Earlier Friday, Trump tweeted that the Justice Department and FBI should investigate “Crooked Hillary & the Dems.” The Associated Press reported that when asked before departing for his trip to Asia if he would fire Sessions if the Justice Department doesn’t do more to investigate Democrats, Trump said, “I don’t know.” Corker said in a statement, “Like me, most Americans hope that our justice system is independent and free of political interference. President Trump’s pressuring of the Justice Department and FBI to pursue cases against his adversaries and calling for punishment before trials take place are totally inappropriate and not only undermine our justice system but erode the American people’s confidence in our institutions.” Like me, most Americans hope that our justice system is independent and free of political interference. My full statement: pic.twitter.com/R4WrhSPQz3 — Senator Bob Corker (@SenBobCorker) November 3, 2017 Corker’s statement was the latest volley in his feud with Trump over the president’s leadership abilities. Special counsel Robert Mueller continues to investigate Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential…
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The Republican Leadership of the Tennessee House of Representatives recently provided the Tennessee House Republican Caucus with a detailed and mandatory “Due Schedule,” specifically stating that “the contribution amounts are required by each member” of the caucus, along with a warning of potential reprisals for not following the “pay-to-play” directive, a source with direct knowledge tells The Tennessee Star. The Star is in receipt of the “Due Schedule” document that came out of a late August Sunday morning Republican House Member Caucus meeting, the timing of which coincided with Sunday worship and summer vacation for many. The “Due Schedule” cites that every Republican House Member must pay dues of $1,000 each. With Republicans holding the super majority 74 of 99 seats, the baseline Member dues results in an initial fund raising total of $74,000 for the Caucus. The top leadership positions are held by Beth Harwell (R-Nashville), Speaker of the House and gubernatorial candidate; Steve McDaniel, Deputy Speaker; Curtis Johnson, Speaker Pro Tempore; Glen Casada (R-Franklin), Republican Leader; and Ryan Williams, Caucus Chairman. Dues for each of the twelve “Leadership” positions, to be paid in addition to the Member dues, are itemized as follows: Leadership Speaker of the House – $9,000 Deputy…
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The City of Houston will honor the World Series champion Astros with a parade through downtown on Friday. The World Series title was 56 years in the making since the club began life as the Colt .45s. It also marks the first championship claimed by a Houston team in any of the four major North American…
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Dr. George Flinn, who narrowly lost the 2016 Republican primary in Tennessee’s 8th Congressional District to Rep. David Kustoff (R-TN-08), has asked President Trump to amend an abusive Obama-era Medicare billing regulation that has put the medical practice of a beloved West Tennessee doctor on life support. “I am asking you to direct Seema Verma, the director of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), to amend § 424.535(a)(8), an Obama-era rule which has crushed doctors across the country. This rule is a prime example of government overreach and overregulation, which I know you are working diligently to correct,” Flinn wrote in a letter to the president on Thursday. “The current rule, particularly section (ii), is being interpreted in a way that punishes doctors for minor errors without warning and without consideration. Specifically, this rule is being interpreted in a way that does not allow healthcare providers to fix minor errors before disciplinary action is taken. These minor errors in clerical processes can even cost some communities access to quality healthcare,” Flinn continued, adding: A possible example of this rule being misapplied concerns a small town doctor named Dr. Bryan Merrick. Dr. Merrick, a physician in McKenzie, a small West…
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Officials at the University of Tennessee at Martin confirmed to The Tennessee Star on Friday that a faculty member has been placed on leave for writing a threatening letter to the student sponsors of a controversial Student Government Association resolution that would allow students to have constitutional concealed carry privileges on campus, pending the passage of enabling state legislation. “Yes, we have been looking into this since Wednesday afternoon when a student contacted Public Safety,” Scott D. Robbins, Director of Public Safety at U.T. Martin, told The Star Friday morning: We did find out who the professor was that wrote the letter in just a few minutes. The faculty member who admitted to composing the letter has been placed on administrative leave with pay. He has been cooperating with our department and university administration. I presented the letter and report to our District Attorney Tommy Thomas and there are no plans to file criminal charges. The faculty member is under a directive not to return to campus, which is customary in an employee being put on administrative leave. The chancellor of our university is out this week for the Board of Trustees meeting in Knoxville but I understand he is going to meet with the…
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MURFREESBORO, Tennessee — April Carroll thought she was a Democrat when she enrolled at Middle Tennessee State University. Carroll grew up on a farm in Linden, where her parents voted Democrat, and so did her grandparents on her father’s side. But during a class her freshman year on American government and politics, Carroll learned that many of the positions she and her family held fit better with the Republican Party. They were pro-life and pro-NRA, and for lower taxes. Carroll soon became friends with two other students in the class who were members of the MTSU College Republicans, and before long she was a member, too. She became the group’s secretary and now is serving her second year-long term as chairman. Today a 21-year-old senior, Carroll is a political science major with a concentration in public administration and a minor in history. There are more conservative students at MTSU than some might think, but they’re not always open about their beliefs, Carroll said. “I think they’re scared,” she said, describing how they fear a backlash at a time when many college campuses are tilting more leftward, including in red states. Carroll said many professors and students in the political science…
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SUNRISE, Fla. — Josh Anderson and Oliver Bjorkstrand scored twice each to lead the Columbus Blue Jackets to a 7-3 win over the Florida Panthers on Thursday night at the BB&T Center. Anderson has five goals this season, and Bjorkstrand has four. The Jackets (9-4-0) also got one goal and two assists from Boone Jenner, and…
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It’s been a busy day for Republicans on The Hill, as the tax reform package promised by then-candidate Trump and touted by now-President Trump, is finally introduced to Americans. While the details of the proposal are yet to be fully understood, the Republican House leadership team that produced the work took a bit of a victory lap Thursday with the President. Among them is the House Budget Committee Chair, Representative Diane Black (R-TN-06), who is also running to replace outgoing governor Bill Haslam. During a press availability at the White House Thursday, President Trump made sure to single out Rep. Black individually for her role to both pass the budget and the create the tax reform bill. “I called Diane Black and you came through, Diane,” he said, shaking her hand as Speaker Paul Ryan looked on. In a separate statement from the White House, President Trump said, “I applaud the House Ways and Means Committee for introducing the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which is another important step toward providing massive tax relief for the American people. My tax reform priorities have been the same since day one: bringing tax cuts for hardworking, middle-income Americans; eliminating unfair loopholes and deductions; and…
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A Memphis high school is telling teachers not to give grades below a 65, leaving some teachers feeling frustrated, reports WREG News Channel 3. One teacher at Kingsbury High School shared an email with WREG that Assistant Principal Nora Jones sent to teachers Monday asking them to fill in missing grades for students. “The grade floor at Kingsbury HS is 65,” the email said. “If you issued grades below a 65, please correct this also.” The teacher said faculty members have to give a student a 65 even if the student didn’t come to class. Keith Williams of the Memphis-Shelby County Education Association teachers union told WREG that other schools in the district have also set a grade floor to boost grades. He said he has expressed concerns about the practice at past school board meetings. Williams said “you cannot give to students what they do not earn” and that principals do not have the right to put teachers in these “troublesome kinds of situations.” There should be a uniform policy across the district, he said. The district’s grading policy doesn’t refer to minimum grades, according to WREG. A Shelby County Schools spokesperson said they were looking into the matter at…
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In an excerpt from her new book, “Hacks,” former interim DNC head Donna Brazile revealed that the Democratic National Committee was under the full control of Hillary Clinton during the Democratic primary, with the Clinton campaign controlling all finances, communication and staff. The revelations are further confirmation that the Democratic primary election was rigged by the…
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State House Representative Charles Sargent (R-Franklin) announced in late October that after two decades of service, he would not seek re-election in 2018. The decision came after long-time conservative activist and firebrand Rebecca Ann Burke declared her intent to challenge him for the State House District 61 seat. This week, fellow Republican and current Williamson County Commissioner Jeff Ford announced his candidacy to replace state Rep Sargent – a move met with a vigorous response from Burke. “Mr. Ford presents himself as a conservative, but he is looking like anything but. He is willing to cut deal with members of the Swamp, the GOP establishment, to further his campaign. He has placed his campaign in the hands of a local political operative that the media reports has a history of hiding donations to use against strong, conservative candidates,” she said, adding that Ford does not live within the boundaries of District 61. Burke is referring to Gregory Gleaves of the political consulting firm, DirectEdge, who has reportedly skated a little too close to the ethical and legal bounds. In August 2016, Rocky Top Politics detailed evidence of Gleaves’ efforts to disguise money donated by political enemies to defeat conservative incumbents in the Tennessee…
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For the first time in recorded state history, unemployment rates in all 95 Tennessee counties fell below 5 percent in September, Gov. Bill Haslam announced last week. September was also the fourth consecutive month that the state had a historic low statewide unemployment rate. The 3 percent statewide unemployment rate is the lowest in the Southeast and eighth lowest in the nation. “With every county seeing unemployment rates below five percent and with a record statewide unemployment rate, Tennessee’s fiscal strength is clear and the investment in our workforce is paying off,” the Republican governor said in a news release. “Employers know that Tennessee is a place where they can find skilled workers, so they continue to expand and relocate here.” At 2.1 percent, Williamson County had the lowest unemployment rate in September, followed by Davidson County with the second lowest at 2.2 percent. Rhea County in East Tennessee continued to have the highest unemployment rate, but in September its rate fell from 6 percent to 4.9 percent. In January, the rate was 10.2 percent. Haslam credited foreign investment with helping bring down unemployment rates.
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Some Metro Council members are expressing reservations about Mayor Megan Barry’s soccer stadium proposal ahead of next week’s vote. Most of those voicing concerns are primarily raising questions about the 10-acre mixed-use development planned for the Nashville Fairgrounds along with the stadium, according to what they told the Nashville Scene. Barry is trying to attract a Major League Soccer expansion team to Nashville, and her $250 million plan calls for Metro to allow the ownership group to lease 10 acres at the fairgrounds for a mixed-use, mixed income development that would include affordable and workforce housing. There also would be a hotel and retail. Council member Jeremy Elrod told the Nashville Scene he supports the stadium but not the plans for the 10 acres. “Handing over the 10 acres for free isn’t needed to get a team here or to build the stadium,” Elrod said. “The team says they need amenities to make the game day experience work, but why should they receive for free the right to build them on Metro property? If the stadium and the area is going to do as well as everyone thinks, developers will be lining up to build around there.” Council member Tanaka Vercher,…
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Hillary Clinton says the infamous Democratic-financed, Russian-sourced dossier did not “come out” during the election. That is not the full story. “From my perspective, it didn’t come out before the election as we all know,” Mrs. Clinton said Wednesday night on Comedy Central’s The Daily Show. She defended the dossier as standard opposition research. But some…
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by ConservativeHQ.com Staff CHQ Chairman Richard A. Viguerie and executive chairman of Breitbart News Steven K. Bannon got together on Halloween at the Fortieth annual meeting of the Pumpkin Papers Irregulars – an annual dinner celebrating the life and legacy of Whittaker Chambers – and Washington’s RINOs and Democrats were left quaking in their boots. The icebreaker for the evening’s event was Mr. Viguerie’s Halloween costume – a Steve Bannon disguise, complete with a cork gun to blow away the Washington establishment. In his remarks to the group Bannon identified two existential threats to the United States and constitutional liberty; political Islam in an axis stretching from central Asia through Persia to the Mediterranean, and – especially important before President Trump’s trip to Asia – Chinese mercantilism. In his remarks Bannon emphasized the themes he injected into a flagging Trump campaign that rocketed Trump from being as much as 16 points behind Hillary Clinton in the early Fall to his 306 to 232 electoral vote demolition of Clinton on Tuesday, November 8, 2016. Echoing remarks he made earlier this summer that the economic war with China is everything. And we have to be focused on that. If we continue…
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House Republicans unveiled their tax-code rewrite Thursday, delivering a plan that makes good on President Trump’s call to slash corporate rates and aims to deliver relief to people and families at the low-to-middle income levels. But the plan would actually represent a tax rate increase on some upper middle-class individuals and families, though Republican leaders insisted…
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VERSE OF THE DAY Be blessed and be a blessing November 3, Friday Proverbs 15:1 “A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. Matthew 7:3-4 “Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? 4 Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye?” James 4:1 What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you?
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