A federal court has thrown out a Florida jury’s verdict clearing police of misconduct charges, claiming the jury hadn’t been vetted for homophobia and may have been biased against the gay plaintiff. Raymond Berthiaume accused Lt. David Smith of the Key West Police Department of framing him for battery by forcing his friend to make false…
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The University of Tennessee is finalizing a deal that would make former Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Rutgers coach Greg Schiano the Volunteers’ new head coach, multiple media outlets reported Sunday. Tennessee officials hoped to announce the hiring of Schiano Sunday afternoon. Schiano became the focus of the Volunteers’ search after Mississippi State coach Dan Mullen reportedly…
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Kyle Shurmur threw for 283 yards and four touchdowns as Vanderbilt knocked off Tennessee 42-24 on Saturday at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tenn. It’s the first conference win for the Commodores (5-7, 1-7 SEC), while the Volunteers (4-8, 0-8 SEC) finished the season winless in the SEC and mired in the East division basement. It’s the…
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The Justice Department has launched a review to identify gaps in the federal gun background check system following this month’s Texas church massacre, which was carried out by a man with a military criminal conviction that was not properly reported. The FBI’s National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) includes more than 17 million active records…
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A coalition of a dozen states led by Texas asked the U.S. Supreme Court to lift lower court injunctions forbidding enforcement of President Donald Trump’s proclamation on enhanced vetting, the latest iteration of his travel ban. Federal courts in Hawaii and Maryland issued orders enjoining the proclamation in October. The proclamation was issued at the conclusion…
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by CHQ Staff Let’s call it the trickledown theory of get-out-of-jail-free cards. Once Bill and Hillary Clinton were given a pass on their serial transgressions; sexual assault, lawbreaking of all kinds, graft and corruption it seems no Democrat bigwig can be held accountable for anything. Many will see this precedent in Senator Al Franken’s apparent get-out-of-jail-free card on his photo-documented serial groping and sexual harassment, now being excused as all in good fun by his former Saturday Night Live castmates, Democratic politicians and even one of the victims – leftwing media mogul Arianna Huffington. However, Franken’s consequence-free groping pales in comparison to the treatment afforded another Democrat bigwig – ranking member of the House Committee on the Judiciary and former Chairman of that panel Rep. John Conyers (MI-13) whom we have learned was protected from a sexual harassment charge by a $27,000 payout of taxpayer-funded hush money. The 88-year old Conyers, first elected in 1964, is the “Dean” of the House, having served longer than any other current member of that body. However, by rights, Conyers should not even still be a member of the House of Representatives. In 2014 the Michigan Secretary of State ruled that Conyers had not…
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President Donald Trump tweeted that Time magazine contacted him Friday to say he was probably going to be named the magazine’s ‘Person of the Year’ for the second year in a row, but that he’d declined, indicating he didn’t want to have to sit for an interview and photo. “Time Magazine called to say that I…
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Yaron Bob, an Israeli artist whose community has been repeatedly attacked with Kassam rockets fired from Gaza by Palestinian terrorists, turns the rockets of hate into metal art called “Rockets into Roses.” Bob’s work was inspired by his own close calls with rocket attacks. According to his website, “I take the Kassam, the instrument of death and I change it, I transfer it into something of beauty.” After the rockets are checked by a bomb squad, the police give Bob the metal to create the roses which he “plants” in a base shaped as a map of Israel, “so that the rose literally ‘grows’ from the place of destruction – where most of the rockets have landed.” Until very recently, HAMAS has controlled the government in Gaza and has been primarily responsible for the rocket attacks. Founded in 1987, HAMAS, an acronym for the Islamic Resistance Movement, is a U.S. designated terrorist group and the self-described Palestinian arm of the Muslim Brotherhood. Its charter makes it clear that Jews are the enemies of Allah and that the HAMAS mission is to destroy Israel and kill Jewish people. Quoting Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood founder, the HAMAS charter states: Israel will exist and will continue to…
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Mark Levin, Fox News A well-known conservative commentator is set to join the Fox News family soon. Mark Levin, known for his syndicated radio show, seven political books and, more recently, the subscription-based “Levin TV,” will now have his own show with the media giant. Watch the video Matt Drudge tweeted that the show would focus…
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The bad news: Mississippi State quarterback Nick Fitzgerald is out for the rest of the year after suffering a brutal leg injury on Thursday night against Ole Miss. The good news: it appears he won’t be off the field for too long. According to the Clarion Ledger, Fitzgerald’s recovery timetable for a broken bone in his…
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I have noticed a deluge of planted, coordinated articles in the Obama media, and declarations coming from the GOP Establishment Senate, that demand the United States provide supposedly ‘defensive’ weapons to Ukraine. The details of an alleged “presentation” to Trump have even been leaked to the press, detailing a recommended $40-million sale of Javelin anti-tank missiles…
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A Russian man arrested in Prague last year in connection with allegedly hacking LinkedIn and other American Internet companies may be extradited to the United States to face related charges, a Czech court agreed Friday. Prague’s High Court on Friday upheld an earlier ruling authorizing the extradition of Yevgeniy Nikulin to the U.S., putting the accused…
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Researchers have known for a while that cinnamaldehyde, an essential oil that gives cinnamon its flavor and odor, can boost metabolism in mice, but the mechanism through which it does this wasn’t so well understood. Now, Jun Wu, research assistant professor at the LSI, has applied cinnamaldehyde to fat cells from both rats and humans. He and his colleagues learned that the oil acts directly on the fat cells (also called adipocytes), causing them to burn energy through thermogenesis (heat generation). In other words, cinnamon oil makes fat cells burn out. …
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Tennessee forced North Carolina State into 21 turnovers and 38.2 percent shooting to earn a 67-58 victory in the Battle 4 Atlantis third-place game Friday afternoon at Paradise Island, Bahamas. Sophomore power forward Grant Williams piled up 14 points, six rebounds, four assists, three blocks and two steals to pace the Volunteers (4-1), who never trailed.…
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A Florida teenager wanted in connection with the death of his grandmother was detained by border officials while attempting to enter into Canada, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office announced Friday evening. Logan Mott, 15, was apprehended by the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol as he tried to cross into Canada from near Buffalo, New York, the Sheriff’s…
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In response to Senator Chuck Schumer’s tweet encouraging Thanksgiving revelers to challenge their family members regarding the Republicans’ developing tax reform package, our own State Senator Frank Niceley (R-Strawberry Plains) delivered a series of eight well-crafted suggestions for Trump supporters to do and say in return. “There have been so many articles about politics at the Thanksgiving table and how Trump has divided friendships and everybody’s afraid to talk politics,” Niceley told the Knoxville News Sentinel. “I think everybody’s taking it too seriously and we just need to lighten up a little bit.” “Everybody talks about how strained relationships are over this Trump making America great again,” he said. “It’s almost like some people don’t want America to be great again. I’ve been in politics 30 years and I’ve never seen it so divided. But there are a lot of good things going on. The stock market is up. Unemployment is down.” Niceley’s suggestions touch on all the liberal hot buttons, from Russia to climate change, Trump’s talking style, Hillary Clinton, and more. And so, without further delay… Frank Niceley’s Eight #WaysToAnnoyFamilyLiberalsAtThanksgiving #WaysToAnnoyFamilyLiberalsAtThanksgiving Let's get this party started! 1. Wear your #MAGA cap to the dinner table2. End the blessing with "even the…
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The USS Fitzgerald, Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer, which was involved in a deadly collision on June 17, leaving seven sailors dead and the ship with severe damages, left the port of Yokosuka, Japan, on Friday (Thursday on the West coast), and is expected to arrive at Pascagoula, Mississippi, for repairs. Although the Fitzgerald has a…
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President Donald Trump criticized the NFL for the third time this week in his latest tweet targeting commissioner Roger Goodell, saying the “players are the boss.” Only one player reportedly knelt during the three national anthems for the Thanksgiving Day games, with New York Giants defensive end Olivier Vernon continuing his protest of racial inequality and police brutality during the playing of the “The Star-Spangled Banner.” …
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WASHINGTON — When he was named special counsel in May, Robert S. Mueller III was hailed as the ideal lawman — deeply experienced, strait-laced and nonpartisan — to investigate whether President Donald Trump’s campaign had helped with Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election. The accolades squared with Mueller’s valor as a Marine rifle platoon commander in Vietnam and his integrity as a federal prosecutor, a senior Justice Department official and FBI director from 2001 to 2013, the longest tenure since J. Edgar Hoover. He was praised by former courtroom allies and opponents, and by Democrats and Republicans in Congress. …
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Fusion GPS, the liberal research firm that funded and distributed the anti-Trump dossier, has paid three journalists for work related to Congress’ Russia probe, according to court filings. Lawyers representing the House Intelligence Committee made the assertion in a bid to force Fusion to turn over additional bank transactions involving reporters, law firms and a media company. …
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With control of the U.S. Congress up for grabs next year, the Senate is days away from an expected vote on a major tax bill that Republicans say will make American corporations more competitive globally but that Democrats say will force the United States to borrow even more from China and other foreign creditors. …
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CBS Corp. and Dish Network resolved their carriage-fee dispute by agreeing to a new distribution deal, restoring CBS station signals to millions of Dish customers across the country. The agreement, struck Thursday night, ended the three-day blackout that began late Monday when CBS walked away from the bargaining table feeling that the two sides were not making sufficient progress in the talks. …
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While commonly used pesticides have been shown to hurt bee populations, there may be a new development on the horizon that will simultaneously ensure the protection of honeybees and the crops that they pollinate. According to a new study that was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences journal, scientists found that honeybees were able to resist a certain kind of pesticide called tau-fluvalinate. …
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DemocracySpring/Twitter The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade got a taste of politics on Thursday as a group of people broke through barriers and sat in the middle of the parade route. The protesters wore shirts that showed they were protesting in support of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. The “Dreamers” — named after the…
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Despite several horrifying current examples of nations in the grip of socialism, many of America’s millennials are happily skipping down the socialist Yellow Brick Road toward an Oz that could never be. It isn’t just Bernie Sanders’ young legions of admirers. A recent survey showed that a whopping 44 percent of young people favor socialism over…
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When lawyer Frank Abrams paid $10 for an old photo at a flea market in North Carolina, he had no idea that what he had just purchased was probably the only known photograph of one of the Wild West’s most notorious outlaws, Henry McCarty, best known as Billy the Kid, standing a few feet away from the man who would eventually kill him for a $500 reward, Sheriff Pat Garret. …
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Mississippi State quarterback Nick Fitzgerald suffered one of the worst injuries of the year on Thursday night, as Fitzgerald was seen with a very visible break in one of his legs. Once taken back to the locker room, Fitzgerald sent out a message thanking the fans for their support after he had to be carted off of the field. …
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When Gonzalo Perez bought the Castlewood Restaurant last December, it was one of the few outposts among the nearby corn and soybean fields hungry farmers could depend as a place to dine out. It could become much more than that for Perez. “It’s my lottery ticket,” he told VOA. …
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Former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley said Friday that Democrats allowed Republicans to win in state and local races by not competing the past eight years. “There were many so-called active Democrats that I would speak with on the phone trying to impress upon them, when I was chairman of the Democratic Governors Association, that states matter,”…
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Rep. Marsha Blackburn said Tuesday that President Trump’s crackdown on sanctuary cities is vital to the safety of American communities. “This is something that needs to happen,” Ms. Blackburn, Tennessee Republican, said on Fox News. “That order needs to be in place.” …
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Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has denounced Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as the “new Hitler of the Middle East”, as tensions simmer between the regional rivals. Saudi Arabia and its arch-rival Iran have traded a bitter war of words after a missile fired from Yemen was intercepted near Riyadh airport on November 4.…
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Note: We’ll be updating this through Cyber Monday. For the deal seeker, there are few days headier than Black Friday (and maybe the day after Christmas). Unlike, say, Amazon Prime Day, Black Friday is kind of a monster we’re always trying to tackle to the ground, one that grows more limbs every year. The “Black Friday” discounts started over a week ago, and almost every major retailer is making it seem like they’re going all-out this year. The number of deals out there is dizzying. How do you cut through the crud? We’ve be populating a list of the best deals all weekend long. …
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On Thanksgiving morning, President Trump delivered a message via teleconference from his luxury resort in Mar-a-Lago to American military service members overseas — but not everyone is happy about it. Retired Lieutenant General Mark Hertling appeared on CNN Thursday to air his grievances with the content of President Trump’s Thanksgiving message to the troops, referring…
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TRENTON — One of New Jersey’s longest-serving state Senators said he plans to hold public hearings to question the next governor’s push to legalize marijuana next year. Sen. Ronald Rice, D-Essex, announced Monday he would use his authority as chairman of the Legislative Black Caucus to call public hearings to explore the negative consequences felt in…
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Missouri school officials said a non-white student confessed this week to scrawling a racist message on a girls’ bathroom mirror, causing unrest at a St. Louis-area high school. The controversial phrase, “White Lives Matter,” followed by the N-word was discovered on a girls’ bathroom mirror at Parkway Central High School in Chesterfield on Nov. 15. In…
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Jimbo Fisher has been rumored for a couple of jobs, but it looks like Florida State is doing their best to keep their head coach. First it was LSU last year, and now Texas A&M has become heavily involved in trying to pry Fisher away from the Seminoles, as A&M is reportedly parting ways with current…
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A University of California, Riverside student who boasted of stealing a “Make America Great Again” hat in September faces charges that may land her in jail for up to one year. The Riverside County District Attorney’s Office has filed a misdemeanor count of grand theft against Edith Marcias, a UC Riverside student who declared “f- your…
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Thanksgiving overflows with traditions shared by households around the country — from extended families flying in to see loved ones to carving the delicious and well-prepared turkey to watching football after an incredible meal. One Thanksgiving tradition shared by some, but perhaps not as discussed as much as some others, is getting the family out of…
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Rep. Ron DeSantis said Wednesday that he’s working on legislation to prevent tax dollars from paying for settlements of congressional members. “I’m working on legislation to unseal settlement records, bar use of tax dollars to pay claims against members & staff, prohibit members from using office budgets to camouflage payments (a Conyers rule) & require reimbursement…
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Uber endured a data breach that allowed hackers to steal the personal information of more than 57 million users, the ride share company’s chief executive acknowledged Tuesday. Hackers accessed a third-party server used by Uber in late 2016 and gleaned the names, email addresses and mobile phone numbers of 57 million ride share users, as well…
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The mayor of Philadelphia inserted himself into national politics Wednesday, calling President Donald Trump a “bully” for ending an immigration program for Haitian refugees. Democratic Mayor Jim Kenney was speaking to a group of immigration advocates when he went after Trump in his speech, according to the local NBC affiliate. “There is no compassion whatsoever in…
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Sen. Lisa Murkowski says she supports repealing Obamacare’s individual mandate to hold insurance, giving a notable thumbs up to a contentious piece of President Trump’s tax overhaul, though she stopped short of a full endorsement of the tax plan. Ms. Murkowski, an Alaska Republican who helped sink the GOP’s Obamacare repeal efforts over the summer over…
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Sen. Rand Paul’s wife fired back Wednesday at media reports minimizing the attack that left her husband with several broken ribs. “This was not a ‘scuffle,’ a ‘fight’ or an ‘altercation,’ as many in the media falsely describe it,” Kelley Paul wrote in an op-ed for CNN. “It was a deliberate, blindside attack. The impact left…
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At The Brownstone restaurant in Paterson, New Jersey, the founder of a small but mighty nonprofit organization and its sponsors gathered on November 14 to honor Rich Farley and other veterans. Farley received Jack — a highly trained service dog — a few years ago, thanks to the work of J.T. Gabriel’s nonprofit organization, K9 Soldiers,…
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by CHQ Staff Last Friday, in an action to further uphold the rule of law in the executive branch, Attorney General Jeff Sessions issued a memo prohibiting the Department of Justice from issuing guidance documents that have the effect of adopting new regulatory requirements or amending the law. The memo prevents the Department of Justice from evading required rulemaking processes by using guidance memos to create de facto regulations. In the past, the Department of Justice and other agencies have blurred the distinction between regulations and guidance documents. Under the Attorney General’s memo, the Department may no longer issue guidance documents that purport to create rights or obligations binding on persons or entities outside the Executive Branch. This is a huge change from the lawless Obama administration when Attorneys General Eric Holder and Lorretta Lynch issued “guidance” almost at will to circumvent Congress and the checks and balances built into our Constitution. The Attorney General’s Regulatory Reform Task Force, led by Associate Attorney General Brand, will conduct a review of existing Department documents and will recommend candidates for repeal or modification in the light of this memo’s principles. “Guidance documents can be used to explain existing law,” Associate Attorney…
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Many of the states refusing to cooperate with President Donald Trump’s election commission aren’t in compliance with federal law on maintaining voter registration lists, according to government watchdog groups. So far, 18 states and the District of Columbia have declined or are still considering whether to provide election data to the Presidential Advisory Commission on Election…
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by Richard M. Ebeling This time of the year, whether in good economic times or bad, Americans gather with their families and friends and enjoy a Thanksgiving meal together. It marks a remembrance of those early Pilgrim Fathers who crossed the uncharted ocean from Europe to make a new start in Plymouth, Massachusetts. What is less appreciated is that Thanksgiving is also a celebration of the birth of free enterprise in America. The English Puritans, who left Great Britain and sailed across the Atlantic on the Mayflower in 1620, were not only escaping from religious persecution in their homeland. They also wanted to turn their back on what they viewed as the materialistic and greedy corruption of the Old World. Plymouth Colony Planned as Collectivist Utopia In the New World, they wanted to erect a New Jerusalem that would not only be religiously devout but be built on a new foundation of communal sharing and social altruism. Their goal was the communism of Plato’s Republic, in which all would work and share in common, knowing neither private property nor self-interested acquisitiveness. What resulted is recorded in the diary of Governor William Bradford, the head of the colony. The colonists collectively…
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After months and months of baby bump pictures and beautiful showers and photo shoots, the time has come to finally meet Oakley Dillon. And let’s just say, she is a doll.…
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An Episcopal priest in Birmingham, Alabama, has been arrested for possessing child pornography. Michael Glenn Rich previously taught journalism at Auburn University, reports AL.com. He became a priest in 2006 and in 2014 began serving St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church in Birmingham. After learning of the charges, Rich was immediately suspended from the ministry, said Rt. Rev. John McKee Sloan, bishop for the Diocese of Alabama. “Our community prays for all who are victims of exploitation,” said Sloan in a statement provided to the media, including AL.com and ABC 33/40. “The Episcopal Church and the Diocese of Alabama are committed to guarding against sexual misconduct in all its ugly abusive forms.” Rich was one of two Jefferson County men arrested in a sting operation carried out by authorities in Alabama and Georgia. Rich was arrested Nov. 16 and charged with three counts of possession of child pornography. He was released from jail the same day. Authorities said Rich was arrested after they received a tip that prompted an investigation into his internet use. Investigators found multiple images of child pornography on his electronic devices. The investigation is ongoing and more charges could be brought. The five-day sting operation led to more than…
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More than 400 students at a Knoxville high school are being asked to retake the ACT because of a testing mishap last month, reports WBIR Channel 10. Bearden High School administered the test Oct. 17 with test booklets it received intended for Oct. 3. ACT has not responded to questions about how the incorrect materials were sent to the school, but says it can’t validate the scores because of the “misadministration” and the theoretical possibility that students could have received test answers from others. Students have been directed to retake the test Dec. 9. Students are worried about missing deadlines for college admissions and scholarships. A handful of students received their scores from ACT, only to have them pulled by the testing company. In Tennessee, all juniors are to take the ACT, with retakes being offered in the fall of students’ senior year. The Knox County PTA and Knox County Mayor Tim Burchett have tried unsuccessfully to fight ACT’s decision not to certify the scores from Oct. 17. Candice McQueen, the state commissioner of education, submitted an appeal but it was denied. Others at the state level have also been notified of the situation. Lt. Gov. Randy McNally (R-Oak Ridge) told WBIR…
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