Day: May 16, 2018

Tennessee Firearms Association Says Gubernatorial Candidates Need to Hear from More Teachers About School Safety

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armed teachers

John Harris, Executive Director of the Tennessee Firearms Association (TFA), says Tennessee’s candidates for Governor need to listen to more teachers before they speak for teachers. Harris was referring to whether teachers who have a carry permit should be allowed to carry on campus in order to protect themselves, their students and their colleagues in the event of a school shooting situation. Currently, less than half of Tennessee’s 1800 schools have an armed School Resource Officer (SRO) on campus leaving most Tennessee school children vulnerable. During Tuesday night’s gubernatorial forum in Nashville, three of the five major candidates participating indicated that they opposed allowing trained and permitted teachers to carry their weapons on school grounds as an additional line of protection in the event of a shooting incident on campus. Democrats Craig Fitzhugh and Karl Dean, and Republican Beth Harwell all indicated that they did not support allowing teachers to be armed. Governor Bill Haslam, Vanderbilt professors, and the Tennessee teachers’ union (Tennessee Education Association) strongly opposed legislation sponsored by David Byrd (R-Waynesboro) that would have permitted teachers to carry guns on campus. Republicans Bill Lee and Randy Boyd both said they supported allowing teachers who wished to do so, and were…

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Nashville Predators Lose Again: Endorse David Briley for Mayor

Tennessee Star Staff
Nashville Predators and Acting Mayor David Briley

In a real head-scratcher, the Nashville Predators, long time beneficiaries of millions of dollars in subsidies provided by taxpayers in the state of Tennessee and the Metro Government of Nashville/Davidson County, endorsed Acting Mayor David Briley in the May 24 special election for mayor on Wednesday. The Predators’ organizational decision to engage in the political arena by publicly endorsing a far left, big government progressive marks their second consecutive loss this month, after the Winnipeg Jets eliminated them from the Western Conference Semi-Finals of the NHL’s Stanley Cup Playoffs, four games to three. The NHL’s Predators have now chosen partisan political sides, a move that is sure to alienate a significant portion of their fan base that is politically conservative, many of whom live outside the boundaries of Nashville/Davidson County. “Their endorsement of the transit tax plan went down in ‘Calgary’ Flames. While that distraction may have cost them a win over the Winnipeg Jets. Now, after their endorsement of the plan produced a blowout defeat on May 1, they’re jumping back into a political arena where their experience and track record is comparable to a high school JV hockey team. If they had focused more on hockey, and less…

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Richard Viguerie Endorsement: Carol Swain For Mayor Of Nashville

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by Richard A Viguerie, CHQ Chairman   After the recent scandals plaguing Nashville City Hall only an outsider with knowledge and courage can do what needs to be done to clean up Nashville city government, and the only person I see with those qualifications in the upcoming May 24 special election is former Vanderbilt University professor Dr. Carol Swain. Having met Professor Swain through her many appearances in national policy and political forums I can say without hesitation that she has the values and the courage to take on the insider corruption that characterized City Hall during the previous administration. Dr. Swain taught political science and law for 28 years. She has seen and studied the problems that affect urban areas.  Of equal importance, she is not beholden to special interests, so she can make tough decisions without their influence, which is what it will take to put into action the policies necessary to implement solutions that work for the people of Nashville, instead of the special interests feeding at City Hall’s trough. For those CHQ readers who have not met Carol Swain, let me tell you a little bit about her. Professor Swain was Phi Beta Kappa and a Dean’s List…

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Nashville Superintendent Could Face the Music For Playing Misogynistic Rap Song

Jason M. Reynolds

Metro Nashville Schools Director Dr. Shawn Joseph’s love of explicit rap music is hitting a sour in the district. An attorney, Jamie Hollin, told NewsChannel 5 he represents “more than five” principals who attended a recent principals meeting in which Joseph played a portion of the song “Blow the Whistle” by rapper Too $hort. The song title refers to a sexual act in street lingo. According to Hollin and other principals who spoke to NewsChannel 5, Joseph told the group that, when dealing with a difficult board, he sometimes hears the song in his head. He played the following lyrics: I go on and on. Can’t understand how I last so long. I must have super powers. Rap two hundred twenty-five thousand hours. A school district spokesperson said Joseph cut off the song to avoid any explicit lyrics. However, the lyrics go on to use a word for women starting with the letter “B” several times. One female school board member has filed a complaint with the district’s civil rights coordinator. “I could not understand how this misogynistic song could be appropriate in ANY educational environment,” board Vice Chair Jill Speering said in the complaint. “What kind of example does this set for…

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Metro Nashville Board of Ethical Conduct to Consider Ethics Complaint Filed Against MDHA’s Jimmy Granbery Over Transit Plan Support Today

Tennessee Star Staff

UPDATE: 1:00 pm Jimmy Granbery responded to The Tennessee Star’s inquiry about the ethics complaint on Wednesday afternoon. “The complaint had no merit and was dismissed today 5-0 this morning,” Granbery said in an email.   10:20 am This morning at 10:30 am, the Board of Ethical Conduct of the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County will review an ethics complaint filed against Jimmy Granbery over allegations of conflict of interest in his role as Vice Chair for Development of the Metropolitan Development and Housing Agency, and his role as owner of property within the 19 proposed Transit Oriented Development Districts of the Transit Plan that voters rejected on May 1, and his financial support for that plan. The complaint, Anne Barnett v. Jimmy Granbery, was received by the Board of Ethical Conduct on April 25, and alleges the following: Mr. Granberry is the Vice Chair for Development of MDHA, which is the exclusive master developer of the 19 proposed Transit Oriented Development Districts of the Transit Plan. Mr. Granbery has abused his position entrusted to him for his and his company’s own profit by failing to disclose his financial interest and ownership of properties in and around the…

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Family of Waffle House Victim Sue Shooter’s Father Citing Negligence

Jason M. Reynolds

The father of the accused Waffle House mass shooter has been named as a defendant in a wrongful death lawsuit. The lawsuit was filed by one of the victim’s families, WKRN reports. News 2 reported it had court documents showing Jeffrey Reinking is facing a civil lawsuit filed by the family of victim Joe Perez. Travis Reinking is accused of killing four people and injuring four more at the Antioch Waffle House on April 22. The lawsuit claims Jeffery Reinking’s alleged negligent conduct caused Perez’s death, WSMV reports. Jeffrey Reinking is accused of returning his son’s weapons to him after they had been confiscated. One of the weapons is the gun police say was used in the shooting. The Perez family accused Jeffrey Reinking of “negligent entrustment,” Law & Crime reported, citing a story by the Pekin Daily Times. The family will argue that because Reinking failed to keep the weapons away from his son when he had reason to believe harm could happen he is liable for the death of Perez. Travis Reinking was known to the Tazewell County Sheriff’s Department in Illinois, allegedly having had delusions involving Taylor Swift, WKRN said. He allegedly showed up at a construction site with an AR-15, causing…

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Gubernatorial Candidate Bill Lee Set to Hit the Road with a ‘Tennessee Town Hall Tour’

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Bill Lee

Gubernatorial hopeful Bill Lee announced Tuesday he will embark on a statewide sojourn to host a series of ‘Tennessee Town Halls’ Tour Wednesday and continuing throughout the duration of the primary campaign. Lee, the first candidate in the race to visit all 95 counties in the first 95 days of campaigning, says he will revisit some 50 locations in each of the three grand divisions in the state. “We’re running the most aggressive grassroots campaign in Tennessee, and Maria and I can’t wait to hop on the RV and hit every corner of the state in this Town Hall Tour,” Lee said in a statement. “Tennessee is a remarkable place, and I’m going to continue to meet one on one with as many people as I can to hear from them and make my case. ” The campaign will announce the dates and locations for the Tennessee Town Halls on a “rolling basis,” beginning with event details though May 31: May 16 – Morrison in Warren County May 22 – Rogersville in Hawkins County May 24 – Jackson in Madison County May 30 – Goodlettsville in Davidson, Sumner County May 30 – Somerville in Fayette County May 31 – Germantown in Shelby County “Bill…

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Retiring Representative Jimmy Duncan (R-TN-02) Endorses Longtime Friend Jimmy Matlock to Replace Him In Washington

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Former State Representative Jimmy Matlock received an enthusiastic endorsement Tuesday from the man he is seeking to replace in the House of Representatives. In a statement released by the Matlock campaign, the 15-term retiring Representative Jimmy Duncan (R-TN-02) said: Jimmy Matlock is one of the finest men I have ever known, and he is running for Congress for all the right reasons. Jimmy Matlock is running because he has a real heart for service and because he wants to help as many people as he can by doing the right things for this nation, this state, and this district. He has served in our part-time state legislature with great honor and distinction, and he is a man who knows the important national and international issues we face. Jimmy Matlock will make a great Congressman, and I am proud to endorse him to replace me. “Congressman Duncan and his family are the standard by which public service is measured,” Matlock said of his longtime friend’s endorsement. “He has been an excellent representative, and I am sad to see him go. I am truly humbled and honored to have earned his support in this race.” The field is a crowded one, with no less…

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Bird Scooter Company’s Efforts to Wing It Makes Metro Nashville Mad as a Wet Hen

Jason M. Reynolds

Some are saying that rental scooters in Nashville pose a safety concern following a hit and run crash Sunday. Metro Nashville Police were searching for a black Lexus sedan that allegedly hit and critically injured two Bird scooter riders Sunday at Fifth Avenue North and Union Street, a police press release said. The Lexus appears to be a mid-2000s model ES 330 or ES 300, police said. It sustained noticeable front end damage. Central Precinct officers responded to the crash at 5:25 p.m. Sunday, police said. The preliminary investigation shows that the scooters were traveling north on Fifth Avenue North while the Lexus was traveling west on Union Street. The car allegedly struck the scooters in the intersection and continued traveling west on Union Street. There are conflicting reports as to whether the Lexus or the scooters had the red light. The injured women are identified as Lindsey Cowan, 28, of Knoxville, and Rachel Johnson, 27, of Oak Ridge, police said. Neither rider was wearing a helmet. Both women were being treated at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. The Tennessean reported the women were riding Bird rental scooters. The company behind the scooters began offering them for rent following the defeat of the light rail transit…

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Commentary: Senator John McCain Rips Up the Tracks as He Exits the Washington Swamp Station

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by Jeffery Rendall   One would suppose it’s only natural for the critically ailing Arizona Senator John McCain to want to settle all his scores while he’s still able to do so, but a lot of people are taking issue with the manner in which he’s doing it. Of course McCain is afflicted with what looks to be terminal brain cancer and he’s wasting no time in making sure the world understands just how he views his time on earth (looking back) before the historians and pundits pick through decades of events in his public career and personal life searching for clues as to why he did what he did. One of McCain’s most notable confessions in his new book is his admission that he regrets having chosen Sarah Palin as his 2008 running mate. Ten years is a long time to drop such an explosive personal bomb, especially on someone who inseparably shares a lasting part of McCain’s political legacy. For her part, Palin is taking the news with class but wonders…why now, John? Amy Lieu of Fox News reported, “Sarah Palin, the former Alaska governor and John McCain’s 2008 running mate, reportedly said she feels a ‘perpetual gut-punch’ every time…

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Steve Gill Analysis: Does Justice Kennedy Control the Post Midterm Balance of Political Power in the US Senate?

Steve Gill
Kennedy

In early March Nevada Senator Dean Heller reignited speculation about the long-rumored retirement of Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy, a somewhat conservative but often swing-vote on critical legal issues. The 81 year old Justice who will turn 82 in July is the second oldest serving on the Court, behind Ruth Bader Ginsberg who is 85, and was appointed by President Ronald Reagan after Judge Robert Bork fell short of confirmation. Kennedy is the longest serving Justice on the current court. Justice Robert Gorsuch, appointed last year by President Donald Trump, once served as a law clerk for Kennedy.  While there had been some speculation prior to the appointment of Gorsuch that Kennedy might soon retire, once he was named to the Court most observers correctly assessed that Kennedy would spend at least one term on the Court with his former law clerk. But despite their history and the obvious fondness that Kennedy has for Gorsuch, they have not been completely aligned in their rulings. In divided cases, Kennedy and Gorsuch were on the same side of issues in their first term together 38% of the time; by comparison Gorsuch sided with Justice Clarence Thomas 100% of the time. As the…

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REPORT: Federal Civil Service Employees Have a 99.5 Percent Chance of Never Being Fired

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By Natalia Castro   The average American looking for complete job security need not look further than the non-defense federal government’s public workforce, where there is a 99.5 percent chance they will never be fired for cause according to data retrieved from the Office of Personnel Management’s FedScope. It is nearly impossible for a federal workforce employee to be terminated for poor performance, while in the private sector these firings occur significantly more often. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics annual Job Openings and Labor Turnover (JOLT) survey, between 2005 and 2017 the private sector workforce maintained an average discharges and layoff rate of 17.27 percent. Conversely, FedScope reveals the public sector maintained a rate of 3.37 percent over the same period. The public sector termination rate includes both firings for cause and general reductions in force. Perhaps even more frightening is that once these figures are separated, FedScope data reveals only 0.53 percent of federal employees are terminated for cause. Without proper accountability or firing measures in place, our federal workforce continues to reward inefficiency and fails to meet the needs of the public. In 2016, scandal broke when a Government Accountability Office report revealed that mismanagement within the Department of Veteran Affairs…

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Mayoral Candidate Erica Gilmore Calls on Governor Haslam to Veto the Anti-Sanctuary City Bill Awaiting His Signature

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Mayoral candidate and Councilwoman-at-Large Erica Gilmore held a press conference prior to Tuesday evening’s Metro Council meeting to announce her opposition to the Green-Reedy Bill, also known as the ‘anti-sanctuary cities bill.’ During the event, Gilmore unveiled a resolution she said she will introduce at the bi-weekly meeting, calling on fellow council members to join her in opposing the recently passed measure, and ask Governor Haslam to veto it. In a media advisory sent to The Tennessee Star, Gilmore’s campaign wrote: Councilwoman Gilmore’s resolution (co-sponsored by Councilmembers Davis and Mendes) calls HB2315 harmful to public safety, and an “unfunded mandate,” with the potential “to increase racial profiling.” She will introduce RS 2018-(as yet un-numbered) at tonight’s Metro Council meeting for first reading. The Councilwoman’s resolution would unite the Metro Council with MNPD Chief Anderson and the MNPS Board in calling for a veto of HB2315. Gilmore was a leading proponent of the sanctuary city bill the Metro Council was passed on a second reading in June before an uprising by the Tennessee General Assembly persuaded its sponsors to drop it before a third and final reading. Gilmore’s press conference clearly aligns her on the far left among the leading candidates in the May 24 special…

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Early Voting in Nashville Special Mayoral Election Hits One Day High of 3,533

Tennessee Star Staff

Early voting turnout in the May 24 Nashville special mayoral election hit a one day high on Tuesday of 3,533, bringing the total early vote to just shy of 12,000. With only four more days left, however, total early voting turnout is still expected to be in the range of 23,000 to 25,000, less than half the 59,000 in the recently completed May 1 transit plan referendum election. The higher early vote total on Tuesday was, in part, attributable to the fact that eleven early voting locations throughout Nashville were open from 8:00 am to 7:00 pm–two and a half hours longer than the 4:30 pm closing time on most of the ten other early voting days that have been completed so far. Early voting polls will close again at 4:30 pm on Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday. Thursday is the only remaining early voting day when all eleven polling locations will be open until 7 pm. The extra two and a half hours the early voting locations were open on Tuesday resulted in 900 more votes cast than on Monday, when polls closed at 4:30 pm and slightly more than 2,600 votes were cast. Turnout is likely to be somewhat…

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Local Christian Group Asks Jewish Community Center to Cancel Christian-Hating SPLC Event

Chris Alto

“Catholics for Charity in Truth” whose members are parishoners of St. Henry’s Catholic Church located within walking distance of the Gordon Jewish Community Center, is asking the Center’s board to cancel the May 23rd event featuring Joseph Levin, co-founder of the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC). Levin’s talk is titled, Then and Now: Hate in the Mainstream. A letter signed by members of “Catholics for Charity in Truth” lays out in detail many of the biased attacks leveled at pro-family Christian groups and asked that “[r]espectfully, in consonance with basic civility, please cancel the speaking engagement of Southern Poverty Law Center co-founder Joseph J. Levin, Jr.” May 10, 2018 Board of Directors Gordon Jewish Community Center 801 Percy Warner Boulevard Nashville, TN 37205 Dear Board of Directors: Re: Southern Poverty Law Center As Catholics, in unison with many voices, we respectfully request that you cancel the speaking engagement of Southern Poverty Law Center co-founder, Joseph J. Levin Jr., at the Gordon Jewish Community Center of May 23, 2018. The Southern Poverty Law Center silences Christian voices in the public square through reprehensibly vilifying pro-family Christian groups as akin to the Ku Klux Klan and neo-Nazis.  The Southern Poverty Law Center smears…

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Tennessee Forced to Deal With Ethnic Gangs So Federal Refugee Resettlement Contractors Can Profit

Chris Alto

Refugee resettlement in Tennessee has brought sizable fiscal rewards for the federal contractors operating in Tennessee but along with helping to establish what former mayor Karl Dean celebrated as “growing enclaves of immigrants” has come Kurdish and Somali gangs from refugee groups brought to the state. In 2007, the New York Times reported that police described the Kurdish gang members as “increasingly vicious and brazen.”  That same year former Shelbyville Times-Gazette reporter Brian Mosely, a Tennessee Press Association awardee, wrote about drug dealing and gang problems associated with Somalis that had settled in Bedford County. Gang experts warn that gangs made up of people that come from war-torn countries pose a “unique problem” because they are desensitized to violence and dismissive of authority. Just weeks ago, Nashville’s first Kurdish refugee turned Metro police officer, investigated by the TBI and discovered to have lied about his connections with the Kurdish Pride Gang, was charged with 57 counts of official misconduct. In April, four Somali men including Salim Hussein from Nashville, drove to Concord, New Hampshire to violently confront other Somalis at a wedding party there. Hussein was charged reckless conduct with a firearm and reportedly remains in jail. Police have suggested that the four…

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