Day: August 24, 2018

Trump To Spend Day In Ohio While Governor Kasich Sits On the Sidelines

Anthony Gockowski

President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump are heading to Columbus, Ohio Friday for a series of charity events and fundraisers, but one familiar face will be noticeably absent. Trump will headline the Ohio Republican Party state dinner Friday night, but Ohio Gov. John Kasich, who has been at odds with the president ever since he first laid eyes on him, will not be attending. “I don’t need to be going to that dinner,” Kasich told the press Tuesday, saying that he will instead spend time with his college-bound daughter. Kasich skipped the same dinner last year when it was announced that Vice President Mike Pence would be speaking. Most recently, the two butted-heads over Republican Troy Balderson’s slim primary victory in his bid to lead Ohio’s 12th Congressional District, with Trump placing the blame on Kasich. “The very unpopular Governor of Ohio (and failed presidential candidate) John Kasich hurt Troy Balderson’s recent win by tamping down enthusiasm for an otherwise great candidate. Even Kasich’s Lt. Governor lost Gov. race because of his unpopularity. Credit to Troy on the big win!” Trump tweeted. Prior to Friday’s dinner, Trump will attend a fundraiser for Republican Senate candidate Jim Renacci, who…

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Tennessee Gas Tax Revenue Pays for Work on Private Property

Chris Butler
road construction

Members of the Grundy County Highway Department used some of the Tennessee gas tax revenue to work on other people’s private properties, and that’s against state law, according to a state audit released Thursday. One of those properties was a farm where the highway superintendent kept cattle — even though he didn’t own the land. This work, which included bulldozing stumps, among other things, went on for nine years, Comptrollers said. “The highway superintendent did not lease the farm nor did the owner charge him rent on the farm for the period he has used it,” according to the audit. “The highway superintendent stated that he began using the farm when he purchased the individual’s cattle.” Highway Department employees also bulldozed a wooded area at another farm. The owner of that property, Comptrollers went on to say, was acquainted with the highway superintendent. Comptrollers said they didn’t know if the property owner paid the highway superintendent for the work. Grundy County Mayor Michael Brady told The Tennessee Star he only learned of the findings Thursday morning. “It’s a mayor’s job to be a good steward and be compliant with Grundy County’s assets and funds,” Brady said. “I’m sure the county…

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Expert: New Phil Bredesen Solar Project Unlikely to Save Energy

Chris Butler
Phil Bredesen

An expert says solar power isn’t as effective an energy saver as people in government might lead Tennesseans and others across the country to believe. That expert, Nick Loris, of the Heritage Foundation, a Washington, D.C.-based think tank, also said solar is more expensive. He also said it’s only hobbled along as far as it has because of government subsidies and tax incentives. Loris said this on Thursday, only a few days after a company with direct ties to Tennessee Democratic gubernatorial candidate Phil Bredesen reportedly launched a new solar initiative in northeast Tennessee. Bredesen did this through his company Silicon Ranch. As reported, Bredesen personally benefitted from solar energy policies he enacted while Tennessee’s governor. Electricity generation from solar power, Loris said, is only 1.3 percent of all electricity generation — even with government subsidies to give it a boost. “It is still more uneconomical than other energy sources,” Loris told The Tennessee Star. “Not only do you have to pay to back it up when the sun isn’t shining, but a lot of times you have to build new transmission lines and to get the solar from the places that it’s being built to where you need the…

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The Proposed 1972 Equal Rights Amendment And Its Still-Unfinished Checkered History with Tennessee State Lawmakers

Gregory Watson
Equal Rights Amendment protest

If you thought that the proposed Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) to the United States Constitution offered by the 92nd Congress to the state legislatures for ratification back in 1972 was just a distant memory–and a thing completely of the past–think again. Its cheerleaders during the 1970s endeavored to sell ERA as nothing more than guaranteeing equal legal rights for women and men. And, certainly, that had a nice ring to it. The U.S. Senate shouted its approval of ERA on March 22, 1972, with 84 yeas, 8 nays and 7 not voting. Previously, on October 21, 1971, the U.S. House of Representatives roared its blessing with 354 yeas, 24 nays and 51 not voting. And, with that, ERA was placed before the nation’s state legislatures for their consideration, pursuant to the well-established procedures found in the U.S. Constitution’s Article V. In tendering ERA to the states, the 92nd Congress had imposed a customary deadline of seven years–or until March 22, 1979–for America’s state lawmakers to fully ratify ERA in order for the measure to officially become part of the U.S. Constitution. With 50 states in the Union in 1972–and still 50 in it today–a proposed federal constitutional amendment must be…

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VIDEO: DNC Chair Tom Perez Won’t Say If He Believes Keith Ellison’s Accuser

Tennessee Star Staff
Tom Perez, Keith Ellison

by Peter Hasson Democratic National Committee (DNC) Chairman Tom Perez on Thursday refused to say whether he believed liberal Sierra Club activist Karen Monahan, who has accused Democratic Minnesota Rep. Keith Ellison of physically and emotionally abusing her. Ellison, the deputy chair of the DNC, has denied Monahan’s allegations but the committee has so far declined to say whether it believes Ellison or his accuser. A tracker for Republican opposition research group America Rising on Thursday managed to catch Perez at the Hyatt Regency Chicago, where the DNC is holding its summer meeting. “Mr. Perez, do you believe the allegations against Keith Ellison? Mr. Perez? … Why haven’t you asked Keith Ellison to step down while the review is being conducted? Mr. Perez?” video obtained by The Daily Caller News Foundation shows the tracker asking. “These are pretty serious things that deserve serious answers,” the tracker added. Perez passed on all of the questions. The DNC has remained quiet on the Ellison allegations since releasing a statement on Aug. 14 pledging to review the allegations, which the committee said “should be taken seriously.” The statement came just hours before Ellison locked up the party’s nomination for Minnesota attorney general. Since…

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JC Bowman Commentary: Tone Deaf School Districts 

JC Bowman
JC Bowman

“If you don’t understand — from the school district to the superintendents — that we want our teachers held harmless, then I’m sorry, you’re tone-deaf.” —-State Representative Eddie Smith (Knoxville). That message was heard and understood statewide, right?  Apparently not.  We are receiving reports from across the state that some districts are denying their teachers their justified and earned bonuses, which harms the educator.

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Bill Lee Announces Three Fall Gubernatorial Debate Appearances

Jason M. Reynolds
Bill Lee

Tennessee Republican gubernatorial nominee Bill Lee on Thursday announced he will participate in three fall debates leading into the Nov. 6 General Election. It is traditional for Tennessee gubernatorial candidates to participate in three debates, representing each of the three Grand Divisions of the state, his campaign said in a press release. Earlier this month Lee announced his 95 county General Election tour, The Tennessee Star reported. The “Believe in Tennessee Tour” will bring Lee to talk to voters and highlight his policies and belief that he is the right leader to keep Tennessee going in the right direction, his campaign said in a press release. “I believe Tennessee can lead the nation and that means challenging the status quo and providing conservative leadership to keep Tennessee moving in the right direction,” said Lee. “I look forward to continuing to share my vision with Tennesseans on the campaign trail and from the debate stage this fall.” Lee has committed to attend the following debates: Oct. 2 – Memphis – USA Today Network-Tennessee/WMC-TV Debate, hosted at The University of Memphis Oct.9 – Kingsport — Kingsport Times-News Debate, hosted at the Eastman Employee Center October 12 – Nashville — Nexstar Television Network Debate, Location…

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Republican Jeff Johnson Closing In On Tim Walz In Minnesota Governor’s Race

Anthony Gockowski
Jeff Johnson, Tim Walz

The latest poll out of Suffolk University shows that Republican gubernatorial candidate Jeff Johnson (pictured, left) trails his opponent Rep. Tim Walz (pictured, right) by only five points in the race for Minnesota’ governorship. The poll, conducted between August 17 and August 20, surveyed 500 Minnesotans on their opinions of candidates running in the upcoming gubernatorial and senatorial races, all of which are guaranteed to be high-stakes races for the typically blue state. Recurring physical and mental health issues have sidelined Gov. Mark Dayton, who will not seek reelection, leaving the Democratic-Farmer-Labor (DFL) Party endorsement open for Rep. Tim Walz, who is leading Johnson by a small margin of five points, according to Suffolk. In the governor’s race, Minnesota voters ranked healthcare as the most important issue facing the state, with gun control measures placing near the bottom at just 4.8 percent. The economy and taxes both tied for second at 16 percent. Among those polled, 47 percent answered that they are “extremely interested” in the race,” while another 32 percent responded that they are “very interested.” 90 percent of respondents said they will “almost certainly” vote in the upcoming midterm elections. Looking at the two Senate races in Minnesota,…

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Keith Ellison’s Daughter Criticizes Accuser for ‘Exploiting A Movement’

Anthony Gockowski
Amirah Ellison

Rep. Keith Ellison’s daughter is now speaking out against his father’s accuser, saying the Minnesota Democrat’s ex-girlfriend is “exploiting a movement.” In early August, accusations surfaced on Facebook that Ellison committed an act of domestic violence against his ex-girlfriend, who later claimed to have a “tape” of the incident. Ellison and his campaign for Minnesota attorney general have repeatedly denied the accusations, saying the “video does not exist” and “any characterization otherwise is false.” Ellison managed to win his primary election, but the controversy continues to loom over his campaign as it prepares for November. To help, Ellison’s daughter Amirah Ellison has decided to join the fight against Karen Monahan, Ellison’s accuser. “The kinds of accusations Karen Monahan has thrown at my dad, Keith Ellison, and her inability to stand firm on the truth are very much qualities inherent to the Karen I know,” the former congressman’s daughter wrote in a long-winded Facebook rant. “I can’t sit back and watch as Karen’s tried and true red flags appear and the public selectively ignore them,” she continues, detailing in length her personal experiences living with Monahan, which allegedly include losing her bedroom to store Monahan’s personal items, and being accused of…

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Fortune 500 Company Begins Operations in Brentwood

Chris Butler
CDW office opening

A Fortune 500 global information technology company just set up shop in Brentwood, and company officials promise many opportunities for not just Nashville but all of Tennessee. The company, CDW, is also renowned for its philanthropic work, particularly with the Children’s Miracle Network. “We are not new to Nashville in that we have been serving customers in this market for the 30 years we have been in business,” said Christine Holloway, CDW’s vice president of health care sales. “We have thousands of customers in this market already, but given some of the things they are looking for help with and the size of our worker base we thought it time to make a commitment to Nashville so we could serve them better.” Nashville, Holloway went on to say, is one of the fastest growing cities in the United States. “It’s a very attractive place for us to find workers. It’s very attractive for workers due to the tax situation, and it is a very desirable place to live,” Holloway said. CDW also has a fair number of customers in Memphis, making Nashville all the more attractive a location, she said. CDW’s new offices opened July 16, said Mike Rapplean, CDW…

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Facebook Temporarily Censors Tennessee Star Articles Critical of Phil Bredesen

Tennessee Star Staff
facebook posts

Facebook removed three Tennessee Star articles critical of former Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen, the Democrat nominee for the U.S. Senate seat from Tennessee up in this November’s election, from The Tennessee Star Facebook page early Thursday morning. By early Thursday afternoon, all three of those articles mysteriously reappeared on The Tennessee Star Facebook page, along with four other articles that had also been removed early Thursday. All told, seven Tennessee Star articles that were posted on The Tennessee Star Facebook page shortly after midnight Thursday morning magically reappeared on The Tennessee Star Facebook page 12 hours later, at about 12:45 p.m. central time Thursday afternoon. The three articles critical of Phil Bredesen that Facebook did not want its users to read on Thursday morning are these: “Nashville Predator Crony Capitalist Backs Bredesen As Payback for Democrats’ Help” “Phil Bredesen-Supporting Elizabeth Warren Shows No Compassion for Iowa Girl Murdered by Illegal Alien” “Phil Bredesen Making Millions Offering Low Cost Solar Deals, But Is He Being Totally Honest?” The four other Tennessee Star articles temporarily removed from The Tennessee Star Facebook page are: “Commentary: The Politicians Who Killed Mollie Tibbets” “Controversies Surround Thompsons Station Development As November Election Approaches” “Megan Barry May Still…

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