Day: December 22, 2018

Atlanta Suburb Honors Hometown Hero, Injured Tennessee State Football Player Christion Abercrombie

Scott Wallace

SOUTH FULTON, Georgia – Cheerleaders, students and football players recently filled Westlake High School’s gymnasium for a pep rally, but there was no football game. School leaders welcomed back injured Tennessee State University football player Christion Abercrombie, a Westlake graduate. It’s the first time Abercrombie has made a public appearance since being injured during the TSU game against cross-town rival Vanderbilt University. He suffered a life-threatening head injury during his team’s 31-27 loss. He collapsed on the sideline. The team knew it was serious, but had no idea he would have emergency surgery on his skull that night and many more ahead. “He understands some days and some days he doesn’t. (It) depends on his mood,” said mom Staci Abercrombie. After several surgeries and lots of prayer, Abercrombie is moving quickly on the road to recovery. “Christion is an inspiration to all of us,” said South Fulton Mayor Bill Edwards. “He has persevered through his head injury. In football sometimes, the other team will recover a fumble. Christion has recovered his own fumble and is still on the road to recovery. Today, December 19, 2018 from now on will be known as Christion Abercrombie Day in the City of South…

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A Call For Ouster of Newly-Elected Sumner County Commissioner Guilty of Two Separate Criminal Offenses In Less Than Two Months

Laura Baigert

Franklin “Gene” Rhodes, Sumner County District 7 Commissioner, elected to his first term as a District 7 Sumner County Commissioner, is guilty of two misdemeanor crimes since November 13, 2018, and there has been a call for his ouster. The most recent charge, disposed of at a criminal hearing on December 19, was for domestic assault. The charge came from a confrontation with his ex-wife, Melissa French-Rhodes, on November 20. As reported by The Tennessean, Rhodes reportedly pushed his ex-wife while she was holding a child in the presence of a male friend, French-Rhodes’ mother and another unidentified woman. When the male friend attempted to intervene, Rhodes apparently then hit the friend. The report said that French-Rhodes was “very fearful of the defendant; especially since he had been drinking alcohol.” The charges were filed on November 28, the same day a $2,500 cash bond was posted, according to the Sumner County Online Court Records System. Court records show that in the case was disposed of with Rhodes “guilty as charged” of domestic assault under Tennessee Code Annotated (TCA) 39-13-111, which is linked to the more general crime of assault under TCA 39-13-101. TCA defines assault as intentionally, knowingly or recklessly…

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Katrina Pierson Commentary: Reports of White House Discord are a Fairy Tale Concocted by the Media

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by Katrina Pierson   President Trump’s continuing success at keeping his promises to the American people shows that media reports of discord and turmoil at the White House are just the wishful thinking of liberal activist-reporters. The media’s obsession with rumors of White House dissonance is unparalleled — time and again, the press eagerly publishes salacious stories about President Trump that can’t be verified or confirmed independently. The ongoing negative coverage surrounding the Chief of Staff vacancy offers an excellent example of this type of sleazy reporting. In his article for Vanity Fair, notorious Trump hater Gabe Sherman dramatically exaggerated the circumstances of John Kelly’s departure with details attributed to mysterious unnamed sources. Like flies attracted to manure, the reporter-activists in the mainstream media swarm over every smelly rumor they can find in Washington, unrestrained by even the pretense of objectivity or commitment to accuracy. If you write a poorly-sourced book that is critical of President Trump, you may just become a frequent guest on cable TV news programs. If you claim to be a White House official who disagrees with the administration, your anonymous letter may just end up in The New York Times. Part of the problem with…

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Antifa Accused of Attacking Marines in Philadelphia Has Ties With DC’s Radical Antifa Leader

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by Andrew Kerr   One of the suspects charged with assault for allegedly attacking two Marines in Philadelphia in November has ties with Washington D.C.’s radical Antifa leader Joseph “Jose” Alcoff, who’s advocated for violence and for the overthrow of the government. Thomas Keenan, 33, was charged in November with aggravated assault after allegedly partaking in a mob attack against two Marines who were mistaken for being participants in a right-wing rally. Keenan has been called “leader” of the Antifa contingent in Philadelphia area, according to Philadelphia Magazine. In 2011, Keenan and Alcoff were arrested and charged with rioting in New Jersey after a street fight broke out between neo-Nazis and members of the Anti-Racist Action organization. The Marines, Alejandro Godinez and Luis Torres, testified in December that a group of 10 to 12 Antifa members called them “Nazis” and “white supremacists” and attacked them on the street despite their denials that they had no association with the right-wing group demonstrating nearby. During the attack, Godinez said he shouted “I’m Mexican” at the mob, which allegedly led the attackers to call him a “spic” and “wetback.” Alcoff, 36, has made significant efforts to separate his true identity from his fanatical personas, “Chepe” and “Jose Martin,” which…

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Nine States Back Environmentalists Trying to Shutdown Search for Oil in Atlantic

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by Tim Pearce   Nine states are intervening in a lawsuit against the Trump administration for approving oil and gas companies to search for oil and gas deposits in the Atlantic Ocean. Maryland Attorney General Brian Frosh announced Thursday the states would join environmental groups in a lawsuit to prevent the Trump administration from allowing seismic testing off the coast of South Carolina. “The National Marine Fisheries Service has issued what are called incidental harassment authorizations. They would, by their own terms, result in harm to hundreds of thousands of whales and dolphins and porpoises,” Frosh said. “The permits eliminate a major obstacle to testing and we content that the authorizations are illegal.” Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina and Virginia accompanied Maryland in intervening in the lawsuit. The NMFS, an agency under the Commerce Department, issued “incidental take” permits Nov. 30 allowing oil and gas companies to conduct the tests. Environmental groups sued the federal government Nov. 11 to prevent the seismic testing, which involves air guns booming in the ocean seconds apart for days at a time. Environmentalists contend the permits violate the Endangered Species Act, the National Environmental Policy Act, the Marine Mammals Protection Act and other regulations. The federal…

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Tennessee Star EXCLUSIVE Video: State Rep.-Elect Bruce Griffey Discusses His Planned Legislation to Address Illegal Aliens in Tennessee

Laura Baigert

NASHVILLE, Tennessee — Freshman State Representative Bruce Griffey (R-Paris) sat down with The Tennessee Star to give an update on the open forum held Thursday about the Asian carp invasion of Tennessee waters that has significantly impacted his district covering Henry, Benton and Stewart counties. As previously reported, what might seem on its surface as a relatively benign issue, the invasive Asian carp not only causes damage to the aquatic ecosystem, but, due to their size, are capable of causing physical injuries to boaters.  Griffey shared that just this week, a friend caught three 70-pound Bighead carp. The presence of the Asian carp has had a significant financial impact as well. Said Griffey, “They’ve demolished the sport fishing industry to the extent that the bass fishing tournaments are leaving the Kentucky Lake area and actually Chattanooga has scored three of the big bass tournaments that were normally at Kentucky Lake. Each one of those bass tournaments represents about $1 million in tax revenue for local industry and businesses, and that’s $3 million that we’re going to lose this year in my district.” Expressing appreciation for leadership, Griffey said, “We are fortunate that Speaker Casada has decided to make this an…

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Outgoing MN Rep. Jason Lewis’ Juvenile Justice Reform Bill Signed Into Law

Anthony Gockowski

Rep. Jason Lewis’ (R-MN-02) Juvenile Justice Reform Act (JJRA) was signed into law Friday by President Donald Trump as part of Congress’ sweeping criminal justice reform measures. According to Lewis, the JJRA hadn’t been “reauthorized or modernized since 2002.” Lewis’ reforms respond to the need for alternatives to detaining juveniles for “so-called ‘status crimes’ like skipping school.” The bill, H.R. 6964, offers a “plan to provide alternatives to detention for status offenders, survivors of commercial sexual exploitation, and others.” The bill also seeks to “reduce the number of children housed in secure detention and corrections facilities who are awaiting placement in residential treatment programs.” His bill will also modernize the juvenile-justice system by promoting “evidence-based and trauma-informed programs and practices,” and emphasizing “community-based services to respond to the needs of at-risk youth.” The bill further eliminates the use of restraints on juveniles who are known to be pregnant, and prohibits detaining juveniles who are awaiting trial with adult inmates. “Some of the most rewarding experiences I had in Congress were working with colleagues from all over the country and from varying political backgrounds on criminal justice reform,” Lewis said in a press release. “Today, my Juvenile Justice Reform Act was…

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Justice Ginsburg Has Surgery to Remove Cancerous Growths

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Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg had surgery Friday to remove two malignant growths in her left lung, the Supreme Court said. It is the 85-year-old Ginsburg’s third bout with cancer since joining the court in 1993. Doctors at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York found “no evidence of any remaining disease” and scans taken before the surgery showed no cancerous growths elsewhere in her body, the court said in a statement. No additional treatment is currently planned, the court said. Ginsburg, who leads the court’s liberal wing, is expected to remain in the hospital for a few days, the court said. The growths were found during tests Ginsburg had after she fractured ribs in a fall in her Supreme Court office on Nov. 7. The court’s oldest justice had surgery for colorectal cancer in 1999 and pancreatic cancer 10 years later. Among other health problems, she also broke two ribs in a fall in 2012 and had a stent implanted to open a blocked artery in 2014. She was hospitalized after a bad reaction to medicine in 2009. Ginsburg has never missed Supreme Court arguments in more than 25 years on the bench. The court won’t hear arguments again…

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Commentary: Pulling Young Americans Back From the Brink

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by Daniel Davis   During the 2016 campaign, Hillary Clinton often delivered the line: “America is great, because she is good.” It was a feel-good line, deployed then as code for “America is too good to elect Donald Trump.” Notwithstanding the thick irony of Clinton claiming to be the virtuous alternative, her statement on its own terms made sense: If a nation would be great, it must be morally upright—and America, despite all its flaws, is fundamentally good. This view puts Clinton increasingly on the fringes within her own movement. In 2018, the prophets of wokeness are calling progressives to “wake up” to the reality that America, at its core, is racist, misogynistic, homophobic, transphobic, and economically unjust. The system, they say, is “rigged.” [The liberal Left continue to push their radical agenda against American values. The good news is there is a solution. Find out more. ] And today’s young adults are heeding those voices and increasingly embracing their viewpoint. A recent study showed that 1 out of 5 Americans under the age of 37 do not think Americans should be proud of their history. One out of 5 millennial Americans see the flag as a sign of intolerance…

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Hamilton County Board of Education Passes Costly, Controversial Plan

Chris Butler

Members of the Hamilton County Board of Education want to spend nearly half a million dollars of taxpayer money on consulting work that possibly isn’t necessary, according to The Chattanooga Times Free Press. The money, the newspaper went on to say, will “assess the condition of the district’s facilities,” and develop a plan for new projects and maintenance. Board members voted six to two in favor of the plan, despite what The Time Free Press said was “heated disapproval” from District One Board Member Rhonda Thurman. The money, $337,915, will pay MGT Consulting Group “to conduct a multi-layered audit of the district’s buildings and their maintenance needs” according to the paper. Exactly $149,930, meanwhile will go “to study and predict future growth and capacity,” The Times Free Press reported. The paper quoted Thurman as saying the school district “didn’t need external consultants to inform them about the state of the schools, because it has done that work before and those funds could be better used to actually fix problems.” “The price tag on this is staggering. … We’re spending $500,000 for someone from out of town to come in and tell us what we should already know,” Thurman said, according to The Times Free…

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More Than 2,000 People Fail North Carolina Math Exam to Become Licensed Teachers

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by Neetu Chandak   An education standards commission in North Carolina unanimously voted to phase out a portion of a teaching licensing test as about 2,400 teachers failed the math exam. The commission voted to replace for-profit Pearson publishing company’s math test with a math exam from Praxis, created by nonprofit test provider Educational Testing Service (ETS). The standards commission consists of educators, administrators and those working in colleges, The Charlotte Observer reported Tuesday. Those against the Pearson math test say the exam requires middle- and high school-level math skills, often not used when teaching younger kids. Pearson math test supporters, however, believe teachers need to understand higher-level math to prepare those in the lower grade levels, according to the Observer. The standards commission will share its recommendations with the North Carolina Board of Education (NCBOE) in January. The option to take the Praxis math test instead of Pearson’s could begin as early as February if the guidelines pass with the NCBOE, the Observer reported. “We’ve got teachers who are taking that same Pearson (math exam) over and over and over and are not passing, and the cost’s coming out of their pockets at $35,000 a year for a beginning teacher,” Glenda Jones, an assistant superintendent in Cabarrus County…

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Planned Parenthood Accused of Mistreating Pregnant Employees

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by Grace Carr   A number of former and current Planned Parenthood employees claim the organization mistreats and discriminates against pregnant employees and new mothers. Former Planned Parenthood employee Ta’Lisa Hairston alleged the abortion organization didn’t allow her to take breaks during her pregnancy, which a nurse recommended because of her high blood pressure, The New York Times reported Thursday. Hairston says she sent a number of requests to human resources and included notes from her nurse at Full Circle Women’s Health, according to TheNYT. Hairston became sick after working a long shift in March and went to the hospital a few days later, where doctors performed an emergency C-section, she said. Hairston says she joined the organization because of its mission. “Planned Parenthood helped me give women a voice to do what they wanted with their bodies,” she said. She resigned in June following Planned Parenthood’s alleged mistreatment. “I didn’t get into the medical field to be treated like this.” Planned Parenthood’s regional chief executive Vincent Russell denies Hairston’s accusations. The former director of Planned Parenthood’s clinical services in White Plains, Tracy Webber, sued the organization in 2009 for discrimination, TheNYT reported. She was fired four weeks after giving birth. A Planned Parenthood employee at a clinic…

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Commentary: Trump is Right About the Shutdown

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by Deion Kathawa   President Trump once again did something very few thought he would or should do. He hosted a meeting in a camera-filled Oval Office with Vice President Mike Pence, Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), and Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), during which he brazenly and passionately said: If we don’t get what we want . . . I will shut down the government, absolutely; and I am proud to shut down the government for border security . . . I will take the mantle. I will be the one to shut it down. … I will take the mantle of shutting down, and I’m going to shut it down for border security. If the government does partially shut down on Friday, President Trump just handed the Democratic Party a ready-made, 30-second attack ad. Tactically, it seems foolish to have played into their hands the way Trump did. That may be the case. But, as is so often the case with Trump’s tactical “failures,” this one also could end up being a strategic victory. Regardless, as a nation we need to start thinking more rigorously about government shutdowns, events we have been scaremongered into believing are the end of the republic, if…

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Ohio Gov. Kasich Faces Potential Conservative Revolt After Vetoing Pro-Life ‘Heartbeat’ Bill

Andrew Shirley
John Kasich

Ohio Gov. John Kasich (R-OH) ignited a conservative firestorm Friday after vetoing one of the most comprehensive pro-life bills ever proposed since the passage of Roe v. Wade. House Bill 258 would ban any abortion after a child’s first heartbeat is detected. Since fetal heartbeats, in some cases, can be detected as early as six weeks into a pregnancy, this would limit abortions to well within the first trimester. This is the second time that Kasich has vetoed this bill. Additionally, Kasich passed Senate Bill 145, an act that restricts one of the most common methods in which second-trimester abortions are performed.  The Dismemberment Abortion Ban, as the bill is known, restricts doctors from performing procedures in which dismemberment of the fetus occurs. Mike Gonidakis, President of Ohio Right to Life, hailed the decision, stating: Ohioans can sleep easier tonight, knowing that the horrendous practice of dismemberment abortions is behind us…Pro-Life Ohio will not stop until the Abortion Report reads: Zero. Nothing to report In spite of this success, many Ohio conservatives are furious that Kasich has once again vetoed the fetal heartbeat bill. Conservative lawmakers are already looking at methods by which to override the governor’s veto as early as December 27.…

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More Than 2,000 People Fail North Carolina Math Exam to Become Licensed Teachers

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by Neetu Chandak   An education standards commission in North Carolina unanimously voted to phase out a portion of a teaching licensing test as about 2,400 teachers failed the math exam. The commission voted to replace for-profit Pearson publishing company’s math test with a math exam from Praxis, created by nonprofit test provider Educational Testing Service (ETS). The standards commission consists of educators, administrators and those working in colleges, The Charlotte Observer reported Tuesday. Those against the Pearson math test say the exam requires middle- and high school-level math skills, often not used when teaching younger kids. Pearson math test supporters, however, believe teachers need to understand higher-level math to prepare those in the lower grade levels, according to the Observer. The standards commission will share its recommendations with the North Carolina Board of Education (NCBOE) in January. The option to take the Praxis math test instead of Pearson’s could begin as early as February if the guidelines pass with the NCBOE, the Observer reported. “We’ve got teachers who are taking that same Pearson (math exam) over and over and over and are not passing, and the cost’s coming out of their pockets at $35,000 a year for a beginning teacher,” Glenda Jones, an assistant superintendent in Cabarrus County…

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Neil McCabe Tells The Tennessee Star Report That Secretary of Defense James Mattis ‘Was Really Trying to be That Third Term for President Barack Obama in the Pentagon’

Julie Carr

On Friday’s Tennessee Star Report with Steve Gill and Michael Patrick Leahy – broadcast on Nashville’s Talk Radio 98.3 and 1510 WLAC weekdays from 5:00 am to 8:00 am – Michael Patrick Leahy spoke with special guest and his former Breitbart colleague, Iraq war veteran and current Army Reserve Sergeant Neil McCabe. Now a Washington-based reporter for One America News Network,  McCabe spoke to Michael about his diverse career history, his take on James Mattis’s resignation, the ‘suicide pact’ between the Military Generals at the White House, and who he thinks is a front runner to fill Mattis’s shoes at the Pentagon. McCabe added the he believes retired Gen. Jack Keane is the front runner to replace Mattis as Secretary of Defense when he leaves on February 28. You can read a transcript of the conversation here: Leahy: Big news yesterday, Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis resigns, his resignation letter, I’m sure you read it.  Basically said ‘I don’t agree with what you’re doing President Trump and therefor eyou deserve a Secretary of Defense who’s views are aligned with yours therefore I’m stepping down.’ McCabe: Well, I think the biggest secret that everyone knew in Washington was Mattis had to go. …

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