Day: March 2, 2019

Tennessee’s Electrolux Disaster ‘The Worst Such Deal’ in State History, Financial Expert Says

Chris Butler

The decision to give away more than $100 million in corporate welfare to lure Electrolux to set up shop in Memphis was so bad it was “the worst such deal in Tennessee history,” according to Bloomberg.com. In an article released this week, the national financial news website held nothing back criticizing the deal. As The Tennessee Star reported last month, Electrolux officials announced they will shut down their Memphis plant sometime next year, despite taking all that money from Memphis, Shelby County, and the Tennessee governments eight years ago. The Memphis Electrolux plant employs about 530 people, all of whom will likely lose their jobs when the plant closes. Despite that, Bloomberg said this disaster still won’t stop other government entities from handing out even more subsidies in the future. Bloomberg opinion columnist Joe Nocera interviewed Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development Commissioner Bob Rolfe for his piece. “When I mentioned to Rolfe the idea — much favored by academics and journalists — that perhaps communities should stop offering subsidies to lure (or keep) companies, he laughed,” Nocera wrote. “That would be unilateral disarmament,” Nocera quoted Rolfe as saying. Nocera then opined that “it’s foolish to think that subsidies…

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Blackburn Joins Senate Judiciary Committee Republicans to Move Neomi Rao’s nomination to Senate Floor to Fill Kavanaugh’s Old Seat on Appeals Court

Jason M. Reynolds

U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) voted Thursday to advance Neomi Rao’s nomination to the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia. The Senate Judiciary Committee voted 12-10 along party lines to move Rao’s nomination to the full Senate, Fox News said. Rao would fill Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s vacant seat on the court. Rao is in charge of the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, where she has a key job in President Donald Trump’s work to cut federal rules and regulations, Fox News said. She also is on leave as an associate professor of law from George Mason University’s Antonin Scalia Law School. She teaches and writes in the areas of structural constitutional law, administrative law, and legislation and statutory interpretation, according to her biography. She founded the law school’s Center for the Study of the Administrative State. Democrats and two Republicans — Josh Hawley (R-MO) and Joni Ernst (R-IA) on Thursday grilled Rao on her stance on topics from sexual assault to LGBT rights to deregulation, Fox News said. She said, “Tennesseans have regularly said over the last several years one of the things that concerned them most is the judges that…

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Commentary: Trump Lost Nothing in Hanoi

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by Brandon J. Weichert   When Donald J. Trump took office in January 2017, the outgoing Obama Administration national security team cautioned Trump’s transition team that North Korea was a significant nuclear threat. Obama White House officials explained how North Korea’s leaders had built up their nascent nuclear arsenal. Since at least 2013, the Obama Administration knew about the rising threat of a potentially nuclear-armed North Korea and did nothing. It was not a matter of ignorance; it was a matter of indifference on the part of former President Barack Obama and his national security team. Obama—the man who the media claimed was the smartest of all of America’s presidents—likely had no idea how to mitigate the North Korean threat and therefore didn’t even try. How’s that for leadership? Tag, You’re It, Donald Trump! Two years into Trump’s presidency, the world seemed poised for nuclear war in a way that it hadn’t since the Cuban Missile Crisis. Yes, the combined forces of the United States, South Korea, Japan, and any other ally inevitably would have overcome North Korea’s military in combat. But, the cost would have been great—particularly to South Korea and the Americans stationed there. Such a war also…

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Left-Wing Activist Justin Jones No Longer Welcome at Tennessee Capitol

Chris Butler

Authorities have banned left-wing activist Justin Jones from entering the Tennessee capitol in Nashville, after he allegedly threw a beverage – possibly coffee – on Tennessee Speaker of the House Glen Casada and another state legislator Thursday. The ban, however, is apparently not permanent, at least not until Jones’ case is resolved. On top of that, Jones may have additional legal woes. Members of the office of Nashville District Attorney General Glenn Funk told The Tennessee Star they will review whether to revoke or increase Justin Jones’ bond from his arrest last fall. Law enforcement officers arrested Jones last October for allegedly disrupting a Marsha Blackburn rally at the Ray Stevens CabaRay Showroom in Nashville. The Star obtained documents from the Davidson County General Sessions Night Court, prepared specifically to deal with Jones’ latest arrest. According to those documents, authorities released Jones after he posted $4,150 bond. Night Court Commissioner Marie Stacey handled Jones’ case. The county’s Pre-Trial Services Department will now supervise him. Court officials ordered Jones to have no contact with Casada or with the other legislator Jones allegedly assaulted, State Rep. Debra Moody, R-Covington. Jones must also stay away from the state capitol building and the Cordell Hull…

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At 2.9 Percent, 2018 Was the Strongest Economy Since 2005 on Growth and Jobs

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by Robert Romano   President Donald Trump’s second year in office marked the strongest economic growth since 2005 at 2.9 percent, according to data compiled by the Bureau of Economic Analysis, beating every one of President Barack Obama’s years in office — for now. It was by a nose, and the numbers are still subject to revision. Obama’s strongest year was 2015, also at 2.9 percent. But both figures are subject to rounding. So, technically, 2018’s growth was slightly stronger at 2.8841 percent, compared to 2015’s 2.8811 percent. And to be fair, it will not take that much of a downward revision for the fourth quarter’s 2.58 percent number — only about 0.05 percent down — in order for 2015 to still come out on top as the strongest year in recent memory in terms of growth. Of course, that’s only a problem if one thinks this is as good as the Trump economy will get. Leaving that aside, the economy itself has not grown above 3 percent since 2005, and not above 4 percent 2000. So, to come anywhere close to 3 percent nowadays is still something of an achievement. The White House touted the fourth-quarter-to-fourth-quarter number of 3.1…

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Democrats Worry Agenda Will ‘Die a Horrible Death’ in the Senate, Regardless of 2020 Outcome

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by Chris White   Democrats are warning that some of the party’s biggest agenda pledges are destined to crash in the Senate, regardless of the 2020 election’s outcome. Medicare for All, a potential Green New Deal and a push for a $15 minimum wage would struggle to get past a Senate in which Republicans will maintain a great deal of influence, even if Democrats sweep the Senate and defeat President Donald Trump, according to some operatives Friday. It’s a problem of mathematics, Adam Jentleson, a former spokesman for former Democratic Sen. Harry Reid of Nevada, told reporters Friday. “The Senate is going to make or break the progressive agenda in 2021, regardless of how well we do at the top of the ticket,” Jentleson said, adding that the best Democrats can hope for in 2020 is getting 52 Senate seats, which would require a Herculean effort. They will need to gain three seats to win a majority. Sen. Cory Gardner of Colorado and Susan Collins of Maine are the only Republicans vying for re-election in states former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton won in 2016. Arizona Sens. Martha McSally of Arizona and David Perdue of Georgia, meanwhile, are on the…

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Robots Are Flooding US Industries

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by Tim Pearce   U.S. companies purchased 35,880 robots in 2018 in what amounted to a 7 percent increase over the year before, according to the Robotics Industry Association. Factories and businesses in industries such as transportation, electronics and food service are buying tens of thousands of machines to cut costs and improve quality control, Axios reported Friday. “Robots are getting better, cheaper and more versatile, and therefore can be used more effectively in more industries,” Information Technology and Innovation Foundation President Rob Atkinson told Axios. Automation is growing in the U.S. because of influences such as higher minimum wage laws that increase the cost of labor and more complex robots capable of more uses. The influx of robots coincides with higher education placing a larger emphasis on automation and technology. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology announced a $1 billion initiative in October to build a computing college to teach students in fields from biology to politics to use artificial intelligence and apply it to their various careers. President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Feb. 11 focusing the administration’s response to the growing impact of technology. The order included job training programs meant to insulate American workers from…

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Jay Inslee, the ‘Climate Candidate,’ Announces 2020 Presidential Bid Friday

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by Michael Bastasch   Washington Gov. Jay Inslee will seek the presidential nomination in 2020, adding to the growing field of Democrats seeking to challenge President Donald Trump. “We’re the first generation to feel the sting of climate change. And we’re the last who can do something about it. We went to the moon and created technologies that have changed the world. Our country’s next mission must be to rise up to the most urgent challenge of our time — defeating climate change,” Inslee said in a video Friday announcing the run. “I’m running for president because I am the only candidate who will make defeating climate change our nation’s number one priority.” Inslee plans on making global warming the central issue of his campaign. The so-called “climate candidate” recently said “we’ve never had a president who’s said this is the number one priority of my administration.” “We have one administration left … to restrain this monster,” Inslee told MSNBC’s Andrea Mitchell on Monday. “When your house is on fire, you go grab the bucket and you fight the fire, even though your lawn needs mowing and you haven’t answered the mail. That’s the situation we’re in. This is a…

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Tennessee Catholic Bishops Oppose Fetal Heartbeat Bill, Saying It Can Be Overturned in Court and Strengthen Abortion Providers

Jason M. Reynolds

Three Tennessee Catholic bishops have come out together in opposition to the fetal heartbeat bill pending in the Tennessee General Assembly, saying that its failure would strengthen the pro-abortion industry. Bishop Richard F. Stika of the Diocese of Knoxville, Bishop J. Mark Spalding of the Diocese of Nashville and Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz, apostolic administrator of the Diocese of Memphis issued a joint statement on Feb. 26. The fetal heartbeat bill would ban abortions once a heartbeat has been detected. It passed in the State House Health Committee last week. The bishops’ letter, which is also available here, reads: We believe that the sanctity of human life must be respected and protected absolutely from the moment of conception to natural death.  So while we wholeheartedly support the intention of the “Heartbeat Bill” being considered by the Tennessee Legislature, we must also be prudent in how we combat the pro-abortion evil that dwells in our society. The “Heartbeat Bill” has been passed in various forms across the country and has been consistently struck down by state and federal courts alike for being unconstitutional.  In these legal cases, a victory is handed to the pro-abortion plaintiffs and we must remember that every pro-abortion…

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The Tennessee Star Report: State Rep Cameron Sexton Decribes Another Justin Jones Attack on Capitol Hill Using Hot Coffee

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-the duo chatted with State Rep Cameron Sexton about another Justin Jones assault that occurred at the Tennessee Capitol this week. Allegedly Jones and his sidekick named Kenesha followed Sexton and Casada to the “white elevator” and continuously called the men “racists” before throwing a cup of Frothy Monkey coffee into the elevator hitting Speaker Casada and also State Representative Deborah Moody. Further on into the discussion the men questioned how Jones (who is out on bail for another alleged assault) was able to manage this and were concerned that next time it could be an instance like that of Steve Scalise who was shot during a Republican Baseball game last summer.  Gill questioned whether or not the Nashville Assistant District Attorney would revoke his bail and called for added security for legislators. Gill: Good to have you with us. You were right there in the thick of it. Here, just to refresh your recollection, I sound like a lawyer don’t I? To refresh your recollection, here’s what it sounded like. (Audio…

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Tennessee Comptroller Justin Wilson Faults McNairy County Leaders for Yet Another Lousy Audit

Chris Butler

Over in McNairy County, there’s a lot of room for improvement with how county officials manage taxpayer money, according to an audit Tennessee Comptrollers released this week. “The county’s audit for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2018 includes 11 findings of noncompliance or significant deficiency within county government offices,” Comptrollers wrote in a press release. “Eight of those findings were reported in the prior year’s audit and have not been corrected.” No one at the county mayor’s office was available to speak to The Tennessee Star. Auditors reported finding problems in the offices of the county mayor, sheriff, highway commissioner, and director of schools. These findings included expenditures exceeding approved appropriations, accounting deficiencies, a cash overdraft, and inadequate internal controls over software programs. “McNairy County has had at least nine audit findings in each of the last five fiscal years,” Comptrollers said in the press release. “Meanwhile, other Tennessee counties have experienced improved audit results.” Among the findings, according to the audit itself: • Management failed to hold spending to the limits authorized by the county. Expenditures exceeded total appropriations approved by the county commission in the General, Solid Waste/Sanitation, Drug Control, and General Debt Service funds by $1,286,619, $98,663,…

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Another Big Blue State Rejects a Major Pillar of Democrats’s Climate Agenda

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by Chris White   A Maine lawmaker is pulling his bill imposing a carbon tax on citizens as the state sought to be the first to adopt one of the key pillars of the Democratic Party. State Rep. Deane Rykerson, a Democrat from Kittery, Maine, announced Thursday that he is pulling a bill imposing the nation’s first statewide carbon tax. He intends instead on creating a “Carbon Pricing Study Group” that will explore the tax and recommend solutions. State Republicans are cheering the decision. “This is a middle- and low-income family crushing tax,” Nick Isgro, mayor of Waterville, told reporters Thursday, adding in a subsequent tweet to his followers that “the sponsor [Rykerson] now wants the tax bill replaced with a study. Thank you all…WIN!” Maine’s decision to ding the proposal comes amid a similarly crushing defeat in the state of Washington. Washington voters rejected two ballot measures imposing a carbon tax, one of which was designed to be revenue neutral. Initiative 1631 was the third attempt to impose a carbon tax in Washington state. Voters rejected a similar ballot measure in 2016, and carbon tax legislation failed earlier in 2018. Supporters of Washington’s November 2018 proposal pumped more than…

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Commentary: Learning About America’s Forgotten Civil Rights History

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by Marc DeJager   Early in the morning last Saturday, a group of 12 Heritage Foundation interns (including myself) boarded a bus bound for Holly Knoll, the manor house of Robert Russa Moton. Most of us had never heard of Moton before. This is unsurprising, as he was “the forgotten civil rights leader,” in the words of professor Brian McGovern of Rappahannock Community College. We disembarked from the bus into a steady rain at Holly Knoll, and quickly hurried inside to hear from McGovern about the life and accomplishments of Moton. Moton is arguably the most important African-American leader of the early 20th century. Both his parents had been slaves. His mother taught him to read, and he was determined to become an educator. He graduated from the Hampton Institute in 1890—a historically black college in Virginia—and was immediately offered a position there as a teacher. There, he served until 1920 when, upon the death of his friend and fellow civil rights activist Booker T. Washington, he was named principle of the Tuskegee Institute, another historically black university. Moton was a staunch advocate for the strategy of accommodation in civil rights, believing that black Americans should show their white neighbors…

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Rep. Mark Green Talks to the Tennessee Star Report About His Questioning of Michael Cohen at Oversight Committee Hearing, Heartbeat Bill and Border Security

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 – Gill and Leahy talked to Tennessee Congressman Mark Green about his opening statements and questions posed to Michael Cohen during the hearing in Washington yesterday. The Congressman admitted that this was a strategic move that would allow a light to be shown on the true intentions of the Democrats. Towards the end of the segment, Mark Green touched upon his positions regarding the Fetal Heartbeat bill and the border wall security funding.  He went on to note that there are many Republicans not siding with the President and joining the Democrats in their resolution bill to stop the national emergency as declared by President Trump while noting the several national emergencies declared by previous Presidents in number. Gill: Congressman Green with us on our newsmakers line this morning. And Congressman, Great job. Even Rush Limbaugh gave you some kudos this week. (Green laughs) Green: Yeah that was a pinnacle. The highlight of my life to get a good shout out from Rush Limbaugh. That was pretty cool. Thanks for having…

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Scientists See Evidence of Underground Lake System on Mars

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Scientists say images of craters taken by European and American space probes show there likely once was a planet-wide system of underground lakes on Mars. Data collected by NASA and ESA probes orbiting the red planet provide the first geological evidence for an ancient Martian groundwater system, according to a study by researchers in Italy and the Netherlands published in the Journal of Geophysical Research. Francesco Salese, one of the scientists involved, said in an email Friday that the findings confirm earlier models and smaller-scale studies, and that the underground lakes may have been connected to each other. The notion of water on Mars has long fascinated scientists because of the possibility that the planet may have once harbored similar conditions to those that allowed life to develop on Earth. Patches of ice previously spotted on Mars provide tantalizing hints of a watery past for the arid world. Researchers said flow channels, pool-shaped valleys and fan-shaped sediment deposits seen in dozens of kilometers-deep craters in Mars’ northern hemisphere would have needed water to form. Co-author Gian Gabriele Ori said an ocean some scientists speculate Mars may once have had between three and four billion years ago could even have been…

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New York City Experienced Worst Decline in Restaurant Jobs Since 9/11 After $15 Minimum Wage Win

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by Jon Miltimore   The Big Apple’s fast-food industry, The New York Times recently reported, has long served as a laboratory for progressive politicians and the nation’s labor machine. But new economic research suggests their latest experiment is not going as planned. Data show that following the labor movement’s “Fight for $15” victory, which imposed steep annual increases in mandatory wages for workers, New York City experienced its sharpest decline in restaurant jobs in nearly 20 years. Tight Profit Margins Restaurants tend to operate on famously low-profit margins, typically 2 to 6 percent. So a 40 percent mandatory wage increase over a two-year period is not trivial. In response to the minimum wage hikes, New York City restaurants did what businesses tend to do when labor costs rise: they increased prices and reduced labor staff and hours. For example, Lalito’s, a popular restaurant on Bayard Street, recently raised its menu prices 10-15 percent, Eater New York reports. A New York City Hospitality Alliance survey also showed that three out of four full-service restaurants said they planned to reduce employee hours. Nearly half of those surveyed said they planned to eliminate some job positions in 2019. In response, New York City…

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Former Planned Parenthood Employee Describes Pregnancy ‘Plague’ at Clinic

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by Grace Carr   Women who worked at Planned Parenthood’s Baltimore, Maryland clinic couldn’t get pregnant or their babies died, a former clinic worker told The Daily Caller News Foundation in a February interview. “We used to say it’s a plague because whoever got pregnant either lost the baby or the baby died,” Myra Kincaid told TheDCNF. Kincaid worked as a surgical assistant at the clinic from February 2013 to February 2014, she said. Planned Parenthood called Kincaid shortly before she graduated college to recruit her, Kincaid told TheDCNF. “We used to say it was a plague there because the nurse that was pregnant, her baby died in utero at eight weeks,” Kincaid said, describing how multiple employees who wanted to get pregnant could not or suffered miscarriages. One of the doctors that Kincaid worked with and developed a close relationship with had a hard time conceiving, even though “there was nothing wrong with her or her husband,” Kincaid said. The doctor left Planned Parenthood and became pregnant shortly afterward, according to Kincaid. The nurse who lost her baby while working at Planned Parenthood also became pregnant after she left the abortion organization. “Everything changed after they left,” Kincaid said.…

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Trump’s ‘Remain in Mexico’ Policy Is Changing How Immigrants Try to Enter the US

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by Jason Hopkins   The Trump administration’s asylum policy is prompting more migrants to try their luck at crossing illegally rather than seeking out legal ports of entry, Customs and Border Protection data suggest. The proportion of foreign nationals attempting to cross the border illegally rather than reporting to legal ports of entry has risen in the past year, according to the data. Those crossing illegally made up 73 percent of all border crossings from October 2017 to January 2018 and then rose to 83 percent for the same period of time ending on Jan. 31, 2019, NBC News reported Friday. At the same time, the percentage of foreign nationals intentionally reaching out to border enforcement establishments dropped from 27 percent to 17 percent. The new numbers come in the wake of President Donald Trump’s “Remain in Mexico” policy. The policy enacted in December 2018 dictates that foreign nationals who seek asylum at the southern border cannot enter the U.S. and must remain in Mexico while their case makes it through the immigration courts — a process that could take months to years. The directive does not apply to children or Mexican asylum seekers. It largely targets the dramatic influx…

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Oregon Passes First Statewide Mandatory Rent Control Law in US

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Oregon Gov. Kate Brown signed the nation’s first statewide mandatory rent control measure on Thursday, giving a victory to housing advocates who say spiraling rent costs in the economically booming state have fueled widespread homelessness and housing insecurity. Brown, a Democrat, said the legislation will provide “some immediate relief to Oregonians struggling to keep up with rising rents and a tight rental market.” Landlords are now limited to increases once per year that cannot exceed 7 percent plus the change in the consumer price index, which is used to calculate inflation. The law prohibits them from serving no-cause evictions after a tenant’s first year of occupancy, a provision designed to protect those who are living paycheck to paycheck and who affordable housing advocates say are often most vulnerable to sudden rent hikes and abrupt lease terminations. New York has a statewide rent control law, but cities can choose whether to participate. California restricts the ability of cities to impose rent control. Last November, voters defeated a ballot initiative that would have overturned that law. Emergency measure The Oregon law takes effect immediately. Democrats who control the Legislature say the state’s housing crisis justified passing the bill as an emergency measure.…

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Scott DesJarlais and Julia Brownley Re-Launch Congressional Range and Testing Center Caucus

Chris Butler

U.S. Rep. Scott DesJarlais, a Republican representing Tennessee’s Fourth Congressional District, announced Friday he will co-chair a new forum to educate his colleagues in Congress about military issues. The forum, DesJarlais said in a press release, is the Congressional Range and Testing Center Caucus. DesJarlais will co-chair alongside U.S. Rep. Julia Brownley, a Democrat representing California’s 26th Congressional District DesJarlais and Brownley represent large military communities in their districts. The forum is designed to educate members of Congress about Department of Defense range and testing facilities, such as Naval Base Ventura County in California and Arnold Air Force Base in Tennessee. DesJarlais and Brownley released joint statements about their common agenda in the current 116th Congress. “Tennessee’s Fourth District lies at the heart of the Aerospace and Defense Technology Corridor spanning several states. It includes public and private enterprises developing cutting-edge technology to protect our country: unmanned aircraft, hypersonic flight and more,” DesJarlais said. “These facilities, such as Arnold Air Force Base, University of Tennessee’s Space Institute and Redstone Arsenal in Alabama, are crucial defense assets and economic resources, reliant on a high-skilled workforce. Congresswoman Brownley and I are helping to generate more public understanding and support for their work.” For…

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Macon County Woman Charged with Using Children to Commit TennCare Fraud

Chris Butler

Tennessee officials charged a Macon County woman with fraudulently obtaining TennCare benefits, according to the state’s Department of Finance and Administration. That woman, Hanna L. Johnson, 30, of Red Boiling Springs, allegedly and falsely claimed two minor children as dependents. Without those children, Johnson would not qualify for TennCare, Tennessee officials said Tuesday. Johnson pleaded guilty to theft over $10,000. In exchange, she must pay TennCare $6,000. Johnson also received six years of supervised judicial diversion, according to a state press release. “Providing false information in order to receive TennCare benefits is a crime – and that crime is theft from state taxpayers,” Inspector General Kim Harmon said in the press release. “The OIG works diligently to preserve the integrity of TennCare benefits so those truly deserving have the best resources.” District Attorney General Tom P. Thompson, Jr., prosecuted the case. TennCare fraud is a class D felony punishable by up to four years in prison, state officials said in the press release. The OIG, which is separate from TennCare, began full operation in February 2005 and has investigated cases leading to more than $3 million being repaid to TennCare, with a total estimated cost avoidance of more than $163.6 million for TennCare, according to latest figures. To date,…

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Diocese of Columbus Releases Long Awaited List of Accused Clergy

Anthony Gockowski

The Diocese of Columbus released its long-awaited list of clergy credibly accused of abusing a minor Friday. In a letter issued by Bishop Frederick F. Campbell, the diocese exposed the names of 35 clergy members with ordinations to the priesthood or diaconate dating as far back as the 1930s. Several of the accused are already deceased, but many of them were removed from ministry and are still alive. “I share with the faithful of our diocese sorrow, sadness, and anger over such behavior. I apologize to all victims and their families. The Diocese of Columbus is committed to maintaining a safe environment for all children and youth, and I am hopeful that the release of this information will help restore the confidence of all faithful in the Church and its clergy,” Campbell said in his letter. According to Campbell, the list was compiled after diocesan staff reviewed the files after nearly 2,000 clergy members dating all the way back to 1868. The diocese counted as a “credible allegation” any that was “more likely than not to be true” after review of the available information. “Factors considered in making this determination included the details provided by the accuser; corroborating evidence; sincerity;…

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Wind Turbines Are Programmed to Shut Off During Extreme Cold in Minnesota

Anthony Gockowski

The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission called the heads of the state’s energy and electric companies to a hearing Thursday to discuss their shortfalls during January’s polar vortex. Representatives from Xcel Energy, Centerpoint Energy, and Great Plains Gas were all in attendance. Of particular concern was Xcel’s request that its 460,000 gas customers lower their thermostats to 63 degrees to prevent additional outages. Things got so bad in Princeton, Minnesota that some residents were forced to leave their homes after Xcel cut service to more than 100 customers. “It was 30-something below zero and it doesn’t take long, so it started to get cold in there really fast when the furnace went out and there was no other way to heat it,” Princeton resident Andy Ekker told Fox 9. “That’s the frustration with these utilities. It’s I can’t shop around. I mean, you’re stuck with the company you get and that’s it. And they have all the control and all the say.” During Thursday’s hearing, the state’s utilities executives revealed that most wind turbines are completely shut down when temperatures plummet to 20 below, The Star Tribune notes. The turbines are actually programmed to turn off during subzero temperatures to avoid…

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Sen. Blackburn Says President Trump’s Defunding of Planned Parenthood Mirrors, Supports Her Bill to Block Tax Funds From Going to Abortion Providers

Jason M. Reynolds

U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) announced Friday that President Donald Trump is essentially backing her bill to protect unborn babies by defunding Planned Parenthood. Blackburn on Jan. 10 introduced her first bill in the U.S. Senate, S. 105, the Title X Abortion Provider Prohibition Act, to strip all abortion providers, including Planned Parenthood, of federal funding under Title X of the Public Health Service Act. Now, Trump has announced he would issue a rule to block the use of federal funds from going to abortion providers, including Planned Parenthood, under Title X of the Public Health Service Act, Blackburn said in a press release. The Department of Health and Human Services rule accomplishes the same goal as her act, she said. The bill’s tracking information is here. “President Trump is to be commended for taking action to ensure that federal funding for women’s health is used for its intended purpose, not the ending of innocent human life,” Blackburn said. “This new rule works to accomplish the same goal as the bill I introduced in January, the Title X Abortion Provider Prohibition Act, so taxpayers can be sure their dollars only go toward funding women’s health programs, not big abortion providers.…

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Red Flag Bill and Universal Background Checks One Step Closer to Becoming Law in Minnesota

Anthony Gockowski

DFL lawmakers are closer than ever before to passing multiple gun-control bills in Minnesota as a Republican-controlled Senate stands in the way. A universal background checks bill and a “red flag” law both advanced out of committee this week. The former was approved by the House Public Safety Committee late Wednesday night in a 9-7 vote, while the latter was approved the following morning in a 10-7 vote. House Speaker Melissa Hortman, who made gun control a top priority heading into the 2019 session, said that “it’s just a different moment in our history,” and she’s “hoping that the Minnesota Senate is ready to acknowledge that and take action.” The bills in question are House File 8 and House File 9, among the first bills introduced this session by DFL legislators. HF 8 would mandate “criminal background checks” for all firearms transfers, requiring a “permit to purchase” for all purchases and transfers from anyone. It would also raise the minimum age to purchase a gun to 21. HF 9 allows law enforcement and family members to petition a court to “prohibit people from possessing firearms if they pose a significant danger to themselves or others.” That bill lays out a number…

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Report: One in Three Children Enter Foster Care Due to Parental Drug Abuse, Ohio Rate Jumped 29 Percent

Andrew Shirley

A report released Tuesday by the nonprofit Child Trends revealed that for the sixth consecutive year, 2017 saw a significant rise in the number of children entering foster care due to parental drug abuse or drug seeking behavior. According to the report, 131 out of every 100,000 children in America ends up in foster care because one or both of their parents’ behavior in connection to drug use, representing a “5 percent increase from the previous fiscal year and a 53 percent increase since FY 2007.” The study ascertained the findings by combining statistics from several organizations and government agencies, most notably the National Data Archive on Child Abuse and Neglect (NDACAN), an initiative U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Cornell University. The HHS also provides their own statistics through the Children Bureau. Lastly, the Annie E. Casey Foundation, a privately funded nonprofit, also provides data on children and families throughout the country. In addition, the study also found that “six states and territories – Puerto Rico, Wyoming, New York, South Dakota, Wisconsin, and Ohio – saw the largest rate increases.” Of all fifty states, Puerto Rico, and the District of Columbia, 17 states and territories saw rate decreases, 3…

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Internal Revenue Service Penalizes Second Tennessee School System Over Obamacare

Chris Butler

The Grundy County School System will have to pay tens of thousands of dollars in penalties to the Internal Revenue Service for not complying with Obamacare, according to a state audit released this week. This is the second school system in Tennessee this month that must pay a huge sum of money to the feds because of the controversial health care law. Local taxpayers, of course, will have to pick up the slack. No one at either the Grundy County School System or the county mayor’s office returned The Tennessee Star’s repeated requests for comment Tuesday. According to this week’s audit, the Internal Revenue Service assessed the school system a penalty of $34,060 for not complying with Obamacare during the 2015 fiscal year. “The School Department provides health insurance coverage to its employees; however, this coverage was not in compliance with federal regulations for certain employees,” Tennessee Comptrollers wrote. “This deficiency resulted from a lack of management oversight.” As The Star reported this month, the federal government assessed the Smith County School System more than $35,000 for not complying with Obamacare. That audit, however, did not offer specifics. Smith County Mayor Jeff Mason, in an email, deferred all The Star’s questions to…

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