March 18, 2019 - Tennessee Star

Is a Teacher Strike Looming in Tennessee?

March 18, 2019March 17, 2019 Admin

Teachers’ strikes in Arizona, Kentucky, Oklahoma and West Virginia last year, as well as a walkout in Denver last month, have raised questions about whether Tennessee teachers might pursue a similar course. Now, a new activist group seeking to encourage teachers to engage in a work stoppage in Tennessee, has some policy makers wondering whether a teacher strike could happen sooner rather than later. In fact, the Tennessee Education Report, run by liberal Democrat activist Andy Spears, appears to be encouraging a teacher strike in the state with four recent “calls for action.” Teacher strikes have been illegal in Tennessee since 1978, but they are also unlawful in other states where teachers walked off their jobs. Teachers in Tennessee who participated in a strike would be subject to discipline, up to and including the loss of their jobs. Last year, when the prospects of a teachers’ strike in Tennessee arose, Tennessee Education Association (TEA) lobbyist Jim Wrye dismissed the threat posed by Tennessee law saying that if a large number of teachers walk off the job “you can’t fire everybody.” One of the activists promoting the strike agenda is also not dissuaded by the letter of the law. “They aren’t…

Read the full story

Two Mothers Launch New Facebook Page to Get Facts About What Is Happening with Williamson County Schools

March 18, 2019March 17, 2019 Chris Butler

Two parents with children attending Williamson County Schools have created a Facebook page to help parents organize and get more information about what is going on within Williamson County Schools. Some parents say school system officials keep them in the dark. This, a week after The Tennessee Star revealed teachers in the school system had to watch “Cultural Competency” videos preaching “white privilege.” The Facebook page, WCS TN Parents Want Facts, went live Thursday night. The group’s two creators, Stefanie Miles and Karrie Marren, told The Star Friday they want to make the page a place for transparency — and not a place for political arguments. “We couldn’t find any kind of group of organized and concerned parents,” Miles said. “It sounded like a lot of people had concern, but I didn’t know where to go to talk with other parents and there didn’t seem to be any kind of organization in that regard, so I thought, ‘Well, let’s just start a page and see if we can start some conversations, just to find out facts.’” Miles said issues of “white privilege” and diversity and culture are important — but she also said “those are discussions for the home.” Miles…

Read the full story

Civil Asset Forfeiture Reform Continues to Receive Resistance in Tennessee

March 18, 2019March 17, 2019 Laura Baigert

Despite actions at the federal level and dozens of states, legislation to reform civil asset forfeiture in Tennessee is continually received with resistance. Civil asset forfeiture is a tool whereby law enforcement seizes assets such as money and property that was obtained illegally by criminals. The goal of law enforcement is to defund the criminals’ enterprise and assist with the funding of law enforcement’s future efforts. The process, though, has come to be referred to as “policing for profit,” because assets have been seized that weren’t directly involved in the commission of a crime, a criminal conviction is not required for the seizure and the rightful owner has to fight in court to win back their own property. The court battle to retrieve one’s property is one of a civil nature, not criminal. As such, the property’s claimant is not entitled to an attorney if they cannot afford one, as a defendant would be so entitled in a criminal case. In a 2015 Tennessee case, a woman and her mother drove to the Rutherford County Adult Detention Center with $12,000 in cash she claimed was raised by family and community members for the purpose of posting bond to secure the…

Read the full story

Commentary: In Bernie and AOC’s Democrat Party, Radical is the New Normal

March 18, 2019March 17, 2019 Admin

by Jeffery Rendall What makes a radical? The word itself has many implications and connotations. The dictionary indicates “radical” (when used as a noun) means, “a person who advocates thorough or complete political or social reform; a member of a political party or part of a party pursuing such aims.” In the past, being labeled a “radical” was often seen as a bad thing, though today’s Democrats appear quite smitten with the designation. You could argue the party became radicalized during the 1960’s Vietnam era – or even prior to that – but there’s no questioning today’s Democrats’ dedication to all things “fundamental change.” Last week’s party-line vote on the incredibly destructive and unconstitutional H.R. 1 proved it (again). Not content to merely restrict free speech rights, the proposal, if it were to actually become law (and survive numerous court challenges), would radicalize the way Americans treat political speech and voting. H.R. 1 would even extend the franchise to illegal aliens in local elections. States would see many of their police powers to oversee elections wrested away and placed in the hands of federal bureaucrats. It’s truly scary to envision the far-reaching scope of contemporary Democrat radicalism. Naturally, the party’s emerging leadership ascribes…

Read the full story

Klobuchar Takes a Swipe at O’Rourke: ‘I Wasn’t Born To Run’ for President in 2020

March 18, 2019March 17, 2019 Admin

by Henry Rodgers Democratic Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar, a 2020 hopeful, took an apparent swipe at fellow contender Beto O’Rourke, saying while she respects the former congressman, she was not “born” to run for president. “It was probably more when I got to college. When I was growing up, in high school, that’s not what girls thought they were going to do,” Klobuchar said in a Sunday interview on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” “My parents, I think, thought it was a possibility. But I really didn’t. And so for me, it’s something that’s happened over time, as I’ve realized I can do things,” Klobuchar said. “I can get elected to the secretary-treasurer of my high school class. I can move on from there, and so I think it’s something that I didn’t have from birth.” Host Chuck Todd asked if she was referencing O’Rourke’s comment that he feels he was “born to be in” the 2020 presidential race, which he said in an interview with Vanity Fair released Wednesday before launching his official bid. “I have a lot of respect for Beto, and it’s great to have some Texas in this race. But no, I wasn’t born to run for office, just because growing…

Read the full story

Presidential Hopeful Cory Booker Promises He Will Pick Woman For Veep

March 18, 2019March 17, 2019 Admin

by Whitney Tipton New Jersey Democratic Sen. Cory Booker told reporters Friday that he will definitely select a woman as his vice president. He stated unequivocally, “there will be a woman on the ticket.” This is not the first time Booker has signaled he would select a female, according to The Hill. During an interview with Rachel Maddow on MSNBC last month, Booker said that when it came to picking his running-mate, he would prioritize women candidates above men, adding “you will rarely see a Democratic ticket anymore without gender diversity, race diversity.” Booker added mystery to his comments Friday, saying “I don’t know if it’s in the vice president’s position or in the president’s position.” Previously, Booker has spoken only of running for the top spot. The 2020 Democratic field of oval office hopefuls already includes several accomplished Democratic legislators such as Massachusetts Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren, New York Democratic Rep. Kirsten Gillibrand, and California Democratic Sen. Kamala Harris, Booker has not indicated if he has a preference for one in particular, should he get the nomination. Overall, the 2020 field is very competitive and includes 18 notable candidates. Realistic about his prospects in the crowded pool of contenders, Booker conceded “if I have my way, there…

Read the full story

New Preeclampsia Test Will Be Able to Identify Dangerous Condition Quickly

March 18, 2019March 17, 2019 Admin

A new test can quickly identify preeclampsia, a common and dangerous condition during pregnancy and help keep mothers and babies healthy and safe. When Jessi Prizinsky was pregnant with her first child, her feet started swelling. “Well, you hear everybody tell you, you know, the swollen ankles, and get your feet up and all that,” Prizinsky said. “That was where I thought, ‘OK.’ And then it started to be, it kind of looks like it’s in my arms and hands, too.” Most women expect some swelling when they are pregnant. But these symptoms can also be signs of preeclampsia. It’s a complication of pregnancy that raises the mother’s blood pressure and affects the blood flow to the placenta. This can lead to smaller or premature babies. Untreated, it can be fatal to mom, or baby, or both. Fast, easy test developed Researchers at the Ohio State Wexner Medical Center have developed a fast, easy test to diagnose preeclampsia. That’s where Dr. Kara Rood practices maternal and fetal medicine. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=npdhabLX_VA “One of the hard parts with preeclampsia is there’s a lot of symptoms of just pregnancy alone, and other medical conditions that have similar symptoms that the women experience, like high…

Read the full story

Merit Systems Protection Board Shows Why Civil Service Is Badly in Need of Reform

March 18, 2019March 17, 2019 Admin

by John York The Senate’s failure to consider President Donald Trump’s appointees is affecting more than just the federal judiciary. That abdication of responsibility has now left one agency – the Merit Systems Protection Board – with no political appointees at all. Few people outside of Washington, D.C., have even heard of the Merit Systems Protection Board, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t doing important work. The three-member board is responsible for hearing appeals related to the firing and serious punishment of federal employees. Yet, it was left totally vacant when the last remaining board member’s term expired at the end of February. The board has been in bad shape for longer, though. Since January 2017, it had been down to one member – meaning it could not decide any appeals since two board members are needed to form a quorum. There are now nearly 2,000 appeals waiting in the queue to be heard. Reaction to the Merit Systems Protection Board’s incapacity has been mixed. While The Washington Post warned of the “dire consequences” of “eliminating the guardian of our merit system,” some conservatives have questioned if the board is necessary at all. Tom Schatz, president of Citizens Against Government Waste,…

Read the full story

New York’s Junior Senator Kirsten Gillibrand Formally Launches Bid for 2020 Presidential Race

March 18, 2019March 17, 2019 Admin

Senator Kirsten Gillibrand of New York has launched her campaign to win the Democratic Party nomination to oppose President Donald Trump in the 2020 election. She formally launched her bid Sunday morning, not with a big speech, but instead with a video that poses the question, “Will brave win?” I’m running for president. Let’s prove that brave wins. Join me: https://t.co/I1vp93LBUR pic.twitter.com/Giu4u4KEZQ — Kirsten Gillibrand (@SenGillibrand) March 17, 2019 “We need a leader who makes big, bold, brave choices,” Gillibrand says in the video. “Someone who isn’t afraid of progress.” The lawmaker is set to deliver her first major speech next week in front of Trump International Hotel in New York City. She gave an indication in the video of the issues she will focus on during her campaign. “We launched ourselves into space and landed on the moon. If we can do that, we can definitely achieve universal health care,”she said. “We can provide paid family leave for all, end gun violence, pass a Green New Deal, get money out of politics and take back our democracy.” She joins a large group of presidential hopefuls that includes, among many others, some of her fellow female lawmakers: Sens. Elizabeth Warren…

Read the full story

Ohio Teacher Accused Of Punishing Students with Duct Tape Resigns

March 18, 2019March 17, 2019 Admin

by Neetu Chandak An Ohio teacher accused of punishing students with duct tape resigned in January. Charles Igwekala-Nweke taught math at two schools within Cincinnati Public Schools since 2015, but resigned Jan. 18, according to The Associated Press Saturday. District officials learned about the alleged duct-taping incident in December 2018, the Cincinnati Enquirer reported. “In my 7th bell, students were talking during their semester exam,” Igwekala-Nweke wrote in an email to Hughes STEM High School principal Kathy Wright, according to the Enquirer. “In the efforts of maintaining a proper test environment, I told students I would give them zeros to counter their conversations. But, instead of giving them reprimands and zeros on their semester exam, I proceeded to using duct tape on students.” At least three students accused Igwekala-Nweke of using duct tape on them, according to the AP. A student also reportedly told a teacher that “Mr. Igwekala-Nweke had placed duct tape on his mouth” in December 2018, according to the Enquirer. “I allowed gross rationale to justify gross behavior,” Igwekala-Nweke said in the email, the Enquirer reported. CPS spokeswoman Lauren Worley said the district conducted an investigation and reported the allegations to the Ohio Department of Education. “As soon as the school principals were informed, they met immediately with the employee,…

Read the full story

Henderson County Taxpayers Lost Money on New Patrol Cars, Tennessee Audit Says

March 18, 2019March 17, 2019 Chris Butler

Henderson County officials didn’t seek out competitive bids for four patrol cars that cost nearly $100,000, according to an audit Tennessee Comptrollers released this week. Because of this, taxpayers lost out, Comptrollers said in the audit. “As a result, the best and lowest price may not have been obtained for the purchase of the patrol cars,” auditors wrote. Comptrollers said they selected a sample of 82 disbursements totaling $1,012,188 from a population of 7,662 vendor checks totaling $16,909,467. “Our examination revealed that competitive bids were not solicited for four patrol cars that cost $98,548. Purchasing procedures for the county are governed by the County Financial Management System of 1981, which requires competitive bids to be solicited through newspaper advertisement on all purchases exceeding $25,000. This deficiency is the result of a lack of management oversight.” The county’s finance director, not identified by name in the audit, responded to Comptrollers. “For several years, the county has budgeted funds for the purchase of patrol cars. In recent years, the purchase price for each patrol car has remained slightly below the required bid guidelines,” the finance director wrote. “Considering this, management did not solicit bids, which is in-line with purchases under $25,000 per…

Read the full story

Brian Kelsey Resolution Calls for State’s Universities to Stand in Opposition to NCAA Prohibition on Compensation for Student Athletes

March 18, 2019March 17, 2019 Chris Butler

Tennessee State Sen. Brian Kelsey (R-Germantown) has introduced a resolution in the Tennessee Senate calling for the state’s public universities to oppose the National Collegiate Athletic Association prohibition on compensation for student-athletes. Senate Resolution 22 says current rules by the NCAA violate the free-market principle of economic liberty and amounts to little more than indentured servitude to sports programs which have robust finances. The resolution was filed today as the American Athletic Conference basketball tournament opens in Memphis and the Southern Southeastern Conference tournament begins in Nashville. “Exploiting these athletes is a violation of their economic liberty and civil rights,” Kelsey said in a press release. “A free education is not adequate compensation for talented athletes who put their health and/or future earnings at stake when playing college sports. These are extremely rigorous programs which bring in a lot of money. The NCAA has turned a blind eye to these players’ civil rights, forcing college athletes to work without adequate compensation for too long. It is time to reform college athletics, so these players have an opportunity to be compensated for their talent, as well as their labor.” The resolution references the injury received by Duke University basketball player Zion Williamson, who was…

Read the full story

Joe Carter Commentary: Make America Smart Again

March 18, 2019March 17, 2019 Admin

by Joe Carter Over the past week America has been fascinated and appalled by the latest college admissions cheating scandal. Much of the attention has been focused on the bribing of coaches to get kids into school with fake athletic credentials. But the even more absurd part of the scandal is that parents were paying between $15,000 and $75,000 per test to help their children get a better score on the SAT. The parents seem to believe that the SAT was a mere hurdle to be overcome by whatever means necessary. Once the child was admitted to the college, they would be swept along into a life of wealth and prestige. That’s not entirely wrong, of course. As economist Bryan Caplan says, “If you can get your less-than-brilliant, less-than-driven child admitted, he’ll probably get to impersonate a standardly awesome Ivy League graduate for the rest of his life.” It’s true there’s a correlation between scoring well on the SAT and getting into a good college, as well as a correlation between a college degree and social mobility. But the cheating parents seem to think there is a direct line between “score well on the SAT” and “economic security.” The reality is the…

Read the full story

Lake Erie Improvements Bill Turned Into a 90-Page Spending Package with $2 Million in Renovations to the Ohio Governor’s Residence

March 18, 2019March 17, 2019 Anthony Gockowski

The Ohio Governor’s Residence in Bexley is set to receive $2 million in renovations on the taxpayer’s dime after the funding was tossed into a catch-all bill passed at the last minute of 2018. Senate Bill 51 was initially introduced in the Ohio Senate in February 2017 as a piece of legislation focused on facilitating “Lake Erie shoreline improvements.” It didn’t pass the Senate until July 2018, and wasn’t taken up by the House until December. As it was introduced, the bill was only 14 pages long and was intended to amend two sections of Ohio Revised Code and “authorize the creation of a special improvement district to facilitate Lake Erie shoreline improvement.” By the time it was passed, the bill was 90 pages long, amended eight sections of Ohio Revised Code, offered amendments to 16 different sections of two House bills, and had a final description of: “Authorize the creation of a special improvement district to facilitate Lake Erie shoreline improvement, to revise other laws governing taxation and public property and otherwise provide authorization and conditions for the operation of state programs, and to make appropriations.” Of those appropriations was a $107 million “administrative building fund” under the Department…

Read the full story

Review: Captain Marvel’s War on Women

March 18, 2019March 17, 2019 Admin

by Helen Lamm Art imitates life, but to an even greater extent, life imitates art. Like culture and politics, the two are intertwined in an infinite feedback loop. Sometimes it’s hard to tell where one begins and the other ends. The latest addition to the wildly popular Marvel cinematic universe, “Captain Marvel,” came out last week. Written and directed by Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck and starring Brie Larson, it is the story of Carol Danvers, a maverick Air Force pilot turned superhero whose powers exceed those of all other superheroes in the Marvel world. The writing is as hamfistedly political as the promotional materials (and Brie Larson’s unrestrained activism during the promotional period) would suggest. Despite all its claims at bravery and badassery, Captain Marvel communicates the very most banal and tiresome claim possible. It’s one we hear every day, a mantra that serves as prerequisite for those who seek employment in your average firm, matriculation at your average school, or participation in your average social club. Yes, in case we’d all forgotten, women are equal to men, except better. Abiding perfectly by Hollywood’s latest contra natura narrative about sex and life, of course, male characters occupy either one of two roles: bumbling sidekick or evil jerk. Female characters, on the other hand,…

Read the full story

Minnesota College Republicans Catch Several Vandals in the Act After Installing Hidden Security Camera

March 18, 2019March 17, 2019 Anthony Gockowski

A Minnesota College Republicans chapter recently caught several vandals in the act after installing a hidden security camera near their club advertisements. Tayler Lehmann, president of the University of Minnesota, Morris College Republicans, told The College Fix that he’s complained to the university about his club’s ads disappearing in the past, but the university has done nothing. In fact, a university security camera that was supposed to be monitoring the area where the club’s fliers were hanging was conveniently broken at one point. “It’s been always happening, ever since I have been a freshman,” Lehmann told The Fix. “It’s been happening since I stepped foot on campus as a freshman and nothing got done. Part of the time the cameras didn’t work and people just kept taking down our posters. I guess we got fed up with it and we thought of a way to handle it ourselves.” Lehmann and his peers purchased a $30 camera online and installed it in a campus locker directly across from where the fliers were hanging. It didn’t take long for them to catch some action. In a video provided to The Fix, the security camera captured more than 10 separate instances of vandalism,…

Read the full story

Report: Obama Administration Failed To Declare Fentanyl a National Emergency After Multiple Warnings

March 18, 2019March 17, 2019 Andrew Shirley

A groundbreaking report by the Washington Post has revealed that from 2013 to 2017, the Obama administration ignored, downplayed, or failed to act on multiple warnings that synthetic opioid deaths were becoming an epidemic in the country. In the most startling instance, 11 opioid medical experts pressed the administration to declare Fentanyl a national public health emergency in 2016. This would permit a “laserlike” focus that would greatly blunt the damage done to the nation. The administration reviewed their concerns and then decided not to act. According to the report: Between 2013 and 2017, more than 67,000 people died of synthetic-opioid-related overdoses — exceeding the number of U.S. military personnel killed during the Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan wars combined. The number of deaths, the vast majority from fentanyl, has risen sharply each year. In 2017, synthetic opioids were to blame for 28,869 out of the overall 47,600 opioid overdoses, a 46.4 percent increase over the previous year, when fentanyl became the leading cause of overdose deaths in America for the first time. Not until the final days of his administration did the White House finally declare fentanyl to be a national crisis, yet no legislation came as a result. Former Drug Czar,…

Read the full story

More Williamson County ‘Cultural Competency’ Videos Warn Teachers to Use Politically Correct Language

March 18, 2019March 17, 2019 Chris Butler

In Modules No. 1 and No. 2 of the Williamson County Schools Cultural Competency video series, teachers are told the term “illegal alien” is “oppressive.” But that’s just one example among many of a leftist, politically correct narrative that school system officials try to drill into their teachers through these videos. “For example, assuming that a person from South America has ever tasted a taco or an enchilada is a way we might tokenize or appropriate Latino culture,” an off-screen female narrator warns teachers. Another supposed nugget of wisdom the narrator passes down: “Using coded language like ‘ghetto,’ ‘thug,’ or even ‘helicopter parents’ can fuel biased behavior and unintentionally reinforce stereotypes,” the narrator said. “It is important to be careful and precise regarding word choice when communicating with students and their families.” The narrator continues her fixation on race by telling teachers never to assume Asians are math prodigies or that other groups possess stereotypical characteristics. “Culture goes far beyond race, country of origin, or even ethnicity and can include the total way of life of a particular group of people, including systems, attitudes, beliefs, and feelings,” the narrator added. The Tennessee Star obtained Modules No. 1 and No. 2…

Read the full story