Day: July 14, 2019

Lewisburg Officials Reportedly Might Lay Off Employees After $100,000 Overdraft

Chris Butler

  Members of the Lewisburg City Council reportedly adopted a policy this week that may lead to the city laying off employees seven months after the city’s bank account was overdrawn by $100,000. This, according to the Lewisburg-based Marshall County Tribune this week. But, as the paper quoted Councilman Jerry Gordon as saying, no one has made any decisions as they pertain to layoffs. Department heads believed the city would cut employees from the police, fire, and parks departments, The Marshall County Tribune reported. “In December, the city’s bank account was $100,000 overdrawn, forcing the city to borrow money on future tax revenues in order to make payroll. Ultimately, the city drew $700,000 in tax anticipation notes to keep operating, which have been repaid. The council has already authorized up to $1 million in notes to be issued this fiscal year. By their own resolution, the city should maintain a minimum of 30 percent of the operating budget in the fund balance at the start of a fiscal year,” the paper reported. “That equates to roughly $3.5 million, based on the operating budget. On July 1 this year the city had approximately $300,000 on hand. While sales tax revenues come in…

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Analysis: Four Reasons the Left Is So Invested in the Census Debate

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by Fred Lucas   President Donald Trump is signing an executive order directing every agency to assist in getting a reliable count of citizens and noncitizens in the United States. The Department of Homeland Security, the Social Security Administration, and others agencies that have population data will be required to share with the Commerce Department to get an accurate count—after a setback by the Supreme Court last month. Liberal activist groups have been vigorously opposing the Trump administration’s push to ask a citizenship question on the census. “It will not stop us from collecting the needed information and I think in greater detail and more accurately,” Trump said in the Rose Garden beneath cloudy skies, flanked by Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross and Attorney General William Barr. Today I will be issuing an executive order to put this very plan into effect immediately. I am hereby ordering every department and agency in the federal government to provide the Department of Commerce with all requested records regarding the number of citizens and noncitizens in our country. We will use these vast government databases to gain a full, complete and accurate count of the noncitizen population. Democrat-allied liberal groups accused Trump of promoting…

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‘Anti-Fascist’ Man Killed After Attempting to Burn Down ICE Detention Center

Zachery Schmidt

  A man described as an “anarchist” and “anti-fascist” was killed Saturday morning at a Washington State ICE detention center when he showed up armed with a rifle and incendiary devices. Willem Van Spronsen, 68, lit a car on fire and tried to ignite a propane tank in order to burn the building down. Last year, police arrested Spronsen when he protested at the exact same center. During that encounter with the police, he put his hands around a law enforcement officer’s throat while trying to free another protester. Deb Bartley, a friend of Spronsen, spoke to The Seattle Times and described him as an “anarchist” and “anti-fascist.” She thought he was trying to invoke “fatal conflict.” “He was ready to end it,” Bartley told the Times. “I think this was a suicide. But then he was able to kind of do it in a way that spoke to his political beliefs … I know he went down there knowing he was going to die.” Police first responded to the scene at 4:00 a.m. after an ICE employee saw a man outside armed with a rifle, according to the Tacoma Police Department. The Tacoma Police Department said the four officers who…

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The Border Wall Fight Just Got to the Supreme Court

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by Kevin Daley   The Trump administration asked the Supreme Court for clearance to begin constructing 100 miles of fencing through drug-smuggling corridors along the U.S.-Mexico border. The Friday request comes after U.S. District Judge Haywood Gilliam forbade the administration from using $2.5 billion in military funds for border wall construction. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals denied the administration’s request to stay that ruling while litigation continued on July 3. “The practical significance of the decision below for the government’s drug-interdiction efforts would weigh strongly in favor of further review,” the government’s stay application to the high court reads. “The decision prevents the Department of Defense from taking steps to support the Department of Homeland Security that the acting secretary of defense determined to be ‘necessary in the national interest’ to stanch the flow of illegal drugs across the southern border,” it adds. The trial court’s injunctions stalled border barrier construction projects in Arizona and New Mexico. The projects are high priorities for DHS given the volume of drug trafficking in those areas, according to government lawyers. President Donald Trump declared a national emergency at the southern border on Feb. 15. Following the declaration, the Pentagon reprogrammed the…

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US Lawmakers Delay Mueller Testimony by One Week

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by Reuters   Former special counsel Robert Mueller will testify before two U.S. House of Representatives committees on July 24, one week later than originally scheduled, the chairmen of the panels said in a statement on Friday. Mueller, who investigated Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election, has agreed to appear for “an extended period of time,” House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler and House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff said. Mueller had been scheduled to appear for two-hour public hearings before each panel. The earlier uncertainty presented a distraction for Democrats, who have billed Mueller’s testimony as a potential watershed moment that could focus attention on segments of his 448-page report that raise troubling questions about President Donald Trump’s efforts to impede the federal investigation. The Judiciary Committee also sought to interview former Mueller aides Aaron Zebley and James Quarles behind closed doors. But Rep. Steve Cohen told reporters they would not appear after the Justice Department directed them not to. Judiciary Committee members balked at the unofficial, earlier arrangement for Mueller, because many of the panel’s less senior lawmakers would not get time to ask questions. “Everyone on the committee wants an opportunity to examine Mr. Mueller,”…

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‘Rogue’ Oklahoma Judge Upholds Law Banning Abortion Method

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by Mary Margaret Olohan   An Oklahoma judge upheld a law Friday banning a common abortion method for second-trimester abortions. Oklahoma County District Judge Cindy Truong upheld a 2015 Oklahoma law banning the dilation and evacuation method, CBS News reported. The law will go into effect as soon as courts issue a final order. The Center for Reproductive Rights challenged the law, according to the outlet. The dilation and evacuation method is considered the “standard of care,” according to Center for Reproductive Rights Litigation Director Julie Rikelman. Rikelman said the organization plans to immediately appeal the ruling to the Oklahoma Supreme Court. “There really is no other standard method of care for women at that point in their pregnancy,” Rikelman told CBS News Friday. “It really puts doctors and women in an impossible situation.” The dilation and evacuation procedure is used for second-trimester abortions when women are between 13 and 24 weeks pregnant. Dilation and evacuation involve pulling apart the limbs of an unborn baby in order to allow the limbs to be extracted from the womb. Oklahoma Attorney General Mike Hunter, a Republican, weighed in on the matter Friday. “It is unconscionable to think that we would allow this…

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Movies to Watch This Weekend

Zachery Schmidt

  Stuber: If you are in search of a hard-hitting action comedy movie this weekend, Stuber might be the movie for you. Stuber is about an Uber driver Stu (Kumail Nanjian) who happens to pick up a detective Vic (Dave Bautista) while he is trying to catch a killer. The movie chronicles this unlikely pairing as they try to capture the fugitive. This movie opened up Friday and has received mixed reviews from movie critics. Rotten Tomatoes rated the movie at 46 percent. However, fans have rated the move at 82 percent. Crawl: Crawl details the story of the journey of a young girl named Haley (Kaya Scodelario) who is at home when a Category 5 hurricane hits her Florida home. Instead of listening to evacuation orders, she decides to look for her missing father Dave (Barry Pepper). As Haley locates her father, who is hurt, they both are trapped by the floodwaters. On top of dealing with the rising stormwater, the father-daughter duo has to fend off a group of alligators. Can they survive? Find out this weekend in your local theaters. This movie came out Friday and has received positive reviews. Rotten Tomatoes movie critics gave the horror…

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Trump to Discuss Immigration with Guatemalan President at White House on Monday

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by Reuters   WASHINGTON – U.S. President Donald Trump will meet with Guatemalan President Jimmy Morales at the White House on Monday for talks on immigration and security, the White House said on Friday. Government sources from both countries have said Morales may sign an agreement with Trump on Monday declaring the Central American country a safe destination for asylum seekers, while five former Guatemalan officials have gone to court to block such a deal. Trump said last month the United States and Guatemala were close to reaching a “safe third country agreement” as part of his efforts to curb U.S.-bound migration from Central America. Under such an agreement, Guatemala would be obliged to process asylum claims from migrants who entered its territory en route to the United States. Migrants from Honduras and El Salvador heading to the U.S.-Mexican border overland usually cross into Mexico via Guatemala. The White House said in a statement Trump and Morales “will discuss ways to create a more robust relationship focused on addressing migration and security priorities.” “The two leaders will also discuss how Guatemala can build a stronger relationship with its Central American partners to expand economic growth, create jobs, and promote opportunities…

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Commentary: Why States and Cities Should Stop Handing Out Billions in Economic Incentives to Companies

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by Nathan Jenson   U.S. states and cities hand out tens of billions in taxpayer dollars every year to companies as economic incentives. These businesses are supposed to use the money, typically distributed through economic development programs, to open new facilities, create jobs and generate tax revenue. But all too often that’s not what happens, as I’ve learned after doing research on the use of tax incentives to spur economic development in cities and states across the country, particularly in Texas. Recent scandals involving economic development programs in New Jersey, Baltimore and elsewhere illustrate just what’s wrong with these programs – and why I believe it’s time to end this waste of taxpayer dollars once and for all. Economic development 101 Many states, counties and cities have economic development agencies tasked with facilitating investment in their communities. These agencies undertake a variety of valuable activities, from gathering data to training small businesses owners. Yet one of their most high-profile activities is the use of tax and other incentives to entice companies to invest in their communities, generating local jobs and expanding the tax base. Estimates of how much is spent on such incentives range from US$45 billion to $80 billion…

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Rashida Tlaib Says No Person Is ‘Illegal’

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by Jason Hopkins   Michigan Democratic Rep. Rashida Tlaib claimed that no person in the United States in “illegal,” while testifying before a House committee hearing. “First, no one is illegal. That term is derogatory now because it dehumanizes people. You can say any other forms of maybe ‘coming in without any regulations’ or so forth, but the use of ‘illegal’ is disrespectful and I ask my colleagues to try in so many way to not dehumanize our immigrant neighbors who are trying to come in for safe haven,” Tlaib said Friday during a House Oversight committee hearing. The congresswoman, herself the daughter of Palestinian immigrants, spoke about the southern border crisis and the alleged mistreatment of illegal aliens being held in detention facilities, and claimed that a “dangerous ideology” was governing the country. In an effort to paint a grim picture of Customs and Border Protection (CBP), the Michigan Democrat spent a significant amount of her time describing the different people she met in their custody, recounting moments she met a young child, a father, a pregnant mother and others who were detained after illegally crossing the border. “The dehumanization is not only with those families, but also with…

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Trump Says Ilhan Omar ‘Shouldn’t Even Be in Office’

Anthony Gockowski

  President Donald Trump weighed in on the ongoing feud between House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA-12) and the so-called “squad,” a far-left faction of the Democratic Party that includes among its members Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN-05). The Minnesota Sun published an in-depth synopsis Friday of the growing schism among House Democrats. Pelosi has been dismissive of Omar and her allies, while they in turn have responded by suggesting that Pelosi’s being insulting or even racist. Trump weighed in on the Democratic infighting while speaking with reporters Thursday before departing the White House. He mostly discussed Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY-14), the apparent ringleader of the squad, but called out Omar by name. “I think Cortez is being disrespectful to somebody that’s been there a long time. I deal with Nancy Pelosi a lot and we go back and forth, and it’s fine, but I think that a group of people is being very disrespectful to her. You know what? I don’t think Nancy can let that go on,” Trump said. Trump: Pelosi ‘Not a Racist’ https://t.co/Lw5oAMEdBB pic.twitter.com/JtdveohgwE — Washington Free Beacon (@FreeBeacon) July 12, 2019 “I’m looking at this Omar from Minnesota and if one half of the things that they’re…

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CEO Resigns, 23 Fired Amid Ohio Doctor’s Alleged Fentanyl Murders

Anthony Gockowski

  Mount Carmel Health System CEO Ed Lamb announced Thursday that he’s terminated the employment of 23 individuals and will resign at the end of the month after a former doctor was charged with 25 counts of murder. “This was a difficult decision, but one that is in the best interest of our organization, our colleagues and the people we serve,” Lamb said in a press release. He also revealed that the employment of “23 colleagues, including 5 physician, nursing and pharmacy management team members” was terminated effective immediately. As The Ohio Star previously reported, Dr. William Husel was charged June 6 with 25 counts of murder for ordering “excessive and potentially fatal doses” of fentanyl for former patients. It’s reportedly one of the largest murder cases ever brought against a medical provider in America, and the largest Franklin County Prosecutor Ron O’Brien has seen in his 45-year career in the area. O’Brien said that each count in the indictment alleges that Husel “purposely caused the death” of all 25 patients. The indictment goes on to accuse Husel of ordering fentanyl doses ranging from 500 to 2000 micrograms and administering them to patients, which “shortened their life and hastened or…

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Failed Tennessee Mayoral Candidate Convicted of Making a Pipe Bomb

Chris Butler

  Authorities have reportedly convicted a failed mayoral candidate in Tennessee of making a pipe bomb. This comes after he reportedly threatened townspeople on social media. That man, Jonathan Edward White, who ran for mayor in Hardin County, faces up to 10 years in prison, according to a new article from the Associated Press. “Prosecutors said Tennessee Bureau of Investigation agents began investigating White after he wrote a Facebook post last August that ‘a war is coming’ and that he’d be going after people he accused of being corrupt,” the Associated Press reports. “Authorities said White met with undercover agents and gave them a pipe bomb.” White is a bail bondsman who got only a few hundred votes as an also-ran mayoral candidate and was involved in a custody dispute over a child. Authorities are scheduled to sentence White in federal court on October 10, according to The Jackson Sun. “This office, along with our law enforcement partners, takes all bomb threats seriously, and we are vigilant to protect and prevent property damage, bodily injury, and death from any explosive device in West Tennessee,” U.S. Attorney D. Michael Dunavant stated in a news release. “We commend the quick, thorough, and coordinated response of all of…

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