Former Tennessee Speaker of the House Glen Casada and current Rutherford County Mayor Bill Ketron are both being investigated for allegedly misspending campaign money, according to NewsChannel 5. The Tennessee Registry of Election Finance unanimously voted Wednesday to look into both politicians’ campaign and political action committee accounts. Registry Board Member Tom Lawless told Channel 5 he wanted two things: transparency and integrity. “It’s not something I’m thrilled to ask for by any stretch of the imagination but I think we have to,” he said. “It’s of sufficient import to the folks that put us here and to the taxpayers and to the people elected that we do this.” The state’s election finance registry has had a hard time collecting fines for violating campaign and ethics rules. As The Tennessee Star previously reported, the registry has $1.5 million in outstanding unpaid fines, including fines against Ketron, who already owes $50,000 to the state. Casada, upon learning about the upcoming investigation, issued a statement to The Tennessean. “I am confident that an independent review of my PAC and campaign finances by the registry will make it clear that I have not used any funds inappropriately, and I urge them to…
Read the full storyDay: August 17, 2019
Commentary: Immigration Has Made 14 Million Millennials Homeless
Imagine a homeless man. Does he have a long, frazzled beard and unkempt hair? What do his clothes look like? Probably ratty and full of holes—moth nests in the pockets. Maybe he has a shopping cart full of cans and a mangy dog named “Rusty.”
Read the full storyTennessee Officials Charge Even More People with TennCare Fraud
The number of people state officials have charged with TennCare fraud continues to grow, meaning state taxpayers still subsidize alleged waste, fraud, and abuse out of the program. This, according to two press releases the Tennessee Office of Inspector General released this week. Authorities charged a Wilson County woman with TennCare fraud in both Wilson and Davidson counties because of the woman’s alleged doctor shopping for controlled substances. OIG officials said that woman, Datha Kimberly Robertson, 26, of Lebanon, used TennCare to doctor shop for the painkiller Oxycodone. A Wilson County indictment accuses her of three counts of fraudulently using TennCare to doctor shop. “Upon posting bond, Robertson was arrested for the second time in Davidson County, where she faced an indictment charging her with two counts of TennCare fraud for doctor shopping for the painkiller Hydrocodone; and, one count of obtaining a controlled substance by fraud,” according to the press release. “Authorities say that during a six-week period, Robertson had five visits to a hospital emergency room, doctor’s offices and urgent care. In each of the incidents, she used TennCare to obtain controlled substances, while failing to disclose that she’d received previous similar drugs. The charges in both…
Read the full storySumner County Schools Assistant Director/County Commission Chairman Pushes for a Pay Raise Funded by Property Tax Increase
As Sumner County considers a major property tax increase for the second time in five years, a central figure is pushing for the pay raises that it will pay for.
Read the full storyGoogle Reportedly Blacklists Conservative Websites, Despite Denying It to Marsha Blackburn
Google reportedly blacklists prominent conservative news sites, even though a Google official denied it to U.S. Republican Sen. Marsha Blackburn this summer.
Read the full storyCommentary: Each American Is $240,000 in Debt Because of Excessive Government Spending
As Americans, we are greatly indebted not only to the men and women who have fought and died for our country, but also to the thinkers, statesmen, innovators, and ordinary people who gave us our founding principles.
Read the full storyMaryland to Implement LGBTQ Content in Public Schools’ Curricula
Maryland public school history teachers will add LGBTQ content to high school curricula during the coming years, a lawmaker said.
Read the full storyIRS Analyst Who Allegedly Leaked Michael Cohen’s Bank Records to Avenatti Pleads Guilty
An IRS analyst pleaded guilty Wednesday to leaking former Trump attorney Michael Cohen’s confidential financial records in 2018 to Michael Avenatti, the embattled celebrity lawyer.
Read the full storyNumber of Households on Food Stamps at Nine-Year Low
The number of households receiving federal benefits through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), or food stamps, is at its lowest level in nine years, according to data released by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), which administers the program.
Read the full storyTrump Backs Bid Against New York City Gun Rules at Supreme Court
The Trump administration is backing a coalition of Second Amendment activists challenging New York City’s gun transportation regulations before the Supreme Court.
Read the full storyDayton Shooter Had Drugs in His System When He Murdered 9 People, Coroner Says
The man who shot and killed nine people in Dayton, Ohio, on Aug. 4 had cocaine, alcohol and anti-anxiety medication in his system when he opened fire on a crowded street, according to the Montgomery County coroner.
Read the full storyMovies to Watch This Weekend
Twelve-year-old best friends Max (Jacob Tremblay), Lucas (Keith L. Williams) and Thor (Brady Noon) are getting ready to participate in their first “kissing party,” but the problem is that none of them know how to kiss girls. When they can’t find a way to learn, Max decides to use his father’s drone to spy on teenage girls next door. However, plans don’t go according to plan when he loses the drone. Thus, the group of friends come up with an idea to get the drone back.
Read the full storyMiss Iraq Says Ilhan Omar Exporting ‘Muslim Brotherhood Agenda’ to America
Former Miss Iraq Sarah Idan, who recently immigrated to the U.S. and lives in California, is speaking out against Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN-05).
Read the full storyTennessee Education Association Lost 44 Percent of Members in Past Decade, Expert Says
The Tennessee Education Association has lost 44 percent of its members in the last decade.
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