Day: December 9, 2021

Bristol, Tennessee Preparing to Sue Bristol, Virginia over Stinky Landfill

Eric Burk

The Bristol, Tennessee City Council voted unanimously on Tuesday to move forward with a lawsuit against its neighbor Bristol, Virginia over the Virginia city’s stinky landfill. The motion authorizes law firm Troutman Pepper Hamilton Sanders LLP to issue a notice of intent to sue to potential defendants, which is required at least 60 days before filing the suit. It does not obligate the Tennessee city to pursue legal action or block it from seeking a non-judicial settlement.

“We’ve suffered a lot, all of us. I don’t think there’s anybody in the room or sitting up here that wants to take legal action, but sometimes you have to do what you have to do. So, I just want to tell you that I’m sorry that you’re going through it. I thought many times that maybe we have gotten past it. I thought the last two days I didn’t smell anything, and right when I pulled up today, I smelled it here,” Bristol, Tennessee City Council Member Chad Keen said.

Read the full story

Metro Nashville Public Health Board Members Silent on Woke Meltdown and HR Complaint at MPHD

Chris Butler

No one affiliated with the Metro Nashville Health Department (MPHD) on Thursday wanted to discuss whether and why one employee is reportedly on administrative leave for verbally sparring with Director of Health Equity Stephanie Kang.

Metro Nashville Human Resources Director Shannon Hall said Wednesday that someone filed a complaint with the MPHD Human Resources Department. She did not say whether Kang was the person who filed the complaint.

Sources, however, said Kang lodged her complaint against Brian Todd, the MPHD’s communications director. The two allegedly argued over an email that Kang sent to MPHD employees calling the Kyle Rittenhouse verdict “an injustice.”

Read the full story

Mayor Cooper Announces $20 Million Plan for Second Avenue

Morgan Nicole Veysey

Mayor Cooper announced this week his plans for restoring Second Avenue after last year’s Christmas Day Bombing. In both a statement from his office, and in a live announcement, Cooper said that his plan included a restored tree canopy, better sidewalks, and a nod to local artists. 

In the statement that was shared with The Tennessee Star, Cooper said Nashville Citizens turned a tragedy into an opportunity. “Our community came together, to create a shared vision for the future of our historic downtown. Generations from now, we want our grandchildren and great-grandchildren to look at what we created and say, ‘they did well.’ And that’s a destination we can only reach, all of us, working together.”

Read the full story

Customs and Border Protection Vaccination Rate Increased After Mandate Deadline

Admin

The number of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) employees that are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 rose to 17,192 after the federal mandate deadline, according to a document obtained by the Daily Caller News Foundation.

The DCNF earlier reported that as of Nov. 14, 16,500 border agents were fully vaccinated, and 4,165 border agents were unvaccinated. The federal mandate deadline was Nov. 22.

Read the full story

Congressional Report Details ‘Inhumane’ Conditions of January 6 Inmates

Admin

A new report published by U.S. Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene’s (R-Ga.) office details “atrocious,” “cramped,” and “inhumane” conditions at the Washington, D.C., jail where January 6 defendants are being held ahead of trial. The congressional delegation had been turned away by jail officials in July and again initially in November, before they were given access.

The report, “Unusually Cruel,” was released by Greene’s office on Tuesday. It recounts a three-and-a-half-hour tour on November 4 of two Washington, D.C. jails by Greene along with Rep. Louie Gohmert and members of their staff. The purpose of the visit, according to the report, was to inspect the conditions of jails, “specifically the treatment of inmates held in the [Central Treatment Facility] in relation to the events of January 6, 2001.”

Read the full story

Report: At Least Two Students at Barack Obama Global Prep Academy in Los Angeles Given COVID Jabs Without Their Parents’ Consent

Admin

At least two parents have accused a prep school in South Los Angeles of vaccinating their children without their permission after bribing them with pizza, according to NBC Los Angeles. One distressed mother claimed that her 13-year-old son was told not to tell his parents after he was given a Pfizer COVID-19 injection at Barack Obama Global Prep Academy.

Maribel Duarte told NBC LA on Monday that her son recently came home from school with a vaccine card after he had accepted the jab. The boy told his mom that he agreed to get the shot after he was offered pizza. Duarte said that the woman who administered the shot and signed the form told her son not to tell his parents because she didn’t want to get in trouble.

Read the full story

Mark Meadows Will Sue Pelosi and January 6 Committee

Admin

Mark Meadows, former chief of staff for President Donald Trump, is suing House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and the House committee that is investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol attack.

After choosing not to cooperate with the Jan. 6 investigatory panel, the former North Carolina congressman will likely face contempt charges.

Court records show Meadows will file a civil complaint against the legislators, the Hill reported on Wednesday.

Read the full story

Black Lives Matter Releases Statement Supporting Jussie Smollett During Hate Crime Hoax Trial

Peter D'Abrosca

During former “Empire” star Jussie Smollett’s testimony in his own defense, Black Lives Matter (BLM) released a statement supporting the actor, who stands accused of faking a hate crime against himself.

“In our commitment to abolition, we can never believe police, especially the Chicago Police Department (CPD) over Jussie Smollett, a Black man who has been courageously present, visible, and vocal in the struggle for Black freedom. While policing at-large is an irredeemable institution, CPD is notorious for its long and deep history of corruption, racism, and brutality,” BLM said.

Read the full story

Child Tax Credit Is Driving Americans Toward Entrepreneurship, Has Little Effect on Workforce

Admin

A new study suggests that the child tax credit (CTC) is not reducing overall employment nationwide but is driving some low and middle-income parents away from their private sector jobs and toward self-employment.

The study, led by researchers at the Washington University in St. Louis’ Social Policy Institute and Appalachian State University and provided exclusively to the Daily Caller News Foundation, found that the monthly payments had barely any impact on the job market whatsoever, contradicting concerns that the tax credits would worsen the labor shortage. It also found that adults were far less likely to list child care as a reason for unemployment, with the share of people saying so dropping from 26% to below 20% once they began receiving the payments.

Read the full story

Electric Vehicle Push Is Sparking Massive Deforestation, Environmental Damage

Admin

A major nickel mine in a Philippines rainforest has continued to expand, mowing down acres of trees as global demand for minerals essential for electric vehicle manufacturing surges.

The Rio Tuba mine in the region of Palawan supplies an important mineral for electric vehicle batteries in Tesla and Toyota cars, but the mine is nearing an expansion that would cause it to grow from four square miles to 14 square miles, according to an NBC News investigation. The growth of the mine would cause massive deforestation of the land which environmentalists warn could destroy the area’s ecosystem.

Read the full story

Buckeye Institute Testifies Before Ohio House Committee on Privacy Bill

Peter D'Abrosca

A representative from The Buckeye Institute, a free-market advocacy think-tank, testified before the Ohio House of Representatives’ Government Oversight Committee about a bill that would protect consumer data, protecting Americans’ privacy.

HB 376 says that “a consumer has a right to know the personal data that a business collects about that consumer, such as by obtaining a privacy policy from the business.”

Read the full story

Trump Pick for Arizona Governor: Let Students Sue for Tuition Refunds to End Woke Brainwashing on Campus

Admin

GOP Arizona gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake proposes holding schools and colleges accountable for teaching students critical race theory by allowing parents to file complaints with K-12 schools and giving college students the ability to sue their state universities.

“They shouldn’t be teaching this garbage, where we’re teaching our kids to hate our country,” Lake told the John Solomon Reports podcast on Tuesday’s episode. “We need to have real American history.”

Read the full story

Youngkin Will Pull Virginia Out of Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, Says He Supports All-of-the-Above Energy Policy

Eric Burk

Governor-elect Glenn Youngkin announced that he will use an executive order to pull Virginia from the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), an 11-state cap-and-trade initiative aimed at reducing utility carbon dioxide emissions by requiring utilities to bid for carbon dioxide allowances in state auctions. Youngkin’s commitment is one of his first specific energy and environmental policy statements, but he couched it as part of his broader plan to lower Virginians’ cost of living.

“RGGI will cost ratepayers over the next four years an estimated $1 billion to $1.2 billion dollars,” Youngkin said Wednesday to the Hampton Roads Chamber of Commerce.. “RGGI describes itself as a regional market for carbon, but it is really a carbon tax that is fully passed on to ratepayers. It’s a bad deal for Virginians. It’s a bad deal for Virginia businesses, and as Governor, I will withdraw us from RGGI by Executive Action. I promised to lower the cost of living in Virginia and this is just the beginning.” 

Read the full story

Wisconsin Lawmakers Call on Governor to Remove Milwaukee County District Attorney John Chisholm from Office

Cooper Moran

Republican state lawmakers sent a letter to Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers (D), urging the executive to remove Milwaukee County District Attorney John Chisholm from office.

Chisholm has received harsh backlash for the decision from his office to recommend $1,000 bail for Darrell Brooks. After being released from custody, Brooks plowed his vehicle through a Christmas parade. He killed multiple people and injured dozens more.

Read the full story

Bail Calculation Tool Developed by Left-Wing Billionaire Philanthropist Used in Waukesha

Admin

Billionaire philanthropist John Arnold is one of the creators of a bail calculation tool used in Waukesha, Wisc., the jurisdiction that set Darrell Brooks Jr.’s bail so low that he was able to be leave jail and allegedly plow an SUV into a crowd of Christmas parade-goers, killing six people and injuring several dozen others.

Arnold and his wife, Laura, fund a range of left-leaning social and legal projects, including bail reform, abortion rights, anti-gun work, and single-payer health care. A commentary published in Investor’s Business Daily called them “the mini George Soroses” because of the notable similarities between their political-philanthropic goals and those of the notoriously left-wing philanthropist, according to legalnewswire.com.

Read the full story

Bill Would Stop Income Taxes for Ohio College Grads for Three Years

The Center Square

A lawmaker wants Ohio college graduates to put their degrees to work in the state, and he wants to eliminate state income taxes for three years for those who take a full-time job in Ohio.

Rep. Jon Cross, R-Kenton, also wants more out-of-state students to choose higher education in Ohio by offering 100 merit-based scholarships to the top students in other states.

Read the full story

Minnesota School District Provides Redacted Curriculum to Parents

Admin

Parents in a Minnesota school district asked to see what their children are being taught. The district effectively refused to show them.

A group of Owatonna parents called the United Patriots for Accountability filed a data request (Minnesota’s version of a FOIA), seeking mentions of certain key words related to critical race theory in school district documents. Critical race theory is a leftist means of analyzing the world through a racial lens, attempting to understand the features of modern society as an outgrowth of underlying racial dynamics like racism. Conservatives generally feel that history and civics should not be taught from this perspective in public schools.

Read the full story

Ohio Legislature Passes Pro-Life Bill, Measure Could Force Abortion Clinics to Close

Cooper Moran

The Ohio House of Representatives on Wednesday approved a pro-life bill that prevents doctors who work for state-funded hospitals and medical schools from contracting with abortion clinics.

The Born Alive Infant Protection Act, sponsored by Senators Terry Johnson (R-McDermott) and Steve Huffman (R-Tipp City), would also require doctors to conduct medical treatment on babies that survive failed abortions.

Read the full story

Three Newspapers Sue Michigan Redistricting Committee over Hidden Memos

The Center Square

Several newspapers sued the Michigan Independent Citizen’s Redistricting Committee (MICRC), alleging the MICRC violated the state’s Constitution by hiding two memos from the public.

The Detroit News, Bridge Magazine, and the Detroit Free Press filed the suit in the Michigan Supreme Court on Tuesday. The plaintiffs seek to obtain two memos discussed in an Oct. 27 closed-door meeting.

Read the full story

Republican Legislators Introduce Accountability Bills for Arizona’s School Boards

Peter D'Abrosca

A Republican State Senator wants partisan school board elections in Arizona, which she says will encourage accountability. 

“It’s more to make a statement about the process,” State Sen. Michelle Ugenti-Rita (R-Scottsdale) told The Arizona Sun Times. “Right now the process for electing school boards lacks in the accountability and transparency department. Candidates don’t have to be accountable to a party. Voters don’t have a clear understanding of the political lens these candidates are going to be basing decisions on.”

Read the full story

Nashville Public School Teachers and Amazon Partner to Generate Ideas for Schooling Changes

Bradley Vasoli

The Nashville Public Education Foundation (NPEF), a Vanderbilt University-based schooling-policy nonprofit, this week announced the creation of its first twelve-member “Teacherpreneur cohort” to consider solutions to what the organization sees as major challenges in education. 

NPEF—which aligns itself with progressive causes like “culturally relevant curricula,” higher teacher pay and increased public-school funding—is creating its new program with financial support from the ubiquitous online merchant Amazon, which also owns the information-technology-platform company Amazon Web Services (AWS).

Read the full story