Staff Sgt. Celia Riffey from Sevierville Makes History as First Female to Win Tennessee National Guard Shooting Competition

Staff Sgt. Celia Riffey, a military police Soldier with the 252nd Military Police Company and native of Sevierville, became the first female in Tennessee history to ever place first at the Tennessee National Guard’s annual Adjutant General Rifle Match, the Tennessee Department of Military announced Thursday in a press release.

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Nashville-Based Jason Whitlock of ‘The Blaze’ Blasts Barack Obama and BLM in Wake of Texas Tragedy

In an op-ed titled, “Barack Obama, BLM, and the summer of George Floyd contributed to ‘Uvalde massacre,'” Jason Whitlock of The Blaze said, “As Barack Obama pretends to grieve for the children in Texas, he should make time to recognize that America’s emotional and immature reaction to George Floyd contributed to the slaughter of 19 little kids.”

Whitlock is the host of the program, Fearless with Jason Whitlock, based out of the Nashville area.

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Catholic Cultural Watchdog Group: Five Reasons We Have Mass Shootings

The president of a Catholic organization that keeps watch on the national culture writes in the wake of the Uvalde school massacre such mass shootings are likely to continue largely because the race and gun-obsessed establishment media are so politically entrenched they “are looking in all the wrong places” for potential remedies for the real causes of these tragedies.

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Qcells Is Expanding in Dalton, Georgia with Solar Panel Manufacturing Plant, Expected to Bring 470 New Jobs

Qcells, one of the world’s leading clean energy companies, announced Thursday that the company is building a new solar panel manufacturing facility located in Dalton, Georgia. The new facility will produce 1.4 gigawatts of solar modules per year made with Qcells’ next generation photovoltaic cells, a high efficiency tunnel oxide passivated contact technology, better known as TOPCon, according to the company.

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Rep. John Rose Leads Bipartisan Letter Defending Farmers Against New Environmental, Social, and Governance Investment Regulations

U.S. Representative John Rose (R-TN-06) led a bi-partisan letter to Securities and Exchange Commission Chair (SEC) Gary Gensler defending America’s farmers against a proposed new Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) regulation.

In March, the SEC proposed a new ESG rule that would require public companies to include “climate-related” disclosures in their registration statements and periodic reports.

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Minnesota Gov. Walz Policies Prevented Landlords from Evicting Tenants Who Piled Feces in Home

Some Minnesota landlords are blasting Gov. Tim Walz and his eviction moratorium for costing them more than $100,000 to repair the mess some tenants left behind.

They are sending a message in hopes it will help others speak up after a tenant went 18 months without paying rent or utilities before they were forced to hire an attorney to get her to leave.

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Kemp Extends Gas Tax Holiday as Prices Continue to Rise

Georgia’s governor Thursday extended the state’s gas tax holiday amid record-high prices at the pump.

“While President Biden continues to enforce an out-of-touch agenda with damaging effects, we’re responding to record-high inflation and addressing supply chain issues by empowering Georgians to keep their money in their own pockets and keep goods flowing,” Gov. Brian Kemp said on Twitter.

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Pennsylvania House Republicans Defeat ‘Assault Weapons’ Ban

Republicans in Pennsylvania’s House of Representatives this week defeated Democrats’ attempt to pass legislation prohibiting the sale of what they term “assault weapons.”

The bill was introduced last year by then-state Rep. Ed Gainey (D-Pittsburgh) who left his seat earlier this year to become mayor of Pittsburgh. It never received a vote of the House Judiciary Committee, so Democrats moved to suspend House floor rules and record a vote of the full chamber. The legislation failed by a vote of 111 to 87.

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Florida Senator Rick Scott Offers Support for Federal Red Flag Law

Amid a debate by elected leaders on how to respond to the mass shooting in Uvalde, Texas, Florida Senator Rick Scott (R-Fla.) has indicated he would support a federal “red flag” law.

Axios reported that Scott said he was “OK with supporting a federal red flag law but added that generally such laws should be up to the states.”

Scott supported “red flag” legislation in Florida in the wake of the Parkland shooting which resulted in the death of 17 students at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School when he signed the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Act into law in 2018.

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Sen. Petersen Opposes Washington Commanders Stadium Deal Amid Concerns over Dropping ‘Redskins’ Name

Senator Chap Petersen (D-Fairfax City) is opposed to efforts to bring the Washington Commanders football team to Virginia, in part due to concerns over the team’s recent name change.

“I have two concerns. One is that the development is too far removed from an urban setting, unlike Nats Park at The Navy Yard, which will make it solely dependent on vehicle traffic for access. More importantly, I don’t have confidence in The Washington Commanders as a viable NFL franchise,” Petersen said in Wednesday press release.

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Cook Political Report Gives GOP Heightened Chance of Gaining Two Connecticut Congressional Seats

The nonpartisan Cook Political Report updated its analysis of congressional races this week to indicate 10 contests have a heightened chance of favoring Republicans, including two races in Connecticut.

Cook previously deemed Connecticut’s Second Congressional District, now held by Democrat Joe Courtney, “Solid D[emocratic]”; the journal now considers the district “Likely D.” And the state’s Fifth Congressional District, represented by Jahana Hayes, was moved from “Likely D” to “Lean D.”

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Arizona House Democrats Call for Action on Gun Measures After Uvalde Shooting

Arizona’s House Democrats called for action on specific bills they have sponsored that remain in limbo in the state legislature. 

“House Democrats called on Republican Leaders to finally show the courage to make our communities safer,” a Thursday press release said. “In the wake of the violent massacres in Buffalo, New York, and Uvalde, Texas Democrats again called for action on nearly a dozen common-sense gun violence prevention bills that have gotten a hearing this session or for the past several years.”

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Ohio House Passes Resolution Calling for Only Citizens to Vote

Ohio voters moved a step closer to deciding if noncitizens can vote in local elections after the House on Wednesday approved a proposed constitutional amendment that would put the issue on the November ballot.

Supporters said House Joint Resolution 4 would close a loophole that could allow noncitizens to vote on local candidates and tax issues in cities and villages. If it passes the Senate, it could appear before voters in November.

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Wisconsin Republicans Refuse to Endorse a Candidate for Governor During Convention Amid Growing Criticism of GOP Establishment

During their annual convention on Saturday, Wisconsin Republicans for the first time rejected a long-standing tradition to endorse a candidate in the primary race for governor. A candidate in Wisconsin needs 60 percent of the vote to win the party’s endorsement. The exercise is meant to signal to voters which candidates are most competitive, and determine which candidate will receive party funds for the rest of the primary and general election.

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Whitmer Issues Abortion-Related Directive to Michigan Agencies, Departments

An executive directive issued by Michigan Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer aims to eliminate any state department and agency barriers to contraception and abortion.  

The directive instructs all “State of Michigan departments and agencies to review aspects of reproductive health care that fall within their jurisdiction and identify and assess potential opportunities to increase protections for reproductive health care, such as contraception, long-acting reversible contraception, and emergency contraception,” according to a release issued Wednesday morning by the governor’s office. 

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Georgia Attorney General Signals Possible Withdrawal from National Association of Attorneys General in Letter

In a move signaling that he is considering withdrawal, Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr wrote the National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG) a letter informing them of his refusal to pay the invoice for membership dues and questioning the organization for its lack of bipartisanship. 

In his letter, Carr said, “This Office received the above-referenced invoice for dues in the total amount of $95,365.00. In light of the outstanding questions posed by a number of Attorneys General regarding the operations of the National Association of Attorneys General (“NAAG”) as well as the recent withdrawal of several Attorneys General from NAAG membership, this Office has determined not to make payment of the invoice at this time.”

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11 Substantial Election Integrity Bills Were Signed into Law Last Year in Arizona; So Far This Year, Only One

A couple of Republican legislators have been holding up election integrity bills from passing this year, but there was plenty of groundwork made last year. The Arizona Legislature pushed hard to get 11 of these bills passed in 2021, in large part due to concern there was fraud in the 2020 presidential election. So far this year, Gov. Doug Ducey has only signed one election integrity bill into law. 

Along with a list of last year’s successful bills provided to Republican Briefs, State Sen. Vince Leach (R-Tucson) said, “For those of you who think that our legislature did nothing for election security, here are the actual bills passed this [past] session. … The rest will have to wait until we have a larger majority.”

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Arizona Senate Fails to Pass Ballot Box Ban, Among Other Election Integrity Bills

A number of election integrity bills addressing ballot boxes and ballot harvesting failed to pass the Senate on Monday.

“If you think it’s a problem. If you think ballot boxes contribute to ballot harvesting and can be manipulated, you would ban them. Not require that we tape them. It’s too late at that point,” said State Senator Michelle Ugenti-Rita (R-Scottsdale) while explaining her floor amendment to HB 2238.

According to HB 2238, sponsored by State Representative Jake Hoffman (R-Phoenix), “a county recorder or other officer in charge of elections may not use an unmonitored drop box for receipt of voted early ballots.”

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Nonprofit for Special Needs Kids Jill’s House Receives Spirit of Virginia Award

Jill’s House, a non-proft that provides overnight care with fun activities for special needs children, received the Spirit of Virginia award from First Lady Suzanne Youngkin on Thursday.

Youngkin said in a press release, “Jill’s House’s mission is near to the Governor and my hearts. For a dozen years, Jill’s House has served not only some of our most precious children – those with developmental and intellectual disabilities – but also these children’s entire family units. With an eye to bettering lives, Jill’s House caregivers truly embody the sweet Spirit of Virginia.”

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Virginia Receives $384,736 as Part of $19.2 Million Settlement with Ford over Deceptive Marketing

Virginia will receive $384,736.40 as its share of a multi-state $19.2 million settlement with Ford over false advertising of fuel economy of 2013–2014 C-Max hybrid cars and the capacity of 2011–2014 Super Duty pickup trucks.

“Virginians should be able to trust car manufacturers’ information as advertised about their vehicles,” Attorney General Jason Miyares said in a Tuesday press release. “Ford exaggerated the C-Max hybrids’ fuel efficiency and Super Duty trucks’ payload capacity, misleading Virginia consumers. A key component of my office is protecting Virginia consumers, and I’m pleased we were able to reach a fair agreement with Ford.”

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Michigan Board of Canvassers Deadlocks, Blocking 5 GOP Gov Candidates from Ballot

The Michigan Board of Canvassers deadlocked on a 2-2 vote, blocking five GOP candidates from the Aug. 2, 2022 ballot, unless a court intervenes on their behalf.

The four-person bipartisan panel met to discuss the Bureau of Elections report that recommended disqualifying five candidates who apparently didn’t meet the 15,000 valid signature threshold because of 30 petitioners who allegedly submitted 68,000 fraudulent signatures.

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FBI Reveals How Many Active Shooters Were Stopped by Citizens

The FBI announced Monday that citizens stopped six active shooters in 2021, according to a report on active shooting incidents.

Citizens stopped six active shooters, whom the FBI defines as “one or more individuals actively engaged in killing or attempting to kill people in a populated area,” in 2021, killing four of them, according to the report, “Active Shooter Incidents In The United States In 2021.” There were 61 active shooter incidents in 2021, 12 of which met the FBI’s criteria for a “mass killing,” up from 40 the previous year.

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Music Spotlight: Alyssa Jacey

I keep writing my Music Spotlight column because of the stories. And while we all appreciate the music that these singer/songwriters bring to us, it is the stories of these tireless individuals that keep me coming back to my computer to share what I have learned with my readers.

For the first 25 years of her life, San Diego native Alyssa Jacey trained to be a dancer. She took her first dance class at age 4. She started in ballet and later added tap and jazz. Hip-hop was the craze, and that’s what the young performer aspired to be: a hip-hop dancer. She began competitive dancing with a troupe and performed all over the west coast.

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Little Support for ‘Grandstanding’ Dem TN State Rep’s Call for Special Session to Push Gun Control

Tennessee Speaker of the House Cameron Sexton threw cold water on “grandstanding” State Representative John Ray Clemmons’ (D-West Nashville) call for a special session to push gun control in Tennessee, demonstrating that there is little support for the idea.

In a press conference that NewsChannel5 reported on, Clemmons said, “Let’s pass mental health care laws. Let’s repeal bad laws that have facilitated this. Let’s use the indicators we see in domestic violence to limit people’s access to firearms. Let’s repeal the open carry law and guns in trunk law. Let’s take legislative action now. Not later, now. Not after another shooting, not after more deaths. Now.”

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