Star News Network Chief Meteorologist Daphne DeLoren shares her forecast for Tuesday, June 07
Read the full storyYour Middle Tennessee Fresh Forecast with Chief Meteorologist Daphne DeLoren for June 07
Day: June 7, 2022
Gov. Lee Signs Executive Order Addressing School Safety
Tennessee’s governor Monday signed an executive order meant to enhance school safety in the wake of a mass shooting at a high school in Uvalde, Texas.
“Parents need to have full confidence that their children are safe at school, and thankfully, Tennessee has built a firm foundation with our practical approach to securing schools, recognizing crisis and providing confidential reporting of any suspicious activity,” said Gov. Bill Lee (R) in press release. “This order strengthens accountability and transparency around existing school safety planning and assures Tennessee parents that our efforts to protect students and teachers will continue.”
Read the full storyState of Tennessee Files Petition Asking Appeals Court to Vacate Lower Court Decision Putting Starbuck Back on TN-5 GOP Primary Ballot
The state of Tennessee filed a petition asking the Court of Appeals of Tennessee at Nashville to vacate Davidson County Chancery Court Judge Russell Perkins’ order putting Robby Starbuck on the August 4 Republican primary ballot.
Read the full storyTVA Board Member Harwell Legally Barred from Speaking Out About Woke ‘Pride Month’ Tweets
TVA board members are not legally allowed to comment on the organization’s woke tweets, a representative from the Harwell campaign told The Tennessee Star.
TN-5 candidate and Trump-appointee to the Tennessee Valley Authority board Beth Harwell “could not comment on the federal agency’s woke tweets due to legal restrictions placed on her due to her status as an appointee,” said the campaign representative.
Read the full storyMichael Bloomberg Blames Teachers’ Unions for Keeping Money Flowing to Traditional Government Schools and Away from Charter Schools
Former Democrat New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg says teachers’ unions were responsible for keeping schools locked down during the pandemic, a move that has enabled a mass exodus of students from traditional government schools throughout the country.
Given the generally poor academic achievement of America’s students, the steep drop in enrollment means states are now paying more to educate fewer children, and, “paying more for failure,” he asserts.
Read the full storyU.S. Representative Tim Burchett Talks Making Schools Safer for Our Children
U.S. Representative Tim Burchett (R-TN-2) went on Fox Business to talk how to make schools safer for our children.
“We’re trying to treat the symptoms and not the cause. The cause is obviously mental health,” he said.
Read the full storyU.S. Senator Tim Scott to Headline Williamson GOP Reagan Day Dinner
U.S. Senator Tim Scott (R-SC) is scheduled to headline the Williamson County Republican Party’s Reagan Dinner and Dance on Saturday, July 16.
The event is scheduled to take place at the Marriott Cool Springs Blvd. located at 700 Cool Springs Blvd, Franklin, TN 37067.
Read the full storyCommentary: Gun Violence Is the Penalty for Our Failure to Uphold a Moral, Functioning Society
In the wake of recent mass shootings in New York, Texas, and Oklahoma, Democrats are once again sending Americans up a blind alley. Their “solution” is to punish millions of law-abiding gun owners for the crimes of a few evil maniacs. Undeniably, there is a certain appeal to this response. Gun control is a facile “fix” to a complex problem.
Americans have owned guns since the founding, but it wasn’t until comparatively recently that mass shootings became a concern. Guns are not the problem. Our culture is. Broken cultures produce broken human beings. For every school shooter, there are thousands of other weak, confused, mentally disturbed men who are drifting away from society. They aren’t dating, aren’t working, and they spend most of their time in their bedrooms playing video games, smoking weed, watching pornography, and stewing in social media echo chambers.
Read the full storyBarnette Hints at Potential Endorsement of Pennsylvania GOP Senate Nominee Oz
Kathy Barnette, a Republican former U.S. Senate candidate from Pennsylvania, hinted on Monday at possibly supporting primary winner Mehmet Oz, something she previously refused to do.
An Army Reserve veteran, political commentator and former adjunct finance professor who lives in Huntingdon Valley — a Montgomery County town neighboring Bryn Athyn where Oz lives — Barnette earlier balked at voting for the celebrity surgeon. On Primary Election Day, May 17, the eventual third-place finisher declared she had “no intentions of supporting globalists,” referring to Oz and fellow top-tier candidate Dave McCormick.
Read the full storyOhio House Passes Bill Banning Transgender Players in Sports
The Ohio State House last week passed a bill that would ban transgender athletes from participating.
“The Save Women’s Sports Act is a fairness issue for women. Across our country, female athletes are currently losing championships, scholarship opportunities, medals, education and training opportunities, and more to discriminatory policies that allow biological males to compete in girls’ sports,” Powell said.
Read the full storyArizona GOP Chair Kelli Ward Responds to Judge Upholding Mail-In Ballots
A Superior Court Judge in Mohave County blocked a request from the Arizona Republican Party (AZGOP) today to block most mail-in ballots for the 2022 election.
“Is the Arizona legislature prohibited by the Arizona Constitution from enacting voting laws that include no-excuse mail-in voting? The answer is no,” said Judge Lee F. Jantzen in his ruling.
Read the full storyHartford Courant: Television News ‘Fixture’ Connecticut Sen. Richard Blumenthal’s Popularity Fades
The Hartford Courant has reported recent polling shows the popularity of Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) – described as a “fixture” on television news programs – appears to be fading.
A recent Quinnipiac University poll showed Blumenthal, 76, with his lowest job approval rating, 45-43 percent, since being elected to the U.S. Senate nearly 12 years ago.
Read the full storyWisconsin Election Commission: Local Election Managers Don’t Have to Respond to Voter Roll Questions
Wisconsin’s election managers are telling local clerks that they may ignore questions about their voter rolls if they’d like.
The Wisconsin Elections Commission last week sent a letter to all 1,850 municipal clerks plus the city of Milwaukee’s Election Commission and Milwaukee County’s Election Commission explaining that they have discretion in responding to outside requests for voter registration information.
Read the full storyCity of Dearborn Facing $22 Million Deficit
The city of Dearborn plans to restructure health care benefits and cut spending as it faces a $22 million deficit equivalent to firing 349 full-time employees.
The Metro Detroit city cited rising costs for the deficit, including $3.2 million in wage and benefit increases, $2.7 million for deferred fleet maintenance, and $1.2 million for increased fuel and other supplies.
However, budget details note the city has consistently spent more than it collected in revenue.
Dearborn Mayor Abdullah Hammoud told residents at a public meeting last week: “You are not going to lose benefits,” Fox2 reported. “At no point in time will the rug ever be pulled away from them, we never want to do that.”
Read the full storyKemp Takes Aim on Key 2022 Issues: Abrams Lied About Election Integrity, Supports the Defund the Police Movement, and Wants to Raise Taxes on Georgia Families
Governor Brian Kemp took to Twitter on Sunday to follow-up critiques of his Democrat gubernatorial opponent, Stacey Abrams, on vital 2022 political issues.
“Stacey Abrams lied about election integrity, supports the Defund the Police movement, and wants to raise taxes on Georgia families as they fight Bidenflation. I’ll keep fighting to ensure Georgia continues to be the greatest state in the country to live, work, and raise a family,” said Governor Kemp on Sunday.
Read the full storyLGBTQ+ Pride Night Backfires on Tampa Bay Rays
The Tampa Bay Rays’ LGBTQ Pride Night recently made headlines due to players choosing not to participate in the event. The promotional event featured rainbow-colored logos added to the teams’ jerseys and caps. In addition, the Rays organization included members of the LGBTQ+ community in pregame events, gave out mini pride flags and offered special ticket packages.
“Our Pride Nights continue to grow both in terms of visibility and participation,” Rays president Matt Silverman said. “By doing this, we extend an invitation not just for this game but for all of our games that the LGBTQ+ community is invited, welcomed and celebrated.”
However, players were given the option to opt out and five decided not to participate by removing the logo and wearing a standard hat. Those who did not participate included pitchers Jason Adam, Jalen Beeks, Brooks Raley, Jeffrey Springs and Ryan Thompson.
Adam appeared to be the spokesperson for the group who provided a statement to the Tampa Bay Times after the game.
Read the full storyVirginia U.S. Rep. Beyer Drafting Legislation for 1,000 Percent Tax on Assault Weapons
Representative Don Beyer (D-VA-08) has a potential work-around to the Senate filibuster that blocks Democrats from significant gun control reform: he’s drafting legislation to enact a 1,000 percent tax on assault weapons, first reported by Business Insider.
“What it’s intended to do is provide another creative pathway to actually make some sensible gun control happen,” Beyer said, according to Insider.
Read the full storyMinnesota Golf Club Pays Damages After Canceling Conservative Event
A Rochester country club reimbursed the Center of the American Experiment $5,300 last week to settle a lawsuit after abruptly canceling the group’s public safety event in March.
American Experiment filed a lawsuit in Olmsted County District Court accusing Rochester Golf and Country Club of a breach of contract after “leftist activists” pressured the venue with an online petition signed by 90 people. The center said it was only given a two-day notice of the cancellation.
The think tank said around 50 attendees were “left standing in the parking lot … because of the last-minute arbitrary cancellation.”
Read the full storyDucey Orders Flags Fly at Half-Staff to Honor a Fallen Police Officer
Arizona Governor Doug Ducey (R) ordered flags at half-staff Monday to honor the loss of White Mountain Apache Police Officer Adrian Lopez.
“This is a heartbreaking loss. Officer Adrian Lopez served with the White Mountain Apache Police Department for just five months when he lost his life in the line of duty,” Ducey said in a statement. “There is no greater act of selflessness than for one to lay down his life for another. Officer Lopez will be remembered as a selfless and brave protector. This is a sobering reminder of the danger our law enforcement officers face every day to keep others safe. Acts of violence and lawlessness against our law enforcement is unacceptable. In this time of mourning, our prayers are with Officer Lopez’s wife, child and loved ones as well as the White Mountain Apache Tribe.”
Read the full storyDespite Record High for State, Georgia’s Gas Prices Lowest in Nation
Georgia’s record-high gas prices are lowest nationwide, according to the American Automobile Association (AAA).
The average price for a gallon of gasoline in Georgia Monday was $4.29, matching a record high set on March 11. That figure is the lowest in the nation, as the average price for a gallon of gas in the United States Monday was $4.86.
Read the full storyGlockStore Founder and CEO Lenny Magill Talks Gun Safety, Training
Monday morning on The Tennessee Star Report, host Leahy welcomed the Founder and CEO of the Glock Store, Lenny Magill in studio to discuss the Glock Store’s philosophy to gun handling and training as open house event starts June 11th from 10 am to 4 pm.
Read the full storyThe GlockStore-Nashville Touts Unique Training and Open House, Saturday June 11
Monday morning on The Tennessee Star Report, host Leahy welcomed the Founder and CEO of the Glock Store, Lenny Magill in studio to talk about the business-friendly climate in Tennessee and the unique 270 shooting at his facility in Nashville.
Read the full storyCourt Rules Goldman Doesn’t Have Standing in Lawsuit to Force 2022 House Elections
A three-judge U.S. District Court panel has dismissed with prejudice Paul Goldman’s lawsuit to force new House of Delegates elections in 2022. The Office of the Attorney General had argued that Goldman does not have standing, and the court agreed.
2020 U.S. Census data was delayed, delaying redistricting and forcing 2021 House elections to be held on old lines. Before the election in September 2021, Goldman sued, arguing that population shifts meant that some people would be under-represented, and argued for holding House elections again in 2022. Goldman didn’t gain much outside support and faced opposition from both former Attorney General Mark Herring and current Attorney General Jason Miyares.
Read the full storyCommentary: BlackRock’s Stakeholder Capitalism for Thee, Not for Me
Blackrock has gone from being known as the largest asset manager in the world to being known as the investment company that pushes a social agenda on the companies it invests in. From cajoling corporate America into signing the manifesto of stakeholder capitalism, the Business Roundtable Statement on Corporate Responsibility, to putting anti-oil board members on the board of oil companies, Blackrock has developed a reputation, at least among conservatives, as a company that is imposing CEO Larry Fink’s social agenda on American capitalism.
In fact, the reputational issue is so prevalent that Fink spent much of the recent annual report rebutting it, arguing that what he is practicing is simply capitalism and that the imposition of climate change minimization measures and other ESG issues relevant to stakeholders is simply capitalism. The standard arguments here are that practicing ESG is not politics but rather risk management. Typically ESG proposals talk about reputational risk or the risk that at some point in the future governments will embrace the values expressed in ESG circles and impose them involuntarily on businesses. In such cases, for example, fossil fuel companies will be stuck with “stranded assets”, i.e. oil and gas wells rendered worthless by the coming age of enlightened energy regulation.
Read the full storyDeSantis Restores Funding for Rogue School Districts
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) restored the standard amount of funding for 12 school districts who defied state law and imposed mask mandates during the last school year. The districts were previously ineligible for approximately $200 million across all 12 districts.
Read the full storySoutheastern Legal Foundation’s Braden Boucek on Status of ESA Offering Educational Options to Davidson, Shelby County Families
Monday morning on The Tennessee Star Report, host Leahy welcomed Southeastern Legal Foundation’s Director of Litigation Braden Boucek to the newsmaker line to explain how the educational savings account works and updates on pending litigation that proves the state is not interested in letting parents control their children’s education.
Read the full storyIRS Warns Taxpayers of Potential Scams in New ‘Dirty Dozen’ List
The Internal Revenue Service is warning taxpayers of several tax scams.
The scams cover four transactions involving charitable remainder annuity trusts, Maltese individual retirement arrangements, foreign captive insurance, and monetized installment sales.
Read the full storySeventy Georgia Churches Split from Methodist Church over LGBTQ Stance
Last week, at least 70 churches in the state of Georgia announced their intentions to split from the United Methodist Church (UMC) over the church’s stance on the LGBTQ community.
Fox News reports that the split marks one of the biggest fractures in recent memory for the UMC, which is the third-largest Protestant denomination in the country. Last Thursday, the North Georgia Conference voted to allow the churches in question to disaffiliate from the broader church. The departing churches will be following the disaffiliation process that was first laid out in 2019 by the UMC’s General Conference, rules that are in effect until the next conference in 2023.
Read the full storySchools See Rise in Students Seeking Mental Health Assistance After COVID
Over three-fourths of American public schools have reported a rise in the number of students seeking mental health assistance in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic.
As reported by Fox News, the data was released on Tuesday by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), which operates under the guidance of the Department of Education’s Institute of Education Sciences (IES). The report shows that 76 percent of public schools saw staff express concerns about the mental health of their students, including depression, anxiety, and trauma since the coronavirus pandemic began in early 2020.
Read the full storyYellen to Testify on Biden Budget After Admitting She Was Wrong on Inflation
U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen will testify before the Senate Finance Committee Tuesday, just days after she admitted she was wrong about inflation earlier in President Joe Biden’s term.
The hearing, which is on “the president’s fiscal year 2023 budget” will only feature testimony from Yellen, according to the committee’s website.
Biden’s budget likely will be under extra scrutiny as gas prices continue to hit record highs and inflation rises at the fastest level in decades.
Read the full storyReport: The New Head of Black Lives Matter Has Filed for Bankruptcy Three Times
The new executive for the national Black Lives Matter (BLM) group has reportedly filed for personal bankruptcy on three separate occasions, raising further questions about the charity’s finances under heavy scrutiny, according to the New York Post.
Cicley Gay, 44, was named chair of the Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation in April after joining the board of directors and has worked in the nonprofit field for over 20 years, according to her LinkedIn. She filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy as recently as 2016, and also in 2013 and 2005, according to federal court records first reported on by the Post.
Read the full storySecond Amendment Foundation Sues over Washington’s High-Capacity Magazine Ban
The Bellevue-based Second Amendment Foundation on Friday filed a federal lawsuit against Washington State Attorney General Bob Ferguson and several other officials, challenging the state’s ban on large-capacity magazines for handguns and rifles.
Senate Bill 5078 prohibits the sale of gun magazines with a capacity of more than 10 rounds, along with the manufacturing, distribution or import of such magazines in Washington.
Read the full storyWhite House Unveils Nancy Reagan Stamp, ‘Important Part of One of the Most Pivotal Presidencies’
Acommemorative postage stamp of former first lady Nancy Reagan was unveiled Monday in a White House ceremony attended by surviving family, historians and first lady Jill Biden who remarked of the portrait-size image on display, “Isn’t this stamp just beautiful.”
When the stamp officially goes on sale next month, Reagan becomes the sixth first lady to have one created in her likeness, following Eleanor Roosevelt, Martha Washington, Abigail Adams, Dolley Madison and Lady Bird Johnson.
Read the full storyState Treasurers in Massachusetts, Nevada Want to Ditch Gun Company Investments
State Treasurers in Massachusetts and Nevada have announced their intentions to divest millions of dollars in state funds from investing in gun manufacturers and other firearms-related businesses.
As reported by Newsweek, the two statewide officials, both Democrats, made their plans clear on Thursday, seeking public support for their decisions. In Nevada, Zach Conine (D-Nev.) released a video statement explained his reasoning for seeking to cut ties between companies that produce “assault-style weapons” and the $47 billion in state funds that his office oversees.
Read the full storyCommentary: Fake Goods Fund Real Crime
Illicit trade has increased significantly over the last several years, fueled in part by the growth in internet sales and the COVID-19 pandemic. While this criminal activity is happening in communities throughout the United States, the money often flows to dangerous organizations based overseas. Combating this issue is complex, but today we see a growing willingness to combine forces to help fight this danger.
Two years ago, pandemic-related shortages in health care supplies created an ideal environment for counterfeiters and other criminals. Front line health care workers needed personal protective equipment and were too often getting swindled or receiving fraudulent products that could put them at risk. This even extended to medicines and pharmaceuticals.
Read the full storyAttorney Michael Avenatti Sentenced to Four Years in Prison for Swindling Client Stormy Daniels
Attorney Michael Avenatti was sentenced Thursday to four years in prison for defrauding ex-porn star Stormy Daniels, a former client whose legal wrangling with then-President Trump made Avenatti a popular albeit brief cable news celebrity for bashing Trump.
Read the full story