Month: June 2022

Parents Flee the Public School System as Charter Schools See Surge in Enrollment

Admin

Enrollment in New York City schools is dropping while charter schools are seeing a growth in the number of students, according to a report published Wednesday by the Manhattan Institute.

Throughout all New York City schools enrollment declined with 80,707 fewer students enrolled in grades K-12 in the most recent academic year than in the 2019–20 academic year, the report said. The drop has been most pronounced in schools operated by the New York City Department of Education (NYDOE), where enrollment is down by 83,656 students, the largest drop the NYDOE has seen.

Read the full story

Arizona to Spend $76.5 Million in Electric Vehicle Charging Stations on Highways

The Center Square

The Arizona Department of Transportation plans to invest in electric vehicle charging stations in the coming years.

The state is set to receive $76.5 million in federal dollars through the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Formula Program over the next five years. This will allow the department to establish publicly accessible EV charging stations along Arizona’s federal interstate highways. 

Read the full story

17 States File Legal Brief in Support of Florida Law Banning Sanctuary Cities

The Center Square

Seventeen Republican attorneys general have filed an amicus brief with the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals in support of a Florida law banning sanctuary cities.

The brief was filed by the attorneys general of Alabama and Georgia, Steve Marshall and Christopher Carr. Joining them were the attorneys general of Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas, Utah and West Virginia.

Read the full story

Ohio’s Largest City Limits Use of Force for Police Dealing with Protesters

The Center Square

Nearly two years after protests filled the streets of downtown Columbus, the state’s largest city took steps to demilitarize its police force Monday by limiting certain weapons and equipment that can be used during peaceful protests.

The Columbus City Council unanimously approved a new ordinance that limits police from using tear gas, wooden or rubber bullets, batons, flash-bang grenades and other items on nonviolent protesters on streets and sidewalks.

Read the full story

‘Obstructing Justice’: Report Reveals How Many Millions Soros Has Spent Getting Left-Wing Prosecutors into Office

Admin

Billionaire George Soros spent a staggering $40 million through “shell organizations, affiliates, and pass through committees” in the last decade to aid in electing 75 “social justice” prosecutors in half of the 50 most-populous cities in the U.S., according to a new report.

The 17-page report, compiled by the nonprofit Law Enforcement Legal Defense Fund (LELDF), says the billionaire steers money to candidates and his “robust support network” to get left-wing prosecutors elected. The 75 prosecutors, which include those in Dallas, San Antonio, New York City, Austin, Los Angeles, Philadelphia and more, represent over one-in-five people, or more than 72 million Americans, according to the report.

Read the full story

Far-Left San Francisco District Attorney Recalled in Landslide

Admin

With seven states holding their primaries on Tuesday, perhaps the biggest upset came out of San Francisco, California, where incumbent District Attorney Chesa Boudin (D-Calif.) was successfully recalled in a landslide.

As reported by Axios, Boudin’s recall could mark a significant turning point in the rise of progressive prosecutors getting elected to district attorney positions all across the country, often with the backing of far-left billionaire George Soros. Boudin, like other far-left district attorneys, was accused of being soft on crime since he took office in 2020. His tenure was marked by a spike in crime throughout San Francisco, particularly brazen robberies of various convenience stores in broad daylight, as well as assaults, an increase in public drug use, and a rise in homelessness.

Read the full story

Tennessee Supreme Court Assumes Jurisdiction of Republican Party Appeal of Ruling Placing Starbuck on the TN-5 GOP Primary Ballot

Aaron Gulbransen

The Tennessee Supreme Court has assumed jurisdiction of the Tennessee Republican Party’s appeal of Davidson County Chancery Court Judge Russell Perkins’ ruling ordering disqualified TN-5 candidate Robby Starbuck on the August 4 Republican primary ballot.

The Court assumed jurisdiction over the objections of Starbuck’s legal team, who argued in a brief that their involvement was not warranted. Clearly, the Court disagreed.

Read the full story

Democrat Judge Favors Carpetbagger Starbuck, Denies Carpetbagger Ortagus’ Request to Be Placed on TN-5 Ballot

Aaron Gulbransen

Elected Democrat Chancery Court Judge Russell Perkins, who ordered Robby Starbuck to be placed on the TN-5 Republican primary ballot, denied disqualified candidate and fellow carpetbagger Morgan Ortagus’ motion to be enjoined to his order and be placed on the ballot.

According to court documents, Ortagus filed a motion to be enjoined to Starbuck’s ruling on Tuesday. Her request was promptly denied by Judge Perkins on the same day.

Perkins cited two reasons for his denial. “First, the motion is not accompanied by a ‘verified complaint, affidavit, or other evidence that the movant’s [Ortagus’] rights are being or will be violated,'” he wrote.

Read the full story

Armed California Man Arrested Near Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s Home Allegedly Told Police He Wanted to Kill Kavanaugh

Susan Berry, PhD

An armed California man arrested near Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s Maryland home Wednesday allegedly told police officers he wanted to kill Kavanaugh in the wake of the leaked Supreme Court draft opinion in the Mississippi abortion law case that could overturn Roe v. Wade.

Fox News has reported the suspect has been identified as 26-year-old Nicholas John Roske of Simi Valley, California, and had been carrying a gun, knife, and pepper spray when arrested in Montgomery County, Maryland.

Read the full story

Entire Tennessee Congressional Delegation Urges Biden to Approve Lee’s ‘Major Disaster’ Request After Sevier County Fires

Peter D'Abrosca

In a rare showing of bipartisanship, the entire federal congressional delegation from Tennessee this week signed a letter addressed to President Joe Biden (D) urging him to approve Gov. Bill Lee’s (R) request to declare a major disaster emergency.

An early April wildfire tore through 3,700 acres in Sevier County in early April, prompting the request for the federal declaration.

Read the full story

Advanced Call Center Technologies Expected to Create 650 New Jobs with Expansion in Sullivan County

Kaitlin Housler

Advanced Call Center Technologies (ACT) announced Monday it will establish new operations in Bristol and Kingsport, creating 650 new jobs in Sullivan County. ACT’s expansion in the region will create 350 new jobs at its Kingsport facility and 300 jobs in Bristol, according to a press release by the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development (TNECD).

Read the full story

Commentary: Team Zuckerberg Masks the Heavily Pro-Democrat Tilt of 2020 Election ‘Zuck Bucks,’ Study Finds

RealClearWire

The $332 million that Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan provided to a progressive group to help run the 2020 elections was distributed on a highly partisan basis that favored Democrats, according to a new analysis by election data experts.

While these “Zuckerbucks” or “Zuck bucks” were touted as a resource meant to help all jurisdictions administer the election during the COVID crisis, tax records filed by the progressive Center for Tech and Civic Life show that the group “awarded all larger grants – on both an absolute and per capita basis to deeply Democratic urban areas,” particularly in swing states, according to the new report. Its authors are William Doyle, research director at the right-leaning Caesar Rodney Election Research Institute, and Alex Oliver, chief data scientist at Evolving Strategies, a nonpartisan research group.

Read the full story

John Rich-Endorsed Candidate for State Rep. Jody Barrett: ‘I’m Not for Sale’

Aaron Gulbransen

Republican candidate for the 69th District seat in the Tennessee State House of Representatives Jody Barrett returned a campaign contribution from the former State Representative Michael Curcio as soon as he found out the outgoing incumbent signed on to be a partner at a lobbying firm.

As reported by Phil Williams of NewsChannel5, “Just days after his resignation from the Tennessee House, GOP’s Michael Curcio pops up as partner in a Capitol Hill lobbying firm. State law prohibits him for personally lobbying for a year.”

Read the full story

Report: Homeland Security Warns Catholic Churches of ‘Credible Threats’ to Safety If Supreme Court Overturns Roe v. Wade

Susan Berry, PhD

Senior editor at the American Conservative Rod Dreher wrote Friday a “trusted source” informed him the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has notified Catholic bishops there are credible threats to the safety of Catholic clergy and churches should the Supreme Court overturn Roe v. Wade and return issues about abortion to the states.

“Violence has been called for beginning the night such a decision is handed down,” the source reportedly told Dreher.

Read the full story

Maine Democrat Governor’s ‘Climate Council’ Recommends Paying ‘Disadvantaged’ People to Attend Its Meetings

Susan Berry, PhD

The Equity Subcommittee of Maine Governor Janet Mills’ (D) Climate Council is recommending a plan to pay “disadvantaged” and “overburdened” state residents to attend its meetings because, according to its ideology, victims of systemic discrimination suffer greater impact from climate change than average Maine residents.

The Equity Subcommittee’s report, released in February, claims that some individuals in Maine, particularly those who are victims of “historical and systemic discrimination, underrepresentation, and isolation” are “more vulnerable to the effects of climate change than others.”

Read the full story

New Audit Finds Millions in Accounting Mistakes at Injured Patients Compensation Fund

The Center Square

State auditors are once again criticizing Wisconsin’s Office of the Commissioner of Insurance for millions of dollars in accounting mistakes in the state’s fund for medical malpractice claims.

The Legislative Audit Bureau on Tuesday released a report into the Injured Patients and Families Compensation Fund for the past three years. The audit found several, repeated accounting mistakes that overstated or understated the fund’s finances, including a $60.9 million mistake for the last two years.

Read the full story

Alliance Defending Freedom Sues Harrisonburg City Public Schools over Transgender Policy

Eric Burk

A group of parents and teachers are suing the Harrisonburg City Public Schools (HCPS) over policies that require teachers to use students’ preferred pronouns and to keep the students’ preference confidential from their family. The plaintiffs are represented by the Alliance Defending Freedom, which has filed several lawsuits against Virginia school districts over transgender- and equity-related policies.

“Parents—not public schools or government officials—have the fundamental right to direct the upbringing, care, and education of their children,” ADF Senior Counsel Ryan Bangert said in a June 4 press release. “Teachers and staff cannot willfully hide kids’ mental health information from their parents, especially as some of the decisions children are making at school have potentially life-altering ramifications. As the clients we represent believe, a teacher’s role is to support, not supplant, the role of the parent.”

Read the full story

DeWine Authorizes Nearly $4 Million for Local Law Enforcement Across Ohio

Bradley Vasoli

At a visit to Springfield this week, Gov. Mike DeWine (R-OH) announced his authorization of nearly $4 million in grants to 16 police and sheriff departments across the Buckeye State.

The allotments come as the third round of DeWine’s Ohio Violent Crime Reduction Grant Program. Springfield’s police department itself gets a grant of $305,206.94. Those funds will go toward video-recording systems and automated license-plate readers to gather intelligence pertaining to gun-related violations. 

Read the full story

Mastriano Bill to Allow Out-of-County Poll Watchers in Pennsylvania Passes Senate

Bradley Vasoli

Pennsylvania’s state Senate passed legislation this week that would permit a Pennsylvania voter to serve as a poll watcher in an election precinct outside of his or her county.

Current law lets candidates and parties appoint poll watchers — volunteers who are often party committee members — to election precincts only in those watchers’ respective counties. State guidance allows these appointees to “make good-faith challenges” to an elector’s residence, identity or voting eligibility.

Read the full story

Expert: ‘Minnesotans Don’t Support Abortion on Demand’

Admin

Moses Bratrud of the Minnesota Family Council (MFC) joined Alpha News to discuss how the legislative session unfolded from a socially-conservative perspective.

The MFC aims to “mobilize Christians to transform Minnesota’s culture so that it cherishes life, affirms religious liberty, and preserves marriage and the family,” according to its website. As part of this activism, the MFC keeps a close eye on key bills proposed in the Minnesota Legislature.

Read the full story

1.7 Million Hunters and Fishers Give $66 Million to Michigan Wildlife Conservation

The Center Square

About 1.7 million people contributed $66 million to wildlife and natural resource management last year by buying 2021 fishing and hunting licenses.

Those proceeds funded The Michigan Game and Fish Protection Fund – the Department of Natural Resource’s largest revenue source. Hunting and fishing equipment sales raised $32 million to support wildlife and natural resource management.

Read the full story

Judge Orders Macon Health Clinic to Pay $9.6 Million in Fraud Damages

Addison Basurto

U.S. District Judge Tilman E. “Tripp” Self III has ordered Middle George Family Rehab (MGFR) healthcare clinic in Macon, Georgia to pay $9,617,679.22 in damages after the District Court for the Middle District of Georgia found the business to be involved in fraudulent TRICARE and Medicaid claims on Thursday.

“The ‘reckless disregard’ displayed by Middle Georgia Family Rehab (MGFR) in its billing should serve as a warning to other health facilities across Georgia—and the nation—that filing improper and false claims will come with hefty consequences,” said U.S. Attorney Peter D. Leary.

Read the full story

DeSantis Signs School Safety Bill

Grant Holcomb

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R) signed a school safety bill Tuesday that the Florida Legislature passed during its Special Legislative Session. The bill is built off of the recommendations of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Commission designed to make schools safer and offer resources to students and school employees.

DeSantis signed the bill on the heels of the Florida Freedom First budget where over $140 million was designated for mental health and approximately $210 million for school safety.

Read the full story

Tennessee Coalition for Open Government’s Deborah Fisher on the Likelihood of Robby Starbuck’s Inclusion on TN-5 GOP Ballot

Julie Carr

Tuesday morning on The Tennessee Star Report, host Leahy welcomed Tennessee Coalition for Open Government’s Executive Director Deborah Fisher, to the newsmaker line to comment upon the recent ruling by Judge Russell Perkins to the Tennessee Republican Party to reinstate Robby Starbuck as a GOP candidate for Tennessee’s Fifth Congressional District.

Read the full story

Sen. Townsend’s Bill Aims to Change Federal Voter Registration Form to Include Proof of Citizenship

Neil Jones

Arizona Governor Doug Ducey (R) signed State Senator Kelly Townsend’s (R-Mesa) Senate bill (SB) into law on Monday, which aims to update the federal voter registration form to include Arizona’s proof of citizenship instructions.

“Current statute requires that in order to be eligible to vote in Arizona, a registrant must be a citizen of the United States. The United States Election Assistance Commission [EAC] oversees the federal voter registration form, which does not currently contain Arizona’s proof of citizenship instructions. SB 1013 will now require the Secretary of State [Katie Hobbs (D)] to submit a request to the U.S. EAC to include Arizona’s state specific proof of citizenship instructions on the federal voter registration form by Dec. 31, 2022,” Townsend noted in a statement.

Read the full story

Cochise County Woman Sentenced to Probation for Casting Her Deceased Mother’s Ballot

Neil Jones

A Cochise County Judge has sentenced a woman to probation for casting her dead mother’s early ballot. 
A Cochise County Judge sentenced a woman to probation for illegally casting her dead mother’s early ballot in 2020.

“Attorney General Mark Brnovich announced that 56-year-old Krista Michelle Conner of Cochise County was sentenced today (June 6, 2022) by Judge Timothy Dickerson of Cochise County Superior Court to three (3) years of supervised probation on one count of illegal voting, a class 6 felony, for illegally casting the early ballot of her deceased mother during the November 2020 general election. Conner’s voter registration was also revoked and may be reinstated upon completion of probation. As a condition of that probation, Conner was ordered to pay $890.00 in fines and surcharges and was ordered to complete 100 hours of community service,” according to a press release from the Attorney General’s Office (AGO).
“Attorney General Mark Brnovich announced that 56-year-old Krista Michelle Conner of Cochise County was sentenced today (June 6, 2022) by Judge Timothy Dickerson of Cochise County Superior Court to three (3) years of supervised probation on one count of Illegal Voting, a Class 6 felony, for illegally casting the early ballot of her deceased mother during the November 2020 general election. Conner’s voter registration was also revoked and may be reinstated upon completion of probation. As a condition of that probation, Conner was ordered to pay $890.00 in fines and surcharges and was ordered to complete 100 hours of community service,” according to a press release from the Attorney General’s Office (AGO).

Read the full story

DeSantis Explains His Response to Disney’s ‘Ridiculous Course of Action’ Related to the Parental Rights in Education Bill

Steve Stewart

During a recent interview with David Rubin, Gov. DeSantis explained his actions related to Disney and their position on the Parental Rights in Education bill.

DeSantis told Rubin that early in the 2022 Florida legislative session he became aware that activists would be pushing a false narrative about the Parental Rights in Education legislation around the “Don’t Say Gay” slogan.

DeSantis said, “I started fighting back against them because they were just lying to people and it’s offensive when they’re lying and so we start fighting back and I would literally have these reporters, I’d say ‘okay where does it say that in the bill?’ okay it doesn’t say that in the bill what does it say?”

DeSantis then discussed Disney’s decision to get involved with opposing the legislation.

DeSantis said, “Then you had this situation where you had the corporations, mostly Disney, deciding to get involved and I think people look at that they’re like first of all I don’t know why they got involved in this, it was a huge mistake for them …. I think they’ve lost 60 billion in market cap since they got involved.”

Read the full story

Tennessee-Based Nurse Freedom Network Hosting ‘Healthcare Homecoming’ Featuring Dr. Peter McCullough

Laura Baigert

The Tennessee-based Nurse Freedom Network is hosting a Healthcare Homecoming Saturday and Sunday, June 11 and June 12 that will focus in restoring patients’ rights and truth in medicine and will feature the world-renowned Dr. Peter McCullough.

The free event, held Saturday from 3 to 8 p.m. at The Shed, located at the Factory in Franklin, Tennessee and will include around two dozen speakers and entertain. A fundraising dinner with Dr. Peter McCullough that will support the Nurse Freedom Network will be held Friday from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Historic Maple Lawn in Brentwood.

Read the full story

Yuma Border Patrol Intercepts 33 Illegal Aliens Being Smuggled in Van

Peter D'Abrosca

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) at Arizona’s Yuma Sector Tuesday announced that it apprehended more than 30 illegal aliens who were attempting to be smuggled into the United States in one van. 

“U.S. Border Patrol intelligence agents intercepted a smuggling attempt after National Guard members witnessed multiple suspected migrants load into a van Friday morning,” said Chris T. Clem, Chief Patrol Agent at the Yuma Sector. “Agents discovered 33 migrants inside the van. The U.S. driver and Mex[ican] passenger[s] were arrested.”

Read the full story

Raytheon Moving Headquarters to Virginia

Eric Burk

Raytheon Technologies is moving its global headquarters to Arlington, Virginia, the company announced Tuesday.

“The location increases agility in supporting U.S. government and commercial aerospace customers and serves to reinforce partnerships that will progress innovative technologies to advance the industry. Washington, D.C. serves as a convenient travel hub for the company’s global customers and employees,” a press release states.

Read the full story

Arizona Department of Education Sends $15.3 Million to Help Low-Income Students

The Center Square

The Arizona Department of Education announced it would award $15.3 million in funding for programs to improve the education quality it offers low-income and first-generation Americans.

“Parents deserve easy access to resources that help their children achieve their full potential,” Superintendent of Public Instruction Kathy Hoffman said in a press release. “I know students and parents need more direct support when it comes to educational services outside of the classroom. These organizations are well prepared to support students and families and will help foster higher student achievement.”

Read the full story

Republican Senators Considering Voting for Gun Control Measures

Admin

In the U.S. Senate, some Republican senators appear open to signing off on Democrat-proposed efforts to increase gun control restrictions in the wake of several recent mass shootings.

Politico reports that the negotiations are being led on the Republican side by Senator John Cornyn (R-Texas). Cornyn has already briefed Republican leadership on what he has discussed with other senators over last week’s recess, and recently held a meeting with Democrats Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) to move talks forward.

Read the full story

Migrant Caravan Traveling to Southern Border Could Become the Largest Ever

Admin

Yet another caravan of illegal aliens is approaching the border between Mexico and the United States, with its numbers rising at such a rate that it could soon become the largest caravan of its kind ever seen.

As reported by Just The News, this caravan started off at a size of between 6,000 and 11,000 illegals when it departed the city of Tapachula, near the border between Mexico and Guatemala, on Monday. This caravan is being organized and led by a radical amnesty advocate named Luis Garcia Villagran, who has previously tried to organize similar caravans in the past that never came to fruition.

Read the full story

Another Pro-Life Facility Is Firebombed; Pro-Abortion Terrorist Group Jane’s Revenge Takes Credit

Admin

A pro-life medical office and pregnancy center in Buffalo, New York, was heavily damaged in a terroristic firebombing early Tuesday morning in the latest attack on pro-lifers. There have been dozens of reports of left-wing violence and vandalism targeting churches and pro-life facilities since news broke of a leaked draft ruling indicating that the U.S. Supreme Court will overturn Roe v. Wade.

Windows in the CompassCare reception room and nurses’ office were reportedly broken and fires lit. Jane’s Revenge, the same militant pro-abortion group that firebombed a pro-life office in Wisconsin last month, reportedly took credit for the attack, leaving graffiti reading “Jane Was Here” on the building.

Read the full story

Florida Lawmaker to Introduce Bill Criminalizing ‘Drag Sex Shows’ for Children

Admin

Republican Florida state Rep. Anthony Sabatini plans to introduce legislation criminalizing the act of bringing children to sex shows and drag shows, he announced Monday.

The bill, if passed, would make it a felony for an adult to bring a child to a sexually-themed drag show and allow authorities to terminate parental rights over violations, Sabatini told The Daily Caller News Foundation. The announcement came in response to a Palm Beach event titled “Pride on the Block: Drag Show for Kids!”

Read the full story

Commentary: Stop Saying ‘LGBT’

Admin

Here are two representative recent items on the topic of “LGBT identity.”   

First, The Federalist on June 2 ran an article about the “New Gay Left” in which Christopher Bedford lamented that the old gay pride movement, which pleaded, reasonably enough, “for inclusion, acceptance, and self-esteem,” has been replaced by an aggressive, off-putting push centered on “trans kids,” “pregnant men,” and other far-out notions that offend “a lot of people who have no problem with ‘gay rights,’ as they thought they understood them.” 

Read the full story

ICE Officially Considers Military Service When Deciding to Deport Non-Citizen Vets and Families

Admin

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced Tuesday that it will officially consider migrants’ US military service before deciding whether to enforce civil immigration actions, such as deportation, against them or their family members.

While ICE has previously recognized US military service as a mitigating factor, the Biden administration’s directive makes consideration of US military service an official agency policy. The department will take into account the non-citizen US veteran’s type of discharge, length of service, and other related factors before deciding to take action against an illegal immigrant and their immediate family members.

Read the full story

Gov. Lee Signs Executive Order Addressing School Safety

Peter D'Abrosca

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 story