TDOE Releases Annual Educator Survey Revealing Growing Teacher Dissatisfaction

The Tennessee Department of Education (TDOE) and Tennessee Education Research Alliance (TERA) released on Friday key findings and responses from the 2022 Tennessee Educator Survey (TES). Survey results reveal that in every category measured, teachers are more dissatisfied this year than last year.

In 2021, 91 percent of teachers reported being generally satisfied. In 2022, that number has declined to 87 percent.

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Simon Conway Guest Host Matt Kittle Talks to Kari Lake About Upcoming Event in Iowa and America First Policies

Live from Des Moines Tuesday morning on The Simon Conway Show with Matt Kittle – broadcast on Des Moines, Iowa’s, 1040 WHO (4p-7p weekdays) or in the Quad Cities on 1420 WOC (4p-6m weekdays) – host Kittle welcomed former Arizona Governor candidate Kari Lake to the show to promote her upcoming event in Iowa and America First policies.

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Ohio GOP Chairman Triantafilou Releases Statement Prior to President Biden’s State of the Union Address

Alex Triantafilou, the chairman of the Ohio Republican Party, made a statement on Tuesday prior to President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address. Triantafilou stated in a news release that “anything short of an apology during tonight’s State of the Union will be unacceptable to working Ohio families.”

At nine o’clock Joe Biden, the 46th President of the United States, will give the annual address before a joint session of Congress.

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‘Trans Lives Matter’ Activists Occupy Oklahoma Capitol Building to Protest Protecting Minor Children from Life-Altering Transgender Drugs and Surgeries

About 150 transgender rights activists occupied the Oklahoma Capitol building Monday to protest Republican-led proposed legislation that would protect minor children and teens from life-altering hormone drugs and surgeries, the consequences of which they may not fully comprehend until they are adults.

The protesters, many from LGBTQ activist groups Oklahomans for Equality and Freedom Oklahoma, descended upon the Capitol building and into the rotunda where they proceeded to chant loudly.

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Chinese Nationals Have Bought Thousands of Acres of Strategically Located U.S. Farmland

Ownership of U.S. farmland by Chinese nationals has risen significantly in the last decade and amounted to 338,000 acres as of 2020, according to U.S. Agriculture Department data.

Since 2010, Chinese nationals have reportedly purchased an additional 75,000 acres of U.S. farmland, according to U.S. Agriculture Department data obtained by the WSJ. Although amounting to less than 1% of all U.S. agricultural land held by foreign citizens, ownership of U.S. farmland by Chinese nationals has received increased scrutiny in recent years following warnings from U.S. government officials claiming that the Chinese government may seek to use land for military and espionage purposes, according to the WSJ.

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Google Debuts ‘Bard,’ an AI Competitor to ChatGPT

Big Tech giant Google on Monday announced Bard, the company’s new artificial intelligence product, in a bid to compete with ChatGPT.

“We’ve been working on an experimental conversational AI service, powered by LaMDA, that we’re calling Bard,” reads a blog post from the company. “And today, we’re taking another step forward by opening it up to trusted testers ahead of making it more widely available to the public in the coming weeks.

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Popular AI Less Likely to Flag ‘Hateful Content’ That Targets Whites, Republicans, Men, Research Finds

OpenAI, the company behind the headline-grabbing artificial intelligence chatbot ChatGPT, has an automated content moderation system designed to flag hateful speech, but the software treats speech differently depending on which demographic groups are insulted, according to a study conducted by research scientist David Rozado.

The content moderation system used in ChatGPT and other OpenAI products is designed to detect and block hate, threats, self-harm and sexual comments about minors, according to Rozado. The researcher fed various prompts to ChatGPT involving negative adjectives ascribed to various demographic groups based on race, gender, religion and various other markers and found that the software favors some demographic groups over others.

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Ohio U.S. Rep. Joyce Proposes End to Head Start Vaccine Requirement

U.S. Representatives Dave Joyce (R-OH-14) and Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-IA-1) are seeking an end to the COVID-19-vaccine mandate affecting workers at Head Start facilities. 

The federal Head Start program was founded in 1965 and provides numerous early-learning, wellness and parenting-support services to families with children ages five and younger who receive public assistance or have incomes below the poverty line. The program serves more than 800,000 children nationwide including 33,241 in Ohio and roughly 1,500 in Joyce’s district. 

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Proposed Georgia Legislation Would Lessen Licensing Requirements, Proponents Say

Proponents say a pair of proposed bills would cut down on the red tape facing providers of services that require occupational licenses.

House Bill 155 would provide a pathway for the spouses of firefighters, health care providers and law enforcement officers who move to Georgia to immediately secure an occupational license if they hold a license in their previous state of residence and are in good standing.

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Toledo and Cleveland School Administrators Admit to Deceiving Parents and Promoting Critical Race Theory in Ohio Classrooms

Despite Republican State Senator Sandra O’Brien (R-Ashtabula) re-introducing the Parental Education Freedom Act to empower parents to be the primary decision-makers regarding where and what type of education their children receive, an undercover investigation revealed that school administrators in both Toledo and Cleveland, Ohio are deceiving parents and teaching Critical Race Theory (CRT) in the classroom.

As part of Accuracy in Media’s investigation, numerous school administrators acknowledged that teachers discreetly and subtly introduce CRT to their students without the parents’ knowledge, and that they have no plans to stop even if politicians approve legislation outlawing this practice.

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New Bills Coming from Republican State Senators Seek to Give Greater Protection to Arizona Children and Victims of Abuse

Three new Senate Bills (SB) have been introduced between State Senators Sine Kerr (R-Buckeye) and Janae Shamp (R-Suprise), which aim to provide more protections to children and victims of abuse. Kayleigh Kozak, the Arizonan behind the state’s new “Kayleigh’s Law,” called on residents to support these bills’ passage.

“Prioritize protecting children, victims and our communities,” Kozak shared. “Attend the Arizona State Senate this Thursday, February 9th at 8 am in Senate Hearing Room 1. Sign up to speak or simply show up.

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Minnesota House Democrats Pass Voting Rights for Felons Currently in Prison

Minnesota Democrats want to join just a handful of states where felons never lose their right to vote.

This was revealed during a House floor debate Thursday night, which saw the passage of State Rep. Cedrick Frazier’s, DFL-New Hope, bill to restore voting rights to felons once they are released from incarceration. Under current law, felons are not allowed to vote until they complete their entire sentence, including probation and parole.

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Fiscal Watchdog Warns Against Wealth Tax in Connecticut and Five other States

New York is being cautioned against raising taxes on its top earners as lawmakers consider plans to drum up more money from the state’s wealthiest. 

A group of progressive Democratic state lawmakers have proposed a raft of tax reforms targeting New York’s ultra-rich that includes adding new tax brackets for the highest earners, increasing corporate taxes for the top companies, and setting wealth taxes on capital gains and inheritances.

Backers of the Invest in New York proposal say the package of reforms would drum up another $40 million to $50 million for the state’s education, housing and transportation needs. 

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First U.S. Nuclear-Powered Data Center, Bitcoin Mine Coming to Pennsylvania

The country’s first nuclear-powered data center and bitcoin mining operation  – located in northeastern Pennsylvania – will soon welcome its first tenant.

Cumulus Data said the first of several 48 megawatt “powered shell data center” at its 1,200-acre campus in Columbia County that will provide digital infrastructure and decarbonized energy to clients via the Susquehanna Steam Electric Station in Berwick is now ready for lease.

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Reps. Tiffany and Boebert’s Bill Would Remove the Re-Populated Gray Wolf From Endangered Species List

Demanding that the Biden administration “trust the science,” U.S. Reps. Tom Tiffany (R-WI-07) and Lauren Boebert (R-CO-03) are reintroducing a bill calling on the re-populated gray wolf to be removed from the Endangered Species List. 

The Trust the Science Act also would require wolf populations to be managed by states, not by “one-size-fits-all” federal government regulations. 

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Florida Democrat Admits Taking Daughter to Drag Shows: ‘Just Folx Dancing in Cute Outfits’

A Florida Democrat lawmaker who admitted in a Twitter post Saturday she takes her teenage daughter to drag shows condemned Governor Ron DeSantis’s (R) move to revoke the liquor license of an Orlando venue that allowed minors to attend drag show performances.

State Representative Angie Nixon (D-Jacksonville), who self-describes as a “community organizer,” denied the sexual nature of drag shows, claiming, instead, the issue is one of “parental rights,” whereby parents can decide to take their children to these performances.

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Ohio House Bill Requires Doctors to Inform Expectant Mothers of Health Risks Following an Abortion

A Republican state lawmaker in Ohio introduced a bill to prioritize the health of pregnant women in the state, leading to better maternal outcomes with each pregnancy.

The legislation sponsored by State Representative Jennifer Gross (R-West Chester) will impose obligations on medical professionals who perform abortions, requiring them to remain informed of the most recent, correct medical knowledge regarding the possibility of adverse effects. Then, this measure mandates that the provider inform the expectant mother of the information.

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Virginia Lawmakers Divided over Gov. Youngkin’s Tax Cuts, Spending Plans

With just a few weeks left in the legislative session, Virginia lawmakers in the House and Senate disagree on whether or not a key piece of Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s proposed budget amendments – $1 billion in tax cuts – should be included in the state’s amended spending plan. 

Proposed amendments to the biennial budget presented by both the House and Senate money committees Sunday, reveals disagreement between the two chambers over the inclusion of Youngkin’s proposed $1 billion in tax reductions. 

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Attorney General Mayes Issues Warning over Sports Betting Scams

As many Arizonans prepare for the first Super Bowl in the state since 2015, Attorney General Kris Mayes offers a warning about sports betting scams.

“While many Arizonans participate in legal sports betting, it is important to remember there are scammers out there trying to intercept your money and your personal information,” Mayes said. “If you bet on the Super Bowl, or any sporting event, make sure you are gambling on sports and not on whether an illegal sportsbook will steal your winnings.”

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State Sen. Janae Shamp Seeks to Allow Employees to Opt-Out of Vaccine Mandates in any Situation

One of Arizona’s newest State Senators, Janae Shamp (R-Suprise), has a bill headed to the Senate Health & Human Services committee Tuesday that would require employees in the state to have the opportunity to opt out of a vaccine mandate. Shamp, a former operating room nurse, said this bill would be significant for health care professionals.

“It’s sickening that many healthcare workers, like myself, lost our jobs because we refused to take the jab,” said Senator Shamp. “The COVID-19 vaccine has not been on the market long enough to determine if there is a correlation between its ingredients and medical issues a number of patients are now experiencing after getting the shot. We already have a dire shortage of medical professionals within Arizona, and these mandates have only exacerbated the crisis.”

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Governor Tony Evers Can’t Be Bothered With Issuing Ronald Reagan Day Proclamation

The Ronald Reagan Legacy Project has again asked for all governors to proclaim Feb 6. Ronald Reagan Day in honor of the 40th president’s birthday.  Once again, Gov. Tony Evers has refused to do so. 

The liberal governor, however, has been glad to issue all manner of proclamations celebrating everything from Tamil Language and Heritage Month to Transgender Day of Remembrance. 

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Public Education Hits $2.3 Billion Jackpot from Lottery Players

Scratch-off tickets accounted for 75 percent of sales, helping The Florida Lottery to an 11th consecutive year of breaking records and sending $2.3 billion into public education.

Total sales for the fiscal year ending June 30 were $9.32 billion, says the recently released annual comprehensive financial report. Second in sales is the Pick Family, which at 9 percent was down slightly from 10 percent the previous year. Third was Powerball with Power Play at 5 percent, up from 4 percent in 2021.

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Commentary: The Unacceptable Cost of Open-Border Mission Creep

One of the pitfalls of political extremism is that a few bad foundational ideas beget a host of even worse ideas and results. Such is the case with our immigration crisis, as what began with faculty lounge bull sessions has become accepted government policy that now threatens America’s future.

The idea that America’s borders should be softened to the point that any noncitizen could enter the country on his own terms was always problematic. From that flawed logic has come an intricate web of problems that most in our government have no will, no courage, and no competence to repair.

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Commentary: Legalized Sports Betting Has Transformed the Fan Experience

A couple of days before Christmas, I went to see the NHL’s Nashville Predators play on their home ice against the defending Stanley Cup champion Colorado Avalanche.

Amid all the silliness of a modern pro sports experience – the home team skating out of a giant saber-toothed tiger head, the mistletoe kiss cam, a small rock band playing seasonal hits between periods – there was a steady stream of advertising for DraftKings, a company known as a sportsbook that takes bets on athletic events and pays out winnings.

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