Four out of the five former Memphis police officers charged with second degree murder in the beating death of Tyre Nichols can no longer practice law enforcement in the State of Tennessee.
Read the full storyDay: March 27, 2023
Activist Hijacks School Shooting Press Conference, Demands Gun Control
An unidentified activist took to microphones shortly after a Monday briefing by Nashville authorities to rant about gun control, asking the media if they were tired of covering shootings.
“Aren’t you guys tired of covering this? Aren’t you tired of being here and having to cover all of these mass shootings?” the activist asked members of the press. “I’m from Highland Park… on a family vacation with my son, visiting my sister-in-law. I have been lobbying in D.C. since we survived a mass shooting in July.”
Read the full storyBen Weingarten Investigates Media Literacy Imposed by the Censorship Regime
Monday morning on The Tennessee Star Report, host Leahy welcomed Editor-at-large for RealClear Investigations, Ben Weingarten to the newsmaker line to discuss his recent article uncovering the rise of media literacy and the indoctrination of America’s children.
Read the full storyCrom’s Crommentary: Former NY Gov Cuomo Criticizes DA Alvin Bragg’s Trumped-Up Charges
Monday morning on The Tennessee Star Report, host Leahy welcomed the original all-star panelist Crom Carmichael to the studio for another edition of Crom’s Crommentary.
Read the full storyLeahy and Carmichael: Mike Lindell Should Stick to Pillows and Not Advocate Against Legal Ballot Harvesting by GOP
Monday morning on The Tennessee Star Report, host Leahy welcomed the original all-star panelist Crom Carmichael in studio to weigh in on My Pillow CEO, Mike Lindells recent comments in Waco who condemned ballot harvesting.
Read the full storyTurning Point USA Ambassador and Singer Songwriter Alexis Wilkins Talks Making Conservatism Cool
Monday morning on The Tennessee Star Report, host Leahy welcomed the new ambassador for Turning Point USA, Nashville singer-songwriter Alexis Wilkins in studio to talk about making conservatism cool.
Read the full storyFederal Regulator Acknowledges Danger to Wildlife Caused by Offshore Wind Farms
The federally-chartered regulator responsible for managing fisheries in the oceans of New England acknowledged that offshore wind farms could pose a threat to the local marine wildlife, according to a letter obtained by the Daily Caller News Foundation.
Thomas Nies, executive director of the New England Fishery Management Council (NEFMC), noted the “concerning implications” of a study by researchers from the Norwegian Institute of Marine Research, which found that the high voltage direct current (HVDC) power cables used by some offshore wind farms emitted magnetic fields that could hinder the ability of haddock larvae to navigate, according to a January 18 letter obtained by the DCNF. The negative impact on both the haddocks’ speed and ability to navigate could result in increased “predation” of affected fish.
Read the full storySeven Dead, Including Three Children, at Nashville School; Shooter, a 28-year-old Woman Also Dead
The Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) announced that a female shooter who opened fire Monday morning at The Covenant Presbyterian School in the Green HIlls neighborhood in Nashville is dead after engaging with MNPD.
Read the full storyAnalysis: Nashville Officials Cobble Plans to Pay Estimated $2.2 Billion in Titans Stadium Costs, Spend $2.9 Billion in Estimated Revenues
Construction costs have been divided up clearly to fund up to $2.2 billion of construction expenses on a new Tennessee Titans stadium in Nashville, expected to open in 2027.
Tennessee has committed $500 million in funds it will bond, Nashville’s Metropolitan Sports Authority will take out $760 million in revenue bonds backed by Metro Nashville’s general fund set to be paid off with state and local tax captures and the Titans have committed at least $840 million including an estimated $200 million from a National Football League G-4 loan and $270 million from new personal seat license sales at the stadium.
Read the full storyBiden Administration Rules Out Removing the Cuban Regime from the List of ‘Sponsors of Terrorism’
The Joe Biden administration has no plans to remove the Cuban regime from the list of “State Sponsors of Terrorism,” the head of US diplomacy, Antony Blinken, said Thursday during a hearing before the Foreign Affairs Committee—House of Representatives (HFAC).
“We do not plan to remove them from the list,” said the Secretary of State in response to a direct question about it made by Congresswoman María Elvira Salazar.
Read the full storyThree Children Dead after Shooting at Private Tennessee Christian School, Hospital Official Says
Three children are dead after a gunman opened fire Monday at the Covenant School, a private Christian school in Nashville, Tenn., according to a Vanderbilt University Medical Center spokesperson.
Read the full storyStates, Counties Clash over ‘Zuckerbucks’-Like New Sources of Private Election Funding
As “Zuckerbucks” — the injection of private money into public election administration — make a comeback, states and municipalities are clashing over whether the funds should be accepted or banned.
While many states and counties across the country have either restricted or banned the use of private money to fund public elections offices, a nonprofit with progressive Democrat ties that served as the key link in the 2020 Zuckerbucks funding chain is still finding loopholes in some counties as states seek to tighten up their laws.
Read the full storyGeorgia Unemployment Rate Remains Low for Seventh Consecutive Month
For the seventh straight month, Georgia’s unemployment rate remained at 3.1%, 0.5% below the national average in February.
The Georgia Department of Labor says the Peach State in January had the highest labor force participation rate in the Southeast at 61% and also had the highest employment-to-population ratio in the region, 59.1%.
Read the full storyVivek Ramaswamy, the GOP’s Youngest Presidential Candidate, Showing His Energy on Latest Swing Through Iowa
While Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy may be lagging in the polls, in his first month on the campaign trail no one has outworked the Ohio businessman to connect with voters.
In the words of Geoff Mack and Johnny Cash, Ramaswamy has been everywhere, man — from Iowa to New Hampshire to South Carolina and Maryland. He’s made the media rounds, too, from the smallest small town newspapers to the network talking heads.
Read the full storyWisconsin Republicans Stall Conversion Therapy Ban
Wisconsin’s ban on conversion therapy will remain on hold for the next few years at least.
The Wisconsin Senate on Wednesday moved the legislation that would end the ban, SB 4, back to a statehouse committee.
Read the full storyState Representative Kolodin Speaks on Progress to Find Immediate Solution to Rio Verde Foothills Water Crisis
Arizona State Representative Alexander Kolodin (R-Scottsdale) told The Arizona Sun Times that the State Legislature is trying to find an immediate solution to the water supply issues in the unincorporated Rio Verde Foothills (RVF) area. He called for all members of the State Legislature to come together, put politics aside, and pass a solution for the people who desperately need one.
Read the full storyBills Declaring Fentanyl a Terror Weapon, Increasing Jury Duty Pay, and more Among the Hundreds Gov Youngkin Signs into Law
Facing a Monday deadline to act on bills passed by the Virginia General Assembly, Gov. Glenn Youngkin signed hundreds of bills into law this week.
Lawmakers in the Virginia General Assembly sent hundreds of bills to the governor’s desk during this legislative session.
Read the full storyMichigan Senate Approves Cocktails-to-Go
The Michigan Senate passed Senate Bill 141 on a vote of 37-1, which aims to make cocktails-to-go permanent.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, lawmakers allowed cocktails-to-go to provide businesses another way to generate revenue while the operation of bars and restaurants were restricted by the state.
Read the full storyMinnesota House Passes ‘Trans Refuge Bill’ That Would Reform Child Custody Laws
The Minnesota House passed legislation, dubbed a “Trans Refuge bill” by proponents, that would prevent laws in other states from interfering with the medical gender transition of children in Minnesota, but critics argue the bill could cause parents to lose custody if they do not support their child’s life-altering sex change.
Minnesota’s first transgender lawmaker, Rep. Leigh Finke of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, introduced the bill, HF 146, which passed the House in a 68-62 vote Friday.
Read the full storyOhio Lawmakers Reintroduce ‘Parents Bill of Rights’ Promoting School Transparency
Republican lawmakers have re-introduced a bill to require school systems to have policies in place that allow parents to be more active in their child’s education.
House Bill (HB) 8, known as the “Parents Bill of Rights,” sponsored by state Representatives D.J. Swearingen (R-Huron) and Sara Carruthers (R-Hamilton) aims to require school systems to give parents notice of sexually explicit materials and create a health care plan for students with their parents.
Read the full storyDeSantis to Reward Teachers with $3K Bonus for Refresher Training on Civics
Gov. Ron DeSantis wants Florida teachers to emphasize civic education and reward those who do with a $3,000 bonus.
The second-term Republican held a news conference in Orange Park Thursday to discuss the importance of teaching American civics and how it is being better implemented in Florida for school students.
Read the full storyPennsylvania GOP State Lawmaker Proposes Freight-Train Length Limit
A Republican Pennsylvania lawmaker is urging colleagues to cosponsor state-level legislation to limit a freight train’s length to no greater than 8,500 feet.
State Representative Louis Schmitt, Jr. (R-Altoona) reasoned in a memorandum describing his proposal that the February 3 derailment in East Palestine, less than half a mile from Pennsylvania’s western border, shows current rail-safety requirements are inadequate.
Read the full storyConnecticut State Workers Set to Receive $45 Million in Pandemic Bonuses
Tens of thousands of Connecticut state workers will be getting bonuses after a labor arbiter awarded them more than $45 million in pandemic-related back pay.
The ruling by Arbitrator Susan Meredith, which must be approved by the Connecticut General Assembly, would provide bonuses from $250 to $2,834 for employees in high-risk jobs, which include police, firefighters and state-run nursing homes. Workers in lower-risk jobs would receive bonuses ranging from $125 to $1,417, under the ruling.
Read the full storyCommentary: The Language of Politics and the Politics of Language
On his blog A Pilgrim in Narnia, Brenton Dickieson tells us that C.S. Lewis in his Studies in Words defined “verbicide” as the “murder of words.” Dickieson adds that “Lewis has some similar concerns as George Orwell in his ‘Politics and the English Language.’ Words can be politicized or bent into the service of those who are peddling products or ideas.”
The 21st century has given us a multitude of these vampires, who—having sucked the original meanings out of certain nouns and verbs—then use the carcasses to sell certain ideologies or to confuse the rest of us. Here is a partial list of these zombie words.
Read the full storyArizona Democrats, Republicans Spar over Which Side Has Best Teacher Raise Plan
Teacher pay in Arizona has become a hot-button issue, with both Democrats and Republicans proposing increases but not supporting the alternative. Meanwhile, teacher’s unions are demanding a spending hike worth more than both parties’ plans.
Rep. Matt Gress, R-Phoenix, has introduced H.B. 2800 – seeking to increase the salary of teachers statewide by $10,000 by 2025. The bill would cost taxpayers $1.1 billion over two years but it makes Arizona’s average teacher pay the fourth-highest in the nation.
Read the full storyCity of Chattanooga Partners with Hamilton County Schools to Launch New Initiative for Students Wanting to Pursue Early Childhood Education
The City of Chattanooga and Hamilton County Schools (HCS) have partnered together to launch the One Chattanooga Institute of Early Care and Learning which will provide high school students wanting to pursue early childhood education after graduation a direct path to the career.
Read the full storyState Senate, House at Odds Over Ohio Transportation Budget
The Ohio Senate and House, along with Republicans and Democrats, agreed on rail safety issues in the state’s proposed transportation budget. But there were other differences.
The nearly $13.5 billion budget that unanimously passed the Senate on Thursday funds state and local road and bridge construction, improvements and repair maintenance. House Democrats said that version negatively impacts working Ohioans, labor unions and competitive bidding.
Read the full storyBiden Admin Opens Investigations into Multiple Universities for Allegedly Racist, Discriminatory Programs
The Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) opened federal investigations into four universities this week in response to complaints filed by medical watchdog Do No Harm (DNH), according to the organization.
The OCR will investigate Wake Forest University (WFU), the University of Virginia (UVA), the University of Rochester (UR) and Thomas Jefferson University (TJU) for alleged civil rights violations, Do No Harm reported. Senior Fellow Mark Perry filed a joint complaint against WFU and UVA, alleging the institutions used school resources to partner with an organization whose activities violate Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, while Program Manager Laura Morgan violated complaints against UR and TJU for allegedly participating in programs that violate Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
Read the full story2022 Was Bust for Many Pension Plan Investment Returns
Municipal pension plan investment returns were a “wild rollercoaster ride” in 2021 and 2022 with boom or bust results over that two-year period.
Many cities reported record-setting returns in 2021 as high as 33.7% only to find negative returns in 2022. The swing meant billions of dollars to many municipalities’ pension funds.
Read the full storyCommentary: The Difference Between Non-Profit and Not for Profit Companies
For Ask an Economist this week I have a question from Hal who asks, “What is the difference between a ‘non-profit’ and a ‘not for profit’?”
In order to address this question, I think it’s important to discuss what separates a for-profit business from these two forms of organization.
Read the full storyCommentary: Informants Everywhere
After nine weeks of testimony from multiple government witnesses, including FBI agents, the Justice Department finally concluded its case-in-chief in the Proud Boys’ seditious conspiracy trial on Monday.
Five Proud Boys, including the group’s leader, Enrique Tarrio, are accused of conspiring to “oppose the lawful transfer of presidential power by force” on January 6, 2021. It is Attorney General Merrick Garland’s most consequential case related to January 6; convictions will help build a similar case against Donald Trump largely based on his infamous “stand back and stand by” remark to the Proud Boys during an October 2020 presidential debate.
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