Nearly 60 private schools thus far want to participate in Tennessee’s new voucher program.
Read MoreSchools in Memphis, Knoxville, and Nashville Interested in New Voucher Program
Author: Chris Butler
Amazon to Bring Robotics Tech to New Location in Tennessee
Amazon is reportedly building a giant fulfillment center at the Frayser/Raleigh community border in Memphis, according to DailyMemphian.com
Read MoreFormer Nonprofit Official Allegedly Stole $120,000 from TennCare-Funded Facility, Audit Says
Authorities have indicted the former Controller of a TennCare-funded facility for allegedly stealing nearly $120,000, according to an audit Tennessee Comptrollers released Tuesday.
Read MoreTennessee Right to Work Constitutional Amendment Passes Senate Judiciary Committee
Members of the Tennessee Senate Judiciary Committee passed a resolution to add Tennessee’s Right to Work law to the state constitution.
Read MoreTennessee Comptrollers Release Results of Their Waste, Fraud, and Abuse Hotline
Some people may not know it, but if you see or know of waste, fraud of abuse in the local or Tennessee state governments then you can call a special hotline to report it.
Read MoreMen of Valor Officials Talk to Tennessee Legislators About Reentry Services
Officials with Men of Valor, a prison ministry operating in Middle Tennessee, testified before the state House Judiciary Committee last week on effective reentry services.
Read MoreEnraged Leftists Try to Shout Down State Rep. Robin Smith in Chattanooga
Leftists heckled State Rep. Robin Smith, R-Hixson, this past weekend as she spoke at a Women’s Rally at Miller Park in Chattanooga.
Read MoreYet Another Tennessee School Cafeteria Manager Indicted for Theft
A Tennessee Comptroller’s Office investigation has resulted in the indictment of Christina Morris, the former cafeteria manager at Patriot Academy in Dandridge, Tennessee.
Read MoreAnti-Trump Republican Group to Blanket Tennessee With Advertising
Members of an organization who want former national security advisor John Bolton to testify in the impeachment hearings against U.S. Republican President Donald Trump will reportedly put out ads in six states.
Read MoreNow, Polk County Opposes Bill Lee on Refugee Resettlement
The number of county governments in Tennessee who have taken or will consider taking a stand against Tennessee Republican Gov. Bill Lee’s refugee plan now numbers in the double digits.
Read MoreStewart County Teacher Receives Grant of Constitution Books from Star News Education Foundation
NASHVILLE, Tennessee — Stewart County High School teacher Kyle Mallory accepted 15 books from The Tennessee Star Monday that will teach his students about the value of the United States Constitution.
Read MoreU.S. Senate Candidate Bill Hagerty Also Wants Four Democrats to Recuse Themselves on Impeachment
U.S. Republican Senate candidate Bill Hagerty said this week he believes it’s improper for four Democratic U.S. senators to participate in impeachment hearings when they are running for president against Donald Trump.
Read MoreTennessee Officials Update State on Licensing Process for Professionals
The Tennessee Department of Commerce & Insurance announced this week that its Division of Regulatory Boards licensed more than 129,000 professionals in fiscal year 2019 while decreasing the average processing time required for the approval of new applications for those seeking professional licensure.
Read MoreWilson County Commissioners Say Bill Lee Directive on Refugees is an Unfunded Mandate
LEBANON — There was no conflict or drama Thursday as all five members of the Wilson County Commission’s Legislative Committee voted unanimously to oppose Tennessee Republican Gov. Bill Lee on refugee resettlement.
Read MoreDonald Trump Jr. to Headline Tennessee Event for U.S. Senate Candidate Bill Hagerty
Donald Trump Jr. is scheduled to arrive in Tennessee January 28 to raise money for Tennessee Republican U.S. Senate candidate Bill Hagerty.
Read MoreMarsha Blackburn Wants Democratic Presidential Candidates to Recuse Themselves from Donald Trump Impeachment Trial
U.S. Republican Sen. Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee said Wednesday Democratic presidential candidates should recuse themselves from the upcoming impeachment process.
Read MoreCounty Commissioners Say Bill Lee Was ‘Naive’ on Refugees and Should Have Talked to Legislature First
Officials in four more counties announced Tuesday they either will or will likely oppose Tennessee Republican Gov. Bill Lee’s decision to continue resettling refugees throughout the state.
Read MoreTwo More Tennessee Counties Take a Stand Against Gov. Bill Lee on Refugees
Officials in two Tennessee counties voted Monday night in favor of telling Tennessee Republican Gov. Bill Lee they don’t want any refugees he might try to send their way.
Read MoreIRS Punishes Yet Another Tennessee County with Expensive Fines
IRS officials have imposed a $32,236 penalty on Cocke County.
Read MoreTitle IX Complaints Go Up at Three Tennessee Universities, Report Shows
People at Tennessee Technological University, Tennessee State University, and the University of Tennessee lodged more Title IX discrimination complaints in 2019 than they did the prior year.
Read MoreFour More Tennessee Residents Charged with TennCare Fraud
Authorities have charged four additional people from around Tennessee with TennCare fraud, including people from Coffee, Hardeman, and Madison counties.
Read MoreFive More Tennessee Counties May Fight Gov. Bill Lee on Refugees
Elected officials in five Tennessee counties said Monday they are considering resolutions to tell Republican Gov. Bill Lee that, no, they do not want more refuges in their respective areas.
Read MoreDemocrat Who Spent Time in Federal Prison Wants Jim Cooper’s Congressional Seat
Nashville public defender Keeda Haynes — who also served time in federal prison — will challenge U.S. Rep. Jim Cooper (D-TN-05) for his seat in Congress.
Read MoreGov. Bill Lee Silent on Report His Decision Allows Federal Government to Send Middle East Refugees to Tennessee That Australia Has Refused
Gov. Bill Lee’s decision on December 18 to say yes to more refugees in Tennessee allows the federal government to resettle refugees from any country it wants into the state, including an estimated 300 to 720 refugees from Middle East countries that the government of Australia has refused to accept.
Read MoreOver $31.4 Million Located, Returned to Tennessee Consumers in 2019, State Agency Says
The Tennessee Department of Commerce & Insurance said this week that more than $31.4 million was located and returned to Tennesseans in combined life insurance benefits and annuities and monies returned through the department’s mediation efforts in 2019.
Read MorePhil Roe Wants to Tackle Surprise Medical Billing, Veterans Suicides Before He Leaves Office
U.S. Rep. Phil Roe, (R-TN-01) says one of his goals before he retires is to pass bipartisan legislation to resolve the issue of surprise medical billing.
Read MoreAudit: Tennessee Department of Correction Leaders Must Improve Oversight
Tennessee Comptrollers released an audit Friday that, among other things, blasted the Tennessee Department of Correction for poor management of prisons and not reporting things they were supposed to report.
Read MoreScott DesJarlais and Phil Roe Speak Out on Iranian War Powers Resolution
Two Tennessee congressmen have weighed in on the Iranian War Powers Resolution.
Read MoreYet Another Middle Tennessee Man Who Wasn’t Legally Allowed to Have a Firearm Allegedly Gets One Anyway
A Clarksville man has pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to possessing a firearm even though he wasn’t legally allowed to have one.
Read MoreNashville Think Tank to Advocate ‘Tennessee Is Open for Business’ Agenda During Legislative Session
Tennessee’s economy is flourishing.
Read MoreAudit: IRS Slaps Sevier County with Expensive Fine
Federal officials recently penalized Sevier County with a fine of nearly $45,000 for not complying with IRS regulations.
Read MoreNo More Refugees, Loudon County Tells Gov. Bill Lee
Loudon County commissioners this week went against Tennessee Republican Gov. Bill Lee and unanimously passed a resolution saying they want no more refugees in their county.
Read MoreVolkswagen of Chattanooga Neglected Conditions it Agreed to Follow for Corporate Welfare
Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development (TDEC) officials had to remind Volkswagen of Chattanooga officials that they were past due on certain reports they agreed to file in exchange for corporate welfare.
Read MoreShelby County Democratic Mayor Follows Bill Lee’s Lead on Accepting Refugees
Memphis Democratic Mayor Lee Harris is fine with more refugees in his city, and he sent a letter to U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo saying as much.
Read MoreConservative Website Calls Bill Lee a ‘RINO Squish’ Over Refugee Matter
TownHall.com has called out Bill Lee of Tennessee and other Republican governors for what it describes as “moral preening from 18 (and counting) RINO squishes” after they announced their respective states will not stop resettling refugees.
Read MoreState Rep. Bo Mitchell Gears Up to Gut Last Year’s School Choice Bill
State Rep. Bo Mitchell, D-Nashville, is gearing up to defend proposed legislation he filed last year that, if enacted into law, would take away the Education Savings Account bill that passed last year.
Read MoreGov. Bill Lee Doubles Down on His Unpopular Decision to Bring More Refugees into Tennessee
Gov. Bill Lee doubled down on his controversial — and unpopular — decision to say yes, rather than no, to more refugees in Tennessee during an interview with Michael DelGiorno on his radio program Monday morning, heard on Nashville’s 99.7 WTN.
Read MoreTennessee Should Use $700 Million Surplus to End Poverty, State Rep. Bo Mitchell Says
At least one member of the Tennessee General Assembly reportedly wants to spend the state’s $700 million surplus on government social programs because he thinks it will help end poverty.
Read MoreEnvironmental Group with Ties to Nashville Has Plan to Defeat Donald Trump in 2020
Members of a left-leaning group who advocate for the Green New Deal who already have a presence in Tennessee have announced a three-part strategy to defeat U.S. Republican President Donald Trump this year.
Read MoreMarsha Blackburn Fights for Pro-Life Law Out of Louisiana
U.S. Republican Senators Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee and John Kennedy of Louisiana, along with U.S. House Republicans Steve Scalise (R-LA-01) and Mike Johnson (R-LA-04), are fighting on behalf of a pro-life law out of the Bayou State.
Read MoreExpanded Medicaid and Mandatory Payroll Deductions Are A No-Go, State Rep. Sabi Kumar’s Constituents Say
SPRINGFIELD — State Rep. Sabi ‘Doc’ Kumar, R-Springfield, said Saturday that The Tennessee Star’s recent coverage of his proposals to expand Medicaid and make savings payroll deductions mandatory was “outlandish” and “overblown.”
Read MoreState Rep. Sabi Kumar’s Proposed Mandatory Payroll Savings Deductions Are Difficult, Study Finds
Creating the kind of forced savings payroll deductions that State Rep. Sabi ‘Doc’ Kumar, R-Springfield, wants to impose upon Tennessee presents a variety of challenges, according to a detailed study.
Read MorePhil Roe Announces He’s Retiring From Congress
U.S. Rep. Phil Roe, (R-TN-01) announced Friday he will soon retire from Congress.
Read MoreState Rep. Sabi Kumar Wants to Expand Medicaid and Make Forced Savings Payroll Deductions Mandatory
In a radio interview with LaVern Vivio on WDBL radio in Springfield on Tuesday, State Rep. Sabi ‘Doc’ Kumar, R-Springfield, said he wants to expand Medicaid and make forced savings payroll deductions mandatory.
Read MoreCity of Knoxville Spokesman: Unlike Mayor and City Employees, Council Members Are Not Required to Include ‘So Help Me God’ When Taking Oath of Office
Newly-elected city council members in Knoxville are not legally required to acknowledge God while taking the oath of office.
Read MoreTennessee Announces Top Five Investor Threats For 2020
The Tennessee Department of Commerce & Insurance Securities Division has announced the top five investment products or schemes likely to trap Tennessee’s investors in 2020.
Read MoreTennessee Now Has Body Cams on EMS Workers, But There Are Privacy Concerns
Cheatham County is the first Emergency Medical Service provider in Tennessee to provide its staff with body cameras, but there are privacy concerns as members of the public could potentially view what these cameras record. This, according to CheathamCountyExchange.com, which reported these videos can remain confidential as long as…
Read MoreMark Green Says Only Federalism Can Save the United States
U.S. Rep. Mark Green (R-TN-07) said in a new FOX News column this week that federalism is the only thing that can save America. Under such a system, Green wrote, if U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY-14) wants universal rent control then she can have it in her home state…
Read MoreKnoxville’s New Socialist City Council Member Omits ‘So Help Me God’ When Taking Oath
The new Democratic Socialists of America-endorsed city council member in Knoxville recently took the oath of office — but she chose to disregard the part of the oath that mentions God.
Read MoreTennesseeCAN Report Scores Tennessee on 26 Education Policies
TennesseeCAN has released The 2019 Tennessee Policy Report Card, scoring Tennessee on 26 education policies that group members say ensure every student receives a high-quality education through access to “great teachers and great schools.”
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