Chattanooga’s mayoral race dropped down from 15 official candidates to only two following Tuesday’s election, with the top vote-getters preparing for a runoff election.
Tim Kelly and Kim White will runoff on April 13, The Chattanoogan said. Kelly, a former car dealer, received 8,562 votes, or 30 percent, compared to White’s 8,289, or 29 percent. White is former president of River City Co.
Read the full story
A man has been arrested in Williamson County on child exploitation charges.
The Williamson County Sheriff’s Office (WCSO) reported on its Facebook page that its Internet Crime Against Children Task Force (ICAC) recently completed an investigation that resulted in the arrest of Williamson County resident Phillip Anderson, 50. Anderson is charged with four counts of aggravated sexual exploitation of a minor and three charges of sexual exploitation of a minor.
Read the full story
Nashville businessman and Congressional candidate Quincy McKnight said he wants to replace PayPal, and that U.S. Congressman Jim Cooper (D-TN-05) has served long enough.
McKnight, of Nashville, is a candidate for U.S. House in Tennessee’s 5th Congressional District. The seat is currently held by 10-term incumbent Cooper.
Read the full story
U.S. Representative Mark Green (R-TN-07) and two other members of Congress on Friday sent President Joe Biden a letter urging him to implement a Cuba policy that holds the regime accountable for its human rights abuses and support for authoritarian regimes in the region.
Joining Green in sending the letter were U.S. Representatives August Pfluger (R-TX-11) and Maria Salazar (R-FL-27), according to a statement issued by Green, ranking member of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere. Pfluger and Salazar are members of the subcommittee as well.
Read the full story
The Clarksville City Council is considering a Second Amendment sanctuary resolution in a meeting this afternoon.
Councilmember Jason Knight is offering “Resolution 56-2020-21 Declaring the City of Clarksville as a 2nd Amendment Sanctuary City.” The meeting starts at 4:30 p.m.
Read the full story
Members of the Tennessee Senate State and Local Government Committee on Tuesday voted to advance Senate Bill 29 to allow first responders to live where they choose, allowing the bill to be placed on the calendar Thursday for the Senate.
Sponsored by State Senator Brian Kelsey (R-Germantown), the legislation would ban residency requirements statewide for police officers and firefighters, the Tennessee Senate Republican Caucus said in a statement. Kelsey said the bill is a matter of public safety and will allow police and fire departments to recruit top-tier first responder candidates, regardless of where they live. The lawmaker said, in particular, it will help Tennessee address a deficit of police officers occurring throughout the country.
Read the full story
The Tennessee Legislature is looking into giving local education districts more leeway to open or shut schools during public emergencies — or the governor the power to send students back to campus.
On Monday, Tennessee State Senator Brian Kelsey (R-Germantown) presented Senate Bill 103 to the full Senate. The bill passed the Senate as amended, 27-5.
Read the full story
Unlike Texas, Tennessee has been blessed to largely keep the electricity on during the winter storms, with Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) crediting its diverse generation assets.
Although thousands of homes throughout the Tennessee Valley have lost power at different times thanks to issues like trees falling on transmission lines, electric generation in the Volunteer State has held up despite the high demands from below-freezing temperatures.
Read the full story
In an unfortunate case of mistaken identity, a Minor League Baseball radio announcer in Texas named Tim Hagerty is receiving hateful social media comments intended for a U.S. Senator of a similar name from Tennessee over the acquittal of President Donald Trump.
Tim Hagerty recently tweeted, “I continue getting tweets intended for US Senator Bill Hagerty.
Read the full story
The City of Chattanooga reportedly fired a worker for allegedly burning books written by conservative authors, including President Donald Trump.
Officials said part-time library specialist Cameron Dequintez Williams took the books and burned them in December, WDEF reported last week. Williams led several protests last year in Chattanooga and was charged with blocking streets.
Read the full story
A group of 15 secretaries of state this week issued their support for the “Keep Nine Amendment” recently introduced in Congress, marking the latest victory for the organization seeking to preserve the independence of the U.S. Supreme Court.
The Keep Nine Amendment said in a statement that the 15 sent the letter to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, and House Minority Leader of the House Kevin McCarthy.
Read the full story
K&L Gates LLP, the global law firm that employs former U.S. Representative Bart Gordon (D-TN-06), has opened a Nashville office.
K&L Gates announced it has set up a Nashville law office with more than 25 lawyers handling health care, litigation, corporate, intellectual property, finance, and construction, and other specialties.
Read the full story
An organization dedicated to preserving the independence of the U.S. Supreme Court reports it has won several large victories in the past week.
Keep Nine said in a statement that Republican Gov. Doug Ducey of Arizona has endorsed its work, making him the first governor to do so.
Read the full story
The Nashville government has pledged almost $14 million for infrastructure for the first phase of development of a project in River North.
River North is a section of East Nashville’s East Bank that Metro Nashville is trying to redevelop, according to the city’s Planning Department website.
Read the full story
Tennessee ranks 33rd of the 50 states for the percentage of COVID-19 vaccines it has distributed versus the number of doses it received, data show.
The ranking was revealed by Becker’s Hospital Review, and is available here. Becker’s updated the data on Tuesday.
Read the full story
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation is looking into an officer-involved shooting Wednesday of a suspect who allegedly rammed several police cars in north Nashville.
The TBI on Wednesday tweeted, “HAPPENING NOW: TBI Agents are investigating a reported officer-involved shooting in Nashville, at a location in the 2200 block of Brick Church Pike.”
Read the full story
In response to a call for election integrity by U.S. Senator Rand Paul (R-KY), Ohio House Minority Leader Emilia Sykes (D-OH-Akron) tweeted, “No thank you.”
Sykes’ statement came after Paul tweeted, “That’s why I’ll spend the next two years going to every state legislature trying to fix the laws, protect our vote and stop election fraud.”
Read the full story
Tennessee has added people living in households with medically fragile children to Phase 1c of the state’s COVID-19 Vaccination Plan, but doses remain extremely limited for seniors.
The Tennessee Department of Health announced the updated distribution plan Friday.
Read the full story
Dr. Anthony Fauci will participate as a keynote speaker in a free virtual summit on health equity for minorities Wednesday at Meharry Medical College.
The director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) will participate in the Nashville college’s Health Summit series, Meharry Medical announced. The session will be form 10 a.m.-noon Wednesday.
Read the full story
Proclaiming Justice to the Nations (PJTN) announced that the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) is removing it from its list of designated hate groups.
PJTN said in a statement that it learned in 2020 that the SPLC had designated their organization as a ”hate group.”
Read the full story
Maury County Mayor Andy Ogles is calling on the Tennessee General Assembly to dump any state-held equity and debt in the Big Tech companies over their “war on freedom of speech.”
Ogles made the announcement on his Facebook page Wednesday, available here. It is addressed to Governor Bill Lee, Lieutenant Governor Randy McNally (R-Oak Ridge), House Speaker Cameron Sexton (R-Crossville) and the other members of the Legislature.
Read the full story
U.S. Representative Mo Brooks (AL-05) on Tuesday responded to the “scurrilous, George Orwellian” attacks that Democrats are making against him over his “Save America” rally speech on January 6.
An official censure was proposed by U.S. Representatives Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL-23) and Tom Malinowski (D-NJ-07), the Washington Examiner said.
Read the full story
Tennessee Lieutenant Governor Randy McNally (R-Oak Ridge) on Tuesday was re-elected for his third term as Speaker of the Senate, while State Representative Cameron Sexton (R-Crossville) returned as House Speaker.
The Tennessee House Republican Caucus tweeted, “The 112th General Assembly convened today in Nashville! Congratulations to our re-elected Speaker of the House Cameron Sexton, newly elected Speaker Pro Tem Pat Marsh, and all our members as they were sworn into office. @CSexton25 @marsh4tn”.
Read the full story
The Georgia General Assembly returned to session Monday for the first time since June 2020 with coronavirus measures in place.
Legislators were required to observe COVID-19 restrictions including wearing masks and social distancing, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported. Legislators will be tested twice a week for COVID-19, said State Senator Mike Dugan (R-Carrollton), the Republican Senate leader.
Read the full story
The Republican National Committee (RNC) has come out in support of the proposed “Keep Nine Amendment” that, if enacted, would prevent packing the U.S. Supreme Court.
The Resolutions Committee adopted the resolution of support, the RNC said in a statement Friday.
Read the full story
The FBI on Friday reportedly raided locations tied to former Tennessee House Speaker Glen Casada (R-Franklin) and Republican allies over allegations of possible public corruption.
Current Tennessee House Speaker Cameron Sexton (R-Crossville) issued a statement about the raid that took place at the Cordell Hull Building in Nashville.
Read the full story
State Senator Brian Kelsey (R-Germantown) on Wednesday filed SB 29 which would allow first responders to live where they choose, the Tennessee Senate Republican Caucus said in a statement.
Kelsey posted on the caucus’ Facebook page, “This is a public safety bill. It will enable us to hire more police officers, which will help us fight our rising crime rates.”
Read the full story
U.S Senators Marsha Blackburn and Bill Hagerty (both R-TN) reversed course late Wednesday night and allowed Arizona’s disputed electoral votes to be counted, WJHL reported.
Just last week, the duo had pledged to contest the Electoral College results, The Tennessee Star reported.
Read the full story
Not long before the tallying of and objections to the Electoral College results were disrupted by the violent protest at the Capitol, U.S. Representative Mark Green (R-TN-07) had repeated his intention to contest the election results.
Green on Wednesday announced his intention to object to the slates of electors in “certain states.”
Read the full story
Scott Golden, chairman of the Tennessee Republican Party, condemned the violence in Washington, D.C., and said the GOP is the party of law and order, a sentiment expressed by several state leaders.
Golden made the statement Wednesday in an email as well as on Facebook, which is available here.
Read the full story
Nashville bomber Anthony Warner reportedly mailed packages to people he knew before the attack with pages containing nonsensical rambling statements about lizard people and UFOs.
NewsChannel 5 reported on the development in the Christmas Day bombing case.
Read the full story
Facebook on New Year’s Day temporarily shut down a Republican fundraising page for Georgia’s U.S. Senate runoff elections.
The National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) tweeted about the alleged censorship, which took place just four days before the election.
Read the full story
U.S. Senator Kelly Loeffler on Friday highlighted the stark contrasts between her record in the successful PPP program and other COVID-19 assistance in the Senate versus her opponent Rev. Raphael Warnock’s PPP record.
Loeffler pointed out the differences in a tweet.
Read the full story
Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Jon Ossoff has repeatedly failed to answer questions about his ties to the Chinese Communist Party, U.S. Senator David Perdue (R-GA) says.
Perdue faces Ossoff in Georgia’s U.S. Senate runoff on Tuesday.
Read the full story
Eleven more Republican U.S. senators and senators-elect from 10 states said they will contest the Electoral College results Wednesday over fraud concerns.
U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), one of the 11, made the announcement Saturday. Senator-Elect Bill Hagerty (R-TN), who was endorsed by President Donald Trump in the election, is working with her in the dissent.
Read the full story
Dick Morris told Newsmax TV that Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger created “serious problems” in the November election for several reasons.
Morris appeared on the Monday episode of “American Agenda,”according to a story by Newsmax.
Read the full story
A federal judge on Monday morning tossed a temporary restraining order filed the evening before by attorney and Fulton County, Georgia voter Lin Wood seeking to block fraudulent activities in the U.S. Senate runoff elections.
Atlanta Federal Judge Timothy C. Batten Sr. of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia’s Atlanta Division made the decision, calling Wood’s claim “speculative.”
Read the full story
The Tennessee Department of Health is setting aside a portion of its COVID-19 vaccines for communities that are poorer and have more people of color, but one minority leader says that is not good enough.
After this current first phase, the state will reserve 5 percent of the vaccine for areas that are poorer and have higher numbers of minorities, CBS News reported.
Read the full story
Maury County Mayor Andy Ogles formed a Facebook group called “Andy’s Army TN” for “patriots and Fans of Andy Ogles who believe in taking a stand for our Constitution and Liberties.”
The private group’s page is here. Since it is a private group, people have to request to join. Facebook showed the membership to be approximately 1,800 as of Monday.
Read the full story
While the Tennessee Titans and Nashville Mayor John Cooper are talking about renovating Nissan Stadium and extending the team’s lease, a price tag for taxpayers has not been disclosed.
The franchise and the city announced their discussions last week, The Tennessee Star reported. The negotiations have been going on for some time, but the team said it was making the process public, citing a story by The Tennessean. Something should be known in about six months.
Read the full story
The Rev. Raphael Warnock hosted controversial preacher Jeremiah Wright, Barack Obama’s former pastor, at Ebenezer Baptist Church in 2014, Fox News reported.
Warnock is running in the January 5 Georgia U.S. Senate runoff against incumbent Senator Kelly Loeffler (R-GA).
Read the full story
Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger on Friday condemned the firing of poll managers and whistle blowers Suzi Voyles and Bridget Thorne by Fulton County elections officials.
Raffensperger also called on Fulton County to rehire them to work future elections.
Read the full story
The Metro Nashville Council on Tuesday voted to approve Mayor John Cooper’s $1.6 billion transportation plan.
The move will help Nashville to apply for federal grants to implement the plan, WPLN reported. Cooper wants to invest in the WeGo bus system even though ridership fell by half this year during the pandemic.
Read the full story
The Georgia Senate Republican Caucus on Monday seated 16 electors for President Donald Trump, State Senator Brandon Beach (R-GA-21) told the Georgia Star News.
The seating of the electors is in the event that the U.S. Supreme Court does not certify Georgia for Joe Biden, Beach told The Star News.
Read the full story
Over two dozen black pastors penned an open letter to Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Rev. Raphael Warnock over his declarations of support for abortion using his pastoral background.
Warnock on Dec. 8 tweeted, “I am a pro-choice pastor.”
Read the full story
Metro Nashville Police Department SWAT officers on Friday arrested Devaunte L. Hill in the December 3 murder of Nashville nurse Caitlyn Kaufman as she drove to work on Interstate 440, police said.
Hill, 21, was taken into custody at his apartment in the Berkshire Place complex on Porter Road in East Nashville, MNPD said.
Read the full story
A total of 106 House Republicans on Thursday filed an amicus brief with the U.S. Supreme Court in support of the plaintiffs in Texas v. Pennsylvania, et al, including Tennessee’s U.S. Representatives Mark Green, Tim Burchett, Chuck Fleischmann, David Kustoff, John Rose, with U.S. Rep. Mike Johnson (R-LA-04) taking the lead.
U.S. Rep. Mark Green (R-TN-07) tweeted, “100+ House Republicans and I have filed a brief urging the Supreme Court to hear the Texas case. The election for the presidency of the United States is too important to not get right.”
Read the full story
Jeff Webb is the new co-publisher and senior news editor of Human Events, the digital publishing platform announced Thursday.
Webb and his team will take on the responsibility of building a daily news platform alongside the publication’s already established opinion page, Human Events said.
Read the full story
The Republican National Committee and the Georgia Republican Party filed a lawsuit to ensure Georgia election law is properly followed for the January 5 runoff election.
The lawsuit demands that poll watchers be allowed to do their jobs as permitted under Georgia law, and safeguards in the law for ballot “drop boxes” are upheld, according to a statement issued Tuesday by the Republican National Committee.
Read the full story
Raphael Warnock would be a “rubber stamp” for radical Democratic agendas that include packing the Supreme Court, the campaign for U.S. Senator Kelly Loeffler (R-GA) said.
Loeffler’s campaign on Monday rapped Warnock for repeatedly deflecting questions on the topic.
Read the full story