Chattanooga Mayoral Race Heads to Runoff on April 13

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.

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Williamson County Man Arrested on Child Exploitation Charges

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.

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Representative Green Urges President Biden to Hold Cuba Accountable for Human Rights Abuses

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.

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Full Tennessee Senate to Consider Bill to Allow First Responders to Choose Where They Live

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.

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Tennessee Senate Approves Bill to Allow School Districts, Governor to Reopen Classes

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.

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Tennessee Valley Authority’s Use of Diverse Power Generation Sources Credited With Keeping Electricity Flowing in Tennessee During Winter Storms

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.

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Texas Minor League Baseball Announcer Tim Hagerty Receives Hateful Tweets Aimed at U.S. Senator Bill Hagerty of Tennessee

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.

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Chattanooga Fires Library Activist Who Allegedly Burned Books Written by President Donald Trump, Ann Coulter

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.

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Fifteen Secretaries of State Endorse Keep Nine Amendment

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.

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TBI Investigates Police-Involved Shooting in Nashville of Suspect Who Allegedly Rammed Several Patrol Vehicles

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.”

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Democratic Ohio House Minority Leader Emilia Sykes Tweets ‘No, Thank You’ to Senator Rand Paul’s Call for Election Integrity

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.”

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Dr. Anthony Fauci to Deliver Keynote Speech at Virtual Health Summit Hosted by Meharry Medical College

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.

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Maury County Mayor Andy Ogles Calls for Tennessee to Dump Any State-Held Equity in Big Tech Companies Over Censorship

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.

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Alabama Representative Mo Brooks Calls Attacks on His Rally Speech a ‘Scurrilous, George Orwellian’ Strategy

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.

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Tennessee Legislature Re-Elects Randy McNally, Cameron Sexton as Speakers of Senate, House

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”.

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Georgia Legislature Opens 2021 Session With COVID-19 Mitigation Measures, National Anthem Rendition

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.

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FBI Raids Locations Tied to Former Tennessee House Speaker Glen Casada, Plus Additional Lawmakers and Staff

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.

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Tennessee Senate Considers Bill to Allow First Responders to Live Outside the Jurisdictions They Serve

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.”

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Eleven Republican U.S. Senators and Senators-Elect Join Growing Chorus in Congress Who Say They Will Challenge Electoral College Results Wednesday

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.

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Judge Denies Lin Wood’s Restraining Order to Prevent Potential Senate Runoff Fraud

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.”

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NAACP Leader Criticizes Tennessee for Allocating Only Five Percent of Coronavirus Vaccine for Minorities

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.

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Maury County Mayor Andy Ogles Forms ‘Andy’s Army TN’ Facebook Group to Promote Liberty

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.

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Taxpayers Have No Idea How Much Possible Nissan Stadium Renovation Could Cost

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.

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106 GOP Members, Including Five from Tennessee, Soon to be Six, File Amicus Brief in Texas SCOTUS Election Lawsuit

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.”

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Republican Organizations File Lawsuit to Ensure Georgia Follows State Laws for January 5 Runoff Elections

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.

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