Flags at Half Staff for Fallen Blount County Deputy, Suspect Taken into Custody After Manhunt

Greg McCowan

Gov. Bill Lee (R) Wednesday announced that the flag at the State Capitol will fly at half staff in honor of a fallen Blount County Sheriff’s Deputy who was killed in the line of duty. 

“Today, flags over the State Capitol will be lowered in remembrance of Deputy Greg McGowan, who laid down his life to protect & serve Tennesseans. Maria & I continue to lift his family & loved ones up in prayer,” Lee said on X, formerly Twitter. 

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Trump Leads Haley by Wide Margin in South Carolina, Mace Draws No-Show Primary Challenger

As the February 24 Republican primary elections approach in South Carolina, former President Donald J. Trump has a commanding lead in the polls against his only challenger, former South Carolina Governor Nimrata “Nikki” Haley.

According to the poll aggregator FiveThirtyEight, Trump is dominating Haley on her own home turf by a margin of about 65 percent to Haley’s 32 percent. 

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Murfreesboro Settles ACLU Lawsuit over Drag Performances

The City of Murfreesboro settled a lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) over public drag performances, according to the legal nonprofit.

“American Civil Liberties Union, ACLU of Tennessee, Ballard Spahr, and Burr & Forman have settled a lawsuit filed against the City of Murfreesboro over its anti-LGBTQ+ ordinance and local policy denying all special event permit requests from the Tennessee Equality Project (TEP), founder and host of the annual BoroPride Festival,” according to a release from the ACLU.

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Rep. Ogles Blasts Biden Administration About Illegal Aliens Coming to Tennessee

Andy Ogles

A Tennessee congressman blasted the Biden administration after it was revealed last week that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) knew that nearly 600 illegal aliens planned to travel to Middle Tennessee after they were released from detainment.

“Joe Biden’s efforts to transport illegal aliens into Franklin, Davidson County, and Mt. Juliet are reprehensible,” said Representative Andy Ogles (R-TN-05) on X. “Middle Tennessee deserves answers. That’s why I’ve sent a letter to [DHS Secretary] Mayorkas demanding responses to all my questions regarding this troubling incursion into our community.”

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TDOT’s ‘Nobody Trashes Tennessee’ Partnering With Local Girl Scouts

Nobody Trashes Tennessee

The Tennessee Department of Transportation’s Nobody Trashes Tennessee project is working with local Girl Scouts to give them patches for helping with the cause.

“Girl Scout Troops are highly committed to community service projects and environmental education, and we are thrilled to have participation from all three councils representing the entire state of Tennessee participating in our Nobody Trashes Tennessee patch program,” said Brittany Morris, TDOT’s transportation program supervisor in a release. “Within the first two months of launching the program in Middle Tennessee, we had approximately 1,000 Girl Scouts earn a Nobody Trashes Tennessee patch. We are excited to have even more participation from Girl Scouts this year and have numerous ways for them to get involved.”

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UAW Says Majority of Workers at Tennessee Volkswagen Plant Have Voted to Unionize

According to a statement from United Auto Workers (UAW), more than half of the employees at Volkswagen’s Chattanooga, Tennessee plant have voted to unionize. 

“A majority of workers at Volkswagen’s Chattanooga, Tennessee plant have signed cards to join the UAW, less than sixty days after the workers announced their campaign to form a union at the German automaker’s only US assembly plant,” according to a UAW press release.

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News Station Poll: 97 Percent Oppose Releasing Violent Criminals Without Bail

According to a poll by The National Desk that is circulating on local Tennessee news websites, 97 percent of respondents said they believe that violent alleged criminals should not be released back onto the streets without bail.

The poll, which is running on WTCV in Chattanooga and WZTV in Nashville, asks respondents, “Do you think those arrested for violent crimes should be released without bail?”

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Tennessee Lawmakers Blast Border Bill

Tennessee’s elected Republicans are taking to the airwaves to oppose a 370 page spending bill that claims to address the crisis at the U.S. southern border with Mexico. 

“It is against the law for an individual to illegally cross into our country — it’s incredible that still needs to be said. We are a nation of law and order, yet the Biden administration has allowed over 8.8 million illegal immigrants to flood our border,” said Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) on X. 

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Convicted Georgia Sex Offender Dead After Kidnapping Tennessee Girl, Ramming Police

Edward Aherns

A convicted sex offender from Georgia is dead after an encounter with Tennessee authorities during which he rammed several police cars, several sources have confirmed. 

Edward Ahrens was suspected of kidnapping an 11-year-old girl who was the subject of a Tennessee Endangered Child Alert, according to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI). The missing child was identified as Aubriauna Mays. 

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Sen. Blackburn Slams Big Tech Companies in Fox Interview

Sen. Marsha Blackburn Fox News

A U.S. Senator from Tennessee took to Fox News to slam Big Tech companies over the dangers their platforms pose to America’s youth. 

“You know, I wish that each one of those [tech executives] would have taken their turn at apologizing to those parents,” Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) told Harris Faulkner on “The Faulkner Focus.” “You look at the amount of pornographic material on X, you look at what Snap has done, connecting kids to pedophiles and drug dealers, TikTok, with the kids that have done these TikTok challenges and lost their lives, Discord which is used for chats and gaming, and kids are meeting really bad actors. Every one of them owed those parents that were in that room an apology and those kids – friends of kids – who had lost their lives that showed up wearing those t-shirts. Some were worth more than $230 which is what [Meta CEO Mark] Zuckerberg said a teen was worth to them on social media.” 

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Tennessee U.S. Senator Hagerty Endorses Kari Lake for Senate

Sen Hagerty Kari Lake

A U.S. senator from Tennessee on Friday endorsed Kari Lake, who is running for U.S. Senate in Arizona.

“I’m honored to endorse my friend Kari Lake to be Arizona’s next U.S. Senator. Kari is a strong, principled conservative, who knows and loves the people of Arizona and will make them proud as their elected representative,” Senator Bill Hagerty (R-TN) said in statement. “Kari is fearless, she doesn’t back down, and she will fight tirelessly to secure our border and make our country safe and prosperous. The stakes could not be higher and it is now more important than ever that we retake the Republican majority and get our country back on the right track for all working American families and citizens.”

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Four Nashvillians Arrested in Fentanyl, Meth Trafficking Bust

Fentanyl MNPD

According to the Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD), four of the city’s residents have been arrested following a methamphetamine and fentanyl bust conducted by local, state, and federal authorities.

“A joint investigation by MNPD narcotics detectives, DEA agents and the TBI’s High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force led to Monday’s seizure of 12 pounds of pressed fentanyl pills (approximately 120,000) and 27 pounds of meth arriving in Nashville from California,” MNPD said in press release.

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Rep. Faison: Democrat ‘Thoughts and Prayers Gun Tax’ Bill ‘Ill-Conceived’

A Republican member of Tennessee’s General Assembly is critical of a Democrat colleague’s new bill.

HB 2193, introduced by State Representative Bo Mitchell (D-Nashville), “imposes an additional 15-percent tax on the retail sale of firearms [and] requires revenue from the firearms tax to be deposited into the K-12 mental health counselor fund to be administered by the department of education and used exclusively to provide school counselors in elementary and secondary public schools and public charter schools in this state and for mental health assessments and services for students pursuant to a school counselor’s referral.”

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Bridgestone Responds to Criticism from Coffee County Sheriff over Work Absences During Snow Storms

Chad Partin

Bridgestone is responding to criticism from the Coffee County Sheriff who accused the company of forcing workers to call the sheriff’s office to get notes for excused absences from work during last week’s severe winter weather. 

Coffee County Sheriff Chad Partin wrote an open letter to the tire giant on his Facebook page on January 19. It said:

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New Tennessee Bill Would Outlaw ‘Abortion Trafficking’ of Minors

Jason Zachary

A bill introduced in the Tennessee General Assembly would criminalize abortion trafficking of minors. 

HB 1895 “creates the criminal offense of abortion trafficking of a minor; provides for a civil action against a person committing the offense of abortion trafficking of a minor for the wrongful death of an unborn child that was aborted,” according to its summary. 

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BlackRock Touting Tennessee Investments in X Advertisement

Blackrock Ad

In an advertisement on X, formerly Twitter, the hedge fund BlackRock is touting its investments in the state of Tennessee.

“BlackRock invested in the future of Tennessee,” the ad says. “On behalf of our clients, BlackRock has invested over $36.5 billion in public companies across Tennessee and nearly 1 in 12 Tennesseans benefit from the public pensions we manage.” 

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Reported Death Toll from Winter Storms Up to 27

As of Sunday, 27 people are dead after Tennessee was pummeled with winter weather last week, as confirmed by the Tennessee Department of Health (TDOH). 

As part of a release from the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency (TEMA), TDOH said eight people in Shelby County, four in Knox County, two in Marshall County, two in Washington County, and two in Roane County had died as a result of the storms. 

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TBI Investigating Death of Shelby County Jail Inmate

Ramon McGhee

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) is investigating the January 12 death of an inmate in the Shelby County Jail. 

“At the request of 30th Judicial District Attorney General Steve Mulroy, we were requested on January 10th to investigate a report that an inmate at the Shelby County Jail, Ramon McGhee (DOB: 02/19/1981) was found unresponsive, and was transported to a local hospital. On Friday, McGhee was declared dead,” TBI Public Information Officer Keli McAlister told The Tennessee Star Wednesday. “Our investigation remains active and ongoing. An autopsy has been scheduled to determine the cause of his death. Information regarding the autopsy is not something that would come from our office.”

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Tennessee to Address AI Impact on Music Industry with ‘ELVIS Act’

Gov. Bill Lee (R) announced this week that he is working with the General Assembly on a bill to protect the rights of Tennessee’s artists as artificial intelligence (AI) becomes a more prevalent threat.

“From Beale Street to Broadway, to Bristol and beyond, Tennessee is known for our rich artistic heritage that tells the story of our great state,” Lee said in a press release. “As the technology landscape evolves with artificial intelligence, we’re proud to lead the nation in proposing legal protection for our best-in-class artists and songwriters.”

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Tennessee House Bill Would Require All Driver’s License Tests to Be Administered in English

A new bill introduced in the Tennessee General Assembly would require drivers wishing to obtain Tennessee driver’s licenses to pass a test administered only in English. 

HB 1730 “requires all written driver license examinations to be administered in English only; prohibits use of a translation dictionary, electronic device, or interpreter to assist with the examination,” according to the summary of the bill. 

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Bill Ackman Slams Business Insider’s German Parent Company for Double Down on ‘False Reporting’

Bill Ackman

Billionaire investor Bill Ackman’s spat with Business Insider escalated Thursday morning when he accused Business Insider’s German parent company Axel Springer of spreading what he says are false allegations printed by its subsidiary. 

“Yesterday, Axel Springer doubled down on Business Insider’s false reporting. The result is that Axel Springer has now become a directly responsible party for this exposure in addition to BI,” Ackman said on X.

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New Details Emerge in Case of Memphis Man Who Fired Gun Outside Jewish School

Joel Bowman

During a bond hearing, new details emerged in the case of the man who is behind bars for attempting to gain entry to a Jewish school in Memphis and then firing shots outside that school. 

Joel Bowman discharged a firearm outside the Margolin Hebrew Academy/Feinstone Yeshiva of the South (MHA-FYOS) on July 31. At the time, security video showed him attempting to enter the locked school, before retreating. 

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Sen. Blackburn Co-Sponsors Bill That Makes Blocking Traffic While Protesting a Federal Crime

Seattle Palestine Rally

A Tennessee senator is co-sponsoring a bill that would make it a federal crime to block a highway as a form of protest.

S.3492, “The Safe and Open Streets Act,” says “[i]t shall be unlawful to, in any way or degree, purposely obstruct, delay, or affect commerce or the movement of any article or commodity in commerce by blocking a public road or highway, or to attempt or conspire so to do.”

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Republican Bill Would Exempt Diapers, Baby Wipes, Formula from Sales Tax in Tennessee

A bill introduced by a Tennessee Republican would exempt certain baby products from sales tax.

“There is exempt from the tax imposed by this chapter the retail sale of infant formula and diapers and wipes designed to be used by infants and children, if sold between 12:01 a.m. on July 1, 2024, and 11:59 p.m. on June 30, 2025,” says the text of HB 1637.

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Rep. Burchett Renews Call for Epstein Client List Release After Latest Court Docs Unsealed

A United States congressman from Tennessee is still pushing for a full list of dead pedophile Jeffrey Epstein’s clients, after unsealed court documents from earlier this week named several high profile figures as associates of Epstein’s. 

“I don’t care about the list of people Epstein interacted with in just ANY capacity,” said Rep. Tim Burchett (R-TN-02) on X, formerly Twitter. “I care about the list of people who participated in his sex crimes and exploitation, especially when it involved minors. Where’s the actual client list?”

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Maury County Adult Caregiver Charged with Financial Exploitation of Elderly Patients

Woman Suspect

A adult caregiver in Maury County has been arrested for allegedly draining the bank accounts of her home care patients, according to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI). 

“In June 2023, after receiving referrals from Adult Protective Services, TBI agents initiated an investigation into an allegation that a caregiver for several home care patients in Maury County was using the victims’ debit cards to make fraudulent, personal charges on an online gambling site,” according to a TBI release. “The investigation identified Cynthia Dobbins as the caregiver responsible for the theft from the victims’ accounts.”

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Media and Left-Wing Activists Ignore Claudine Gay’s Plagiarism of Carol Swain, Say Harvard President’s Ousting Is About Racism

Claudine Gay

In the wake of Harvard University’s firing of former President Claudine Gay, the mainstream news media and far-left online activists reacted by accusing their political opponents of racism, despite the fact that Gay’s ouster was preceded by public anti-semitism and plagiarism of political scientist Dr. Carol Swain.

“Harvard president’s resignation highlights new conservative weapon against colleges: plagiarism,” said a headline from Associated Press. 

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Tennessee Nurse Wanted for Negligent Homicide of Patient Arrested in Georgia

A Tennessee nurse who was wanted for negligent homicide in the death of a patient has been arrested in Tennessee after nearly nine months on the run, according to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI). 

“After a referral from Adult Protective Services, TBI agents began investigating an allegation that in March 2022, a certified nurse aide who worked in a care facility in Clarksville failed to properly use a lift while attempting to move a patient,” TBI said in a news release. “As a result, that resident, Patricia Oliver, sustained a fall that caused her serious bodily injury, ultimately resulting in her death. The investigation identified Takesha Tucker as the nurse aide responsible for the incident.”

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Rep. Burchett Says He Expects Epstein Client List Coverup to Continue

Tim Burchett Interview

Representative Tim Burchett (R-TN-02) continued his crusade for the release of dead pedophile Jeffrey Epstein’s client list Tuesday morning, noting that he said he believes that the coverup will continue.

“What I want is the client list,” Burchett told Rob Finnerty on NewsMax’s “Wake Up America.” “You know, you’ve got these skeevy old dudes that everybody says, ‘Well, they’ve gone and had sex on this island, what’s the big deal?’ No they haven’t. They’ve done an act of violence against a child. They need to be burned on that. That’s the list we need.”

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30 Years Later, TBI’s Most Wanted Prison Escapee Remains at Large

Robert Sanders

One of Tennessee’s most wanted fugitives, who escaped from prison in 1990, remains on the lam 30 years after being placed on the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) Most Wanted list.

Robert Houston Sanders, serving an 81-year sentence for kidnapping and armed robbery, escaped from the Tennessee State Prison on April 20, 1990 and disappeared. Sanders has been on TBI’s Most Wanted list since its inception in 1993. He is the only most wanted fugitive in the state with that distinction and is still considered “armed and dangerous.”

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FEMA Urges Tennessee Businesses Affected by Tornadoes to Apply for Relief Immediately

Tennessee Tornado

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is urging Tennessee businesses that suffered damages during the deadly tornadoes that ripped through the state earlier this month to apply for financial relief as soon as possible. 

“FEMA may refer survivors of the Dec. 9 tornadoes to the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) with information on how to apply for a disaster loan. It’s important to submit the loan application as soon as possible,” the organization said in a Wednesday release. “SBA disaster loans are the largest source of federal disaster recovery funds for survivors. SBA offers long-term, low-interest disaster loans to businesses of all sizes, private nonprofit organizations, homeowners and renters.”

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Tennessee Official Says Anxiety, Depression on the Rise Among Children

An official with the Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (TDMHSAS) said in a recent interview that mental illnesses among children are on the rise in the Volunteer State, as the state’s Attorney General works to tackle some of the potential root causes of those illnesses. 

“The data from all sources point to that we see increased sadness and hopelessness among high school students,” TDMHSAS Deputy Commissioner Matthew Yancey told WKRN. “We’ve seen increases in emergency room presentations related to psychiatric emergencies, increases in suicidal ideation.”

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Tennessee Supreme Court Justice Applicant Biography Series: Judge Mary L. Wagner

Mary Wagner

As Tennessee Supreme Court Justice Roger A. Page plans to retire at the end of August in 2024, six judges from around the state are vying to replace him. The Tennessee Star plans to profile each of the applicants before they are interviewed for the position in January.

Judge Mary L. Wagner, a Circuit Court Judge for the Thirtieth Judicial District in Memphis, has applied to fill Page’s seat on the state’s highest court. 

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Tennessee Supreme Court Justice Applicant Biography Series: Judge Camille R. McMullen

Camille McMullen

As Tennessee Supreme Court Justice Roger A. Page plans to retire at the end of August, six judges from around the state are vying to replace him. The Tennessee Star plans to profile each of the applicants before they are interviewed for the position in January.

Judge Camille R. McMullen is the Presiding Judge of the Tennessee Criminal Court of Appeals, a position to which she was elected in June, and is perhaps most high-profile candidate to fill the State Supreme Court role. 

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