A female swimmer at a Virginia university wrote a letter to the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) saying she was cheated out of a spot in the NCAA national championship 500-meter race because of biologically male, transgender swimmer Lia Thomas.
Reka Gyorgy, a senior student-athlete at Virginia Tech University, called Thomas’ participation in the event “a problem.”
Read the full story
A far-left Political Action Committee (PAC) is spending six figures on billboards that say “Say Gay,” in response to a Florida bill that bans kindergarten through third grade teachers from talking to students about sex, gender and sexuality.
“Starting Wednesday these will be going up all throughout Florida. Thank you to everyone who made this possible, especially Ron DeSantis for being a terrible person,” left-wing activist Ally Sammarco said on Twitter.
Read the full story
After its CEO suggested the now-infamous Hunter Biden laptop story was Russian Russian disinformation, NewsGuard, the self-styled arbiter of internet truth, is not backing down.
“My personal opinion is there’s a high likelihood this story is a hoax, maybe even a hoax perpetrated by the Russians again,” NewsGuard CEO Steve Brill said on CNBC just before the 2020 presidential election.
Read the full story
A University of Virginia Women’s Swimmer took home second place in the NCAA national championship Thursday, finishing behind controversial biologically male, transgender swimmer Lia Thomas of the University of Pennsylvania (UPenn).
Freshman Emma Weyant was the fastest female swimmer in the 500 meter race, but that was not enough to win the women’s national championship.
Read the full story
After a swift and unanimous passage through both chambers of the Georgia General Assembly, Gov. Brian Kemp (R) is expected to sign into law a bill that will temporarily suspend the state’s tax on gasoline.
HB 304 would take effect on May 31. Kemp is reportedly expected to sign the bill, which will alleviate prices at the pump to the tune of 28 cents per gallon. It had not been signed as of Friday afternoon.
Read the full story
A member of the United States House of Representatives from Tennessee called for the United States to punish Russia in a bizarre Thursday rant on the House floor.
“What Russia has done in Ukraine is immoral, it is illegal, it is and against the word, the acts, the intensions of every godly character ever,” Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN-09) said. “God would not have approved. WWJD? What Russia has done deserves the entire condemnation of the world and everything we can do to condemn them and put them out of organized, civilized society is appropriate.”
Read the full story
A “trigger bill” was introduced this week in the Ohio General Assembly that would ban abortion in nearly all cases provided that certain conditions are met.
The text of HB 598 is clear: No person shall purposely cause or induce an abortion by either of the following: (1) Prescribing, administering, or personally furnishing a drug or substance; (2) Using an instrument or other means.
Read the full story
While other states have passed legislation to protect voter integrity in during the 2022 elections, Connecticut has taken steps to advance the controversial practice of absentee voting on a large scale.
HB 5262 passed the State House of Representatives, expanding access to vote away from polling places.
Read the full story
The Georgia State Senate Wednesday passed a bill that would protect parents’ right to protest their local school boards.
SB 588 “provide[s] that all meetings of local boards of education shall be open to the public except as otherwise provided by law…” and “provide[s] that members of the public shall not be removed from such public meetings except for actual disruption and in accordance with rules adopted and published by the local board of education.”
Read the full story
On the same day that Disney employees walked out in protest of Florida’s new anti-grooming bill, three employees of the children’s theme park were caught in a sex crime bust, and at least one was charged with a child sex crime.
Read the full story
A major poll shows that most Americans support recent legislation passed by Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) that keeps teachers from peddling smut and discussing sexuality with 5-through-8-year-olds in Florida’s public schools.
DeSantis caused an uproar when he signed HB 1557 into law, with far-left activists dubbing it a “don’t say gay” law.
Read the full story
A mother who was told to “zip it” and then thrown out of a school board meeting while addressing the board’s members has filed a lawsuit against the district, claiming that the board’s rules for public speakers are unconstitutional.
Plaintiff Ashley Ryder is seeking injunctive relief to stop the Big Walnut Local Schools (BWLS) from enforcing its rules at school board meetings.
Read the full story
A voter integrity bill meant to provide more oversight on election day passed the Georgia House of Representatives just hours before its Tuesday Crossover Day deadline.
HB 1464 gives the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) jurisdiction to investigate election fraud without invitation from the Secretary of State, who oversees elections.
Read the full story
Ohio’s governor Monday marked a milestone for gun rights in the state, signing into law a bill colloquially called “Constitutional Carry.”
SB 215 became law Monday evening, to the applause of conservative groups in the state and nationwide.
Read the full story
A Georgia Democrat making her second attempt at securing the state’s highest office released her first campaign ad Tuesday, touting her determination to this time win the election.
“I was raised that when you don’t get what you want, you don’t give up,” Stacey Abrams said in the ad. “You try again. You try because it’s how things get better. It’s how the world moves forward. I don’t quit, because Georgians deserve leadership, and that’s what a leader does.”
Read the full story
In a day-long session Monday, Connecticut’s Joint Judiciary Committee, comprised of members of the State House and State Senate, weighed 12 bills, mostly related to criminal justice reform.
Last year, the state saw a drop in overall violent crime statistics but a massive increase in robberies, shootings, and carjackings, leading to the flurry of bills that are currently on the legislative docket.
Read the full story
A Tennessee bill that would, among other things, mandate that public universities stop teaching “divisive concepts” to students will be voted upon next week.
“I believe the bill will pass,” the bill’s sponsor, State Sen. Mike Bell (R-Athens) told The Tennessee Star Tuesday. “It was rolled last night only because the house had added an amendment and I needed a little more time to consider whether to accept the House amendment or to go forward with the Senate version.”
Read the full story
A self-styled civil rights organization has once again filed a lawsuit against Hanover County Schools, this time over the Hanover County School Board’s (HCSB) choice to hire the Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) to review its equality initiatives.
“We have filed a lawsuit. We’ve submitted a FOIA request in hopes of better understanding the nature of the relationship between ADF and the Hanover County School Board,” Communications Director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Virginia (ACLUVA) Edith Bullard told The Virginia Star.
Read the full story
Ohio’s House Democratic Caucus sent a letter to Gov. Mike DeWine, urging him to veto a bill that would loosen gun laws in the state.
“On behalf of the House Democratic Caucus, representatives of law enforcement agencies and local officials across Ohio, and the majority of Ohioans who favor commonsense gun safety measures, we urge you to use your executive powers to veto Senate Bill (SB) 215,” said a letter signed by House Minority Leader Allison Russo (District 24) and three other House Democrats.
Read the full story
As the Georgia General Assembly seeks to pass a bill that would provide more legal recourse to ensure the integrity of the state’s elections, so-called “voting rights” groups are preparing to spend a small fortune preventing the law from passing.
The Atlanta Journal- Constitution reports that three groups are ready to spend “seven figures” battling the bill.
Read the full story
A social media influencer paid by Ohio U.S. Senate candidate Josh Mandel’s election campaign last week disparaged opposing candidate J.D. Vance’s U.S. military service.
“[J.D. Vance] carried a camera, not a rifle,” Nick Adams said on Twitter.
Read the full story
The Georgia Senate passed a bill Friday requiring that school curricula only teach kindergarten through high school students that all races are equal, banning the concepts of Critical Race Theory (CRT) that teach students that races in America are inherently unequal.
SB 377 says schools cannot teach “divisive concepts” to school children. It mandates the same for government agencies.
Read the full story
As postal crimes skyrocket and the United State Postal Service (USPS) conducts an audit on policies and procedures for keeping postal workers safe in Ohio, one man has pleaded guilty to two armed robberies against mail carriers.
According to several reports, 20-year-old Brandon Campbell of Columbus “admitted to using violence and a weapon to endanger the mail carriers’ lives and steal property from them.”
Read the full story
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine (R) this week signed into law a bill aimed at cutting state regulations.
“If, upon reviewing a proposed rule or revised proposed rule, the joint committee on agency rule review makes any of the following findings with regard to the proposed rule or revised proposed rule, the joint committee may recommend to the senate and house of representatives the adoption of a concurrent resolution to invalidate the proposed rule or revised proposed rule or a part thereof,” the text of SB 9 says.
Read the full story
Georgia-based Delta responded Friday after a Thursday protest by 200 of its pilots who say they are working too many hours and suffering from fatigue.
“This informational exercise Thursday by some of our off-duty pilots did not disrupt our operation for our customers. All of our pilot schedules meet or exceed safety requirements set by FAA as well as those outlined in our pilot contract,” Delta spokesperson Morgan Durant told The Georgia Star News by email.
Read the full story
A progressive member of the U.S. Congress from Arizona is asking President Joe Biden’s administration not to expand U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention facilities, and to end contracts for private detention centers, despite the fact that illegal alien crossings at the U.S. southern border continue to surge.
“Multiple investigations into these private prisons found substandard living conditions for detained people, crowding, under-staffing, and even deaths of people in custody,” a letter signed by Rep. Raúl Grijalva (D-AZ-03) said. “And while President Biden issued an Executive Order ending the Department of Justice’s use of for-profit prisons, it does not apply to immigration detention facilities.”
Read the full story
A congresswoman from Florida purchased large amounts of stock in a U.S. oil drilling company just as oil and gas prices hit record highs, and just before the beginning of the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.
According to financial disclosure forms, Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL-23) purchased up to $45,000 worth of stock in a Houston-based oil drilling company called Patterson UTI Energy.
Read the full story
A nonprofit is making progress in Ohio in facilitating the exit of public sector union employees from those unions.
“For some reason, the First Amendment right for people to leave public sector is the best kept secret,” Freedom Foundation Ohio State Director Lauren Bowen told The Ohio Star. “Their hard earned money does not have to be directed to union coffers via union dues.”
Read the full story
A Georgia’s General Assembly prepares to eliminate the state’s gas tax to alleviate increasing prices at the pump, the state’s gas prices soared to a record high.
According to the American Automobile Association (AAA), Thursday’s average cost per gallon of gas was $4.29 in the Peach State, eclipsing its previous record of $4.16 per gallon on September 15, 2008.
Read the full story
A Tennessee House Subcommittee is set to vote next week on a bill that would allow some prison inmates to vote from their respective correctional facilities.
HB 2101, introduced by State Representative Johnny Shaw (D-District 80) “creates a polling place pilot program in Davidson County jails to provide eligible inmates the opportunity to vote,” according to the text of the bill.
Read the full story
An Ohio U.S. congressman and U.S. Senate candidate has joined many of his Democrat counterparts in blaming Russia and its President Vladimir Putin for skyrocketing gas prices.
“Today I’ll vote to ban U.S. dollars from funding Putin’s war machine. Now we must do everything in our power to shield working people from Putin’s price hike at the pump by fully restoring America’s energy independence and passing a working-class tax cut,” Rep. Tim Ryan (D-OH-13) said Wednesday on Twitter.
Read the full story
More soldiers stationed at Georgia’s Fort Stewart are headed to Europe as the war between Russia and Ukraine escalates.
Five hundred more soldiers – on top of 3,800 soldiers deployed already from Fort Stewart – will be sent to Germany in support of a infantrymen who have already been deployed.
Read the full story
A member of the Tennessee General Assembly Tuesday filed a bill that would criminalize COVID-19 mandates in the state, saying that he doesn’t think Tennessee has done enough to combat such mandates.
“I don’t feel that the legislature went far enough during October’s special legislative session on this issue. This is about protecting an individual’s freedom to make their own medical decisions and the freedom of parents to make healthcare decisions for their children,” State Rep. Bruce Griffey (R-Paris) in a press release. “Those individuals who want to get vaccinated should be able to do so. However, those individuals, who have concerns about the vaccine, should not have to live in fear that they may lose their jobs or their children may not be able to attend school or they may not be able to enter a business to purchase groceries if they don’t get vaccinated.”
Read the full story
A Democrat member of the Georgia Board of Elections late Monday night celebrated the beginning of absentee voting for the state’s upcoming primary elections.
“I almost forgot-Happy First Day To Apply For An Absentee Ballot For The Georgia General Primary! (SB 202 shrank the timeframe for apply for an absentee ballot from 180 days in advance to 78.) Print your application here and mail to your county registrar,” Sara Tindall Ghazal said on Twitter.
Read the full story
The city of Cincinnati Tuesday announced that it would end all mask and vaccine mandates for city employees, effective immediately.
“Today, alongside top health experts and City leaders, we announced the removal of masking and testing requirements for all City employees and facilities,” Mayor Aftab Pureval (D) said on Twitter.
Read the full story
A member of the Michigan State House of Representatives has lost his driver’s license after accepting a plea deal in February for charges related to a drunk driving arrest last year.
State Representative Jewell Jones (D-Inkster) won’t be driving until September, at which point, according to the lawmaker, he will get his license back on restricted terms.
Read the full story
Led by Governor Ron DeSantis (R), a roundtable of doctors, scientists and academics gathered in-person and virtually Monday to discuss the COVID-19 pandemic, and specifically the ramifications that lockdowns and other measures have had on American society.
“There was time and again when the data would diverge from the [Dr. Anthony] Fauci pronouncements, or the corporate media, or the medical establishment – and whether that was having businesses open, whether that was having kids in school, whether that was about mandating cloth masks, whether that was about mandating vaccines – we always sided with the data and rejected the narrative,” DeSantis said during the proceedings, noting that the United States is close to the two-year anniversary of the “15 days to stop the spread” campaign by the federal government.
Read the full story
As gas prices near record highs in Connecticut, the state’s Attorney General is warning gas distributors against price gouging.
“Gas prices fluctuate constantly, and price changes and price increases are normal. But what we have seen this past week is not typical, and we can expect even more volatility due to the unprovoked and unconscionable Russian invasion of Ukraine,” Attorney General William Tong (D) said in a Monday statement.
Read the full story
The Star News Network and Stephen K. Bannon’s WarRoom Monday announced a strategic partnership to cover state, city and county news in battleground states ahead of the 2022 midterm elections.
“Our strategic partnership with The Star News Network will enable us to feature stories that highlight the hyper local nature of the precinct strategy, moms taking over school boards, and American patriots becoming election officials. The idea that everyday supporters of MAGA can become an increasingly powerful force within the Republican Party by engaging in the process of selecting committeemen has become a national movement,” Bannon said of the partnership.
Read the full story
According to the American Automobile Association (AAA), gas prices in Tennessee – and in other states around the country – have increased by a stunning amount in the past month alone.
In Tennessee, the number is 54 cents per gallon.
Read the full story
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) sent a Saturday fundraising touting the idea of expanding the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) while praising President Joe Biden’s recent SCOTUS nominee.
“Congress has expanded the Supreme Court seven times before,” the subject line of the email said. “It’s now time for the eighth.”
Read the full story
Gas prices in Connecticut have reached a decade-plus high after jumping 10 cents per gallon in a single day, according to data from the American Automobile Association (AAA).
Friday, a gallon of gas in Connecticut averaged $4.07, a jump from $3.97 on Thursday. The last time gas prices reached four dollars per gallon was in August of 2008. The record high for gas prices in the state is $4.39 per gallon, just 32 cents higher than the current price.
Read the full story
A press release from the Washington, D.C. based Freedom Foundations says that a union for Ohio’s retired teachers improperly received COVID-19 relief funds for which they were ineligible.
“The Ohio Retired Teachers Association alone received over $36,000 in COVID funds,” that press release said.
Read the full story
News that a Michigan high school administrator has been charged in the alleged sexual assault of a student was revealed Friday.
Michele Rae Erb, 45, was charged with third-degree criminal sexual conduct with a student and using a computer to commit a crime. She worked for Lakewood Public Schools (LPS) in Barry County.
Read the full story
A U.S. Senator from Connecticut Friday said the country should be doing more to help Ukrainian citizens who are stuck in what has now become a war zone.
“We need to do more to help rescue Ukrainians in need,” Sen. Chris Murphy (D) said in tweet, while thanking Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.
Read the full story
A Big Tech watchdog group is speaking out about the way Silicon Valley’s titans of industry have handled the war between Russia and Ukraine.
“Apparently these Big Tech monopolists find everyday conservative Americans more objectionable than murderous foreign dictators,” Mike Davis, Founder and President of the Internet Accountability Project (IAP) told The Tennessee Star Thursday. “They’re willing to silence and censor political voices with which they disagree while welcoming war criminals like Putin with open arms. That alone should be enough to recognize these Big Tech monopolists are not our friends.”
Read the full story
Michigan’s Secretary of State Thursday announced that the state will join a bipartisan investigation into popular Chinese-owned social media company TikTok.
“Recent reports on social media’s impact on the mental and physical health of young people raise serious questions among attorneys general across the nation. Ultimately, we are concerned about protecting our youth,” Attorney General Dana Nessel (D) said in a press release. “I am proud to join my colleagues in this investigation. Given this is an ongoing investigation, I will not be discussing any details beyond this announcement.”
Read the full story
In an attempt to justify universal mail-in voting, Arizona Democrats Thursday downplayed the ongoing issue with mail theft and crimes against mail carriers that are soaring nationwide.
“Note, these ‘drop boxes’ do not have 24-hour video surveillance and the world continues to turn,” Arizona’s House Democrats said on Twitter.
Read the full story
After registering through the appropriate channels and having its attendance confirmed, The Star News Network Wednesday was kicked out of media briefing by a left-wing election group that is funded by Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg.
Center for Election Innovation & Research (CEIR) held a media briefing to discuss what it calls “efforts to undermine Democracy in several states,” including Wisconsin, where former state Supreme Court Justice Mike Gableman has been investigating 2020’s election integrity in the state.
Read the full story
A host of left-wing groups are suing in a last-minute attempt to halt the implementation of new abortion legislation.
“Lack of access to abortion services … clearly decreases patient safety and threatens patients’ health,” a lawsuit filed by the Ohio American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) says. “Continuing a pregnancy against one’s will can pose a risk to one’s physical, mental, and emotional health, as well as the stability and well-being of one’s family, including existing children.”
Read the full story