In a move that drew criticism from Tennessee’s governor, the federal government plans to bypass the state’s health department and directly fund Planned Parenthood.
After the Human Life Protection Act took effect in August of 2022, ending the practice of abortion in Tennessee, Tennessee was denied Title X funding from the federal government.
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According to a maritime news outlet, the United States Coast Guard in Memphis saved a drowning man’s life last week after the crane he was operating fell into McKellar Lake.
“The U.S. Coast Guard helped resuscitated an unresponsive crane operator Tuesday near Memphis, Tennessee, after the crane he was operating fell into the water,” according to a Coast Guard release.
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An advocacy group for illegal aliens is suing the Tennessee Department of Child Services (DCS), alleging that DCS is not doing enough to help illegal alien children in foster care gain citizenship in the United States.
“For children in DCS custody without legal immigration status, DCS’s care must include addressing and safeguarding their immigration-related needs, which impact their health, welfare, and safety,” says a lawsuit filed by Advocates for Immigrant Rights in the United States District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee. “This care entails determining whether a child is in need of immigration related services, ensuring that DCS considers immigration-related needs when helping the child plan for their future, and helping a child access needed services.”
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The federal government is allocating nearly $24 million to improve Tennessee’s railways, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT).
“In Tennessee, the Tennessee Short Line Railroads Bridge Bundle Project will put more than $23.7 million to work upgrading approximately 42 bridges along 10 different short line railroads in need of immediate, extensive repair or replacement,” a Monday USDOT press release said. “The impacted bridges are located throughout the state, and their upgrades will strengthen the short line rail network and improve operational efficiency.”
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A group led by a major anti-Trump figure is responsible for bashing some of Tennessee’s elected Republicans for their perceived lack of support for Ukraine.
Republicans for Ukraine, reportedly a project of Defending Democracy Together, has issued “report cards” for Tennessee’s Republicans on the issue of Ukraine’s defense against Russian aggression.
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According to the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development (TDLWD), the Volunteer State’s unemployment level remains historically low.
In August, the state hit an all-time low seasonally adjusted unemployment rate of 3.1 percent, according to a release from the department.
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A Tennessee nonprofit that works in tandem with a major state scholarship program is looking for mentors for high school students.
tnAchieves is looking for 4,300 mentors to register by October 20, 2023, “to provide local encouragement and guidance to students statewide,” according to its website.
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Amazon will hire 250,000 seasonal workers this year to meet holiday demand, including 7,600 in Tennessee, according to several reports.
According to WVLT, 1,000 employees will be hired to work in Knoxville and Blount County.
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A Tennessee senator on Wednesday blasted the Biden administration for President Joe Biden’s changing accounts of his involvement in his son Hunter Biden’s business dealings.
“The White House is now claiming that Hunter did not share his profits with Joe,” Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) captioned a post on X, formerly Twitter. “Biden keeps on changing the narrative to hide his corruption.”
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Several high profile attorneys at a major law firm with an office in Nashville donated money to an exploratory committee for a Democrat who considered running against U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R).
According to Federal Elections Commission (FEC) records, partners at Holland & Knight, a Tampa, Florida based law firm with a large presence in Nashville, donated thousands to fellow attorney Joanne Sowell’s exploratory committee.
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A famous country singer who has been a driving force behind the gun control movement in Tennessee says that fleeing New York and Los Angeles and moving to the Volunteer State saved her life.
“I completely relate to Nashville because I have a lot of friends there who are also in the music business,” Sheryl Crow told Rolling Stone in 2003. “But not only that, I just relate to the people. I relate to the friendliness and down-homeness. I feel a relaxation that comes over my body that I usually don’t feel when I’m in New York or L.A.”
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The Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development (TNECD) has announced that five lenders in LendTN, a program developed for small business owners in the Volunteer State earlier this year.
According to a release, the following lenders are participating in the program:
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According to a report from the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development, 141 million visitors to the Volunteer State drove a record breaking $29 billion in tourism revenue in 2022.
A slew of fact sheets provide detail into where and how Tennessee’s visitors traveled from, and how and where they spent their money in Tennessee.
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A leaked resolution showed that the Shelby County Republican Party Executive Committee decided to end partisan school board elections.
The Shelby County GOP passed the resolution at a meeting on September 7.
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As some entities begin to bring back COVID-19 mask mandates, and while the federal government is pushing a new version of the COVID-19 vaccine, Tennessee’s governor said there will be no further mandates in the Volunteer State.
“We learned in the last one the government does not need to tell people how to live their lives with regard to their personal health,” Gov. Bill Lee (R) said Wednesday. “Those are decisions they need to make, and that’s the way it will be going forward.”
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A Nashville mayoral candidate Tuesday touted an endorsement from a colleague on the Metro Nashville Council.
“16 years ago, [Council member Sharon Hurt] welcomed me to Jefferson Street, where her leadership produced business success and a stronger workforce. As we joined Metro Council together, I witnessed her steadfast commitment to building a more equitable city. I’m honored to have her support,” said Freddie O’Connell, attaching a video endorsement from Hurt.
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A historically black university (HBCU) in Nashville Tuesday announced that it has hired a new president to lead the school.
“The Board of Trustees of Fisk University announced today the appointment of Dr. Agenia Walker Clark as its next president, effective November 6, 2023,” said a release from Fisk University. “She will be the University’s third female head and the 18th president of the 158-year-old-university, one of the nation’s highest-ranking Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).”
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Through his charitable foundation, a Tennessee businessman plans to award grants to aspiring Austin Peay State University entrepreneurs in a competition modeled after the popular television show “Shark Tank.”
“Guidance from entrepreneurs and business leaders has played a key role in shaping my career,” said businessman Spencer Patton, who runs The Patton Foundation. “That’s the heart behind the Patton Foundation and the PEG Challenge – to pay it forward by offering education and assistance to young entrepreneurs with big dreams.”
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A Tennessee state senator said on X, formerly known as Twitter, Saturday that Christians use their faith to justify racial terror.
“Never forget that hatred and racial terror was – and still is – justified in the name of Christianity,” said State Sen. Charlane Oliver (D-Nashville), whose biography on the Tennessee General Assembly website curiously lists her as a Christian.
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At a special meeting of the University of Tennessee Board of Trustees at Thursday night, the state university system adopted a new policy that will guarantee college admission to certain in-state applicants.
Effective immediately, Tennessee high schoolers applying to a University of Tennessee school with the following credentials will automatically be accepted to at least one school in the state university system:
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Around 25 Tennessee National Guardsmen deployed Tuesday for a year-long deployment to the Middle East.
“We have an incredibly professional and well-trained team,” said Capt. Jeffry Rennert, commander of the 1130th Finance Detachment, according to a press release from the Tennessee Department of Military. “We have been working hard to prepare for this mission over the past year, and I could not be any prouder of what my Raptors (unit’s mascot) have accomplished to get ready.”
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A state representative who announced her run for U.S. Senate Tuesday once told a news outlet that North Korea was more democratic than the state of Tennessee.
“I feel like North Korea has more democracy than we do in the state of Tennessee, and it’s terrifying to me that we’re in this march to fascism,” State Representative Gloria Johnson (D-Knoxville) told Mother Jones in April. “And it seems like the Tennessee supermajority is leading the charge.”
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The state of Tennessee has launched a new website dedicated to soliciting commercial truck drivers, who right now are in short supply.
A website called truckingtn.com says the state needs truck drivers, and offers useful tips on how and where would-be truck drivers can obtain commercial driving licenses (CDLs).
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State Representative Gloria Johnson (D-Knoxville) announced Tuesday morning that she will challenge Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) and immediately politicized the deaths of six people killed at The Covenant School in Nashville in a March mass shooting.
In an announcement video posted to her Twitter account, Johnson referred to those who oppose gun control as “bullies” and “cowards,” along with several references to The Covenant School shooting.
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State Rep. Gloria Johnson (D-Knoxville) will make stops in three major cities across the state Tuesday, and could announce her anticipated long shot U.S. Senate bid against Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), according to sources who spoke with The Tennessee Star.
Johnson is expected to make announcements at 9 a.m. ET in Knoxville, noon CT in Nashville and 6:30 p.m. CT in Memphis.
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Members of the House Oversight Committee were silent Friday when asked whether they were investigating the death of a Henderson man at the hands of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
The Tennessee Star reached out to five members of the House Oversight Committee, asking whether they had heard about the killing of Theodore Deschler, and if they planned to investigate the circumstances of Deschler’s death at the hands of the FBI.
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The Tennessee chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) announced Thursday that it has filed a lawsuit in Blount County over a letter written by 5th Judicial District Attorney General Ryan Desmond to Blount Pride organizers.
In that letter, Desmond said that he intended to enforce the Adult Entertainment Act (AEA), which was signed into law by Gov. Bill Lee (R) and bans drag shows from occurring in spaces that could be occupied by children.
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The brother of Theodore Deschler, a Henderson man who was shot and killed by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) on August 16 at a home that he shared with his mother, provided further details on the incident in an interview with DailyMail.
“We believe they broke the windows of the garage so they could shoot,” Russell Deschler told the news outlet.
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As part of Thursday’s International Overdose Awareness Day, the Tennessee Department Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (TDMHSAS) touted the success of fentanyl test strips, which are meant to reduce overdoses involving the deadly drug.
“With new legislation passed by the Tennessee General Assembly in the spring 2022 session, TDMHSAS has been distributing fentanyl test strips for the past year to great success,” the department said. “The department distributed 125,000 test strips in the first year, and data collected from participants shows outcomes that surpass prior studies.”
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The University of Tennessee (UT) Tuesday announced that it will expand eligibility for a major scholarship program called the UT Promise.
“The University of Tennessee System announced plans to extend the qualifying income level for UT Promise scholarship recipients once again, this time from $60,000 to $75,000 (adjusted gross income),” the school said on its website. “The university increased the income level from $50,000 to $60,000 in 2021. The announcement was made as UT System President Randy Boyd prepares to tour high schools across the state for the fourth UT Promise tour.”
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According to a Tennessee state senator, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) did not inform relevant local authorities that it would be conducting a raid in Chester County that resulted in the death of a Henderson man.
“I’ve been making some inquiries since I learned of it,” State Senator Page Walley (R-Savannah) told The Tennessee Star Tuesday. “I’ve been on the phone with the Chester County Sheriff’s Department, and the Henderson police. “Neither the sheriff’s department or the Henderson Police Department were informed by the FBI until after the event.”
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The special session of the Tennessee General Assembly ended Tuesday afternoon, as lawmakers in the House and Senate voted to adjourn.
Despite calls from Gov. Bill Lee (R) for lawmakers to bring him a red flag law bill, no such bill was passed.
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The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) announced at the end of last week that it is hiring for several positions statewide, including forensic scientists.
According to the TBI’s job posting, the duties of a Forensic Scientist include:
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The Henderson Police Department (HPD) provided no update when asked Monday by The Tennessee Star about the August 16 killing of a local man at the hands of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
The Star’s inquiries went unreturned in the case of Theodore Deschler, who was killed after the FBI raided his home. HPD did not mention the incident on its Facebook page at all. Neither did the official Facebook page for Chester County, which is used by the Chester County Sheriff’s Office.
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After the Tennessee House of Representatives introduced a new amendment to modify SB 7088, an anti-human trafficking bill, several Republican members pledged their support to fight the practice, which has been described as “modern-day slavery.”
The original text of the Senate bill requires the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) “to submit a report on child and human trafficking crimes and trends in this state, based upon data available to the bureau, as well as current programs and activities of the bureau’s human trafficking unit, to the governor, the speaker of the house of representatives, and the speaker of the senate by December 1, 2023, and by each December 1 thereafter.”
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A Colorado gun control activist last week posted a photo of fellow activists from an out-of-state gun control group phone banking to residents in Tennessee.
“Phone banking to Tennessee to help people contact their lawmakers about Secure Storage and Extreme Risk Protection Orders,” said an August 12 tweet from Pat Rottschaefer, who describes herself as a “proud member of Moms Demand Action and Everytown for Gun Safety.”
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During the special session of the Tennessee General Assembly Tuesday, the issue of human trafficking took center stage.
The Senate Judiciary Committee Tuesday passed SB 7088, which as introduced would require the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) “to submit a report on child and human trafficking crimes and trends in this state, based upon data available to the bureau, as well as current programs and activities of the bureau’s human trafficking unit, to the governor, the speaker of the house of representatives, and the speaker of the senate by December 1, 2023, and by each December 1 thereafter.”
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A Democrat State Representative from Nashville has introduced the first red flag laws during the special session of the General Assembly, which began Monday.
Rep. Bob Freeman (D-District 56) introduced HB 7100 Friday, which was followed by the introduction of its Tennessee Senate counterpart SB 7029 on Monday. State Sen. Jeff Yarbro (D-District 21) is responsible for introducing SB 7029.
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A slew of new bills have been introduced by Tennessee legislators ahead of the special session of the General Assembly that begins on Monday.
State Representative Mark Cochran (R-Englewood) (pictured above, right) introduced HB 7016 on Wednesday, which creates criminal penalties for “recklessly, by any means of communication, threatening to commit an act of mass violence,” and “requires the court to determine whether a defendant charged with threatening to commit an act of mass violence is a threat to the public prior to release on bail.”
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The Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) said in a press release this week nearly 8000 firearms have been stolen from vehicles in the city this year, a crime that has plagued Nashville for years.
“So far this year, 777 guns have been stolen from vehicles in Nashville, 24 were taken from autos just last week,” the release says. “The total number of guns stolen this year in Davidson County is 978, which means that nearly 80% of guns stolen so far in 2023 have been taken from automobiles.”
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Democrat Tennessee lawmakers Wednesday stopped in Chattanooga on their gun control bus tour, which began two weeks ago and will end in Nashville on August 21, the day the special session of the General Assembly, focused on gun control, will begin.
The tour has been led by State Rep. John Ray Clemmons (D-District 55), and has been supported by likely U.S. Senate candidate and current State Rep. Gloria Johnson (D-District 90), who appeared at Wednesday’s event.
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Left-wing protestors disrupted the Tennessee Faith and Freedom Coalition’s monthly meeting in Williamson County Tuesday night, which focused on the group’s efforts to combat human trafficking in the state.
About 80 protestors gathered at the event, according to Aaron Gulbransen, the executive director of the group.
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A member of the Tennessee General Assembly Tuesday told The Tennessee Star that Gov. Bill Lee (R) will not ask Republicans to submit a bill for red flag laws during the upcoming special session.
“The Governor is not pushing any type of gun control legislation nor is he pushing red flag legislation,” State Rep. Jason Zachary (R-Knoxville) told The Star by email. “I was on the legislative task force the Governor pulled together to discuss options. He never once brought up or asked us to support a red flag law during the 3 meetings we discussed specific topics.”
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An independent news outlet is suing the internet’s self-appointed arbiter of truth for what it calls slander.
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The University of Tennessee – Knoxville announced Monday that NFL Hall of Fame quarterback and UT graduate Peyton Manning will return to campus as a communications professor.
Manning will join the faculty of the College of Communication and Information beginning in the fall of this year.
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Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland (D) joined FOx13 in Memphis Monday where he was forced to answer some poignant questions about the city’s crime in the wake of a viral video showing a Memphis Police Department (MPD) officer being assaulted by a group of men.
“All of this is completely unacceptable, and somebody out there knows who did both those actions, and they need to call Crime Stoppers because we need quick justice to all those criminals,” Strickland said.
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A concerned parent shared a photo with The Tennessee Star this week depicting an LGBT pride flag at Dan Mills Elementary School in Nashville, which he said is on display for children as young as four years old.
The pride flag is emblazoned with the words “MNPS for All,” and hangs above a poster that breaks students into groups by race and sexual orientation, noting that each group is “loved.”
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The first bills for the upcoming special session of the General Assembly, officially scheduled Tuesday by Gov. Bill Lee (R), have been filed.
The special session begins on August 21, but according to the General Assembly’s website, legislation is already in the works.
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A member of the State House of Representatives and likely U.S. Senate candidate who sources say will use the upcoming special session of the General Assembly as a platform to launch her campaign is promoting events for gun control groups.
State Rep. Gloria Johnson (D-Knoxville) is boosting a pop-up gun control group called “Our Kids Deserve Better,” asking her Twitter followers to promote the group.
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A new gun control nonprofit in Tennessee commended Gov. Bill Lee (R), who Tuesday officially issued a proclamation calling for a special session of the General Assembly, which will focus on gun laws.
“We commend Governor Bill Lee for issuing the official call for a special session to begin on Aug. 21, 2023, at 4 p.m.,” said Voices for a Safer Tennessee on its website. “While Tennesseans have voiced support for a broader scope of solutions to be considered during the special session, opening doors to discuss orders of protection, beginning to address background check challenges, and educating the public on the value of secure storage, are first steps in the right direction and mark the beginning of a process that will carry into the 2024 Tennessee General Assembly and beyond.”
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