The Tennessee Education Lottery Corporation announced Tuesday it raised $113,820,000 for education in the Volunteer State during the third quarter of Fiscal Year 2024 (FY24), which spanned from January 1 through March 31.
“The Lottery is proud to announce this quarter’s results, which reinforce our commitment to funding vital education programs for Tennesseans,” Tennessee Education Lottery President and CEO Rebecca Paul said in a statement.
Read the full story
Tennessee U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) is considering introducing legislation that would ban National Public Radio (NPR) from receiving federal funding, according to Fox News.
Read the full story
More than eight months after a raid that left a Henderson man dead, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) won’t disclose details about the case, while the local police department says they weren’t made aware of the raid until after it happened.
FBI agents shot and killed Theodore Deschler at his mother’s home where he lived in August of last year.
Read the full story
Chloe Akers, who founded The Best of Tennessee with seasoned political fundraiser Kim Kaegi, previously raised nearly $440,000 for a political action committee that sought to elevate moderate voices in support of abortion and gun control.
Prior to founding The Best of Tennessee, Akers was the creator of The Liminal Plan, a political action committee where she reportedly raised $439,461, according to Tennessee Lookout.
Read the full story
Tennessee U.S. Representative Mark Green (R-TN-07) introduced the Combating Houthi Threats and Aggression Act on Monday.
Read the full story
A new law passed by the General Assembly protects Tennessee property owners from squatters, which has become a hot topic of debate around the country as the practice becomes more prevalent.
“Home ownership is the American dream for many, the foundation for building wealth and raising a family,” State Representative Tim Rudd (R-Murfreesboro) said in a press release after the passage of HB 1259. “This is proactive legislation that protects property owners but also deters bad actors who have learned to exploit the law and terrorize homeowners. This creates a streamlined process for Tennesseans to quickly take back control over what is rightfully theirs.”
Read the full story
Fulton County Sheriff’s candidate Kirt Beasley, who is challenging embattled Sheriff Pat Labat in the Democratic primary, questioned the veracity of reports about the Fulton County Jail that began during Labat’s tenure.
Reports from the jail claim the walls are crumbling to such a degree that inmates are able to disassemble them to create makeshift weapons, and at least two inmates were entrusted by Labat to testify about the jail’s conditions to the Fulton County Commission last year.
Read the full story
Tennessee U.S. Representative Mark Green (R-TN-07), who chairs the House Homeland Security Committee, was among those who delivered two articles of impeachment against Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas to the U.S. Senate on Tuesday.
Read the full story
Tennessee Governor Bill Lee joined the governors of Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, South Carolina, and Texas in issuing a joint statement in opposition of the United Auto Workers’ (UAW) unionization campaign.
The coalition of governors said it is “highly concerned” about the unionization campaign, adding such efforts are “driven by misinformation and scare tactics.”
Read the full story
The Intercept is losing money amid left-wing megadonor Pierre Omidyar’s choice to stop providing funds to the outlet, Semafor reported on Sunday.
The Intercept is hemorrhaging around $300,000 monthly and is on pace to possess less than 1 million dollars in reserves by November, according to internal data distributed inside the outlet in March, Semafor reported. The outlet could potentially deplete its cash reserves entirely by May 2025 after Omidyar’s First Look Media decided to terminate its funding in late 2022.
Read the full story
A bill passed by the Tennessee General Assembly prevents credit card companies from monitoring and tracking gun purchasers through merchant category codes (MCCs).
HB 2762, also known as the Second Amendment Financial Privacy Act, was sent to Republican Gov. Bill Lee’s desk last week.
Read the full story
Tennessee U.S. Representative Andy Ogles (R-TN-05) made history on Thursday upon introducing his 100th piece of legislation since being sworn into Congress last year.
Read the full story
The Tennessee Faith and Freedom Coalition (TNFFC) announced Friday that two members of the Tennessee General Assembly have been honored as the Senate and House Conservative Champions this legislative session.
According to the organization, TNFFC’s Conservative Champion awards are given to legislators in the General Assembly who “most ardently defend the Constitution, rights and freedoms” of the Volunteer State citizens.
Read the full story
U.S. Representative David Kustoff (R-TN-08) was the sole member of Tennessee’s congressional delegation to vote on Friday against an amendment that would have ended the warrantless spying on United States citizens allowed under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA).
Kustoff was among the 86 Republicans who joined 126 Democrats in a vote against a FISA amendment proposed by Representatives Andy Biggs (R-AZ-05) and Pramila Jayapal (D-WA-07) that would have required intelligence agencies to obtain a warrant before spying on American citizens.
Read the full story
Tom Pappert, lead reporter at The Tennessee Star, said he believes Tennessee U.S. Representative David Kustoff’s (R-TN-08) vote on Friday against an amendment that would have ended the warrantless spying on United States citizens allowed under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) makes the congressman “ripe for a challenge” this election cycle.
Kustoff and Democrat Congressman Steve Cohen (D-TN-09) were the sole members of Tennessee’s congressional delegation to vote against the amendment on Friday, Pappert previously reported.
Read the full story
The treasurer for The Best of Tennessee Action Fund, the super PAC wing of the “moderate” political group founded by fundraiser Kim Kaegi and Democratic pro-abortion lawyer Chloe Akers, donated to to the former Democratic political opponent of Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) last year.
Treasurer James C. Seabury III donated $1,000 to the political campaign of Joanne Sowell, a Nashville-based attorney who announced an exploratory committee to consider seeking the Democratic Party’s nomination for U.S. Senate to challenge Blackburn last year, according to the Federal Elections Commission (FEC).
Read the full story
The Tennessee Senate voted 18-11 on Thursday to pass a resolution applying for a national convention to propose term limits on Congress.
The resolution, HJR5, will now be counted towards the 34 state applications required to call a term limits convention as the Tennessee House of Representatives passed the measure last year.
Read the full story
Members of the “furry” community will host what they describe as a family friendly convention in a Tennessee state park beginning Friday and ending Saturday.
“If you enjoy spending time in nature AND the furry fandom, this is the trip for you! Woods Flock is a a community that holds our annual Spring mini-con at Fall Creek Falls State Park in Tennessee (USA),” says an event invitation by a group called Woods Flock. “Participants will have a plethora of outdoor, crafty, and fun activities to choose from during their stay at our family-friendly camp.”
Read the full story
A majority of colleges and universities require students to take courses related to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) in order to graduate, according to a new report.
Speech First, a pro-free expression organization, examined the policies of 248 colleges across the country and found that 67 percent of them required DEI coursework to “satisfy general education requirements.” Students enrolled in these courses are “subjected to courses advocating far-left ideological perspectives and pushing far-left political advocacy,” the report notes.
Read the full story
The Tennessee State Senate on Wednesday passed legislation that would impose criminal penalties for adults who provide transportation to minors seeking to circumvent the state’s abortion laws.
SB 1971 passed with 26 votes in favor and just three votes against. If passed by the House and signed by the governor, the legislation would create the criminal offense of abortion trafficking of a minor.
Read the full story
A bill that would make child rape punishable by the death penalty has passed the Tennessee Senate.
SB 1834, sponsored by State Senator Ken Yager (R-Kingston), “authorizes the death penalty as a punishment for rape of a child, aggravated rape of a child, or especially aggravated rape of a child.”
Read the full story
Conservative commentators blasted California’s governor after he took to X to comment on the Tennessee Senate’s passage of a bill that would allow some teachers to carry guns in the classroom.
“Tennessee Republicans have decided their solution to gun violence in schools is…. MORE GUNS IN SCHOOLS,” said Governor Gavin Newsom (D).
Read the full story
Shelby County resident Dr. George Flinn, a Republican candidate for U.S. Congress in West Tennessee’s 8th District, said he is running because incumbent U.S. Representative David Kustoff (R-TN-08) needs to be “challenged.”
Flinn, who has run as a Republican and Independent candidate in U.S. Senate and primary races for Tennessee’s 8th and 9th Congressional districts, said he believes Kustoff “should not go unchallenged” considering the incumbent’s recent voting record on bills, particularly spending packages.
Read the full story
U.S. Representative Andy Ogles (R-TN-05) joined 18 other Republicans in voting against reauthorizing the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) on Wednesday. He told The Tennessee Star his vote would protect Tennesseans from “unreasonable searches and seizures by the federal government.”
Ogles explained his decision to break with the majority of Republicans and vote against reauthorizing FISA came after House leadership “chose to keep the doors closed and did not allow an open amendment process.” He noted he had six amendments that were all ignored by House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA-04).
Read the full story
The Nashville-based Beacon Center of Tennessee published results of its poll on Wednesday revealing how registered Tennessee voters would vote in the 2024 presidential and senate general election races.
Read the full story
Cheryl Fritze, director of News Operations for Michigan News Source, said former President Donald Trump must “stay on message” in order to win the state of Michigan in the November general election.
In the 2020 general election, incumbent President Joe Biden defeated Trump in Michigan by 2.78 percent.
Read the full story
The Tennessee Senate voted unanimously on Tuesday to pass the Protect Tennessee Minors Act, which would require online websites that distribute “content harmful to minors” to implement age-verification methods to verify the age of users attempting to access the material.
Read the full story
The Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association (TSSAA) voted on Tuesday to make girls flag football an officially-sanctioned Tennessee high school varsity sport beginning in the 2024-2025 school year.
The TSSAA voted unanimously in favor of Franklin High School’s proposal to make the sport a sanctioned sport. The TSSAA previously tabled the proposal during its December 2023 legislative council meeting.
Read the full story
The Tennessee State Senate on Tuesday passed legislation to allow some teachers to be armed on public school property, but the Senate gallery needed to be cleared prior to the vote following a series of outbursts from activists opposed to the bill.
Lawmakers voted to pass SB 1325, which would allow school faculty and staff to carry concealed handguns if they obtain an enhanced handgun carry permit, complete 40 hours of school safety training annually, obtain approval of relevant school and law enforcement authorities and are not restricted from owning firearms.
Read the full story
The Tennessee House of Representatives voted 68-20 on Monday to pass the largest business tax cut bill in state history.
The House’s bill version, SB 2103/HB 1893, would refund $713.6 million or one year of franchise tax.
Read the full story
Arizona U.S. Representative Raúl Grijalva will reportedly remain in Arizona while he receives treatment following his recent cancer diagnosis.
Grijalva disclosed that he had cancer on April 2, revealing the discovery was made after he sought treatment for a persistent cough. The congressman did not reveal any medical details about his diagnosis, including the type of cancer and stage, but acknowledged that it “has been difficult to process.”
Read the full story
Tom Pappert, lead reporter at The Tennessee Star, said he believes that the Best of Tennessee Action Fund’s goal is to “get rid of anybody who will support” former President Donald Trump based on the political candidates the treasurer for the dark money group has donated to in the past.
Read the full story
A public school principal and teacher in Henderson County were criminally indicted by a grand jury after investigators claimed they falsified hours work to pay out nearly $8,000 in wages and benefits for hours that were never worked.
The Tennessee Comptroller’s Office announced on Thursday that their investigation into Scotts Hill Elementary School principal Brian Lane and teacher Tiffany Koelsch, who they claim conspired to pay Koelsch “$7,988.50 in wages and benefits that she did not earn,” led to criminal indictments.
Read the full story
The federal government reported hundreds of billions of taxpayer dollars in improper payments last fiscal year and trillions over the last two decades.
According to a new report from the Government Accountability Office, the federal government reported $236 billion in improper payments in fiscal year 2023. The true number, though, is actually much higher, but federal reporting is often lacking.
Read the full story
The self-described “world’s leading liberal voice” news outlet The Guardian published an attack-style article denouncing the Republican supermajority in Tennessee politics on Friday, claiming such a political makeup has “imprisoned our democracy.”
Read the full story
The Tennessee Republican Party State Executive Committee (SEC) voted on Saturday to remove eight individuals who were elected as Trump delegates to the Republican National Convention (RNC) in the March 5 primary election in Tennessee.
The convention, which will formally name Donald J. Trump as the Republican Party’s nominee for President in 2024, will be held in Milwaukee, Wisconsin from July 15 to July 18.
Read the full story
Looking under the hood of today’s jobs report shows it isn’t the home run that Democrats and the media claim.
Approximately half of the 303,000 jobs created last month came in the unproductive government or quasi-government healthcare sectors. These are not the types of jobs that drive growth and improve Americans’ living standards.
Read the full story
The treasurer for The Best of Tennessee Action Fund, part of the “Lincoln Project of Tennessee” announced on Wednesday, recently made two $1,000 donations to the presidential campaign of Nikki Haley, the former Ambassador to the United Nations who reportedly courted Democrats in her ill-fated primary campaign against former President Donald Trump.
Federal Elections Commission (FEC) records indicate James Seabury III is the treasurer for The Best of Tennessee’s super PAC, which it calls the Action Fund.
Read the full story
A Tennessee man who is already serving life in prison after a murder conviction has been charged for allegedly killing a fellow inmate.
Carlos Green, who is currently incarcerated at the Riverbend Maximum Security Institution in Nashville has been charged with second degree murder in the 2022 death of Justin Michael Walters.
Read the full story
Tom Pappert, lead reporter at The Tennessee Star, detailed how three new fundraising entities in the Volunteer State – collectively called The Best of Tennessee – mirror the agenda of the nationally focused, Never-Trump organization The Lincoln Project.
Read the full story
Tennessee teachers could soon be allowed to carry firearms while on school property. The State Senate is poised to vote on legislation allowing faculty and staff to carry concealed weapons if they are licensed, trained, and undergo a psychiatric evaluation.
The Senate Judiciary Committee voted on Tuesday to advance SB 1325, which would authorize school faculty or staff members “to carry a concealed handgun on school grounds subject to certain conditions, including obtaining an enhanced handgun carry permit and completing annual training.”
Read the full story
A bill that would create a domestic violence offender registry is moving through the Tennessee House of Representatives.
“This bill creates within the Tennessee bureau of Investigation (TBI) a registry of persons who have been convicted of the offense of domestic assault. The TBI must maintain this registry based upon information supplied to TBI by the court clerks pursuant to this bill, and information available to the TBI from the department of correction and local law enforcement agencies. The TBI must make the registry available for public inquiry on the internet,” according to the summary of HB 2898.
Read the full story
Maryam Abolfazli, founder of the nonprofit group Rise and Shine Tennessee, launched a bid for Tennessee’s 5th Congressional District on Wednesday.
“I refuse to sit back while our fundamental values and freedoms are under threat. That’s why I’m stepping up to put an end to the extremism that’s harming our state and country,” Abolfazli, a Democrat, wrote in a social media post announcing her campaign.
Read the full story
A pro-abortion lawyer based in Knoxville has joined forces with Tennessee political fundraiser Kim Kaegi to form three strategically intertwined organizations – a 501 (c) (4) nonprofit, a political action committee (PAC), and a super PAC, a Wednesday report reveals.
The PACs and nonprofit will be called The Best of Tennessee, and the political wing of the operation will focus on “pro-choice” messaging to elect moderate candidates, according to The Tennessean.
Read the full story
A criminally indicted Shelby County judge, who last week was jailed for her alleged cocaine use, has reportedly asked to resign from her public position.
Shelby County Judge Melissa Boyd asked to resign from her judgeship in a letter dated March 29, according to Fox 13, which reported that Boyd’s letter bears the signature of one of her criminal defense attorneys.
Read the full story
Home rental service Airbnb said in a Tuesday release that it brought in more than $425 million in tourism taxes to the state of Tennessee since 2018.
According to the company, $130 million of that tax revenue was remitted in 2023 alone.
Read the full story
The Tennessee General Assembly approved legislation on Thursday to label any food product with vaccine technology as a pharmaceutical drug. The bill is currently awaiting a signature from Governor Bill Lee.
HB 1894 was passed by the Tennessee House on Thursday and subsequently adopted by the Senate. It aims to define “food that contains a vaccine or vaccine material as a drug for purposes of the Tennessee Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act.”
Read the full story
A bill in the Tennessee General Assembly that already passed the Senate would, in part, require students to view a fetal development video as part of their sex education or human development curriculum.
SB 2767 requires the state’s education commissioner to submit a report of the disposition of each complaint filed by a parent or legal guardian against any school district to the General Assembly. The General Assembly’s goal is to ensure that school boards are held accountable for investigating complaints made by parents.
Read the full story
Tom Pappert, lead reporter at The Tennessee Star, said News Channel 5’s Phil Williams “ought to be embarrassed” as the investigative journalist continues to provide illegitimate responses to inquiries surrounding the legality of a recorded phone call the network aired during last Monday’s 8-minute anti-school choice hit piece.
Read the full story
Tennessee Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) said Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) plans to table the impeachment articles against Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas next week after senators are sworn in as jurors.
Read the full story