Tennessee U.S. Representative Chuck Fleischmann (R-TN-03) applauded the recent appointment of Dr. Stephen K. Streiffer to be the next director of the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL).
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A 10-year-old boy has caught the new state record Cutthroat Trout in the Boone tailwater of the Holston River, according to the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA).
“Can we get some love for 10-year-old Palmer Tipton who caught the NEW STATE RECORD Cutthroat Trout?!?! Palmer’s 4 lbs. 12 oz. fish was caught in the Boone tailwater,” the TWRA announced in a social media post.
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A new Tennessee law that bans “implicit bias training” in school took effect ahead of the new school year, which begins in the second week of August for most students.
HB015 bans school administrators from forcing teachers, faculty, and staff to be trained on implicit biases, which typically involves teaching that one race is inherently biased against another simply by existing.
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The state of Tennessee launched a dashboard with data showing how the state has spent funds granted to it via the American Rescue Plan Act, a federal bailout package for states whose economies were decimated due to lockdowns during the COVID-19 panic.
The dashboard explains the parameters of the usage of the federal funds, and notes that Tennessee received almost $4 billion of taxpayer money:
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Tennessee U.S. Representative Mark Green (R-TN-07) announced the passage of his Stopping Communist Regimes from Engaging in Edits Now Act (SCREEN Act) in the House Foreign Affairs Committee on Thursday.
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The Tennessee Fire Chiefs Association (TFCA) named Sevierville Fire Chief Matt Henderson as the association’s 53rd president at its annual conference in Murfreesboro this week.
“TFCA must continue to work with fire agencies across our state to provide excellent service to our communities,” Henderson said in a statement. “Our firefighters are our most valuable resource. Providing them with the education, tools and resources needed to perform the job whenever and wherever they are needed, is the key to our success as an association.”
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The Tennessee Education Association (TEA) has spent millions on political lobbying alone in the state since 2011, having “squandered significant dollars in a lot of losing efforts across our state,” wrote JC Bowman, executive director of Professional Educators of Tennessee, a non-partisan teacher association based in Nashville.
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Journalists-turned-authors Erik Schelzig and Joel Ebert join host Michael Patrick Leahy and all-star panelist Clint Brewer in-studio on Thursday’s episode of The Tennessee Star Report to discuss Schelzig and Ebert’s new book, Welcome to Capitol Hill: 50 years of Scandal. TRANSCRIPT Michael Patrick Leahy: Good morning, Nashville; it’s 6:06 a.m. We’re broadcasting live from our studios on Music Row in Nashville, Tennessee. Boy, do we have an hour for you this morning. Our all-star panelist and all-around good guy, recovering journalist, Clint Brewer is here. Clint, good morning. Clint Brewer: Good morning, Mike. Michael Patrick Leahy: We’re glad to have you here. And a special day for us, two journalists long standing here have written a book about all the hijinks up at Capitol Hill here in Tennessee since 1972. It’s going to be published by Vanderbilt University Press on August 15th. Joel Ebert, welcome to The Tennessee Star Report. Joel Ebert: Thanks for having me. Michael Patrick Leahy: We’re glad to have you and Erik Schelzig. Welcome. Erik Schelzig: Good morning. Thanks for having us. Michael Patrick Leahy: We’ll move you a little bit closer to the microphone there, Erik. So let’s start with Erik, your background – you…
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McNeilus Truck and Manufacturing, Inc., an Oshkosh Corporation [NYSE: OSK] company that manufactures purpose-built commercial vehicles and equipment announced Wednesday that it will invest $25.2 million to expand its manufacturing presence in Middle Tennessee.
According to the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development (TNECD), the company plans to expand operations at its current Parkway Place facility in Murfreesboro to fabric and weld custom vehicle components.
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The Tennessee Education Association (TEA), along with several teachers, filed a lawsuit against the Tennessee Commissioner of Education and members of the State Board of Education over a law that prohibits the teaching of Critical Race Theory (CRT) in K-12 classrooms, according to a Wednesday press release.
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Tennessee Secretary of State Tre Hargett reminded victims in the counties impacted by tornadoes and severe storms that began at the end of March that the deadline to file their federal income tax returns and tax payments is Monday, July 31.
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The Tennessee Department of Health (TDH) announced on Tuesday the recipients of $119 million in grant funding through its Healthcare Resiliency Program.
Forty-one applicants received funding to expand “brick-and-mortar healthcare capacity, and for Practice Transformation and Extension projects, to improve access to healthcare services” through Capital Investment projects, according to TDH. The funding was awarded on a competitive basis.
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The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) has partially cracked another cold case, this time identifying a woman whose remains were found in Cheatham County in 1985.
Michelle Lavone Inman of Nashville, born April 17, 1961, was identified by a private lab called Othram, Inc., according to a TBI release.
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The Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development (TNECD) announced the availability of $185 million in grant funds to expand internet access in the state on Monday.
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Christian book author and actor Kirk Cameron said he may be returning to a Tennessee library on August 5 for “See You at the Library,” a national “library takeover day” event sponsored by BRAVE Books that seeks to challenge left-wing censorship in public libraries.
Cameron told Human Events host Jack Posobiec last week that while the national event will be conducted in “hundreds and hundreds of libraries” across the country, he may be reading his books in the “same library” in Tennessee in which the librarian was fired for attempting to cancel his original event in February.
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Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti has released a statement regarding a recent comment letter he and 18 other state attorneys general signed opposing a new U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) rule regarding abortions.
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Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti’s office is warning Tennesseans with student debt of scammers offering relief that they cannot provide in wake of the Biden Administration’s recent forgiveness of $39 billion in Federal student loans.
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This week, the Tennessee Department of Education(TDOE) released final data on third-grade retention appeals.
In 2021, Tennessee lawmakers passed the Tennessee Learning Loss Remediation and Student Acceleration Act. It set forth key academic supports for third-grade students who did not score proficient on the English language arts (ELA) portion of their TCAP assessment. It further updated requirements for students to move to the next grade via multiple pathways for fourth-grade promotion.
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The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recently announced a $5.1 million investment initiative for endangered species recovery implementation efforts for four focal species groups.
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After a song recently released by country music star Jason Aldean sparked controversy, local, state and federal lawmakers are weighing in.
Aldean’s “Try That in a Small Town,” which has conservative undertones, has been deemed “racist” by some on the political left, has cause a firestorm for the artist.
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Tennessee U.S. Representative Tim Burchett (R-TN-02) sent a letter to Kimberly Cheatle, director of the Secret Service, seeking additional information regarding the measures taken by the agency to identify who deposited cocaine in the lobby area of the West Executive Avenue entrance to the White House.
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U.S. Tennessee Representative Mark Green (R-TN-07) applauded the Department of Veterans Affairs’ (VA) recent distribution of grant funds to go towards the expansion and improvement of Middle Tennessee State Veterans Cemetery in Nashville.
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The Tennessee Department of Health (TDOH) will work with local leaders to support the Red Sand Project between July 25 and 31.
‘’Human trafficking is a hidden crime in our state and across the country because victims rarely come forward to receive help or services,’’ said Tennessee Health Commissioner Ralph Alvarado, MD, FACP. ‘’It’s up to all of us to bring an end to the exploitation of vulnerable individuals. The Red Sand Project reminds us how crucial it is for communities, both urban and rural, to engage in awareness and education activities that support survivors of human trafficking and strengthen our prevention efforts.”
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The Tennessee Department of Education (TDOE) released the 2022-23 Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program (TCAP) district-level results. TCAP provides insight into how school districts are performing across the state.
TDOE reported 68 out of 141 public school districts had 38.7 percent of students’ scores “met expectations” or “exceeded expectations” across all grades and subjects tested. An additional 19 districts reported 50 percent of students scored in the “met” or “exceeded” categories. Only nine districts failed to increase overall proficiency rates compared to last school year, while 107 increased those rates compared to the 2019-20 school year.
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Four Tennessee cities have landed a spot on ConsumerAffairs’ recent study ranking the nation’s top 20 cities with the worst drivers.
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Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti announced Tuesday his office has joined a new, joint state and federal initiative to crack down on illegal telemarketing calls to U.S. consumers.
Skrmetti’s office joined the Operation Stop Scam Calls intuitive, a partnership with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), law enforcement agencies nationwide, and attorneys general from all 50 states and the District of Columbia.
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The political action arm of a left-wing nonprofit that advocates for gun control is moving into Tennessee, according to new lobbyist registration documents.
Three members of the Sandy Hook Promise Action Fund, Calandrian Kemp, Samuel Tolliver, and Aurora Vasquez, have registered to become lobbyists on behalf of the organization in the Volunteer State.
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While the Federal Bureau of Investigation is fighting any release of the Covenant killer’s manifesto in federal court, an official with the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department says the local law enforcement agency would not object to a redacted release of some of the documents.
The problem could be just how law enforcement officials define “redactions.”
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A new nonprofit that has set its sights on gun control in Tennessee is run by wealthy Republican and Democrat political insiders, The Tennessee Star has found.
Voices for a Safer Tennessee pitches itself as an upstart group comprised of both Democrats and Republicans that spontaneously formed in the wake of The Covenant School shooting in Nashville on March 27.
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Two weeks into her tenure as Tennessee’s Commissioner of Education, Lizzette “Lizzy” Gonzalez Reynolds is garnering positive reviews.
“I found her knowledgeable, approachable, and willing to listen,” said State Representative Kevin Raper (R-Cleveland).
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The Tennessee Faith and Freedom Coalition (TNFFC) Board of Directors met with Governor Bill Lee on Monday and discussed multiple issues facing the Volunteer State, including the upcoming special legislative session next month.
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A historic all-boys school in New York City will begin allowing trans students who identify as male, according to the New York Post.
Browning School is an elite K-12 school on the Upper East Side that costs $62,500 a year per student and was founded to educate Percy and John D. Rockefeller, according to the Post. The school will “consider for admission any child who (i) identifies as a boy or (ii) was assigned male at birth, who wishes to join a boys’ school and is well-served by our mission,” according to their website.
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Ron DeSantis, Florida governor and presidential candidate, addressed approximately 1,850 attendees as the keynote speaker for the Tennessee Republican Party’s 46th annual Statesmen’s Dinner on Saturday at the Music City Center in Nashville.
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A program designed to remove financial barriers for potential teachers to enter the profession is undergoing modification. As a result, some prospective teachers may find themselves financially unable to participate.
The new changes potentially put the program at odds with its original goals. Compounding the issue is a lack of transparency by both the Tennessee Department of Education (TDOE) and the Tennessee Grow Your Own Center.
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Tennessee U.S. Representative Mark Green (R-TN-07) announced Friday that five of the amendments he introduced were included in the Fiscal Year 2024 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).
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Tennessee U.S. Rep Andy Ogles (R-TN-05) joined The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy on the newsmaker line Friday for a broad-ranging interview covering everything from FBI Director Chris Wray’s “tap dancing” to the prospects of our Tennessee Army reservists being sent to the Ukraine.
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Some Tennessee families will qualify for back-t0-school cash benefits from the state government, according to a Thursday release from the Tennessee Department of Human Services (DHS).
“The Tennessee Department of Human Services (TDHS) will provide extra support to more than 13,000 families who receive monthly cash assistance through the state’s Families First program,” according to the release. “The payment will provide extra support to Families First participants as they begin to prepare for the upcoming 2023-2024 school year. Households with an active case in the Families First Program as of July 1, 2023, will receive a one-time payment on their Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) cards. This one-time payment will be available around July 15, 2023.”
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Donald Trump Jr. will serve as the keynote speaker at the Tennessee Firearms Association Legislative Action Committee’s (TFALAC) annual meeting in September, the group announced Thursday.
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Governor Bill Lee recently announced appointments to the Tennessee Nuclear Energy Advisory Council, which was created in May under Executive Order 101.
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Nashville-area public policy expert Clint Brewer on Thursday tapped Tennessee Attorney General Jonathon Skrmetti and the Volunteer State writ large as this week’s big winners; but nationally, the recovering journalist panned Donald Trump, Fox News in this week’s segment of Winners and Losers on The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy. TRANSCRIPT Michael Patrick Leahy: You know, Clint, everybody waits with bated breath to hear you.. Clint Brewer: I think you’re making fun of me, Mike. Michael Patrick Leahy: No, people wanna know. You’ve got an excellent sense of who’s up and who’s down, who are the winners of this week, Clint Brewer? Clint Brewer: All right. So here, close to home, I’d have to say my old stomping grounds, the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development, the state of Tennessee rose in the rankings to number three in the best states do business in the CNBC poll. You know, we’ve got a great business climate here. Michael Patrick Leahy: A lot of, see, I don’t believe that. I think we should be number one. Who’s one and two? I don’t know – but who’s better than Tennessee? Clint Brewer: Usually it’s, like, Texas. But you know, I mean,…
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Tennessee U.S. Representative Tim Burchett (R-TN-02) recently proposed five amendments to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2024, including one that would require transgender men to register for the selective service.
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Only 19% of Americans are interested in purchasing an electric vehicle, while Tennessee makes a massive investment in a Ford plant that will produce electric vehicle batteries.
The General Assembly in 2021 passed a law to spend $884 million in order to push the Ford deal through.
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U.S. Attorney Kevin Ritz recently announced the creation of a National Security and Civil Rights Unit within the Criminal Division of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Tennessee.
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Tennessee Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) has joined a group of her Republican colleagues in introducing the Federal Firearms Licensee (FFL) Protection Act of 2023 to “address the unacceptably high number of “smash-and-grab” thefts targeted at federally licensed gun dealers.”
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Tennessee State University (TSU) recently announced that its College of Agriculture will begin offering a new Master of Science in Agribusiness and Leadership degree program in Fall 2023.
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Americans for Prosperity-Tennessee (AFP-TN) announced Monday it has tapped Pamela Furr to serve as the organization’s grassroots director for Middle Tennessee.
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Original all-star panelist Crom Carmichael and host Michael Patrick Leahy discuss the origins and activities of arguably the largest donor group actively funding far-Left causes throughout the U.S. and Tennessee on Monday’s edition of The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy. TRANSCRIPT Michael Patrick Leahy: 6:50 AM broadcasting from our studios on Music Row, Nashville, Tennessee. Crom Carmichael in-studio. Crom, you know, in 1630, John Winthrop – who became a Puritan leader – and this was when Massachusetts Bay Colony was just being started. He became the first and most prominent governor of Massachusetts Bay Colony. He arrived from England on a ship called the Arabella. Twenty years ago a wealthy Leftist started a group called Arabella Advisors to try to kind of co-op this concept of America. And Winthrop actually wrote a letter while he was about to disembark from the Arabella back in 1630 saying we’re trying to build a ‘shining city on the hill’ phrasing that has been used, of course, by Ronald Reagan. So the Left is co-opting that. You sent me this fascinating article. I’ve been familiar with this group for some time. Headline: ‘Documents provide rare glimpse into how Arabella Advisors exerts…
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Tennessee officially has a new State Commissioner of Education. Lizzette Reynolds, a Texas native, was sworn in last week as the latest head of the Tennessee Department of Education. She replaces Penny Schwinn, who resigned effective June 1.
“I am excited and humbled by having the opportunity to serve Tennessee’s families to ensure they get the best possible education for their children,” said Commissioner Reynolds. “I look forward to meeting with educators, families, elected officials, and stakeholders throughout the state and continuing the great work already happening on behalf of kids in Tennessee.”
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Tennessee Attorney General Jonathon Skrmetti joined The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy on the newsmaker line Monday to discuss the nation’s first-ever decision by the Court to uphold a prohibition on medical procedures performed on minors.
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The Tennessee Faith & Freedom Coalition (TNFFC) released a statement Saturday responding to a piece published by Rolling Stone magazine reviewing the newly-released movie Sound of Freedom.
The magazine’s piece, titled, “‘Sound Of Freedom’ Is a Superhero Movie for Dads With Brainworms,” describes the film as a “QAnon-tinged thriller about child-trafficking..designed to appeal to the conscience of a conspiracy-addled boomer.”
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