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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Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti released a statement Saturday morning, hours after the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals issued a ruling granting the state of Tennessee’s emergency motion for a stay of a June 28 preliminary injunction from a federal district judge that temporarily prohibited the full implementation of a law enacted in March 2023. The law, Prohibition on Medical Procedures Performed on Minors Related to Sexual Identity, was originally scheduled to go into effect on July 1. “The case is far from over, but this is a big win. The court of appeals lifted the injunction, meaning the law can be fully enforced, and recognized that Tennessee is likely to win the constitutional argument and the case,” Skrmetti said in a statement released by his office. The law now goes into full effect on July 8, one week after its originally scheduled July 1 effective date. “Tennessee enacted a law that prohibits healthcare providers from performing gender-affirming surgeries and administering hormones or puberty blockers to transgender minors. After determining that the law likely violated the Equal Protection and Due Process Clauses, the district court facially enjoined the law’s enforcement as to hormones and puberty blockers and applied the injunction to…
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The Tennessee Secretary of State’s Office launched a statewide partnership with the Department of Health (TDH) and the Department of Safety and Homeland Security (TDOS) to distribute free Baby in the Back hangtags to help prevent heat-related child deaths in cars.
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The Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) is celebrating the 40-year anniversary of its Litter Grant Program this month.
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The Tennessee Department of Education (TDOE) started a 5-year, $3.65 million contract with a private firm to manage the state’s Education Savings Account (ESA) program. While DBA Students First Technologies (SFT) is a relatively new company, ownership said it feels confident in its ability to partner with the state in serving Tennessee families exploring alternative education opportunities.
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The Federal Bureau of Investigation is doubling down on its insistence that an “ongoing” criminal investigation prevents the agency from releasing Covenant Presbyterian School killer Audrey Elizabeth Hale’s manifesto, according to a response filed this week in federal court.
Star News Digital Media Inc., parent company of The Star News Network and The Tennessee Star, filed a federal lawsuit in May demanding the FBI turn over Hale’s manifesto and related writings.
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Last week, the Tennessee Department of Education released a report based on its recently concluded teacher retention listening tour. The report lists the top findings as, better professional development, better pay/benefits, a desire for more collaboration, and more leadership support.
In compiling their report, the TDOE had over a thousand Tennessee teachers express interest in providing input and feedback. The department used a random sampling method to talk with 100 of those teachers, placing them in 10 separate cohorts. The TDOE secured representation from each region, grade level, district and school type, and years of service.
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A middle Tennessee animal shelter is urging pet owners to take caution as it says scammers are assuming its identity.
According to reports, scammers pretending to be employees of the Montgomery County Animal Shelter are attempting to bilk the owners of lost pets out of money. The scam involves calling those owners of lost pets and claiming that their pet has been found. The scammers then ask for payment in exchange for return of the pet.
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The Tennessee Department of Education (TDOE) recently announced that 32 school districts across the state have been awarded funds from the Perkins Reserve Grant (PRG) to support career and technical education (CTE) for the 2023-24 school year.
Tennessee’s CTE consists of “16 nationally recognized career clusters with the ultimate goal of preparing students for success at the postsecondary level and in their chosen careers.”
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The Tennessee Star has obtained secret audio and video recording from a June 28 meeting by the far-left Democratic Socialist of America in Middle Tennessee (DS), and its plans to organize in the upcoming weeks and months.
The group is currently working on a campaign called Quilt, which describes Tennessee Republicans as “fascists,” while spewing other typical left-wing melodrama.
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Governor Bill Lee signed an executive order on Monday to reconstitute an existing council in order to “position Tennessee to lead the nation as the best state for service members, veterans and their families to thrive.”
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Tennessee U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) has joined a group of her colleagues in introducing a bill that would repeal the $10.5 billion “Superfund Tax” on American energy production.
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Tennessee U.S. Representative Mark Green (R-TN-07) applauded the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) after it announced it will no longer work with film studios that censor their movies on behalf of the Communist China Party (CCP).
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Tennesseans will begin celebrating Independence Day as early as Friday night, according to a state travel guide.
The Chattanooga Lookouts, a minor league baseball team, will have a fireworks show after the team’s Friday and Sunday night games.
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Several Tennessee U.S. lawmakers reacted in social media statements Friday to the U.S. Supreme Court’s 6-3 decision to strike down the Biden administration’s proposal to unilaterally cancel hundreds of billions in student loan debt.
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Tennessee Governor Bill Lee and Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development (TNECD) Commissioner Stuart McWhorter announced Thursday that approximately $5.9 million in Site Development Grant funds have been awarded to 10 community entities across the state.
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Republican members of Tennessee’s Congressional Delegation applauded the U.S. Supreme Court’s (SCOTUS) decision to strike down affirmative action in college admissions via two cases against Harvard and the University of North Carolina.
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Batches of mosquitoes infected with West Nile virus have recently been collected in both Davidson County and Shelby County.
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Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti has led a coalition of 20 state attorneys general in commenting on the latest proposal from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on regulations regarding Ethylene Oxide (EtO) and related emissions standards promulgated under the Clean Air Act (CAA).
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According to Transparent Tennessee, eight counties in the state have been determined to be economically “distressed” by the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC).
“Each year, the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) prepares an index of county economic status for every county in the United States,” according to Transparent Tennessee. “Economic status designations are identified through a composite measure of each county’s three-year average unemployment rate, per capita market income, and poverty rate. Based on these indicators, each county is then categorized as distressed, at-risk, transitional, competitive or attainment.”
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Enchem America Inc. officials announced Monday that the company will invest $152.5 million to establish electrolyte manufacturing operations in Haywood County, which is categorized as an “economically distressed” county by the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development (TNECD).
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The Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) announced Monday that Independence Day travelers would not be delayed by construction on Tennessee roads during this year’s holiday.
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Tennessee U.S. Representative Mark Green (R-TN-07) announced Tuesday his intent to introduce a bill that would amend Title X of the Public Health Service Act to prohibit HHS from revoking funding for states that do not make referrals for abortion.
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The Tennessee Comptrollers Office released last week updated interactive online maps and dashboards related to the state and K-12 education. The dashboards and maps allow citizens to access information on both private and public schools for the 2021-2022 school year.
Included are data on teacher salaries, student enrollment, educational attainment, school building quality, and state and local funding available for Tennessee’s public schools and school districts.
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With a graphic emblazoned across a map of Tennessee saying “Good-bye Roe, hello Dobbs,” Tennessee Right to Life and its county chapters have been celebrating one year since the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization Supreme Court ruling that gave individual states the right to make their own abortion laws.
“More than 10,000 children have been saved from abortion in our state this first year! Let us rejoice and be glad,” the organization said on its website. “Let us make a joyful noise to the Lord and let us re-commit ourselves to keeping Tennessee a safe place for unborn children and their mothers!”
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Tennessee U.S. Senators Marsha Blackburm (R-TN) and Bill Hagerty (R-TN) recently led a group of their Senate colleagues in sending a letter to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and Secretary of State Antony Blinken urging the crackdown on Mexican drug cartels through sanctions.
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Tennessee U.S. Representative Diana Harshbarger (R-TN-01) recently joined forces with U.S. Representative Jill Tokuda (D-HI-2) to launch a bipartisan caucus aimed at improving health care for Americans in rural areas.
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The Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) recently launched a new initiative aimed at restoring and preserving habitats for monarch butterflies and other pollinator species across the state.
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The Tennessee Department of Education (TDOE) announced Jackson County Superintendent Kristy Brown as the state’s new chief academic officer. Brown replaces former Deputy Secretary Eve Carney. who recently tendered her resignation effective July 1.
The announcement comes just a week before Lizzette Gonzales Reynolds is slated to assume the role of Tennessee’s new Commissioner of Education at the beginning of July. Reynolds replaces Penny Schwinn, who resigned on June 1.
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The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is investigating after several Tennessee State Republican officials received mail containing an unknown white powder.
The Cordell Hull Building, which is a state house office building that contains state legislators’ offices, was placed on lockdown after the incident, according to the Nashville Fire Department (NFD).
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In his capacity as a private citizen, the mayor of the town of Athens spoke out against a “pride month” display at the town’s library, eventually leading to the display being taken down.
Athens Mayor Steven Sherlin and Vice Mayor Larry Eaton demanded that the display at the E.G. Fisher Library be taken down at a Tuesday city council, according to the Chattanooga Times Free Press.
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Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti has left an organization of state attorneys general that has accepted sponsorships from left-leaning companies and nonprofits, The Daily Signal has learned.
The organization, called the Attorneys General Alliance, is holding its annual conference this week in Rancho Palos Verdes, California. The annual conference, running Monday through Thursday, was expected to attract 850 attendees from the offices of 30 state attorneys general.
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The Cordell Hull Building in Nashville was locked down Thursday following the discovery of a “white powder substance” in mail sent to Republican leaders, in “obvious threats made by a liberal activist,” the House GOP said in a statement. One news outlet is reporting the suspicious mail has the markings of a trans activist.
Officials say everyone is safe and that there have been no injuries reported.
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Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti’s office has released a second statement responding to reports that Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) turned over medical records of transgender patients to the state’s highest legal office.
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Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti’s Office released a statement reacting to reports that Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) turned over medical records of transgender patients to the state’s highest legal office.
On Tuesday, The Tennessean reported that it had reviewed a notice from VUMC informing patients of the transfer of records, which, according to the outlet, the facility said was the result of an investigation into “billing for transgender care services provided to individuals enrolled in State-sponsored insurance plans.”
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Nashville’s Independence Day celebration will be headlined this year by country music artist Brad Paisley, the Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp announced in a press release.
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A U.S. Congressman from Tennessee will lead an upcoming House Oversight Committee hearing on the topic of UFOs, which has recently been headline news on more than one occasion.
The hearing has been years in the works, according to a report in the Daily Wire.
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Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti recently announced he and 31 other state attorneys general have secured a $2.35 million payout from a multistate settlement with an online lingerie retailer.
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Former Memphis Police Officer Preston Hemphill can no longer practice law enforcement in the State of Tennessee for the time being, according to a state commission.
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On Thursday, The Tennessee Department of Education (TDOE) released data on the results of third-grade retention appeals filed with the state. Parents of third-grade students who did not meet the criteria for promotion to 4th grade based on Spring TCAP results are provided an opportunity to appeal that decision. The released data comes with approximately two weeks left in the appeals window.
Since the appeals window opened on May 30th, the department has received 9,205 appeals forms, representing 8,206 individual students.
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Williamson County agreed to give In-N-Out Burger a $1.9 million property tax abatement at its most recent meeting.
The abatement is in addition to the $2.75 million given to In-N-Out Burger from the state for its new Franklin headquarters, making the total incentives at $4.65 million.
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The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) recently announced how many turkeys were reported harvested during this year’s spring wild turkey hunting season.
Compiled figures by the agency show that 31,802 turkeys were reported harvested during this year’s spring season, which ran from April 15 to May 28. This season’s total number of turkeys harvested is a 6 percent increase from 2022 (29,940) and a two percent decrease over the previous 5-year average (32,495), according to TWRA.
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According to a study published earlier in June, two Tennessee towns are ranked among the top 25 safest suburbs in America.
According to SmartAsset, Brentwood and Franklin rank are two of the safest suburbs in the country.
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The Vanderbilt University Medical Center’s (VUMC) pediatric transgender clinic is no longer offering sex change procedures for minors following the passage of a key Tennessee law banning the practice, parents confirmed to the Nashville Post.
Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee signed the legislation into law March 3. Parents were sent an email from VUMC confirming the clinic will no longer be serving patients, according to the Nashville Post.
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Tennessee U.S. Representative John Rose (R-TN-06) introduced a bill on Friday that would ban trigger leads, with some exceptions, when consumers apply for financing through lending companies.
Trigger leads occur when credit bureaus sell the information of consumers who have applied for financing – such as a personal loan or mortgage – to other lenders without the consumers being notified.
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Tennessee’s House Majority Whip Johnny Garrett (R-Goodlettsville) told The Tennessee Star Thursday that he has spoken directly to Gov. Bill Lee (R) and that he will not be supporting Lee’s agenda to implement red flag laws during the upcoming special session of the General Assembly.
“There is no red flag proposal from Gov. Lee to consider as our caucus will not support the destruction of our citizens’ constitutional rights,” said Garrett. “I have been in contact with the governor and have expressed the desire to address mental illness through treatment and resources for those who may be a threat to themselves and others. These conversations will continue, and we’ll determine the best ways we can help these individuals in crisis while improving public safety in communities across our state.”
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Members of the Lee administration met with the Tennessee Faith & Freedom Coalition (TNFFC) Board of Directors on Wednesday after the group sent a letter urging Governor Bill Lee to cancel his proposed August 21 special session of the Tennessee General Assembly.
“In response to our letter asking Governor Lee to cancel plans for an August Special Session of the Tennessee General Assembly due to public safety concerns as well as constitutional concerns, Chief of Staff Joseph Williams emailed us and requested a meeting with our Board of Directors. We took him up on that offer and on Wednesday, had a meeting with Chief of Staff Williams and Lee Administration Special Advisor Michael Hendrix,” the TNFFC disclosed in a Friday statement emailed to The Tennessee Star.
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The Tennessee Department of Agriculture (TDA) announced Thursday that its Agricultural Enterprise Fund (AEF) cost share program is accepting applications from agricultural, food, and forestry businesses across the state.
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A recent report from the National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ) evaluates teacher prep programs across the country and finds several in Tennessee lacking.
The recently released report shows that nationally, most programs at colleges and universities that prepare future elementary teachers still do not fully cover the science of reading.
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District Attorney General Chris Stanford of the 31st Judicial District cleared and commended a Warren County woman who Monday shot and killed a man he says was intent on harming her and her children.
Warren County Sheriff’s Department and McMinnville City Police Department responded to a shooting in McMinnville Monday, and found that a man called Maurice Malone had been shot in the chest one time. He died of his injuries.
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