Search Results for: the tennessee star

Tennessee Commission Reports at Least $62.9 Billion of Public Infrastructure Improvement Needs

Laura Baigert

The Tennessee Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations (TACIR) announced last week the release of its 21st annual report on the public infrastructure needs across the state during the five-year period of July 2021 to June 2026.

The latest report, “Building Tennessee’s Tomorrow: Anticipating the State’s Infrastructure Needs,” indicates there is $1.2 billion or 2 percent increase over the year before. And while the costs have increased for the seven straight reporting period, they decreased when adjusted for inflation and population.

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Tennessee State Board of Education Releases State Charter School Authorizer Evaluations

TC Weber

At last week’s quarterly meeting, the State Board of Education (SBE) released its latest evaluation of Tennessee’s charter school authorizers. The State Board evaluates Tennessee’s six charter school authorizers at least every two years. In 2021 evaluations were delivered for Hamilton County Schools, Knox County Schools, and Shelby County Schools. That left the Achievement School District, Metro Nashville Public Schools, and the TN Public Charter School Commission for this year.

In 2019, Tennessee became the 4th state in the U.S. to implement authorizer evaluations when the State General Assembly passed legislation charging the SBE with conducting periodic evaluations of authorizers to determine authorizer compliance and evaluate quality. To bring this charge to fruition, the State Board partnered with SchoolWorks, an education consulting group with experience in authorizer evaluations.

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Report: Tennessee AG Launches Criminal Probe into Nashville DA’s Office on Wiretapping Concerns

M.D. Kittle

Nashville’s top prosecutor now finds himself under investigation, according to reports. 

Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti has launched a criminal probe into Nashville District Attorney Glenn Funk’s office in the wake of revelations of listening devices being installed around the building in downtown Nashville.  

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Tennessee Commissioner of Transportation Butch Eley Explains the Choice Lane Plan

Julie Carr

Tuesday morning on The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy – broadcast on Nashville’s Talk Radio 98.3 and 1510 WLAC weekdays from 5:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. – host Leahy welcomed Tennessee’s commissioner of transportation, Butch Eley in studio to discuss how the state researched the option to create choice lanes and where it’s been proven successful.

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Tennessee Education Commissioner Travels to DC to Promote Federal Investment in Education

TC Weber

Last week, Tennessee Education Commissioner Penny Schwinn was in Washington D.C. to help the Federation of American Scientists (FAS) launch the Alliance for Learning Innovation (ALI), a bipartisan initiative co-led with Lewis-Burke Associates, LLC, to increase education research and development investments across the federal government. As expressed by a press release, this new venture aims to dramatically grow federal investment in education:

“The alliance brings together a group of education nonprofits, practitioners, philanthropy, and the private sector to advocate for research-based innovations in education. As a coalition, ALI focuses on innovative solutions that build education R&D infrastructure, center students and practitioners, advance equitable outcomes for students, improve talent pathways, and expand the workforce needed in a globally competitive world. To that end, the alliance has developed a comprehensive multi-part agenda including the goal of dramatically increasing the federal investment in education R&D.”

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State Representative Jody Barrett Details His Proposed Legislation, HB 405 to Create Closed Primary Elections in Tennessee

Julie Carr

Monday morning on The Tennessee Star Report, host Leahy welcomed Tennessee State Representative (R-TN-69) Jody Barrett in studio to explain the details of his proposed bill, HB 405 which would create closed primary elections for Tennesseeans.

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Star Tribune Hires Walz Commissioner Steve Grove as Its Next Publisher

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The Star Tribune, one of the largest daily newspapers in America, has named Steve Grove — a former Google executive, consistent donor to Democrat politicians and often the right-hand man to Gov. Tim Walz — as its new publisher.

The Star Tribune, which announced the hiring on Tuesday, joins The Washington Post as the only two traditional print media outlets among the nation’s top 25 (measured by circulation) whose publisher or CEO has past political ties, according to a background search conduct

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Tennessee Revenues for January $212.9 Million over Budget

Laura Baigert

State tax revenues for the month of January exceeded budgeted estimates by $212.9 million, according to the monthly revenue announcement released Wednesday by Department of Finance and Administration Commissioner Jim Bryson.

The state’s surplus in year-to-date tax collections is $1.17 billion through six months.

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Changes Coming to Tennessee’s Standards Review and Textbook Adoption Timeline

TC Weber

A bill that would extend the textbook review and adoption period from 73 months to 97 months moved out of the Senate Education Committee and its counterpart will be heard on Tuesday morning in the House Education Instruction Subcommittee. The proposed measure, SB0421, would also impact the review period of state standards for English language arts, mathematics, science, and social studies. It is a change that comes from State Senator Jon Lundberg (R-Bristol), at the urging of the Tennessee State Board of Education (SBE).

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Tennessee Attorney General Files Brief Challenging the FDA’s New Policy on Abortion Drug

Kaitlin Housler

Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti recently joined 21 state attorneys general in filing an amicus brief in the Northern District of Texas in the case of Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine v. U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

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Managing Editor Matt Kittle Announces Launch of The Iowa Star on Bannon’s WarRoom

Julie Carr

Saturday morning on WarRoom: Battleground, Stephen K. Bannon welcomed The Star News Network’s National Political Editor, Matt Kittle the program to discuss the Iowa caucus, Kari Lake’s reception, and the newly launched Iowa Star digital newspaper.

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Commentary: Tennessee’s Conversation About Rejecting Federal Money for Education

Admin

Historically, the Federal Government had limited involvement in Public Education. That changed in 1965 when President Lyndon Johnson signed the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) into law.

ESEA doubled federal expenditures for K-12 education and gave the federal government much more input into education. That has been the debate ever since, central control of education versus state/local control.

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All-Star Panelist Clint Brewer: Titan Stadium Deal ‘Is Going to Get Bumped to the Heel of the Discussion’ After Mayor Cooper’s Announcement He Will Not Run for Re-Election

Julie Carr

Thursday morning on The Tennessee Star Report, host Leahy welcomed all-star panelist Clint Brewer in studio to discuss how with current Mayor John Cooper out of the mayor’s race, the Titans Stadium deal is no longer important amongst candidate positions.

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Speaker of Tennessee House Sexton: Even Teachers Union Open to His Idea of Telling Federal Government We Don’t Want Your K-12 Education Money with Its Strings

Julie Carr

Thursday morning on The Tennessee Star Report, host Leahy welcomed Tennessee Speaker of the House, Cameron Sexton to the newsmaker line to discuss his recent proposal in the Tennessee General Assembly which would reject federal education funding in the state.

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Matt Walsh Stuns Tennessee Democrat Lawmaker: ‘Do You Think a 16-Year-Old Can Meaningfully Consent to Having Body Parts Removed?’

Susan Berry, PhD

Matt Walsh left speechless a Tennessee Democrat representative who failed to catch Walsh in a supposed contradiction when the conservative author asked the lawmaker a simple question during a State House Committee meeting covering a bill that would ban life-altering transgender medical treatments for minors.

State Representative Caleb Hemmer (D-Nashville) attempted to confront Walsh with a statement he supposedly made about 16-year-olds getting married, when, as the conservative author noted, he was a radio host “13 or 14 years ago and in my early 20s,” and leftist Media Matters subsequently did a “hit piece” on him using an inaccurate version of his statement.

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Tennessee Gov. Lee Pitches Plan to Expand Support for Pregnancy Care Centers to $100 Million

Susan Berry, PhD

Governor Bill Lee (R-TN) announced Monday during his State of the State address he would propose boosting support for women in unplanned pregnancies through various programs, including an expansion in funding for crisis pregnancy care centers to $100 million, widening Medicaid eligibility for pregnant women and parents, and granting additional paid family leave time for state employees.

Tennessee’s “trigger” law that bans abortion, titled the Human Life Protection Act, took effect August 25, two months after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.

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Chair of Tennessee State Senate Education Committee Takes Third Grade TCAP Test

TC Weber

State Senator John Lundberg (R-Bristol) recently took the state test administered annually to Tennessee’s third-grade students. He said he found it to be fair, devoid of trick questions, and completable in a reasonable time frame.

In a phone conversation with The Tennessee Star, Lundberg said, “I heard a lot of concerns from parents around third-grade retention, and TCAP [Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program.] I felt I owed it to them to delve deeper into the subject, and so I asked the department of education to allow me to take the test.”

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State Senator Jack Johnson Outlines Problems and Solutions for Tennessee Transportation Infrastructure

Julie Carr

Wednesday morning on The Tennessee Star Report, host Leahy welcomed Tennessee State Senate Majority Leader Jack Johnson in studio to discuss the problems with Nashville’s transportation infrastructure and practical and proven solutions to fix it.

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Tennessee State Senate Majority Leader Jack Johnson Details Bill to Prohibit Gender Transition Treatments for Minors

Julie Carr

Wednesday morning on The Tennessee Star Report, host Leahy welcomed State senate majority leader Jack Johnson in studio to explain Senate Bill one and House Bill one that would prohibit children under the age of 18 from having gender transition procedures whether surgically or medically.

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Tennessee State Representative Chris Todd of Jackson Details House Bill 009 That Protects Minors, Legal Charges for Drag Queen Performers

Julie Carr

Wednesday morning on The Tennessee Star Report, host Leahy welcomed State Representative Chris Todd from Jackson, Tennessee to the newsmaker line to detail his House bill that would prohibit young children from attending drag queen shows resulting in either misdemeanor or felony charges for the performers.

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Tennessee Lawmakers React to President Biden’s State of the Union Address

Kaitlin Housler

Following President Joe Biden’s second State of the Union address Tuesday night, a number of Tennessee lawmakers issued statements and thoughts in response to the president’s speech.

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Tennessee One of the Top Inbound States for Movers, Study Shows

Kaitlin Housler

Tennessee ranked fourth in the nation regarding inbound moves to the state, according to recent data compiled by the Allied Magnet States Report. The report tracks migration patterns in the U.S. and is published annually by Allied Van Lines, an American moving company.

The top relocation destination states in 2022 were Arizona, South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Florida. The top states that saw people move away throughout the year were Illinois, Michigan, Pennsylvania, California, and New Jersey.

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Tennessee Veterinary School Puts Emphasis on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Watchdog Finds

Admin

A Tennessee veterinary school engaged in programs to bolster commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), according to medical watchdog group Do No Harm.

Faculty at Lincoln Memorial University- Richard A. Gillespie College of Veterinary Medicine (LMU CVM)  attended a January workshop titled “Inclusivity” to learn about incorporating diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging (DEIB) in the workplace, according to a tip sent to Do No Harm. Its masters program partnered BLEND, a certification program, to train veterinarians in DEIB.

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Star News Exclusive: Records Show Green Bay City Officials Installed Secret Recording Devices, Council Member Wants Resignations

M.D. Kittle

Records obtained by The Star News Network show Green Bay city officials installed at least three audio recording devices in City Hall — without notifying the City Council or the public. 

Alderman Chris Wery, who represents Green Bay’s 8th District, described the secret recordings as the kind of “Big Brother stuff” found in a George Orwell novel. 

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Republican Lawmaker Floats North Stars Logo as Idea for New Minnesota State Flag

Admin

As DFL legislators appear poised to pass a bill that would have Minnesota on its way to flying a newly-redesigned state flag by the end of this year, one Republican senator is floating an idea for what that flag should look like.

Sen. Steve Drazkowski, R-Mazeppa, believes a rendition of the logo of the former Minnesota North Stars professional hockey franchise could serve as the unifying symbol that proponents of a new state flag claim they are looking for.

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‘Tennessee is Leading the Nation:’ Governor Bill Lee Delivers Fifth State of the State Address

Kaitlin Housler

One year after declaring “the state of our state is strong,” Governor Bill Lee touted Tennessee as a leader in the nation in regards to being a “guiding light for opportunity, security and freedom” during his fifth State of the State address on Monday in the House Chamber of the Tennessee State Capitol.

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All-Star Panelist Crom Carmichael Returns from New Zealand with Viewpoints of America from Abroad

Julie Carr

Monday morning on The Tennessee Star Report, host Leahy welcomed the original all-star panelist Crom Carmichael in studio to discuss his perspective on the United States after a recent trip to New Zealand.

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Tennessee State Representative Bob Freeman Discusses Background and Passed Legislation

Julie Carr

Monday morning on The Tennessee Star Report, host Leahy welcomed (TN-D-56) State Representative Bob Freeman in studio to discuss his background and legislation that he’s passed in the Tennessee General Assembly.

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Tennessee Attorney General Applauds U.S. Rep. David Kustoff’s Bill to Protect Americans from Robocalls

Kaitlin Housler

Tennessee Congressman David Kustoff (R-TN-08) recently joined his colleague, North Carolina Congresswoman Deborah Ross (D-NC-02), to reintroduce the Deter Obnoxious, Nefarious, and Outrageous Telephone Calls (DO NOT Call) Act in the House of Representatives.

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Tennessee Senators Push Back Against the Biden Administration’s Student Loan Forgiveness Program

Kaitlin Housler

Tennessee Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) and Bill Hagerty (R-TN) joined a group of Senate Republicans in filing an amicus brief to the Supreme Court pushing back on the Biden Administration’s student loan debt relief program.

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Professional Educators of Tennessee CEO JC Bowman Sees Student Discipline as a Major Issue, Urges Teachers to Speak Out Elegantly

Julie Carr

Friday morning on The Tennessee Star Report,  host Leahy welcomed all-star panelist JC Bowman in studio to discuss school system failures, discipline, and teacher’s needs.

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Tennessee Senator Blackburn Readies for Debt-Ceiling Fight

Bradley Vasoli
Sen Marsha Blackburn

Having received an appointment to the U.S. Senate Finance Committee this week, Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) is poised to play a major role in this year’s fight over raising the debt ceiling. 

Earlier this week, Blackburn joined her Utah Republican colleague Mike Lee in penning a letter, signed by 22 of their fellow senators, insisting a rise in the federal debt limit must only happen as part of a deal to pare back government spending. In an interview with The Tennessee Star, Blackburn explained her view that fiscal circumstances demand such an agreement so debt does not snowball into an even more unmanageable burden on American families. 

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All-Star Panelist Clint Brewer Reviews Announced and Potential Candidates for Nashville, Davidson County Mayor

Julie Carr

Thursday morning on The Tennessee Star Report, host Leahy welcomed all-star panelist Clint Brewer in studio to discuss the announced Nashville mayoral candidates and their possibilities of winning.

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State Lawmakers Unveil Plan to Make Adoption Easier in Tennessee, Reduce Caseload of Department of Children’s Services Caseworkers

Kaitlin Housler

An Adoption and Foster Care Caucus meeting was held on Monday where Tennessee state lawmakers announced legislation aimed at making adoption and foster care easier in the state as well as reducing the caseload of Department of Children’s Services (DCS) caseworkers.

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American Classical Education Submits Charter School Applications in Five Tennessee Counties

TC Weber

Wednesday marked the deadline for charter school applicants to submit their packages to local school boards in counties where they wish to establish a new charter school, and American Classical Education (ACE) has submitted applications in five Tennessee counties.

ACE board member and former Tennessee State Senator Dolores Gresham, who retired while serving as Senate Education Chair in 2020, told The Tennessee Star the charter school operator submitted paperwork to  Rutherford, Clarksville-Montgomery, Jackson-Madison, Maury, and Robertson Counties.

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Tennessee Faith and Freedom Coalition Director Aaron Gulbransen Continues Fight Against Human Trafficking

Julie Carr

Tuesday morning on The Tennessee Star Report, host Leahy welcomed the director of Tennessee’s Faith and Freedom Coalition Aaron Gulbransen in studio to discuss his mission continue the fight against human trafficking and urge TBI for yearly reports.

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Former Assistant US Attorney for West Tennessee: Lack of Experience and Supervision, SCORPION Unit Ripe for Disaster

Julie Carr

Monday morning on The Tennessee Star Report, host Leahy welcomed the CEO of the Tennessee Firearms Association, John Harris and former West Tennessee Assistant U.S. Attorney, Braden Boucek in studio to discuss the details of the Memphis Scorpion Unit that murdered Tyre Nichols last Thursday evening.

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Tennessee Attorney General Skrmetti Leads Brief in Opposing Title IX ‘Protections’ for ‘Gender Identity’

Kaitlin Housler

An 18-state coalition led by Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti filed a brief opposing the Biden administration’s reinterpretation of Title IX allowing transgender girls to participate in girls’ sports.

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