Search Results for: sanctuary city nashville

The Tennessee Star Announces Blockbuster Month with Over a Half-Million Visits

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Tennessee Star

  FRANKLIN, TENNESSEE (Wednesday, June 21) — In another stunning announcement, The Tennessee Star released updated web traffic reports in a tweet Wednesday that shows the online news, information, and opinion website surpassed 500,000 visits in the last thirty days. WOW! Thank you, Tennessee!!30days (5/20-6/20): 526,841 visits 290,288 visitorsAll time (2/06-6/20): 1,536,671 visits 712,233 visitors pic.twitter.com/HBxgV2CKnf — Tennessee Star (@TheTNStar) June 22, 2017 “In three months and two weeks we went from zero at our launch to over one million visits. Now, in just the last thirty days – a quarter of that time – we have been visited more than five hundred and twenty-five thousand times,” said managing editor Christina Botteri. “If there was a Moore’s Law for journalism and readership, we’d be doubling it right now!” Botteri said, referencing Intel founder Gordan Moore’s observation that computer processing speed doubles every 18 months. The explosion in traffic can be traced directly to The Star’s coverage of the top three areas of most concern for Middle Tennesseans, as reported in the Tennessee Star-Triton Poll released ten days ago, together with a fundamental understanding of the algorithms that drive social media traffic. “The poll results reflect what we observe personally, which is that there…

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JUGGERNAUT: The Tennessee Star Eclipses Single-Day Traffic Record Monday with Over 50,000 Visitors

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Tennessee Star

  The Tennessee Star announced its online news site recorded over fifty thousand unique visitors in the twenty-four hour period between 12:00:00 a.m. and 11:59:59 p.m. Monday, June 5. “It was astonishing to watch,” said managing editor Christina Botteri. “Because of our rapid growth to date, we know the warning signs to look for when our servers get overheated. Early on, we thought there was a chance we were the subject of an attempted denial of service attack. But that was quickly disproven when we saw the organic – but very fast – correlating climb in our Facebook site referrals and shares.” Much of the sudden spike in traffic is thanks to a story featuring Nashville Mayor Megan Barry’s vow to ignore the U.S. Constitution and uphold the Paris Climate Agreement – “even if President Trump doesn’t.” After President Trump made his now-famous ‘Pittsburgh-not-Paris’ speech Saturday, Barry, along with a cadre of Democrat mayors and governors across the country, issued statements admonishing the President’s decision. “The United States of America should be a global leader in addressing the dire impact of climate change on our civilization, and it is very disappointing that President Trump does not see that,” Mayor Barry said in…

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Soon-to-Announce Gubernatorial Candidate Mae Beavers Tells WWTN Audience ‘We’re In It To Win’

Laura Baigert
Tennessee Star

  In an interview with WTN 99.7’s Pamela Furr, who was standing in for Ralph Bristol on Memorial Day, State Senator Mae Beavers (R-Mt. Juliet), demonstrating resolve to her pending gubernatorial campaign said on two occasions, “We’re in it to win.” Saturday evening, after hosting the monthly Wilson County Conservative Republicans meeting and attending a Memorial Day service at The Stone Church in Alexandria, Sen. Beavers issued a press release stating she plans to announce her campaign for governor on June 3. Due to a scheduling conflict in her district, Sen. Beavers was not able to attend the Rutherford County Republican Party Reagan Day Dinner last Thursday, where four other stated or expected candidates for governor participated in a forum, U.S. Rep. Diane Black (District 6), Governor Haslam’s former state Economic and Community Development Commissioner Randy Boyd, state Senator Mark Green R-Clarksville) and businessman Bill Lee. The full transcript of the interview can be found below. Pamela Furr:  You prayerfully decided to do it. Sen. Mae Beavers:  Well, Pamela, you know I think that when we pray about something, I think we’ve got to commit it to the Lord and just put our faith in Him, and I think he’ll…

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Republicans Eyeing Job As Tennessee Governor Respond To Timely Questions At Event Thursday

Wendy Wilson

  While announced and expected Republican candidates for Tennessee governor differed little in their comments at a Rutherford County GOP event on Thursday, they handled questions about tough and timely issues. Businessmen Randy Boyd and Bill Lee spoke at at the annual Reagan Day Dinner, as did state Sen. Mark Green (R-Clarksville) and Congresswoman Diane Black. Boyd, who formerly served as Gov. Bill Haslam’s economic commissioner, and Lee are the only two who have officially announced their candidacies for the 2018 race. On sanctuary cities, all four in attendance said they were strongly against Tennessee cities refusing to cooperate with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents. There are no cities in the state that have technically refused to cooperate with ICE, though Nashville Mayor Megan Barry is seen as sympathetic toward illegal immigrants. Moreover, lax immigration enforcement nationwide under previous presidents has meant ongoing problems with criminal illegal immigrants who continue to commit crimes. “No city in Tennessee will be a sanctuary city under my watch,” said Boyd, who is regarded as an establishment Republican and who last year gave a large donation to Conexión Américas for its culinary entrepreneurship program. Renata Soto, the founder and director of the Nashville group, is…

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Latinos For Tennessee A Conservative ‘Voice of Reason’

Wendy Wilson

  Raul Lopez quickly discovered when he began helping Republicans with Hispanic outreach that he wasn’t working on a level playing field. He was far outnumbered and outspent by Democrats trying to reach the same audience. Lopez tried to make inroads in the Hispanic community for former President George W. Bush and for Tennessee House Speaker Beth Harwell when she chaired the Tennessee Republican Party. The frustrations he experienced prompted him to start Latinos For Tennessee, a conservative political advocacy group. The group champions limited government and free markets, fiscal responsibility, immigration enforcement and traditional values. “We’re a counter voice,” Lopez told The Tennessee Star. Started four years ago, the group was organized as a political action committee with an outreach and educational wing. The group is based in Nashville and plans to expand its presence in other parts of the state. Lopez, a native of Cuba who came to the U.S. when he was five years old, is the executive director. In addition, there is an eight-member board of directors. The board chairman is Tommy Vallejos, a Clarksville pastor and Montgomery County commissioner who has announced his intention to run for state Sen. Mark Green’s vacated seat pending Green’s confirmation…

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Islamic Group Aligns with LGBT Advocates to Oppose Tennessee’s Mark Green Appointment as Army Secretary

Tina LaFleur
Tennessee Star

  The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), perhaps best known as an unindicted co-conspirator in the Holy Land Foundation terror funding scandal, issued a statement denouncing Tennessee state senator Mark Green’s nomination to serve as President Donald Trumps Secretary of the Army. CAIR – who forcefully label people and groups with whom they disagree with the Muslim Brotherhood term, “Islamophobic” – announced its opposition to Green’s confirmation due to past remarks and policy positions. Offered as proof of his “Islamophobia,” CAIR’s statement included a laundry-list of quotes by Sen. Green, apparently all from a single appearance at a Chattanooga Tea Party meeting last year. Perhaps most interesting about the pro-Islamic organization’s statement is at the end, with its acknowledgment and alignment with LGBT advocates against Green: Other groups are opposing Green’s confirmation because of his criticism of federal attempts to bar discrimination in workplaces and businesses. SEE: L.G.B.T. Advocates Criticize Nominee for Army Secretary State Sen. Mark Green is a medical doctor, West Point graduate, and a career military veteran with a distinguished record of service. He is a staunch advocate for limited government, secure borders, and fiscal responsibility. Before being tapped for the Army Secretary position, Green was strongly considering a run for…

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LGBT Groups Mount Opposition to Tennessee’s Mark Green as Army Secretary

Tina LaFleur
Tennessee Star

  LGBT advocates like Human Rights Campaign (HRC) and Army Military Partner Association (AMPA) are organizing to block the confirmation of Tennessee state senator Mark Green as President Trump’s next Army Secretary. In what appears to be a coordinated media campaign, several news outlets are reporting Green’s policy positions and record on so-called LGBT issues are “deeply concerning.” Friday, the New York Times reported: A Tennessee state senator who has criticized federal attempts to bar discrimination against gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people in workplaces and businesses was nominated on Friday to be President Trump’s next secretary of the Army. After a brief bio, the Times quoted from a blog post by AMPA: On Tuesday, the American Military Partner Association, the largest organization of L.G.B.T. military families, accused Mr. Green of making “a shameful political career out of targeting L.G.B.T. people for discrimination.” Monday, TheHill.com published: LGBT groups are raising pressure on President Trump’s nominee for Army secretary, just three days after the pick became official, and are vowing a fight. Trump “couldn’t have picked a worse nominee to pick a fight with Congress,” David Stacy, government affairs director at the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), said Monday. Tuesday morning, the Washington post…

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Former INS Agent Michael Cutler: Illegal Immigrants Should Be Fearful; People Demanding Enforcement Are Not Haters

Wendy Wilson
Tennessee Star

Across the state and country, activists are calling for curbs on immigration enforcement because it’s making illegal immigrants fearful. But that’s the way it should be, says Michael Cutler, a nationally-recognized expert and retired senior special agent with the former Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS). “You should be fearful if you break the law,” said Cutler in an interview Monday with The Tennessee Star. In Nashville, activists angered by President Trump’s enforcement plans have gone so far as to demand that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) leave the city. Students at Vanderbilt have insisted that the university be a sanctuary campus and Metro Nashville Public Schools say they intend to make illegal immigrant students and their families feel safe. Cutler, who writes commentary on immigration issues, appears in TV interviews and hosts a show on Blog Talk Radio, said efforts to provide sanctuaries for illegal immigrants will make it harder for law enforcement to root out gangs, drug traffickers, terrorists and other criminals. Problems with crime and drug trafficking will worsen if immigration enforcers aren’t able to do their jobs, said Cutler, who blames loose borders for the reason “why heroin has never been cheaper and more plentiful.” Cutler said it…

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State Senator Mark Green Tells WWTN’s Dan Mandis ‘I’m Opposed to the Gas Tax Increase’

Tennessee Star Staff

“I’m opposed to the gas tax increase,” State Senator Mark Green (R-Clarksville) told WWTN 99.7 FM talk show host Dan Mandis on Wednesday in an exclusive interview. “Looking towards the future, you’ve formally filed paperwork to run for governor. You went on a 34-stop listening tour across Tennessee. Tell me what you found out,” Mandis asked Green. “There’s just a stack of ideas that people have on how to make Tennessee better. It’s just awesome,” Green said. “One of the things they said they don’t want is a gas tax or a diesel tax increase. Tennesseans were pretty strong about that everywhere I went,” he added. “Now I’ve seen the polls, but I know what my anecdotal evidence is. Everywhere I went people were like ‘How dare you raise taxes in the face of a $1.8 billion surplus! You’ve overtaxed us $1.8 billion and you want more!’ And I’ve got to tend to agree with them,” the former Army doctor said. “It doesn’t make any sense that we would tax more in the face of such a large surplus,” he added. “So, I’m opposed to the gas tax increase,” the future candidate for governor declared: There were certain aspects of…

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Mt. Juliet Says No to Illegal Immigration

Wendy Wilson

As controversy heats up over sanctuary cities across the U.S., many Mt. Juliet residents are backing the city’s promise that Mt. Juliet will never be one. Frustrated by burdens illegal immigrants place on police and public services and grieved over the loss of a couple killed by an illegal immigrant drunk driver, many people have had enough. In late November, the city commission unanimously approved a proclamation saying it won’t shield illegal immigrants from enforcement of federal immigration laws. Around 300 cities across the U.S. are regarded as sanctuary cities. Nashville Mayor Megan Barry has signaled that she wants Nashville to be welcoming toward all. However, Nashville is not officially a sanctuary city, having not stated an intent to refuse to comply with federal immigration officials. Immigration activists quickly denounced the move by Mt. Juliet commissioners. On its Facebook page, the Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition (TIRRC) called the resolution “unacceptable and irresponsible” and urged its supporters to encourage commissioners to rescind it. The resolution, according to TIRRC, will have a “chilling effect on immigrant families trying to build their lives, start their businesses, and raise their families.” Supporters of the resolution, however, see it as an effort to ensure…

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