Tag: Davidson County

Nashville’s Fatal Drug Overdoses So Far Surpass 2019 Total

Chris Butler

Nashville officials have recorded more fatal drug overdoses in the first nine months of 2020 than they did in all of 2019.

This, according to a press release that members of the Metro Public Health Department emailed late last week.

As The Tennessee Star reported in May, Nashville, at the time, had an increase in the number of overdoses since March. Mid-March was right around the same time that local, state, and federal officials in the United States first restricted people’s movements and other freedoms because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Read More

Nashville Taxpayer Protection Act: Jim Roberts Gives Important Updates to the Status of Getting the Referendum on the Ballot

Julie Carr

Friday morning on the Tennessee Star Report, host Michael Patrick Leahy welcomed Nashville-based attorney Jim Roberts to the show to give updates on the Nashville Taxpayer Protection Act referendum.

Read More

Davidson County Officials Will Not Cite What Gave Them the Legal Right to Change Date for Nashville Taxpayer Protection Act Referendum

Chris Butler

Metro Nashville officials on Wednesday still refused to cite which portion of the Tennessee Code permits them to move the prospective election date for voters to say yes or no to the Nashville Taxpayer Protection Act.

They had ample opportunity to respond to The Tennessee Star’s requests for comment Wednesday.

Read More

Davidson County Election Commission Cancels Meeting: ‘Since Nothing Is Urgent at This Point in Time We Made The Decision That It Was Not Necessary to Meet’

Chris Butler

Members of the Davidson County Election Commission have cancelled a meeting they previously scheduled for Tuesday.

This, one day after The Tennessee Star demonstrated that Metro Legal Director Bob Cooper said something incorrect at a recent Election Commission meeting.

Cooper incorrectly stated that election commissioners had more than just a “purely ministerial” role taking on the Nashville Taxpayer Protection Act.

Read More

Metro Nashville Legal Director Bob Cooper: 1949 TN Supreme Court Case Was About ‘Statewide Referendum Election Where the Constitutionality of the Referendum Was in Question’

Chris Butler

In his testimony before the Davidson County Election Commission’s September 25 meeting, Metro Legal Director Bob Cooper cited a 1949 Tennessee Supreme Court decision, Cummings v. Beeler, as a “template” the commission could follow if it chose to accept a third option he outlined as a possible course of action– to “file a lawsuit in Davidson County Chancery Court seeking a declaratory judgment on whether the amendment should be placed on the ballot or should be rejected.”

Cooper stated the Cummings v. Beeler case was about “whether it [The Tennessee Secretary of State’s Office] could hold a statewide referendum election where the constitutionality of the referendum was in question.”

Read More

The Beacon Center Vice President of Legal Affairs Braden Boucek Weighs in on School Voucher Ruling and Taking It to the Tennessee Supreme Court

Julie Carr

Friday morning on the Tennessee Star Report, host Leahy welcomed the Vice President of Legal Affairs at The Beacon Center Braden Boucek to the show to discuss the recent ruling regarding the school voucher program in Tennessee.

Read More

Steve Glover Talks About His Efforts to Cut the Metro Budget and Bob Mendes’ Disgraceful Tweet

Julie Carr

Thursday morning on The Tennessee Star Report, host Michael Patrick Leahy welcomed Metro Council Member-At-Large Steve Glover to the studio to discuss his efforts to cut Metro’s spending and the Bob Mendes tweet.

Read More

Crom Carmichael Weighs in on Tennessee Court of Appeals School Voucher Ruling and Questions Judges’ Motives

Julie Carr

Wednesday morning on The Tennessee Star Report, host Michael Patrick Leahy welcomed the original all-star panelist Crom Carmichael to the studio to discuss the recent ruling deeming the ESA and school voucher programs for Davidson and Shelby Counties unconstitutional.

Read More

On Nashville’s List of 49 COVID-19 Case Clusters, Four Percent of Cases Tied to Bars

Admin
nighttime traffic

Of the 2,619 cases accounted for on a list of 49 COVID-19 hotspots in Davidson County connected with 10 or more cases of COVID-19, 114 – or 4% – were tied to the six bars on the list.

The list of 49 case clusters in Nashville was released by Metro Public Health officials.

Read More

Nashville Mayor John Cooper on July 2: ‘Our Public Health Investigators Have Found a Record Number of Clusters Originating from Bars within the Past Week’

Julie Carr

Here are Nashville Mayor John Cooper’s exact words, delivered at his July 2, 2020 press conference, beginning at 3:01 mark in the video of that press conference.

It’s worth noting the Nashville rate of confirmed cases did decline while bars and restaurants operated at 50 percent capacity in May. The Metro Parks facilities opened in phase three will remain open including dog parks, skate parks, basketball courts, and playgrounds. And recreational leagues and pools will still be permitted as outbreaks have not been traced back to these venues or activities.

Now, of course, we urge you to practice safe social distancing around swimming pools this weekend. Additionally, all bars in Davidson County known as limited-service restaurants that derive the majority of their revenue from alcohol sales will close for a minimum of 14 days beginning tomorrow which is equal to one incubation cycle of the coronavirus.

Read More

Nashville Attorney Jim Roberts: ‘This Is a Fight Between the Power of the People and the Power of the Government’

Julie Carr

Friday morning on The Tennessee Star Report, host Michael Patrick Leahy welcomed Attorney Jim Roberts to the studio to discuss the irresponsible spending by Mayor John Cooper in Nashville.

Read More

Nashville Attorney Jim Roberts Joins the Tennessee Star Report with Updates on the Nashville Taxpayer Protection Act Petition

Julie Carr

Friday morning on The Tennessee Star Report, host Michael Patrick Leahy welcomed Nashville attorney Jim Roberts to discuss the latest update on the number of signatures needed for the Nashville Taxpayer Protection Act.

Read More

Nashville Attorney Jim Roberts Talks Progress With the Nashville Taxpayer Protection Act

Julie Carr

Monday morning on The Tennessee Star Report, host Michael Patrick Leahy welcomed Nashville attorney Jim Roberts to talk about the number of petitions he’s received for the Nashville Taxpayer Protection Act and how it will appear on the ballot.

Read More

Owner of Nashville Boutique Venues Dan Cook Explains What Going Back to a Modified Phase Two Means for Private Events

Julie Carr

Friday morning on The Tennessee Star Report, host Michael Patrick Leahy welcomed Dan Cook owner of Boutique Venues to the newsmakers line to discuss the modified reversion back to Phase Two and what that means for his private event business in Davidson County.

Read More

Mortality Rate Not Listed as Factor in Davidson County’s Reopening Metrics Plan

Jason M. Reynolds

Davidson County has a plan for reopening the city from COVID-19. This plan uses a number of data points including the status of transmission rate, 14-day new case trend, public health capacity, testing capacity, and the number of regular hospital beds and ICU beds.

However, a key metric that is missing from the county’s reopening plan is mortality rate.

Read More

Attorney Jim Roberts Takes Victory Lap as Metro Government Found in Violation of Tennessee’s Open Meeting Act

Julie Carr

Live from Music Row Friday 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 Nashville attorney Jim Roberts to the newsmakers line.

At the top of the second hour, Roberts weighed in on his recent victory as the Metro government was found to be in violation of Tennessee’s Open Meeting Act statute. He contrasted his victory with the major league soccer franchise’s quest to take over Nashville Fairgrounds and described how with no contracts signed, taxpayers could get stuck with a large bill for the stadium should the MLS decided to leave.

Read More

Metro Councilman at-Large Steve Glover: ‘If Metro Government Doesn’t Understand the Damage They’ve Done Right Now to Nashvillians, They Never Will’

Julie Carr

Live from Music Row Thursday 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 Metro Nashville’s City Council Member-at-Large Steve Glover to the newsmakers line.

During the third hour, Glover described the situation where the Metro Nashville City Council voted 32 to 8 in favor of a 34 percent tax increase which was designed by Council Chairman Bob Mendes. He was clearly sickened by the vote and stressed to all registered voters that they need to head to the polls in December as well as sign the 4goodgovernment.com petition.

Read More

Nashville City Council ‘Should be Ashamed,’ Beacon Center of Tennessee Says After Massive Tax Increase Passes

Chris Butler

Officials with a Nashville-based right-of-center think tank on Wednesday harshly criticized members of the Metro Nashville Council for jacking up property taxes by 34 percent.

Members of that think tank, the Beacon Center of Tennessee, said this in a press release.

Read More

Commentary: It Is Time to Break Up Nashville

Admin

The most charitable thing anyone can say about Nashville right now is that the city is a dumpster fire.  It isn’t just a small dumpster fire. It is a stinking, raging fire that is going to get out of hand if nothing is done about it.

Part of Nashville’s problems are not its own doing. No one could control the tornado that struck Nashville in March and no one could see, at least initially, what would happen with the COVID-19 outbreak.

Read More

Increased COVID-19 Testing in Nashville Results in More Confirmed Cases, but Percentage Positive Remains at Nine Percent

Chris Butler

Davidson County has had an increase in COVID-19 cases as a result of increased testing.

This, according to Metro Public Health Department spokesman Brian Todd.

“I checked with our epidemiologist and was told we have seen a steady increase in testing in Davidson County since mid-April,” Todd told The Tennessee Star in an email Monday.

Read More

Judge: Tennessee Must Allow Vote by Mail for All Amid Virus

The Associated Press

Tennessee must give all of its 4.1 million registered voters the option to cast ballots by mail during the coronavirus pandemic, a judge ruled Thursday.

Davidson County Chancellor Ellen Hobbs Lyle ruled that the state’s limits on absentee voting during the pandemic constitute “an unreasonable burden on the fundamental right to vote guaranteed by the Tennessee Constitution.” The judge wrote that any eligible voter can get an absentee ballot to avoid contracting or passing on COVID-19 in the “upcoming elections during the pendency of pandemic circumstances.”

Read More

Tennessee Judge: Virus By-Mail Voting Guidelines Ambiguous

The Associated Press

A Tennessee judge on Wednesday said the state’s guidance about who can vote by mail due to the coronavirus is “very ambiguous,” and she cited “weighty proof” that other states have expanded to let all voters cast absentee ballots this year — something Tennessee officials say is not feasible.

In a hearing via video conference due to the pandemic, Davidson County Chancellor Ellen Hobbs Lyle cast doubts on some of the state’s key arguments against two lawsuits that seek a by-mail voting option for all voters this year to curb the virus’ spread at the polls. Lyle also cautioned that whatever she orders needs to be “a practical, workable solution, or it will throw the election into chaos.” She raised particular concerns about costs for local governments.

Read More

Inside the New Poll Showing Unpopularity of Mayor Cooper’s Proposed Property Tax Increase

Julie Carr

Live from Nashville, Tennessee Monday 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.– Leahy was joined on the newsmakers line by Nashville Smart’s Lonnie Spivak.

At the top of the second hour, Spivak reviewed recent Triton Polling data which showed that almost a third of Davidson County registered voters disapproved of Mayor John Cooper’s 32% property tax increase. He was certain that with such unfavorable polling results that Mayor John Cooper should definitely rethink his direction.

Read More

Boutique Venues of Nashville Owner Dan Cook Can’t Get Response From Mayor Cooper’s Office Regarding His Declining Business

Julie Carr

On Friday’s 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 Michael Patrick Leahy and all-star panelist Crom Carmichael welcomed the owner of Nashville Boutique Venues Dan Cook to the newsmakers line.

During the third hour, Cook described his attempts to contact Mayor John Cooper’s office to discuss the phase openings and how it’s negatively impacted his business. He expressed his disappointment that he has not received any type of return communication from the mayor’s office after several attempts but appeared hopeful with the local media attention he’s been able to attain.

Read More

Mayor Cooper Signs Order Requiring Face Masks in All Government Buildings

Anthony Gockowski

Nashville Mayor John Cooper signed an executive order Monday that requires anyone who enters a government building to wear a face mask.

Under the order, any employee or visitor must wear a face covering while inside any building or “indoor space” that is owned, managed, or leased by the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County.

Read More

Court Rules Tennessee Can’t Process School-Voucher Applications During Appeal

Admin

A judge has blocked Tennessee from processing applications for a school-voucher program while the state appeals a ruling that said the program is unconstitutional.

Davidson County Chancellor Anne Martin ruled the state cannot remit funds for the program or engage with parents or schools about the program. The court also ordered the Tennessee Department of Education to post the current status of the lawsuit and encourage parents to have a backup plan in a statement on the program’s website in case the appeal fails.

“Whatever happens on appeal will happen, but the current status is the program is not going forward and parents need to be told and to have a Plan B,” Martin said Thursday in her ruling from the bench. “The court is going to deny the relief requested.”

Read More

Clint Brewer on School Voucher Program: ‘The Status Quo Is Not Working in Our Largest Cities’

Julie Carr

Public affairs strategist and all-star panelist Clint Brewer joined 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. – Wednesday morning on the newsmakers line.

Read More

Davidson County Officials Still Can’t Back up Claim that Surrounding Counties Had More Confirmed COVID-19 Cases

Chris Butler

As of press time Monday, Davidson County officials still would not demonstrate precisely how “surrounding counties” had more confirmed COVID-19 cases than Davidson itself did, as they attested last Friday.

Metro Coronavirus Task Force Chair Alex Jahangir said at a press conference Friday that Davidson County had 2,832 confirmed COVID-19 cases. Jahangir also said there were an additional 3,227 cases in the surrounding counties — an increase of 955 in one day. Now, for the first time – Jahangir went on to say – the surrounding counties had more cases than Davidson County.

Read More

Metro Council Member at-Large Steve Glover Weighs in on Mayor Cooper’s Plan to Raise Davidson County Property Taxes By 32 Percent

Julie Carr

Live from Music Row Wednesday 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 guest Metro Councilman-at-Large Steve Glover to the newsmakers line.

Read More

Public Affairs Strategist Clint Brewer Reacts to Mayor Cooper’s Reopen Plan

Julie Carr

Public affairs strategist and all-star panelist Clint Brewer joined 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. – Friday morning on the newsmakers line.

Read More

Dr. Carol Swain: ‘It’s Morally Wrong to Raise Taxes During a Time When the Government is Preventing People From Earning Money’

Julie Carr

Live from Nashville, Tennessee, Thursday 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.– Leahy was joined on the newsmakers line by former Vanderbilt and Princeton Professor Dr. Carol Swain.

Read More

Senator Kerry Roberts Weighs in on What Tennessee’s April Revenues Will Look Like While Davidson County Remains Closed Under Mayor Cooper Rule

Julie Carr

Live from Music Row 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. – Leahy was joined on the line during the program’s second hour by Tennessee state Senator Kerry Roberts.

Read More

Knox vs. Davidson County: Two Mayoral Responses to the Financial Impact of COVID-19

Laura Baigert

As the economic shutdowns related to the COVID-19 pandemic continue on and the start of the upcoming fiscal year on July 1 draws near, Tennessee’s government leaders are laying out their response to the financial impact.

Read More

Metro Councilman At-Large Steve Glover Weighs in on Mayor Cooper’s Sharp Tax Increase Proposal

Julie Carr

During the third hour of Monday’s, Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy, Metro Councilman at Large Steve Glover expressed his disagreement with the significant property tax increase proposed by Mayor Cooper last week. He stated that he didn’t believe that this was a solution to the problem and vowed to stand up to his promise of protecting the people of Davidson County’s wallets.

Read More

Number of Confirmed Coronavirus Cases in Tennessee Surpasses 200

Chris Butler

Tennessee had 228 confirmed cases of the coronavirus as of Friday evening, according to the Tennessee Department of Health’s website, although Friday’s news brought cause for some optimism, at least in Davidson County.

Davidson County continued to have the highest number of confirmed coronavirus cases, 101, according to the TDH website. This, even though Alex Jahangir, who chairs that county’s Metro Coronavirus Task Force, said the number was higher at a press conference Friday morning.

Read More

Metro Councilman Steve Glover Discusses Budget Priorities and Public vs Charter Schools

Julie Carr

Monday 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 am to 8:00 am – host Leahy was joined in studio with metro councilman, with Steve Glover and all-star panelist Crom Carmichael.

Read More

Carol Swain Answers Speculation Of a Run for Congress on The Tennessee Star Report

Julie Carr

Live from music row Thursday 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 am to 8:00 am – Leahy was joined in studio by all-star panelist Dr. Carol Swain to discuss the speculation that she may run for Congress in the district of Mayor John Cooper’s brother, Jim Cooper.

Read More

More Politics and Less Proficiency Plagues the Metro Nashville School Board with Upcoming Election

Julie Carr

Live from music row Monday 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 am to 8:00 am – Leahy was joined in studio by all-star panelists, Nashville Metro Councilman, Steve Glover, and Crom Carmicheal.

During the show, the men discussed the upcoming school board vote with the resignation of Will Pinkston and the role of the director of schools in Nashville. Glover described the position as one that needs to be acting like they are running a business more than the running of a school system. He was bewildered in seeing how administrators have put politics before the children’s education.

Read More

Nashville Metro Councilman At Large Steve Glover Plans to Work with Conservatives, Moderates and Liberals

Julie Carr

On Monday’s Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy – broadcast on Nashville’s Talk Radio 98.3 and 1510 WLAC weekdays from 5:00 am to 8:00 am – hosts Leahy and Glover discussed what it’s like to be a metro council member as it pertains to answering your constituents. Glover also went on to describe the swearing-in process for himself and the offices where metro council members could work if they wanted to.

Read More

Lonnie Spivak Analyzes Early Voting Trends in Nashville Mayoral Runoff Election

Julie Carr

In a specific discussion Monday 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 am to 8:00 am – Leahy welcomed on the VIP line and former Vice Chairman of the Davidson County Republican party, Lonnie Spivak to the…

Read More