Paul Rose easily won the Republican nomination for Tennessee’s State Senate District 32 race Thursday night. According to the results, Rose won with more than 62 percent of the vote, or 6,159 votes out of 9,909 cast overall. Former Shelby County Commissioner George Chism ran a distant second with almost…
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In a specific discussion on Monday morning’s Tennessee Star Report with Steve Gill and Michael Patrick Leahy – broadcast on Nashville’s Talk Radio 98.3 and 1510 WLAC weekdays from 5:00 am to 8:00 am – the duo spoke to Heidi Shafer, candidate for the GOP nomination in the State Senate…
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Early voting begins today for the primary in the State Senate District 32 race to replace Mark Norris. Formerly the Senate Majority Leader, Norris (R-TN-32) was appointed by the U.S. Senate in October as a federal judge in the Western District of Tennessee, The Tennessee Star reported in October. His appointment…
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Four Republicans have filed paperwork to replace Mark Norris in a special election in Tennessee’s 32nd State Senate District, according to The Daily Memphian. Norris was confirmed by the U.S. Senate as a federal judge earlier this year. The primary will be held on January 24, with early voting beginning…
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Certain Shelby County commissioners are getting an upgrade in their health and life insurance benefits, and county taxpayers must pay an additional $6 million to $10 million a year because of it. Commissioner Walter Bailey Jr., in stealth mode, and using possible ninja-like reflexes, snuck the proposal through and got…
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Memphis and Shelby County have an unelected board of 11 people who have enough power to grant millions of dollars in tax abatements to corporations. Shelby County Commissioner Heidi Shafer told The Tennessee Star that city and county officials aren’t getting results under the current way of doing things. “There…
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Federal taxpayers will shell out $43.3 million to improve the Memphis International Airport, despite reports traffic has fallen dramatically in recent years. U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen, D-Memphis, announced the funding, which came from the Federal Aviation Administration. Exactly $28.5 million of that will reimburse airport officials for reconstructing two taxiways.…
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The Memphis International Airport has had a dramatic decrease in the amount of traffic that goes through there, and the chairman of the Shelby County Commission says some of the blame lies with the Tennessee state government. Shelby County Commission Chairman Heidi Shafer talked to The Tennessee Star in response…
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On May 14th, the current chairman of the Shelby County Board of Commissioners, Heidi Shafer was joined by Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland, Shelby County Mayor Mark Luttrell, her fellow Commissioners, Shelby County Health Department Director Alisa Haushalter, U.S. Attorney Mike Dunavant, UTHSC Dr. David Stern, District Attorney Amy Weirich, and…
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Waiting until only eight of the Shelby County Commissioners were still present to conduct business on Monday, Shelby County Commissioner Mark Billingsley introduced a resolution urging Governor Haslam to veto the anti-sanctuary city bill that was passed with overwhelming majorities in both chambers of the Tennessee General Assembly. In discussing his…
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Last Monday, the Chancery Court of Shelby county dismissed individual Shelby County commissioners as defendants in a lawsuit filed against the Shelby County Commission and individual commissioners by Shelby County Mayor Mark Luttrell, who is trying to stop an opioid abuse lawsuit filed by the Shelby County Commission. The Shelby…
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The Shelby County Commission voted on Wednesday to override vetoes by Shelby County Mayor Mark Luttrell of two resolutions passed by the commission earlier this month. One resolution officially confirmed Commission chairwoman’ Heidi Shafer’s hiring of an out-of-state law firm to file an opioid abuse lawsuit against manufacturers and distributors…
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A Tennessee chancery court judge ruled on Tuesday that the opioid abuse lawsuit filed by the Shelby County Commission earlier this month against several pharmaceutical companies, pharmacies, and distributors can proceed, but gave Shelby County Mayor Mark Luttrell until the end of the year to intervene. “I am pleased the…
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Shelby County Mayor Mark Luttrell is now suing all thirteen Shelby County Commissioners to stop the opioid abuse lawsuit they filed earlier this month. But on Monday, the Shelby County Commission hit back, and voted “to direct Mayor Mark Luttrell to drop a lawsuit against its chairwoman over who controls…
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On Wednesday the Shelby County Commission slapped down an attempt by Shelby County Mayor Mark Luttrell to stop the opioid abuse lawsuit it filed last week, voting 8 to 0 “to immediately move forward in suing opioid manufacturers and distributors.” “Why Mayor Luttrell would want to drag his feet for two…
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The Shelby County Commission and Shelby County sued several pharmaceutical companies in Shelby County Circuit Court on Thursday, alleging illegal abuse in their manufacture, sale, and distribution of opioids. “It’s not just the drug companies. It’s also the distributors, including pharmacies and the doctors writing the prescription that are being…
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When Heidi Shafer moved to Memphis in 1987, she couldn’t tell local politicians apart. Everyone, Republican and Democrat, was against crime and for the children and for education. Their campaign literature did little to distinguish one from the other. “Everybody sounded the same,” she recalled in an interview Wednesday…
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