Tag: Memphis

New Numbers Show Tennessee’s ‘Staggering Increase in Unemployment’

Chris Butler

Officials with the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development released statistics Thursday showing what they call “a staggering increase in unemployment for each of Tennessee’s 95 counties” in April. This, as many businesses closed to help slow the spread of COVID-19, according to a TDLWD press release.

“The unprecedented and historic spike in unemployment impacted some counties more drastically than others, but no area of Tennessee escaped the pandemic’s effect on the state’s workforce,” the press release said.

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Carol Swain Commentary: Ditching Rep. DeBerry Shows the True Colors of the Tennessee Democratic Party

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Tennessee State Rep. John DeBerry, a black Shelby County Democrat, is an independent thinker, which at the moment makes him Public Enemy No. 1 in the eyes of the state’s Democratic Party.

Earlier this month, with most Americans distracted by the media’s nonstop coronavirus coverage, Janeita Lentz, another Shelby County Democrat and co-chair of the Memphis-Mid South Democratic Socialists of America, advanced a racist, cultist agenda. Her mission: to oust a black Democratic incumbent deemed too uppity for the Tennessee Democratic Party (TNDP) and its white overseers.

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Clint Brewer: The Tennessee Democratic Party Needs to Take a Look at Who Represents Them in Response to DeBerry Coup

Julie Carr

At the top of the second hour on Monday’s Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy, all star panelist Clint Brewer weighed in on the recent coup against Memphis State Representative John DeBerry and commented that he finds the whole situation to be very troubling. He further went on to express his concern stating that we may have reached a point in this country where you could be removed from your party because you are working across the aisle with other legislators.

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John DeBerry to Democratic Party: ‘No One Party Has Exclusive Control of Over the Mindset, Ideology, Philosophy, and Theology of Any One Group’

Julie Carr

Live from Nashville, Tennessee 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. Tennessee state Representative John DeBerry (D-Memphis) joined host Michael Patrick Leahy on the newsmakers line.

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Tennessee Medical Association Asks All Mayors to Issue Shelter in Place Orders

Anthony Gockowski

The Tennessee Medical Association (TMA) sent a letter to every mayor in the state Friday asking them to request authority from Gov. Bill Lee to issue shelter-in-place orders for their communities.

Lee has thus far declined to issue a statewide shelter-in-place order, which prompted more than 2,000 health care workers to sign a petition asking him to change course, The Tennessee Star reported. As of Sunday, 26 states had issued stay-at-home orders, including the neighboring states of North Carolina and Kentucky.

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Details Obtained in Roger Stone Juror Tomeka Hart’s Jury Questionnaire Appear to Contradict Public Statements She Made on Twitter

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Tomeka Hart

The lead juror at Roger Stone’s trial said in a written questionnaire for prospective jurors that she was “not sure” whether she posted online about the Russia investigation or Stone, and that she “may have shared an article” on social media on the topics, according to a portion of the document reviewed by the Daily Caller News Foundation.

But Tomeka Hart’s Twitter feed shows that she indeed posted multiple times about the Russia probe and at least once about Stone, who was sentenced on Thursday to 40 months in prison in a case that stemmed from the special counsel’s investigation.

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Commentary: Congress Shouldn’t Let ‘Operation Choke Point’ Return to Tennessee

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On January 29, the U.S. Congress’ Committee on Financial Services will hold a hearing on whether the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) is undermining the effectiveness of the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA), which helps low- and moderate-income communities secure loans. At this hearing, it is critical that Members of Congress speak out against the decisionmakers who have thus far ignored the renaissance of Operation Choke Point throughout the country. The resurrection of this practice, sometimes referred to as biased banking, violates both the CRA and official OCC policy, and, if not stopped soon, will have severe ramifications for Memphis and the State of Tennessee at large.

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Confederate Statues Removed in Memphis Given to Sons of Confederate Veterans

Zachery Schmidt

  Sons of Confederate Veterans (SCV) received the statues of Confederate leaders Jefferson Davis and Nathan Bedford Forrest Tuesday from a Tennessee nonprofit group almost two years after being removed from public parks in Memphis. Bruce McMullen, the city of Memphis’s chief legal officer, said in a statement that the statues have been permanently removed from Memphis and Shelby County. Furthermore, McMullen said the statues were given to the Forrest family and the SCV to “display them as they wish.” Paul Gramling, the commander-in-chief for SCV, confirmed this news on his Facebook page. “Ladies and gentlemen…….I am writing this in order, I hope, to cut down on the speculation of recent events and news from Memphis. Yes, it is true, the statues are no longer in Memphis or Shelby County. They are in an undisclosed, safe and secure location,” he said. Gramling also asked people to not make any “disparaging remarks” about Memphis or city officials to make sure nothing jeopardizes their “efforts and negotiations that still remain.” “Please trust that the Forrest family and National SCV leadership are on top of every aspect of this endeavor,” he said.   SCV and Memphis officials had been in an ongoing court…

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Memphis City Council Candidate Pulls Gun at Polling Station

Chris Butler

  A man running for the Memphis City Council District 7 seat is in trouble after he reportedly pulled a gun at a Memphis polling station. This, according to FOX13Memphis.com. “According to MPD, the incident happened September 16 at the Dave Wells Community Center located on Chelsea Ave. Details surrounding the incident are very limited, but MPD told FOX13 an arrangement was made between the victim and Thurston Smith prior to the conversation where Smith pulled a gun,” the station reported. “Witnesses told MPD they confirmed the victim’s story saying a gun was pulled by Smith. Smith was arrested on Wednesday and posted bond later that day. Smith’s bond was $5,000.” According to The Memphis Commercial Appeal, which had more details, the alleged victim was a poll worker. “The poll worker, Anthony Johnson, got in an argument with Smith about a previous arrangement the pair had, an affidavit said,” the paper reported. “During the argument, Johnson claims Smith pulled a handgun on him, according to the arrest affidavit. Witnesses also say they saw Smith pull the gun, according to the affidavit.” According to his campaign’s Facebook page, Smith describes himself as a teacher, veteran, and activist. According to Tri-StateDefender.com, Smith is…

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