Tag: Murfreesboro

Mysterious Email Supporting Property Assessor Rob Mitchell Sent to Rutherford County Employees

Matthew Giffin
Rob Mitchell

Several Rutherford County officials received a mysterious email message cautioning them to support incumbent property assessor candidate Rob Mitchell following a Tennessee Star report about his hiring practices, according to an email obtained by The Star.

Ahead of Mitchell’s bid for reelection, he hired the son of two Rutherford County officials, Michael Maxwell, for a position in the property assessor’s office created for Maxwell after determining he was unqualified for the original job posting, The Star previously reported.

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Rutherford County Property Assessor Hires Son of County GOP Chairman and a School Board Member for Newly Created Position After He Was Determined Unqualified for Original Position

Matthew Giffin

Rutherford County Property Assessor Rob Mitchell hired the son of the Rutherford County GOP chairman for a position he was unqualified for ahead of Mitchell’s bid for reelection in 2024.

Mitchell hired Michael Maxwell, son of Rutherford County GOP Chairman Austin Maxwell, in January 2024 despite not meeting the minimum requirements of the position he applied for, according to documents obtained by The Tennessee Star with an open records request.

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Murfreesboro Settles ACLU Lawsuit over Drag Performances

Peter D'Abrosca

The City of Murfreesboro settled a lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) over public drag performances, according to the legal nonprofit.

“American Civil Liberties Union, ACLU of Tennessee, Ballard Spahr, and Burr & Forman have settled a lawsuit filed against the City of Murfreesboro over its anti-LGBTQ+ ordinance and local policy denying all special event permit requests from the Tennessee Equality Project (TEP), founder and host of the annual BoroPride Festival,” according to a release from the ACLU.

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Nearly 600 Illegal Aliens May Be Transported to Middle Tennessee, DHS Notice Says

Kaitlin Housler

A notice from last September by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) reported that a total of 573 “noncitizens” from Guatemala, Venezuela, Honduras, and Mexico intended on traveling to Franklin, Nashville, Davidson County, and Murfreesboro following their release from DHS custody.

The notice, dated as the week ending September 16, 2023, is titled “Intended Destination of Noncitizens Processed at the Southwest Border.”

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Commentary: Biden’s Shameful Border Legacy in Tennessee Is Human Trafficking

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Illegal Immigrants

Every January, law enforcement agencies and advocacy groups mark National Human Trafficking Prevention Month to focus public attention on this horrific crime and its devastating impact on the victims involved. Once again, the Biden Administration is calling attention to the Department of Homeland Security’s broader “Blue Campaign” to combat human trafficking.

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Tennessee ACLU Files Lawsuit Against ‘Unconstitutional’ Murfreesboro LGBT Policies

Peter D'Abrosca

The American Civil Liberties Union of Tennessee (ACLU) filed a lawsuit in federal court on behalf of LGBT activists who say Murfreesboro discriminates against them.

Tennessee Equality Project (TEP), founder and host of the annual BoroPride Festival, is the plaintiff in the case, which says that a city ordinance designed to keep drag shows out of public places violates the First and 14th Amendments.

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Commercial Vehicle Manufacturer Announces $25.2 Million Expansion Project in Middle Tennessee

Kaitlin Housler

McNeilus Truck and Manufacturing, Inc., an Oshkosh Corporation [NYSE: OSK] company that manufactures purpose-built commercial vehicles and equipment announced Wednesday that it will invest $25.2 million to expand its manufacturing presence in Middle Tennessee.

According to the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development (TNECD), the company plans to expand operations at its current Parkway Place facility in Murfreesboro to fabric and weld custom vehicle components.

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Murfreesboro’s First Responders Warn Citizens to Stay off Train Track After Two People Are Hit Within Two Days

Kaitlyn Osteen

Murfreesboro’s first responders are urging citizens to stay off the train tracks after two people were hit by trains within two days of each other.

“Walking on train tracks is dangerous and illegal. Most don’t realize how quickly a train can approach you, and it takes quite a bit of time for it to stop,” said Murfreesboro Police Department Lieutenant Greg Walker.

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Murfreesboro’s Annual Fall Leaf Pickup Service Underway

Kaitlin Housler

The City of Murfreesboro’s fall leaf collection season began on Saturday and will run through January 31, 2023. During this time, loose leaves can be piled curbside free of charge and will be picked up by the Murfreesboro Street and Solid Waste departments – collectively known as the city’s Public Works Department.

“As we have for years now, the goal is to cover the City twice as fast. As previously, the City will be divided in half by U.S. Highway 41 (Broad Street) with the Street Department serving residents on the north and east side of Broad and the Solid Waste Department servicing the south and west side,” Public Works Division Executive Director Raymond Hillis said in a statement.

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Uncle Dave Macon Days Returns to Murfreesboro October 7

Kaitlyn Osteen

Uncle Dave Macon Days returns to Murfreesboro for a root’s music celebration held October 7-8 at the Fountains in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.

Christian Hidalgo, producer of the Uncle Dave Macon Days documentary stated, “Everyone associated with this world-class festival is very excited to see it come back to Murfreesboro after being off for a couple of years. Old-time music lovers from all over the world have made this one of the most exciting events in the southeast.”

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Truck Manufacturing Company Investing $50 Million in Tennessee Expansion

Peter D'Abrosca

A major truck manufacturing company will spend millions to expand its operations in Murfreesboro, according to the state government. 

“Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee and Department of Economic and Community Development Commissioner Stuart McWhorter announced today that Minnesota-based McNeilus Truck and Manufacturing, Inc., an Oshkosh Corporation [NYSE: OSK] company, will be investing more than $50 million to expand its manufacturing presence in Tennessee,” according to a release from the Tennessee Department of Economic & Community Development. 

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Nashville-Murfreesboro-Franklin Region Surpasses Two Million Residents in Census Update

The Center Square

The metropolitan area that stretches between Nashville, Murfreesboro and Franklin added more than 17,000 residents to cross the threshold of 2 million residents, according to data the U.S. Census Bureau released this week.

The information included more detailed data from its annual population estimates, recording changes in headcount from July 1, 2020, to July 1, 2021.

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Tennessee Approves of New Vanderbilt Hospital in Rutherford County

Morgan Nicole Veysey

Vanderbilt Health announced Thursday that Rutherford county officials have approved plans for new hospital. The medical center will hold 42 beds, and be located at the intersection of Veterans Parkway and state route 840 in Murfreesboro.

“We are pleased with the outcome and want to thank members of the Health Services and Development Agency for the approval to build this new hospital. Our goal continues to be to serve the needs of the many citizens of Murfreesboro and Rutherford County who choose Vanderbilt for their care, and we can now do that with Vanderbilt Rutherford Hospital,” C. Wright Pinson, MBA, MD, Deputy Chief Executive Officer and Chief Health System Officer for Vanderbilt University Medical Center said in a statement.

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Over $50K Raised for Children’s Charities at Murfreesboro Boxing Event, Featuring Lineup of Fitness Celebrities

Corinne Murdock

A Murfreesboro, Tennessee boxing event featuring nearly a dozen fitness celebrities, “Rumble in the Boro,” raised over $50,000 for children’s charities last weekend. 100 percent of the profits will be distributed to four charities that benefit children: Legacy of Valor Endowment, Shepherd, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, and WithLove.

Marc Lobliner, MTS Nutrition CEO and famed fitness influencer, created and hosted the event. In an interview with The Tennessee Star, Lobliner shared that each of the charities featured would receive well over $10,000. He added that they were still collecting money from an auction and companies submitting checks.

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Cookeville Fire Chiefs Double-Dipped, Stole $30,000 from Taxpayers, Audit Reveals

Chris Butler

Authorities have indicted a Cookeville fire captain as well as a current one for allegedly taking money to which they weren’t entitled. Tennessee Comptrollers released an investigative report this week identifying those two men as former Fire Captain Marvin Montgomery and current Cookeville Fire Captain Shawn Roberson. Both men worked at the Cookeville Fire Department and also instructed part-time at the Tennessee Fire and Codes Enforcement Academy in Bell Buckle, according to the Comptroller’s report.

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Inaugural ‘Conservative Caucus’ Held in Murfreesboro Saturday

Laura Baigert

  MURFREESBORO, Tennessee — The inaugural Conservative Caucus, a free event attended by a few hundred people, was held across several ballrooms at the Embassy Suites Hotel in Murfreesboro Saturday. The event was organized for those who intend to honor the nation’s forefathers with the Constitutional rights they laid out with a government “of the people, by the people, and for the people” rather than one that is “over the people,” according to the website. It was originally scheduled to be held at the Millennium Maxwell House Hotel in Nashville, but due to the large gathering size and the face mask order, Mayor John Cooper would not have allowed the event to proceed. Senator Mark Pody (R-Lebanon) and Representative Bruce Griffey (R-Paris) took the lead in developing the concept, scheduling and organizing the event along with Representatives Clay Doggett (R-Pulaski) and Mike Sparks (R-Smyrna) as well as Senators Janice Bowling (R-Tullahoma), Joey Hensley (R-Hohenwald), Shane Reeves (R-Murfreesboro) and Dawn White (R-Murfreesboro). Emcee State Sen. Mark Pody, after a prayer by Pastor Alan Jackson and the Pledge of Allegiance lead by State Sen. Shane Reeves, introduced the other legislators who organized the event as well as Rep. Chris Todd and Terri…

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Murfreesboro Man and South Carolina Woman Charged with TennCare Fraud

Chris Butler

Authorities have charged a Murfreesboro man and a South Carolina woman with TennCare fraud, according to two statements the Tennessee Department of Finance and Administration released last week.

Authorities charged that Murfreesboro man, William Weed, 40 with TennCare fraud, a Class D felony, in connection with allegedly selling prescription drugs obtained using TennCare healthcare insurance benefits.

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Rutherford County Mayor Bill Ketron’s Daughter Reportedly Under Investigation

Chris Butler

  An elected member of the Tennessee Republican Party’s executive committee was reportedly accused of fraudulent practices at her Murfreesboro-based insurance company. This, according to the Nashville-based NewsChannel 5 and various other news outlets, which reported that Kelsey Ketron, daughter of Rutherford County Mayor Bill Ketron, is in potential legal trouble. Kelsey Ketron serves as vice president of Universal International Insurance agency. Bill Ketron owns the agency and is its president. According to NewsChannel 5, clients allegedly paid Kelsey Ketron for insurance policies, but they never got the coverage for which they paid. The station identified Susan Calvin of Shelbyville as one victim. “Calvin said she discovered she didn’t have a policy after a frozen pipe burst in her home and she filed a claim,” the station reported, adding that the same thing happened to Wade Hellemn of Lebanon. “He told police earlier this year that after his house suffered water damage last year, he filed a claim and found there was ‘no policy.’ Police called it ‘fraud’ and also mentioned theft of property and forgery in that report. Hellemn told police he had paid Ketron $4000 for that insurance policy that it turns out didn’t exist. And he’s not…

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Rutherford County GOP Target of Apparent Bomb Scare

Chris Butler

  The Rutherford County Republican Party headquarters received a package Friday morning that party officials said was apparently a bomb, according to a Tennessee Republican Party press release. Officials contacted authorities and then evacuated the building on East Main Street in Murfreesboro. Murfreesboro Police Spokesman Larry Flowers said in a statement that authorities evacuated several other downtown businesses while they investigated the suspicious package. Later in the day, Flowers said authorities had rendered the package as safe. “Police K9 was brought in. Everything is safe, the scene is clear and employees have returned to work,” Flowers said. Flowers said someone found the package outside the building that housed the party headquarters. An employee took the box inside, opened it and saw what was a possible explosive device, Flowers said. “An all-clear was given and the evacuation was lifted after the device was rendered safe and the area cleared with the assistance of a Police K-9,” Flowers said in a statement. Murfreesboro Police and agents with the ATF U.S. Bomb Data Center are investigating, Flowers said. Flowers told The Tennessee Star Friday he had no other information to provide. The Nashville-based WKRN reported the package contained a note saying the following:…

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Murfreesboro Educational Advocate Warns of Left-Wing Bias in Tennessee Public School Textbooks

Chris Butler

  A Murfreesboro resident says she’s found many examples of a left-wing ideological bias in the textbooks that school officials hand out to Tennessee’s public school students. This woman, Jackie Archer (pictured above), also said the textbooks she’s examined seem to glorify Islam at the expense of other religions. Archer is affiliated with Tennessee Rising, as well as Tennessee Textbook Advocates. Archer said both groups look for bias in public school textbooks. “Textbook companies are not local. They are huge multi-national corporations. It’s a multi-billion-dollar business, and the interests are more global than they are local. The standards are characterized in a way that promotes progressivism,” Archer told The Tennessee Star Wednesday. “It’s not all really blatant. It’s more subtle, in the images they choose and the people they choose to highlight. The people they choose to make examples of and the way they identify people. For instance, they avoid identifying any group that does anything negative if they happen to be Democrats.” Archer did not provide photos or screenshots to substantiate what she said, but she cited many examples by memory: • Textbooks allegedly do not mention that slave owners in pre-Civil War times were mostly Democrats and that…

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Rutherford County Mayor Bill Ketron Talks Trash at Community Forum

Chris Butler

MURFREESBORO, Tennessee — Although it’s hypothetical at this point, Rutherford County residents could have to pay a new monthly fee to handle the county’s growing trash problem, County Mayor Bill Ketron said last week. This could start a trend that reverberates across all of Middle Tennessee, said county residents who showed up for a meeting to discuss the matter. “One of our cities charges $5 on a local water bill per month. We may have to rethink the way we think about trash and the way we handle it. It may be that handling our trash becomes another utility bill with homeowners to look at,” Ketron told a gathering of about 100 people at Murfreesboro’s Patterson Park Community Center. “Now, I’m just saying maybe to this. Don’t quote me saying it will happen. These are all things that have to be considered. At some point in time, dealing with our trash is not going to be free. It’s getting to that point where we are all going to have to pay the price, but a lot of that will come from recycling and reeducating and now it’s time to be bold.” That boldness apparently will include stiffer penalties for people…

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Murfreesboro to Spend $150,000 of Taxpayer Money to Fight Homelessness

Chris Butler

Murfreesboro officials will use $150,000 of federal taxpayer money to address homelessness, although, when asked, city officials did not describe their specific goals or how they plan to use this money to get results. City Council members voted this month to use a federal HUD grant to tackle homelessness in the city, according to a press release. The $150,000 in grant funding plus an $11,250 administrative allowance allocation comes from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development through the Tennessee Housing Development Agency. The City of Murfreesboro was one of four jurisdictions in Tennessee eligible to apply, the press release said. City spokesman Mike Browning did not tell The Tennessee Star specifically how city officials plan to use this money to get results. The press release went on to say that on related grant funding, HUD also awarded an $18,503 grant to the city to support the Executive Director of the Housing, Health and Human Services Alliance of Rutherford County in planning initiatives such as coordination of activities and project monitoring. H3ARC, through its member agencies, provides services to homeless individuals or individuals in danger of becoming homeless, the press release said. As The Star reported last year, similar…

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Taxes Reportedly Might Go Up in Rutherford County

Chris Butler

Attention Rutherford County residents. The powers-that-be are out to raise your taxes, according to The Murfreesboro Daily News Journal. State Rep. Charlie Baum, R-Murfreesboro, reportedly told the paper that the county’s 19-year-old development tax rate of $1,500 per home should increase for inflation to help fund school construction. “The County Powers Relief Act gave Rutherford a choice to either keep a locked-in $1,500 development tax per dwelling or switch to a county school facilities tax of $1 per square foot on new livable residential space,” the paper reported. “The facilities tax could go up by 10 percent in four years after adoption.” Baum and other state legislators from the county met this week to discuss that matter as well as taxes and funding education, among other things. These legislators met with members of the county commission’s Steering, Legislative & Governmental Committee at the County Courthouse, the paper reported. “I realize in a growing county like Rutherford County we’re in position to build a new school a year,” The Daily News Journal quoted Baum as saying. Baum, the paper went on to say, used to serve on the County Commission. “Baum agreed to support the commission’s unanimous request to adjust the County Powers Relief Act…

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Donald Trump Attire Disrupts Murfreesboro School

Chris Butler

A group of students wearing Donald Trump-inspired clothing at a Murfreesboro high school may have inspired their classmates to make violent threats, but school system officials say the story is untrue. In a Facebook post last week, Siegel High School student Sam Duffield said he and his friends decided to wear Trump flags as a cape as part of something called Matching Day for Senior Week. They did so, Duffield said, to “let everyone know that we love our country.” “We were then threatened by whole groups, called racist, and we never said anything to them. I was threatened to get jumped and spit on and I replied with ‘have a good day’ and another kid walked into our group and screamed ‘F*** Trump!’” Duffield wrote. “Teachers then proceeded to tell us that it’s our fault and that we’re inciting violence. Oh well… god bless the USA and Make America Great Again.” Duffield did not return The Tennessee Star’s requests for comment Monday. Rutherford County School System spokesman James Evans, however, told The Star Duffield’s account was “not an accurate description of what happened,” per Evan’s conversation with the school principal. “That is a gross exaggeration. There were some kids…

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Worship on the Square in Murfreesboro Draws Crowd of 5,000 Christians

Admin
Worship on the Square 2018, Murfreesboro

MURFREESBORO, Tennessee–Five thousand Christians participated in a celebration of faith here on the square in Murfreesboro hosted by the Experience Church Friday night. It was the second consecutive  year that people from Murfreesboro, Middle Tennessee, and around the country traveled to attend the local event. The Tennessee Star spoke with Corey Trimble the pastor of Experience Church, and asked how the Night of Worship on the Square came about. “Most of that is Kyle Elkins,” Trimble explained. “This is our second year in a row. We talked to the mayor, who we have a great relationship with.We talked to the city and the county. They shut down the whole square for us,” he added. “Last year we had about 4,000 people. This year it looks like it will be about five,” the pastor said.   “The city’s very accomodating. They get all the local businesses involved. They give people discounts on their food and their merchandise. This year they give 10 percent of all themoney that is spent tonight to Feed America First,” he noted. Trimble then explained the evening’s events. “It’s mostly worship. We take communion together and we do baptisms,” he noted, adding that the event has a positive…

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No Arrests at ‘White Lives Matter’ Rally in Murfreesboro as League of the South Leaders Fail to Show Up

Tennessee Star Staff

A heavy law enforcement presence and a well planned security strategy kept a tiny group of League of the South members separated from an estimated 1,000 counter protesters in Murfreesboro on Saturday. The event ended peacefully with no arrests, the Murfreesboro Police Department confirmed at about 3:45 p.m. Leaders from the League of the South, who had obtained a permit to hold a rally from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. on the square cancelled their talk at 3 p.m. About an hour earlier, a small group from the organization, numbering no more than thirty, held forth for about 45 minutes from within the heavily protected permit area on the lawn outside the Rutherford County Courthouse. Though they delivered their message, few heard it, and the counter protesters that did shouted back and forth across two lines of barricades and dozens of armed officers from the Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office dressed in full riot gear. The Murfreesboro Police Department stated after the rally that about 800 to 1,000 counter protesters showed up. Several hundred law enforcement officers from the Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office, Murfreesboro Police Department, and the Tennessee State Police presented an overwhelming display of force, which no one from…

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Murfreesboro Chick-fil-A Stores Provide Hundreds of Free Meals to First Responders in Advance of Controversial Rally

Tennessee Star Staff

MURFREESBORO, Tennessee–The owner of the two Chick-fil-A franchise locations in Murfreesboro provided hundreds of first responders and their immediate family free meals on Friday, one day in advance of controversial “White Lives Matter” permitted rally that will be held in the square on Saturday. “We wanted to take the opportunity to thank all the first responders in our community before they had to work a long weekend,” Taylor Warren, assistant to Chick-fil-A franchisee owner Beau Noblitt told The Tennessee Star on Friday. “We were allowing the first responders and their immediate family members to come in and have a free meal on us all day Friday, from 6 am to 10 pm at our two stores on Old Fort Parkway and Memorial Blvd,” Warren explained. “Between both of the stores, we provided at least a couple hundred of free meals. We decided on Monday to do something the day before the rally started. Later on Monday we posted a video on our Facebook page about our free meals for first responders on Friday. From there it spread like wildfire,” she noted. “It’s probably one of our most viewed Facebook posts since I’ve been here,” Warren added. “A native of Knoxville,…

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Apologetics Conference Brings Global Evangelists to Murfreesboro

Jason M. Reynolds

“I don’t have enough faith to be atheist.” That statement may make atheists scratch their heads or utter a mocking remark. However, it is the focal point of Christian apologist Frank Turek’s ministry. He will share his arguments for Christianity at the Defending Truth Apologetics Conference on Nov. 4 at New Vision Baptist Church in Murfreesboro. He will be joined by global evangelist Ravi Zacharias; J. Warner Wallace, author of “Cold-Case Christianity;” and evangelist Stuart McAllister. Defending the Truth will equip people with tools to engage non-Christians within the secular American culture, people with “a sense something is wrong with the world and everyone knows there is something wrong.” In his ministry, Turek makes the case that Christianity is more rational than unbelief. Every person has a sense of justice. What is justice? What is the source of justice? Why should we fight for justice? “None of that makes any sense unless God exists,” Turek said. “There is no justice if we are just molecular machines like the atheists say. Everybody wants to right wrongs, but there can’t be something wrong unless there is something right, and right does not exist unless a standard of right exists — that’s God.”…

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Volunteer Group Will Help Grow Refugee Resettlement in Murfreesboro

Chris Alto

  The refugee assistance organization “Murfreesboro Roots for Refugees”(MR4R) is busy providing services to refugees being resettled in Rutherford County. MR4R has taken over refugees abandoned in Murfreesboro by the World Relief resettlement agency. It was announced during the March MR4R meeting that they were assisting 17 families that totaled over 100 individuals including 65 kids and no longer restricting their assistance to Syrian refugees. The recent merger of Abdou Kattih’s “Home Away From Home” and Melissa Sohrabi’s “Roots for Refugees” now called MR4R, appears to be the the first organized refugee resettlement initiative in the county. During the March meeting, Kattih and Sohrabi discussed how they provided food, clothing and furniture needed by the arriving refugee families. They also detailed arranging to meet needed medical and dental services along with providing community orientation to newly arrived refugees. These are some of the same “core” services detailed in the Cooperative Agreement that federal refugee contractors sign and for which they are paid to provide. There are additional support services that are also provided with federal grants to “ethnic community based organizations (ECBO)” or  “mutual assistance associations (MAA).” Kattih is a Syrian who immigrated to the U.S. to join his parents in Chattanooga but then…

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Bob Corker and Lamar Alexander Silent on Federal Contractor Failing to Provide Services to Refugees Dumped in Murfreesboro

Chris Alto
Tennessee Star

The same day that The Tennessee Star discovered complaints publicized on YouTube by the refugee service volunteers in Murfreesboro made against refugee resettlement contractor World Relief for failing to provide basic and essential services, both Sens. Alexander and Corker’s offices were contacted for comment. Sen. Corker’s office never responded and while Sen. Alexander’s media contact asked for and was given additional time to look into the matter before responding, days later no comment was ever received. During the March “Murfreesboro Muslim Youth” (MMY) meeting soliciting help for refugees brought to Rutherford County by World Relief, refugee service organizer Melissa Sohrabi started crying while detailing the contractor’s neglect and failure to provide even basic survival services to the refugees they placed in Murfreesboro: [the third family] had nothing but a mattress and sheets, no blankets. They didn’t know how to work the thermostat, they were freezing. They were scared and they were so relieved because Saffi knew their language. They had been there for several days with no contact with anyone. They did not know how to get in touch with their caseworker and with no language skills they didn’t know where to go or who to ask to even how to get help. We immediately…

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Letter to the Editor from Rob Mitchell, Rutherford County Assessor of Property

Admin
Tennessee Star

Editors Note: Rob Mitchell sent The Tennessee Star this “Open Letter to All 2018 Tennessee Gubernatorial Candidates and Citizens,” with the following note: “As I begin to explore the possibilities of a candidacy for Tennessee Governor I believe that ideas and experience should be considered. I would appreciate your consideration of my open letter for publication. Rob Mitchell Rutherford County Assessor of Property” We are running Mr. Mitchell’s letter in its entirety, as he sent it to us. Dear Tennessee Star, my fellow Tennesseans, and would-be Gubernatorial Candidates: We do not need a gas tax increase when our State has a tax collection surplus. The knee jerk reaction of raising taxes to solve management issues must stop. The issues both our thriving and our struggling communities alike are caused by poor management and worse policies. The next governor should immediately Repeal and Reform the state gas tax and sales tax.  2018 candidates, will you do that? My proposal would be to reduce the state portion of the sales tax by one cent or more and transfer that equivalent option of sales tax to local communities. These additional funds could be earmarked for infrastructure. The best government is local government and…

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