Tag: Nashville

Nashville Attorney Jim Roberts Gives Updates on the Nashville Taxpayer Protection Act Petition

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.

During the third hour, Roberts gave updates on the petition for the Nashville Taxpayer Protection Act and detailed the timeline in order to get the referendum on the ballot by August 6. He added that this will allow the mayor and the Metro government to remain accountable and transparent to the taxpayers of Nashville.

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Nashville Mayor John Cooper Says Dramatic Tax Increases on Struggling Businesses Are Necessary

Chris Butler

Because of COVID-19, Nashville business owners will likely have their worst year ever, but Mayor John Cooper said at Thursday’s press conference that they and others in the city must still pay dramatically higher property taxes.

As The Tennessee Star reported last month, Nashville Metro Council members voted to impose a 34 percent property tax hike upon city residents.

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People in Nashville with COVID-19 Who Attended Black Lives Matter Rallies Could Potentially Lie About It to Contact Tracers

Chris Butler

There’s no way to know for certain if people in Nashville who caught COVID-19 are telling the truth when they said they didn’t march in any recent political rallies honoring George Floyd or Black Lives Matter.

A spokesman for the Nashville Metro Health Department said as much this week.

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Forces Behind Nashville Major League Soccer Stadium Start Public Relations Campaign, Despite Dire Warnings

Chris Butler

The people behind the movement to build a Major League Soccer (MLS) stadium in Nashville have apparently started a public relations campaign to let the city know they’re moving forward.

But a Nashville-based attorney who has fought the stadium said Wednesday that “it’s still a terrible deal for Nashville.” Jim Roberts told The Tennessee Star that this MLS team might not choose to stay in the city.

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Gov. Bill Lee Grants County Mayors Authority to Issue Mask Mandates

Anthony Gockowski

Gov. Bill Lee signed an executive order Friday granting the mayors of 89 counties the authority to issue local face mask mandates.

Six Tennessee counties – Sullivan, Knox, Hamilton, Davidson, Madison, and Shelby – have local health departments, and therefore already have the authority to issue mask requirements as needed, Lee’s office explained.

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Teenagers in Nashville Spend July 4 Vilifying Law Enforcement

Chris Butler

Nashville couldn’t have its yearly July 4 festivities or fireworks show because of the city’s COVID-19 restrictions, but it could have teenagers marching downtown and screaming to take down the police.

Such was the case Saturday as hundreds, perhaps thousands, of members of the group Teens For Equality met at Nashville’s Bicentennial Capitol Mall Park. They gave speeches. They marched. They chanted about their contempt for law enforcement.

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As Nashville Officials Force Many to Sit Out July 4, Social Justice Demonstrations in the City Continue

Chris Butler

While many people sit out July 4 due to Nashville Mayor John Cooper’s COVID-19 restrictions, social justice organizers are planning yet another rally in the city Saturday.

Teens For Equality will meet at Nashville’s Bicentennial Capitol Mall Park Saturday at 4 p.m. Central, members of the group said on their Twitter page.

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Tennessee Man Arrested on Eight Charges Connected to Nashville Riots

Anthony Gockowski

The Metro Nashville Police Department announced a “significant arrest” Wednesday night in connection to the May 30 riots outside the Metro Courthouse.

According to a press release, authorities have arrested 33-year-old Ryan Keith Ray on eight criminal charges. Ray has been charged with inciting a riot, arson, two counts of burglary, and four counts of felony vandalism.

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Nashville Cancels July 4 Fireworks Show as City Reverts to Phase Two of its COVID-19 Plan

Chris Butler

Citing an increase in COVID-19 cases, Nashville Mayor John Cooper announced Thursday that the city will go back to the second of its four-phased rollout to reopen the city.

Nashville will formally go from Phase Three back to Phase Two on Friday. The city will remain in Phase Two for the next several weeks, Cooper said at a press conference Thursday.

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Pro-Police Demonstrators Square Off Against Left-Wing Protestors at Nashville’s Legislative Plaza

Chris Butler

This weekend, citizens from across the state gathered at Nashville’s Legislative Plaza Sunday to support law enforcement, but not without sparring verbally with left-wing protestors — the same protestors who have occupied that space for weeks.

Pro-police demonstrators formally called their event “The Back the Badge Rally.”

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Nashville Boutique Venues Owner Dan Cook Discusses COVID Mandates and Its Affect on the Quality of Services

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 the owner of Nashville Boutique Venues Dan Cook to the newsmakers line.

During the third hour, re-occurring guest Cook offered some positive news. He cited some important facts pertaining to any mask mandates that would affect the quality of event services by stating how people are not going to patron restaurants or want to attend private events wearing masks.

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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.

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Nashville Police Arrest Protesters in Connection with Skateboard Assault on Influential Real Estate Developer

Jason M. Reynolds

Metro Nashville Police say they arrested a man in connection with an assault on influential real estate developer Tony Giarratana during the May 30 protests.

Nicholas Barrett, 25, on Wednesday was charged with felony aggravated assault for allegedly striking Giarratana from behind with a skateboard outside 505 Church St. during the protest.

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Music Feeds Nashville Hosts Food Distribution Saturday

Bethany Bowman

Music Feeds Nashville is set to host its 13th food distribution Saturday from 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. at Plaza Mariachi Music City. In partnership with One Generation Away, the Franklin food ministry has a community-based initiative designed to help unemployed Nashvillians keep food on the table.

The program brings the music community together to deliver food straight to Nashville Metro neighborhoods in an effort to make healthy food more accessible during the pandemic. Music
artists such as Martina McBride, Lauren Alaina, Michelle Branch, Patrick Carney (The Black Keys), and more have donated truckloads of food along with Marbaloo Marketing and CTK Enterprises.

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Tennessee State Executive Committeewoman Michelle Foreman Wants Recall Vote over Nashville’s 34 Percent Poperty Tax Increase

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. –  guest host Ben Cunningham welcomed Tennessee State Executive Committeewoman Michelle Foreman to the newsmakers line.

During the first hour, Foreman explained her call for budget cuts to Metro government which would avoid a steep property tax increase. She described several ways that Metro government could frugally cut spending leaving for a gradual tax increase year over year.

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Judge Rules Nashville Soccer Stadium Vote Violated Open Meetings Act, Requires Revote

Jason M. Reynolds

A Chancery Court judge ruled that Metro Nashville’s contract to build the Major League Soccer stadium on The Fairgrounds Nashville is invalid because the meeting approving it violated the Tennessee Open Meetings Act, WSMV reported.

The Sports Authority gave only 48 hours’ notice before holding a special meeting to sign off on the $192 million contract with M.A. Mortenson Co./Messer Construction Co. on November 1, 2018.

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Tennessean Admits Big Mistake After Running Ad That Generates Withering Criticism

The Associated Press

A Tennessee newspaper said Sunday it is investigating what its editor called a “horrific” full-page advertisement from a religious group that predicts a terrorist attack in Nashville next month.

The paid advertisement that appeared in Sunday’s editions of The Tennessean from the group Future For America claims Donald Trump “is the final president of the USA” and features a photo of Trump and Pope Francis. It begins by claiming that a nuclear device would be detonated in Nashville and that the attack would be carried out by unspecific interests of “Islam.”

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Nashville’s Community Oversight Board Wants to Help Select Police Chief Steve Anderson’s Replacement

Chris Butler

  Members of Nashville’s Metro Community Oversight Board plan to help city officials find Nashville’s next police chief. “Following Mayor John Cooper’s announcement today of Chief Steve Anderson’s decision to retire as Chief of Police, the Community Oversight Board (COB) looks forward to being involved in the selection process of…

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Gov. Lee Announces ‘Strong Mask Movement’ to Make Wearing Face Masks ‘Fun’

Anthony Gockowski

Gov. Bill Lee announced a new “TN Strong Mask Movement” Thursday with the goal of making face masks more “fun.”

According to a press release from the governor’s office, the Economic Recovery Group developed the new program along with more than 30 “flagship brands” across the state, including Amazon, Bridgestone, Bristol Motor Speedway, Graceland, Jack Daniel’s, several professional sports teams and universities, and many others.

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Nashville Boutique Venues Owner Dan Cook Talks About the Unequal Application of the Law and Hope for Phase Three

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 the owner of Nashville Boutique Venues Dan Cook to the newsmakers line.

During the third hour, Cook explained how his business comes into play with the mayor allowing Phase Three to open next Monday. He described the phase openings as an unequal application of the law by way of the equations of “capacity” being used by the Metro government.

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Nashville Beer Board Punishes Four Bars Downtown for Allegedly Not Complying with COVID-19 Guidelines

Chris Butler

Members of the Metro Nashville Beer Permit Board penalized four bars downtown this week after they said staff at those establishments, including Kid Rock’s Big Ass Honky Tonk & Rock N Roll Steakhouse, ignored city guidelines as businesses re-open after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Moxy Nashville Downtown, Broadway Brewhouse, and Nudie’s Honky Tonk were the other three bars.

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Mayor Cooper Reinforces Police Chokehold Ban, Duty to Intervene

Anthony Gockowski

Mayor John Cooper said this week that he has asked the Metro Nashville Police Department to strengthen its policies to “explicitly prohibit the use of chokeholds and to further clarify officers’ duty to intervene.”

However, as the statement from Cooper’s office notes, chokeholds are already prohibited under Tennessee law in most circumstances. Additionally, since the Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) doesn’t train officers on the technique, chokeholds are “not allowed per Nashville police policy and have not been allowed for decades,” said the statement.

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Nashville Mayor John Cooper Announces Police Chief Steve Anderson’s Retirement

Chris Butler

Nashville Police Chief Steve Anderson will retire in likely six months’ time.

Nashville Mayor John Cooper announced this at a press conference Thursday — a conference that Anderson did not attend.

This, as The Tennessee Star reported, after left-wing activists and Metro Council members pushed for either Anderson to resign or for Cooper to fire him.

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Author of ‘George Washington, Entrepreneur’ John Berlau Talks About Washington as an Innovator

Julie Carr

Live from Music Row Wednesday morning on The Tennessee Star Report Early Edition 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 American economist and the Director at the Center for Investors and Entrepreneurs at the Competitive Enterprise Institute John Berlau to the newsmakers line.

During the first hour, Berlau joined the show to discuss his new book entitled George Washington, Entrepreneur, and how his innovative spirit contributed to America. He also touched upon Washington’s relationship to slavery and how near the end of his life had led the way by freeing all of his slaves.

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Leahy and Roberts Discuss Nashville Mayor Cooper’s Continued Hold on Nashville Small Businesses

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 in studio by state Senator Kerry Roberts (R-Springfield).

During the second hour, Leahy and Roberts questioned the motives of Mayor John Cooper who continues to hold Nashville small businesses hostage.

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State Senator Kerry Roberts: ‘We’re Not Going to Fix This World Until People Come to Know Jesus Christ’

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 in studio by Tennessee state Senator Kerry Roberts.

During the third hour, Leahy and Roberts talked about how Mayor Cooper made it difficult for the Republican National Convention to come to Nashville even though it would have helped many suffering businesses. Roberts added that in order to fix this world people need to know Jesus.

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Harpeth Hall, Elite Nashville Prep School, Drops George Washington: ‘Not Relevant to the Way We Teach History Today’

Chris Butler

Officials at the Harpeth Hall School in Nashville have decided to do away with their annual George Washington Celebration.

Head of School Jess Hill declined to answer The Tennessee Star’s specific questions about the matter in an email Tuesday. She instead sent a statement.

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Nashville’s Montgomery Bell Academy Awaits Metro Approval on Whether They Can Hold Commencement

Chris Butler

Officials at Nashville’s Montgomery Bell Academy have scheduled commencement ceremonies for June 25, although they won’t disclose their specific plans for that event as the city is still in Phase Two of its COVID-19 recovery plans.

One of Nashville Mayor John Cooper’s sons, McGavock, is among the school’s 2020 graduates.

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Fourteen Nashville Businesses Cited for Not Complying with Health Orders

The Associated Press

Health officials in Tennessee have cited 14 Nashville businesses including a restaurant owned by singer Kid Rock for not complying with coronavirus public health orders.

Metro Public Health Department Director Michael Caldwell visited Kid Rock’s Big Ass Honky Tonk & Rock N’ Roll Steakhouse on Saturday after receiving a complaint, news outlets reported, citing a statement from the health department. Caldwell issued a citation “for serving people that were seated at the bar and for not observing proper social distancing inside the establishment.”

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Protesters Taunt Troopers, Attempt to Enter State Capitol Grounds in Violation of Order

Jason M. Reynolds

Activist Justin Jones led a group of protesters in trying to force their way into the State Capitol building Monday.

The Tennessee Highway Patrol blocked their way, NewsChannel 5 reported. One woman was detained. They were told they could not enter due to COVID-19 precautions.

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Nashville Labor Union Group Wants John Cooper to Spend Remaining COVID-19 Money on Their Personal Priorities

Chris Butler

A coalition of Nashville’s community organizations and labor unions want Nashville Mayor John Cooper to spend possibly as much as $100 million in remaining COVID-19 relief money on projects that cater to “a moral and racial equity lens.”

Members of the organization, Stand Up Nashville, announced this in an email to followers this weekend.

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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.

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Law Enforcement Officers Prevent Protesters from Occupying Legislative Plaza for Second Night

Anthony Gockowski

Law enforcement officers were able to prevent demonstrators from camping out in Legislative Plaza for a second night Saturday.

Gov. Bill Lee failed to enforce state law Friday night and allowed left-wing protesters to occupy the plaza throughout the night and into Saturday morning, The Tennessee Star reported. More than 100 protesters claimed Friday that they had taken control of Nashville’s Legislative Plaza and refused to leave until speaking with Lee.

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Nashville Symphony Postpones All Events Through July 2021, Citing $8M Losses From Coronavirus Shutdown

Jason M. Reynolds

The COVID-19 shutdown has silenced the Nashville Symphony all the way through July 31, 2021, as the organization reports it lost nearly 30 percent of its annual income.

The symphony sent members an emailed announcement Friday before making the news public. Then, they posted the news online here.

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Nashville Boutique Venues Owner Dan Cook Discusses Governor Lee’s Executive Order 38

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 the owner of Nashville Boutique Venues Dan Cook to the newsmakers line.

During the third hour, Cook weighed in on phase two opening stall in Davidson County, which is putting his business in serious jeopardy along with 20,00 private industry professionals. He noted that Governor Lee’s Executive Order 38 may come into play making the case for a faster opening.

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Liberal Group Calls on Nashville Police Chief to Resign, More Council Members Support Move

Anthony Gockowski

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Tennessee called on Metro Police Chief Steve Anderson to resign in a statement released Wednesday.

“Over the last ten days, tens of thousands of Nashvillians have stood together in peaceful protests to express their outrage over the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. These powerful protests highlight the outrage over the enduring and deep-rooted problem of racist policing and structural racism in the United States,” the group said in its statement.

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#FreeTN Rallies Sunday for Freedom From Nashville’s Shutdown and No Further Shutdowns

Laura Baigert

#FreeTN has scheduled a rally for Sunday from 2 to 4 p.m. at Nashville’s Historic Courthouse/City Hall calling for freedom from the remnants of Nashville’s COVID-19 shutdown and demanding that the city never shut down again.

The day also marks the annual celebration of the official adoption of the “Stars and Stripes” American flag by the Continental Congress on June 14, 1777.

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John Cooper’s Staff Defends Spending COVID-19 Relief Money on Laptops for Public School Students

Chris Butler

A spokesman for Nashville Mayor John Cooper said Tuesday that the federal CARES Act gives city officials plenty of room to spend COVID-19 relief money on laptops for public school students in Davidson County.

“The U.S. Treasury Department’s guidance on the CARES Act funds specifically provides for ‘expenses to facilitate distance learning, including technological improvements, in connection with school closings to enable compliance with COVID-19 precautions,’” said Cooper spokesman Chris Song, in an email to The Tennessee Star Tuesday.

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