Tuesday morning on the Tennessee Star Report, host Michael Patrick Leahy welcomed direct marketing expert Craig Huey in studio to speculate on the 2022 Davidson County congressional race and the campaign strategies Odessa Kelly may employ.
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NASHVILLE, Tennessee- Since my “other” job is working with educators, I am keenly aware of bullying and the effects it has on a person.
Tera Townsend is a singer, songwriter, and musician from small-town in Tennessee. She grew up with a speaking disability and ADHD and was mocked and bullied as a child/teen because of her disability.
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A Justice Democrats-backed candidate has come forward to challenge U.S. Rep. Jim Cooper (D-TN-05). Members of the Knoxville-based Justice Democrats announced in an email Monday that Nashville resident Odessa Kelly will oppose Cooper. Her platform calls for the Green New Deal and Medicare for All.
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Metro Nashville Police this week said the city has a persistent problem with thieves stealing guns from other people’s vehicles. “A review of stolen gun reports in Nashville from Sunday, March 21, through Saturday, March 27, shows that 12 guns were stolen from cars and trucks, five from unlocked vehicles,” MNPD officials said in a press release.
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A man wanted in the mass shooting five people, three of them fatally, in Memphis on March 26 took his own life after being located by police in Nashville Thursday.
“Authorities on scene say the U.S. Marshals tracked a wanted fugitive out of Memphis to the [La Quinta] motel,” according to WKRN.
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Officials with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Tennessee late last week unsealed a federal indictment charging 27 individuals with a host of federal crimes relating to a large scale conspiracy to distribute drugs. Those drugs, according to a press release, include distribute heroin, methamphetamine, fentanyl and cocaine.
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Davidson County Elections Administrator Jeff Roberts updated new developments with the proposed referendum for the Nashville Taxpayer Protection Act and when and if election commissioners will permit voters a chance to have their say. “We are in the process of verifying the 14,000 signatures turned in last week. The Charter states the number of signatures needed is based on the preceding general election,” Roberts told The Tennessee Star in an email Wednesday.
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NASHVILLE, Tennessee- Nashville is famous for its writers’ rounds. The Song Suffragettes is the only all-female writers’ round and they have been consistently performing at the Listening Room on Monday nights for seven years.
Todd Cassetty founded Song Suffragettes for the simple reason of giving female singer-songwriters a place to play their music and be heard. Those who follow country music know that it is not an even playing field when it comes to women getting record deals and having their music played on country radio.
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If there were ever a darling of the Canadian Country Airwaves, it would be Brett Kissel. Not only has the 30-year-old won numerous Canadian Country Music Association Awards, but he also has three number one hits and numerous top-tens on Canadian Radio.
But the main reason I wanted to interview him was because his music really is that good. His songs are all over the spectrum sonically but they resonate with the listeners.
Kissel admits that absolutely no one in his family is musical. “Not a grandpa, not a dad, an uncle, an auntie, nobody ever played music, period.”
The fact that he picked up a guitar, the fact that he can sing, the fact that he can write songs, and the fact that he moved to Nashville and made a go of it, is nothing short of remarkable.
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The people behind the Nashville Taxpayer Protection Act say they need supporters to contribute money to help educate Davidson County residents about the proposed referendum. Nashville attorney Jim Roberts said they also need the money to fight the likely counteroffensive from Metro Nashville government officials, many of whom may try to discourage people from supporting the referendum. And many of Nashville’s establishment media outlets could wage their own information campaign against the referendum, Roberts said.
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NASHVILLE, Tennessee- Even though I often interview up-and-coming artists, Craig Campbell has been on my radar for a while and he has an interesting story as well.
The Georgia boy is a self-taught pianist. He recalled, “I was captivated by the piano and every spare minute I was at it. After church on Sunday, I would go and pick out the melodies to the songs we sang in church that day.”
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Officials with the Tennessee-based Action 24/7 on Monday filed a suit seeking a temporary injunction that would require members of the Tennessee Education Lottery to reinstate the company’s sports gaming operator license. TEL suspended Action 24/7’s license late last week due to an investigation.
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Members of a Davidson County Grand Jury have indicted a six-person robbery crew allegedly linked to 150 holdups of primarily Latino families throughout Nashville between 2017 and 2019. According to a press release, grand jurors indicted these six individuals on 126 criminal counts.
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The first time I saw Sam Hatmaker was with the Song Suffragettes before COVID. Every songwriter who is part of the Song Suffragettes collective is amazing, but Hatmaker was unique and different. I knew even back then, I wanted to interview her.
It turns out that Hatmaker is from Knoxville, Tennessee. Her mom did theater and her dad was a performer too. It was natural for her to want to be on stage. When she was ten-years-old, she auditioned and was cast in a Christmas show at Dollywood. That ended up with her working at Dollywood for three years.
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As of this week, any records of former Nashville Mayor Megan Barry’s criminal behavior during her time in office are officially expunged from the record. This after she spent nearly $175,000 in taxpayer money on an extra-marital tryst.
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Like me, Amanda Cooksey was not raised on country music. Cooksey started playing piano at the early age of six and began learning classical music. Later on, she took voice lessons and started singing in church in middle school. However, this “super shy” kid did not want to be in the spotlight.
Even though being in front of people wasn’t easy for her, Cooksey always loved music. As a young girl, she found a piano/vocal instructor, Ron Feldman, who changed her life.
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Friday morning on the Tennessee Star Report, host Michael Patrick Leahy welcomed conservative firebrand Candace Owens to the newsmakers line to discuss the latest on Joe Biden’s prime time appearance, Derek Chauvin hearing, and the Meghan Markle, Prince Harry interview.
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Friday morning on the Tennessee Star Report, host Michael Patrick Leahy welcomed conservative Candace Owens host of the new Daily Wire show ‘Candace’ to the newsmakers line to talk about becoming a Nashvillian and the context of her new evening talk show.
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Friday morning on the Tennessee Star Report, host Michael Patrick Leahy welcomed the president of the Network of Enlightened Women in Nashville, Allison Santa Rita to the studio to discuss the bias she and her fellow conservative women members have received on Belmont’s campus.
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NASHVILLE, Tennessee- No one in Emily Brooke’s family was musical. Young Brooke was a cheerleader, not a singer. But like many preteen girls twelve years ago, Brooke was super into Taylor Swift and Hannah Montana. She wanted to learn to play guitar as they did.
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Staff members at The Daily Wire website are scheduled to unveil 11 billboards around Nashville promoting Candace Owens’ new show entitled Candace. This, according to staff at The Daily Wire.
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Thursday morning on the Tennessee Star Report, host Michael Patrick Leahy welcomed Fox Nation contributor Tomi Lahren to the newsmakers line to talk about moving to Nashville and the danger of liberal policies making their way to the city.
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Nashville Mayor John Cooper this week appointed seven Nashvillians to Metro’s Christmas Day Special Review Committee, one of whom is affiliated with Nashville’s Community Oversight Board and the left-of-center Conexión Américas. This, according a press release that Cooper published Friday.
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Metro Nashville At-Large Council Member Steve Glover said he believes Metro Nashville officials will continue to restrain business owners because of COVID-19. This, as opposed to allowing businesses to open up, which Glover said would help soothe the city’s economy.
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If voters have a chance to approve the proposed Nashville Taxpayer Protection Act referendum and roll back Mayor John Cooper’s 34 to 37 percent tax increases then that might extinguish the city’s current Capital Spending Plan. Metro Nashville At-Large Council Member Steve Glover said as much to The Tennessee Star this week.
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By a vote of 30 to seven, Metro Nashville Council members passed a nearly half a billion dollar Capital Spending Plan, although At-Large Council Member Steve Glover warned that his colleagues acted without caution. This, after Metro officials already imposed a 34 percent to 37 percent tax increase on residents.
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Nashville businessman and Congressional candidate Quincy McKnight said he wants to replace PayPal, and that U.S. Congressman Jim Cooper (D-TN-05) has served long enough.
McKnight, of Nashville, is a candidate for U.S. House in Tennessee’s 5th Congressional District. The seat is currently held by 10-term incumbent Cooper.
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Nashville and the music industry have suffered a significant toll since the COVID-19 lockdowns began. Those negative effects impact nearly 2 million jobs that rely on the music industry, contributing $143 billion to the American economy each year.
Sharyl Attkisson’s “Full Measure After Hours” examined the price that singers, musicians, and local music hubs have paid as a result.
Country singer Sasha McVeigh explained how she used to play multiple gigs throughout the week pre-pandemic, but now is struggling to get a couple a week.
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Metro Nashville At-Large Council Member Steve Glover warned Sunday that his colleagues on the Metro Council are about to turn Nashville into “a debt-ridden city” that will burden current and even future residents. Glover urged Metro Council members to first have “a meaningful, logical discussion” before they pass a nearly half a billion dollar Capital Spending Plan. This, after Metro officials imposed a 34 percent to 37 percent tax increase on residents, which Glover described as “the highest one I have ever seen.”
Read More Metro Nashville At-Large Council Member Steve Glover has scheduled a special Facebook Live session for Sunday evening to talk about Mayor John Cooper’s nearly half a billion dollar Capital Spending Plan. Glover announced the news Saturday.
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Nashville’s COVID-19 vaccine registration website crashed early Friday, as the vaccine became more widely available in the state.
“The Metro Public Health Department said that a system malfunction is preventing people from registering for a COVID-19 vaccine on Friday morning,” according to The Tennessean. The glitch comes on the first day of sign-ups for residents 65+ in Davidson County and was likely due to a high volume of traffic starting at 7 a.m., city spokesperson Brian Todd said.”
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U.S. President Joe Biden has requested the resignation of U.S. Attorney Don Cochran, who oversees the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Tennessee and who was appointed by former U.S. President Donald Trump. This, according to a press release that officials at the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Tennessee published this week. Cochran will leave his post at the end of this month, the press release said.
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Thursday morning on the Tennessee Star Report, host Michael Patrick Leahy welcomed Dr. Carol M. Swain to weigh in on Nashville’s social justice warrior-filled Community Oversight Board and being censored on LinkedIn.
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Tennessee Department of Health officials reported Wednesday that four people in the state died due to this week’s inclement weather. As of Wednesday, Tennessee officials had recorded two fatalities this week in Shelby County, one in Maury County, and another in Williamson County, according to TDH officials, in an email.
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Tuesday morning on the Tennessee Star Report, host Michael Patrick Leahy welcomed the author of the Huey Report, Craig Huey to the newsmakers line to discuss the winning strategies of the Democratic Party and how Republicans need to catch up.
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Metro Nashville Schools and many other facilities within the city will remain closed Tuesday due to inclement weather. This, as a major winter storm impacts the Tennessee Valley. This storm system was expected to bring freezing rain, sleet, and snow throughout the state, with the greatest impacts in West Tennessee and Middle Tennessee. These weather conditions caused significant impacts to roadways, according to the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency.
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Nashville recently was named a “Bottom 5 Sinkhole City” by the nonpartisan think tank Truth in Accounting (TIA) in its fifth annual Financial State of the Cities report.
TIA examined the fiscal health of the 75 most-populous U.S. cities and graded and ranked the cities accordingly. The 2021 report is based on fiscal year 2019 comprehensive annual financial reports.
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NASHVILLE, Tennessee- Taylor Hughes was born and raised in Lexington, Kentucky. Although she always loved music and did choirs and shows, her mother was an R & B singer was considered the musical one in the family.
Hughes was an athlete with a scholarship to attend college as a volleyball player when she blew her knee out her junior year of high school and the hope of attending college on a sports scholarship was over.
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Wednesday morning on the Tennessee Star Report, host Michael Patrick Leahy welcomed Managing Director of Music City Baseball John Loar to the newsmakers line to discuss bringing Major League Baseball to Nashville.
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Wednesday morning on the Tennessee Star Report, host Michael Patrick Leahy welcomed conservative comedian Chad Prather to talk about his comedy and upcoming Unapologetic Comedy Tour this Friday at the Franklin Marriot in Tennessee.
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Organizers are pushing again for Davidson County voters to have the chance to vote for the proposed Nashville Taxpayer Protection Act referendum. If voters approve it, the Nashville Taxpayer Protection Act would roll back Nashville Mayor John Cooper’s 34 to 37 percent tax increase.
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Nashville Mayor John Cooper has proposed a $474.6 million budget for the next fiscal year, and he said that two-thirds of it will address education and transportation needs. Cooper, in a press release, said this budget “brings overdue investment in the needs of a growing city.”
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NASHVILLE, Tennessee- Becca Bowen is an up-and-coming country artist whose Southern Belle exterior and tomboy personality have earned her the nickname “Country Barbie.” This personal fitness instructor is the single mother of two teenage girls.
Raised in South Carolina, as a child, she participated in pageants and talent shows – but her weekends were spent fishing and enjoying the outdoors with her grandfather. She is a true tomboy with a tiara.
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K&L Gates LLP, the global law firm that employs former U.S. Representative Bart Gordon (D-TN-06), has opened a Nashville office.
K&L Gates announced it has set up a Nashville law office with more than 25 lawyers handling health care, litigation, corporate, intellectual property, finance, and construction, and other specialties.
Read More Metro Nashville At-Large Council Member Steve Glover this week said Metro Nashville officials must use good judgement when planning Davidson County’s next budget and must do right by its police and fire department officers. Glover said this in a Facebook Live video.
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The Nashville government has pledged almost $14 million for infrastructure for the first phase of development of a project in River North.
River North is a section of East Nashville’s East Bank that Metro Nashville is trying to redevelop, according to the city’s Planning Department website.
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Nashville Mayor John Cooper and Metro Nashville Police Chief John Drake announced Monday that they are restructuring law enforcement resources to reduce the city’s violent crime rates. And as a part of that restructuring, officials will intervene in young people’s lives before they repeat any violent behaviors, the two men said.
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The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation is looking into an officer-involved shooting Wednesday of a suspect who allegedly rammed several police cars in north Nashville.
The TBI on Wednesday tweeted, “HAPPENING NOW: TBI Agents are investigating a reported officer-involved shooting in Nashville, at a location in the 2200 block of Brick Church Pike.”
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Tennessee Education Commissioner Penny Schwinn warned Metro Nashville Public School officials this week that serious consequences await if they do not account for $110 million in federal aid. Schwinn warned MNPS officials in a letter dated Monday.
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A Nashville attorney received one year active suspension and three years’ probation for offering advice on how to get away with murder. Judge Holly Kirby of the Tennessee Supreme Court issued the ruling against attorney Winston Bradshaw Sitton last Friday, calling it a “cautionary tale on the ethical problems that can befall lawyers on social media.”
Sitton had posted the comment in question on a 2017 Facebook post from a woman, Lauren Houston, who was trying to leave an allegedly abusive relationship. At the time, the two had been friends on the site for about a year. The contested comments appeared on a post in which Houston asked whether it was legal to carry a firearm in her car without paying for a permit.
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