Pastors Preach Against New Sunday Package Liquor Sale Law

Pastor Dale Walker

A pastors coalition is condemning the Tennessee General Assembly’s approval of Sunday package liquor sales. The Tennessee Senate joined the Tennessee House Wednesday to pass a bill approving liquor sales in the state on Sundays. “The Bible Belt state of Tennessee had enjoyed a safe, sacred day of worship with liquor stores being closed on Sunday,” said Pastor Dale Walker, president of the Tennessee Pastors Network, in a press release. “This will now change radically. The Republican Super Majority in Tennessee has become the party of ‘Big Liquor,’ passing beer, wine and liquor sales in many new venues, including rural areas for the first time. “Families and church vans will be even in more peril on the roadways now on Sunday,” Walker continued. “I have never had a liquor lobbyist or a liquor-loving politician join me at the grave to help comfort a family of the deceased who died from alcoholism or another tragedy brought on by alcohol. Pastors deal with alcohol ‘after the bottle is empty.’ Now, faith-based addiction ministries will be placed under more pressure from this despicable bill that will increase the need to help the addicted.” Surprisingly, one Nashville liquor store owner told WSMV News 4…

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Is Push to Close Primaries Dead For the Year?

The push to close primaries in Tennessee is dead for the year, a legislative source says. SB 0772 aims to require a voter to declare a statewide political party affiliation before voting in a primary. That bill was assigned March 20 to the Senate’s General Subcommittee of the State and Local Government Committee. However, Pamela McCary, legislative assistant to State Rep. Tim Wirgau, said on March 21 that it has not been moved onto the calendar in the House, so that chamber cannot take action on it this year. Wirgau, R-Buchanan, is chairman of the Local Government Committee in the House. There has been a lot of “buzz” on the topic for some reason, despite the status in the House, she said. The House bill number is HB 0887. Also on March 21, the main sponsor of the House bill changed from Rep. Ryan Williams, R-Cookeville, to Rep. Tilman Goins, R-Morristown. Williams is still a co-sponsor. State Sen. Mark Pody, R-Lebanon, is the Senate sponsor.

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Tennessee General Assembly Inaction Raises Questions About Legal Authority of State Textbook Commission Actions

The commission that will be recommending new social studies textbooks for Tennessee students is operating with a majority of its members unconfirmed by the legislature or still serving after their terms have expired. The 10-member Tennessee State Textbook and Instructional Materials Quality Commission currently has only four positions that do not require immediate legislative action due to expired terms, two of them appointed by House Speaker Beth Harwell. Three other members who have not been approved by the General Assembly apparently voted in commission meetings last year. The Department of Education and the Governor’s office declined to comment on the current state of the commission. This year the commission is tasked with approving the state’s new social studies textbook with their next meeting set for March 19. The commission is comprised of three appointees each from the Governor, the Lt. Governor and the Speaker of the House which must be approved by the General Assembly, and one designee from the Commissioner of the Department of Education. Before Sen. Mike Bell (R-Cleveland) sponsored Senate Bill 1602 in 2014, the commission included the commissioner of education and nine members appointed by the governor. The change in appointing powers assumed the General Assembly…

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Barbers Making House Calls One of Many Law Changes in 2018

Barbers may make house calls starting in 2018. That’s one of at least 16 changes to the Tennessee Code Annotated as of Jan. 1. According to the Tennessee Legislature, a change to TCA Title 62 will broaden “barbers’ ability to perform services in a residence from residences of persons who are actually ill to all residences regardless of the health of the person.” Barbers wishing to make house calls must earn a “residential barber certificate.” Barbers visiting clients’ homes is a national trend. The Hour reports on a new small business called Doorbell Barbers that has quickly gained traction in Norwalk, Connecticut, inspired by the Uber taxi business service. The Shelbyville Police Department posted on Facebook Dec. 18 regarding a new law governing the use of mobile phones in school zones. The updated law is a change to Tennessee Code Annotated 55-8-199: “It is an offense for a person to knowingly operate a motor vehicle in any marked school zone in this state, when a warning flasher or flashers are in operation, and talk on a hand-held mobile telephone while the vehicle is in motion.” The fine is not to exceed $50. The Legislature’s website adds that the law “makes it a…

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Gubernatorial Candidate Mae Beavers Says Tennessee GOP ‘Losing Its Way in Nashville’

Tennessee Star

  MT. JULIET, Tennessee — In traveling across the state to campaign for governor, Mae Beavers has encountered “an increasing anxiety” about Republicans not governing based on conservative principles, she told reporters Wednesday. Despite the dominance of Tennessee Republicans in the governor’s office and both chambers of the state legislature, the GOP is “losing its way in Nashville,” Beavers said. Beavers was at Mt. Juliet City Hall Wednesday afternoon to announce that she will not serve the remainder of her term as state senator so that she can give full attention to her gubernatorial campaign. Beavers (R-Mt. Juliet) used the opportunity to also talk about the “discontent” and “skepticism” in the state about Republicans campaigning as conservatives but then going against conservative principles once in office. “Many citizens feel they’re strangers in their own state, that their values, their way of life, their history and heritage and home are under assault,” said Beavers, a strong supporter of President Trump who has said in the past that she hopes to pull off an underdog win just like he did. “But I can tell you that there’s also a mighty wind of cheerful determination to hold the line on taxes and regulations,…

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BREAKING: Tennessee State Senator Mae Beavers to Resign Legislative Seat to Focus on Campaign for Governor

  MT. JULIET, Tennessee — State Senator Mae Beavers announced Wednesday that she will resign her seat in the state legislature to focus on her campaign for governor of Tennessee. Beavers (R-Mt. Juliet) said that she will deliver her letter of resignation to Gov. Bill Haslam and Lt. Gov. Randy McNally on Wednesday, August 30. The resignation will be effective Friday, September 1 at noon. Beavers made her announcement at Mt. Juliet City Hall Wednesday afternoon. In a press release, which was given earlier in the day exclusively to The Tennessee Star, Beavers said she has “mixed emotions” about resigning but said she believed it to be the best decision for her and for her constituents. By resigning now, a special election can be held later this year to ensure that Beavers’ 17th District has a “fully focused representative in place the day that session begins,” the press release said. “I have always taken my duties in the state legislature extremely seriously, and I have concluded that it is simply not possible for anyone to run a statewide grassroots campaign while effectively serving during legislative session,” Beavers said in the release. Beavers is known for her tenacious socially and fiscally…

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Former Democratic State Senator Joe Haynes Pleads Not Guilty To Sexual Battery

  Former Democratic State Senator Joe Haynes pleaded not guilty Monday to one count of felony sexual battery, WKRN News 2 reports. Haynes, an 80-year-old Nashville area attorney, was arrested in May for an incident in July 2016. The alleged female victim told Metro police she had hired Haynes to help her with the estate of her recently deceased mother. She told police that Haynes grabbed her buttocks and tried to French kiss her. “I’m not guilty of the charge,” Haynes told WKRN after his arraignment Monday. “I have great faith in the judicial system and I look forward to being vindicated.” Haynes’ wife, Barbara, a retired Davidson County General Sessions and Circuit Court judge, was by her husband’s side Monday. Monday’s arraignment took place in a Cheatham County courtroom because all Davidson County judges recused themselves from the case, as well as District Attorney Glenn Funk. Cheatham County Judge David Wolfe, who heard Monday’s arraignment, will preside over the entire case. The prosecutor is District Attorney Stephen Crump of the 10th judicial district in East Tennessee. Jim Weatherly, Haynes’ defense attorney, told WKRN that he hopes the trial will still take place in Nashville. A trial date has not been set yet.…

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Former Democratic State Senator Joe Haynes Charged With Sexual Battery

Joe Haynes, a Nashville area attorney and former Democratic state legislator who served in the Senate for many years, has been charged with sexual battery. Haynes, 80, was indicted by a grand jury and surrendered for booking early Monday afternoon, reports WKRN News 2 . In July 2016, a then 49-year-old woman met with Metro Nashville police and told them that Haynes grabbed her buttocks and tried to French kiss her. The woman said she had hired Haynes to help her with legal matters regarding the estate of her recently deceased mother, according to WKRN. Haynes was released later Monday after posting a $2,500 bond. He served in the state Senate from 1985 to 2012. He represented the 20th district, which includes part of Davidson County. He chaired the Senate Democratic Caucus and served on several committees, including Ethics and Finance, Ways and Means. A Sumner County native and University of Tennessee graduate, Haynes has been involved in numerous community organizations and served for years on the Goodlettsville City Commission including in the role of vice mayor. He is married to Barbara Haynes, a retired Davidson County General Sessions and Circuit Court judge. They have three children.

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Longtime State Senator Douglas Henry Dies

  Former state Sen. Douglas Henry, a conservative Democrat and the longest serving member of the Tennessee legislature, died late Sunday at age 90. Henry, who served in the House from 1954 to 1956 and the Senate from 1970 to 2014, is being remembered today for his folksy and courteous manners and his ability to reach across the aisle and befriend political opponents. “He epitomized what it truly means to be a public servant and had a keen understanding of the constitutional principles on which our state and federal governments are founded,” said Sen. Doug Overbey (R-Maryville) in a statement. “He was a mentor and friend, and will be sorely missed by all with whom he came into contact.” Henry, who grew up in Belle Meade, was the father of six and had many grandchildren. His wife of 67 years, Loiette  “Lolly” Hume Henry, died in December. After his brief tenure in the House, he worked as an attorney before returning to politics in 1970, when he won a seat in the Senate where he represented District 21. In 2014, the Tennessee State Library and Archives produced a video about his life. The video tells how as a boy Henry loved…

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