Tuesday morning on the Tennessee Star Report, host Michael Patrick Leahy welcomed former (D) State Rep. John DeBerry to the newsmakers line to talk about how his new role as Sr. Advisor to Governor Lee, his pastorship, and establishing lines of communication with state lawmakers, officials, and the Biden administration.
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Friday morning on the Tennessee Star Report, host Michael Patrick Leahy welcomed John Harris of the Tennessee Firearms Association to the newsmakers line to weigh in on Joe Biden’s gun control executive order and whether or not Tennessee legislators will respond.
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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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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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Formerly incarcerated people can reenter society with faith and with Christians offering them a strong system of support. These were among some of the remarks that various people made at a virtual forum that members of the Antioch-based Men of Valor prison ministry held this month.
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Severe weather crossed Tennessee Saturday and brought two rounds of heavy rain, high winds, flash flooding, and tornado warnings. Tennessee Emergency Management Agency (TEMA) officials on Sunday afternoon reported four weather-related fatalities in Davidson County.
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A bill that will give local school boards the sole authority to close schools was approved Thursday by the Tennessee House and is on its way to Gov. Bill Lee.
Senate Bill 103, which passed the House, 85-2, makes it clear local school boards can close public or charter schools in the state, not the governor through executive orders or local health departments.
The bill, sponsored in the House by Rep. Kevin Vaughan, R-Collierville, aimed to clarify who had the authority because during the COVID-19 pandemic, it was unclear in some locales whether the county health department or local school board held the authority.
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Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee on Friday signed a bill into law that will prohibit transgender students from playing on the team of the sex with which they identify, one of numerous such bills currently working their way through statehouses around the country.
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Former Major League Baseball player Curt Schilling is relocating from Boston to Tennessee, according to several media outlets. The Tennessee Star contacted Schilling through his personal Facebook pageFriday, but he did not respond to a request for comment.
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California Attorney General Xavier Becerra this week filed a lawsuit against the Brentwood-based Brookdale Senior Living, which Becerra described as “the nation’s largest senior living operator.” This, according to a press release that Becerra and his staff published on his website.
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Tennessee Attorney General Herbert Slatery this week announced a lawsuit against the Murfreesboro-based Care Services Management and Marquis Mobile Dental Services for wasting taxpayer money and allegedly violating the Tennessee Medicaid False Claims Act. This, according to an emailed press release that Slatery and his staff emailed this month.
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Officials with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Tennessee have sentenced an- already convicted felon to 88 months in prison for possessing a firearm. Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph C. Murphy Jr. identified the man as Orlando Mays, 41.
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U.S. Rep. Mark Green (R-TN-07) this week proposed a Constitutional amendment that, if enacted into law, would require that Congress pass a balanced budget within 10 years and keep that budget permanently balanced. This, according to a press release that Green’s staff published on his website.
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Some of the missing 150 children that members of the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation helped recover in a special operation are now in state custody after Tennessee officials said they were at risk for sex trafficking. State officials announced this at a press conference last week.
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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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The Shelby County Health Department director has resigned after a state investigation uncovered potential theft of COVID-19 vaccine doses, evidence that two children were inappropriately vaccinated and a handwritten log as the only record sent to the state documenting expired doses.
Tennessee Health Commissioner Lisa Piercey shared Friday that after a week-long investigation into vaccine waste by the SCHD, the state received only one record of vaccine waste from county health officials: a scrawling six-line, handwritten log labeled “Pfizer waste.”
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Gov. Bill Lee will support legislation aimed at reducing crime in Tennessee and recovering from economic challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic during the 2021 legislative session.
Lee outlined several bills he will support during the legislative session.
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A bill in the Tennessee General Assembly would require that middle school or high school students’ biological gender determine whether they may participate in interscholastic sports specifically tailored either for males or females. Supporters of the bill told The Tennessee Star Friday they believe the bill will pass both the state house and the state senate.
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The Clarksville City Council is considering a Second Amendment sanctuary resolution in a meeting this afternoon.
Councilmember Jason Knight is offering “Resolution 56-2020-21 Declaring the City of Clarksville as a 2nd Amendment Sanctuary City.” The meeting starts at 4:30 p.m.
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U.S. Rep. Mark Green (R-TN-07) this week submitted — but was unsuccessful in adding — key amendments to Democrats Equality Act legislation. As written, the Equality Act makes it impossible for organizations to turn away biological males who identify as women from women’s spaces such as restrooms, showers, locker rooms, homeless shelters, and domestic violence shelters.
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Tennessee Comptrollers reported that Kingston’s former Parks and Recreation director used public money to make “personal, questionable, and undocumented purchases” totaling more than $19,000. This, according to an audit that Comptrollers released this month.
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Tennessee remained at a Level Three State of Emergency Friday night as people in certain counties had no power during extreme winter temperatures, and officials reported more weather-related fatalities. In an emailed press release Friday, officials with the Tennessee Department of Health confirmed two weather-related deaths in Shelby County. TDH officials had previously reported two other fatalities in the county as well one fatality each in Maury, Williamson, Dickson, and Overton counties, bringing the total number of fatalities this week to eight.
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All of that snow and ice is about to thaw or melt, and Middle Tennessee residents may once again travel to the grocery store or other places of interest and not risk having an accident. National Weather Service meteorologist John Cohen updated The Tennessee Star on Thursday about the latest weather conditions and when Middle Tennessee residents will finally get a break.
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Unlike Texas, Tennessee has been blessed to largely keep the electricity on during the winter storms, with Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) crediting its diverse generation assets.
Although thousands of homes throughout the Tennessee Valley have lost power at different times thanks to issues like trees falling on transmission lines, electric generation in the Volunteer State has held up despite the high demands from below-freezing temperatures.
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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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Tennessee residents are paying higher prices for gas, but not as much as residents in other states. This, according to AAA spokeswoman Megan Cooper, who told The Tennessee Star in an email Friday that the Volunteer State is currently the ninth least expensive market for gasoline in the nation.
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Former Tennessee Congressman Zach is one of many people Time Magazine cited and quoted in a new article that brags about a bipartisan coalition of people who helped defeat former U.S. President Donald Trump. As reported last year, Wamp has previously leveled harsh criticisms at Trump.
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Officials with The Tennessee Valley Authority and the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation announced Wednesday they will develop more electric car-charging stations in the state, at an anticipated cost of $20 million. TDEC and TVA officials said in a press release that to get the money they “will leverage various funding sources.”
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Tuesday morning on the Tennessee Star Report, host Michael Patrick Leahy welcomed comedian Jessie Peyton to the newsmakers line to talk about his comedic style and upcoming show on February 12 at the Franklin Marriott.
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Officials with the Tennessee Valley Authority and the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation are scheduled to unveil a plan Wednesday to develop and fund more charging networks across the state to power electric vehicles. The Tennessee Star on Tuesday asked officials with both agencies if enough Tennessee residents are driving electric vehicles to justify investing public resources into this infrastructure.
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Tennessee ranks 33rd of the 50 states for the percentage of COVID-19 vaccines it has distributed versus the number of doses it received, data show.
The ranking was revealed by Becker’s Hospital Review, and is available here. Becker’s updated the data on Tuesday.
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U.S. Rep. Tim Burchett (R-TN-02) and U.S. Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY-04) plan to introduce legislation to abolish the U.S. Department of Education. Representatives for both congressmen said they will put the legislation forward, but they would not say precisely when.
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Former U.S. Sen. Bob Corker, a Republican who once represented Tennessee, has no plans to challenge current Gov. Bill Lee in 2022. This, according to Corker’s spokeswoman Micah Johnson on Thursday.
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Thursday morning on the Tennessee Star Report, host Michael Patrick Leahy welcomed drummer Frank Leahy of the Canadian group Leahy Music to the newsmakers line to discuss future shows.
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Tennessee collected more than $3 million in sports wagering revenue in December, according to a report from the Tennessee Education Lottery.
More than $180 million in legal sports wagers were placed in Tennessee during the month – the second full month of legal sports betting in the state.
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One Memphis media outlet has sparked speculation that former U.S. Sen. Bob Corker may run for governor of Tennessee. This, the same month that Corker, a Republican, granted an interview to PBS and seemed to make patronizing remarks about former President Donald Trump’s supporters. Corker referred to those individuals as ‘the base.’
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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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Local school boards in Tennessee and people who run charter schools could have more legal powers to create their own quarantine policies and implement those policies in an emergency. This, according to a bill that members of the Tennessee General Assembly filed this month.
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Tennessee has added people living in households with medically fragile children to Phase 1c of the state’s COVID-19 Vaccination Plan, but doses remain extremely limited for seniors.
The Tennessee Department of Health announced the updated distribution plan Friday.
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Members of the Williamson County-based Tennessee Stands said this week that a new education bill in the Tennessee General Assembly will waste a lot of money and the state does not need it. State Sen. Jack Johnson (R-Franklin) is sponsoring the bill, the Tennessee Learning Loss Remediation and Student Acceleration Act. The COVID-19 pandemic, and its effects on public schools, prompted the legislation.
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State Sen. Katrina Robinson (D-Memphis), already in legal trouble for embezzlement and wire fraud charges, learned Monday that her legal problems have only intensified. Federal officials have charged Robinson, 40, in a new case, along with two other co-defendants, with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering. This, according to a press release that officials with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Tennessee published on their website Tuesday.
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This week officials with the Tennessee-based Action 24/7 online sports betting company said that they, unlike their competitors, do not delay withdrawals or offer bonuses for players to cancel withdrawals. New Jersey officials, according to The Minnesota Star Tribune, this week threatened to act against sports book operators who ask customers to cancel requests to cash out money.
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Tennessee Lieutenant Governor Randy McNally (R-Oak Ridge) on Tuesday was re-elected for his third term as Speaker of the Senate, while State Representative Cameron Sexton (R-Crossville) returned as House Speaker.
The Tennessee House Republican Caucus tweeted, “The 112th General Assembly convened today in Nashville! Congratulations to our re-elected Speaker of the House Cameron Sexton, newly elected Speaker Pro Tem Pat Marsh, and all our members as they were sworn into office. @CSexton25 @marsh4tn”.
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Officials with the Tennessee Department of Education announced late last week that they will give $1 million of taxpayer money to Tennessee’s six PBS stations to help educate students throughout the state. As reported last year, several organizations, including the Family Research Council, have faulted PBS’ educational materials for what they call a left-leaning bias.
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Federal officials on Sunday charged a 30-year-old Tennessee man for allegedly participating in riots at the U.S. Capitol last Wednesday. This, according to a press release that officials with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia published on their website.
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Williamson County Republican Party Chair Cheryl Brown said this week that members of the mainstream media unfairly depicted supporters of U.S. President Donald Trump as people “who stormed the Capitol” and wanted to destroy Washington, D.C. But Brown, who was one of hundreds of Tennesseans who traveled to Washington, D.C. Wednesday, said she came only to make the case for a free and fair election.
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The U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Tennessee hinted Friday that they are investigating one or more people in that area of the state for this week’s attack on the U.S. Capitol. United States Attorney D. Michael Dunavant announced this in a press release.
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The FBI on Friday reportedly raided locations tied to former Tennessee House Speaker Glen Casada (R-Franklin) and Republican allies over allegations of possible public corruption.
Current Tennessee House Speaker Cameron Sexton (R-Crossville) issued a statement about the raid that took place at the Cordell Hull Building in Nashville.
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Tennessee posted the largest net gain of U-Haul trucks crossing its borders in 2020, making it the Number One U-Haul growth state for the first time. This, according to a press release that U-Haul company officials published this week.
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State Senator Brian Kelsey (R-Germantown) on Wednesday filed SB 29 which would allow first responders to live where they choose, the Tennessee Senate Republican Caucus said in a statement.
Kelsey posted on the caucus’ Facebook page, “This is a public safety bill. It will enable us to hire more police officers, which will help us fight our rising crime rates.”
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