Mark Ezell, the commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development, went to Sevier County to congratulate the Tennessee tourism team for a record-breaking year.
“Tennessee is crushing it with the largest visitor spending national market share for Tennesseans in our history,” Ezell said in a recent statement.
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Tennessee State Representative Ron Gant was airlifted to Regional One in Memphis, Tennessee, after being seriously injured in a car accident on Wednesday night in Hardeman County.
Since the initial reports broke, a spokesperson for State Rep. Gant detailed the extent of his injuries in a Facebook post Saturday evening
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Tennessee lawmakers eliminated another sector of privilege tax this year with the removal of physicians and osteopathic physicians from the $400 annual state licensing tax.
But many are pushing for the remaining professional privilege taxes to end in Tennessee.
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The Tennessee Supreme Court heard arguments, on Wednesday, regarding the voting rights of Earnest Falls, who was convicted of involuntary manslaughter in Virginia in 1986.
Earnest Fall’s attorney, Bill Harbison, argued for Falls’ right to vote, saying, “A fundamental bedrock interest in this case is that a person who has the fundamental right to vote does not need his rights restored.”
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The Tennessee Department of Children’s Services told a Tennessee legislative committee, that they have been forced to bring in armed security and highway patrol due to the number of high-risk youth that are forced to sleep in state offices, because of the lack of beds at juvenile detention centers.
DCS Commissioner, Margie Quin, told lawmakers, “Because of the limitations on available beds, there are about 11-15 juvenile justice youth in local DCS offices awaiting appropriate placement. DDS offices are being utilized because local detention centers are at capacity.”
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Thursday morning on The Tennessee Star Report, host Leahy welcomed all-star panelist Carol M. Swain in studio to explain her run-in with former United States Attorney General Bill Barr and how her credit-approved company, Real Unity Training Solutions educate school board members on the prohibited concepts law.
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Five current or former IRS employees in the Memphis area have been charged with defrauding federal Covid-19 relief programs after spending relief money on Mercedes, Gucci, and trips to Las Vegas.
U.S. Attorney Kevin G. Ritz, for the Western District of Tennessee, said, “These individuals-acting out of pure greed- abused their positions by taking government funds meant for citizens and businesses who desperately needed it. I thank our law enforcement partners for rooting out this fraud. Our office will not hesitate to pursue and charge individuals who steal from our nation’s taxpayers.”
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The Nashville Metro Council voted on Tuesday night to approve Mayor John Cooper’s $50 million four-part “Housing First” plan to address homelessness.
Following the Metro Council’s approval, Mayor Cooper issued the following statement, “I am grateful to Council for overwhelmingly approving my $50 million plan to get our most vulnerable off the streets and into the stable housing. Homelessness is a decades-old challenge for Nashville, and I believe the size, scope, and sophistication of this plan meets the magnitude of the problem.”
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Tennessee’s Jacksboro Police Department has one officer remaining on the police force after Chief Jeremy Goins and several officers abruptly resigned Monday morning.
“Yesterday, we had four police officers turn in their guns and badges and walk off the job. They were not fired, and they did not formally resign; they walked off the job,” City Attorney Stephen Hurst told The Tennessee Star.
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If trends hold, by the end of next month Tennessee will have seen $6 billion in sports wagers since the state opened legal online sports gambling in November 2020.
Then, the state had four sportsbook operators in Action 24/7, BetMGM, FanDuel and DraftKings.
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The citizens of Tennessee will have the opportunity to vote to add a “right to work” provision into the state constitution on election day this November 8.
Constitutional Amendment 1 would amend Article XI of the Tennessee Constitution to add:
It is unlawful for any person, corporation, association, or this state or its political subdivisions to deny or attempt to deny employment to any person by reason of the person’s membership in, affiliation with, resignation from, or refusal to join or affiliate with any labor union or employee organization.
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The City of Memphis announced Wednesday that roughly 1,000 first responders will qualify to take part in the city’s 1978 pension plan, pending the Memphis City Council’s approval.
“I am happy to say that we have agreed with the association to provide those firefighters and police officers who currently do not qualify for the 1978 pension plan – those hired since July 1, 2016, and all future hires – to have the option to choose the 1978 or the 2016 pension plan beginning July 1, 2023, subject to city council approval. Currently, there are about 1,000 firefighters, police officers, and dispatchers who would qualify,” Mayor Jim Strickland said.
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The Tennessee textbook commission expressed their need for additional staff and an attorney, following the library materials law, requiring schools to catalog and publicize their list of library and classroom materials.
Director of Schools for Bradley County and Textbook and Instructional Materials Quality Commission chair Linda Cash spoke to the legislative subcommittee that the law has added a lot of work “to people who already have a full load.”
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During a public safety committee, on Tuesday, The Memphis City Council discussed strictly enforcing the Memphis curfew for children 17 and under.
Vice Chairman Martavius Jones said, “Juvenile Crime has spiked over the years…I commend our men and women in blue for all that they are doing. However, the things that are on the books, we definitely want to make those things happen…One thing that we do know, if they are in the house, a lot of this wouldn’t be happening. If they [children] were at home, under parental supervision, some of these things wouldn’t be happening.”
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Despite a slight uptick in the past day, gas prices in Tennessee are still lower than they were a month ago.
According to data from AAA, the average price per gallon was $3.193 per gallon, up slightly from the day before, which was $3.186. That’s still 7.42% cheaper than the average price in the Volunteer State was a month earlier at $3.449 per gallon.
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Georgia-Pacific announced Monday that it would invest at least $425 million to construct a Dixie manufacturing facility in Jackson, Tennessee.
Fernando Gonzalez, Georgia-Pacific’s president of consumer business, said, “Although we have invested to expand existing sites, this is the first new Dixie plant the company has built since 1991. This added capacity will help us meet the needs of our customers as consumer demand for high-quality, durable paper plates and bowls continues to grow.”
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According to the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department, this year, 998 guns have been stolen from vehicles in Nashville, Tennessee, including 17 guns, stolen from vehicles last week.
In a video posted by the MNPD, Chief of Police Chief Drake said, “It’s become a disturbing trend, and it needs to stop; guns being stolen from vehicles. Criminals are continuously checking door handles, ready to steal, and if guns are left visible, they will do whatever it takes to break in. It takes just seconds for someone to grab your gun and go. Stats from this year shows a tremendous increase in guns being stolen from vehicles.”
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State Representative Scott Cepicky and Senator Joey Hensley announced that requested the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) to hold off on plans to put a massive landfill in Maury County, Tennessee.
In a letter to the agency, State Representative Scott Cepicky stated, “Myself and others have concerns about the new permitting at the Monsanto land. It’s been almost 10 years since we fought the mega dump in Maury County. We must protect the duck river and our water source for southern middle Tennessee. Senator Hensley and myself have sent this letter to the TDEC asking for everything to slow down and perform town halls in Maury County to get the opinions of the locals. We will stay on top of this from the state level making sure everything in process is transparent.”
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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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Nashville ranked 14th in the country in the number of businesses that reported moderate or large price increases in a new poll from LendingTree. Tennessee, meanwhile, ranked 11th among all states.
The report, based on the U.S. Census Bureau Small Business Pulse Survey, said that 80.2% of businesses in Nashville reported those increases.
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Knoxville’s Community Development Corporation (KCDC) was awarded a $40 million federal grant for a plan dubbed, “Transforming Western Heights,” aimed to improve the area with more affordable housing and access to transportation.
“Transforming Western truly represents a collaborative effort after 14 months of intensive community engagement,” KCDC Executive Director and CEO Ben Bentley said in a press statement. “This plan is a synthesis of the dreams and ideas of the residents, community members and stakeholders, and will transform Western Heights and the Beaumont neighborhood into a community where families and residents can thrive.”
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The Dickson County Sheriff’s Office issued a warning to the public Thursday to be aware of packages containing an unknown white powder sent by mail.
In a social media post, the Sheriff’s office said, “Many of you have seen this post being shared on Facebook, and we wanted to confirm that it is legit. If you receive a package like this, do not open and please contact us.
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Shaterra Reed Marion was appointed as a judge on the Court of Workers’ Compensation Claims in Memphis, by new Bureau of Workers’ Compensation (BWC) Administrator Troy Haley the state Department of Labor & Workforce (TDLW) announced Wednesday.
“Shaterra Reed Marion will be a welcome addition to the Court of Workers’ Compensation Claims in Memphis. She has the heart of a public servant and, as a judge, I know she will be fair to all parties and reflect the values for which the Court of Workers’ Compensation Claims is known,” Haley said.
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Tennessee plans to spend $102 million of its $3.7 billion American Rescue Plan allocation on a learning loss intervention program for Tennessee students.
The program — including summer learning camps, after-school learning mini-camps, and learning loss bridge camps — was approved in 2021 by Tennessee’s Legislature at a cost of $36 million per year, including a mix of state and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families funds.
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Tennessee has committed to more than $60 million in FastTrack economic incentive grants to businesses this year after committing more than $200 million of the grants to businesses in 2021.
FastTrack grants are state grants sent to local governments for specific infrastructure improvements or to companies to help offset the costs of expanding or moving into the state with the goal of increasing the number of full-time jobs and the average wages of jobs available in an area.
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The total taxes collected by Tennessee in the first month of the new fiscal year continued last year’s increasing trend.
Tennessee collected $1.5 billion in August, which was $130.5 million more than what was budgeted and $100.6 million more than what the state collected in August 2021, despite a moratorium on personal care and autocycle registrations.
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Memphis Record Pressing, located in Bartlett, Tennessee, is predicted to be North America’s largest producer of vinyl records by next year. Producing around 130,000 records a day, Memphis Record Pressing will produce over 10 million records this year.
Brandon Seavers, co-founder and CEO of Memphis Record Pressing, said, “It’s a humbling experience for me, and for Mark as well, to see where we are today. Literally every day when I drive up, I say, ‘This is not real. There is no way that we are manufacturing a legacy, analog format/medium in the 21st century, and we’re actually breaking ground and constructing a new facility to do this.”
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The CEO of United Way of West Tennessee’s public statement opposing American Classical Academy Madison’s appeal of the Jackson-Madison County Public School System’s denial of the school’s public charter has drawn heavy criticism from the school’s supporters.
“Matt Marshall, the president and CEO of United Way of West Tennessee, [spoke] in opposition to ACA during the public comment portion of the American Classical Academy Madison County Charter School Appeal Public Hearing on Thursday, September 15, 2022, in Jackson, Tenn.,” The Jackson Sun reported.
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Tennessee’s plan to distribute $88 million in federal funds to build electric vehicle charging stations in the state has been approved by the Biden Administration.
The plan calls for Tennessee to spend $13.7 million of federal funds this fiscal year and the remainder over the following four years as part of $7.5 billion federal plan.
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Billion-dollar economic incentives, including the one that Tennessee gave to Ford for its plan to build a $5.6 billion electric truck plant outside Memphis, are increasing across the country, according to a new report from The Center for Economic Accountability.
And while fewer economic incentives have been awarded during the past two years, the average amounts of those incentives have increased significantly even in inflation-adjusted funds.
While the Tennessee Legislature approved $884 million in incentives toward Ford’s Blue Oval City in a special session last fall, the overall incentive package for the project is expected to exceed $1 billion.
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Tennessee collected $4.9 million in sports gambling taxes in August, up more than $1 million from July, according to numbers released by the state’s Sports Wagering Advisory Committee.
The funds came from nearly $206 million of wagering with sports gambling sites from the state’s 12 online sports books making $24.4 million in adjusted gross income during the month.
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Tennessee ranked 16th in campaign finance integrity in a new report by the government watchdog group Coalition for Integrity.
The rankings were based upon questions related to campaign finance laws in statewide elections.
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Tennessee ranked 10th for education freedom in a new report card from the Heritage Foundation.
The report card took into account how states support education choice, regulatory freedom, academic transparency and return on investment for spending.
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Author and former MSNBC contributor Jon Meacham was named to the Board of Fellows of the University of Tennessee’s newly established Institute for American Civics last week by University of Tennessee President Randy Boyd.
German-owned Politico reported that Meacham helped President Joe Biden “frame” his now infamously divisive “speech from hell” delivered in Philadelphia last week in which he attacked the 74 million Americans who voted for former President Donald Trump as a “threat to American democracy.”
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Tennessee’s Department of Tourism is touting a report saying that the state brought in a record $24.2 billion in tourism spending in 2021.
That number came from a report commissioned and paid for by the department and completed by a company called Tourism Economics, a subsidiary of another company named Oxford Economics whose purpose is to conduct these reports for clients.
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Friday morning on The Tennessee Star Report, host Leahy welcomed Professional Educators of Tennessee Executive Director and CEO JC Bowman in studio to comment upon Tennessee’s Commissioner of Education, Penny Schwinn who made a special trip to the White House on Wednesday.
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Friday morning on The Tennessee Star Report, host Leahy welcomed Professional Educators of Tennessee Executive Director and CEO J.C. Bowman in studio to discuss the factors that pertain to a successful public school system and national educational reports.
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Thursday morning on The Tennessee Star Report, host Leahy welcomed Hans von Spakovsky of the Heritage Foundation to the newsmaker line to discuss state-by-state election integrity ratings, standards and best practices, and the suggestion of the opti-scan hybrid voting system.
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Federal COVID-19 funds in Tennessee will not be used to combat COVID-19.
Instead, according to a press release from the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC), at least part of the $3.725 billion the state received from the American Rescue Plan will be spent on “water infrastructure.”
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The Heritage Foundation has ranked the state of Tennessee number one in the nation on its election integrity scorecard.
Tennessee received a score of 84 out of 100, beating out Georgia’s 83 out of 100 for the top rating by one point.
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Monday morning on The Tennessee Star Report, host Leahy welcomed Professional Educators of Tennessee Executive Director and CEO JC Bowman to the newsmaker line to discuss the recent firing of Shelby County Schools Superintendent Dr. Joris Ray and the pitfalls of jamming through Educational Savings Accounts to parents and their students.
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Friday morning on The Tennessee Star Report,
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Thursday morning on The Tennessee Star Report, host Leahy welcomed all-star panelist Clint Brewer in-studio to help unravel the specifics surround former Speaker Glen Casada and his aid Cade Cothren’s indictment.
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Thursday morning on The Tennessee Star Report, host Leahy welcomed all-star panelist Clint Brewer in-studio to speculate how the Republican party will react to the judgment on former Speaker Glen Casada.
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Monday morning on The Tennessee Star Report, host Leahy welcomed retiring State Senator Mike Bell (R-TN-09) to the newsmaker line to discuss retiring from the Tennessee General Assembly and his new role at the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency.
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Sources have told The Tennessee Star that the state of Tennessee has withdrawn from cooperation with the Democrat-run National Academy for State Health Policy (NASHP).
The NASHP brands itself on its website as a non-partisan group, saying: “For over 35 years, The National Academy for State Health Policy has been a nonpartisan organization committed to developing and advancing state health policy innovations and solutions. NASHP provides a unique forum for the productive exchange of strategies across state government, including the executive and legislative branches.”
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Monday morning on The Tennessee Star Report, host Leahy welcomed Thales Academy-Franklin’s Principal, Rachael Bradley to the newsmaker line to talk about the school’s growth, teaching methodology, and high-quality air circulation for an optimal learning environment.
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Tennessee collected $4.6 billion more than budgeted in taxes and fees for the fiscal year that ended in July on an accrual basis.
The number was $4.3 billion after June.
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Monday morning on The Tennessee Star Report, host Leahy welcomed Tennessee Director of the American Federation for Children John Patton to the newsmakers line to discuss the advancement of the educational savings account program for families in Shelby and Davidson counties.
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Friday morning on The Tennessee Star Report, guest host Gulbransen welcomed Davidson County Republican Party Vice Chair Bart Smith in studio to discuss the current state of the party and how to make it stronger.
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