This week, Niche rolled out its “2022 Best Private Schools in America” list and revealed which Tennessee private schools ranked highest out of the national pool. Niche is a website that gathers data on schools, neighborhoods, and workplaces in order to help people decide the best places to go to school, live, or even work.
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U.S. Representative Steve Cohen (D-TN-09) this week criticized progressives in Congress and said that their actions on the federal infrastructure bill could send former U.S. President Donald Trump back to the White House in 2024. Cohen made his remarks on CNN.
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On Thursday, a 12-person federal jury found Tennessee State Senator Katrina Robinson (D-Memphis) guilty of four of five counts of wire fraud. Robinson was facing federal wire fraud charges after she was accused of using federal grant money awarded to a health care school – The Healthcare Institute – in which she operates.
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On Tuesday, the City of Hendersonville Board of Mayor & Aldermen decided to postpone the first reading on Ordinance 2021-29 which would create a “Do Not Solicit Registry” for the City of Hendersonville.
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Despite Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s claim that Michigan is the future of electric vehicles (EVs), Ford Motor Company and battery maker SK Innovation announced plans to build three new plants in Kentucky and Tennessee.
The new plants, which will host production of electric vehicles and advanced lithium-ion batteries by 2025, will cost roughly $11.4 billion to build and create a projected 11,000 jobs.
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On Thursday in a letter to President Joe Biden, Tennessee Congressman Steve Cohen (D-TN-09) suggested there needs to be more incentive to get vaccinated instead of prioritizing unvaccinated people for monoclonal antibody treatment.
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A U.S. district court has ruled in favor of Tennessee Attorney General Herbert H. Slatery in his lawsuit to stop the Biden administration from enforcing what Slatery called an unconstitutional tax mandate. Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron collaborated with Slatery and was also a party to the suit.
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Over the weekend, Hardin County Deputy Matthew Locke was shot and killed in the line of duty while responding to a domestic violence call. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said Todd Alan Stricklin, 48 from Clifton, has been charged with first-degree murder after shooting the deputy just after 8:30 p.m. on Saturday.
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According to the Tennessee Department of Finance & Administration, two convicted Tennessee women have been ordered by the Office of Inspector General (OIG) to repay the State of Tennessee on charges involving TennCare fraud.
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Tennessee Department of Health (TDOH) official Michelle Fiscus apparently did not purchase a dog muzzle through Amazon.com and send it to her state office so she could later frame someone else for the act. The Nashville-based WSMV reported this week that someone, whom the station did not identify, set up a fraudulent account in Fiscus’ name and then sent the muzzle to Fiscus’ office.
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This week, Tennessee Craft announced its 43rd Annual Fall Tennessee Craft Fair will be returning to the newly renovated Great Lawn in Nashville’s iconic Centennial Park. The event will be held on October 8th, 9th & 10th, 2021 by the Parthenon museum.
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On Friday, a federal judge temporarily blocked Tennessee Governor Bill Lee’s executive order allowing parents to opt their kids out of wearing face coverings at school. Judge Waverly D. Crenshaw ruled Williamson County Schools and the Franklin Special School District can enforce mask mandates in their school systems despite Governor Lee’s executive order.
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According to the Tennessee Department of Labor & Workforce Development, unemployment rates in nearly all of Tennessee’s counties decreased in August. This marks the second consecutive month the jobless situation has improved in 93 or more of the state’s 95 counties.
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The Metro Nashville government has formed a COVID-19 Financial Oversight Committee in order to help decide where COVID relief funds are spent. Nashville has received $260 million in American Rescue Plan funding that is supposed to be used to help with COVID response, mitigation, and prevention.
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Staff for Tennessee Governor Bill Lee on Friday would not say whether he will follow the lead of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and purchase thousands of monoclonal antibody treatments directly from GlaxoSmithKline (GSK). GlaxoSmithKiline manufactures the monoclonal antibody treatments.
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Tennessee Comptrollers released a report Thursday that addressed what they said was the rising costs of college textbooks in the state. “Although the cost of course materials is only one component of the cost of a postsecondary education, by the time a student obtains a degree, the total spent on course materials can equal the cost of an additional semester of tuition at some four-year institutions. The report discusses initiatives among the state’s higher education institutions to make college course materials more affordable,” according to a press release that the Tennessee Comptroller’s Office of Research and Education Accountability emailed Thursday.
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On Wednesday, Rev. Dr. Donna Whitney, Pastoral Assistant at Metropolitan Interdenominational Church in Nashville and retired Physician, spoke out against the Tennessee state’s decision to prioritize monoclonal antibody treatment for those most likely to be hospitalized rather than for whoever is in need of the treatment.
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On Tuesday, the Sumner County School Board passed resolutions regarding COVID-19 in their district. The resolution will now go to state lawmakers asking them not to require a waiver to have 180 school days if they have to shut down over coronavirus cases and dip into snow days. The school board is also asking the state for more flexibility when it comes to remote and hybrid learning.
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On Thursday, 13 people were injured and 1 killed after a shooting broke out at a Memphis, Tennessee suburb grocery store. The shooting took place in the Kroger grocery store at 240 New Byhalia Road in Collierville, Tennessee.
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According to data from the Tennessee Department of Education, the number of Tennessee school-aged children testing positive for COVID-19 the last 14 days has seen a significant drop in just 4 days.
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On Monday, Tennessee Governor Bill Lee (R-TN) invited Tennesseans to “Rate the Plates” and help choose the state’s next standard license plate by selecting their favorite design at tn.gov/ratetheplates.
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Officials with two pharmaceutical companies who produce monoclonal antibody treatments said Wednesday that the U.S. government distributes the currently-available supply of those treatments and that those companies may not sell them to hospitals or state governments. A spokesman for the New York state-based Regeneron, who identified himself only as Alex, said the U.S. government owns the currently available supply of REGEN-COV, which is the company’s monoclonal antibody treatment. The U.S. government allocates that product to state governments.
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Metro Council members voted to move forward late Tuesday with a proposed ordinance that would impose an indoor mask mandate for individuals living and working in the city of Nashville and Davidson County.
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On Monday, Middle Tennessee was rocked with another round of heavy rainfall that led to dangerous flooding. Multiple water rescues were underway in Rutherford, Maury, and Williamson County to help those trapped by the water.
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On Monday, during a routine school board meeting, the Williamson County Board of Education voted to extend the temporary mask requirement for students, staff and visitors at all grade levels, inside all buildings and on buses, through January 19, 2022.
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Tennessee Department of Health officials said this week that only the unvaccinated should take monoclonal antibody treatments. Monoclonal antibodies, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s website, are laboratory-made proteins that mimic the immune system’s ability to fight off harmful pathogens such as viruses. Houston Methodist said monoclonal antibody infusion treats COVID-19 and can help prevent hospitalizations, “reduce viral loads and lessen symptom severity.”
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On Monday, Tennessee Governor Bill Lee (R-TN) joined 25 other Republican Governors in signing a letter requesting to meet with President Joe Biden regarding the southern border crisis within the next 15 days.
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On Friday, The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation announced the addition of 144 acres to T.O. Fuller State Park, a donation to the park by philanthropists Hugh and Margaret Jones Fraser and the Carrington Jones family of Memphis.
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Monday morning on the Tennessee Star Report, host Michael Patrick Leahy welcomed Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs to the newsmakers line to discuss his recently penned letter to President Biden.
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A seven-count indictment unsealed this month charged two Danville, California men with conspiracy to defraud the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) of more than $300,000. This, according to a press release that staff with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for Middle District of Tennessee published on their website.
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U.S. Senator Bill Hagerty (R-TN) on Saturday faulted U.S. President Joe Biden for a lack of accountability on Afghanistan and for hurting America’s relationship with its political allies.
Hagerty made these remarks to anchorman Jon Scott on FOX News. “What we’ve seen in our allies is the Dutch Foreign Minister stepped down this week. The same for the British Foreign Minister, both have stepped down, they’ve stepped down over their role or their lack of accountability for Afghanistan. They’ve stepped up and taken responsibility,” Hagerty said.
COLUMBIA, Tennessee – Confederate Lt. Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest was “put to rest for eternity” Saturday by the Sons of Confederate Veterans at the National Confederate Headquarters and Museum at Historic Elm Springs in Columbia, Tennessee.
The General was reinterred with his wife Mary Ann Montgomery Forrest at a private ceremony that was free to attendees but required a ticket, the number of which was limited to about 2,000.
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On Wednesday, Tennessee Representative Scott DeJarlais (R-TN-04) authored a letter to Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra outlining his concerns over the new distribution protocol of monoclonal antibody therapies.
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On Friday, Tennessee Representative Mark Green (R-TN-07) announced in a press release that he will be hosting his third annual Service Academy Day at Franklin High School on Saturday, October 2nd, from 12:00 PM – 3:30 PM with the formal program beginning at 12:30 PM.
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Governor Bill Lee’s staff would not say Saturday what measures he or other state officials could take if Afghan refugees relocate to Tennessee without the feds scrutinizing them first for health or security risks. Members of Lee’s communications team did not return The Tennessee Star’s request for comment before Saturday’s stated deadline.
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Members of the Tennessee-based 917 Society celebrated Constitution Day Friday. This year, 917 Society members emphasized that Americans should pause to realize that they are perhaps less divided than the media makes out.
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Tennessee Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) and Bill Hagerty (R-TN) have signed on as cosponsors to bipartisan bill S.2756 which would award Congressional Gold Medals to the 13 American servicemembers who lost their lives during the terrorist attacks in Kabul, Afghanistan on August 26th.
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On Thursday, country music artist Loretta Lynn revealed that her Hometown Rising concert on Monday raised more than $930,000 for middle Tennesseans impacted by the deadly flood in August that killed 20, left more than 270 homes destroyed, and damaged more than 500 structures.
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Tennessee Lieutenant Governor Randy McNally (R-Oak Ridge) on Friday announced who will serve on a state senate Ad-Hoc Committee on Redistricting. McNally announced the names via an emailed press release.
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NASHVILLE — Hundreds of Tennesseans said their displeasure with COVID-19 mandates has intensified and it’s time for Lieutenant Governor Randy McNally (R-Oak Ridge) to relent and allow a special legislative session so the state can fight back. Those angry residents, along with several state legislators, rallied at Beth Harwell Plaza, near the state capitol, on Thursday.
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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. – host Leahy welcomed Executive Director of The National Constitution Bee Claudia Henneberry in studio to highlight the experience participants can look forward to at this year’s Bee on October 23rd. Leahy: This is one of my favorite segments of the radio ever, because finally, we have a full-time executive director of the National Constitution Bee. This will be our fifth year and it’s just such a great event. And Claudia, you’ve been doing this as a labor of love for the four previous years. And the amount of time you spend on this is just incredible. Tell people what this will be like. By the way, the winner gets $10,000 the educational scholarship they can use for college or for private school if they’re still in high school. Henneberry: It’s such a significant amount of money. Leahy: $10,000 will be awarded to the winner via a check that day. We give these checks away from the Star News Education Foundation that day. Second place, $5,000, 3rd place $2,500. Last year,…
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On Monday, Tennessee State Senator Dawn White (R-Murfreesboro) sent a letter to Lieutenant Governor and Speaker of the Senate Randy McNally asking for a special session in response to President Joe Biden’s executive order on vaccine mandates.
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On Friday, Tennessee Governor Bill Lee appointed A. Blake Neill to serve as circuit court judge for the 25th Judicial District to fill the Honorable Joe H. Walker III’s vacancy, effective immediately, according to a news release from Lee’s office.
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U.S. Representative Steve Cohen (D-TN-09) on Tuesday paired up with U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) to file companion bills that would, if enacted into law, create a government program to combat childhood obesity. “The Reducing Obesity in Youth Act would create a grant program to assist in the development of healthier early care and education environments to improve healthy eating and physical activity among children from birth through 5 years of age,” according to a press release that members of Cohen’s staff published on the congressman’s website this week.
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In a proclamation on Friday, Tennessee Governor Bill Lee declared the month of September as Campus Fire Safety Month. The declaration is supported by the Tennessee Department of Commerce & Insurance (TDCI) and the Tennessee State Fire.
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On Monday, a jury was selected in the trial of Tennessee State Senator Katrina Robinson (D-Memphis) who was charged with stealing more than $600,000 in federal funds.
According to AP News, a 12-person jury was chosen for the trial which could last three weeks. The trial is taking place at the Odell Horton Federal Building in Downtown Memphis.
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In an official press release Tuesday, Tennessee Representative Mark Green (R-TN-07) announced that he and 100 Republican colleagues sent a letter to Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Ways and Means Committee Chairman Richard Neal, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, and IRS Commissioner Charles Rettig, expressing their frustration over a recent IRS data collection proposal to increase tax information reporting requirements on financial institutions.
The proposed measure would require financial institutions to report transactions to the Internal Revenue Service on any bank account with a balance of more than $600. The Treasury Department says the proposal for extra data is being sought to target high earners who underreport their tax liabilities.
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Chiefs for Change, an educational advocacy group, has come out in support of President Joe Biden’s new executive order on vaccine mandates. Commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Education, Penny Schwinn, is a part of the group.
In a statement on Thursday, the group applauded the President’s executive order, saying, “The COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective – and they are what will finally end this pandemic. We commend the Biden Administration for requiring staff at all Head Start programs, Department of Defense schools, and Bureau of Indian Education-operated schools to get vaccinated, and we echo the president’s request that states require vaccines for their K-12 employees.”
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On Wednesday, Memphis City Council member JB Smiley Jr. announced he is running for Tennessee Governor. Smiley, a Democrat, held an event at the Orpheum Theater in Memphis and posted a video on social media debuting his announcement.
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U.S. Senator Bill Hagerty (R-TN) on Monday criticized U.S. President Joe Biden for his new COVID-19 vaccination mandates. Biden said that, in order to work, all employees of private employers with 100 or more employees must take the COVID-19 vaccination or subject themselves to an at-least-weekly COVID testing.
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