Tag: Williamson County

Williamson County Conservatives Challenge GOP Convention, Cite Alleged Election Integrity Failures in Push for New Vote

Tom Pappert
Williamson County Conservatives

The Tennessee Star obtained the brief submitted on Tuesday to the Tennessee Republican Party (TRP) by the Williamson County Conservatives (WCC) slate of candidates who narrowly lost the March 4 reorganization convention held by the Williamson County Republican Party (WCRP) to an opposing slate that saw many previous WCRP board members reelected to new positions.

According to the WCC slate of candidates, the March 4 “was conducted in a manner that violated numerous provisions of the TRP Bylaws, compromised election security and integrity, and was tainted by material conflicts of interests,” when it came to registering delegates to participate in the convention.

Read the full story

Williamson County Conservatives File Election Contest Alleging Election Integrity Failures, Flippant Claim of Burning Ballots at Party Convention

Tom Pappert
Williamson County Reorganization Meeting

The Williamson County Conservatives (WCC) slate of candidates for the leadership of the Williamson County Republican Party (WCRP) on Sunday filed an appeal to contest the results of the party’s March 4 reorganizing convention, which they allege suffered from serious election integrity and collusion issues, including the possible burning of ballots, which it said can only be solved with a new convention.

After the narrow victories of the Elevate-2025 slate, which contained four candidates who were already members of leadership, WCC confirmed its “official Notice of Contest” for the county party’s March 4 convention to Tennessee Republican Party Chairman Scott Golden. 

Read the full story

Williamson County Conservatives Raise Election Integrity Issues in Reorganizing Convention, Ask Tennessee GOP for Raw Data

Tom Pappert

In the wake of the narrow leadership election for the Williamson County Republican Party (WCRP), which saw the Elevate-2025 slate of candidates win, with chairman candidate Steve Hickey elected by a margin of just 44 votes, The Tennessee Star obtained an email sent by Williamson County Conservatives Secretary candidate Kimberly Calcote, which demands information raw data from the WCRP Reorganizing Convention held on Tuesday ahead of a possible appeal of the election results.

Calcote wrote in a Thursday email to Tennessee Republican Party Chairman Scott Golden and other party officials to report that party members reported “issues and irregularities” with the contest in the days after the contention. After suggesting that declining to address their concerns could lead to a loss of trust among Williamson County Republicans, Calcote requested data and names from the party about the Tuesday contest.

Read the full story

Narrow Victory for Slate of Incumbents in Hotly Contested Williamson County Republican Party Reorganizing Convention

Tom Pappert
Williamson County Reorganization Meeting

Republican voters in Williamson County narrowly voted to retain the current leadership of the Williamson County Republican Party, with bonda fide voters electing the incumbent Elevate-2025 slate over the challenging Williamson County Conservatives slate.

A hand recount of the votes returned the same results, with the Elevate slate of candidates winning by slim margins, with the number of votes separating ranging from just 14 votes to 78 between the various candidates. In total, 1,555 people cast votes.

Read the full story

Voter Suppression Concerns Mount Ahead of Williamson County Republican Party Reorganization

Tom Pappert
Williamson County Board Meeting

Voters and candidates have expressed concerns over potential voter suppression tactics ahead of the March 4, 2025 Williamson County Republican Party Reorganization Convention, with reports suggesting such tactics are targeting the Williamson County Conservatives slate of candidates. 

The candidates and voters in Williamson County have cited concerns about emails inaccurately informing voters they are not bona fide Republicans that were sent from the Williamson County Republican Party “Contests and Credentialing Committee,” which would make them ineligible to vote on Tuesday, with the Williamson County Conservatives slate noting their opponents appointed the committee. 

Read the full story

In-N-Out Denies Ditching California, but Confirms Employees Have ‘Option to Relocate’ to Tennessee

Tom Pappert
In-n-Out Burger

In-N-Out Burger clarified in a post to the social media platform X on Saturday that the company is not relocating its corporate headquarters from California to Tennessee, as previously reported, but instead is building a second headquarters for the eastern United States in Tennessee. Its California employees will additionally have the opportunity to relocate to the Volunteer State.

The company issued the statement amid claims on social media that burger chain would leave California for Tennessee, while In-N-Out’s headquarters is actually moving within California.

Read the full story

Reporter Tom Pappert: Law Enforcement Agencies Silent on Franklin Gun Store Attempted Robbery by Illegal Immigrants

Kaitlin Housler
Tom Pappert

Tom Pappert, lead reporter at The Tennessee Star, says the law enforcement agencies involved in the January 20 arrest of five teenagers who attempted a break-in at the Arms and Ammo store in Franklin have provided a “stunning lack of information” on the case after The Star learned from a source that the teeangers are reportedly Honduran nationals who were in the U.S. illegally at the time of their arrest.

Read the full story

Tennessee Law Enforcement Arrested or Convicted over 2,000 Illegal Immigrants in Final Months of 2024: State Report

Tom Pappert
ICE Arrest

Complying with legislation passed last year, the first annual report by the Tennessee District Attorneys General Conference (TNDAGC) containing the number of illegal immigrants arrested by Tennessee law enforcement, or convicted by a Tennessee court, between the months October and December 2024 was published Friday.

The TNDAGC report includes data from 73 of Tennessee’s 93 counties, with complete reports from only 71, and reveals there were 2,719 reports of illegal immigrants charged with or convicted of a criminal offense in Tennessee during the last three months of 2024.

Read the full story

Tennessee Law Enforcement, Judges Silent on Claim One-Third of Williamson County Criminal Cases Now ‘Due to Illegal Aliens’

Tom Pappert
Crime Scene

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI), Williamson County Sheriff’s Office, and four judges on Tennessee’s 21st Judicial District either did not respond, or did not confirm, to inquiries by The Tennessee Star seeking more information about the claim by Representative Todd Warner (R-Chapel Hill) that one-third of criminal cases in Williamson County now involve an illegal immigrant.

The silence comes after Warner appeared on “Fox & Friends” on Wednesday, telling the hosts, “I recently met with the Williamson County delegation, and judges from Williamson County, here in southern Middle Tennessee, and a judge last week told a group of about five of us… either build more jails, build more prisons, or remove the immigrants from this state.”

Read the full story

Tennessee Representative Says One-Third of Criminal Cases in Williamson County Now ‘Due to Illegal Aliens’

Tom Pappert
Illegal Immigrants

A Tennessee state lawmaker told “Fox & Friends” on Wednesday that one-third of the criminal court cases in Williamson County are now related to illegal immigrants, claiming a county judge warned state lawmakers must consider increasing the number of jails and prisons due to an uptick in crime.

State Representative Todd Warner (R-Chapel Hill) divulged the purported number of criminal cases related to illegal immigrants after he was asked about his legislation that would require law enforcement agencies to detain anyone found to be in the country illegally for the maximum amount of time legally allowed, and then transport the illegal immigrants to sanctuary cities for release if they are not retrieved for deportation by federal agencies.

Read the full story

Final Totals: Tennessee’s 2024 Early Voter Turnout Less than 2020

Kaitlin Housler

Data published by the Tennessee Secretary of State’s Office shows that total voter turnout during the 14-day period of early voting in Tennessee for the November 5 general election was lower than the turnout for early voting in the 2020 general election.

According to the data, 2,280,767 ballots—2,070,339 of which were early-in-person ballots and 210,428 absentee ballots—were recorded during the fourteen days of early voting in 2020.

Read the full story

Washington D.C. Left-Wing Advocacy Group Human Rights Campaign Foundation Behind Williamson County Transgender Lawsuit

Matthew Giffin

A Washington D.C.-based left-wing advocacy group called the Human Rights Campaign Foundation is behind a lawsuit against the Williamson County Board of Education challenging a state law that restricts students from using multi-person restrooms that do not match their sex.

The plaintiff, a transgender minor, is represented by two attorneys with the Human Rights Campaign Foundation, a nonprofit organization under the Human Rights Campaign (HRC). HRC describes itself as “the nation’s largest LGBTQ+ civil rights organization” on its website with local groups in most states.

Read the full story

Transgender Arrested for Alleged Cyberstalking Was Previously Charged with Domestic Assault in 2022

Matthew Giffin
McKenzie McClure

A transgender alleged cyberstalker who caused a Nashville Christian school to close for a day in March after sending a disconcerting message was previously charged with domestic assault, according to court records.

McKenzie McClure, also known as Kalvin McClure, was charged twice with domestic assault according to Williamson County public court records. The records list the “violation date” on each charge as August 21, 2022.

Read the full story

Williamson County Will Comply with Mass Deportation Order Under Potential Trump Presidency, Interim Sheriff Mark Elrod Says

Kaitlin Housler
Illegal Immigrants

Mark Elrod, who is currently serving as interim sheriff of Williamson County amid former Sheriff Dusty Rhoades’ retirement, said his department would assist Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in carrying out deportations of illegal immigrants under a potential Trump presidency beginning in 2025.

If elected, former President Donald Trump has said he would immediately mobilize ICE to deport illegal immigrants as part of his goal to carry out the “largest deportation operation” in the nation’s history.

Read the full story

Williamson County Interim Sheriff Mark Elrod Says Narcotics, Fentanyl ‘Biggest Issue’ in County

Kaitlin Housler

Mark Elrod, who is currently serving as interim sheriff of Williamson County amid former Sheriff Dusty Rhoades’ retirement, said the biggest issues affecting the county in regards to crime are drugs and fentanyl.

“I would say that probably one of our biggest issues is drugs, narcotics, fentanyl. We’ve had an uptick in that as well as heroin over the last several years. With Williamson County, we’re a transient community where a lot of the drugs and other crimes come in from other areas into Williamson County. It’s not so much your next door neighbor or the people down the street, although there is some of that, but most of it is coming from other places…Davidson County, out of Nashville, out of the city of Columbia. We have four interstates that come through the county, so it could be, you know, really coming from anywhere, everywhere,” Elrod said on Tuesday’s edition of The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy.

Read the full story

Commentary: An Open Letter to Governor Bill Lee from Williamson County Elected Officials and Republican Party Leadership

Admin

As a coalition of elected officials and community leaders in Williamson County, we are calling on you to  reconsider the Special Session currently scheduled for August 21, 2023, and resume discussions about future legislation to create safer schools and communities during the regularly scheduled General Session in January 2024.  

Read the full story

Franklin Gun Shop Owners Plead Guilty to Federal Charges

Peter D'Abrosca

Three Franklin-area family members pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice and making false entries regarding the disposition of firearms, according to the Department of Justice (DOJ).

“Alan Hassler, 49, Brian Hassler, 52, and Michael Hassler, 45, all of Franklin, Tennessee, and co-  owners of Franklin Gun Shop, a Federal Firearms Licensee (FFL) in Williamson County, Tennessee, were charged in September following a federal regulatory inspection by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF),” said a DOJ release. 

Read the full story

Addiction Recovery Center Expanding Headquarters in Tennessee

Peter D'Abrosca

A significant number of new jobs are coming to Williamson County after a large addiction recovery center, headquartered in Franklin, announced that it will be expanding its operations in the Volunteer State. 

Just a year after moving from Arizona, Landmark Recovery will invest $7.5 million to expand in Franklin, a move that will bring approximately 1300 new jobs to the area. 

Read the full story

Williamson County Moms for Liberty Chapter Hosting ‘Gender 101’ Course

Peter D'Abrosca

Moms for Liberty of Williamson County, a grassroots group of conservative mothers who battle against Critical Race Theory (CRT) and other left-wing ideology in schools will be hosting a seminar on gender ideology. 

“GENDER101 is part of the chapter’s ‘2022-2023 School Year for Parents’ initiative, focusing on one critical issue in Williamson County Schools per month,” the group said in a release. “The November focus is Gender Ideology, and GENDER101 offers parents a ‘crash course’ on this topic.”

Read the full story

New Balance Announces New Distribution Center Coming to Lebanon

Kaitlyn Osteen

New Balance Athletics and the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development announced on Tuesday that it will be investing $68.5 million to establish a new distribution center in Lebanon.

New Balance Chief Operating Officer Dave Wheeler said, “We are excited to open our new distribution center in Lebanon, Tennessee, that will drive increased agility, capacity, and collaboration across our North American distribution network. This new state-of-the-art facility will ensure we can continue to provide world-class customer service and achieve our strategic growth goals. We greatly appreciate the tremendous support we’ve received at the local and state level and look forward to joining the Wilson County business community.”

Read the full story

Tennessee Public Charter School Commission Rejects Founders Classical Applications in Williamson and Sumner Counties

Peter D'Abrosca

Despite massive turnout in support of two Founders Classical Academy charter schools, the Tennessee Public Charter School Commission (TPCSC) has rejected the schools’ bids to open campuses in Williamson and Sumner counties.

“I think it is clear that this school has a lot of community support,” Tess Stovall, TPCSC’s executive director reportedly said. “However, that is not the only thing that one needs for a school to be successful.”

Read the full story

Williamson County Judicial Candidate Who Was Recently Convicted of Two Felonies Sanctioned by Judge

Aaron Gulbransen

Connie Reguli, who recently was convicted of two felonies and one misdemeanor charge, has been sanctioned by a judge and ordered to pay $5,000 for her involvement in another matter.

In connection with her convictions, Reguli’s law license was suspended pending further court orders. Additionally, Reguli has been disciplined by boards of professional responsibility and the Tennessee courts system several times. Since 2009, Reguli has faced discipline that includes being suspended from the practice of law for nearly a year, a public censure from the Tennessee Supreme Court, and professional probation as ordered by the state courts system for a period of 11 months and 29 days.

Read the full story

Conservative Celebrities, Including John Rich, to Highlight Williamson County Election Kickoff Event Next Week

Chris Butler

Members of the Williamson Families PAC are scheduled to host a County Election Kickoff event next week that features country music star John Rich, actress Leigh-Allyn Baker, and former professional baseball player Jeremy Slayden. The kickoff will reveal 19 candidates endorsed by Williamson Families PAC for the 2022 Williamson County election. The primary is scheduled for May 3, while the general election is scheduled for August 4.

Read the full story

Moms for Liberty – Williamson County Responds to Progressive Mothers Who Want to Defeat Them

Chris Butler

Liberal mothers plan to attend more public-school board meetings to attempt to defeat conservative groups like Moms for Liberty, and now members of that group’s Williamson County chapter in Tennessee have responded. The Washington Post profiled these left-of-center mothers in an article this week. The report also said those mothers are about to go on offense against anyone who attends public school board meetings to speak out against Critical Race Theory (CRT) and COVID-19 masks.

Read the full story