Category: Tennessee

Memphis Man Released on Bail Hunts Down, Shoots Witness from Trial

Kaitlin Housler
Tavious Wilson

A Memphis man out on bond for his alleged involvement in a shooting earlier this year is behind bars once again after being accused of hunting down and shooting a witness who testified at trial for the earlier shooting case.

On Monday, ABC24 News reported that it had obtained an affidavit from Shelby County court records showing that officers with the Memphis Police Department (MPD) responded to an aggravated assault on May 2 in the area of James Road and Raleigh-Millington Road.

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Pope Francis Appoints Tennessee Native as Bishop of Knoxville

Peter D'Abrosca
James Mark Beckman

Pope Francis has appointed a priest who is a native of Tennessee to become the next Bishop of Knoxville.

“Pope Francis has appointed Reverend James Mark Beckman, as Bishop of Knoxville,” according to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). “Bishop-elect Beckman is a priest of the Diocese of Nashville, and currently serves as pastor of Saint Henry parish in Nashville, Tennessee. The appointment was publicized in Washington, D.C. on May 7, 2024, by Cardinal Christophe Pierre, apostolic nuncio to the United States.”

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Blended Sentencing Law Passed by Tennessee General Assembly Awaits Governor Lee’s Signature

Peter D'Abrosca
Inmate

A law ensuring that Tennessee’s worst juvenile offenders do not walk free upon becoming adults is awaiting the signature of Gov. Bill Lee (R).

HB 043o, passed at the end of the most recent legislative session, “allows a juvenile court to impose a blended sentence on a child 16 years of age or older for a juvenile offense that would be a Class A, B, or C felony if committed by an adult.”

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Funding Sources Behind Tennessee Student Groups Linked to Pro-Palestine, Anti-Israel Causes Under Scrutiny

Matthew Giffin
Pro-Palestine protest

As anti-Israel protests on college campuses across the country dominate the headlines, higher education institutions in Tennessee have also harbored a presence of student activism on behalf of the Palestinian side of the Israel-Hamas conflict.

Two student organizations with chapters at some Tennessee colleges—Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) and the Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP)—are among many activist groups across the country that receive abundant funding and harbor ties to left-leaning groups.

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49-Page Complaint Demands Removal of Shelby County Clerk Wanda Halbert After Alleged Incompetence, Bad Administration

Tom Pappert
Shelby County Clerk Wanda Halbert

A 49-page complaint was filed against Shelby County Clerk Wanda Halbert on Monday, demanding she be suspended then removed from office over alleged incompetence and bad management decisions that cost the county hundreds of thousands.

The complaint was filed by Hamilton County District Attorney Coty Wamp in the Shelby County Circuit Court and makes the case that Halbert should be removed due to alleged “willful neglect to perform a duty” assigned to her office.

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DOJ Confirms Person Who Sent ‘Disconcerting’ Message to Christian School Arrested for Alleged Cyberstalking

Matthew Giffin
Christ Presbyterian Academy

An individual who sent a message causing a Nashville private Christian school to close back in March was arrested for alleged cyberstalking, according to court documents. The person also appears to identify as a member of the LGBTQ community.

On March 24, days before the anniversary of the Covenant School shooting, Christ Presbyterian Academy received a message containing “disconcerting language towards the safety of our campus,” school officials said in an email to parents at the time, WSMV reported. CPA and neighboring Currey Ingram Academy in Brentwood closed the next day due to safety concerns. 

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Tennessee Eagle Forum Honors State Sen. Kerry Roberts for Fixing 2022 Law that Granted Professional Licenses to Illegal Immigrants

Tom Pappert
Tennessee State Senator Kerry Roberts

The Tennessee Eagle Forum on Monday announced State Senator Kerry Roberts (R-Springfield) was awarded the Tennessee Eagle Forum Award for 2024 due to his successful legislation that “effectively repealed” a 2022 law which enabled some illegal immigrants to receive state-issued commercial and professional licenses.

Roberts’ legislation, according to a Tennessee Eagle Forum press release, removed key language from Public Chapter No. 11, the 2022 legislation that allowed illegal immigrants to obtain professional or commercial licenses if they are “either a United States citizen or authorized under federal law to work in the United States as verified by the SAVE program.”

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Anti-Israel Activists Behind Columbia University Protests Trained in Cuba for Years

ADN America
Cuba-trained activists at Columbia #ShutItDown4Palestine

Some of the anti-Israel protests taking place at U.S. college campuses, including the recent demonstrations at Columbia University, have been supported by organizations that traveled to communist Cuba to receive resistance training, an ADN investigation has uncovered.

ADN’s investigation coincides with a recent Sunday report published by the New York Post that revealed a radical NYC based organization known as The People’s Forum familiarized anti-Israel activists with Black Lives Matter protest techniques just hours before they stormed Hamilton Hall at Columbia University, and that the group was incited by Manolo De Los Santos – a radical activist organizer with deep ties to communist Cuba.

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Anti-Israel Demonstrations at University of Tennessee Continue Into Sixth Day

Matthew Giffin
People’s School for Gaza

Anti-Israel demonstrations at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville (UTK) continued into their sixth consecutive day on Monday, May 6. A non-student organization calling itself the People’s School for Gaza held demonstrations at multiple locations on UTK’s campus.

The group announced a meeting at 9 a.m. ET in an initial Instagram post and moved across campus throughout the day. By 1:50 p.m. ET, demonstrators had moved to the lawn of the Student Union, according to a post later in the day.

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Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office Busts Five for Jail Smuggling Operation

Peter D'Abrosca
Hamilton County Sheriff Austin Garrett

The Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO) said in a statement that it has arrested five people for their involvement in a drug smuggling operation into the Hamilton County Jail. 

“This operation, uncovered through a comprehensive investigation revealed a conspiracy responsible for smuggling illegal contraband into the jail,” HCSO said. “The items seized included 12 wrapped bundles of suspected blue Fentanyl, 6 Suboxone strips, 35 strips of Toon Paper (papers laced with THC), some blue powder suspected to be Fentanyl, and approximately 20 blue Fentanyl pills.”

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Metro Legal Responds to Claim Transportation Referendum Not Legally Authorized

Matthew Giffin
Nashville Mayor Freddie O'Connell

Metro Government has responded to a criticism that Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell’s proposed transportation plan is not legal under state law.

Nashville Tea Party founder Ben Cunningham recently called O’Connell’s referendum illegal because it would increase taxes to fund projects he argues are not covered by the IMPROVE Act, like sidewalks and traffic signals.

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Alex Soros Attends McCain Institute Sedona Forum to Stop Trump in 2024

Tom Pappert
Cindy McCain and Alex Soros in Sedona, Arizona

Alex Soros, the son of Hungarian-American financier George Soros, confirmed in a Tuesday posts to social media that he attended the 2024 Sedona Forum held by the McCain Institute in Arizona and discussed former President Donald Trump with at least one high profile attendee.

The theme the McCain Institute chose for the 2024 Sedona Forum was “Securing Our Insecure World,” and a website for the event claims speakers and attendees “examined the greatest challenges to democracy, human rights, and global security,” while panel topics included “challenges posed to by autocracies to the international order and U.S. values and interests.”

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Judge Merchan Uses Trump’s Interview with John Fredericks to Declare Former President in Contempt of Court

Tom Pappert
Donald Trump

Former President Donald Trump was held in contempt on Monday by New York Supreme Court Judge Juan Merchan over remarks the former president made on April 22 to radio and television host John Fredericks during an appearance on Outside the Beltway.

Merchan previously gagged Trump with an order preventing him from discussing prosecutors, witnesses, jurors or the judge, with the fines and potential jail time listed as potential repercussions.

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National Environmental Group Plans Wednesday Rally in Nashville over TVA Energy Sources

Tom Pappert
State Rep Aftyn Behn

The Sierra Club will hold a demonstration at Lipscomb University in Nashville on Wednesday to protest the use of fossil fuels by the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), which is slated to hold a listening session earlier the same day.

A TVA web page explains the controversial group’s “Rally for the Valley” will feature a musical performance Nashville-based country music artist Jonathan Singleton and remarks by Representative Aftyn Behn (D-Nashville).

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Tennessee Legislature Approves Bills to Report on Immigration, Crime

The Center Square
Ferrell Haile

The Tennessee Legislature passed a pair of bills intended to fight illegal immigration in the state.

The bill will require the Tennessee District Attorneys General Conference to collect and compile the data on the costs related to illegal immigrants in the state who are charged or convicted of a criminal offense. The report will be sent to the governor and both the House and Senate speaker.

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Tennessee to Require Social Media Companies to Get Parental Consent for Minors

The Center Square
Bill Lee Social Media Bill

Social media companies in Tennessee will need to verify parental consent before allowing minors to create accounts in the state starting Jan. 1.

Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee signed the bill, which along with age verification and parental consent, requires social media companies to allow parents access to monitor the account with privacy settings, daily time restrictions and creating breaks where the minor cannot use the social media.

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Leaders at College in Tennessee Cave to Demands of Pro-Palestine Protestors

Peter D'Abrosca
Dr. Robert Pearigen

Leaders at the University of the South reportedly caved to the demands of pro-Palestinian protestors who were occupying the All Saints’ Chapel on the school’s campus. 

Among other things, the protestors demanded full disclosure of how the school spends its $400,000 endowment, and that the school cut ties with any organizations that makes weapons used against Palestinians. 

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Carol Swain Raising Funds Towards Lawsuit Against Harvard University amid Plagiarism Battle

Kaitlin Housler
Carol Swain

Dr. Carol M. Swain is actively raising money to file a federal lawsuit against Harvard University to hold the institution “accountable” for its former President Claudine Gay’s alleged plagiarism of multiple academic scholars’ work, including that of Swain’s.

In December 2023, writer and political activist Christopher Rufo accused Gay of plagiarizing “multiple sections” of her Ph.D. thesis from 1997.

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Tennessee U.S. Rep. Tim Burchett Requests ‘Full Investigation’ into the CIA Based on Claims Made in Undercover Video

Kaitlin Housler
Tim Burchett CIA

Tennessee U.S. Representative Tim Burchett (R-TN-02) sent letters to the chairmans of the House Judiciary Committee and House Oversight Committee on Thursday requesting that the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) be investigated after an employee of the CIA’s Cyber Operations Division made bombshell accusations about the intel agency when it comes to its covert relationship with former President Donald Trump – both during and after his presidency.

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Congressman Andy Ogles Among House Republicans Seeking to Prevent the Resettling of Palestinians into the U.S.

Kaitlin Housler
Andy Ogles

Tennessee U.S. Representative Andy Ogles (R-TN-05) is among a group of House Republicans requesting that a provision be included in the Fiscal Year 2025 spending bill to prohibit Palestinian refugees from being imported and resettled into U.S. communities.

Ogles, along with U.S. Representatives Tom Tiffany (R-WI-07) and Scott Perry (R-PA-10), are specifically seeking a provision in the funding bill that “prohibits expenditures of any funds to issue a visa or grant parole to any alien holding a passport issued by the Palestinian Authority.”

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Americans for Prosperity – Tennessee Urges Nashville Mayor to Cut City Budget, Protect Residents from Property Tax Hikes Amid $3.1 Billion Transit Plan

Kaitlin Housler
Freddie O'Connell

Americans for Prosperity – Tennessee (AFP-TN) released a statement Thursday in response to Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell’s proposed $3.1 billion transit referendum that will be presented to Davidson County voters on the November ballot.

AFP-TN State Director Tori Venable, noting how Nashville voters rejected then-Mayor Megan Barry’s $9 billion transit plan six years ago, acknowledged the dramatic cost difference in O’Connell’s plan while also pointing out the half-cent increase in the city’s sales tax that will be used to fund the plan.

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Knoxville Police Department Releases Body Cam Footage of Officer Shooting Suspect Armed with Two Knives

Kaitlin Housler
Police Knife Video

The Knoxville Police Department (KPD) released the body cam footage of an officer who shot a man armed with two knives outside the Exxon gas station at 5306 N. Broadway last month.

On April 17, just before 5:30 p.m., Officer Seth Beeler arrived at the Exxon on a report that a man, who has since been identified as William Charles McBride Jr., was “acting erratically and potentially violently inside of the store,” according to KPD.

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Memphis Mayor, Shelby County D.A. Seek Tougher Penalties for Automatic Gun Conversion Devices in Tennessee

Tom Pappert
Steve Mulroy and Paul Young

Shelby County District Attorney Steve Mulroy was joined on Thursday by Memphis Mayor Paul Young and Interim Police Chief C.J. Davis to call on Tennessee lawmakers to increase the state’s penalties for criminals who make handguns fully automatic using converter devices known as “switches.”

Mulroy said the “so-called Glock switches” are “relatively cheap and easy to maintain and they basically turn handguns into effective machine guns.”

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Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs Most Proud of Not Raising Taxes During His Tenure, Says ‘We Have to Make Sure Our People Are Being Taken Care Of’

Kaitlin Housler
Glenn Jacobs

Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs said the accomplishment he’s most proud of since assuming office in 2018 is his and his team’s work to avoid raising taxes for county residents.

Jacobs said that while it is becoming “more difficult” to construct a budget amid economic challenges resulting from decisions made at the federal level, his administration is “doing everything that we can to be creative and think outside the box” to avoid raising taxes.

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America First Legal’s Gene Hamilton: We’ve Launched a New Program That Helps Train the Next Generation of Conservative Lawyers

Kaitlin Housler
Gene Hamilton

Gene Hamilton, vice president and general counsel of America First Legal (AFL), explained why the Next Generation (NextGen) Fellowship Program through AFL is a critical tool for young conservative lawyers who seek to “advance the conservative movement in a way we haven’t seen before.”

The mission of AFL’s NextGen Fellowship Program, according to the organization’s website, is to “train and build a bench of lawyers equipped with the legal skills needed to save our nation and to effectively push forward an America First agenda in government, including in future conservative presidential administrations.”

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Rideshare Drivers Strike in Nashville, Other Major Cities

Peter D'Abrosca
Ride Share Driver

Rideshare application drivers in Nashville and around the country were on strike Wednesday.

“Uber, Lyft, and delivery drivers are DONE with being pushed around by app companies. We’re sick of working 80 hours/week just to make ends meet, being constantly scared for our safety, and worrying about being deactivated with the click of a button,” a group called Justice for App Workers said on its website. “Rideshare drivers and delivery workers will be striking ALL DAY and telling the app companies that WE ARE UNITED and deserve fair pay and deactivation protections.”

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Florida, New York, and the District of Columbia Join Lawsuit Against the NCAA’s NIL Recruitment Ban Led by Tennessee AG Jonathan Skrmetti

Kaitlin Housler

The attorneys general of Florida, New York, and the District of Columbia have joined Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti and Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares’ lawsuit challenging the National Collegiate Athletic Association’s (NCAA) name, image, and likeness (NIL) recruitment ban.

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Kentucky Man Who Operated Boat that Collided and Killed a Tennessee Child Sentenced to Eight Years in Jail

Kaitlin Housler
Norman Sturgill

A man who pled guilty to vehicular homicide by intoxication and reckless endangerment with a deadly weapon in connection with a boating collision on Norris Lake last year that resulted in the death of a child has been sentenced to eight years in prison, according to the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA).

On the evening of July 22, 2023, Norman Sturgill, 62, of Grayson, Kentucky, was operating a 19-foot Triton bass boat that collided with a 24-foot Chaparral open motorboat in front of Norris Landing Marina.

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Tennessee Firearms Association Sues ATF over Private Gun Sale Rule

Peter D'Abrosca
Hunting

The Tennessee Firearms Association (TFA) is joining a lawsuit with several states and pro-Second Amendment groups against the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), which says that the ATF far too broadly interpreting a new law passed by Congress regarding private gun sales.

The lawsuit stems from the definition of the term “‘Engaged in the Business’ as a Dealer in Firearms,” and claims that the ATF is angling to make citizens who sell even one firearm privately subject to licensure that large firearms sellers must obtain, according to a release from TFA.

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Sports Journalist Jason Whitlock to Host Annual Men’s Summit Next Month at Rocketown in Nashville

Kaitlin Housler
Jason Whitlock

Jason Whitlock, sports journalist and host of the Fearless with Jason Whitlock show, is set to hold a men’s summit at Rocketown in Nashville next month.

The summit, Fearless Army Roll Call 2.0, is a “gathering, celebration, and encouragement of men to put on the full armor of God to take a stand against the evil forces destroying American culture,” according to the event’s website.

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Tennessee U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn Rips Rep. Ilhan Omar over Past Anti-Israel Statements amid Democrat’s ‘Genocide’ Claims

Tom Pappert
Marsha Blackburn and Ilhan Omar

U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn debunked a series of claims about Israel and Jewish students made by Representative Ilhan Omar (D-MN-05) after the Democrat claimed her rhetoric was “insanely dangerous” to anti-Israel protesters on college campuses.

Following a nationwide spate of anti-Israel encampments on university campuses, Blackburn posted to the social media platform X on Monday that students who have “promoted terrorism” or engaged in terrorist activities “on behalf of Hamas should be immediately added to the terrorist watch list and placed on the TSA No Fly List.”

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One Month After Announcing, TN-5 GOP Primary Challenger Courtney Johnston Still Has Not Told Voters Where She Stands on the Issues

Tom Pappert
Courtney Johnston

Metro Nashville Councilwoman Courtney Johnston has yet to offer her positions on top issues to voters nearly one month since declaring her primary challenge to U.S. Representative Andy Ogles (R-TN-05) in Tennessee’s 5th Congressional district.

Johnston declared her candidacy on April 4, but the website for her campaign remains devoid of issues statements and policy positions at press time. Without policy positions, the only campaign information available on Johnston’s campaign website are a donation link, her announcement video and a form to submit contact details.

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Exclusive: Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti Calls the Biden Administration’s Overhaul of Title IX ‘Extreme’

Kaitlin Housler
Skrmetti MPL Show

Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti said the Biden administration’s finalized rule to rewrite Title IX is “extreme,” noting how the administration’s determination to rewrite anti-discrimination rules to encompass gender identity issues appears to be one of its “highest priorities.”

On Tuesday, Skrmetti led six states in suing the Biden administration’s Department of Education on Tuesday over its finalized rule to rewrite Title IX to encompass gender identity and sexual orientation.

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Tennessee A.G. Jonathan Skrmetti Announces New Title IX Lawsuit Against Biden Administration in Press Conference with Riley Gaines

Tom Pappert
Jonathan Skrmetti

Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti announced on Tuesday that Tennessee, West Virginia and Kentucky are leading a coalition of states in a new lawsuit seeking to stop the Biden administration’s revisions to Title IX that critics argue endanger women and girls.

“The U.S. Department of Education has no authority to let boys into girls’ locker rooms,” Skrmetti stated. He charged, “Under this radical and illegal attempt to rewrite [Title IX], if a man enters a woman’s locker room and a woman complains that makes her uncomfortable, the woman will be subject to investigation and penalties for violating the man’s civil rights.”

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Tennessee Celebrates Small Business Appreciation Week

Peter D'Abrosca

Gov. Bill Lee (R) has officially proclaimed April 28 to May 4 as Small Business Appreciation Week in Tennessee. 

Noting that small businesses are “the backbone of Tennessee’s economy, comprising a significant portion of the State’s employment including nearly half of private-sector workforce,” and that “supporting small business owners in Tennessee strengthens the State’s resilience against economic downturns and promotes sustainable economic development,” Lee released the official proclamation on the state’s website. 

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Sen. Blackburn Demands Answers from Food Delivery Apps on Illegal Alien Delivery Drivers

Peter D'Abrosca
Sen. Marsha Blackburn

A U.S. Senator from Tennessee is demanding answers from food delivery applications like DoorDash, UberEats and GrubHub, who have allegedly allowed illegal alien drivers to use their platforms. 

“The danger to Americans—and specifically consumers using your services—is real. These illegal immigrants are delivering food directly to consumers’ doors without ever having undergone a background check and often without even using their real names,” Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) wrote in a letter to GrubHub CEO Howard Migdal last week. “Deliveries routinely occur late into the night, compounding the dangerous situation, and—if the unimaginable happened—there would be little to no way to track the immigrant or bring them to justice.”

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Tennessee Bill Enabling Adult Sentences for Teenage Criminals Awaits Signature from Gov. Bill Lee

Tom Pappert

Tennessee lawmakers on Thursday approved legislation that will allow for “blended sentences” of minors who were aged at least 16 when committing a crime, meaning some juvenile offenders will receive adult sentences for their crimes.

The Tennessee Senate on Thursday passed SB 624, sponsored by Senator Brent Taylor (R-Memphis), after the Senate version of the bill was adopted in the Tennessee State House. It now awaits a signature from Governor Bill Lee.

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