Real estate investor and attorney Lee Reeves, who is running in the August 1 Republican primary election for Tennessee State House District 65, sat down with The Tennessee Star’s CEO and Editor-in-Chief Michael Patrick Leahy on Wednesday to discuss his stance on different issues affecting the state.
House District 65 is currently represented by State Representative Sam Whitson (R-Franklin), who announced he would not be seeking reelection to the seat.
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The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) announced the arrests of 11 convicted felons for voting in local elections in 2020 and 2022, and said that four deceased felons also voted in those elections.
“In late January, at the request of 18th Judicial District Attorney General Ray Whitley, TBI agents began investigating reports of 15 convicted felons unlawfully voting in various Sumner County elections between 2020 and 2022,” according to a TBI press release. “Agents determined four of the felons were deceased prior to the investigation. Agents investigated the remaining 11 individuals, determining all had been convicted of at least one felony and registered to vote in Sumner County after their convictions, completing documents that included language regarding not having been convicted of a felony.”
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The Tennessee Star has obtained the FBI memo sent to the Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) on May 11, 2023 from a source familiar with the Covenant killer investigation.
The letterhead and heading used for the memo indicate it originated at the FBI’s Critical Incident Response Group in Quantico, Virginia. The opening paragraphs reveal it was sent by the FBI’s Behavioral Threat Assessment Center (BTAC), the home of the FBI’s Behavorial Analysis Unit (BAU-1). The memo was not signed.
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Gov. Bill Lee (R) last week signed a bill into law that is meant to prevent predatory car booting by overzealous local officials.
The “Modernization of Towing, Immobilization, and Oversight Normalization” or the MOTION Act will take effect July 1.
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Federal District Court Judge Alistair Newbern ordered the temporary release of transgender alleged cyberstalker McKenzie McClure on Monday but did not hear victim statements beforehand.
Newbern ordered McClure, who is charged with cyberstalking, to be released the same day to voluntary mental health in-patient treatment in Sevierville, Tennessee, rather than keep her in federal custody. Before Monday, McClure was held in solitary confinement.
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A retired Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) officer told The Michael Patrick Leahy Show on Tuesday that the psychologist who treated Covenant School killer Audrey Elizabeth Hale referred her patient to Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) for treatment and involuntary commitment after Hale expressed violent fantasies.
Retired MNPD Lieutenant Garet Davidson, who recently filed a 61-page complaint against the department and claimed the FBI told MNPD not to release documents from the Covenant investigation, revealed the information to The Tennessee Star editor-in-chief Michael Patrick Leahy.
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The unanimous jury verdict last week against former President Donald Trump in the “hush money” case involving porn star Stormy Daniels is prompting concerns about unethical behavior by New York Judge Juan Merchan. Representative Elise Stefanik (R-NY-24) filed a misconduct complaint against Merchan last week, alleging that he violated ethics rules by presiding over the case since his progressive activist daughter made money from the case.
The complaint Stefanik filed with the New York State Commission on Judicial Conduct (NYSCJC) stated that under Section 100.3(E)(1)(d)(iii) of the Rules of Judicial Conduct for the New York State Unified Court System, “a judge is disqualified from a case when the judge knows that a person known by the judge to be within the sixth degree of relationship to him ‘has an interest that could be substantially affected by the proceeding.’”
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Matt Giffin, reporter at The Tennessee Star, said he was the sole reporter that attended the federal hearing on Monday in the case of transgender alleged cyberstalker McKenzie McClure, who was ordered by the federal district court judge to be temporarily released to a residential mental health facility rather than stay in federal custody.
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A retired Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) lieutenant told The Michael Patrick Leahy Show on Tuesday that the FBI sent a memo to Police Chief John Drake in May of 2023, two months after Audrey Elizabeth Hale killed three students and three staff members at the Covenant School, instructing the department not to release certain materials from the Covenant School shooting investigation and instead pointed out to the MNPD the precedent for destroying such documents.
The information was divulged to Michael Patrick Leahy, the editor-in-chief of The Tennessee Star, by recently retired MNPD Lieutenant Garet Davidson, who filed the recent 61-page complaint against the department and made other claims about the status of the investigation of Covenant School shooter Audrey Elizabeth Hale to 99.7 WTN radio host Brian Wilson.
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Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti led a coalition of 20 other state attorneys general in sending a letter to the Council of the American Bar Association (ABA) on Monday demanding that it make changes to its accreditation process to comply with the Supreme Court’s ruling on affirmative in the case Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard.
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A trial date was set on Friday for the trial to determine whether Shelby County Clerk Wanda Halbert should be removed from her position due to an alleged willful neglect for her official duties.
Tennessee 30th Circuit Judge Felicia Corbin-Johnson set Halbert’s trial date for August 26. Halbert will additionally appear in court on June 25, according to The Commercial Appeal, which reported that Corbin-Johnson will determine whether the clerk should be suspended from the job for the duration of the trial on that date.
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A group of Tennessee furries will have a float in Nashville’s 2024 gay pride parade.
“Wowie! We’re so proud to be doing this again! If you guys remember from last year, we made international news and were seen by Jill Biden, First Lady of the United States! Pretty dang cool, huh?” said a group called MurfreesFurs on its website. “Well, now EVERY FURRY GROUP IN TENNESSEE is joining us! We are sponsoring and paying for everyone to get involved with us in unity, and we can’t wait to see the fandom united under a beautiful cause! Each furry group is going to get together in decorating and building the float with their own designs, and then we march or ride in the parade!”
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Tennessee will make it a felony for a minor to access an adult content website without age verification starting Jan. 1.
Gov. Bill Lee recently signed the bill into law, making the offense a class C felony and making the entity liable for damages, including attorney’s costs and court fees.
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The Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) announced Monday morging that it shuttered a market in North Nashville due to excessive violence.
“MNPD officers & detectives now are raiding & padlocking Star Market, 1613 Buchanan St, after a prolonged disruption of quality of life in this area (drug deals, gunshots, fighting, drunkenness). This is a court ordered action under TN’s public nuisance law,” MNPD said on its X account.
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Unjustly convicted and imprisoned January 6 defendant Stewart Parks called in to The Michael Patrick Leahy Show on Monday to give an update on his life in prison, specifically to discuss how he and other inmates are being mistreated by the prison’s staff.
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NASHVILLE, Tennessee – Transgender alleged cyberstalker McKenzie McClure was ordered by a federal district court judge on Monday to be temporarily released to a residential mental health facility rather than stay in federal custody.
McClure’s representation proposed the plan to temporarily release her in a Monday hearing. The prosecution agreed with the plan after negotiating several conditions for McClure’s release and initially preferring that she remain in federal custody. McClure’s charges were not discussed in the hearing.
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A man with a lengthy criminal record was arrested and charged on Sunday for allegedly following, touching, and exposing himself to a woman at a WeGo bus station in Nashville.
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My husband Ben and I used to run a mobile karaoke business in Nashville, Tennessee. Every Thursday evening, we would load up our vehicle and head to a popular restaurant to help facilitate a night of good music and great memories.
As a woman who was concerned for her safety, I usually carried my permitted concealed handgun with me. But in April of 2009, Tennessee did not allow carrying firearms in restaurants that served alcohol, so I left my handgun locked inside of my vehicle.
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A source provided The Tennessee Star with the name of the psychologist who was reportedly part of the care team for Covenant School killer Audrey Elizabeth Hale. That psychologist allegedly failed in her professional and legal duty to warn law enforcement after Hale purportedly expressed fantasies about murdering her family members and carrying out a school shooting while under treatment.
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Tennessee U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) joined a group of her Republican colleagues in introducing the More Opportunities for Moms to Succeed (MOMS) Act on Friday.
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Gov. Bill Lee (R) last week signed into law a bill that will require some accused domestic abusers to wear GPS monitors if they are granted bail.
SB 1972, also known as the “The Debbie and Marie Domestic Violence Protection Act,” will take effect on July 1.
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Former President Donald Trump received thunderous applause from the crowd of an Ultimate Fighting Championship competition in Newark, New Jersey, as fans waited for the main event, which was Dustin Poirier’s match against Islam Makhachev for the UFC Lightweight Championship.
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A source provided The Tennessee Star with the name of the psychologist who was reportedly part of the care team for Covenant School killer Audrey Elizabeth Hale. That psychologist allegedly failed in her professional and legal duty to warn law enforcement after Hale purportedly expressed fantasies about murdering her family members and carrying out a school shooting while under treatment.
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A New York jury found former President Donald Trump guilty on all 34 criminal counts related to falsifying business records last week, prompting outcry that New York Judge Juan Merchan, who was handpicked to handle the case and who donated to Joe Biden, committed misconduct during the trial, including how he handled the jury instructions. A CNN senior legal analyst reported that the case was full of so many legal stretches that employees of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office referred to it as the “zombie case.”
Daniel Street, an attorney in Louisiana who writes about lawfare, told The Tennessee Star the jury instructions were “terrible.”
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Tennessee contractors can now hire third-party inspectors instead of having local governments inspect the project.
The law, which goes into effect Oct. 1, requires fees charged by a local government for third-party plans, examination, inspection, review or permit packaging to be the same charged by the local government to perform the same service.
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A report from POD, the moving and storage company, says that three cities in Tennessee are among the top 20 in America where people are moving.
“We’re seeing more people move to the Southern Appalachian region, which includes states like North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia, and Alabama,” the report said. “Tennessee tied with Florida for the third most popular state for new moves.”
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On the first day of June, politicians, political organizations and private companies took to X, formerly Twitter, to celebrate gay pride month.
“Happy Pride, everyone!” said disgraced former Nashville mayor turned congressional candidate Megan Barry. “I proudly stand with the LGBTQ+ community. Let’s celebrate love, diversity, and equality for all. Together, we can build a Tennessee where everyone feels seen, heard, and valued.”
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Tennessee U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) joined a coalition of nine other senators in signing a pledge vowing to not “aid and abet this White House in its project to tear this country apart.”
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Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti and Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch led a coalition of 13 other states in filing a lawsuit challenging the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) final rule, which redefines the Affordable Care Act’s prohibition against discrimination based on “sex” to include “gender identity.”
As of May 6, HHS’ final rule requires medical providers to perform surgeries and administer hormone drugs to both children and adults for the purpose of gender transition, without regard for a doctor’s medical judgment as to whether that treatment was appropriate.
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An individual allegedly involved in a scheme to acquire Elvis Presley’s iconic Graceland home in Memphis reportedly reached out to CNN via email claiming responsibility for the scam, the outlet reported this week.
Graceland became the target of Nausanny Investments and Private Lending, LLC after the company claimed that the singer’s daughter, Lisa Marie Presley, who died in 2023, didn’t repay a loan using the home as collateral.
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Tom Pappert, the lead reporter at The Tennessee Star, said the photograph released by the Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) that shows the 15-year-old arrested for the fatal Wednesday night shooting in Bellevue smiling after the incident is “bone-chilling.”
On Thursday, Pappert reported that MNPD confirmed the arrest of 15-year-old De’Anthony Osasosifo and named him as a suspect in the Wednesday night shooting in the parking lot of the Red Caboose Park in Bellevue that left a 13-year-old dead and his 16-year-old sister hospitalized.
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Covenant School shooter Audrey Elizabeth Hale reportedly told her therapist that she was fantasizing about killing her family and committing a school shooting, according to a report by 99.7 WTN radio host Brian Wilson. The therapist reportedly did not report these findings to authorities.
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Metro Nashville Police Department declined to comment on allegations by a recently retired MNPD officer who claimed police searched the home and office of a “practitioner” involved in the Covenant shooting investigation.
Former Lieutenant Garet Davidson is skeptical the Covenant shooting investigation is still “active, open, and actually being worked” despite MNPD’s claim that the investigation is open, he said in an interview with 99.7 WTN host Brian Wilson on his afternoon drive radio show.
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The global news organization Reuters claimed on Friday that women voters in Pennsylvania may now have second thoughts about voting for former President Donald Trump after he was convicted in the controversial New York hush money trial on Thursday.
Reuters claimed to have conducted 22 interviews with female voters in Pennsylvania in the hours after Trump became the first former president convicted in a criminal trial in U.S. history.
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A Nashville church will hold a “Spirituality Night” during June’s LGBT Pride festivities.
On June 12, the First Unitarian Universalist Church of Nashville will host the event.
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In a yet-to-be-released episode of her podcast Unmuted, Sen. Marsha Blackburn spoke with former President Donald J. Trump’s economic advisor, Stephen Moore, about the state of the economy, which the senator said is in much worse shape than the Biden administration’s official numbers.
“[R]ight now, Tennesseans are spending about $1,000 a month more than they were spending in 2020 during President Trump’s time,” Blackburn said before introducing Moore. “And repeatedly, I hear these questions. How are they arriving at these inflation numbers when they tell us it’s really not that bad? And we go to the grocery store in the gas pump and go by the clothing store, and prices are through the roof.”
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A New York jury unanimously convicted Donald Trump on all 34 counts in the criminal case against him on Thursday for falsifying business records to disguise a $130,000 hush money payment from Trump’s former attorney Michael Cohen to porn star Stormy Daniels.
New York Judge Juan Merchan set a sentencing date for July 11.
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A 61-page complaint against the Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) by a retired officer was obtained in full by 99.7 WTN radio host Brian Wilson and published on his website Thursday afternoon.
Wilson interviewed the complaint’s author — former MNPD Lieutenant Garet Davidson — Thursday on his afternoon drive time radio show.
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Every member of the Tennessee congressional delegation reacted to former President Donald Trump being found guilty by a Manhattan jury on all 34 counts in the falsification of business records linked to the Stormy Daniels hush money scandal on Thursday.
Thursday’s verdict marks the first time in history that a U.S. president has been convicted of a felony.
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Former President Donald Trump was found guilty Wednesday by a New York jury of falsifying business records for falsifying business records to conceal his reimbursement to Michael Cohen for payments to Stormy Daniels and others ahead of the 2016 election.
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New York Judge Juan Merchan announced a verdict has been reached in Trump’s hush money trial.
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A suspect is in custody for allegedly stabbing a homeless man at the WeGo bus station on Thursday morning in Nashville’s Edgehill community, according to WKRN.
Police were dispatched to the incident around 5:15 a.m. on Thursday about two men fighting at the intersection of 12th Avenue South and Wedgewood Avenue, the outlet reported.
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Todd Bensman, senior national security fellow at the Center for Immigration Studies, is demanding answers from the Biden Administration after two reported illegal aliens from Jordan – one of which is reported to be on the terrorist watch list – attempted to breach Marine Corps Base Quantico with a box truck.
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To kick off Pride Month on June 1, a group called “Chattanooga Youth Pride” will host drag shows for children at the Seed Theatre in the Scenic City.
“The highlight of the event, there’s a stage set up for live performances by talented LGBTQ+ youth artists, including singers, dancers, poets, and drag performers,” says an online invite to the event. “The performances showcase the diversity and creativity of the community, while spreading messages of love, acceptance, and pride.”
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The Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) on Thursday confirmed the arrest of 15-year-old De’Anthony Osasosifo and named him as a suspect in the Wednesday night shooting that left a 13-year-old dead and his 16-year-old sister hospitalized.
MNPD revealed on social media that a 13-year-old boy was fatally wounded and his 16-year-old sister was shot and suffered non-life threatening injuries after “gunfire erupted during a teen fight” in the parking lot of the Red Caboose Park in Bellevue.
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Memphis Police Department (MPD) Interim Chief C.J. Davis confirmed at a Tuesday town hall that police seized 10 vehicles from reckless drivers over Memorial Day weekend to curb the number of street takeovers in the city.
Davis was joined by Memphis Mayor Paul Young and other Memphis officials at a town hall in Raleigh. After the mayor revealed his plans to address crime in the city, Davis answered questions about the city’s ongoing efforts to curtail illegal street takeovers.
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It was determined on Tuesday that Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti will receive a complaint against Tennessee State Senate candidate Bobby Harshbarger, the Republican primary challenger to Senator Jon Lundberg (R-Bristol).
The complaint, originally filed by Tennessee Senate Republican Caucus Chair Ken Yager (R-Kingston) on April 25, alleges inappropriate collusion between political campaigns and the East Tennessee Conservatives PAC to send mass texts messages which allege Lundberg failed to adequately represent his conservative constituents on key votes.
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The state of Tennessee achieved a court victory against five online liquor stores that were selling alcohol without a license in the state, the state announced in a Tuesday release.
Undercover agents of the Tennessee Alcoholic Beverage Commission (TABC) ordered and received alcohol from each online seller, Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti’s office said in a release announcing the original lawsuit in July 2023. Staff attorneys then sent cease and desist letters to each distributor, but each letter was ignored.
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Tennessee Secretary of State Tre Hargett is urging those eligible across the Volunteer State to become poll workers for the upcoming August 1 primary elections and the November 5 general election.
The job of poll workers is to help polling sites run smoothly during early voting and on Election Day by conducting various tasks, including greeting voters, answering questions, explaining how to cast a ballot, and counting votes at their community locations.
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Metro Nashville’s newly formed Community Review Board (CRB) held a special meeting on Tuesday about a series of allegations by a disgruntled former Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) officer.
The 61-page complaint contained allegations that high-level MNPD officers engaged in lobbying behind closed doors to pass a 2023 state law that banned the city’s Community Oversight Board (COB). The complaint also alleged that MNPD undermined the Office of Professional Accountability (OPA), MNPD’s internal affairs division responsible for investigating police misconduct.
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