Category: The South

Memphis Safe Task Force Catches Convicted Murderer ‘Erroneously Released’ in September 2025

Tom Pappert
Anthony Green

The U.S. Marshals Service announced on Thursday that the Memphis Safe Task Force (MSTF) apprehended Anthony Green, who was convicted of first-degree murder in September 2025, but nonetheless released by the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office (SCSO).

Green was first indicted in March 2021 for the murder of Octavious Atkins, who was struck multiple times after Green shot into his vehicle in June 2020. According to the Marshals, he was convicted on September 24, 2025, but “erroneously released” the same day. Action News 5 reported last year that that the SCSO acknowledged Green was released as a the result of a “miscommunication,” and pledged to “reinforce training, improve oversight, and ensure strict compliance with all courtroom and bail-related procedures.”

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Nashville Graduate Earns National Honors for College Radio Program

Kaitlin Housler
radio

A Nashville graduate is among the Hillsdale College students recognized nationally for their work at the Michigan college’s student-run radio station.

Lilly Faye Kraemer, a member of Hillsdale’s Class of 2028 and a St. Cecilia Academy graduate from Nashville, earned third place in the Best Regularly Scheduled Entertainment Program category of the 2026 College Broadcasters, Inc. (CBI) National Student Production Awards.

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Nashville Selectively Cites Court Order to Justify Continued Denial of Covenant School Killer Writings Despite Tennessee Supreme Court Loss

Tom Pappert
Audrey Hale

Metro Nashville selectively cited portions of a February ruling by the Tennessee Court of Appeals in a response filed Monday in the Covenant School killer public records lawsuit brought by The Tennessee Star, through its parent company Star News Digital Media, Inc. (SNDM), and Editor-in-Chief Michael Patrick Leahy, to justify its continued refusal to provide copies of the killer’s writings.

The lawsuit by Leahy and SNDM was originally filed against Metro Nashville in May 2023 in order to compel the release of the writings left by Audrey Elizabeth Hale, who killed six at the Covenant School on March 27, 2023. Davidson County Chancellor I’Ashea L. Myles ruled against Leahy, SNDM, and other plaintiffs suing Metro on July 4, 2024.

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Leahy Warns ‘Soft Coup’ Against Trump Could Be in Motion Ahead of Midterms: ‘Elements’ Already in Place

Kaitlin Housler
Michael Patrick Leahy

Michael Patrick Leahy, CEO and editor-in-chief of The Tennessee Star, warned Thursday that the United States could face a constitutional crisis following the November midterm elections, citing claims from researcher DataRepublican that former government officials and activist organizations are preparing to challenge the legitimacy of the Trump administration.

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Nashville AIDS Clinic Sues Tennessee over Illegal Aliens’ Access to Taxpayer-Funded Medical, Dental, Nutrition, and Mental Health Services

Tom Pappert
Nashville CARES headquarters

A lawsuit was filed against Tennessee on Monday in Davidson County Chancery Court by Nashville CARES, a nonprofit AIDS clinic challenging new guidance issued by the Tennessee Department of Health (TDH) in response to a new law expanding citizenship and immigration-status verification requirements for public benefits.

Nashville CARES argues in its lawsuit that TDH guidance is preempted by the federal Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996, a welfare reform law that generally prohibits illegal aliens from receiving certain taxpayer-funded benefits, but makes exceptions for the testing and treatment of communicable diseases, including HIV/AIDS.

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East Tennessee Prosecutors Announce Third Settlement over Alleged PPP Fraud in Three Weeks, Bringing Combined Total to $8.3 Million

Tom Pappert
Spradling works

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Tennessee announced that the Department of Justice (DOJ) had reached a settlement over alleged Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) fraud, marking the third settlement related to the pandemic-era loan program to be announced by prosecutors in East Tennessee since September 30.

With Tennessee offices located in Maryville, Spralding International, Inc. is the latest company named by the DOJ, which reported on Wednesday that the company agreed to pay more than $1.8 million in order to resolve claims it violated the False Claims Act, specifically by “applying for, receiving, and obtaining forgiveness,” for a PPP loan despite not being eligible. 

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Virginia State Senator Louise Lucas Faces Five Felony Charges in Alleged $4.5 Million Marijuana Scheme

Christina Botteri
State Senator Louise Lucas

Virginia State Senator Lillie Louise Lucas, 82, was charged in an eight-count federal indictment with leading a criminal marijuana distribution enterprise that prosecutors say involved family members, associates, money laundering, and the use of her public office, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia announced Thursday.

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Blackburn Says Jerri Green ‘Would Put Illegal Aliens over Your Family’ After Democrat Votes for ICE to be Removed from Memphis

Tom Pappert
Jerri Green

U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) on Wednesday said that Jerri Green, her opponent in the Tennessee gubernatorial race, “would put illegal aliens over your family” after the Democrat and member of the Memphis City Council voted in favor of a resolution calling for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the National Guard to be removed from the Memphis Safe Task Force (MSTF). 

“This is a contrast election: I fought for the Memphis Safe Task Force, and just last night my radical liberal socialist opponent voted for a resolution to remove ICE and the National Guard from taking part in the Memphis Safe Task Force,” said Blackburn in a statement obtained by The Tennessee Star.

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Memphis Approves 135-Day Data Center Permit Moratorium, Orders New Regulations in Blow to Democrat TN-9 Nominee Justin Pearson

Tom Pappert
Memphis City Council

The Memphis City Council on Tuesday approved an ordinance establishing new regulations for data centers used for artificial intelligence (AI), now renamed super intelligence (SI) by the Trump administration, in a development characterized as a loss by State Representative Justin Pearson (D-Memphis).

Passed in a 7-5 vote, the ordinance establishes a 135-day pause on accepting, processing, hearing, or approving applications and permits for new data center construction, though the pause can end early if permanent regulations are adopted.

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Van Epps Condemns Copeland After Democrat Refuses to Set Abortion Limits

Kaitlin Housler
Darden Copeland

U.S. Representative Matt Van Epps (R-TN-07) condemned his Democratic challenger Darden Copeland’s position on abortion after Copeland said he would not support politicians imposing restrictions on abortion during an interview Tuesday on The Matt Murphy Show.

The exchange came during the final minutes of Copeland’s roughly half-hour interview with Murphy, when the host pressed the Democratic nominee on whether he believed there should be a point during pregnancy when abortion should no longer be permitted.

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Exclusive: U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan Campaigns With Charlie Hatcher, Says House Majority Could Hinge on Races Like TN-05

Kaitlin Housler
Charlie Hatcher and Rep. Jim Jordan

U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, joined Tennessee Republican congressional nominee Charlie Hatcher for an exclusive sit-down interview Tuesday on The Michael Patrick Leahy Show, where Jordan warned that a Democratic takeover of the House could lead to renewed efforts to impeach President Donald Trump and weaponize congressional oversight against his administration.

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Tennessee Takeover of Memphis-Shelby County Schools Blocked Again by State Judge Just Days After Federal Court Cleared Path

Tom Pappert
Teacher and students

Shelby County Chancellor Joe Day L. Jenkins reportedly blocked the Tennessee takeover of Memphis-Shelby County Schools (MSCS) on Monday with a bench order issued just days after U.S. District Judge Waverly Crenshaw dissolved his order that had blocked the state-appointed Education Oversight Board from meeting until earlier this month.

Jenkins reportedly made the decision minutes before the board’s second October meeting was scheduled, Chalkbeat reported, noting that the Shelby County plaintiffs argued the MSCS school district did not meet the law’s qualifications for a takeover and that the district would be irreparably harmed by allowing it to proceed.

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Blackburn Holds 11-Point Lead in Tennessee Gubernatorial Race as Voters Highlight Concerns over Communism and Socialism: Poll

Tom Pappert
Marsha Blackburn

Polling released for Tennessee’s gubernatorial race on Monday found U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) holding an 11.5-point lead over the Democratic nominee, Jerri Green, while independent candidate David Hatley reached double digits. 

The Spry Research survey showed that Blackburn has the support of 43.5 percent of the electorate, followed by Green at 32 percent. Hatley trails both major party candidates at 11.9 percent, while an additional 1.4 percent of respondents told pollsters they support former Lipscomb University professor Lauren Pinkston in her independent bid. 

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Hegseth Swears In New Recruits During UT Visit Before Volunteers’ 26-10 Win Over Alabama

Kaitlin Housler
Pete Hegseth

U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth visited the University of Tennessee (UT) in Knoxville on Saturday to meet with Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) cadets and administer the enlistment oath to new recruits before the Volunteers defeated the Alabama Crimson Tide at Neyland Stadium.

Hegseth’s visit was part of his “Send Me Tour,” a military outreach and recruitment initiative launched in September.

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Sixth Circuit Allows TVA to Continue Building $2.5 Million Tennessee Natural Gas Plant After District Judge Blocked Construction

Tom Pappert
TVA facility

The Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals on Friday granted a request by the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) to vacate a lower court decision that threatened construction of a $2.5 billion natural gas power plant in August, determining the publicly owned utility was likely to prevail in its appeal. 

Proposed in 2024 to replace the TVA’s coal plant in Kingston, U.S. District Judge Curtis Collier, who was appointed by former President Bill Clinton, ruled in August that TVA failed to consider a legally sufficient number of alternatives, and determined TVA improperly committed to natural gas by agreeing to build a pipeline for the new facility. 

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Attorney General Todd Blanche Confirms Memphis Safe Task Force to Remain After One-Year Anniversary: ‘We Have Invested in This City’

Tom Pappert
Memphis Safe Task Force

With more than 13,500 arrests reported since it deployed last year, U.S. Attorney Todd Blanche said the Memphis Safe Task Force (MSTF) would remain in the city, calling it an investment by the Department of Justice (DOJ) and other federal agencies that compose the task force.

Blanche made the comments at a Friday roundtable event held by the DOJ to mark the one-year anniversary of the task force, which President Donald Trump authorized in September 2025 and which was fully deployed by October 2025.

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TN-9 Democrat Nominee Justin Pearson Sues Memphis over Ban from City Council Meetings

Tom Pappert
Justin Pearson

State Representative Justin Pearson (D-Memphis), the Democrats’ nominee for Tennessee’s 9th Congressional District, on Thursday announced that he filed a lawsuit against the City of Memphis after he was prohibited from attending two Memphis City Council meetings following the protest that caused its October 6 meeting to be ended prematurely amid protests.

Justin Pearson announced the lawsuit in a post to social media, revealing his co-plaintiffs include his mother, Dr. Kimberly Owens-Pearson, as well as his brother KeShaun Pearson. Justin Pearson previously launched the Memphis Community Against Pollution (MCAP) activist group, which is now led by KeShaun Pearson. 

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Transgender Teacher Convicted of Threatening ‘Murder Spree’ at School, Media Bury Gender Identity

Just the News
Hadyn Dollery

A Virginia jury found transgender former Loudoun County substitute teacher Hadyn Dollery guilty on “two counts of threatening to injure or kill a person, one count of making threats on school grounds, and one count of threatening to damage a building,” charges that bring up to 25 years in prison combined, Loudoun Now reported.

Prosecutors showed evidence that 19-year-old Dollery, able to teach under a state law requiring only a high school diploma to be a substitute, threatened a “murder spree” at John Champe High School, where Dollery taught at the time, after the teacher’s student boyfriend broke up with him.

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Tennessee Secretary of State Confirms Interception of ‘Suspicious Package’ Addressed to State Division of Elections Office

Tom Pappert
Tre Hargett

Tennessee Secretary of State Tre Hargett on Thursday confirmed a “suspicious package” addressed to the Division of Elections Office was “intercepted,” adding Tennessee to the list of at least seven states where officials have reported similar incidents.

“We can confirm that a suspicious package addressed to the State Division of Elections Office was intercepted,” Hargett said in a social media post he said he published in response to inquiries from both Tennessee and national media outlets.

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Attorney General Todd Blanche Visits Memphis to Tout Task Force as Crime Falls to 25-Year Low

Kaitlin Housler
Todd Blanche

U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche visited Memphis on Friday to highlight the Memphis Safe Task Force’s results, crediting the multi-agency operation with reducing overall crime by 34 percent from the previous year.

Blanche said the task force, which launched in September 2025, has helped drive a 33 percent decline in murders, a 25 percent drop in sexual assaults, a 54 percent decrease in motor vehicle thefts, and a 40 percent decline in robberies.

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Tennessee Independent Gubernatorial Candidate David Hatley Omitted Virginia Misdemeanor Conviction from Memoir Detailing Criminal Past

Tom Pappert
David Hatley

A memoir released earlier this year by Tennessee independent gubernatorial candidate David Hatley reveals his federal fraud conviction, which stemmed from a scheme in which he wrote checks to himself using an old checkbook he said he found in a condominium.

While revealing the federal crime, Hatley’s book does not disclose a second conviction he received that same year after pleading guilty to misdemeanor petit larceny in a Virginia case that began with felony indictments, according to court records obtained by The Tennessee Star. 

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Another Prediction Market Company Sues Tennessee over Sports Betting Laws Weeks After State’s Victory over Kalshi

Tom Pappert
Underdog Sports bet

Less than a month after an injunction freezing Tennessee’s ability to regulate sports-event contracts on prediction markets was dissolved by the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals, a new lawsuit by another prediction market company was filed against the Volunteer State on Tuesday.

The lawsuit was filed by Underdog Exchange DCM, Inc. and UDM, LLC, which operate the prediction market business of Underdog Sports Holdings, Inc., a company that British financial services firm IG Group agreed to acquire for up to $1.3 billion in July.

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Three Memphis Tax Fraudsters Convicted in Cases Involving More Than $37 Million as DOJ Reports $490 Million in Nationwide Tax Fraud

Tom Pappert
arrest

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Tennessee on Wednesday reported that three tax fraudsters had entered guilty pleas in cases involving a total of $37 million. The three cases reported in West Tennessee are part of over $490 million in tax fraud discovered across the country through the crackdown launched in April by President Donald Trump and led by Vice President JD Vance. 

All three of the West Tennessee cases profiled by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) occurred in Memphis. The latest guilty plea came in the case against Lynette Hogue, a 45-year-old Memphis woman, who the DOJ said admitted her guilt on Tuesday to preparing false and fraudulent income tax returns ad failing to file her own tax returns. 

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White House ‘Really Screwed Up’ by Failing to Vet Press Secretary Katie Zacharia’s Legal Credentials, Former Prosecutor Says

Kaitlin Housler
Katie Zacharia

Tea Party Nation founder and former prosecutor Judson Phillips said the White House failed to properly vet press secretary Katie Zacharia after she acknowledged she never passed a state bar exam, arguing that the controversy has undermined her credibility and could become a lasting problem for President Donald Trump’s administration.

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Educational Oversight Board Chair Tells Federal Court They Are Ready to Take Control of Memphis-Shelby County Schools

Tom Pappert
school

The Educational Oversight Board appointed to take control over Memphis-Shelby County Schools (MSCS) told U.S. District Judge Waverly Crenshaw on Wednesday that its chairman will testify that the board is “ready, willing, and able” to begin its duties under the Public School Accountability Act, Tennessee’s new law that allows the state to appoint an oversight board to take over school districts under specific conditions.

U.S. District Judge Waverly Crenshaw, who was appointed by former President Barack Obama, previously issued an order on July 1 that instructed Tennessee to maintain the status quo from prior to the passage of the law, but during a hearing earlier this month reportedly said he never intended his order to prevent the board from meeting, and signaled that he would dissolve the order as soon as the board confirmed it was ready to meet.

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President Trump Signs Blackburn’s American Music Tourism Act into Law

Kaitlin Housler
music concert

President Donald Trump signed a bipartisan bill led by U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) into law to promote music tourism across the United States, including Tennessee’s historic music destinations.

Blackburn’s American Music Tourism Act, filed as S. 195, will direct the U.S. Department of Commerce to identify and promote locations and events important to music tourism, with the goal of increasing domestic and international travel to those destinations.

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Exclusive: Van Epps’ ‘Mission’ Ad Spotlights Military Service and Perfect Congressional Voting Record

Kaitlin Housler
Matt Van Epps

U.S. Representative Matt Van Epps (R-TN-07) launched a new reelection ad Wednesday highlighting his perfect congressional voting record and military service as early voting opens across Tennessee ahead of the November 3 general election.

The ad, titled “Mission,” connects Van Epps’ experience as a combat veteran and Army helicopter pilot with his approach to serving in Congress, emphasizing his record of attending every House vote since taking office.

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Tennessee Law Helped Stop Biden-Era Political Debanking: Treasury Department Report

Tom Pappert
Bank Teller

The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), an independent bureau within the U.S. Treasury Department, on Wednesday released a 47-page report on “debanking activities” by nine of the country’s largest banks, revealing each of them established policies between 2020 and 2025 that resulted in Americans losing or being denied access to financial services “because of their political or religious beliefs or lawful business activities.”

The report states that banks began reconsidering their political debanking policies after states, including Tennessee, Florida, and Idaho, enacted “fair access” laws that prohibit financial institutions from debanking customers based on their political or religious beliefs.

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Tennessee Early Voting Opens Wednesday

Kaitlin Housler
vote here

Early voting for Tennessee’s November 3 general election begins Wednesday, giving voters a chance to cast ballots before Election Day in races for governor, the U.S. Senate, Congress, and the Tennessee General Assembly.

The November 3 general election will include contests for governor and the state’s U.S. Senate seat currently held by U.S. Senator Bill Hagerty (R-TN), along with all nine of Tennessee’s U.S. House seats.

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Trump Admin Scrapped Biden-Era Refugee Program Shaped by Soros-Tied Think Tank That Identified Seven Tennessee Counties for Migration

Tom Pappert
Haitian Refugees

The Trump administration ended the Biden-era Welcome Corps refugee program months before one of its proponents, the Niskanen Center, published a report identifying seven Tennessee counties as potential destinations for new immigrants.

Niskanen, a pro-immigration think tank that has received funding from the Open Society Foundations, in March 2022 joined the International Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP), Amnesty International USA, and the Community Sponsorship Hub in policy recommendations submitted to the U.S. State Department in response to a February 2021 executive order produced by President Joe Biden, which directed federal agencies to expand refugee resettlement.

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Federal Court Dismisses Final Lawsuit Challenging New Tennessee Congressional Map, Calls ‘Racist Conspiracy’ Allegations ‘Implausible’

Tom Pappert
NAACP Protest

A panel of federal judges last week dismissed the lawsuit brought by the Tennessee State Conference of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), who challenged Tennessee’s recently-redrawn Congressional maps based on claims that Republicans in the Tennessee General Assembly exploited a rushed process to conceal their alleged use of racial census data in order to diminish the weight of black voters in Memphis. 

The three judges assigned to the case noted in their dismissal order, which was made publicly available on Monday, that the plaintiffs “alleged that the legislature engaged in a racist conspiracy and public coverup to intentionally dilute the Black vote in Tennessee.”

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Exclusive: Blackburn Makes Her Case to Tennessee Voters Ahead of Early Voting

Kaitlin Housler
Marsha Blackburn

Republican gubernatorial nominee U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) made her case to Tennessee voters in an exclusive interview with The Tennessee Star’s CEO and Editor-in-Chief Michael Patrick Leahy this week as early voting approaches, declaring she is the race’s “only conservative Republican” and warning her opponents would raise taxes, drive up prices, and make the state less safe.

“The campaign is going great; we are working hard,” Blackburn said Monday during an appearance on The Michael Patrick Leahy Show.

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Some Lee Administration Officials Reportedly Oppose Another Christa Pike Execution as Blackburn Slams 30-Year Wait

Tom Pappert
Christa Pike

Officials serving under Governor Bill Lee are reportedly in disagreement about the fate of Christa Pike, who was convicted 30 years ago for murdering Colleen Slemmer during a prolonged attack in 1995.

Lee paused all executions scheduled for the remainder of 2026 after Pike survived two doses of lethal injection administered under the Tennessee Department of Correction (TDOC) last month.

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Nashville’s Broadway Bars Hit by Massive Property Tax Hikes Appear Too New for Freddie O’Connell’s ‘Legacy Business’ Grants

Tom Pappert
ACME Feed and Seed

Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell approved the Metro Council’s legislation to implement the “legacy business” grants described earlier this year, in response to business owners warning that soaring property taxes were undermining their ability to succeed financially in the city.

After property taxes drew headlines when Acme Feed & Seed warned that a 356 percent property tax hike on its leased property would raise its property tax bill from $129,000 to about $589,000, the O’Connell administration announced a “legacy business” program the mayor said would support Nashville business owners.

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Metro Nashville Sets October Hearing as Tennessee Star Continues Fight for Covenant Records

Kaitlin Housler
Audrey Hale

Tom Pappert, lead reporter at The Tennessee Star, detailed new developments in The Star’s ongoing legal fight to obtain records related to the 2023 Covenant School shooting, including a table of contents identifying documents Metro Nashville officials may soon release and correspondence between the police department and the FBI concerning a memo about mass shooters’ writings.

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