Tennessee Firearms Association Founder John Harris Slams State Law Prohibiting Use of Deadly Force to Defend Personal or Real Property

John Harris

Founder of the Tennessee Firearms Association and Second Amendment expert John Harris is bringing attention to Tennessee’s law prohibiting the use of deadly force to protect real or personal property.

Harris’ criticism of the statute, Tennessee Code Annotated §§ 39-11-611; 39-11-614, comes as residents in East Tennessee impacted by devastating flash flooding from Hurricane Helene are being warned of an increased possibility that looters may trespass on properties in areas affected by the weather looking for valuable property or essential supplies.

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Kamala Harris Names Anti-Gun Tennessee State Rep. Justin Jones as Ideal Leader for New Generation

Kamala Harris and Justin Jones

Vice President Kamala Harris described controversial State Representative Justin Jones (D-Nashville) as a prominent leader for young people during an interview with progressive social media publisher NowThis Impact released on Tuesday.

In the interview, Harris was asked by the liberal news organization to name five “ideal dinner guests,” and the vice president said Jones would have the fifth seat at a table largely seated with civil rights icons.

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Congresswoman Diana Harshbarger on the Ground in East Tennessee Helping Victims of Hurricane Helene

Diana Harshbarger

Tennessee U.S. Representative Diana Harshbarger (R-TN-01) has been on the ground meeting with East Tennessee residents impacted by Hurricane Helene and working to gather and distribute supplies to those in need in the aftermath of the storm.

Harshbarger, whose district stretches from the far northeastern point of the state down to the Gatlinburg area, and her staff have deployed to multiple counties impacted by the hurricane since flood waters devastated areas to assess each community’s needs and help distribute supplies.

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Memphis Man Who Allegedly Brought Illegal Gun to High School Now Charged with Robbery

Javarious Sistrunk

A 19-year-old Memphis man who was arrested after he allegedly brought a stolen gun to Hamilton High School was arrested again on Monday and remains behind bars after reportedly being charged with aggravated battery and possession of controlled substances.

Shelby County Sheriff’s Office records confirm Javarious Sistrunk is back in jail on Monday, where he is held on a $80,000 bond, after Action News 5 reported police accused him of robbing a woman and possessing a controlled substance on Monday night. 

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Federal Judge Tosses Lawsuit over Tennessee Trans Bathroom Law Filed by 8-Year-Old

Judge William "Chip" Campbell

U.S. District Judge William Campbell on Friday dismissed a lawsuit which sought to block Tennessee’s legislation requiring children use the bathroom that corresponds to their biological gender, determining courts have already determined the law is not discriminatory to men or women.

The litigation was launched in 2022 by an 8-year-old plaintiff named in the lawsuit as D.H., who is a biological male that identifies as a transgender female. The child’s mother accused Tennessee of legalizing “discrimination against helpless children” after the law was signed by Governor Bill Lee in 2021.

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Illegal Immigrant Hit with 17 Charges in Nashville over Alleged Six-Mile Shooting Spree

Edixon Oniel Murillo-Antunez

The man charged with 17 crimes after he committed an alleged six-mile shooting spree that began at a park in Nashville is being held as illegal immigrant, Davidson County Sheriff’s Office records reveal after Edixon Oniel Murillo-Antunez was arrested on Wednesday.

Sheriff’s office records indicate Murillo-Antunez is held at Nashville’s Downtown Detention Center under an Immigration Customs and Enforcement (ICE) detainer after initially being granted the ability to secure his release with a bond.

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Sens. Blackburn, Hagerty Among Senators Seeking to Close ‘Loophole’ Biden-Harris Used to Grant Amnesty to Illegal Immigrants

illegal immigrants

New legislation introduced in the U.S. Senate on Thursday by a group of lawmakers, including Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) and Bill Hagerty (R-TN), would eliminate the “loophole” used by the Biden-Harris administration to grant legal status to more than 500,000 illegal immigrants.

Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) is joined by the Visa Integrity Preservation Act by 13 other Republican senators, including Blackburn and Hagerty, in an effort they argue “ould close a loophole in current law that the Biden-Harris administration took advantage of in a June 2024 executive action to grant amnesty to illegal immigrants who entered the United States without inspection or overstayed a visa.”

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Covenant School Announces Plan for New Campus Years After Attack

Covenant School Gym

The Covenant School and Covenant Presbyterian Church announced in a joint statement Thursday that they will begin a capital campaign to move the school to a new campus years after the March 27, 2023, attack on the Nashville school.

A new web page for the capital campaign suggested the decision was prompted by the continued growth of the Covenant School. This growth prompted school and church officials to determine that students would return to the church campus for “a three-year rent-free lease agreement with continued financial support from the church.”

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White House Silent After Commerce Secretary Declares Trump Should be ‘Extinguished for Good’

Gina Raimondo

The Biden-Harris White House has yet to issue a response after Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo said former President Donald Trump should be “extinguished for good” during a Wednesday appearance on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” program known to be a favorite of President Joe Biden.

Raimondo told “Morning Joe” host Mika Brzezinski that Trump should be “extinguished” after he promised to protect women if elected in November in remarks made after the network clarified the commerce secretary appeared in her personal capacity.

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DOJ Publishes Letter by Alleged Attempted Trump Assassin Despite FBI Memo Policy Against Release of ‘Legacy Tokens’

Ryan Wesley Routh

A note purportedly written by Ryan Wesley Routh, who is accused of attempting to assassinate former President Donald Trump on September 15, was released on Monday by the Department of Justice (DOJ) in a public court filing.

According to the court filing, Routh asked an associate to keep a box of his belongings. After the attack, the associate opened the box and discovered the letter, wherein prosecutors claim Routh confirmed his intent to assassinate Trump and offered a $150,000 bounty should someone prove successful.

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Sponsor of Tennessee Abortion Trafficking Law Remains ‘Confident’ in Positive Outcome After Federal Judge Blocks Enforcement

Tennessee Str Rep. Jason Zachary and Judge Aleta Arthur Trauger

State Representative Jason Zachary (R-Knoxville) on Saturday confirmed he remains “confident” Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti will successfully defend the Tennessee law that bans abortion trafficking after U.S. District Judge Aleta Trauger (pictured above, left) temporarily blocked it with a Friday ruling.

In the latest development in the court case brought by Representative Aftyn Behn (D-Nashville) against the law which prohibits non-parental guardians from facilitating the travel of a minor for the purpose of obtaining an abortion, The Associated Press reported Trauger noted ruling the Tennessee General Assembly is prohibited from making “it a crime to communicate freely” about legal abortion.

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Six Books Removed from Tennessee Schools Contained Graphic Sex Scenes, Depictions of Slavery

School Board Meeting

Six books were successfully removed from schools in Rutherford County, Tennessee on Friday after school board members voted Thursday to place literature with graphic adult themes on a “mature reading list” that would prevent students from accessing the materials.

Multiple members of the public spoke ahead of the meeting, including a father named James Faulkner, who read from one of the books he argued includes “clear and obvious sections of pornographic scenes” that are unsuitable for minors.

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Tennessee Sheriff Asks Citizens to Report Suspicious Activity amid ‘Ongoing Border Crisis,’ ‘Growing Homeless Population’

Eddie Farris

Putnam County Sheriff Eddie Farris on Wednesday urged the public to report suspicious activity to his office after photos of Greyhound buses reportedly sparked speculation about illegal immigration in Tennessee.

In a statement posted to the social media platform X, Farris revealed a photograph of two buses with Texas license plates were actually Greyhound buses. One bus had broken down, according to Farris, requiring a second bus to continue transporting passengers.

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TN Democrat State Senator Heidi Campbell Vulnerable to Challenge from GOP’s Wyatt Rampy

Heidi Campbell MPL

Aaron Gulbransen, executive director of the Tennessee Faith and Freedom Coalition, and Michael Patrick Leahy, CEO and editor-in-chief of The Tennessee Star, said Republicans have an opportunity to gain a seat in the Tennessee State Senate by flipping District 20, currently represented by Democrat Heidi Campbell (D-Nashville).

Campbell, who was elected to the Senate in 2020, is up for reelection this year and will face Republican nominee Wyatt Rampy in the November 5 general election.

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Multiple Memphis Schools Locked Down After Threatening Messages with Reported Foreign Origin

Marie Feagins

Multiple in Memphis and Shelby County locked down their campuses on Wednesday after authorities confirmed threatening messages were posted online. Authorities have stated there was no immediate threat to any schools in the area, and reportedly that the messages were believed to have been created using chat bots and originated outside the United States.

Memphis-Shelby County Schools Superintendent Dr. Marie Feagins revealed a press conference, where she spoke on Wednesday alongside with Memphis Police Chief CJ Davis and Sheriff Floyd Bonner Jr., that threats were first received by Southwind High School via a phone call, and later through social media.

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Transgender Covenant Killer’s Journal Hints at Bipolar Disorder, but Prescription List Includes No Medications Associated with Illness

Audrey Hale

Audrey Elizabeth Hale, who killed three 9-year-old students and three adult staff members at the Covenant School in March 2023, referenced “bi-polar” in the journal from her “manifesto” released by The Tennessee Star on September 3.

Hale wrote in an entry dated January 16, 2023, “I’ve been anxious all last week, all day today [stressed] then I’m told I’m bi-polar by some prideful b****.”

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John Eastman Appeals California Disbarment over His 2020 Election Legal Work, Calls the Prosecution Orwellian

Donald Trump’s former attorney and constitutional legal scholar, John Eastman, filed an opening brief with the California State Bar Court last week appealing his disbarment for assisting Donald Trump with legal representation regarding the 2020 election illegalities. California Disciplinary Judge Yvette Roland formed her opinion by determining that Eastman’s legal opinions were wrong and that there was no election wrongdoing.

The brief said, “[T]his prosecution should never have taken place. It is, rather, a manifestation of George Orwell’s dystopic depiction of authoritarianism — statements by the Government, no matter how demonstrably false or suspect, must be accepted as truth.”

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Petition to De-Annex Cordova from Memphis Passes 1,100 Signatures as Organizers Envision ‘Stricter Law Enforcement,’ Better Schools

Cordova Community Center

A petition calling for the reversal of the annexation of Cordova by Memphis has surpassed 1,100 signatures, and its organizers told The Tennessee Star they are “thrilled” with the progress.

“We’re thrilled to announce that our petition has recently surpassed 1,000 signatures,” the organizers told The Star, adding that much of the support has come through social media platforms including Nexdoor, Facebook, and X.

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Conservatives Celebrate Courage of Sen. Marsha Blackburn in Leading Fight Against Income Tax in Tennessee

Marsha Blackburn

The Tennessee Star on Monday obtained videos from a newly released ad campaign by Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), who is currently favored to win reelection against State Senator Gloria Johnson (D-Knoxville), which feature prominent Tennessee conservatives celebrate Blackburn’s role in the successful 2003 effort to defeat an income tax proposal.

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Tennessee Lawmaker Will Push for Third College Entrance Exam Option

Tennessee students could have a third option for a college entrance exam along with the ACT and SAT if legislation that Rep. William Slater, R-Gallatin, is proposing passes in January’s session.

Slater plans to again propose a bill allowing the Classic Learning Test as an option for students at public colleges and universities along with qualifying for the state’s Hope Scholarship program.

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Federal Judge Releases Alleged Cyberstalker McKenzie McClure from Psychiatric Center Despite Objections of Nashville Christian School

McKenzie McClure

Alleged cyberstalker McKenzie McClure, who identifies as a transgender man named Kalvin, was released on Thursday from the East Tennessee psychiatric facility where she was ordered to receive treatment before her case could move forward following a detention hearing held by U.S. District Court Judge Chip Frensley.

McClure will now receive outpatient care while living at home with her parents, a location the court heard from the Christ Presbyterian Academy (CPA) Head of School is only blocks away from a bus stop used by its students.

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Nearly 1,000 Sign Petition for Cordova to Establish Own Tennessee Municipality, Reverse Memphis Annexation

Cordova Community Center

Nearly 1,000 people have signed a petition seeking the de-annexation of Cordova from the City of Memphis, citing the city’s struggles with crime, poverty, and road maintenance as key motivators for the effort.

Anonymously created, the Change.org petition argues Cordova has experienced “a downward spiral” since it was annexed by Memphis in 2012, with “an alarming increase in crime rates and a significant drop in home values,” as well as schools left “suffering” without “essential services,” and “pothole-ridden roads” depressing economic activity.

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Nashville Considers $6.9 Billion Transit Referendum Despite City Bus Network Just Now Reaching Pre-Pandemic Ridership

WeGo Bus stop

WeGo Public Transit in Nashville said on Friday it has now reached the high watermark of riders previously set in 2018, more than a year prior to the COVID-19 pandemic that saw the number of Nashvillians using public transit cut in half.

News that Nashville’s bus system has reached its pre-pandemic ridership numbers comes as the city’s voters consider a $3.1 billion transit package, which will be on their November ballot at the request of Mayor Freddie O’Connell.

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Tennessee Schools Can Now Purchase Panic Buttons Similar to Those Credited for Rapid Response at Apalachee High School

Teacher with Centegix badge

The Tennessee General Assembly last year provoked a change within the Tennessee Department of Education that allows school districts in the Volunteer State to purchase identification badges for teachers which contain buttons to request rapid response from school administrators, a nearby School Resource Officer (SRO), or request an immediate law enforcement response.

Such a system, created by the company Centegix, was in place at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia last Wednesday, when police say 14-year-old Colt Gray committed an attack that claimed the lives of four and injured nine more before he was quickly confronted by armed SROs.

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Supreme Court Briefs Filed Against Tennessee Minor Gender-Affirming Care Ban

A group of Republican politicians, 153 members of the U.S. House of Representatives and a group led by actor Elliot Page have filed amicus briefs in front of the U.S. Supreme Court arguing against Tennessee’s Senate Bill 1, a ban on gender-affirming surgeries for minors.

The Supreme Court said in June that it would hear the case. A July 2023 ruling from the Sixth District U.S. Court of Appeals allowed the law to take effect.

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Man Charged with Attempted Second-Degree Murder in Knoxville Pickaxe Attack Is Illegal Immigrant: ICE

Jeinson Hernandez-Moran

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has issued an immigration hold for Jeinson Hernandez-Moran, who is charged with attempted second degree murder in Knoxville after he allegedly struck another person in the head with a pickaxe. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has reportedly confirmed Hernandez-Moran is an illegal immigrant.

The Knoxville Police Department (KPD) reported the incident on Sunday, when it revealed a suspect was detained, and later confirmed Hernandez-Moran was charged with attempted second-degree murder after police claim he “critically injured another man,” who remained hospitalized with life-threatening injuries.

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Legal Filing Shows Rep. Andy Ogles Not ‘Target’ of FBI as MAGA Republican Demands Cell Phone Back, Cites Speech and Debate Clause of Constitution

Andy Ogles

Legal filings obtained by The Tennessee Star on Wednesday confirm Representative Andy Ogles (R-TN-05) is not a “target” of the Biden-Harris Department of Justice (DOJ) investigation, which prompted the FBI to seize his cell phone after serving a search warrant at his home just one day after he won the Republican Party’s nomination for reelection.

In an emergency motion seeking the return of his phone, attorneys representing Ogles revealed that federal prosecutors previously acknowledged Ogles is a “subject” of the investigation but not a “target” and said the DOJ’s receipt of his property violates the Speech and Debate Clause of the U.S. Constitution.

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The Tennessee Star Releases ‘Manifesto’ Left by Transgender Covenant School Killer Audrey Hale

Covenant Killer Journal released

The Tennessee Star and editor-in-chief Michael Patrick Leahy released the full “manifesto” left by Covenant School killer Audrey Elizabeth Hale on Tuesday, making the killer’s journal entries available to the public for the first time.

This release contains the pages of Hale’s journal that were obtained by The Star from a source familiar with the investigation in June. The journal containing the pages was recovered from Hale’s vehicle by police after her March 27, 2023 attack on the Covenant School, where she claimed the lives  of three 9-year-old children and three adult staff members.

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Nashville Man Charged in Shooting Judge’s Moving Vehicle Out on $125,000 Bond Ahead of Latest Arrest

Judge I'Ashea Myles, Divid Bush

The Nashville man arrested on Friday in relation to the shooting of a judge’s moving vehicle last September was out on bail for unrelated crimes at the time of his latest arrest, having previously been granted a $125,000 bond on attempted murder and reckless endangerment charges following a March arrest.

Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) confirmed the arrest on Friday, writing that law enforcement identified 23-year-old David Bush as their suspect using “ballistic evidence and cell phone data” recovered from the time of the shooting.

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Tennessee Equality Project Criticizes New Law Requiring Parent Notification of Student Pronoun Changes

In a new online form electing feedback from students, teachers, staff, administrators, school counselors, parents or legal guardians, and LGBT allies, the LGBT group Tennessee Equality Project (TEP) bemoans a new state law that requires school officials to give parental notice of a student wishes to change their pronouns or “gender identity.” 

“Tennessee Equality Project is tracking how school districts and schools are implementing the new state law (SB 1810) that targets transgender and gender expansive students: the requirements of the law are triggered when a minor-aged student makes a request to a teacher to use a name and/or pronouns that may not align with their medically assigned sex on their birth certificate,” the form says. 

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Nashville Police Confirm Covenant School Shooting Investigation Remains Ongoing Despite Predicted July Finish

Audrey Hale

The Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) on Friday was unable to provide The Tennessee Star with an estimated time of completion for its investigation into the Covenant School attack, but spokesman Don Aaron stated the case “remains open and is largely in a documentation phase where the lead detective is writing his and the department’s actions, findings, etc.”

Police began investigating the attack on March 27, 2023, when Audrey Elizabeth Hale claimed the lives three 6-year-old students and three adult staff members at the Covenant School in Nashville.

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Tennessee State Sen. Brent Taylor Vows Complaint over Social Media Posts Won’t ‘Intimidate,’ ‘Influence’ Effort to Remove D.A. Steve Mulroy

Brent Taylor and Steve Mulroy

Tennessee State Senator Brent Taylor on Wednesday said the recent request for an investigation over his posts to social media will neither “intimidate” nor “influence” him against his plan to file a resolution in order to oust Shelby County District Attorney Steve Mulroy.

Taylor released his statement after a request for an investigation was submitted to the Tennessee Comptroller’s Office and Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) by District 28 Attorney General Fred Agee, who Tennessee Lookout reported asked both agencies whether Taylor committed a Class B misdemeanor in his posts.

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Tennessee AG Applauds Texas U.S. District Judge’s Ruling to Halt DHS’ ‘Parole in Place’ Program

TN AG Skrmetti

Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti celebrated U.S. District Judge J. Campbell Barker’s ruling on Monday to halt the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) new program allowing hundreds of thousands of illegal aliens who are the spouse or stepchild of a U.S. citizen to “parole in place” from taking effect.

Barker’s ruling comes just three days after 16 state attorneys general and America First Legal filed a 56-page complaint challenging DHS’ “Keeping Families Together” program, which began accepting applications last week.

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Man Charged with Sexual Battery of Six-Year-Old Now Held on ICE Immigration Detainer in Nashville

Wilmer Alvarez Garcia in front of Nashville Sheriff's Department Downtown Detention Center (composite image)

A man held in a Nashville jail since August 7 over charges which allege he had inappropriate contact with a minor is now being held on an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detainer, according to the Davidson County Sheriff’s Office.

Davidson County Criminal Court records reveal 50-year-old Wilmer Garcia was arrested on August 7 and charged with multiple counts of sexual and aggravated sexual battery and solicitation of a minor for crimes that police say occurred between November 2023 and March 2024.

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Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell Includes ‘Adjustment’ to Face Mask Restrictions in Public Safety Proposal

Freddie O'Connell

Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell released details of a public safety proposal he plans to put before the Metro Nashville Council, revealing the mayor seeks to impose restrictions on face masks and other face coverings in public spaces.

In a Friday statement from the mayor’s office, O’Connell confirmed four piece of legislation he said would “boost public safety” but recognize “First Amendment rights to peacefully gather and speak.”

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Federal Judiciary Panel Tosses Lawsuit over Alleged Gerrymandering in Tennessee

A federal lawsuit filed by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and others against the state of Tennessee and Gov. Bill Lee (R) has been dismissed by a panel of federal judges. 

Tennessee State Conference of the NAACP, et.al. v. William B. Lee was filed by a “coalition of civil rights organizations and Tennessee voters filed a federal lawsuit against Tennessee’s Governor, Secretary of State, Coordinator of Elections, and the State Election Commission and its members challenging the state’s enacted congressional and state Senate districts as unconstitutional racial gerrymanders and as intentionally racially discriminatory,” according to a case summary.

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Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell Touts ‘Improved Infrastructure’ in Transit Referendum Despite Legal Concerns from Watchdog

Freddie O'Connell

Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell raised the infrastructure elements of his transit referendum as evidence that even Nashvillians who do not use the city’s bus system will benefit if it passes. He did not acknowledge the possibility the infrastructure elements are illegal under Tennessee law, as alleged by government watchdog Ben Cunningham.

O’Connell was interviewed about his transit referendum on Thursday by Nashville Scene. When asked about individuals who are only familiar with his proposed improvements to Nashville’s bus system, the mayor turned to the “improved infrastructure” promised in the referendum.

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Democrat Facing Andy Ogles Praises Tennessee’s ‘Generations of Responsible Gun Owners’ After Blaming ‘White Patriarchy’ for Red Flag Law Failure

Maryam Abolfazli

Despite previously blaming Tennessee’s “white patriarchy” for blocking the implementation of red flag laws and other gun control legislation last year, on Monday the Democrat challenging Representative Andy Ogles (R-TN-05) in Tennessee’s 5th Congressional district for the Volunteer State’s  “generations of responsible gun owners,” and suggested federal gun control legislation she would only target “irresponsible” gun owners.

Gun control activist Maryam Abolfazli, who received the Democratic Party’s nomination to challenge Ogles earlier this month, made the remarks to WLPN News.

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Tennessee Beacon Center Files Lawsuit Against Exempt Employee Salary Threshold Change

Employees at Work

Beacon Center has filed a lawsuit, on behalf of the Association of Christian Schools International, to fight a new U.S. Department of Labor overtime rule that would require anyone making less than $58,000 per year as an hourly, non-exempt employee.

The previous rule had that threshold at $35,568. The new rule is scheduled to go into effect Jan. 1 and includes a stipulation to increase the salary threshold every three years.

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Accused Cyberstalker Who Visited Nashville School Requests Hearing to Determine Steps After Commitment

McKenzie McClure

Court documents obtained by The Tennessee Star reveal accused cyberstalker McKenzie McClure has requested a status hearing to set a court date which will determine her next steps following the end of her commitment at an East Tennessee psychiatric facility.

Federal prosecutors filed a criminal complaint against McClure in April, accusing her cyberstalking. Video recorded around this time revealed she visited the campus of the Christ Presbyterian Academy, where she attended elementary school decades ago, and was accused of leaving a disturbing voice mail.

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