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OFF THE RECORD: Wilson County GOP Requests State GOP Formally Reprimand Representative Susan Lynn

Laura Baigert
Tennessee Star

  Following an incident between State Representative Susan Lynn (R-Mt. Juliet) and the Wilson County Republican Party (WCRP) member volunteers at the annual county fair, WCRP Chairman, Terri Nicholson sent a letter signed “Deeply troubled” to State GOP Chairman Scott Golden requesting “that an immediate formal reprimand be issued to Representative Susan Lynn.” WCRP Chairman Nicholson’s letter further requested that Lynn provide “a formal apology to our party along with an agreement that she nor her husband will ever behave unprofessionally or disrespectful to the members of the Wilson County Republican Party again.” The letter from Nicholson, dated Monday, August 21, detailed the “altercation that transpired on Friday evening, August 18th, 2017 at the Wilson County Fair in Lebanon, TN.” Apparently, Rep. Lynn and her husband, Michael, were dissatisfied with the placement of various materials at the WCRP booth. After WCRP volunteers initially attempted to satisfy the Lynns by relocating various materials, the situation “escalated after she [Lynn] was not allowed to keep moving material,” according to Nicholson. From there, the situation deteriorated with Rep. Lynn’s husband “yelling with arms flailing” that volunteers in the booth were stupid. Nicholson describes that “the incident was a complete embarrassment to the WCRP”…

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Flashback: CFA Statement on ‘FBI and SEC Investigation of Sen. Bob Corker’ in May 2016 May Suddenly Be Relevant Again

Tennessee Star Staff

    When President Trump punched back Friday on Twitter at Senator Bob Corker’s (R-TN) relentless criticisms as “outrageous,” it electrified the conservative base among Tennessee Republican primary voters who continue to be very supportive of the president. State Senator Mark Green (R-Clarksville) and Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN-07) are among those who may now be considering a challenge to Corker in the August 2018 primary. A Tennessee Star Poll conducted in June among likely Tennessee Republican primary voters showed that Corker was vulnerable. In a hypothetical one-on-one primary matchup with Blackburn, the two were in a statistical tie. The negative press Corker has received in Tennessee for his criticisms of President Trump may soon get worse. The SEC investigation of Sen. Corker and CBL, “A real-estate firm that has been a favored investment of Tennessee Republican Sen. Bob Corker,” first reported by the Wall Street Journal in May 2016,  may soon come to a conclusion. No one knows what that investigation may conclude, but when news of the investigation was made public, it caused quite a stir. In fact, Ann Weiman, executive director of the Camapign for Accountability (CfA), a non profit watchdog organization that had called for the SEC investigation…

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Tennessee U.S. Senator Bob Corker Criticizes President Trump – Again – In Chattanooga Thursday

Wendy Wilson
Tennessee Star

  U.S. Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN) sharply criticized President Trump on Thursday at a Rotary Club luncheon in Chattanooga and said “radical changes” are needed at the White House. Corker questioned Trump’s competence. “He has not demonstrated that he understands what has made this nation great and what it is today, and he’s got to demonstrate the characteristics of a president who understands that,” Corker told reporters after the luncheon, according to WRCB Channel 3. Corker’s latest criticism of Trump comes after a long string of other attacks he has made on the president that do not sit well with Republican primary voters in Tennessee.  Tennessee’s junior senator is up for re-election in 2018. Local reaction from Tennessee conservatives to Corker’s comments was harshly critical of the former mayor of Chattanooga, as these comments on the Nashville Tea Party Facebook page demonstrated.   “Ready to put my name on recall petition! Trump has done more for this country in six months than Corker has in his entire senatorial career. And to speak on ‘character’, Corker wouldn’t have a clue what the word means,” Carole posted. “No Bob, it is the Senate who needs a Radical Change and that includes getting you and…

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Democrat U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen of Memphis Calls for Impeaching Trump over Charlottesville Comments

Wendy Wilson

  U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN-9) said Thursday that he will introduce articles of impeachment against President Trump because of Trump’s comments following violent clashes in Charlottesville, Virginia, on Saturday. “Instead of unequivocally condemning hateful actions by neo-Nazis, white nationalists and Klansmen following a national tragedy, the President said ‘there were very fine people on both sides.’ There are no good Nazis. There are no good Klansmen,” said Cohen, who is Jewish, in a statement. A progressive leftist whose congressional district includes Memphis, Cohen is a ranking member of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution and Civil Justice. The clashes in Charlottesville were between white supremacist demonstrators and leftist radical counterprotesters. A woman was killed and around 20 injured when a man identified as a white supremacist drove his vehicle into a crowd. There also was fighting in which both white supremacists and counterprotesters were “swinging sticks, punching and spraying chemicals,” according to the Washington Post. Bottles and rocks were also thrown back. There were injuries on both sides. On Saturday, Trump condemned the “egregious display of hatred, bigotry, and violence on many sides.” At a press conference Tuesday, Trump said he waited until Monday to condemn specific groups because he…

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Gov. Bill Haslam Calls for Removal of Bust of Nathan Bedford Forrest from the Capitol

Wendy Wilson
Tennessee Star

  Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam is advocating for the removal of a bust of Nathan Bedford Forrest from the Capitol in Nashville. “My position on this issue has not changed – I do not believe Nathan Bedford Forrest should be one of the individuals we honor at the Capitol. The General Assembly has established a process for addressing these matters and I strongly encourage the Capitol Commission and the Historical Commission to act,” Haslam said in a statement issued Monday. A Tennessee native, Forrest was a lieutenant general in the Confederate Army during the Civil War. Also a slave trader, Forrest was known for his brutality. According to some accounts, he became a Christian later in life and distanced himself from the KKK, which he helped start. Activists in many states are calling for the removal of Confederate monuments after violent clashes between white supremacists and leftist radicals on Saturday in Charlottesville, Virginia. Dozens of protesters gathered at the Capitol Monday to demand that the bust come down, according to Nashville Public Radio. The bust was installed in the 1970s and ever since there have been calls periodically to remove it, the last time being after the Charleston church shooting in…

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Metro Nashville Schools Confirms Speaker From Mosque at Teacher In-Service, Refuses to Say If There Were Speakers From Other Religions

Chris Alto

  Several days prior to releasing the story that Metro Nashville Public Schools’ (MNPS) social studies teacher in-service featured Rashed Fakhruddin from the Islamic Center of Nashville, Olivia Brown, the Director of Communications for MNPS was offered an opportunity to explain to The Tennessee Star, whether other speakers were invited or did speak to the teachers about other religions, but the question remains unanswered even though MNPS admits to having the information. Fakhruddin’s now deleted Facebook message about his talk at the in-service was posted for at least one week before The Star asked Ms. Brown who spoke at the social studies in-service. Her response was a generalized description of speakers and no mention of religious speakers: The Star: What was the agenda for the social studies in-service, who were the speakers and was it open only to teachers?  Which grades? Brown: Social Studies professional development was provided primarily to teachers in middle and high school as the majority of elementary teachers were participating in training for literacy and math. The first day started with a keynote addressing the purpose for social studies and how to address social studies practices. This was followed by a number of breakout session that teachers were able to choose from based on…

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Carol Swain: Americans Must Reject Identity Politics And Multiculturalism

Wendy Wilson

MURFREESBORO, Tennessee — Americans need to turn away from identity politics and multiculturalism and embrace an American identity, conservative writer and speaker Carol Swain said Tuesday at a Rutherford County GOP luncheon. That’s the only way our country can move beyond the conflicts we’re experiencing, said Swain, echoing a message she has given in interviews on Fox News in the aftermath of violent clashes in Charlottesville, Virginia, on Saturday between white supremacists and radical leftist counterprotesters. On Fox, Swain defended President Trump for blaming both sides. Swain said Tuesday that the ranks of those attracted to “white identity and white consciousness” is growing, but that it’s illogical to maintain that blacks, Hispanics and Asians can promote an identity for themselves rooted in race, but that whites can’t. The solution, she believes, is to support and promote an American identity to cultivate a unifying bond. Tickets for Tuesday’s luncheon at the DoubleTree Hotel sold out. With 85 people attending, it was the largest quarterly luncheon gathering the Rutherford County GOP has hosted. Tuesday also marked Swain’s last official day as a law and political science professor at Vanderbilt University. But Swain has no plans to retire from writing and traveling to…

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Russell Moore’s Latest Column On Race ‘Classic, Liberal Propaganda,’ Says Shane Kastler

Wendy Wilson

  A pastor and writer in Louisiana is taking Russell Moore to task for his latest opinion piece in the Washington Post titled “White supremacy angers Jesus, but does it anger his church?” The piece was written in response to the violent clashes in Charlottesville, Virginia, on Saturday between white supremacists and radical leftist counterprotesters. In a blog post, Shane Kastler writes, “His latest article is classic, liberal propaganda, Russell Moore-style. He takes a minuscule segment of the white population, implies that they represent a much larger segment than they do. And then skewers, ‘the church’ for being racist. And just in case you doubt him, he takes the words of Jesus out of their scriptural context, twists them for his political ends, and uses them to justify his argument.” Kastler is pastor of Heritage Baptist, an independent Baptist church in Lake Charles, Louisiana. He is known in Tennessee for his biography of Nathan Bedford Forrest which chronicles how Forrest became a Christian later in life. Moore is president of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC), the public policy arm of the Southern Baptist Convention. He has been criticized by conservatives for his progressive views on race and immigration, his denunciations of President Trump…

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Judd Matheny Hires Former Top Ted Cruz Strategist for 6th Congressional District Campaign Team

Tennessee Star Staff
Tennessee Star

State Rep. Judd Matheny (R-Tullahoma) announced the hiring of John Drogin, a former top Ted Cruz strategist for his campaign to win the Republican nomination for the Sixth Congressional District seat being vacated by Rep. Diane Black (R-TN-06), who is running for governor. “Drogin has more than 15 years of experience working for successful, conservative campaigns. He served as campaign manager for Ted Cruz’s first Senate Campaign in 2011-2012, which was called the “biggest upset of 2012.” He then served as State Director for Cruz’s Senate office, and as a senior advisor to the main Super PACs supporting Cruz for President,” the Matheny campaign said in a statement to The Tennessee Star. He is the founder Drogin Group, a political and digital media consulting firm. “John Drogin is a great American. He has the same energy and principled conservative DNA that is part of the political souls of Tennesseans in the 6th District. He will be a great asset to a successful campaign for us,” State Rep. Matheny said. Drogin was equally enthuiastic about joining the Matheny campaign. “Judd gets it. He is the true, principled conservative in this race. Voters are hungry for someone who will change the status quo in Washington.…

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Mayors of 44 Tennessee Counties Where President Trump Won Overwhelmingly Have Endorsed ‘Never-Trumper’ Randy Boyd for Governor

Chris Alto
Tennessee Star

  Since launching earlier this year, Randy Boyd’s gubernatorial campaign has sent out numerous press releases announcing the names of county mayors who are supporting him for governor.  To date, 45 county mayors across Tennessee have endorsed Boyd. The state has 95 counties. In 44 of these 45 counties where Boyd has claimed the mayor’s support, President Trump won the vote overwhelmingly over Hillary Clinton in the November 2016 general election – with anywhere from 56.4 percent to 84.9 percent of the vote. (Shelby County is the lone exception) Here is the list of the 44 counties won convincingly by President Trump whose county mayors have pledged support to Boyd for Governor: Anderson, Bledsoe, Blount, Bradley, Carroll, Claiborne, Cocke, Decatur, Dyer, Fayette, Fentress, Franklin, Gibson, Greene, Hamblen, Hancock, Henry, Hickman, Humphreys, Jefferson, Johnson, Lake, Lawrence, Lewis, Lincoln, Loudon, Marshall, Monroe, Montgomery, Moore, Morgan, Obion, Overton, Pickett, Rhea, Roane, Scott, Sequatchie, Sevier, Unicoi, Union, Washington, Weakley, White. By supporting Boyd for governor, these county mayor are going against the voters on a key issue that put Trump in the White House, namely, illegal immigration. Boyd, who says he “aspire[s] to be like” failed presidential candidate Mitt Romney, aligned himself with “never-Trump”…

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Congressional Candidate John Rose: ‘I Fully Support’ Governor Haslam’s Gas Tax Increase

Tennessee Star Staff

  At a February event in Smith County that featured Governor Haslam promoting his proposed gas tax increase, recently announced Sixth Congressional District candidate John Rose told the governor, “I just want to say I applaud you for making this proposal. I fully support it.” You can hear Rose make these comments to the governor beginning at the 54:16 mark (42:05 from the end) of this video tape of the event, provided courtesy of the Smith County Insider:   Here is a partial transcript of Rose’s comments from that day: Governor, I’m John Rose and I’m a businessman and farmer here in the community and have lived here for the last 42 years on the edge of Smith County line , De Kalb County, my farm is actually in De Kalb County. . . As I mentioned, I’m a businessman, and my business is in Nashville so I commute back and forth from Smith County to Nashville . . I want to just say that I applaud you for this proposal. I fully support it. I think that having users of our roads pay for our roads makes tremendous sense. You’ve laid out a very strong case for for why…

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Exclusive: TCU Chairman Says 2nd Congressional District Candidate Matlock Among Most Conservative Legislators, Also Praises Burchett

Laura Baigert

In an exclusive statement to The Tennessee Star regarding the announcement by Rep. Jimmy Matlock (R-Lenoir City) that he will be running for the 2nd Congressional District, Tennessee Conservative Union (TCU) Chairman Gary Loe said “Rep. Matlock’s voting record on taxation scores consistently among the most conservative legislators in Nashville.” Loe’s statement praised Matlock’s service in the Tennessee House, saying he has “championed the TCU’s efforts to help taxpayers keep more of their hard earned income,” and pointed out that Matlock “voted against the governor’s gas tax increase this legislative session.” In the statement Loe also praised “[t]he other announced candidate in the race, Knox County mayor Tim Burchett,” whom he called “a terrific friend to TCU.” “In fact, TCU awarded our vaunted ‘Tax Ax’ award to then state Sen. Burchett in June 1999,” Loe said. The TCU, founded in 1977 by Lloyd Daugherty who passed away two years ago, is one of the oldest and largest non-partisan conservative organizations in the state with an estimated 15,000 members. Loe was appointed chairman on February 6, which is Ronald Reagan’s birthday, by the board of directors, and has been actively reintroducing the TCU through numerous speeches he has been delivering around…

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Nashville Public Schools’ Social Studies In-Service Event for Teachers Featured Speaker From Islamic Center

Chris Alto

  The president of the Islamic Center of Nashville (ICN) spoke about his religion during a Metro Nashville Public Schools’ (MNPS) social studies in-service event held on August 2nd for middle and high school teachers preparing for the start of the 2017-2018 academic school year. According to the ICN’s website, its president, Rashed Fakhruddin, “has been coordinating and providing presentations on Islam to universities, schools, leadership groups and churches” over the past fifteen years in an effort to influence how his religion is received in the wider community. In a Facebook post dated August 2 captured in a screen shot, the owner of an account identified as Rashed Fakhruddin said, “Today, I got to present during MNPS’s social studies in service on Islam in context to the social studies curriculum, ending the presentation with the question, ‘Is Islam compatible with the West?’. There were parallel sessions going on, but there was a great turnout!”   That post apparently is no longer available on Mr. Fakhruddin’s Facebook page. The Tennessee Star asked MNPS about this in-service presentation. “On August 2 and 3, MNPS facilitated district-wide Professional Development for teachers in all tiers (elementary, middle and high school) and in all grade…

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Knoxville Mayor Madeline Rogero Faces Backlash Over Decision To Move Bible Verse Plaque

Wendy Wilson

Knoxville Mayor Madeline Rogero is facing criticism that she acted too hastily in deciding to move a plaque with a Bible verse at the Knoxville Police Department. Knox County Mayor Tim Burchett is among those saying that Rogero should have pushed back when the Freedom From Religion Foundation began to complain and threaten legal action earlier this year. Rogero announced her decision earlier this week, confirming it was the result of a complaint from the East Tennessee chapter of the national group, which is headquartered in Madison, Wisconsin, and pushes for the separation of church and state. The group said the placement of the plaque was unconstitutional “religious promotion.” The plaque, which was put up in the early 1970s, had been displayed above a staff entrance not typically frequented by the public. Rogero said she was not aware of any other complaints in recent years. Rogero said the plaque would be moved to a new “Hall of Inspiration” on the other side of the door featuring quotes from various traditions. The plaque quotes Romans 8:31 and says, “If God be for us, then who can be against us?” The plaque was moved Friday morning. Aleta Ledendecker of the Freedom From Religion Foundation…

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Knoxville Mayor Sides with Anti-Christian Group, Orders Removal of Scripture from Police Department

Admin

“What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us then who can be against us?” ~ Romans 8:31 After nearly a half-century – and one complaint – a plaque displaying a single verse of scripture (quoted above) at the Knoxville Police Department employee entrance will be removed, Mayor Madeline Rogero and Police Chief David Rausch announced at a press conference Monday. As a consolation, Rogero said in a statement the piece will be moved to a new “Hall of Inspiration” at KPD’s headquarters in the Safety Building, “along with other inspirational writings from a variety of faiths and philosophers.” In her prepared remarks, Mayor Rogero said, “We are not aware of any complaints or issues raised in recent history by KPD staff or members of the public. It has become part of KPD tradition, providing strength and comfort to our officers as they perform their daily – and often dangerous – duties.” “I know that people both inside and outside City government are upset with this ending of a tradition,” she added. “As a person of faith, I understand and respect the passion that people feel for this issue. ” The move is in a response to a letter…

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Mastermind Of Pilot Flying J Rebate Scam And Three Others Sign Plea Agreements

Wendy Wilson

  Four former Pilot Flying J employees officially agreed Monday to plead guilty in the company’s diesel fuel rebate scam, reports WSMV Channel 4. John “Stick” Freeman, the mastermind of the scheme, along with John Spiewak, Vicki Borden and Katy Bibee, signed plea agreements filed in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee. With Monday’s filings, there are now 14 sales staff members and executives who have agreed to confess and talk, according to the Knoxville News Sentinel. Pilot Flying J, which is headquartered in Knoxville and operates hundreds of gas stations and convenience stores in the U.S. and Canada, is owned by the family of Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam. The billionaire CEO is his brother Jimmy Haslam, who also owns the Cleveland Browns. Their father founded the company in 1958. Jimmy Haslam has not been charged in the scandal, although the FBI indicated in testimony and court records that he was a suspect, according to the News Sentinel. He has denied knowing about the scam. Gov. Haslam has not been involved in running the company for many years but has an ownership share in the business. He has said his holdings were placed in a blind trust when he…

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Commentary: Freedom to Choose

JC Bowman

In addition to excellent legal protection, professional learning, networking and career resources, along with opportunities for leadership, there is no doubt that joining a professional organization that benefits educators. Our advocacy efforts carry significant weight with legislators, and other policymakers. We choose to collaborate, not separate, which is a natural choice for a group that is member-owned and member-driven.

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Jeb Bush Rallies Establishment Republicans to Attack Donald Trump on Russia

Tennessee Star Staff

Jeb Bush, former Florida governor, former presidential hopeful and former loud critic of President Donald Trump, has stepped back into the political arena to call out his fellow Republicans as hypocrites – for not publicly condemning Trump. Sigh. Why, why, why do these entrenched Republicans insist on picking public fights with their fellow GOPers? It doesn’t…

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Gubernatorial Candidate Mae Beavers Promises to Sign Constitutional Carry Bill, If Elected, at Wilson County GOP’s Annual Picnic

Tennessee Star Staff

LEBANON, Tennessee–On Saturday  gubernatorial candidate State Senator Mae Beavers (R-Mt. Juliet) told the crowd at Wilson County Republican Party’s Annual Picnic, “I will promise you one thing. If constitutional carry passes, I will sign that legislation as governor.” “And not only that. I will work to get it through the House and Senate if I am elected,” Beavers, the featured speaker at the annual Wilson County event, said. About 150 people braved the 90 degree plus heat to listen to Beavers and several other Wilson County Republican elected officials at the annual event, held this year at the farm of Ken Nelson, Jr. in Lebanon.   Beavers has represented the citizens of Wilson County, first on the County Commission, then in the House of Representatives, and now in the State Senate, since 1992. None of the other announced gubernatorial candidates–Williamson County businessman Bill Lee, Knoxville businessman Randy Boyd, or Tennessee Speaker of the House Beth Harwell (R-Nashville) were in attendance, so Beavers had her home county crowd all to herself. Beavers did not disappoint the conservatives in attendance. She promised that if elected, she will work to repeal the recent gas tax increase and will sign a constitutional carry bill.…

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The Battle for Nashville Begins: Tim Herndon Takes on Liberal Establishment in 33rd Metro Council District Special Election

Tennessee Star Staff

NASHVILLE, Tennessee–About a dozen volunteers gathered on Saturday morning at the Travel America center in Antioch to begin a day of door knocking for Tim Herndon, the conservative candidate in the special election to pick a new Metro Council member from Davidson County/Nashville’s 33rd District that will be held on August 15. The special election will be the first test of public opinion in Davidson County and Nashville since the Metro Council sponsors of a sanctuary city ordinance withdrew their proposal in late June, barely a week before it was scheduled for a third and final reading. The ordinance passed on a second reading June 20 by a 25 to 8 vote, with 4 members abstaining, and 2 members not voting, but without a vote cast by a council member representing the 33rd district, since that seat has been vacant since May, when the incumbent, Sam Coleman, accepted an appointment as a judge. The special election will be held on August 15. Early voting runs from July 26 to August 10. At full strength there are 40 members of the Metro Council-5 are elected at large, and 35 are elected by Council District. A recent Tennessee Star Poll showed that,…

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Report: Chattanooga, Memphis, Nashville, and Knoxville Among the Worst-Run Cities in Country

Wendy Wilson

  Tennessee’s four largest cities all ranked in the bottom third of a list compiled by the online website WalletHub.com analyzing how efficiently cities are run. Called “2017’s Best- and Worst-Run Cities,” the list, published Monday, ranked 150 of the largest cities in the nation. The study compared the quality of services residents receive against a city’s total budget. Cities were compared across six categories: financial stability, education, health, safety, economy, and infrastructure and pollution. Nashville ranked 112 on the list in overall rankings, and Knoxville ranked 127. Almost at the bottom were Memphis, at 141, and Chattanooga, falling just below Memphis at 142. No other Tennessee cities were included. All four cities are run by Democrats: Mayor Megan Barry in Nashville, Mayor Madeline Rogero in Knoxville, Mayor Andy Berke in Chattanooga, and Mayor Jim Strickland in Memphis. However, in a breakdown of results, Knoxville got an approving nod for its three-way tie for third for having the highest quality of roads. On the negative side, Memphis had the fourth-highest violent crime rate. The highest-ranking cities, from first through fifth, were Nampa, Idaho; Provo, Utah; Boise, Idaho; Missoula, Montana, and Lexington-Fayette, Kentucky.    

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Commentary: Why Educators Leave the Profession

JC Bowman

Learning Policy Institute identified inadequate preparation, lack of support, challenging working conditions, dissatisfaction with compensation, better career opportunities, and personal reasons for why teachers change careers. From our own internal surveys “high-stakes standardized testing” is the number one issue educators’ mention to us is why they are dissatisfied with the profession.

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Memphis Sheik Joins Islamist Linda Sarsour and CAIR Founder to Oppose Supreme Court Decision on Travel Ban

Chris Alto

Memphis Sheik Yasir Qadhi joined Islamist activist Linda Sarsour and fellow activist and Hamas supporter Nihad Awad to collectively state their opposition to the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision upholding key parts of President Trump’s Executive Order (EO) while attending the Islamic Society of North America’s (ISNA) 54th annual convention in Chicago earlier this month. Their opposition to the ban was captured in this tweet: Government shouldn't be in the business of defining "bona fide relationships" & excluding grandparents, etc. Unacceptable. #NoMuslimBanEver pic.twitter.com/qrndrFwe7x — MPower Change (@MPower_Change) June 29, 2017 The temporary travel ban from Libya, Sudan, Somalia, Syria, Iran and Yemen remain in effect except for those refugees “who have a credible claim of a bona fide relationship with a person or entity in the United States” although they must still satisfy all security vetting. The EO’s limit of 50,000 refugee admissions for the current fiscal year was also upheld by the court. Iraq was dropped from the revised travel ban after it agreed to accept Iraqi deportees from the U.S. Sheik Qadhi is the resident scholar at the Memphis Islamic Center, Dean of Academic Affairs of AlMaghrib Institute and an “expert” with the Assembly of Muslim Jurists of America (AMJA). Linda Sarsour recently gained notoriety…

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Volunteer Group Will Help Grow Refugee Resettlement in Murfreesboro

Chris Alto

  The refugee assistance organization “Murfreesboro Roots for Refugees”(MR4R) is busy providing services to refugees being resettled in Rutherford County. MR4R has taken over refugees abandoned in Murfreesboro by the World Relief resettlement agency. It was announced during the March MR4R meeting that they were assisting 17 families that totaled over 100 individuals including 65 kids and no longer restricting their assistance to Syrian refugees. The recent merger of Abdou Kattih’s “Home Away From Home” and Melissa Sohrabi’s “Roots for Refugees” now called MR4R, appears to be the the first organized refugee resettlement initiative in the county. During the March meeting, Kattih and Sohrabi discussed how they provided food, clothing and furniture needed by the arriving refugee families. They also detailed arranging to meet needed medical and dental services along with providing community orientation to newly arrived refugees. These are some of the same “core” services detailed in the Cooperative Agreement that federal refugee contractors sign and for which they are paid to provide. There are additional support services that are also provided with federal grants to “ethnic community based organizations (ECBO)” or  “mutual assistance associations (MAA).” Kattih is a Syrian who immigrated to the U.S. to join his parents in Chattanooga but then…

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The Tennessee Star Celebrates Its TWO MILLIONTH Visit

Admin
Tennessee Star

  The Tennessee Star announced via Twitter Tuesday its online news site has been visited a whopping TWO MILLION times since its launch earlier this year. Today we had our TWO MILLIONTH visit to the https://t.co/CucY9Mxgrh since our launch Feb 6. Thank you, Tennessee – you're the BEST! pic.twitter.com/XOn5IM0Aui — Tennessee Star (@TheTNStar) July 11, 2017   The Tennessee Star went live on Monday, February 6 and by the end of the month – just 22 days later – The Star was visited over 175,000 times. “Tennesseans tell us that have wanted a fact-based news site with a conservative worldview for many years. That’s what we offer, and I believe that is the reason we have seen such a steep growth curve with no end in sight,” said Managing Editor Christina Botteri. The news media upstart experienced growing pains almost immediately, requiring them to upgrade their servers months ahead of schedule. After a strong inaugural month, visitors returned regularly and in growing numbers throughout March to stay current with the breaking developments surrounding Governor Haslam’s unpopular gas tax hike. Readership soared to over 285,000 within that 31-day period. “In April, we kicked off our ‘Constitution Series,’ and saw another uptick in readership with about 370,000 for the month,” Botteri recalled. The…

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Development Proposal For Nashville’s Historic Fort Negley Park Includes Plans For Welfare Housing

Wendy Wilson

The proposal accepted by Nashville Mayor Megan Barry to redevelop Fort Negley Park calls for affordable housing subsidized by government programs including tax credits and Section 8 vouchers. The plan by Cloud Hill Partnership has already drawn fierce opposition because of concerns about historic preservation. Located south of downtown, the land is home to a fort built during the Union occupation of Nashville during the Civil War and also includes Greer Stadium, where the Nashville Sounds minor league baseball team played until moving to a new stadium north of downtown in 2015. City officials have not yet entered into a formal agreement with Cloud Hill and negotiations for the public-private partnership are stalled pending a protest by a competing developer whose bid was turned down. In addition to affordable and workforce housing, Cloud Hill’s plan includes green space, creative spaces for artists, offices, and shops and restaurants. It also calls for preserving the fort and honoring and protecting history. The residential component includes plans for 294 apartments. They would include 87 studio, 68 one-bedroom, 119 two-bedroom and 20 three-bedroom apartments. At least 80 of the 294 apartments would be reserved as affordable units for those earning less than 50 percent of the…

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Nashville Chamber of Commerce Brought Office of Refugee Resettlement’s ‘Building the New American Community’ to Music City Back in 2001

Chris Alto
Tennessee Star

  With the Nashville Chamber of Commerce in a leading role, Nashville was one of three “non-traditional gateway cities” along with Portland (OR) and Lowell (MA) chosen for the 2001 pilot project funded by the U.S. Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) called “Building the New American Community, A Collaborative Project on Integration (BNAC).”  These three sites were determined to be in the “beginning phases of a demographic transformation” due to increases in refugee resettlement and the arrival of legal and illegal immigrants. As explained in the project’s final report authored by the Soros funded Migration Policy Institute (MPI): Nashville exemplifies characteristics typically associated with new immigrant gateway cities in the United States: strong economic growth coupled with rapid foreign-born population increases from a very tiny base of refugees and immigrants who resided in the city in 1990. Core principles of the pilot project included building coalitions, refugee and immigrant leadership, and civic engagement, including: learning about the American electoral system and the importance of voting, but also participating as partners with public agencies in the coalitions. In practical terms, refugee and immigrant organizations played a direct role in crafting policies and programs that directly influence their communities as well as the receiving community.…

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Nashville Chamber of Commerce and Partnership for a New American Economy Helping to Spread Liberal Immigration Policies

Chris Alto

The Nashville Chamber of Commerce and the Partnership for a New American Economy, now known as The New American Economy (NAE), are helping spread liberal immigration policies. That work will be on display here in the Music City this coming Sunday, July 16, when the Nashville Chamber of Commerce hosts the Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives (ACCE) annual convention. It was also on display in St. Louis in March, when “The New American Economy (NAE) and the Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives (ACCE) came to St. Louis on March 22-23, 2017 to learn from the St. Louis Regional Chamber,the St. Louis Mosaic Project, the International Institute of St. Louis, and Welcoming Economies Global Network (WE Global).” The St. Louis event in March launched a joint NAE and ACCE project to network chamber of commerce leaders to focus on “the imperative for state, local, and federal policies that promote immigrant integration as an economic growth strategy.” During the ACCE convention in Nashville on Sunday, the NAE will be hosting an event similar to the one held in St. Louis using the opportunity to share its brand of advocacy for comprehensive immigration reform which highlights the work ethic and perceived business ambitions of legal and illegal immigrants over native-born…

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MTSU Poll: 77 Percent of Tennessee Republicans Trust President Trump, Only 40 Percent Trust Bob Corker

Tennessee Star Staff

A recent poll conducted by Middle Tennessee State University confirms what The Tennessee Star Poll reported last month: President Donald Trump is by far the most popular elected official among Republican voters in Tennessee, and Senator Bob Corker (R-TN) is not particularly popular. Among Republicans, 86 percent of likely Tennessee Republican voters approved of President Trump’s job performance in The Tennessee Star Poll  released on June 6: When asked “How would you rate the job performance of President Donald Trump,” 86 percent of likely Republican primary voters in Tennessee said they approve of his job performance, while only 11 percent said they disapprove, a remarkable 75 percent margin of approval over disapproval. In the MTSU Poll, which measured trust,  77  percent of Tennessee Republican voters surveyed say they trust President Trump, while only 40 percent say they trust Senator Corker. The Tennessee Star Poll was conducted of 1,007  likely Republican primary voters in Tennesseee. The MTSU Poll was taken of  627 residents of Tennessee, 193 of whom were Republicans, 153 were Democrats, 139 were Independents, and 78 said they were “Not Political.” Among all those surveyed by the MTSU Poll, 38 percent say they trust President Trump, while only 28 percent…

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Opposition Grows Against Nashville Mayor Megan Barry’s Plans To Redevelop Fort Negley Park

Wendy Wilson

  Opposition is growing against Nashville Mayor Megan Barry’s plans to open Fort Negley Park to private development. Part of Fort Negley Park was home to Greer Stadium from the late 1970s until 2015, when the Nashville Sounds minor league baseball team moved to a new stadium just north of downtown. Barry has accepted a proposal from a development team called Cloud Hill Partnership, but Metro has not yet formally entered into an agreement. Plans for the Metro-owned property call for including affordable housing for workers, shops and restaurants, green space and creative spaces for artists. Under the proposed deal, Metro would retain ownership, with the development team investing private funds and sharing revenue. Critics include African-American groups, Councilman John Cooper, a national nonprofit devoted to protecting cultural landscapes and many native Nashvillians. “They shouldn’t even be considering this,” Nashville native Doug Jones told The Tennessee Star Friday. “That is sacred ground out there.” Jones, a local attorney, is a past president of the Battle of Nashville Preservation Society. He told The Star that Ft. Negley Park is a site of national importance and that “this is not just some local thing that the mayor can do in a back room…

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New Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba Intends To Make Jackson, Mississippi ‘The Most Radical City On The Planet’

Wendy Wilson

The new mayor of Jackson, Mississippi who has promised to make Jackson “the most radical city on the planet” was sworn into office on Monday. Chokwe Antar Lumumba’s victory is being lauded by progressives who are trying to remake the South in their image. While President Trump won big in the South, progressives are posing challenges to conservatives, especially in urban areas. Lumumba has described a radical as someone who works to change troubling circumstances and has cited Martin Luther King Jr. and Jesus Christ as examples. One of the places where he made his vow was at the left-wing People’s Summit in Chicago last month, according to The Clarion-Ledger. The summit promoted “social, racial and economic justice” and was sponsored by National Nurses United and other progressive groups. Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders was the keynote speaker. The causes addressed included voting rights, free higher education, “climate justice,” and ending deportations of illegal immigrants. Lumumba, who says he is sometimes mistaken for a Muslim but is a Christian, received 55 percent of the vote in the Democratic primary, trouncing the incumbent mayor. He won 93 percent of the vote in the general election. Lumumba’s Detroit-born father was elected mayor of Jackson in 2013 but died after less…

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Tennessee Data Shows LegaI & Illegal Immigrants Displacing Native -Born in Job Market

Chris Alto
Unemployment line

  A 2017 analysis of labor force participation rates using the government’s Current Population Survey (CPS) data for Tennessee, shows that: immigrants (legal and illegal) accounted for all of the net increase in the number of working-age (16-65) people holding a job in Tennessee between the first quarter of 2007 and the first quarter of 2017 – even though the native-born accounted for 77 percent of growth among the total working-age population. Prior analysis indicates that 30 percent to 40 percent of immigrants in Tennessee are in the country illegally. Of the 229,000 immigrants in the state working, 70,000 to 90,000 are likely to be illegal immigrants. Not much has changed from when the article Who Got the Jobs in Tennessee?, was published by the Center for Immigration Studies in 2014: All of Tennessee’s employment growth since 2000 has gone to immigrants, yet natives accounted for two-thirds of population growth. Reference to “immigrants” in both the 2014 and updated 2017 analyses include both legal and illegal entrants. Both reviews used CPS survey data which is collected by the federal government and is considered “the nation’s primary source of information on the labor market.” This data measures the percentage of the population that is…

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Nashville Mayor ‘Moonbeam’ Megan Barry 2019 Re-Election Bid Could Be Influenced by Sanctuary City Issue, Poll Shows

Tennessee Star Staff
Tennessee Star

The sanctuary city issue could influence the outcome of the 2019 re-election bid of California-born Nashville Mayor “Moonbeam” Megan Barry, a new Tennessee Star Poll shows. When asked “In the next local Nashville/Davidson County election, are you more likely or less likely to vote for a mayoral candidate who supports Nashville becoming a sanctuary city,” 41.3 percent of likely Nashville/Davidson County voters said they were much less likely, while only 25.6 percent said they were much more likely. Intensity of feeling on this issue is with the opponents of sanctuary city proposals. Overall, 47.4 percent of likely Nashville/Davidson County voters were less likely to support a mayoral candidate who supports Nashville becoming a sanctuary city, while 43.6 percent were more likely: 25.6% Much more likely 18.0% Somewhat more likely 6.1% Somewhat less likely 41.3% Much less likely 9.0% Not sure/don’t know “Two major points leap out at me from this particular poll result,” media consultant and political analyst Steve Gill tells The Tennessee Star. “First, while 43.6% of the likely voters responding are somewhat more or much more likely to support a mayoral candidate who supported Sanctuary City status for Nashville, 47.4% were somewhat less likely or much less likely…

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Gubernatorial Candidate Randy Boyd Okay With Helping Illegal Aliens in Tennessee Start Their Own Businesses

Chris Alto

Next time you eat food prepared by a Conexion Americas culinary entrepreneur, thank Randy Boyd for his $250,000 donation that helped expand the kitchen incubator program. When asked about his donation during a radio interview , Boyd gushed, “I’m all about supporting entrepreneurs and creating spaces for entrepreneurs.” The Partnership for a New American Economy (PNAE), of which Boyd is a named member, last year issued a Tennessee report estimating that approximately 10,612 “undocumented entrepreneurs” in the state have started businesses: Large numbers of undocumented immigrants in Tennessee have also managed to overcome licensing and financing obstacles to start small businesses. In 2014, an estimated 10.3 percent of the state’s working-age undocumented immigrants were selfemployed — meaning Tennessee was the unique state where unauthorized immigrants boasted higher rates of entrepreneurship than either legal permanent residents or immigrant citizens of the same age group. Almost 11,000 undocumented immigrants in Tennessee were self-employed in 2014, many providing jobs and economic opportunities to others in their community. Undocumented entrepreneurs in the state also earned an estimated $244.3 million in business income that year. Boyd’s donation to Conexion Americas which renamed the space to “Conexion Americas Mesa Komal Kitchen & The Randy and Jenny Boyd Culinary Incubator,”…

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Report: Knoxville Among ‘Twenty-One Mostly Sanctuary Cities’ Promising to Make 1 Million US Citizens in Year

Tennessee Star Staff

The Washington Examiner reported that Knoxville, Tennessee is one of “Twenty-one mostly ‘sanctuary cities’ . . . pledging to make 1 million immigrants U.S. citizens this year” identified in a 4th of July statement issued by Mi Familia Vota, a far left open borders group that is part of the Naturalize Now! Coalition. “The “Naturalize NOW!” campaign, which includes liberal and progressive groups and elected officials, heralded the mayors of the cities in joining the national effort,” the Examiner reported. “The cities that have joined the campaign are: Atlanta, GA; Boston, MA; Cleveland, OH; Charlotte, NC; Chicago, IL; Dallas, TX; Dayton, OH; Jersey City, NJ; Knoxville, TN; Los Angeles, CA; Miami, FL; Miami-Dade County, FL; Montgomery County, MD; Paterson, NJ; Pittsburgh, PA; New York City, NY; Salt Lake County, UT; San Francisco, CA; Seattle, CA; South Gate, CA & Tucson, AZ,” the statement released by Mi Familia Vota said. The “Naturalize Now” campaign was launched in 2015 by a newly formed group known as the New American Democracy Campaign. The coalition includes Mi Familia Vota, “the National Partnership for New Americans and its state-based member coalitions, Mi Familia Vota, Cities for Citizenship, National Council of La Raza (NCLR), iAmerica, Center for Popular Democracy,…

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POLL: Nashville Voters Evenly Split Over Withdrawn Sanctuary City Ordinance

Tennessee Star Staff
Tennessee Star

A new Tennessee Star Poll shows likely Nashville voters are evenly split over the “sanctuary city” proposal recently withdrawn by Metro Council members Bob Mendes and Colby Sledge. The poll of 533 likely Nashville voters was conducted within hours of Mendes’ announcement last week that he and Sledge were permanently withdrawing a controversial “sanctuary city” ordinance from a vote on third reading by the Metro Nashville Council scheduled for July 6, as well as a related ordinance scheduled for an August vote. When asked, “Metro Nashville Council was scheduled to vote on a proposal next week that would, in effect, turn Nashville into a sanctuary city where illegal immigrants are protected from arrest and deportation. Do you support or oppose the proposal for Nashville to become a sanctuary city?,” 49.4 percent supported, while 47.1 percent opposed, a statistical tie since the 2.3 percent differential is within the poll’s 4.2 percent margin of error: 31.9% Strongly support 17.5% Somewhat support 8.6% Somewhat oppose 38.5% Strongly oppose 3.4% Not sure/don’t know The poll results directly contradict Mendes’ claim made last week when he withdrew the controversial sanctuary city ordinances that “Inside the county, the support has been overwhelming for these bills.” Of particular…

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Nashville Plans Biggest Fireworks in Nation for Fourth of July

Wendy Wilson

  Nashville’s celebration for Tuesday, called Let Freedom Sing!, will feature fireworks billed as the country’s biggest display. The event will take place downtown and will include concerts. The fireworks can be viewed for free around Riverfront Park and at Ascend Amphitheater, Fox 17 reports. The Nashville Symphony will accompany the fireworks at Ascend Amphitheater. Various musical acts will perform on stage at Fifth and Broadway starting around 4 p.m. The lineup includes the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, R&B artist Jonny P and folk rock duo The Sisterhood, among others. Country artist Chris Young will be the final performer starting at 8:10 p.m. Video screens will be set up on Broadway between Third and Fourth Avenue and at the Walk of Fame Park, with audio wafting through various downtown areas. People at Ascend Amphitheater will be able to watch the Broadway stage concerts on screens, while those on Broadway and at Walk of Fame Park can watch the symphony performance on screens. Nashville’s fireworks show will be the country’s largest for the third year in a row and will involve more than 35,000 pounds of explosives and 150 miles of wire. Nashville has gone all out to have a more extravagant display…

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Tennessee Secretary of State Tre Hargett Refuses to Fully Cooperate With Voter Fraud Commission

Tennessee Star Staff

  Tennessee Secretary of State Tre Hargett is refusing to fully cooperate with the Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity, on which Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach serves as vice chairman. “Tennessee Secretary of State Tre Hargett said today his office legally can’t agree to a request from President Donald Trump’s commission on election integrity to provide personal information about voters,” the Chattanooga Times Free Press reported on Friday: “Although I appreciate the commission’s mission to address election-related issues, like voter fraud, Tennessee state law does not allow my office to release the voter information requested to the federal commission,” Hargett, a Republican, said in a statement. Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach, a Republican, is serving as vice chairman of Trump’s recently created Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity. In a letter sent Wednesday to election officials across the country, Kobach asked for their recommendations on any changes in federal law in areas like ensuring integrity of elections. But Kobach also said that “for the Commission to fully analyze vulnerabilities and issues related to voter registration and voting, I am requesting that you provide to the Commission the publicly available voter roll data for Tennessee, including, if publicly…

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The Gas Tax Increase Goes Into Effect Today: How It Happened Despite Record State Revenues

Laura Baigert

  The gas tax increase of 4 cents per gallon, which will eventually increase to 6 cents per gallon, as well as a diesel tax increase that will eventually reach 10 cents per gallon, both go into effect today, July 1, throughout Tennessee. The culprit for this tax increase is Governor Haslam’s IMPROVE Act – Improving Manufacturing, Public Roads and Opportunities for a Vibrant Economy – later renamed the Tax Cut Act of 2017. As Tennesseans are forced to pay this higher tax, it’s time to review how it happened in a state with record revenues and a billion dollar surplus. It started no later than 2015, when Governor Bill Haslam and Department of Transportation (TDOT) Commissioner John Schroer went on a taxpayer-funded six-week 15-city tour, meeting with elected officials, business leaders and chamber of commerce executives as well as “infrastructure officials and community members” creating a “need” and building support for a gas tax increase.  At the time, there was a $6.1 billion backlog of road and bridge projects. Davidson and Middle Tennessee counties that ring it, were provided Resolutions to be passed by their respective legislative bodies, most often a County Commission, that urged Governor Haslam and the Tennessee…

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Game On: Judd Matheny Announces Candidacy for Congress in Sixth District Whether Diane Black Runs for Governor or Not

Tennessee Star Staff

  State Rep. Judd Matheny (R-Tullahoma) made a bold political move on Friday, formally announcing his candidacy for Congress in the Sixth District of Tennessee currently represented by Congressman Diane Black in an interview with WMSR radio in Manchester. Matheny made it clear he’s in it to win it, whether Black runs for governor, as many expect she will, or not. The State Representative from Coffee County’s announcement comes less than three weeks after he told The Tennessee Star “I’m 100 percent in the race for Tennessee’s 6th Congressional District. I’m not making a formal announcement until Diane Black announces for governor.” A veteran of the Tennessee Army National Guard as well as local and state law enforcement who has served in the Tennessee House of Representatives since 2002, Matheny “has been one of Tennessee’s most consistently conservative legislators and activists,” his announcement said: He has a perfect record protecting the unborn and our Second Amendment. Judd opposes illegal immigration and was just recently responsible for leading the successful fight to stop Nashville City Council ‘s attempt to become a sanctuary city. During the forced attempt to implement Common Core by establishment Republicans, Matheny orchestrated a maneuver to stop the initiative…

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Councilman Bob Mendes Blames People Outside Nashville For Foiling ‘Sanctuary City’ Bills, Vows To Find Other Ways To Accomplish Goals

Wendy Wilson
Tennessee Star

  NASHVILLE, Tennessee — Metro Councilman Bob Mendes is blaming opposition from people outside Davidson County for thwarting two “sanctuary city” bills, saying the proposed legislation had broad support among Nashvillians. “Inside the county, the support has been overwhelming for these bills,” he said at a press conference Wednesday, where he announced he will withdraw the bills because of growing opposition and a legal opinion issued Monday by Metro’s lead attorney that presented obstacles. Mendes said the bills had become “a political football” among candidates for office, specifically mentioning the Republican primary for next year’s gubernatorial election. All of the announced and anticipated candidates spoke out against the bills. The opposition became so fierce, with many state legislators opposed and also a budding grassroots movement, that Mendes’ claim of broad support within Davidson County is likely debatable. Mendes and other supporters vowed Wednesday to find non-legislative ways to achieve the same ends. “Our goals are unchanged,” he said. Those goals are at odds with the direction many in the country and across Tennessee want to take with the challenges posed by illegal immigration, leaving Mendes and his like-minded colleagues isolated in Nashville’s liberal enclaves. President Trump, whose tough talk helped…

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Lead Sponsors Withdraw Metro Nashville Council ‘Sanctuary City’ Bills

Tennessee Star Staff

Metro Nashville Council members Bob Mendes and Colby Sledge announced at a press conference held Wednesday afternoon on the steps of the Nashville Courthouse they are withdrawing the two controversial “sanctuary city” ordinances they introduced as sponsors earlier this year. Standing in front of about a dozen supporters of the ordinances from the Tennessee Immigrant and Refugees Rights Coaliton (TIRCC), some carrying signs that said “Stand Up to Hate,” Mendes said he and Sledge were withdrawing both ordinances. One ordinance had already passed two of its required three readings and was scheduled for a vote on a third and final reading at the next Metro Council meeting scheduled for July 6. Mendes told the local media outlets present at the press conference that the ordinance could not be amended prior to the third reading, and therefore would be withdrawn. The second ordinance scheduled for a vote in August will also be withdrawn. The need for an amendment became apparent when Metro Director of Law Jon Cooper issued a legal opinion on Monday saying the ordinances were “not enforceable,” and Mayor Barry on Tuesday asked the Metro Council to “reconsider” the ordinances. Mendes did not indicate whether he and Sledge would…

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BREAKING: Sponsors of Nashville’s ‘Sanctuary City’ Ordinance To Pull July 6 Vote On Bill

Wendy Wilson
Tennessee Star

Sponsors of Metro Council’s proposed “sanctuary city” ordinance are saying they will not ask their fellow council members to vote on the bill July 6 as originally scheduled. In an email to their colleagues obtained by The Tennessee Star, council members Bob Mendes and Colby Sledge said they are working on plans to hold a press conference Wednesday with other advocates of the bill to discuss the matter. The Tuesday afternoon email followed a public statement in the morning by Mayor Megan Barry asking the council to reconsider the ordinance. Barry raised concerns resulting from the release Monday of a written opinion from Metro’s law director, who said the council can’t legally keep the sheriff from cooperating with federal immigration officials. She also said the Metro Nashville Police Department has concerns about the proposed ordinance. Metro Council passed the bill on a second reading last week, but opposition to the ordinance has grown fast in recent days, with nine state senators now joining 63 House members in opposition, with more expected. A grassroots movement is also mobilizing to stop the bill. In their email, Mendes and Sledge said they need more time to review the law director’s legal opinion. It was unclear…

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BREAKING: Nashville Mayor Megan Barry Asks Metro Council To Reconsider ‘Sanctuary City’ Ordinance

Wendy Wilson
Tennessee Star

Nashville Mayor Megan Barry released a statement Tuesday morning asking the Metro Council to reconsider an ordinance that would restrict local cooperation with federal immigration officials. The ordinance passed on a second reading last week and is up for a final vote July 6. Barry was acting in response to a formal legal opinion issued Monday by Metro Law Director Jon Cooper stating that the ordinance could not be applied to the Davidson County Sheriff’s Office. Barry said: It is clear from this legal opinion that BL2017-739 does not apply to Sheriff Daron Hall, who has said he will continue to honor detainer requests from the federal government. Additionally, the Metro Nashville Police Department has concerns that the ordinance would prohibit them from recommending U visa applications for immigrants who are victims of crime and willing to help put dangerous criminals in jail. Losing that law enforcement tool could jeopardize public safety and would run counter to the intentions of the sponsors to make Nashville a more welcoming city for New Americans. The Metro Council should give serious consideration to these factors and reconsider whether this legislation is appropriate or necessary at this time. In his legal opinion, Cooper said that…

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Metro Nashville’s Own Lawyer Says Proposed Sanctuary City Ordinance ‘Not Enforceable’

Tennessee Star Staff

Metro Nashville’s “Director of Law Jon Cooper has found that Davidson County Sheriff Daron Hall would not be bound by the council’s ordinance prohibiting him from cooperating with federal authorities on immigration,” Nick Beres reported early Tuesday morning at NewsChannel 5: An opinion from Metro’s legal director has found that the proposed immigration ordinance in Nashville is not enforceable. . . Metro’s Director of Law Jon Cooper has found that Davidson County Sheriff Daron Hall would not be bound by the council’s ordinance prohibiting him from cooperating with federal authorities on immigration. Not only that, Cooper found that the ordinance would not be enforceable because it violates the Metro Charter. “Sheriff Hall has said all along he would not honor the ordinance because it’s a public safety issue,” NewsChannel 5 reported:   “To ask me to ignore everything with immigration is to let that person go who is a serious criminal local violator or federal immigration violator,” Hall said. Hall also said he didn’t believe the council had the authority to tell him how to do his job, and the city attorney agreed. This legal opinion from the city’s own attorney could kill or possibly delay the final vote on…

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63 Members of Tennessee House of Representatives Object to Passage of Nashville’s Proposed Sanctuary City Ordinance

Tennessee Star Staff
Tennessee Star

  Sixty-three members of the 99 member Tennessee House of Representatives, all Republicans, released a statement opposing the passage of a proposed sanctuary city ordinance by Metro Nashville Council. “With the Second Reading of the Ordinances filed by Metro Councilmen Bob Mendes and Colby Sledge having passed and a vote pending from the Metro Council, we are compelled to make public the intent and purposes of this Ordinance and to make it known that as Representatives of the State of Tennessee, we soundly object to their passage. Tennessee is currently being represented by the Thomas More Law Center in a lawsuit questioning the ongoing practice of settling refugees in Tennessee through various non-governmental organizations without the proper vetting, channels or protocol being followed,” State Rep. Judd Matheny (R-Tullahoma), State Rep. Bryan Terry (R-Murfreesboro), and State Rep. Sheila Butt (R-Columbia) said in a statement released on Monday from Matheny’s office: The Ordinances would formally put policies in place that would officially make Nashville a Sanctuary City. In essence, the Ordinances would: 1) Prohibit Metro Nashville employees from inquiring into anyone’s immigration status, effectively enabling illegal aliens to access public benefits they would otherwise be barred from using. This practice is not…

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Gubernatorial Candidate Randy Boyd Donated $250,000 to La Raza Affiliate And Has Not Renounced Nashville Sanctuary City Ordinance

Chris Alto

  Almost immediately after the Metro Nashville Council voted on second reading to pass a sanctuary city ordinance last week, Congressman Diane Black (R-TN-06), State Rep. Judd Matheny (R-Tullahoma) and gubernatorial candidates, Mae Beavers and Bill Lee, issued strong rebukes to the city’s move to violate federal and state law. The Randy Boyd campaign, despite being asked directly by The Tennessee Star for a comment regarding the proposed Nashville ordinance, did not respond. In a state where The Tennessee Star’s polling results showed that 1,007 likely Republican primary voters rejected in-state college tuition for illegal aliens by a stunning 84 percent to 11 percent margin and where 1.5 million voters helped elect President Trump, Boyd’s silence on a key immigration issue, could prove costly to his campaign. Three days after announcing his candidacy for governor on March 6, 2017, The Star reported on Boyd’s $250,000 donation in 2016 to Conexion Americas, an affiliate partner of the National Council of La Raza (NC La Raza). Renata Soto, co- founder and executive director of Conexion Americas served for three years as vice-president of the NC La Raza Board and was elected to lead the NC La Raza board in 2015, the year before Boyd made his donation. Days later The Star asked Boyd whether he knew…

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Grassroots Opposition to Nashville Sanctuary City Ordinance Grows

Tennessee Star Staff
Tennessee Star

NASHVILLE, Tennessee–An overflow crowd of about 200 met at John A’s restaurant on Music Valley Drive in Nashville on Saturday morning at 9 a.m. and heard from opponents of the proposed Metro Nashville Council sanctuary city ordinance, who outlined the actions they can join to defeat the proposal at its third reading on July 6. As The Tennessee Star reported last week, “[t]wo ordinances filed by Metro Councilmen Bob Mendes and Colby Sledge, drafted with the assistance of the TN Immigrant & Refugee Rights Coalition (TIRRC) and cheered on by Mayor Megan Barry, will make Davidson County and Metro Nashville the most liberal sanctuary city in the U.S.; in fact, even more liberal in its policies than New York City or San Francisco.” TIRRC, an affiliate of the National Council of La Raza and a recipient of funding from a George Soros front group, has been agitating for Nashville to formalize its informal sanctuary city practices since the election of President Trump. The two bills co-sponsored by Mendes and Sledge which will have their second reading tonight, will accomplish that goal. Trying to pass off the ordinances as “in line with state and federal law” the other Mendes/Sledge bill if…

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Mae Beavers Says UT-Knoxville Chancellor Decision to Reinstate Pride Center Shows Disrespect

Tennessee Star Staff
Tennessee Star

  Conservative Republican Gubernatorial candidate State Senator Mae Beavers (R-Mt. Juliet) expressed “disappointment” on Friday night in an exclusive interview with The Tennessee Star that the Chancellor of the University of Tennessee – Knoxville, Beverly Davenport, has announced plans to reinstate the Campus Diversity Office and hire a new Director of the LGBT Pride Center despite the Legislature defunding the highly controversial office last year. Earlier in the evening, Beavers, an announced candidate for the Republican gubernatorial nomination, touched briefly on the issue in her remarks to the Cannon County Republican Party Reagan Day Dinner in Woodbury. It was important, Beavers said in her talk, that we uphold the morals of our country as our Founding Fathers intended. She noted that the diversity department at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville had been mired in controversy, and for those reasons had lost significant state funding in the Tennessee General Assembly’s budgeting process. “They got their money back,” Beavers told the crowd of about 125, then added that the administration at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville then proceeded to hire a head of the “Pride Department.” Williamson County businessman Bill Lee, another announced candidate for the Republican gubernatorial nomination, also spoke at the event,…

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