Category: Trending

What people are reading the most

State Rep. Judd Matheny Pledges ‘To Orchestrate a Massive Response to Davidson County’s Attempt at Embracing Sanctuary City Status’

Tennessee Star Staff

State Rep. Judd Matheny (R-Tullahoma) gave it to the Metropolitan Davidson County/Nashville Government with both barrels in a brief speech he delivered at the Cannon County Republican Party Reagan Day Dinner in Woodbury on Friday night. “I pledge, along with my colleagues in the House, to orchestrate a massive response to Davidson County’s attempt at embracing sanctuary city status,” Matheny told the crowd. Matheny then spelled out exactly how opponents of the Metro Nashville Council’s proposed sanctuary city ordinance in the Tennessee General Assembly will respond. “They come to us every year for a lot of money, for professional sports teams, mass transit, tourism, business development and other initiatives they ask the state to support,” Matheny said. “If the council won’t yield to the pressure they will face prior to the July 6 third reading of the proposed ordinance, then my colleagues and I will do everything in our power to deprive Metro Nashville of funds,” he vowed. “On July 7, there will be all out political war after July 6,” Matheny said. The crowd, estimated to number about 125, appeared to be unanimously in agreement with Matheny’s sentiments. In addition to Matheny, State Senator Mae Beavers (R-Mt. Juliet) and…

Read the full story

Councilman Robert Swope Speaks Out Against ‘Sanctuary City’ Ordinance

Wendy Wilson
Tennessee Star

  Councilman Robert Swope told WTN 99.7 FM talk show host Dan Mandis this week that the proposed “sanctuary city” ordinance would create a new class of citizens that would conflict with existing laws. The measure, which would restrict local cooperation with federal immigration officials, was passed on a second reading Tuesday and is up for a final vote next month. Swope has been against the measure from the start, being the only Metro Council member to vote against it on the first reading June 6. Seven other council members joined him this week in voting against it, but 25 voted for it. “If you are breaking the law, then you need to be punished, not be put into a separate class of citizens that says, OK, well, you can break the law but nobody else can,” Swope said in his interview Wednesday with Mandis. Swope spoke of the dangers involved in obstructing the sheriff’s ability to detain criminal illegal immigrants for deportation. Opposition to the ordinance is not about “rounding up” Davidson County’s estimated 33,000 illegal immigrants and “throwing them back across any single single border,” Swope said. In a recent week, 19 illegal immigrants were detained for deportation by the Metro Nashville…

Read the full story

Metro Nashville School Board Supports Metro Council’s Proposed ‘Sanctuary City’ Policy

Wendy Wilson

  The Metro Nashville school board is supporting Metro government’s proposed “sanctuary city” policy despite a growing chorus of opposition. The board sent a letter to the Metro Council this week encouraging passage of the ordinance, which was approved on a second reading Tuesday and will be up for a final vote next month. The ordinance would restrict local cooperation with federal immigration officials. “We celebrate the diversity in our schools and want them to be safe places for our students and families,” school board chair Anna Shepherd told The Tennessee Star Thursday. “Most of them are fleeing drug wars and/or civil wars and want better for their families just as our ancestors did.” Nashville Mayor Megan Barry, whose left-wing, open borders,  pro-illegal immigrant political philosophy is in line with the ordinance, has worked closely with the Metro Nashville school board since she was elected in 2015. When the search for a new director of schools stalled in 2016, Barry asserted a leadership role in the search process that ended in the appointment of  Shawn Joseph to that position in May 2016. In the letter to Metro Council sent on behalf of the board, Shepherd voiced concerns about illegal immigrant…

Read the full story

Joe Carr Commentary: Nashville Sanctuary City Plan Isn’t Just Wrong. It’s Illegal.

Tennessee Star Staff
Tennessee Star

  Commentary by Joe Carr A plan to make Davidson County a “sanctuary city” for illegal immigrants passed earlier this week on second reading and is headed to a final vote in the Metro Council next month. Citizens in Nashville, and in the surrounding area who will be affected if the city becomes an even bigger magnet for illegal aliens, have valid concerns about the plan. Any public policy that embraces and endorses illegal activity of any kind is clearly wrong. The plan promoted by Mayor Megan Berry is not just bad policy, it is ILLEGAL policy under Tennessee law AND Federal law. In 2009 as a member of the Tennessee House of Representatives, I wrote, sponsored and passed one of the nation’s first, if not THE first, “No Sanctuary City Law.” The law was in response to various California municipalities passing ordinances requiring their law enforcement officials not to comply with the 1996 Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigration Responsibility Act (the IIRIR). That federal law included section 8 U.S.C. 1373, which provided that no state or local entity can in any way restrict its law-enforcement officials from communicating with federal immigration authorities regarding an individual’s citizenship or immigration status.…

Read the full story

Nashville’s ‘Sanctuary’ Ordinance Forces Local Law Enforcement to Violate Federal and State Law

Chris Alto
Tennessee Star

The Mendes/Sledge Ordinance BL2017-739  that passed on second reading by twenty-five Metro Nashville Council members on Tuesday will, if passed on a final vote, force Davidson County and Nashville law enforcement personnel to violate federal and state laws. The sponsors’ other bill, BL2017-743 seeking to terminate a 1996 contract that reimburses the Davidson County jail when it detains criminal aliens for ICE pick-up, has been deferred to the Council’s August 1, 2017 meeting. Both bills are in line with Nashville Mayor Megan Barry’s left-wing open borders, pro-illegal immigrant political philosophy. BL2017-739 expressly prohibits the “use of any funds, resources or facilities” to assist ICE and also prohibits Davidson County and Nashville employees, including law enforcement, from providing pertinent information to ICE regarding criminal aliens. Federal law, however, specifically addresses these information exchanges: a Federal, State, or local government entity or official may not prohibit, or in any way restrict, any government entity or official from sending to, or receiving from, [federal immigration authorities] information regarding the citizenship or immigration status, lawful or unlawful, of any individual. The Mendes/Sledge bill attempts to circumvent this law by prohibiting the collection of immigration status information, possibly inviting the Tennessee General Assembly to pass a law…

Read the full story

Metro Nashville Council Vote Moves City Closer to ‘Sanctuary’ Status

Chris Alto

Twenty-five out of thirty-nine members present at Tuesday’s Metro Council meeting voted to pass the Mendes/Sledge ordinance forward to a third reading and final vote at the next regularly scheduled Council meeting. The ordinance will, in effect, turn Nashville into a “sanctuary city,” and set up an inevitable confrontation with both the state and federal government. It is also in line with the left-wing, open borders, pro-illegal immigrant political philosophy of Nashville Mayor Megan Barry, a Democrat. The vote was preceded by impassioned statements both pro and con; some more factually accurate than others.  Admissions were made that parents are not taking their children to be immunized, victims of domestic violence complaints are not coming forward and there is pervasive fear of interacting with law enforcement. Councilman Scott Davis claimed that downtown hotel cleaners aren’t getting paid because they’re told “you’re illegal. I don’t have to pay you.” The general theme running through supporters was this bill would make the city safer for everyone, “citizens or not,” phrasing used by Councilman Mendes to avoid the legally accurate term “illegal alien.” Mendes claimed that cities are allowed to “have choice” regarding how much they do over and above federal and state law and…

Read the full story

State Rep. Judd Matheny Blasts Metro Nashville Council Over Proposed ‘Sanctuary City’ Ordinances

Tennessee Star Staff
Tennessee Star

  State Rep. Judd Matheny (R-Tullahoma) tore into the Metro Nashville Council’s proposed sanctuary city ordinances on the Dan Mandis Show on 99.7 FM WWTN Tuesday. As The Tennessee Star reported on Tuesday, the Metro Nashville Council is currently considering two ordinances that would, in effect, turn Nashville into a sanctuary city. “It’s the most egregious move against public safety that the city of Nashville could possibly expose its citizens, and emergency services and social work to,” Matheny said. “It’s completely antithetical to the United States Constitution, and America. And the city of Nashville – with all due respect – they need to remember that the City operates at the pleasure of the State,” Matheny added: If they move forward with this – which I hope the’ll have the sense about them to not have a second reading (much less a third) and try to pass it – they can expect swift and severe action be the State of Tennessee. The taxpayers of Davidson county will suffer incomprehensibly if this passes. Organized crime will come to this town like a magnet from all over the country. The police will be a great risk. The citizens will be at great risk.…

Read the full story

Nashville Preparing to Become Most Liberal Sanctuary City in the U.S.

Chris Alto
Tennessee Star

Two 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. The Metro Council may hold the second of the three required readings of one or both bills during its regularly scheduled meeting tonight. 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 passed will, by prohibiting Metro Nashville employees from inquiring into anyone’s immigration status, effectively enable illegal aliens to access public benefits they would otherwise be barred from using. Using the ruse that it’s “bad policy and bad practice”for the Metro Council to…

Read the full story

Diane Black To Hold Major Campaign Fundraiser in Washington, D.C. for Re-Election to Congress, Not Gubernatorial Run

Tennessee Star Staff

Rep. Diane Black is holding a major campaign fundraiser at a high end restaurant in Washington, D.C. on Thursday night. But the event is to raise money for her re-election campaign to Congress, not her long rumored but yet-to-be announced gubernatorial campaign. Thursday night’s fundraiser will be held at Ocean Prime, one of the premiere eating establishments on Capitol Hill. The menu, which features a Ribeye Steak for $52 and Dutch Harbor King Crab Legs for $65, is well suited to Washington lobbyists, but a far cry from the Cracker Barrels that dot the I-40 corridor of the Sixth Congressional District Black represents in Tennessee. The news of Black’s Congressional fundraiser has veteran political tea leaf readers across the state of Tennessee scratching their heads. Does Black intend to run for governor, or will she drop that effort, where she will face stiff competition from three announced candidates–Knoxville businessman Randy Boyd, Williamson County businessman Bill Lee, and State Senator Mae Beavers (R-Mt. Juliet)–and opt for the safe route of an easy re-election in 2018 to represent Tennessee’s Sixth Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives? “Her chairmanship will undoubtedly boost her haul from the fundraiser,” a Capitol Hill insider…

Read the full story

Bob Corker and Lamar Alexander Silent on Federal Contractor Failing to Provide Services to Refugees Dumped in Murfreesboro

Chris Alto
Tennessee Star

The same day that The Tennessee Star discovered complaints publicized on YouTube by the refugee service volunteers in Murfreesboro made against refugee resettlement contractor World Relief for failing to provide basic and essential services, both Sens. Alexander and Corker’s offices were contacted for comment. Sen. Corker’s office never responded and while Sen. Alexander’s media contact asked for and was given additional time to look into the matter before responding, days later no comment was ever received. During the March “Murfreesboro Muslim Youth” (MMY) meeting soliciting help for refugees brought to Rutherford County by World Relief, refugee service organizer Melissa Sohrabi started crying while detailing the contractor’s neglect and failure to provide even basic survival services to the refugees they placed in Murfreesboro: [the third family] had nothing but a mattress and sheets, no blankets. They didn’t know how to work the thermostat, they were freezing. They were scared and they were so relieved because Saffi knew their language. They had been there for several days with no contact with anyone. They did not know how to get in touch with their caseworker and with no language skills they didn’t know where to go or who to ask to even how to get help. We immediately…

Read the full story

Mae Beavers: ‘Before Police Arrive, Those of Us Who Have Secured Permits and Are Armed Are the Only Source of Protection’

Tennessee Star Staff

  JACKSON, Tennessee– Gubernatorial candidate Mae Beavers told a meeting of the Tennessee Firearms Association here on Thursday night that in the event of an attack similar to the shooting of Republican Congressman Steve Scalise (R-LA) in Virginia on Wednesday, “before police arrive, those of us who have secured permits and are armed are the only source of protection for ourselves, our loved ones and our neighbors.” “We should continue to pray for the victims of the vicious attack on Republican Members of Congress — and their families. That horrific event should remind us that it is our responsibility to protect ourselves and our families from violence. Had there not been a security detail present the ‘tragedy,would have been, as Senator Rand Paul has pointed out, a ,massacre,” Beavers said, adding: Although the police responded quickly and effectively, it was still several minutes before they arrived. When seconds count, the police are minutes away. In that critical time span before police arrive, those of us who have secured permits and are armed are the only source of protection for ourselves, our loved ones and our neighbors. Those who have obtained permits in Tennessee should carry a weapon and be prepared…

Read the full story

Conservative Presbyterians Elect Progressive Academic Who Bemoans ‘White Privilege’ As Moderator Of Annual Meeting

Wendy Wilson

A college professor who promotes progressive theories on race and white privilege was elected moderator Tuesday for this week’s annual meeting of leaders in the conservative Presbyterian Church in America (PCA). The PCA is the second largest Presbyterian denomination after the liberal mainline Presbyterian Church (USA). Since forming in the early 1970s, the PCA has been known as a conservative evangelical body standing in sharp contrast to the liberal mainline denomination. But in recent years, the PCA has experienced increasing internal division over race, the role of women in the church, and how to respond to cultural pressure to overturn biblical teachings on marriage and sexuality. The PCA has a strong presence in Middle Tennessee. Its larger churches include Christ Presbyterian in Nashville, Covenant Presbyterian in Green Hills and Christ Community in Franklin. More orthodox believers in the denomination are alarmed by the changes. But they are stymied by a growing progressive influence bringing radical secular ideas into the church, often wrapped in select Bible verses about compassion and generosity that leave conservatives afraid of being called racist and uncaring. Alexander Jun, the moderator chosen for this week’s General Assembly meeting in Greensboro, North Carolina, is co-author of a new…

Read the full story

State Senator Todd Gardenhire Complains The Tennessee Star Poll Asked About Illegal Immigrants, Not ‘Children of Undocumented Immigrants’

Tennessee Star Staff
Tennessee Star

Stung by the results of the recent Tennessee Star Poll  showing 84 percent of likely Republican primary voters oppose providing in-state tuition to illegal immigrant students, State Senator Todd Gardenhire (R-Chattanooga), sponsor of two bills that would accomplish precisely that objective, complained on Monday that the poll asked about illegal immigrants rather than “children of undocumented immigrants who are brought to this country when they are very young.” “The question was worded in such a way to get the result they wanted,” Gardenhire complained to the Chattanooga Times Free Press. The Tennessee Star Poll question asked likely Republican voters the following: “In 2018, the Tennessee General Assembly is expected to reconsider a bill to provide in-state college tuition to illegal immigrant students. Do you support or oppose providing in-state college tuition to illegal immigrant students?” 84 percent of Tennessee likely Republican primary voters disapproved of in-state tuition for illegal immigrants. A resounding 68.9 percent strongly disapproved, the poll results showed: 68.9% Strongly Disapproved 15.5% Somewhat Disapproved 5.9% Somewhat Approved 5.2% Strongly Approved 4.5% Not Sure/don’t know “Gardenhire said that’s misleading,” the Times Free Press reported: He said “we’re not giving them anything” because the students live in Tennessee and would pay the…

Read the full story

Franklin Resident Jay Sekulow Joins President Trump’s Legal Team

Wendy Wilson

  Attorney Jay Sekulow has joined President Trump’s legal team, reports WORLD magazine. Sekulow, who divides his time between homes in Franklin and Washington, D.C., is chief counsel for the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ) and a radio broadcaster. He is known for his defense of religious liberty and has argued 12 cases before the U.S. Supreme Court. Trump’s legal team is defending the president amid accusations of Russia’s alleged meddling in the 2016 election and Trump’s possible knowledge of it. In an opinion piece published Friday by Fox News, Sekulow said that fired FBI director James Comey’s case against Trump “collapsed like a house of a cards” when Comey testified before the Senate Intelligence Committee last week on the matter. “Not only did Comey’s testimony clear President Trump – admitting under oath that the President was not under any investigation – his testimony unmasked Comey’s real motivation in all of this,” Sekulow wrote. Comey’s admission that he leaked privileged documents “is the most compelling evidence yet that Comey was anything but independent in his position at the FBI,” Sekulow said, describing the leaking as an effort to damage Trump. Sekulow continued, “There’s no question about it. Comey craves the spotlight.…

Read the full story

EXCLUSIVE: Judd Matheny Says ‘I’m 100 Percent in the Race for Tennessee’s 6th Congressional District’

Tennessee Star Staff
Tennessee Star

“I’m 100 percent in the race for Tennessee’s 6th Congressional District,” State Rep. Judd Matheny (R-Tullahoma) told The Tennessee Star in an exclusive interview on Tuesday. “I’m not making a formal announcement until Diane Black announces for governor,” Matheny added. Rep. Diane Black (R-TN), who currently represents the 6th Congressional District, is considered likely to enter the race for the Republican nomination for governor in 2018. Rumors abound as to when that might happen, but the consensus is that if she decides to run, she will need to make the announcement some time between July and September. If Black chooses to run for re-election to Congress Matheny told The Star he will change his plans. “If Diane Black does not run for governor, I will not run for the 6th Congressional district seat, and will instead for re-election to the Tennessee House of Representatives,” Matheny said. First elected to the Tennessee House of Representatives in 2002, Matheny has long been a champion of conservative causes in the Tennessee General Assembly Matheny was one of 35 Republican members of the House of Representatives who voted against Governor’ Haslam’s gas tax increase in the critical House vote in April where the bill passed by…

Read the full story

Bob Corker Takes Two Cheap Shots at President Trump, Conservatives in Tennessee Respond by Smacking Down Our Junior Senator

Tennessee Star Staff

Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN) took another two cheap shots at President Trump this week, and this time conservatives in Tennessee responded by smacking down the junior senator who is up for re-election in 2018. On Monday, Corker joined several Democratic senators in undermining President Trump’s foreign policy on Russia. “Senior senators in both parties on Monday night reached a bipartisan deal to add new sanctions on Russia and allow Congress to disapprove of any attempt by President Donald Trump to ease penalties on Moscow, the most significant GOP-backed constraint on the White House so far this year,” Politico reported: Foreign Relations Chairman Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) assured reporters earlier Monday that the Russia deal would provide for congressional review of any future rollbacks of Russia sanctions, a plan pushed by Schumer as well as Sens. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.). The review language would be structured “much like we did in other places,” such as the 2015 legislation that required former President Barack Obama to submit his administration’s nuclear pact with Iran to Congress, Corker said. . . Asked about the prospects of a veto threat from Trump, the Foreign Relations panel’s top Democrat, Maryland Sen. Ben Cardin, told…

Read the full story

Williamson County Teacher Sues School District, Says She Was Bullied Into Resigning

Wendy Wilson
Tennessee Star

  A well-liked Williamson County elementary school teacher is suing the school district, alleging she was bullied and harassed into resigning. Melanie Lemon, who taught second grade at Walnut Grove Elementary, filed a lawsuit Friday in Williamson County Circuit Court. The defendants are Williamson County Schools, superintendent Mike Looney, assistant superintendent Denise Goodwin and Walnut Grove principal Kate Donnelly. The suit seeks compensatory damages and asks that the school district extend its anti-bullying policy to adults. Lemon’s resignation on May 12 prompted an outcry in the community. Supportive parents and former students started a petition of protest and quickly collected more than 1,800 signatures. Some showed up at a school board meeting dressed in black to object to how they felt the school district mistreated her. The lawsuit says that Lemon went from getting stellar observations to suddenly receiving a poor one, and that school officials falsely accused her of child abuse. A teacher for 14 years, seven of them at Walnut Grove, Lemon had tenure. The lawsuit states that Tennessee’s Teacher Tenure Act is supposed “to protect teachers from arbitrary demotions and dismissals.” At the start of the 2016-2017 school year, Lemon “became the target of a systematic plan…

Read the full story

‘We Wuz Robbed, Bless Your Heart’

Admin
Tennessee Star

Commentary by Steve Gill   Nashville has a lot to be proud of in the wake of the historic Stanley Cup Final run by the Predators: The class and skill of a team on the rise that promises to be back stronger and better next year. City officials who handled incredible crowds with efficiency and flexibility, especially when combined with the crowd control nightmare of CMA Fest colliding with a Stanley Cup Final all in a several block radius. Fans who fully embraced a sport that many were still learning and players they had never heard of when the playoff run began. Nashville’s reputation as an “it” town was already firmly in place before, but it is more “it” than ever in the view of hockey and sports media types who had never given Nashville more than a passing glance in the past. Terms like “Smashville” and “Prednecks,” and the visuals of catfish on ice, are now a part of NHL lore. But what Nashville can perhaps most be proud of is cementing our reputation as a place where Southern Hospitality is still a “thing.” Yes, there was some booing of the winning Penguins as they hoisted the Stanley Cup.…

Read the full story

Six Potential Challengers to Bob Corker in the 2018 Tennessee U.S. Senate Republican Primary

Tennessee Star Staff
Tennessee Star

  With the new Tennessee Star polling data revealing significant vulnerabilities for Senator Bob Corker among likely Republican Primary voters, the speculation about potential opponents who may seek to exploit those vulnerabilities has increased dramatically. (Regardless of how many think about it, if more than one conservative challenger actually gets in the race they give it to Corker. And a successful race will almost certainly require a minimum of $7 million.) Who are these potential challengers? In alphabetical order: Congresswoman Marsha Blackburn. Topping the wish list of many Tennessee conservatives is the Representative from Middle Tennessee’s 7th District. Having represented a wide swath of West Tennessee before redistricting she has a significant base of support in both Middle and West Tennessee, which was reflected in the cross tabs in The Tennessee Star Poll head-to-head poll with Corker. Blackburn won the Middle portion of the state outside the margin of error (43-38) and beat Corker handily in West Tennessee (49-36). Statewide the two were within the margin of error with Corker edging Blackburn 41-39. A Tennessean story that was widely repeated across the state and country reported that Blackburn has indicated that she will NOT run for the Senate in 2018.…

Read the full story

Twenty-One Cases of Criminalized Female Genital Mutilation in Tennessee But No Prosecutions

Chris Alto
Tennessee Star

  Despite being a Class D felony in Tennessee since 1996, and despite twenty-one cases of female genital mutilation (FGM) in the state being reported in 2011, there is no publicly available record of any prosecutions for this crime in Tennessee. This contrasts sharply with Michigan that has no state law criminalizing FGM but is where federal law is being used to aggressively prosecute three individuals alleged to have possibly mutilated up to 100 young girls. In 2012, Tennessee updated its FGM criminal law requiring healthcare providers to report cases of FGM to either a sheriff or chief of police “and shall also, in either event, report the same immediately to the district attorney general or a member of the district attorney general’s staff.” Sen. Bill Ketron who sponsored the 2012 bill explained that reporting to the district attorney (DA) was mandated in the statute because even though FGM was already illegal in Tennessee, “we had no mechanism for reporting under previous law which was a barrier to prosecution. So, that is what this bill was about – to stop this act from occurring in our state.” Shortly after The Tennessee Star’s first story about the Population Reference Bureau report…

Read the full story

Mayor Megan Barry Says The Constitution Does Not Apply Here in Nashville: ‘I Am Committed to Meeting the Goals of the Paris Agreement . . . Even if the President Is Not’

Tennessee Star Staff
Tennessee Star

  On Thursday, Nashville Mayor Megan Barry issued a statement criticizing President Trump’s withdrawal from the Paris Climate Agreement, which, in effect, declared that as mayor she will not be bound by Article 1, Section 10 of the United States Constitution, which prohibits state governments specifically, and metropolitan governments within states by extension, from entering “into any treaty, alliance, or confederation.” “The United States of America should be a global leader in addressing the dire impact of climate change on our civilization, and it is very disappointing that President Trump does not see that. As a member of the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy, I am committed to meeting the goals of the Paris Agreement by reducing our greenhouse gas emissions, and working with corporations and citizens to do the same, even if the President is not. There’s too much at stake for cities not to lead on this issue, and Nashville will,” Barry said in the statement. “In 2016, Mayor Barry formed the Livable Nashville Committee, comprised of leaders from Nashville’s public, private, environmental, academic, and philanthropic sectors, and charged its members with developing a shared vision for protecting and enhancing Nashville’s livability and environmental quality.…

Read the full story

BREAKING: Mae Beavers Plans to Announce Campaign for Governor on Saturday, Promises ‘A Full Effort to Repeal the Gas Tax Increase’

Tennessee Star Staff

  State Senator Mae Beavers (R-Mt. Juliet) has decided to run for the Republican nomination for Governor of Tennessee in 2018, and her top priority will be repeal of the recently enacted 6 cents per gallon gas tax increase pushed by Gov. Haslam. Beavers released a statement late Saturday that says she “intends to formally announce a campaign for Governor of Tennessee at Charlie Daniels Park in Mt. Juliet at 1 pm on Saturday June 3.” She will become the third candidate officially in the race for the GOP nomination. Knoxville businessman Randy Boyd and Williamson County businessman Bill Lee have already announced their candidacies. Congresswoman Diane Black, State Senator Mark Green (R-Clarksville), State Senator Mark Norris (R-Collierville), and Speaker of the Tennessee House of Representatives Beth Harwell (R-Nashville) are all potential candidates. With her announcement, Beavers becomes the only clearly conservative announced candidate in the race, and is the only candidate, announced or expected, to come out in support of repealing Gov. Haslam’s gas tax increase. “Over the past several weeks, it has become increasingly clear that conservatives in Tennessee are looking for bold leadership that will not shrink from standing up and speaking up on the key issues…

Read the full story

70 Grassroots Activists Honor Gas Tax Opponents at Knoxville Event

Laura Baigert

KNOXVILLE, Tennessee — Seventy grassroots activists came out to hear a debriefing Tuesday evening on the recently concluded legislative session by Knoxville Republican gas tax opponents Representatives Roger Kane and Jason Zachary at an Americans For Prosperity (AFP) West Knoxville Town Hall.  Kane and Zachary were recognized by AFP’s Deputy State Director, James Amundsen, as the only two Knoxville representatives who voted against the gas tax increase. Representatives Zachary and Kane gave opening comments to the standing room only crowd at O’Charley’s on Parkside Drive in the Turkey Creek section of Knoxville followed by a question and answer session for an event that ran more than an hour. Zachary started his comments by passing out and reviewing two handouts printed on his official letterhead, “Under Conservative Leadership, Tennessee is a Better Place To Live, Work, And Raise A Family” and “Bills Passed On Behalf Of District 14, 2017 Session.”  As he went through the six bills, HB 0055, 0056, 0057, 0362, 0368 and 0469, Zachary explained how they came about through requests by individuals, making the point that “especially at the state level, one person can make a tremendous difference.” Kane made a similar point when he said, “We actually…

Read the full story

Debbie Wasserman Schultz Interfered With Criminal Probe of Her IT Staffer, Promising ‘Consequences’ for Capitol Police

Tennessee Star Staff
Tennessee Star

Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz threatened the chief of the U.S. Capitol Police with “consequences” for holding equipment that she says belongs to her in order to build a criminal case against a Pakistani staffer suspected of massive cybersecurity breaches involving funneling sensitive congressional data offsite. The Florida lawmaker used her position on the committee that sets…

Read the full story

Sources: Democratic Aide Suspected of Major Security Breach on Capitol Hill Now Under Government Protection in Pakistan

Tennessee Star Staff

A criminal suspect in an investigation into a major security breach on the House of Representatives computer network has abruptly left the country and gone to Pakistan, where her family has significant assets and VIP-level protection, a relative and others told The Daily Caller News Foundation’s Investigative Group. Hina Alvi, her husband Imran Awan, and his…

Read the full story

The Tennessee Star Tops 1 Million Website Visits in Less Than 4 Months

Admin
Tennessee Star

  FRANKLIN, TENNESSEE (Tuesday, May 23) — Today The Tennessee Star announced its online news site has had ONE MILLION visits since its launch February 6. “The Tennessee Star is the only consistently conservative media outlet in the state of Tennessee. This is a conservative state, and Tennesseans have wanted a fact-based news site with a conservative perspective for many years. That’s what we offer, and that’s why we’ve seen such tremendous traffic,” said Managing Editor Christina Botteri. “People are smart and they want to be informed and not preached at or dictated to, and I believe that is a big part of why we are growing at such a substantial rate – especially compared to other area news outlets,” she said. Judson Phillips, a long-time conservative activist and Tea Party Nation founder agreed. “I am not shocked at the excellent performance of The Tennessee Star.  While the Gannett-owned papers read like newsletters for the Tennessee Democrat Party, The Star goes after important stories that the liberal media will not touch,” Phillips said. While the raw viewership of The Tennessee Star is remarkable, media experts also recognize the impact and influence the upstart news outlet is already having at Legislative Plaza. “Attracting one…

Read the full story

Alabama Baptist Leaders Raise Concerns About LGBT Group At Samford University

Wendy Wilson

The missions board of the Alabama Baptist Convention has formed a committee to work with Samford University in the wake of the faculty voting to give official recognition to an LGBT student group. Samford is a Southern Baptist school in suburban Birmingham. Final approval of the LGBT group is up to the school’s board of trustees. The board is not expected to formally consider the matter until fall. Called Samford Together, the group provides a forum for students who want to discuss sexual orientation and gender identity “in an open-minded and accepting environment,” according to the school’s website. Some supporters of the group say it is more about discussion than advocacy. But leaders of the Alabama Baptist Convention and its missions board say they are worried about the group promoting ideas that go against Scripture. At a May 12 missions board meeting, convention president John Thweatt presented an open letter to Alabama Baptists saying the convention wants to maintain a good relationship with Samford but also expects the school to hold to biblical teachings. “We care deeply about Samford University and its future. We care about its leadership, trustees, faculty and students,” the letter said. “We also believe in the full…

Read the full story

Activist Lawyers Admit Nashville Has an Illegal Immigration Problem

Chris Alto
Tennessee Star

  On April 7, 2017, Nashville activist pro-illegal immigration lawyers Elliot Ozment, J. Gerard Stranch, IV, Tricia Herzfeld and Anthony Orlandi, sued Metro Nashville, Davidson County and Sheriff Daron Hall, on behalf of Saudi national Abdullah Abriq, who overstayed his student visa, and “hundred and likely thousands of immigrants” subject to detainer requests issued by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and that “[u]pon information and belief, the Defendants have taken custody of, and detained, thousands of Administrative Detainees over the past five years.” ICE has the responsibility and authority to detain foreign nationals who overstay their visas and those who have entered the U.S. illegally even if they have not committed a criminal offense. So far in fiscal year 2017, thirty-seven percent of immigration offenders adjudicated in immigration court involving either simple immigration violations and/or a criminal offense, have been allowed to remain in Tennessee. Of cases where the judge permits the offender to remain, over 1,000 of the cases involve immigration violations while sixteen are classified as “criminal/national security/terror.” Abriq’s lawsuit alleges that without a valid agreement with ICE, Nashville’s Sheriff Daron Hall has no authority to comply with ICE detainer requests and as a result, violated the plaintiffs’ Fourth…

Read the full story

More Than 100 Conservative Leaders Urge Mark Green to Resume Campaign for Governor of Tennessee

Tennessee Star Staff
Tennessee Star

  NASHVILLE, Tennessee–More than one hundred conservative leaders from across Tennessee are urging State Senator Mark Green (R-Clarksville) to resume his campaign for the Tennessee Republican Gubernatorial nomination in 2018. Green was considered the conservative front runner for the nomination, though he had not officially announced, when President Trump nominated the former Army doctor to serve as Secretary of the Army. Green withdrew from consideration after LGBT and Islamic activists criticized some of his past statements and the White House did not actively jump to his defense. The letter released by the 2018 Coalition of more than one hundred conservative leaders across the state urges Green to resume his campaign for Governor and says he “can count on the enthusiastic support of all of us – and thousands of conservatives across Tennessee – should he resume his campaign.” You can see the complete letter on the 2018 Coalition website and read it, as well as the names of all the signators, here below: 2018 Coalition Fellow Tennesseans: As conservative leaders representing thousands of Tennesseans across the state, we are deeply disappointed that Senator Mark Green will not serve our nation as the next Secretary of the Army. A West Point…

Read the full story

Gubernatorial Candidate Bill Lee Meets With Franklin Graham At Clarksville Event

Wendy Wilson

  Bill Lee, a Republican businessman running for governor of Tennessee, met briefly with Franklin Graham in Clarksville on Thursday to thank him for being an inspiration in his life. Lee and his wife, Maria, met with Graham on a tour bus for about 10 minutes to talk and pray. The Christian evangelist was in Clarksville as part of his Decision America Tennessee Tour. Lee told The Tennessee Star that he was moved last year when he heard Graham speak in Nashville. Graham encouraged Christians to become involved in politics and for Lee, already contemplating a run for governor, it was just what he needed to hear. It is Lee’s first run for political office. Lee said he is impressed with the whole Graham family and twice heard Billy Graham, Franklin Graham’s father, speak in Nashville. The family has a powerful message, Lee said. “It’s a legacy that impacts lives,” he said. Lee is chairman of Lee Company, a facilities and home services company. He also has a background in agriculture and continues to be involved in a cattle farm run by his family. He lives in Franklin and attends Grace Chapel, a nondenominational church in Leiper’s Fork. Faith is a…

Read the full story

Franklin Graham Warns Clarksville Gathering About Compromised Christianity

Wendy Wilson

  Our country is in trouble, and so are our churches. That was the message Franklin Graham delivered Thursday evening in Clarksville. He pulled no punches in describing how Christians have compromised with a corrupt culture instead of adhering to Scripture and being a godly influence. A pilot for many years, Graham compared Christians who trust their feelings more than God’s word to pilots who trust their senses instead of their instruments, which can lead to a crash. “Many Christians in today’s churches are in a spiritual fog,” he said. “But they don’t know it. They’re being blinded by this godless corrupt culture of tolerance and political correctness.” The elder son of famed evangelist Billy Graham, Franklin Graham is president and CEO of Samaritan’s Purse and the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. He was in Clarksville as part of his Decision America Tennessee Tour. Graham is Southern Baptist but reaches across denominational lines. While he does not endorse candidates and is critical of both major political parties, Graham encourages political involvement and is seen as sympathetic toward conservative politics. He has spoken out against Islam and in defense of President Trump’s efforts to restrict immigration from some Muslim-majority countries, positions that…

Read the full story

Wilson County Commissioner Announces Primary Run For Rep. Susan Lynn’s House District 57

Laura Baigert

  “It’s time to go against the status quo, and I hope to be the next Representative for the 57th District,” says Wilson County Commissioner, Dan Walker, as he announced his intention to run in the Republican primary for the 2018 election. Walker is the second to announce a run in the 2018 Republican primary for the 57th House District, a seat currently held by Rep. Susan Lynn (R-Mt. Juliet), joining Jeremy Hayes, who announced his intention to run on February 28 in an exclusive interview with The Tennessee Star. At the time of his announcement, Hayes cited Lynn’s support for Governor Haslam’s gas tax.  Lynn later denied support for the gas tax when Hayes challenged her to a debate, saying “I am not for the gas tax so there is nothing to debate.” On April 19, Rep. Lynn was one of 37 Republicans and 23 Democrats who voted for the gas-tax increase containing IMPROVE Act. Walker’s announcement states, “Dan is running on a small government approach, bringing with him a strong business acumen and military leadership to work for the great people of the 57th State District of Tennessee.”  A quote from Walker in the announcement states, I am…

Read the full story

Pentecostal Church in North Carolina Town Converted to a Mosque

Wendy Wilson

  A former Pentecostal church in the small North Carolina town of Smithfield became a mosque on Saturday. Mosque organizer Ali Mohammad told the Raleigh News & Observer that there are plans for a worship and community center and a school. Smithfield is located in a rural county in the center of the state that is predominantly Christian. 1950s American film star Ava Gardner was born near Smithfield, which is now the location of the Ava Gardner Museum. Local Christian leaders were invited to a ceremony at the new Islamic Center of Smithfield on Saturday, where mosque organizers planned to give them crosses removed from the building’s steeple and facade. “We want to be friendly with all our neighbors and let them know we’re there,” said Mohammad, describing Islam as a “peaceful” religion that “teaches us to love our neighbor and be friendly with everyone.” As in most mainstream news stories featuring similar claims about the nature of Islam, Mohammad’s description was left unchallenged by the News & Observer despite continuing acts of violence around the world committed in the name of Islam and the persecution of Christian communities in the Middle East to the point of near extinction. Pastor Jim Melnyk…

Read the full story

Former Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey Says ‘There Was Some Punishment Levied Against Some House Members’ for Voting No on Gas Tax

Chris Alto

During a press conference in Blountville, former Lt. Governor Ron Ramsey said that, “[w]hen I was in the legislature, let me assure you, actions had consequences,” as the reason why none of the new transportation funding is headed to Washington County. Ramsey summed it up this way: “There was no doubt, in the end, that there was some punishment levied against some House members on funding. Not against the Senate members, but against the House members.” For example, Ramsey said the Senate included funding for the Sullivan County Agriculture Center and East Tennessee State University, after which the House stripped away some of the funding. Rep. Timothy Hill, whose district covers Johnson County and parts of Carter and Sullivan Counties, voted against the gas tax. “Well, Timothy Hill’s district is the Ag Center. That’s one. I even made a phone call to say, ‘That this is kind of my pet project.’ It’s not up to the House members on that, but still they felt like it was time to ‘exact a pound of flesh’ was exactly the words that I heard” No TDOT projects were included for Johnson County which Hill also represents. Similarly, there were no TDOT projects listed for…

Read the full story

Senator Bob Corker Repeats FAKE NEWS Narrative from Democrats and MSM, Calls for White House to ‘Bring Itself Under Control’

Tina LaFleur
Tennessee Star

  Tennessee’s Senator Bob Corker is once again singing from the Democrats’ hymnal. The chorus Corker joined on Monday is delivering the perennial favorite line for 2017, “the White House is in chaos,” with a dash of the debunked FAKE NEWS from the Washington Post, “White House/Russia classified intel disclosure.” “Obviously they’re in a downward spiral right now and they’ve got to figure out a way to come to grips with all that’s happening,” Corker told Bloomberg News on Monday. Bloomberg’s Sahil Kapur tweeted Corker’s additional statement that “The White House has got to do something soon to bring itself under control and in order.”   BOB CORKER: "The White House has got to do something soon to bring itself under control and in order. It's got to happen." — Sahil Kapur (@sahilkapur) May 15, 2017 But, as radio talk show host Laura Ingraham noted, the Washington Post “source” for the allegation “didn’t talk to ANY U.S. official” in attendance at the meeting in question: WH source with direct knowledge just told me @washingtonpost didn't talk to ANY U.S. official at mtg w/ Lavrov. "It's Fake News" — Laura Ingraham (@IngrahamAngle) May 15, 2017 and followed it up with Meaning of…

Read the full story

Illegal Immigrant Lawfare Could Turn Nashville Into a Sanctuary City

Chris Alto
Tennessee Star

  On April 7, 2017, Saudi national Abdullah Mansour Abriq, a former student at Tennessee State University, sued Metro Nashville, Davidson County and their sheriff Daron Hall alleging that being held in the Davidson County jail on a detainer request from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), violates his constitutional rights and that the sheriff is prohibited from cooperating with ICE. The lawsuit, filed in federal court with Abriq as the lead plaintiff, is a class action on behalf of “hundred and likely thousands of immigrants” being held because of ICE detainer requests, and will be heard by Obama nominated Chief Judge Waverly Crenshaw whose lifetime appointment was supported by Tennessee Senators Alexander and Corker. Abriq is identified in the complaint as a “foreign national who immigrated to the United States under an F-1 student visa.” The F-1 visa is a type of non-immigrant visa that allows a person to be educated in the U.S. if they meet certain conditions. Typically, absent an extension, the student must leave the country once the term or conditions of the visa expire. Visa overstayers are considered unlawfully present in the U.S. and can be deported. In 2016, a bill endorsed by the Haslam administration…

Read the full story

Judson Phillips Commentary: It Is Time To Break Up Tennessee’s Large Cities

Judson Phillips

It is time to break up Tennessee’s large cities. Anyone with three functioning brain cells realizes the Tennessee Republican Party is not a conservative party and the Tennessee State legislature is a body that is of the lobbyists, by the lobbyists and for the lobbyists. The Tennessee legislature will occasionally throw something out that is red meat for the Republican base, but for the most part they act like moderate Democrats. After all, without the Republicans in the state legislature, who would we have to expand government and raise taxes? Conservatives need to start pressing the legislature to make some real small government reforms. One of the best reforms that could be made is to start breaking up Tennessee’s largest cities. This process has started with State Senator Bo Watson’s “De Annexation” bill, which passed the Senate this year and will be considered by the House next year. Tennessee’s four largest cities have Democrat mayors. Memphis is well on its way to putting Detroit to shame as a murder capital and as the city most likely to end up in bankruptcy. Nashville, while a safer city, has had a series of mayors who put Music City on the way to…

Read the full story

SC Gov. McMaster Vetoes Gas Tax, In Stark Contrast to TN Gov. Haslam, Who Championed It

Laura Baigert
Tennessee Star

  South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster posted a video “Gas Tax Veto” to his Facebook page, saying “Today I vetoed the General Assembly’s gas tax bill, and I would like to tell you why.”  He continued, “Unfortunately, raising taxes was the only solution seriously considered by the legislature.” Quite a contrast to recent events in Tennessee, where Governor Haslam was the one who would only accept a gas tax increase to fund roads through his IMPROVE Act.  The Governor persisted in his “my way or the highway” solution to road funding, despite other alternatives being offered by some members of the House of Representatives, and nearly half of his own party at 35 of 37 Republican Representatives, voting against it. Tennessee suffers from much the same problem as South Carolina, as stated by Governor McMaster, “Right now over one-fourth of your gas tax dollars are not used for road repairs.  They’re siphoned off for government agency overhead and programs that have nothing to do with roads.” As previously reported by The Tennessee Star, some of the current road “user fees” are diverted from the Highway Fund, and the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) “overhead” has grown 63 percent under Governor…

Read the full story

Constitution Series: The Second Amendment – Its Meaning, Purpose, and Scope

John Harris

    This is the seventh of twenty-five weekly articles in The Tennessee Star’s Constitution Series. Students in grades 8 through 12 can sign up here to participate in The Tennessee Star’s Constitution Bee, which will be held on September 23.   The Second Amendment declares that individual citizens have a right to keep and bear arms. That right is not created by the Second Amendment but is recognized to naturally exist independent of the Constitution. The purpose of the Second Amendment is to make clear that the federal government lacks any authority to restrict or infringe that individual right. The right is not just the right of the individual to own arms that are suitable for hunting, self defense, recreational shooting or collecting – although each of those are within its scope. The Second Amendment, much like the First Amendment, also exists to protect a political right and the political power that was essential to founding of this nation and as indicated in the Declaration of Independence. That right is the supreme authority and the power of the citizens of any nation or government to change, abolish, redo or re-establish their government. At the time that the Second Amendment was written,…

Read the full story

The Smearing Of Mark Green And What It Means For Christians

Wendy Wilson
Tennessee Star

  In today’s climate, the vitriol that Tennessee state Senator Mark Green faced for his orthodox Christian beliefs while being considered for Army secretary would surprise few. But there also was a conspicuous lack of a vigorous defense from his fellow Republicans and even his fellow Southern Baptists. With few exceptions, there was little in the way of significant pushback against the torrent of rage against Green’s past statements on LGBT issues, Islam and other topics of concern to biblically-minded Christians and other conservatives. Under intense pressure, Green withdrew his name from consideration May 5. “Green’s nomination drew immediate backlash from Democrats, and even some Republicans,” reported McClatchy DC Bureau. “His support was lukewarm at best, and few in Washington showed an appetite to defend his controversial comments.” Raymond Baker, a Franklin resident and retired Republican political consultant, told The Tennessee Star that what really hurt Green was that Tennessee’s two Republican U.S. senators, Bob Corker and Lamar Alexander, did not fight hard enough on his behalf when the going got tough. Corker and Alexander, along with other “so-called Republican leaders” long ago sold their soul to liberal interest groups, Baker said. After President Trump nominated Green for the post,…

Read the full story

Follow The Money: Campaign Receipts May Shed Light on Why Some Republicans Voted For The Gas Tax

Laura Baigert

  “Follow the money” is a catchphrase made popular in the 1976 movie, “All The President’s Men,” based on the actual events of the Watergate Break-in and suggests a money trail or corruption scheme within the political arena. While campaign receipts are no guarantee of how an elected official will vote on a particular issue, when a politician’s vote comes as a surprise to their constituents and political pundits, the behind-the-scenes world of money and power may shed light on the matter. The situation of campaign financing in the state of Tennessee is a complex web of individual and Political Action Committee (PAC) contributions and receipts to and from each other. The Tennessee Bureau of Ethics and Campaign Finance defines a PAC as a “multi-candidate politician campaign committee that participates in any state or local election.  ‘Multi-candidate committee’ is defined as a committee that makes expenditures to support or oppose two or more candidates for public office or two or more measures in a referenda election. T.C.A. 2-10-102(9).” The State of Tennessee’s Online Campaign Finance webpage includes a searchable database for contributions and expenditures to candidates and PACs and from candidates, PACs, private individuals or businesses/organizations. The complexity, special interests…

Read the full story

OFF THE RECORD

Chris Alto

Has Senator Corker even read the Tennessee lawsuit? TN GOP’s Deputy Communications director confirmed today that Sen. Bob Corker will “be giving some remarks at the SEC meeting on Saturday.” No word yet whether Bob will share pictures from the Easter trip he took with Democrat Chris Coons, to the Bidi Bidi refugee camp in Uganda to look specifically at issues related to food shortages and the impact of the President’s proposed budget. Upon his return, Bob was asked if he had any recommendations for President Trump regarding dealing with the refugee issue. Forgetting(?) perhaps that Tennessee has sued the federal government over its refugee resettlement program, Bob said that he hopes to “move back to the regular process that we’ve been in for some time” and “normalize what we have been doing in this regard for many years.” Bob will be treating all the State Executive Committee members to lunch. We’ve been told that he will also feed any county party Chairmen that show up so that no one goes hungry. Lunch will be served at the 5-star Hermitage Hotel. Beth hired who??? This message almost set The Tennessee Star tipline on fire – Speaker Beth Harwell, a Republican of some sort,…

Read the full story

Patriots Outnumber Antifa At Peaceful Nashville May Day Protest

Wendy Wilson

  NASHVILLE, Tennessee–A small band of Antifa protesters showed up for a May Day demonstration Monday at Nashville’s downtown Public Square Park, but they were far outnumbered by flag-waving American patriots. Antifa, which stands for anti-fascist, is a movement that has led in recent months to violent clashes and arrests in other cities across the country, especially in California. A far left socialist movement, Antifa rails against capitalism and broadly characterizes those with opposing views as fascist. Monday was a day of left-leaning and socialist protests across the nation on behalf of workers and immigrants. Officers with the Metro Nashville Police Department were out in force late Monday afternoon and efficiently managed the crowds at Public Square Park, preventing the demonstration from spinning out of control. There were only about a dozen Antifa protesters in addition to a handful of other left-leaning protesters. The Antifa protesters covered their faces with bandanas and some carried baseball bats. The patriots were the first to arrive and stood in military-like formation to greet the arriving Antifa protesters, who then took to the steps of the courthouse. Police on bicycles formed a barricade between the two groups and later police on motorcycles arrived. The…

Read the full story

LGBT Group At Belmont University Upset By Campus Event Promoting Biblical Sexual Ethics

Wendy Wilson

  Members of an LGBT group at Belmont University were upset recently with a documentary shown on campus that promoted biblical sexual ethics, an event also criticized by the university provost. The documentary and a discussion that followed on April 6 were sponsored by University Catholic, another group at the Christian liberal arts college in Nashville. Called “Desire of the Everlasting Hills,”  the film relates the story of three people with same-sex attraction who used to be part of the LGBT world but now practice chastity because of their Christian faith. One member of Bridge Builders, the campus LGBT group, told the student newspaper Belmont Vision, that Belmont “has been very accepting as of late” but that this event made Belmont “look really bad.”Another said, “We were just appalled by the documentary.” Both told the student newspaper that they are Catholics themselves. Several students were also upset with comments made following the film by psychologist Stephen Hopkins who described circumstances in a child’s upbringing that could contribute to same-sex attraction and said homosexual relationships are inherently more unstable than heterosexual ones. Members of the LGBT group were angered that university leaders allowed the film to be shown without first consulting with LGBT…

Read the full story

GOP Gubernatorial Candidate Randy Boyd and Nashville Mayor Megan Barry Both Want Refugees But Remain Silent on Female Genital Mutilation Threat

Chris Alto
Tennessee Star

  GOP Gubernatorial candidate Randy Boyd and Nashville Mayor Megan Barry have something in common. They both want refugees resettled in Tennessee, and they both remain silent on the threat of female genital mutilation (FGM) to women and girls in the Volunteer State. Reiterating her campaign theme, “it doesn’t matter where you started life or how you got here” progressive Mayor Megan Barry lauded Nashville for being a “warm and welcoming place” during her second state of Metro address, yet did not respond to the Tennessee Star’s questions about the threat of FGM to women and girls in Davidson County. Barry’s office was asked last week if based on the Mayor’s support for increased refugee resettlement and the high immigration from FGM prevalent countries to Nashville, whether the discovery of and prosecution for FGM in Michigan raises any concern for her administration about what might be happening in her city? No response was received from Mayor Barry’s office. Despite the Nashville-Davidson-Murfreesboro-Franklin Metropolitan Statistical Area being ranked 20th in the country for the potential risk of female genital mutilation (FGM) as reported by the Population Reference Bureau, and despite Nashville being the city that receives the highest number of refugees annually including refugees from…

Read the full story

Haslam’s Gas Tax Increase May Force Tennessee Lawmakers to Violate the Copeland Cap Amendment to State Constitution

Laura Baigert
Tennessee Star

Governor Haslam’s 2017-18 budget that incorporated IMPROVE Act and other spending promises now exceeds the constitutional budget growth limit established by the 1978 amendment to Article II, Section 24 of the Tennessee Constitution that states, “In no year shall the rate of growth of appropriations from state tax revenues exceed the estimated rate of growth of the state’s economy as determined by law.” The amendment is known as the Copeland Cap, named for its author former state Representative David Copeland of Ooltewah. The General Assembly will now be forced into a position of voting to break a constitutional commitment to the taxpayers, or appear as the “villains” by taking away the “gifts” the Governor has promised. The 2017-2018 budget estimates appropriations from state tax revenues will be $17.9 billion, which represents an 8.3 percent growth over appropriations from tax revenues in the 2016-2017 state budget at $16.5 billion. The estimated rate of growth of the state’s economy for the 2017-18 budget year, as defined by state law, is 4.6 percent over the 2016-17 budget year. The governor’s budget, as currently structured with the IMPROVE Act, will therefore violate the Copeland Cop by 3.7 percent. The relevant law, Tennessee Code Annotated (TCA) 9-4-5201 states that the basis…

Read the full story

State Rep. Tillis Responds to ‘Group That is Calling Me A Liar’ for Supporting Gas Tax Increase ‘After I Had Said Publicly That I Could Not’

Tennessee Star Staff

Constituents of State Rep. Rick Tillis (R-Lewisburg) have a message for him after he switched from a “no” vote on Gov. Haslam’s gas tax increasing IMPROVE Act to a “yes” vote. A red and white banner questioning his truthfulness was prominently displayed just below a large billboard by the side of a major road in Lewisburg promoting his jewelry business in town. Last week, Tillis was one of the 37 Republican members of the Tennessee House of Representatives who voted in favor of Gov. Haslam’s IMPROVE Act, which will increase the gas tax by 6 cents per gallon (28 percent) and the diesel tax by 10 cents per gallon (55 percent). The bill passed the House 60-37 and subsequently passed in the Senate. On Monday, the House approved the Senate version of the bill, and it is set to become law after Gov. Haslam signs it. Tillis attempted to explain his vote switch on Monday. “The first thing to address is why I voted for it after I had said publicly that I could not,” Tillis wrote in a Facebook post on Monday. “The bill changed,” Tillis claimed. “And as far as the survey that is here on Facebook and…

Read the full story

United Methodist Church In Turmoil Over LGBT Issues

Wendy Wilson

The United Methodist Church appears once more to be on the verge of a split over LGBT issues. The mainline Protestant denomination, which has a large presence in Tennessee, has experienced internal divisions for years over homosexuality, but tensions are at a fever pitch with the elevation of the first openly gay bishop. The UMC’s top court in Newark, New Jersey, heard arguments this week in the case of lesbian Karen Oliveto, who was elected as bishop last July for an area which includes Colorado, Montana, Utah, Wyoming and a church in Idaho. The area is in the denomination’s Western Jurisdiction. Oliveto is married to a woman who is a UMC deaconess. Oliveto’s election was contested by a church lay member from Kansas in the South Central Jurisdiction whose legal representative maintained Tuesday that homosexual practice is incompatible with the denomination’s book of discipline. However, a representative for Oliveto’s Western Jurisdiction argued that someone from another region has no standing to bring a case and that the book of discipline does not specifically prohibit same-sex marriage, according to a UMC news story about the hearing. The United Methodist Queer Clergy Caucus on April 16 sent an open letter to the UMC in…

Read the full story

The $250 Million Education Bill the Democrats Reportedly Want in Return for IMPROVE Act Support is Still Alive

Laura Baigert

  Twenty-three of the 25 Democrats in the House voted for Gov. Haslam’s gas tax increasing IMPROVE Act last Wednesday,  amid rumors of a $250 million deal made between Governor Haslam and House Minority Leader Craig Fitzhugh (D-Ripley) in a quid pro quo tradeoff: Democrats vote for the governor’s bill, the governor backs House Bill 841, sponsored by Fitzhugh, which appropriates $250 million from excess state tax revenue over-collected in fiscal years 2015-16 and 2016-17 to spend on education in the K-12 Block Grant Act. Democrats would have been expected to oppose the gas tax increase, given the many arguments that the IMPROVE Act’s tax cuts went largely to a handful of businesses, not middle class and working class voters who comprise the traditional Democratic constituency. The higher cost of living for middle class and working class voters resulting from the increased prices for food and other staples of life resulting from higher diesel taxes paid by trucking companies will likely not be offset by the small reductions in the sales tax on food. HB 841 was on the agenda for the House Finance Ways & Means Subcommittee meeting scheduled for Wednesday, April 26, but Leader Fitzhugh said the plan is…

Read the full story