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After National Guard trip, governor says nation needs new Southern border strategy
Shrugging off the notion that the Southern border “crisis” is a political attack, Gov. Bill Lee says the nation should develop a new strategy to stop a surge in illegal crossings and activity from Mexico. After a two-day trip to review 300 Tennessee National Guard soldiers serving on a year-long mission for border patrol support, […]
Judge blocks restroom sign law aimed at transgender customers
Calling it a “brazen” violation of the First Amendment, a federal judge on Friday blocked a new state law requiring businesses to post government-prescribed signs if they allow transgender customers to use restrooms matching their gender identity. The American Civil Liberties Union of Tennessee and ACLU filed a lawsuit in June seeking a preliminary court […]
Stockard on the Stump: Jack in the bag sparks new look at gifts
Jack Daniel’s owner Brown-Forman didn’t violate any rules on gifts to lawmakers when it handed out bottles of sipping whiskey to lawmakers in February. But the gift bags are causing the Tennessee Ethics Commission to take a new look at the guidelines for giveaways. The Ethics Commission voted recently to have staff review a 2008 […]
Gilmore laments lack of action on Forrest bust removal
An order by the Tennessee Historical Commission to relocate the busts of Confederate Lt. Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest and two U.S. admirals to the State Museum from the State Capitol is set to take effect Friday. But the Tennessee State Museum still has no plan or time frame to put together a new exhibit with […]
Amid investigation, Hakeem raises questions about state suspension of Baptiste Group license
Allegations of sexual abuse at a Baptiste Group home for migrant children gave the state an excuse to suspend the facility’s license as political pressure mounted, a Chattanooga Democrat says. “That’s my perspective,” state Rep. Yusuf Hakeem said Tuesday. “And what concerns me is that supposedly the state would have been doing on-site reviews every […]
ACLU challenges Tennessee transgender bathroom law
The American Civil Liberties Union of Tennessee and the ACLU filed a lawsuit in federal court Friday challenging a new Tennessee law requiring businesses that offer transgender restrooms to post government-required warnings signs. Filed on behalf of Nashville and Chattanooga business owners who object to the message, the lawsuit claims the law violates the First […]
In affluent Williamson County, an uproar over critical race theory
Amid uproar over Williamson County Schools’ curriculum, Senate Majority Leader Jack Johnson is questioning the district’s Wit & Wisdom reading program and whether it teaches critical race theory. Johnson, a Franklin Republican whose children attend system schools, said this week he reviewed a large part of the Wit & Wisdom curriculum and found items that […]
Stockard on the Stump: High Court sides with Legislature on compensating student-athletes
State Rep. Kevin Vaughan is hyped over the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision finding that the NCAA is violating antitrust laws. Vaughan, a Collierville Republican, passed legislation this year enabling student-athletes to benefit from their name, image and likeness, a major step forward in the fight for athletes to get their due. In the land of […]
Common Core booklets go to educational scrap heap
Less than a decade ago, Tennessee author Bill Carey couldn’t sell his historical booklets to school districts and teachers without a Common Core stamp on them. Today, he fears his publications are being trashed because of a new state law banning Common Core supplemental materials after they fell out of political favor as the state […]
Gardenhire: Unaccompanied children came to Tennessee before Trump left office
Republican state Sen. Todd Gardenhire cast doubt Friday on whether the Baptiste Group could get a fair hearing before a legislative group studying the impact of refugee children on Tennessee. “If I were them, I wouldn’t want to come to this committee because of the preconceived ideas,” Gardenhire, who represents Chattanooga, said during the panel’s […]
Stockard on the Stump: Congresswoman Greene to headline Wilson County Trump Day dinner
Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, fresh off an apology trip to the U.S. Holocaust Museum, is slated to be the guest speaker at the Wilson County Republican Party’s Trump Day Dinner in October. Terri Richman Nicholson sent a Facebook message to members this week notifying them the party is “excited” to have Greene to speak at […]
Republican lawmakers threaten to dissolve Health Department over child vaccines
GOP legislators came close Wednesday to dumping the Tennessee Department of Health after accusing it of targeting minors for mass vaccinations without parental consent. Instead, the Government Operations Committee ordered Health Commissioner Lisa Piercey to soften the state’s efforts to vaccinate children, mainly by bringing parents into the fold, and report back in July. Republican […]