Day: April 1, 2022

Hard Rock Bristol Casino Announces Plan to Open Temporary Casino in July

Eric Burk

A temporary, full-service casino in Bristol will open July 8 while construction continues on the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Bristol, the developer announced Wednesday.

Chief Operating Officer of Hard Rock International Jon Lucas said in a press release, “As Virginia’s first casino, ‘Bristol Casino – Future Home of Hard Rock’ will be a wonderful addition to the Hard Rock global portfolio of dining, hotel and entertainment properties. I am pleased by the significant progress that Allie Evangelista and her team are making towards a July 8 Grand Opening celebration for Bristol.”

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Republican Report: CDC Official Confirms Teachers’ Unions Given ‘Unprecedented’ Status on Whether to Reopen Schools While Parents Not Consulted

Susan Berry, PhD

House Minority Whip Steve Scalise (R-LA) said Wednesday the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) used “political science” and not “medical science” to collaborate with the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) to create guidance on the issue of reopening the nation’s government schools.

Appearing as a guest on Fox News’ The Ingraham Angle, Scalise referred to a report released by Republicans on the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis that revealed a CDC official’s testimony confirming the nation’s top health agency coordinated with teachers’ unions at an “unprecedented” level to craft school reopening guidance, despite the CDC’s earlier claims that their coordination with the unions was routine.

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Commentary: Nearly All of the 2.5 Million Illegal Immigrants Apprehended Since Biden Took Office Have Been Released

Virginia Star Staff

Since President Joe Biden was sworn into office in Jan. 2021, more than 2.5 million illegal immigrants have been apprehended at the southern border, the greatest unchallenged influx of illegal immigrants in American history, according to data compiled by U.S. Customs & Border Patrol (CBP).

Of those, just 167,392 were either deemed inadmissible or expelled due to health concerns, according to the CBP.

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IL-11 Republican Challenger Jerry Evans Responds to National Republican Congressional Committee Adding District to Target List

Aaron Gulbransen

Illinois Eleventh Congressional district challenger Jerry Evans responded to the news that the National Republican Congressional Committee has added the district to the Democrat incumbent target list.

In a statement issued to The Star News Network, Evans said “The NRCC adding Illinois’ 11th Congressional District to their list confirms what we have seen all along. Illinoisans have had enough of Joe Biden’s dismal economy, catastrophic foreign policy, and undeniable incompetence.” he said. “They no longer wish to be represented by Biden yes-men like Bill Foster. They want a Representative who will go to Washington and fight for them, not kowtow to Nancy Pelosi and the far-left fringes of the Democratic Party. With a strong fundraising record, significant national press, and an elite team, my campaign is well positioned to finally retire Bill Foster.” 

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National Republican Congressional Committee Chairman Tom Emmer: Vulnerable Democrat Incumbents ‘Will Be Shown No Mercy’

Aaron Gulbransen

The Chair of the National Republican Congressional Committee declared open season on Democrat U.S. House incumbents as the NRCC continues to expand its list of targeted races for Republican takeover.

The NRCC had previously announced seventy targeted races. It is now targeting seventy-two.

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White House Admits the Border Crisis Is About to Get a Lot Worse

Virginia Star Staff

The White House said Wednesday that it expects an “influx” of migrants at the border when Title 42 ends.

During a briefing, White House Communications Director Kate Bedingfield told reporters that they do expect a migrant surge when the order is lifted and that the administration is preparing for such a scenario.

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Biden Administration Allegedly Set to Extend Title IX Rights to ‘Transgender’ Students

Virginia Star Staff

The Biden Administration’s Department of Education (DOE) is set to impose new Title IX regulations in the coming weeks that will extend federal civil rights to so-called “transgender” students.

The Daily Caller reports that at least two anonymous DOE officials told the Washington Post about the planned expansion of Title IX, which currently only prohibits discrimination on the basis of gender. The new regulations will redefine Title IX to include “gender identity” and sexual preference. A DOE spokesperson said that the newly-updated guidelines will be formally published in April.

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GOP Report: Teachers Unions Got ‘Unprecedented Access’ After Donating Tens of Millions to Democrats

The Center Square

A newly released report from Republican lawmakers on the Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis alleges that teachers unions had “unprecedented access” in determining school COVID-19 guidelines after giving millions of dollars to Democratic candidates in 2020.

The report confirmed what The Center Square reported last year, including that teachers unions such as the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) gave tens of millions of dollars to Democrats before heavily influencing school re-opening guidance.

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Bill to Help Small and Conservative Media Orgs Stand Up to Big Tech Gains Traction in Congress

Virginia Star Staff

Legislation designed to help media organizations negotiate with major online platforms is gaining Republican support in Congress due to provisions protecting small, local and conservative publications, the Daily Caller News Foundation has learned.

The Journalism and Competition Preservation Act (JCPA), a bill led by a bipartisan coalition of lawmakers including Democratic Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar, Republican Louisiana Sen. John Kennedy, Democratic Rhode Island Rep. David Cicilline and Republican Colorado Rep. Ken Buck, seeks to help media organizations negotiate with tech platforms like Google and Facebook for compensation over the use of their content.

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Prices Are Still Rising Despite the Fed Saying Everything’s Under Control

Virginia Star Staff

The price of goods throughout the economy rose at its fastest level in decades despite assurances from Federal Reserve Bank Chairman Jerome Powell earlier this month that the central bank would get inflation under control.

The personal consumption expenditures price index (PCE) surged 6.4% in February on a year-over-year basis, the fastest pace since January 1982, the Commerce Department announced Thursday. The Dow Jones estimate projected core PCE, which strips out food and gas, would increase by 5.5%.

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Appeals Court Grants Stay, Allowing Thomas Jefferson High School to Use Admissions Policy for Class of 2026

Eric Burk

The U.S. Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals issued a temporary stay in the lawsuit against Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology (TJ) on Thursday, with two of the three judges on the panel concurring. The decision allows the school to use its controversial admissions policy for the class of 2026 while the case proceeds.

“I have grave doubts about the district court’s conclusions regarding both disparate impact and discriminatory purpose, as well as its decision to grant summary judgment in favor of a plaintiff that would bear the burden of proof on those issues at trial,” Judge Toby Heytens wrote in the concurring opinion.

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