St. Paul Mayor Received Offers to Privately Fund Fireworks Display That He Cancelled for Financial Reasons

Melvin Carter

Newly released emails show that St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter declined several offers to privately fund the city’s annual Fourth of July fireworks display, an event he cancelled this year due to financial concerns. According to The Star Tribune, which obtained emails and voice mails pertaining to the matter through…

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Poll Shows Large Number of ‘Undecided’ Voters Will Put Minnesota Gubernatorial Race in the Hands of ‘Independents’

A new poll shows Democrat Tim Walz leading Republican Jeff Johnson in Minnesota’s gubernatorial race, though both candidates are trying to win over a large percentage of undecided voters. According to a new MPR News and Star Tribune poll, 45 percent of likely voters favor Walz, while 36 percent said…

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GOP Gubernatorial Candidate Jeff Johnson Challenges Double Whammy Cost to State of Federal Refugee Program

GOP gubernatorial candidate Jeff Johnson has raised the trifecta of issues facing states where the federal government’s contractors are resettling refugees – cost, transparency and accountability.  Johnson’s call to pause refugee resettlement in Minnesota demonstrates his understanding that costs being forced onto the state to pay for the federal program is…

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8th Congressional District Democrat Nominee Joe Radinovich Threatens Legal Action Over Attack Ad

Joe Radinovich, the 8th Congressional District Democrat nominee, is threatening legal action in response to an attack ad that claims the candidate has a drug-related charge on his record. A Wednesday ad produced by the Congressional Leadership Fund (CLF) claims that Radinovich has been charged with 18 crimes, thirty traffic…

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DFL Launches Smear Site Against GOP Nominee Doug Wardlow in Close AG Race

Doug Wardlow

In a competitive race for Minnesota’s attorney general, the Democratic-Farmer-Labor (DFL) Party has launched an entire website devoted to smearing Republican candidate Doug Wardlow. A new poll set to release Friday allegedly shows that Keith Ellison and Wardlow are in a dead heat for Minnesota’s top law enforcement position, according…

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Polls Show Voters Agree With GOP’s Johnson On Key Issues, But Democrat Walz Holds Small Lead in Governor’s Race

Jeff Johnson, Tim Walz

Two new polls released this week show that Democrat Tim Walz has a slight edge over Republican Jeff Johnson in the race for Minnesota’s governor. The first poll, conducted by KSTP and Survey USA, reveals that 47 percent of likely voters back Walz, while 40 percent support Johnson, and 10…

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Flurry of Attack Ads Points to Importance of Minnesota in Midterm Elections

Minnesotans may soon resort to turning off their televisions lest they suffer through the swarm of political attack ads invading their homes. The high numbers of ads, and the even higher amount of money being spent on them, highlights Minnesota’s importance in the 2018 midterms. “There’s no way around it:…

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St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter Wants to Forgive $2.5 Million in Late Library Fees

Melvin Carter

St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter plans to forgive $2.5 million in late fees owed to the city’s libraries, and hopes to nix the practice of charging late fees for overdue books altogether. Dating back to 2009, there are currently 51,000 library card-holders who have had their privileges revoked due to…

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New Poll Shows ‘Competitive’ Senate Race Between Karin Housley and Tina Smith

A new poll released Wednesday confirms that the race between Sen. Tina Smith (D-MN) and Republican Karin Housley will be unusually “competitive” in a typically blue state. The poll, conducted by KSTP and SurveyUSA, shows that Smith, who was appointed to her position after Al Franken resigned, leads her opponent…

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Democrats Doubling Down on DFL Mailers Deemed ‘False’ by Several News Outlets

Minnesota’s Democratic-Farmer-Labor (DFL) Party is doubling-down on claims that Republicans voted to pass legislative pay raises, even though the allegations were repeatedly proven false by several major news outlets. In an August campaign mailer, the DFL claimed that elected officials across the aisle, such as Jim Knoblach, Dario Anselmo, and…

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Angie Craig’s Former Employer Was Sued for Racial Bias in Hiring Process

political ad

A new ad released by the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) claims that Angie Craig’s former employer was sued for more than $3 million in a racial-bias lawsuit. “Her companies have had a long history of lawsuits and a culture of corruption, falsify sales and financial statements to defraud investors,…

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St. Paul City Council is Getting Closer to Passing a $15 Minimum Wage Ordinance

St Paul City Coucil

After months of research, the St. Paul City Council is now considering a proposal to introduce a city-wide $15 minimum wage requirement. According to the City Council’s website, local officials tasked an organization known as Citizens United with launching an independent Minimum Wage Study Committee, and its findings were presented…

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Minnesota Candidates Break from the Campaign Trail to Commemorate 9/11

Minnesota’s political candidates took a brief pause from the campaign trail Tuesday morning to commemorate the seventeenth anniversary of 9/11. “Today, we both mourn and remember the tragedy of September 11. We’re reminded of those who gave everything serving and sacrificing for others. 17 years later, we remember those highest…

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Questions Surround Ellison Investigation as DFL Ignores Request for Update

Keith Ellison

It’s been one month since Minnesota attorney general candidate Keith Ellison was accused of domestic abuse by his ex-girlfriend, but the Democratic Party still has no updates on its review of the matter. On August 11, Austin Monahan, the son of Ellison’s ex-girlfriend Karen Monahan, wrote that he had seen…

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Keith Ellison Claims He is ‘Moving Forward’ After Facing Domestic Violence Allegations

Keith Ellison

In a recent interview, Minnesota attorney general candidate Keith Ellison claimed his campaign is “moving forward” after facing domestic violence allegations. The former congressman sat down with Fox 9 Morning News Sunday, where he insisted that he is “absolutely committed to the MeToo movement.” “I think that it’s important that…

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Gov. Phil Bredesen Cut Elderly, Sick and Disabled From TennCare While Enrolling Refugees

Phil Bredesen

Phil Bredesen, the health insurance executive turned governor, had an antidote to contain the spiraling costs of the state’s Medicaid program – disenroll elderly, sick and disabled Tennesseans from TennCare. According to Gordon Bonnyman, co-founder of the Tennessee Justice Center, two years into Bredesen’s first term as governor, “[a]pproximately 200,000…

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Hambrick Family Attorney Goes Off the Rails in WTN Interview on Police Shooting

WTN radio’s Dan Mandis tried to hold a reasoned debate with the attorney representing the family of a man who was shot and killed by Metro Nashville Police last month. Mandis hosted attorney Joy Kimbrough on his Super Talk 99.7 program Monday. The audio is available here. Kimbrough represents the…

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Gov. Phil Bredesen Increased Refugee Resettlement in Tennessee by Thousands, Bringing Big Money to ‘Non-Profits’ Catholic Charities and World Relief

Phil Bredesen

When he was governor of Tennessee from 2003 to 2011, Phil Bredesen set the state up to receive a dramatically higher number of refugees – an increase well into the thousands – bringing with it significant financial benefit to federal refugee contractors like Catholic Charities of Tennessee and World Relief.…

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Southwest Airlines Begins Nonstop Flights Between Nashville, Atlanta

Southwest Air

Southwest Airlines has begun nonstop flights from Atlanta to Nashville. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution said the airline launched the flights from Atlanta to Nashville, The Associated Press reported. Nashville International Airport celebrated the inaugural flight from BNA to Atlanta Tuesday. The airline will operate five flights a day Monday through Friday…

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Taxpayer-Funded Program Didn’t End Homelessness in Tennessee

homelessness

Five years ago, Nashville officials launched an initiative to end homelessness as we know it. The program, part of the “How’s Nashville” campaign, promised homelessness would end before 2017. Seeing as how we’re more than halfway done with 2018 it’s time to assess — did the program do what Nashville…

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As Mayor of Nashville, Karl Dean Made LGBT a Specially Protected Class Under Metro Law

Karl Dean

In 2009, when Karl Dean was Nashville’s mayor he signed into law an ordinance making “sexual orientations” and “gender identity” protected classes in Nashville’s non-discrimination employment policy. Two years later, Dean tried to require vendors wanting to do business with the Metro government to include the same LBGT protections in…

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Metro Nashville Schools Director Ducks Questions on Sexual Harassment And His Handling of Complaints

Shawn Joseph

Metro Nashville Schools’ director is ducking questions on alleged widespread sexual harassment — and coverups — in his district, news outlets are reporting. NewsChannel 5 reported last week that school director Dr. Shawn Joseph tried to run from their reporter who wanted an interview on the topic and his role…

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State Rep. Tim Wirgau Voted to Give In-State Tuition to Illegal Alien Students But Is Not Fessing Up to It With Voters

Tim Wirgau

Posted on Rep. Tim Wirgau’s campaign website under the heading “Straight Talk with Tim” is this statement about his 2015 “yes” vote to award illegal alien students residing in Tennessee the in-state tuition benefit: I am opposed to illegal immigration. My consistent voting record as your State Representative proves it.…

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State Senator Thelma Harper Endorses Howard Jones as Her Successor Over Long Time Rival Brenda Gilmore

Thelma Harper, Howard Jones

Tennessee State Sen. Thelma Harper (D-Nashville) endorsed Howard Jones Jr. as her successor to the 19th State Senatorial District in Nashville, a seat she has held for 27 years, over longtime rival State Rep. Brenda Gilmore (D-Nashville). The Tennessee Tribune reported the endorsement of Jones, a pastor and educator. “A few…

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Bill Lee Agrees With Gov. Haslam That Transgender Bathroom Issue Does Not Need Leadership From the State

Bill Lee

Governor Haslam and Bill Lee propose the same approach to the use of school bathrooms and locker rooms by students whose choice of gender and anatomy may not match. Both Haslam and Lee have said that this issue does not require leadership from the state but instead, should be problem-solved…

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First Lady Melania Trump Visits Vandy Children’s Hospital, Shines Light on Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome

Melania Trump

First Lady Melania Trump visited Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt on Tuesday. The first lady’s visit was part of her “Be Best” campaign, an initiative focusing on the major issues children face, WSMV said. It was Trump’s first domestic trip to highlight the effort, NewsChannel 5 said. She…

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OFF THE RECORD: In Case You Missed This From the GOP Primaries . . .

Barry Doss, Randy Boyd, Clay Doggett, Beth Harwell

What do you get when horse-race gambling meets legal weed? Beth Harwell for governor! There was an “interesting” welcome line-up for Harwell’s June meet and greet in Jefferson City putting Harwell and company only about 20 miles northeast of GOP challenger mega-millionaire Randy Boyd’s home of Knoxville. Four state legislators…

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Randy Boyd’s Company Offshoring and Outsourcing ‘Good Paying Jobs’

Randy Boyd

GOP gubernatorial candidate Randy Boyd’s campaign and political ads have tried to reduce the core concerns of Tennesseans to a three-word tagline: “faith, family and a good paying job.”  At the same time, Boyd’s company, Radio Systems Corporation, has offshored and outsourced those “good paying jobs” to China and engineers around the world.

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Gubernatorial Candidates Karl Dean (D) and Randy Boyd (R) Both Invested in La Raza Affiliate Conexion Americas

Randy Boyd, Karl Dean

Gubernatorial candidates Karl Dean and Randy Boyd both considered Renata Soto’s Conexion Americas organization a worthy investment. Democrat Karl Dean used the government’s money while mega-millionaire Republican Randy Boyd used his personal wealth to help Conexion’s legal and illegal alien clients.

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State Governments Move to ‘Off-Load’ Public Responsibilities to Faith-Based and Community Initiatives

State governments partnering with faith-based and community organizations to maximize the use of resources is not a new concept. In some states, public-private partnerships have been expanded across most government departments, a model GOP gubernatorial candidate Bill Lee proposes to follow for Tennessee. With President Trump’s intention to trim federal…

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Nashville International Airport Sets Another Record, Making It Fourth Fastest Growing Among Largest In Nation

Nashville Airport

Nashville International Airport served more than 14.9 million passengers in the fiscal year just ended, The Associated Press reported, making it one of the nation’s fastest growing airports. The record makes Nashville International, or BNA, the fourth fastest growing airport among the top 50 airports in North America, the airport’s…

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Diane Black Wins Davidson County GOP Straw Poll For Governor

Diane Black, Bill Lee, Randy Boyd

Gubernatorial candidate Diane Black won a straw poll at the Davidson County Republican Party picnic Saturday, a blog reported. U.S. Rep. Black (R-TN) received 116 votes in the governor’s primary straw poll, according to a blog called “A Disgruntled Republican in Nashville.” Rod Williams is the author. Second place went…

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Nashville Plans Overhaul of Two Public Housing Developments For Mixed-Income Communities

housing

Nashville’s housing agency plans to rehab two properties even as the city takes over public housing from the federal government. The Nashville Metropolitan Development and Housing Agency will release its 600-page five-year plan to the federal government soon, Nashville Public Radio reports. The plan overview is available here. Council will…

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Bill Lee’s Contributions to Bredesen and Barry the Focus of New Billboards in Middle Tennessee

anti-Lee billboard

Diane Black is hitting Bill Lee hard for his financial support for Democrats like Phil Bredesen, Megan Barry and Karl Dean. A new Black ad, “Burn”, specifically targets Lee for his donations to Democrats Phil Bredesen and Megan Barry. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p7iy1LF_MXs&feature=youtu.be Diane Black “BURN” ad: You know the old saying, fool…

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Cost for English Language Learner Services in Tennessee Public Schools Increases Over 100 Percent Since FY 2016

ESL student

The cost to teach English to non-English speaking students in Tennessee public schools has increased over 100 percent since FY 2016. In FY 2016, the total cost for English Language Learner (ELL) services was $94,110,440. Seventy percent was funded through the state’s Basic Education Program (BEP) in the amount of $65,877,308,…

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GOP Candidate Brent Moody Supports Controversial Medical Marijuana Proposal

Brent Moody

Republican candidate for Tennessee House of Representatives District 56 Brent Moody, a Nashville dermatologist looking to replace Tennessee Speaker of the House Beth Harwell (R-Nashville) as the district’s representative, tweeted a trifecta of support for medical marijuana and the two state legislators who have tried to legalize it in Tennessee:…

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Ireland’s Government Confirms: Randy Boyd’s Irish Tax Records Cited in Tennessean Article Not Available to Media or Public

Randy Boyd

The government of Ireland has confirmed to The Tennessee Star that the Irish tax records cited in a recent Tennessean article about the Irish subsidiary of GOP gubernatorial candidate Randy Boyd’s company are private, and not available to the public or the media through legal means. Ms. Leann O’Kelly, Press…

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Tennessee 6th Congressional District: Robert Corlew Hits John Rose for Supporting Huge Tennessee Gas Tax Increase

Bob Corlew

A massive gas tax increase that was part of the Haslam Administration’s IMPROVE Act, which raised fuel taxes over $300 million a year, is becoming an issue in the 6th District Republican Primary congressional race. Former judge and conservative businessman Bob Corlew is hitting fellow Republican contender John Rose for…

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Nashville Organizations and Metro Government Lawyers Defend Illegal Aliens

Nashville Community Defense/Defensa Comunitaria Nashville uses the tagline “here to stay.” The group is led by Cathy Carrillo who organizes and leads protests against deporting criminal illegal aliens while Metro’s lawyers in the Public Defender’s office provide legal services for “non-citizen defendants.” According to Elizabeth Lopez, a graduate of Vanderbilt University and a…

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‘La Raza’ Randy Boyd’s Beneficiary, Conexion Americas, Supports ‘NoMuslimBanEver’ and ‘NoBanNoWall’

Randy Boyd

The same day the U.S. Supreme Court confirmed President Trump’s executive authority to restrict entry into the U.S. from designated countries, “La Raza Randy” Boyd’s collaborator Renata Soto, founder and director of Conexion Americas spoke to a group organized by Tennessee’s American Muslim Advisory Council (AMAC), rallying against the court’s…

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OFF THE RECORD: Update on Who Else Wasn’t Paying Attention to What Steve Dickerson, ‘The Different Kind of Republican,’ Was Doing in the State Senate

Steve Dickerson

So GOP gubernatorial candidate Bill Lee wasn’t the only GOP gubernatorial candidate throwing his money at “the different kind of Republican,” State Senator Steve Dickerson (R-Nashville), to help him get elected again in 2016. Lee only gave Dickerson $1,000 in 2016, which, as it turns out, was significantly less than either of…

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Tennessee Republicans Call For Democrats To Denounce Memphis Leader’s Remarks Calling Candidates Racist

Corey Strong, Scott Golden, Karl Dean, Phil Bredesen

The Tennessee Republican Party is calling for Democrats to denounce comments of Shelby County’s party leader, who on Facebook labeled Republican candidates “demonstrably racist, homophobic and unethical.” Newsweek reported on the now-deleted comments made Saturday by Corey Strong, chairman of the Shelby County Democratic Party. Strong was elected last year to…

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Beacon Center Releases Alternative Transit Plan For Nashville With No Tax Increases

traffic jam

Conservative think tank Beacon Center of Tennessee has created a transit plan for Nashville that it says would serve all drivers in the near future while not raising taxes or requiring a referendum. The plan is available here. “Proponents of the Let’s Move Nashville light-rail plan argued that an alternative…

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6 Shootings in Nashville in 24 Hours Highlight Double-Digit Increases in Violent Crimes

Nashville Police

Officers with the Metro Nashville Police Department responded to at least six unrelated shootings in less than 24 hours, NewsChannel 5 reported Saturday. Meanwhile, police report a spike in violent crimes in the state’s capital. The first shooting happened around 10:30 p.m. Friday on Joseph Avenue at Riverchase Apartments. Officials…

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