by Kaitlin Housler | Nov 30, 2025 | Elections, News, Tennessee, The South
State Rep. Aftyn Behn (D-Nashville), the Democratic nominee for Tennessee’s 7th Congressional District, is set to hold a Get Out the Vote (GOTV) virtual rally on Monday featuring special guests U.S. Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY-14), Pramila Jayapal (D-WA-07),...
by Zachery Schmidt | Nov 29, 2025 | News, Policy, Tennessee
Tennessee’s AI Advisory Council Membership Information released a report this week on how the state should use artificial intelligence (AI) in the future. The report, titled “Artificial Intelligence Advisory Council Action Plan,” said it wants Tennessee to be a...
by Kaitlin Housler | Nov 26, 2025 | Elections, News, Tennessee, The South
Singer-songwriter Kid Rock is urging voters in Tennessee’s 7th Congressional District to vote for Republican nominee Matt Van Epps, saying that the choice between Van Epps and his Democratic opponent in the congressional race, State Representative Aftyn Behn...
by Zachery Schmidt | Nov 26, 2025 | News, Policy, Tennessee
Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) and Ben Ray Luján (D-NM) introduced a bill last week to improve broadband access nationwide. The Broadband and Telecommunications RAIL Act would amend the Communications Act of 1934 to accelerate the process to implement...
by Kaitlin Housler | Nov 26, 2025 | News, Policy, Tennessee, The South
A new Tennessee law creating a registry of “persistent domestic violence offenders” within the Tennessee Bureau of investigation (TBI) to be available for public inquiry on the internet, similar to the state’s sex offender registry already in use, is set to take...
by Kaitlin Housler | Nov 25, 2025 | Elections, News, Tennessee, The South
President Donald Trump has issued a last-push plea for Republicans to turn out the early vote for Matt Van Epps in the special general election for Tennessee’s 7th Congressional District. Voters in the 7th District – which includes Stewart, Montgomery, Robertson,...
by Kaitlin Housler | Nov 25, 2025 | News, Politics, Tennessee, The South, TN LEAD
U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi praised Tennessee U.S. Senator and 2026 gubernatorial candidate Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) for her push at the federal level for resources intended to help make Memphis safe. Bondi and other Trump administration officials traveled to...
by Kaitlin Housler | Nov 25, 2025 | Elections, News, Tennessee, The South
Joe Gruters, the chairman of the Republican National Committee (RNC) is urging Republican voters in Tennessee’s 7th Congressional District to bank their vote for nominee Matt Van Epps during the last few days of the early voting period for the December 2 special...
by Zachery Schmidt | Nov 25, 2025 | Justice, News, Tennessee
All of the Tennessee National Guardsmen returned to the state after completing their 12-month deployment helping secure America’s southern border. The guardsmen began returning home at the end of October, with the last group returning to Tennessee on Monday. They were...
by Kaitlin Housler | Nov 25, 2025 | Elections, News, Tennessee, The Michael Patrick Leahy Show, The South
Tom Pappert, the lead reporter at The Tennessee Star, is warning that Democrats have parachuted an “activist” army into Tennessee’s 7th Congressional District to bolster Democratic nominee Aftyn Behn’s special election bid. On Monday’s edition of The Michael Patrick...
by Zachery Schmidt | Nov 24, 2025 | Justice, News, Tennessee
A Tennessee judge denied a temporary injunction last week that would have required Rutherford County Schools to restore over 145 books to its library. In April, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Tennessee sued the school district after it started removing...
by Kaitlin Housler | Nov 24, 2025 | Education, News, Tennessee, The South
The Tennessee Department of Education has announced the application dates for the Education Freedom Scholarship Program for the 2026–2027 school year, including deadlines for both returning and new families. Tennessee’s Education Freedom Scholarship Program, now in...
by Kaitlin Housler | Nov 22, 2025 | Justice, News, Tennessee, The South
Tennessee Governor Bill Lee announced two judicial appointments on Thursday, naming a new circuit court judge for the state’s 20th Judicial District and district attorney for the 31st Judicial District. I’m proud to announce the appointment of these highly qualified...
by Kaitlin Housler | Nov 21, 2025 | News, Policy, Tennessee, The South
The Tennessee Performing Arts Center (TPAC) has reached a deal with the Metro Government of Nashville to move out of the state-owned James K. Polk Cultural Center and across the river to the East Bank. The agreement, according to Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell’s...
by Zachery Schmidt | Nov 21, 2025 | Justice, News, Tennessee, The South
A group of Tennessee parents sued the state over its universal private school voucher program. This year, Tennessee implemented a voucher program that gives students $7,295 to attend a private school of their choice, following the passage of the Tennessee Education...
by Kaitlin Housler | Nov 20, 2025 | Elections, News, Tennessee, The South
State Representative Aftyn Behn (D-Nashville), the Democratic nominee for Tennessee’s 7th Congressional District, is once again under fire for resurfaced comments she has made about the district she is seeking to represent in Congress. On an episode of the “GRITS”...
by Kaitlin Housler | Nov 20, 2025 | Education, News, Tennessee, The Michael Patrick Leahy Show, The South
Tennessee State Senator Mark Pody (R-Lebanon) is pushing to reshape how the state approaches college admissions, arguing that Tennessee’s students and parents deserve more options than the traditional ACT and SAT pathway. During a Monday appearance on The Michael...
by Kaitlin Housler | Nov 20, 2025 | Education, News, Tennessee, The South
Former NCAA swimmer and political activist Riley Gaines spoke at the first Turning Point USA (TPUSA) event at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (UTC) on Tuesday. TPUSA was approved as a Registered Student Organization by the UTC Dean of Students Office in...
by Kaitlin Housler | Nov 20, 2025 | Culture, News, Tennessee, The South, TN LEAD
The Tennessee Star has been awarded the prestigious 2025 Dao Prize for Excellence in Investigative Journalism for its investigative series uncovering the infamous 2022 Tennessee traffic stop of Kilmar Abrego Garcia which led to the filing of human smuggling charges....
by Kaitlin Housler | Nov 19, 2025 | Culture, News, Tennessee, The South
Vice President JD Vance wants to speak with the Maryville police officer who was critically injured while working his protection detail escort last week, Maryville Police Chief Tony Crisp said. Last Friday, Maryville Police Officer FTO Justin Brown was critically...
