by Zachery Schmidt | Dec 31, 2025 | Justice, News, Tennessee, The South
Tennessee announced this week that it shut down nearly 40 online illegal sweepstakes casinos operating in the state. A sweepstakes casino allows players to play casino-style games such as slot machines, bingo, and table games, according to a state government press...
by Zachery Schmidt | Dec 30, 2025 | Elections, News, Tennessee, The South
Two new Tennessee laws that help check voter eligibility will take effect at the beginning of 2026. During the Tennessee General Assembly this year, the State Legislature passed House Bill (HB) 69 and HB 1283. Governor Bill Lee signed these bills into law in May. HB...
by Zachery Schmidt | Dec 29, 2025 | Culture, News, Tennessee, The South
Tennessee politicians reacted to the death of a Tennessee police officer. On Sunday, Blount County Deputy Justin Mowery died in a car crash while in the line of duty, according to the Blount County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO). Mowery (pictured above), who was 30...
by Zachery Schmidt | Dec 26, 2025 | Economy, News, Tennessee, The South
Tennessee has the 26th-highest median salary for H-1B workers, according to a new report. Manifest, an immigration law firm, released a report examining the wages of H-1B visa workers in each state. The H-1B visa program is a federal program that allows companies to...
by Kaitlin Housler | Dec 16, 2025 | Education, News, Tennessee, The South
A new report from the Beacon Center of Tennessee warned that the state’s K-12 education system is failing to prepare many students for today’s workforce, despite record-high graduation rates and significant investments in Career and Technical Education (CTE). The...
by Zachery Schmidt | Dec 16, 2025 | News, Policy, Tennessee, The South, TN LEAD
Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) told The Tennessee Star in an exclusive interview that the new Republicans’ bill proposal would send money back to Americans rather than to insurance companies. Last week, Senator Mike Crapo (R-ID) introduced the Health Care Freedom for...
by Kaitlin Housler | Dec 16, 2025 | News, Policy, Tennessee, The South
A new bill filed for next year’s session of the Tennessee General Assembly would expand the state’s definition of a “disabled driver” to include expectant mothers who are in their second or third trimester of pregnancy or who have a pregnancy certified as high-risk by...
by Kaitlin Housler | Dec 16, 2025 | Justice, News, Tennessee, The Michael Patrick Leahy Show, The South
Tom Pappert, lead reporter at The Tennessee Star, said alleged human smuggler Kilmar Abrego Garcia is mounting a carefully orchestrated public relations campaign to cast himself as a victim, despite years of immigration violations and mounting criminal allegations...
by Kaitlin Housler | Dec 16, 2025 | Education, Elections, News, Tennessee, The South
Rutherford County School Board Member Tammy Sharp (Zone 1) announced her re-election bid on Monday. Sharp, a Republican, assumed office in 2018 and won re-election to the Board in 2022. She served as the Board’s chairwoman for approximately one year before stepping...
by Kaitlin Housler | Dec 16, 2025 | News, Politics, Tennessee, The South
Newly-elected Tennessee U.S. Representative Matt Van Epps (R-TN-07) marked his official first full week in Congress last week after his victory in the special general election for the seat earlier this month. Van Epps, who was backed by President Donald Trump in the...
by Kaitlin Housler | Dec 15, 2025 | Economy, News, Tennessee, The South
Ford announced plans on Monday to scrap production of a next-generation electric truck model at its Tennessee BlueOval City and instead manufacture an all-new gas-powered truck model starting in 2029. “These new affordable gas-powered trucks will broaden Ford’s truck...
by Kaitlin Housler | Dec 15, 2025 | Justice, News, Tennessee, The South
Tennessee Titans defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons’ Nashville home was burglarized Sunday evening, just hours after the team concluded its away game against the San Francisco 49ers, the Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) confirmed. Monday morning, MNPD said...
by Kaitlin Housler | Dec 15, 2025 | Education, News, Tennessee, The South
An initiative to launch Turning Point USA (TPUSA) chapters across all public high schools post-secondary institutions in Tennessee was announced Friday at the Tennessee State Capitol. TPUSA leaders and top Tennessee officials – including U.S. Senator Marsha...
by Zachery Schmidt | Dec 12, 2025 | News, Policy, Tennessee, The South
A new Tennessee bill proposal seeks to expand on the current state law that permits the death penalty for child rapists. In 2024, Tennessee passed a law that authorizes the death penalty as a punishment for rape of a child, aggravated rape of a child, or especially...
by Kaitlin Housler | Dec 12, 2025 | Justice, News, Tennessee, The South
A 39-year old suspected illegal alien from Honduras is in custody in Knox County for allegedly fleeing law enforcement while intoxicated and causing a deadly vehicular crash which killed a husband and wife earlier this month. On December 4, Jose Roberto Rivera Recarte...
by Kaitlin Housler | Dec 12, 2025 | Justice, News, Tennessee, The South
Tom Pappert, lead reporter at The Tennessee Star, argued Obama-appointed U.S. District Court Judge Paula Xinis relied on what he calls “crackpot” legal logic by ruling that the visa used to return Kilmar Abrego Garcia to the U.S. for prosecution nullified his standing...
by Kaitlin Housler | Dec 11, 2025 | News, Politics, Tennessee, The South
Montgomery County Commissioner Michael Lankford was elected by his colleagues on the Commission this week to fill the vacancy in the Tennessee House of Representatives for District 75 on an interim basis following the passing of State Rep. Jeff Burkhart...
by Kaitlin Housler | Dec 11, 2025 | Education, News, Tennessee, The South
Cumberland County Mayor Allen Foster, a two-time Tennessee Tech University (TTU) graduate, has been appointed to the university’s Board of Trustees by House Speaker Cameron Sexton (R-Crossville). Foster, who has been serving as mayor since 2018, earned a bachelor’s...
by Kaitlin Housler | Dec 10, 2025 | News, Policy, Tennessee, The South
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) approved Tennessee’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) food-choice waivers, seeking to ban recipients of the program from purchasing processed food and carbonated sweetened beverages, and allow the benefits to...
by Zachery Schmidt | Dec 10, 2025 | News, Politics, Tennessee, The South
A Metro Council member filed a resolution on Tuesday that opposes the Music City Loop, which Elon Musk’s Boring Company is building in Nashville. Council Member Delishia Porterfield (At-Large) said she filed this resolution after talking with a constituent last month....
