Tag Archives: Tennessee

TN Gov Furious At Questions About His Own Drag Photo

Nashville’s Fox affiliate reports: A 1977 photo circulating online appearing to show Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee in drag was addressed during Monday’s media availability. The image surfaced days after a bill that would ban drag show performances on public property or in a place where the performance could be seen by a minor was passed by the Tennessee House. Gov. …

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High School Drag Photo Of Tennessee Gov Surfaces

The Daily Beast reports: Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee is set to sign a bill that will make drag performances illegal in the state—a crime he may have committed in high school. A photo emerged on Reddit from the Franklin High Yearbook in 1977, where Lee attended, purportedly showing Lee in drag along the caption “Hard Luck Woman.” Lee’s office has …

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Tennessee Nears Criminalizing Public Drag Shows

The Tennessean reports: Tennessee House Republicans on Thursday moved to prohibit “adult-oriented” entertainment from public property and restrict it to age-restricted venues in legislation filed after a flurry of controversies over drag shows across the state. The bill classifies “male and female impersonators” as adult cabaret performers and bans “adult-oriented performances that are harmful to minors,” as defined in Tennessee’s …

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GOP To Punish Nashville For Rejecting Its Convention

The Associated Press reports: The latest statehouse backlash stems back to last summer when Nashville’s metro council spiked a plan to bring the 2024 Republican National Convention to the city. Progressive leaders argued that hosting the massive Republican gathering would go against the city’s values. Others expressed hesitation toward tying up so many city resources — particularly for an event …

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TN May Reject $1.8B In Federal Aid For Poor Students

The Associated Press reports: One of Tennessee’s most influential Republican lawmakers says the state should stop accepting the nearly $1.8 billion of federal K-12 education dollars that help provide support for low-income students, English learners and students with disabilities. House Speaker Cameron Sexton told The Associated Press that he has introduced a bill to explore the idea during this year’s …

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Cop Texted Out Photo Of Tyre Nichols After Beating

The New York Times reports: As Tyre Nichols sat propped against a police car, bloodied, dazed and handcuffed after being beaten by a group of Memphis police officers, one of those officers took a picture of him and sent it to at least five people, the Memphis Police Department said in a document released by the state on Tuesday. The …

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Memphis Police Disband Notorious “SCORPION Unit”

CNN reports: A day after the public release of video showing the horrific police beating of Tyre Nichols, the Memphis police department announced it is permanently deactivating the unit that five of the involved officers belonged to. The SCORPION unit, launched in 2021, was tasked with tackling rising crime in the city, but has been heavily criticized in the aftermath …

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Five Former TN Cops Charged In Beating Death Of Man

NPR reports: Five former Memphis police officers have been indicted and jailed in the beating death of Tyre Nichols, who died days after a traffic stop on Jan. 7. Like Nichols, all of the fired officers are Black. Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, Desmond Mills Jr. and Justin Smith each face several charges, including second-degree murder, aggravated assault, …

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Christian School Principal Hit With 11 Child Sex Charges

Fox News reports: The principal of a Christian school in Tennessee, who was arrested last year on accusations of sexual activity with a minor, has been indicted on 11 additional charges. Liberty Christian School principal Jason Kennedy, 47, was already facing charges in connection with his alleged sexual activity with an underage girl. He was charged in August with two …

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Tennessee Youth Pastor Arrested On Child Sex Charges

Chattanooga’s NBC affiliate reports: A former volunteer youth pastor at the Abba’s House church in Hixson and former PTA president at Wolftever Creek Elementary School in Hamilton County now faces child molestation charges and aggravated sexual battery charges. Hamilton County deputies arrested 34-year-old Dustin Spillers this week. Spillers was extradited to Troup County, Georgia, where he faces those charges. Spillers …

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Christian School Teacher Arrested On Child Sex Charges

The Knoxville News Sentinel reports: A former teacher at the Apostolic Christian Academy in Maryville has been arrested on a felony charge that he sexually abused a 14-year-old girl, Knox News has learned. Joseph “Kade” Abbott was arrested in North Carolina and taken to the Blount County jail on Monday. Knox News received no response to a list of questions …

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Haters Force Tennessee Pride Event Out Of Public Park

NBC News reports: After weeks of criticism, online threats from far-right groups and a legal complaint, the Jackson Pride Committee and the city of Jackson, which sits about 70 miles northeast of Memphis in Madison County, reached a compromise with state Republican representatives and community members who had complained about the pride festival’s drag show. The annual pride festival was …

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DOJ Charges 11 With Blockading TN Abortion Clinic

From the Justice Department: A federal indictment unsealed today charges 11 individuals with violations of the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act. Chester Gallagher, Heather Idoni, Calvin Zastrow, Coleman Boyd, Caroline Davis, Paul Vaughn, Dennis Green, Eva Edl, Eva Zastrow, James Zastrow and Paul Place were indicted for federal offenses in connection with an alleged reproductive health care …

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TN Youth Pastor Hit With More Child Sex Charges

The Memphis Commercial Appeal reports: A former youth pastor at Bellevue Baptist Church in Shelby County has been charged with multiple counts of sexual assault in the first and second-degrees by prosecutors in Benton County, Arkansas. The new charges come a month after he was arrested on a charge of sexual indecency with a child in August. The charges filed …

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New TN License Plates Identify Godless Heathens

Driving.com reports: Thanks to a new formatting adjustments being rolled out on new license plates across Tennessee, you will now find three types of drivers in the U.S. state: those who trust in God, those who don’t trust in God, and those pretending to trust in God to avoid being targeted by police and others. The new blue-and-white plates are …

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TN Gov Declares “Day Of Prayer, Fasting, And Humility”

Via press release from Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee: WHEREAS, we acknowledge God’s sovereignty and the need for God’s grace over our state and our nation; and WHEREAS, we walk humbly together with God in hope so that we may act with justice, kindness and love, no matter the circumstance; and WHEREAS, we seek forgiveness for our many transgressions so that …

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Four Dead In Memphis Mass Shooting, Suspect Caught

The Memphis Commercial Appeal reports: The 19-year-old police say is responsible for several shootings in Memphis Wednesday evening is in custody, bringing to an end a two-hours-plus crisis that left four people dead and three people injured. The rampage left parts of the city paralyzed, with restaurants on lock down, residents told to shelter in place and MATA bus service …

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TN Megachurch Declares Bankruptcy After Sex Scandal

The Roys Report reports: A Tennessee megachurch has filed for bankruptcy and disclosed millions in debts, following scandal concerning Pastor Tavner Smith’s alleged sexual misconduct, federal court filings show. Venue Church in Chattanooga filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy Tuesday in U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee. Its bankruptcy petition shows the church has more than $3 million …

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Tennessee Christian School Principal And His Secretary Charged With Having Sex In Front Of Underage Student

Nashville’s Fox affiliate reports: The principal and secretary of a small Christian school in McMinn County engaged in improper sexual activity in front of an underage teen and former student at the pastor’s home, according to 2 arrest reports from the McMinn County Sheriff’s Department. 47-year-old Jason Kennedy is principal, teacher and pastor of Liberty Christian School in Riceville. 28-year-old …

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Former TN GOP House Speaker Charged With Bribery

The Associated Press reports: Tennessee’s disgraced former House Speaker Glen Casada and his top aide were arrested Tuesday on federal charges including bribery, kickbacks and conspiracy to commit money laundering with federal funds. Their indictments come months after Republican Rep. Robin Smith abruptly resigned when faced with federal wire fraud charges involving Casada. While Casada was not directly named at …

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