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NASHVILLE, Tenn.- A Metro Nashville Councilman was arrested Thursday afternoon during a prostitution sting operation in Metro Center. Police said that 33-year-old Metro Councilman Brady Banks paid $100 to female undercover officer in exchange for sex. Officials said that Banks met the officers in a hotel room after responding to an escort service ad posted by the police.Banks was one of three men arrested in the sting. Police also arrested Matthew Moynihan, 38, of Hendersonville and Jyotin Arora, 37.Banks was booked into the Davidson County Jail and was held on $1,000 bond.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - A proposal aimed at stopping Occupy Nashville protesters from staying overnight on the Capitol complex has passed the House. The measure sponsored by Republican Rep. Eric Watson of Cleveland was approved 70-26 after a lengthy debate on Thursday. The companion bill was to be heard on the Senate floor, but the upper chamber adjourned before hearing the legislation.

After five months of demonstrations and camping out on Legislative Plaza, nearly half of the Occupy Nashville protesters have removed their tents from the Capitol complex. The protesters discussed their future plans at a general assembly meeting Tuesday evening. All this comes right before state lawmakers were to pass a bill that would ban anyone from sleeping outside the Capitol. The Associated Press reported Tuesday that Tennessee Safety Commissioner Bill Gibbons said the protesters informed a state trooper patrolling the area that they plan to leave. But some protesters suggested they would remain at Legislative Plaza until they are forcibly...

Gannett Newspaper - Link Only: http://www.tennessean.com/article/20120212/NEWS01/302120070/Occupy-Nashville-protesters-may-pack-up?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|FRONTPAGE

Gannett Newspaper - Link Only: http://www.tennessean.com/article/20120208/NEWS0201/302080112/Tennessee-close-evicting-Occupy-Nashville?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|FRONTPAGE

I know some of you guys gave me a hard time when I shared the story of my buddy who rented a room in a house in Nashville and fell behind on his rent (though good faith discussions with the landlady were in progress) and then when gone a couple of weeks all of a sudden found his stuff taken to storage and the landlady's lawyer demanding a ransom for it. You said my buddy ought to suck it up, not try to "legally steal" from the landlady, and such. If you're still of the same opinion and don't want...

By Sunlen Miller @sunlenmiller Rand Paul’s Pat-Down Standoff With TSA in Nashville Ends Sen. Rand Paul told his communications director this morning he was being detained by TSA at the Nashville airport. The Twitter account associated with Paul staffer Moira Bagley, @moirabagley, tweeted around 10 a.m., ET, “Just got a call from @senrandpaul. He’s currently being detained by TSA in Nashville.” A TSA spokesman disputed that Paul was ever “detained.” But he was not granted access to the secure area of the airport when he tried to board a flight Monday morning.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Metro police were called to Legislative Plaza late Thursday night after a man allegedly set a fire at the Occupy Nashville camp. Authorities said demonstrators saw a man set fire to an unoccupied sleeping bag. They chased the man, stopped him and held him until police arrived. It was not immediately known if the man was connected to the Occupy Nashville camp or the movement. His name wasn't immediately released.

For the rest of the semester, a Rutherford County elementary student has to eat lunch at the "silent table" for allegedly waving around a slice of pizza some say resembled a gun. Nicholas Taylor attends David Youree Elementary School in Smyrna, about 30 miles southeast of Nashville. School leaders say the 10-year-old threatened other students at his lunch table with a piece of pizza with bites out of it so it looked like a gun and when asked about it was initially not truthful. Nicholas' mother LeAnn calls her son's punishment "absolutely ridiculous" saying he was just playing around and...

A burglary suspect is in police custody this morning after being attacked by the 17-year-old that lives at the south Nashville home. According to Metro Police, the complainant called and advised that a Hispanic male was crawling through the window at the Tony Sudekum homes at 15 Carroll Street at around 2 a.m. The complainant's son chased the suspect away while armed with a meat cleaver, and stated that he yelled at the suspect to "never come back here." It was at this time that the suspect turned and charged at the teenager. The victim swung at the suspect with...

Occupy Billed $1,045 for Security Before ArrestsTRAVIS LOLLER | Associated Press Wednesday, November 30, 2011 Updated 3:43PM NASHVILLE (AP) – The state Department of General Services billed Occupy Nashville $1,045 to provide two troopers for security the night before they began arresting the protesters and clearing their encampment. The invoice was part of a public records request to the department from The Associated Press. **SNIP** They were told the state could not police their encampment and they would have to pay for security, she said.

WASHINGTON — Country music gets its due at the Obama White House next week. The Obamas will play host to a string of country stars — legendary and contemporary — Monday at their seventh “In Performance at the White House” program. Among those performing Monday night: Lauren Alaina, The Band Perry, Dierks Bentley, Alison Krauss, Kris Kristofferson, Lyle Lovett, Mickey, Darius Rucker and James Taylor.

NASHVILLE, Tenn.- The heavy Tennessee Highway Patrol presence and curfew enforcement on Legislative Plaza came to a sudden and unexpected stop Saturday night, and by Sunday morning, Occupy Nashville protesters declared it a victory on The Hill. "At 4:30 in the morning, I walked around congratulating everybody that we took The Hill, said Clay Wright who proudly waved his Occupy Nashville flag on the steps of Legislative Plaza. "The people, the people own Legislative Plaza, and that's the way it needs to be recognized," said Wright. But a sign with a curfew enforcement states otherwise. Enforced since Thursday, it's put...

State troopers for the second straight night arrested anti-Wall Street protesters for defying a new nighttime curfew imposed by the Republican governor, in an effort to disband an encampment near the state Capitol in Nashville. And also, for a second time, a Nashville night judge dismissed the arrest warrants. The Tennessean newspaper reported early Saturday morning that Magistrate Tom Nelson told troopers delivering the protesters to jail that he could "find no authority anywhere for anyone to authorize a curfew anywhere on Legislative Plaza." Occupy Nashville protesters - including many of the 29 arrested in a pre-dawn raid on Friday...

NEW YORK (AP) — While more U.S. cities are resorting to force to break up the Wall Street protests, many others — Philadelphia, New York, Minneapolis and Portland, Ore., among them — are content to let the demonstrations go on for now.New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, for example, said Friday that the several hundred protesters sleeping in Zuccotti Park, the unofficial headquarters of the movement that began in mid-September, can stay as long as they obey the law."I can't talk about other cities," he said. "Our responsibilities are protect your rights and your safety. And I think we're trying to...

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – A new policy could have Occupy Nashville demonstrators off Legislative Plaza after midnight Friday. After a lengthy meeting Thursday night, members of the group decided they will not willingly leave the plaza. That state policy could force Occupy Nashville members to leave the place they have protested for 20 days. Thursday afternoon the Department of General Services put a curfew into effect for the Capitol grounds. The group, by consensus, decided they will continue to protest on the plaza as they have since October 7th. They understand police may try to remove them from the area. *snip*...

What: A Rally and Free Concert to show our support for Gibson Guitar When: Saturday Oct 8 2-4PM Where: Parking Lot of the Scoreboard Restaurant, Nashville (See website for MAP) Website: http://GibsonRally.com Why: Federal agents raided two Gibson factories in August and confiscated part of the production inventory of this 100 year old American Manufacturer and Employer. This abuse of federal power must not go unanswered. We, the citizenswho grant government its power and authority, MUST act to hold government accountable when that power is abused. Please join us on Oct 8 in Nashville and Stand with Gibson.

Whether you believe that man has ruined the earth’s climate or not we can all agree that Washington’s bickering about emergency FEMA funding does nothing to fight the effects of global climate change. According to the New York Times, Hurricane Irene earlier this year was the first US catastrophe of the Obama administration to make the top 10 list, joining the insurmountable Bush catastrophes of Katrina and 911. Climate experts Bill McKibben and Al Gore agree that Obama has failed with only half hearted efforts to reverse the rising oceans. A search at usaspending.gov (Sponsored by Senator Obama under the...

NASHVILLE, - The Combos "Americas Manliest Cities" study named Nashville as the most masculine metropolis in the United States. Mars Chocolate North America said the third annual study used metrics including the number of manly businesses, such as home improvement stores and steak houses, and manly jobs, such as construction, to rank the relative manliness of 50 U.S. cities. The study, which deducted manliness points from cities with large numbers of cupcake stores or fancy furniture sellers, ranked Nashville in the top spot, followed by Charlotte, N.C.; Oklahoma City; Memphis and Columbia, S.C. Los Angeles ranked last on the list...

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Former Predator Wade Belak, an enforcer who had played with five NHL teams before retiring in March, was found dead Wednesday in Toronto. He was 35. Belak is the third NHL enforcer found dead since May. The Predators learned of Belak's death from NHL security and the team issued a statement saying the organization was shocked and sadden by his sudden and untimely death. "Wade was a beloved member of the organization, a terrific teammate and wonderful father and husband who will be greatly missed," according to the Predators' statement. "Our thoughts and prayers go out...

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - A daycare center was evacuated after a gang-related shooting on Albion Street killed one person and injured two others, according to Metro Police. Children at the Little Hearts Day Care were moved to another location after the shooting occurred at 3003 Albion St., which is also across from Hadley Park. Metro Police said the shooting was gang-related and there were several shots. Police said eight people were involved and four are currently accounted for. One person is in custody and is being questioned by police. Police have closed Albion Street and 29th Avenue North and 30th Avenue...

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Nashville has a new trash law and many people don't like it. Beginning today, you can no longer put grass clippings, twigs or leaves in your trash bin. This includes both private and public trash service in Nashville. The city said it wants to reduce the amount of material dumped into Nashville's landfill as well as adopt a more environmentally sound waste policy. But many residents say it's unfair. How are they supposed to get rid of leaves and grass trimmings? "I don't have a truck. I don't have a way to drop off my yard waste...

Family of Suspect in Arkansas Military Center Shooting Says Gov't Knew He Was DangerousBy Catherine Herridge & Jason Donner FoxNews.com Published June 10, 2011 The family of Carlos Bledsoe, who is accused of shooting and killing an Army private and injuring another outside a military recruitment center in Arkansas in June 2009, says the FBI has a lot to answer for in the case -- suggesting the federal government was aware that Bledsoe was a jihadist in training even before the shooting. “We're asking for (Attorney General) Eric Holder ... to give my son a fair trial, and the only...

What the hell is going on over Memorial Day weekend among America's youts, specifically, "Eric Holder's People"?!IM SICK OF IT! Here in Little Rock, (which was just named No. 7 most dangerous city), I was talking to my friend yesterday, who is an LRPD officer. He asked if my wife and I were going to Riverfest that evening. I told him my son, age 9 mos. was sick, and we weren't planning to. He told me, "Good. There is a Rap artist playing at 9PM and there are not enough cops on duty so be very careful, and carry your...

There is a first-hand undercover investigation being done in Al-Farooq mosque in Nashville, TN. What has been exposed is unthinkable. This is video footage of a first-hand undercover investigation done in Al-Farooq mosque. Listen to a 7 year old talk about her husband and how they are beaten during shariah class. The video is just the sound, as these kids are in tremendous danger and the undercover person inside needed to hide the camera deeply. We are working on the sound quality. Listen to the girl stating how kids are beaten as she begins to cry.The teachers, "they hit...

On Thursday night’s edition of The Ed Show on MSNBC, "Ed Schultz threw down a threat-down on hawkish, jingoistic country crooners like Toby Keith and Lee Greenwood ," wrote Adam Gold of Nashville Scene, "or as he called 'em, ‘fun-lovin', American rednecks in Nashville, Tennessee."Schultz "put the Music Row machine on notice — jestingly expressing his hankering to hear a patriotic anthem lauding President Obama and the Navy Seals for toe-tagging Osama bin Laden." You can tell Schultz was mocking patriotic country singers because he didn’t ask Steve Earle or the Dixie Chicks for their help.

http://gatesofvienna.blogspot.com/2011/05/geert-wilders-comes-to-nashville.html Mr. Wilders will continue his lectures in Nashville, where the current legislature is contemplating “anti-sharia” legislation. Nashville’s neighboring city of Murfreesboro is famous for its battle over a planned mega-mosque. The Cornerstone Church is a large church in the Nashville area, where several thousand Christians are expected to listen to Wilders’ “Warning to America”. -Nashville, Tennessee on Thursday May 12, 2011

A certain person told me there had been going on in Nashville, since last Thursday April 28, a one week "Tea Party" meeting for truckers to air their grievances about government overreaching and plan political action. This person intended to be there, but for personal reasons it seems he could not. So I thought I'd try to Google up whatever information I could to see what had been going on -- supposedly Jay Sekulow was intending to be a guest speaker. I'm having a lot of trouble identifying any such event, if it existed at all. My apology in advance...

A top elected official in Nashville hired both his children for Metro jobs that were never advertised. It's the latest revelation from the Channel 4 I-Team investigation into Davidson County Criminal Court Clerk David Torrence. The I-Team's hidden camera showed Torrence away from the office several days a week, doing yard work, golfing or running personal errands with his Metro car. Torrence said he works only three days a week and doesn't deny being out of the office for half of last year. Torrence didn't just hire his sons without advertising the openings; he hired them to replace veteran employees...

Jihad Returns to America By: Robert Spencer FrontPageMagazine.com | Thursday, June 04, 2009 Jihad came once again to American soil on Monday, when an American convert to Islam, Abdulhakim Mujahid Muhammad, began shooting at soldiers who were standing outside the Army-Navy Career Center in Little Rock, Arkansas. Muhammad murdered Pvt. William Long, 23, and gravely wounded Pvt. Quinton Ezeagwula, 18. Muhammad was charged with capital murder and – in a departure from authorities’ practically reflexive dismissal of terrorism as a factor in virtually any act of violence by a Muslim -- sixteen counts of committing a terrorist act. Rather curiously,...

“The Extent of Radicalization in the American Muslim Community and that Community’s Response” Committee on Homeland Security - US House of Representatives March 10, 2011 Thank you very much for allowing me to come here and tell the country what happened to my son. This hearing today is extremely important to begin the discussion about the issue of Islamic radicalization in America and my hope is that this Committee can somehow address this issue in a meaningful, productive way. First, I would like to express my deepest sympathy to the family of Private William Long, and to the wounded soldier,...

Man Confesses To ‘Jihad Operation' Murder In Nashvilleby Jeff Tang Posted: Apr 13, 2011 6:57 PM EDT NASHVILLE, Tenn. - A former TSU student on trial for murder in Arkansas said he killed a man in East Nashville in 2006. **SNIP** But, in a letter to an Arkansas Judge, Muhammad confesses to another murder, an East Nashville man in 2006. "The letter was sent to us immediately after it was discovered and our cold case detectives will be going to interview him to see how much he knows about the case to see if he was involved," said Metro Police...

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (KABC) -- There was a wild shootout after two robbers walked into a Nashville, Tennessee gas station. After entering the station's convenience store, surveillance video shows the two men appearing to point a gun at store owner Kamil Alakabi. Alakabi, who served in the Iraqi army for seven years, was also armed and started shooting at the robbers when they went after one of his employees.

Clinton Campaign Vows To Check Contributions Solicited by Supporter BRISTOW, Va. -- When Hillary Rodham Clinton held an intimate fund-raising event at her Washington home in late March, Pamela Layton donated $4,600, the maximum allowed by law, to Mrs. Clinton's presidential campaign. But the 37-year-old Ms. Layton says she and her husband were reimbursed by her husband's boss for the donations. "It wasn't personal money. It was all corporate money," Mrs. Layton said outside her home here. "I don't even like Hillary. I'm a Republican." The boss is William Danielczyk, founder of a Washington-area private-equity firm and a major fund-raising...

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Stealing cars has apparently never been easier. Criminals aren't using fancy tools or new technology; they're just calling the tow truck and having cars towed away. They weren't asked for proof they owned the car. The law does little to protect a car's owner when the vehicle is at least 10 years old. Thieves can call in a wrecker service and have it towed right out of an owner's yard; they don't even need a title.

SEATTLE - A federal grand jury in Seattle indicted 12 people in an alleged international money-laundering scheme that funneled more than $12 million to Iraq. The indictment, handed up Wednesday and unsealed Thursday, alleges that between April 2000 and January 2002, a ring of agents throughout the United States collected money domestically and sent it to a company called Alshafei Family Connect in suburban Edmonds. The company, owned and principally operated by Hussein Alshafei, an Iraqi native and naturalized U.S. citizen, then shipped the money to London and other overseas cities and eventually to Iraq, the indictment alleges. The actions...

Citing an imbalance of the quality of representation between well-funded Metro schools and plaintiffs suing the district, a federal judge on Thursday suspended a hearing on the rezoning suit against Metro until a later date. (snip) In the meantime, U.S. District Court Judge John Nixon has asked plaintiffs’ attorney Larry Woods to seek assistance from the NAACP Legal Defense Fund as a way to bring additional resources to their case — an argument hinging on the allegation that the district’s student assignment plan adopted last year has re-segregated students along racial lines. “This is an extremely important case,” Nixon told...

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A Nashville attorney on Friday challenged the authority of Davidson County's sheriff to exercise law enforcement functions belonging to federal immigration officers. The lawsuit filed by Elliott Ozment in Davidson County Chancery Court contends a charter formed nearly 40 years ago stripped the sheriff of all law enforcement authority and transferred it to the Nashville Police Department. The charter was later upheld in a Tennessee Supreme Court case, the lawsuit said. Ozment said the charter nullifies a contract the sheriff signed with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency delegating law enforcement functions to the sheriff....

<p>MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) -- A Tennessee man charged with killing a soldier at a recruiting station in Arkansas says in letters to a newspaper that he had planned a larger-scale attack before his arrest.</p> <p>Abdulhakim Mujahid Muhammad says he was planning multiple attacks including sites in Nashville and Florence, Ky.</p>

Singer Sheryl Crow has become the latest celebrity to get caught in the real estate crash. She can’t sell her sprawling Nashville mansion, so she has gone to the extreme — putting it up for auction at a bargain basement price. Like so many stars who made it big, Crow splurged on huge house with top of the line features. But since the real estate market crash, they have become white elephants. Now Crow’s house is bargain priced. The bidding has topped out at $1.1 million with the online auction set to end tomorrow night (Nov. 24). Crow, 48, likely...

A brother of three men indicted last month on federal sex trafficking charges provided one of them access to restricted areas at the Nashville International Airport including in the cockpit of a plane. The information came out during a hearing regarding the federal detention of Abdifatah Sharif Omar and Mohamed Sharif Omar Thursday in the U.S. District Court in Nashville. The two, along with brother Liban Sharif Omar, are three of the 29 individuals — mostly from Minneapolis and Nashville — indicted in November on federal charges of sex trafficking involving juvenile girls.

Landing the National Rifle Association's May 2015 convention, a mega gathering known for bringing big political names, big guns and big bucks to host cities, could help push Nashville further into the limelight as a go to convention city, tourism officials say.

NASHVILLE — The Grand Ole Opry has ended its itinerant ways and returned home. A host of country music's enduring legends joined some of today's biggest names on stage Tuesday night to kick off the "Country Comes Home" celebration. They began with a stirring rendition of "Will The Circle Be Unbroken?" as the curtain rose at the Opry house for the first time since the May flood damaged the building. The nation's longest running live radio program never missed a beat, moving around town to venues such as the Ryman Auditorium and War Memorial Auditorium, as laborers worked feverishly for...

WASHINGTON — Federal officials on Thursday defended their response to historic flooding in Tennessee that killed 22 people earlier this year, while acknowledging they could have done a better job of warning the public of the potential devastation.

<p>NASHVILLE, Tenn., -- The Tennessee Department of Labor is preparing for the mass layoff of 1,700 Gaylord employees. The department is taking steps now to prevent thousands of others already looking for jobs from being affected.</p> <p>Anyone who’s ever had to call the Tennessee unemployment hot line knows it can sometimes be tough to get through. Now think about adding 1,700 more people suddenly unemployed. Romona Pasimio and her daughter worked in a restaurant at the Gaylord Hotel until the flood literally washed their jobs away. This past Wednesday they, along with hundreds of others learned that on June 12 they would officially be fired, walking away with two weeks final pay and health benefits through September.</p>

This was linked from Instapundit.

An Evening with Ann Coulter NFC-PAC’s inaugural event is an evening with one of the most popular commentators on American politics, Ann Coulter.The event will be held on May 29, 2010 from 5:30-9:00PM at the Sheraton Downtown Nashville. The agenda, prices and ticket purchases with online registration can be found below. We look forward to spending time with you as we all enjoy an evening with Ann.~The Evening’s Agenda~ 5:00-6:30 – The beginning of our evening RegistrationThe opening of the Silent AuctionCash barFor those not attending the Meet and Greet, this is a great time to relax, bid on a...

It is now glaringly obvious that President Obama has offered little moral support to the citizens of Nashville Tennessee and the surrounding areas that have been devastated by the recent flood. Has the President visited the area? No. Has he done a "fly by?" No. Has he held a press conference discussing this tragedy, and the valor of those who are rebuilding? No. The obvious question is, why? Why has the Obama administration all but ignored one of the largest non-hurricane disasters in American history? Is the death toll not high enough? Are the citizens too self-reliant? Was there not...

(May 11) -- I have never been prouder to be a Nashvillian. I am not a journalist. I am an author. I write a series of mystery / thriller novels set in Nashville, my adopted hometown. I'm still trying to process what's happened to my beloved city. J.T. Ellison is a Nashville-based mystery writer. Today is day eight after the Nashville Flood of 2010. Our own personal Katrina. On a disaster scale of 1 to 7, Katrina ranked a 7. Nashville ranks a 5. I think that number is a bit low, considering 52 counties in the mid-state region have...

.......Many are scratching our heads at the lack of national attention this disaster has received. Is the media unable to multitask the oil spill, a failed car bomb, the European financial crisis, and the Tennessee flooding disaster? Local news reports last night conveyed that he has sent emissaries to the state, but as yet, our president has had nothing to say to us either. Some question if he is too busy golfing or laughing at the immigration crisis in Arizona to bother with us... Others wonder aloud if he would have a word of comfort if we were a third...