http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/tennessee/ en-us Wed, 16 Jul 2008 22:18:48 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2046571/posts Nearly everyone carries a cell phone and it’s hard to find one without that camera feature.  It’s convenient when you want to take that impromptu photo, but a Tri-Cities area man ended up behind bars after snapping a shot of a Johnson County sheriff’s deputy during a traffic stop. The cell phone photographer says the arrest was intimidation, but the deputy says he feared for his life. “Here’s a guy who takes me out of the car and arrests me in front of my kids.  For what?  To take a picture of a police officer?” said Scott Conover. A Johnson... WJHL http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2046571/posts#comment Wed, 16 Jul 2008 22:18:48 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2045773/posts Volkswagen announced this morning that it would build a manufacturing plant in Chattanooga, Tenn. where it will build a vehicle specifically for the North American market. The plant will employ 2,000 workers from the tri-state area and is expected to invest $1 billion in the local economy. The plant is an integral part of Volkswagen's plan for expansion in the N.A. market, with sales expected to crest 800,000 units by 2018. The 1,350-acre site will produce 150,000 vehicles annually – specifically a midsize sedan – in 2011. autoblog http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2045773/posts#comment Tue, 15 Jul 2008 14:53:00 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2042439/posts Right now, our country is dealing with issues – issues like illegal immigration, healthcare reform, the War on Terror – that will shape our politics for the rest of this century. Like many Americans, I’ve grown to feel that the politicians of this country are simply not accomplishing anything on these fronts. As low as the President’s approval rating has gotten, the approval rating for Congress is even lower. So, as a concerned and informed citizen, I’ve decided to run for Congress and help put things on the right track. That’s what living in a democracy is all about. Frontpage Magazine http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2042439/posts#comment Tue, 8 Jul 2008 16:20:32 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2036235/posts Authorities say it's the biggest pot bust in Cocke County in the last five years, maybe more. Around 10 a.m. Monday, helicopter pilots spotted hundreds of thousands of marijuana plants growing in the Cherokee National Forest in Cocke County. They alerted officers on the ground, and the crew trekked more than a mile into the forest from Interstate 40, where they came upon what they call a DTO, or drug trafficking organization. "They just live in it, move in, grow, and that's all they're there to do is grow marijuana," Special Agent Jason Poore said of the growers. Poore is... WBIR http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2036235/posts#comment Wed, 25 Jun 2008 16:47:24 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2033597/posts Beekeeper Isaiah Hess tries to coax a swarm of bees estimated at 10,000 to 15,000 off a power pole into a hive in the alleyway off Commerce Street near the Sprint building. Kingsport (TN) Times News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2033597/posts#comment Thu, 19 Jun 2008 23:35:02 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2028704/posts SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MORRISTOWN TN 1241 AM EDT TUE JUN 10 2008 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MORRISTOWN HAS ISSUED A * SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR... BRADLEY COUNTY IN EAST TENNESSEE... THIS INCLUDES THE CITY OF CLEVELAND... MCMINN COUNTY IN EAST TENNESSEE... POLK COUNTY IN EAST TENNESSEE... THIS INCLUDES THE CITIES OF...DUCKTOWN...BENTON... * UNTIL 115 AM EDT * AT 1238 AM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A LINE OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING PENNY SIZE HAIL...AND DAMAGING WINDS IN EXCESS OF 60 MPH. THESE STORMS WERE LOCATED ALONG A LINE EXTENDING FROM 6 MILES SOUTH... http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2028704/posts#comment Tue, 10 Jun 2008 05:18:11 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2025360/posts The deportation of illegal immigrants is on the rise, according to immigration officials who attribute the record numbers to increased enforcement. Deportations in the first five and a half months of fiscal year 2008 were higher than in all of 2001, according to U.S. Immigration and Custom Enforcement figures. In all of 2001, 116,202 immigrants were deported. To date in 2008, 119,429 immigrants have been ordered to return home, records show. Scott Sutterfield, assistant field office director in the Office of Detention and Removal in New Orleans, said that over the last several years immigration officials have redoubled their efforts... Chattanooga Times Free Press http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2025360/posts#comment Tue, 3 Jun 2008 17:34:11 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2025093/posts The fallout from April's Immigration Raid continues in Chattanooga's immigrant community. Local Social Service Agencies, already stretched to the max, have combined forces to help those affected. Still, the need is great... April 16th in Chattanooga hundreds of lives were disrupted in an immigration raid at Pilgrim's Pride Poultry Plant. More than 100 accused illegal immigrants were arrested, leaving families without an income and children without caregivers. Local social service agencies stepped in for assistance. Rev. Mike Feely, Executive Director of the St. Andrew's Center says, "The reality is, like a lot of other situations, whether it's a flood or... Chattanooga Times Free Press http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2025093/posts#comment Tue, 3 Jun 2008 01:25:55 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2021304/posts As families across the country get ready to remember people who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our country this weekend.... One Cleveland family is reflecting on one they've lost but also one who's just beginning his military future. Chris Weir enlisted in the army shortly after his younger brother David, also a solider was shot and killed back in 2006 in Iraq. Chris is training to deploy to southern Iraq, a part of the country not far from where his brother David died. As he gears up for his mission Chris and his family say this weekend has a... WTVC Chattanooga http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2021304/posts#comment Mon, 26 May 2008 03:58:10 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2019916/posts Veronica Matias and her aunt Eulalia Matias were leaving for a church retreat Saturday morning when two vehicles blocked their driveway in East Ridge. Men got out of the cars and, without identifying themselves, started asking if she and her aunt were in the country legally and demanding identification, Ms. Matias said. “I got out the car and asked them why they needed my information,” said Ms. Matias, a 20-year-old U.S. citizen. “I was told they were looking for a murderer, and they showed me the picture of a man from Ecuador.” She told the men she didn’t recognize the... Chattanooga Times Free Press http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2019916/posts#comment Thu, 22 May 2008 22:21:11 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2015836/posts Nashville, TN (WRCB-TV/Associated Press) A controversial bill requiring Tennessee's public schools to offer an elective bible course is making its way to Gov. Phil Bredesen. The legislation unanimously passed the Senate last week and was approved overwhelmingly in the House Tuesday. If Gov. Bredesen signs the legislation, public schools will soon be required to offer bible as an elective course taught with an approved textbook. The Tennessee Department of Education would create a uniform bible curriculum. This legislation does come with some safeguards. It prohibits the use of any religious test when assigning teachers to the bible class. For many... WRCB Chattanooga http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2015836/posts#comment Wed, 14 May 2008 15:53:00 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2013253/posts Madisonville (WVLT) - Man-made or alien-aligned? For the second time in two years, a crop circle's appeared in Monroe County. Volunteer TV's Mike McCarthy's walked the crop circle. Does anyone know what made this? Not just yet, but everyone has their own theory. This new designs just down the road from the first crop circle. That appeared last May also in a wheat field. Neighbors say whoever, or whatever did it worked quickly and quietly. Beyond still-standing blades, there are others pushed in a perfect pattern. "I don't know whether it's man-made or not," resident Johnnie Helm said. It's the... WVLT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2013253/posts#comment Thu, 8 May 2008 21:36:27 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2009409/posts The first defendants from the April 16 immigration raid at the local Pilgrim's Pride chicken processing plant appeared before Federal Magistrate Susan Kerr Lee on Tuesday. She ordered that all five of the men, who are citizens of Guatemala, continued to be detained. They are all represented by the federal defender's office. One man faces up to 10 years in federal prison, while those with only illegal re-entry charges face up to two years. Roberto Gabriel-Ramirez, 40, said he has a third-grade education. He is charged with illegal re-entry into the country and use of a fraudulent Social Security card.... Chattanoogan.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2009409/posts#comment Wed, 30 Apr 2008 23:23:40 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2008482/posts Proposed Amendment Would Allow Tennessee to Ban Partial-Birth Abortion House rules must be suspended by 2/3 of members for the majority to get a fair vote. About a week ago I sent you an urgent message asking you to contact members of the Tennessee House to urge their support for SJR 127. It is the proposed constitutional amendment that will allow Tennessee to pass a Constitutionally sound ban on partial-birth abortion. I just wanted to give you a friendly reminder that there is still time to act. And, in fact, your action now may be more important than before. (I'll... Vanity http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2008482/posts#comment Tue, 29 Apr 2008 05:17:42 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2008475/posts The first defendants from the April 16 immigration raid at the local Pilgrim's Pride chicken processing plant will be in Federal Court in Chattanooga on Tuesday. They are due to appear at 2 p.m. before Magistrate Susan Kerr Lee for hearings on whether they should continue to be detained. They include: -Jose Luis Ramirez-Vasquez Authorities say he is an alien who was previously deported and came back into the U.S. at Lukenville, Ariz. -Alfred Gabriel-Torres (also known as Jaime Hernandez) He is charged with using an invalid Social Security card for citizenship purposes -Roberto Gabriel-Ramirez Officials said he was deported... Chattanoogan.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2008475/posts#comment Tue, 29 Apr 2008 04:41:59 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2007890/posts Aura Izarra, a Guatemala native with two small children who is pregnant with a third, may face deportation after her arrest at the Pilgrim’s Pride chicken processing plant here last week. “This whole week has been horrible,” Mrs. Izarra, who was among 36 detainees released with an ankle-bracelet monitor, said tonight in Spanish. “I keep thinking of what’s going to happen to my children and my husband who depend on my care.” Mrs. Izarra was among about 200 people who attended a community forum tonight at the St. Andrew’s Center to find out more about rights and legal options after... Chattanooga Times Free Press http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2007890/posts#comment Mon, 28 Apr 2008 05:05:51 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2007877/posts SWEETWATER, Tenn. — A routine traffic stop on Interstate 75 late Wednesday netted the Monroe County Sheriff’s department a vanload of suspected illegal aliens, authorities said. Monroe County drug interdiction officer B.J. Johnson said in a police report that he stopped a large Ford window van near mile marker 60 on suspicion of driving under the influence. In a news release, Monroe County Detective Jennifer Bledsoe said neither the driver nor passenger of the van possessed a legal driver’s license. Then Officer Johnson discovered 15 Hispanic people riding in the back of the van, none with valid identification cards, she... Chattanooga Times Free Press http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2007877/posts#comment Mon, 28 Apr 2008 04:19:32 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2004550/posts An early-morning shooting at a Columbia apartment complex Saturday heightened fears of continued violence as law enforcement showed its presence in Maury County this weekend. Columbia police said a man was wounded at Parkview Manor Apartments early Saturday morning, but additional details were not available. Maury County citizens are on edge in the wake of a double homicide and the burial of the victims Friday. Balloons popping at a birthday party prompted scanner traffic of shots being fired Saturday afternoon, and one man hurt his hand when he ran away from what he thought were gunshots at Zaxby’s Restaurant later... The Daily Herald http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2004550/posts#comment Mon, 21 Apr 2008 01:58:58 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2003996/posts One the eve of the first anniversary of Davidson County’s 287(g) immigration enforcement program, state and local officials are making an effort to bring an immigration judge to the county. The Sheriff’s Office announced at a press conference yesterday it would process 3,000 illegal immigrants by April through the program that allows local law enforcement to check immigration status and begin the process of deportation. However, the process is lengthy and many immigrants pinpointed for removal have to be processed through a judge in Memphis or Oakdale, La., which could take up to six weeks for a bond hearing, according... The City Paper http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2003996/posts#comment Sat, 19 Apr 2008 15:41:20 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2003958/posts The arrests of 100 foreign workers at a Chattanooga poultry plant came swiftly Wednesday morning, but it could be months before they are sent home. “Time in the detention facility can be anything from weeks to months,” said Robert Divine, Chattanooga-based chairman of the immigration group for the Baker Donelson law firm. “It depends on the availability of a judge, and the need to get the person where there is a judge, Atlanta or Memphis.” Most foreigners arrested this week in Chattanooga will have to appear before a U.S. Immigration Court judge. The deportation process also can drag because U.S.... Chattanooga Times Free Press http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2003958/posts#comment Sat, 19 Apr 2008 14:23:46 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2003516/posts There will be a protest rally against illegal immigration, on the Front Steps of the Capitol Building on Charlotte Street in Nashville, on Saturday, April 26, 2008, from 12 Noon till 4 PM For too long our state government has supported illegal activities by people who are here illegally, while ignoring the health and safety needs of American citizens and residents of Tennessee. The costs to American citizens in deaths on the roads, the return of diseases once eradicated, and the economic support of ineligible illegal aliens by American taxpayers must cease. Cutting off the magnet of jobs has to... TFFIRE Blog http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2003516/posts#comment Fri, 18 Apr 2008 15:59:16 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2003018/posts After a tough day of testing on Wednesday, some Hamilton County Schools students got off their buses to find an even more stressful situation at home: Their parents were nowhere to be found. Tennessee and local officials still are assessing the needs of the children, who they say are among those most profoundly affected by Wednesday’s sweeping federal immigration raid at Chattanooga’s Pilgrim’s Pride poultry plants. “There are a lot of families really hurting,” said Mike Feely, executive director of the St. Andrew’s Center, a resource for the city’s multi-cultural communities. “If you have that many moms and dads arrested,... Chattanooga Times Free Press http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2003018/posts#comment Thu, 17 Apr 2008 18:36:56 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2002553/posts Workers from the Pilgrim’s Pride chicken processing plant in downtown Chattanooga are being interviewed at a local warehouse to determine if they will be face charges, officials said. Immigration agents interviewed the employees today as part of a yearlong, multi-state investigation, Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokeswoman Leticia Zamarripa said. The agents detained about 100 workers at two Chattanooga plants, Suana Betancourt, Pilgrim’s Pride chaplain, said. “Another chaplain of the plant called me this morning to tell me about what was happening,” she said, “We went there right away to try to calm everyone down because they were afraid immigration was... Chattanooga Times Free Press http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2002553/posts#comment Wed, 16 Apr 2008 20:22:30 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2002679/posts An illegal immigrant investigation involving smuggling is underway in Atlanta and it involves at least one business in Cleveland. The federal government has indicted seven people and more could be coming. The government indicted the people who supplied what it calls an illegal labor pool and smuggled these workers through several states. Next, it may target the companies that employed them. And one business is in Cleveland. The government charges four people in the Atlanta area moved illegal workers across the eastern United States for a fee. The indictment says Hong Mei Li, also known as "Jenny Li" arranged last... WTVC Chattanooga http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2002679/posts#comment Thu, 17 Apr 2008 01:15:32 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2002514/posts Federal agents began a probe into immigration violations today in Chattanooga and several other states. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents along with Chattanooga police raided the Pilgrim's Pride plants in South Chattanooga this morning. They loaded vans with suspected illegal immigrants. Other agents hit Pilgrim's Pride plants in Florida and Arkansas. The probe centers around an alleged scam to provide fake identification for illegal immigrant workers. Pilgrim's Pride reportedly is cooperating in the investigation. WDEF Chattanooga http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2002514/posts#comment Wed, 16 Apr 2008 18:54:30 GMT