Free Republic

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...

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...

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....

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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 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....

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...

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,...

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...

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...

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.

U.S. District Judge Ronnie Greer on Monday granted a motion for appointment of a new attorney for an illegal immigrant who was apprehended allegedly guarding a large marijuana field off Warrensburg Road last year. Bedo Pineda-Infanti, 58, a Mexican national, had been scheduled to be sentenced on Monday, but he filed a hand-written request last month for appointment of a new defense attorney to replace Assistant Federal Defender Tim S. Moore. "When I took my (guilty) plea, I honestly didn't understand what I was told," the handwritten motion said in part. Pineda-Infanti had pleaded guilty last Dec. 5 to conspiracy...

NASHVILLE, Tenn.- The state attorney general has shot down a bill by lawmakers surrounding the topic of illegal immigration. Lawmakers wanted to pass a bill making it a crime for illegal immigrants to accept pay for work done in Tennessee. Attorney General Bob Cooper discovered the proposal would go against a Federal ruling. They have ruled in the past regardless of immigration status, all workers are entitled to be paid for work they have performed. Local immigrant advocates believe this case backs up their point, that illegal immigrants are not committing a crime by working in this country. "It may...

Domingo Braulio and his sons have one of the longest commutes to Chattanooga for work: 1,448 miles one way. Mr. Braulio, 49, says goodbye to his family in Concepción Chiquirichapa, Guatemala, every year to spend about 10 months working here on a temporary visa for a landscaping company. “I tell them we come here to work and save money, not to rest,” he said as he was getting lawnmowers ready to start his first day of work, less than 12 hours after arriving at the Atlanta airport. He and 16 Central Americans hired by Dawson Lawn Service Inc. are in...

Ever since Sam was a puppy, he rarely left his owner's side. When owner Teddy Crockarell lost his battle with cancer last Monday, his wife Marcene believes Sam must have sensed something was wrong...

Reject racially tinged remarks about Cohen by other Fords Harold Ford Sr. and Harold Ford Jr. on Saturday rejected racially charged remarks made last week by family members Jake and Isaac Ford. Jake Ford, who is trying to unseat Democratic U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen in the Ninth Congressional District, filed Thursday to run again for the seat as an independent. In 2006, he ran and lost to Cohen. In remarks published Friday in The Commercial Appeal, Jake Ford blasted Cohen, who is white, and said Tennessee deserves to have at least one black congressman. Democrats Ford Sr. and Ford Jr.,...

A work program widely praised by local farmers and managed by the U.S. Government is under fire from a Blount County resident who says it keeps Americans from getting jobs. Sabrina Steele is accustomed to farm work. She and her husband have a farm in southern Blount County and she says she can work a farm like anyone. "I know what it's like to throw 75-pound hay bales all afternoon in 95-degree weather," Steele said. "I've done it." Even with extensive background in agriculture and farming, Steele, a 1998 Heritage High School graduate, has not been able to find summer...

Friday marks 40 years since Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was shot and killed as he stood on the balcony of the Loraine Motel in Memphis. Claiming King as a member, the Tennessee Republican Party is honoring him. A release released by the state GOP Party states, in part, "Growing up in a republican household, Martin Luther King Jr. embraced the bedrock republican ideals of liberty and justice for all." Republican Party Chair Robin Smith added, "Dr. King... and his fellow republicans passed civil rights legislation over the objection of many democrats of that era." Some area democrats are angered...

Workers at Dayton, Cleveland Facilities Get Notices La-Z-Boy and Whirlpool are moving jobs to new plants in Mexico, bringing job losses to hundreds of workers in Dayton and Cleveland. La-Z-Boy employees in Dayton were told today that the cutting and sewing operation is being moved to Mexico. Kathy Liebmann, La-Z-Boy spokesperson, said the Dayton facility has over 2,000 employees, but she did not have a breakdown on those in cutting and sewing. A La-Z-Boy employee said it was around 750. Ms. Liebmann said La-Z-Boy is closing a plant at Tremonton, Utah, but will keep its other plants open, including the...

Tennessee Federation for Immigration Reform and Enforcement I got into this crucial issue of enforcing immigration laws, and deporting the tens of millions of illegal aliens from our sovereign nation, because I am a REAL immigrant and I jumped through ALL the hoops in order to come to America. Immigrants have physical examinations for medical problems and diseases, background checks determine any past criminal activity, and applicants are screened for affiliation with groups who intend harm to the United States and the American citizens. Because the illegal aliens are able to bypass any and all requirements to enter our country,...

A new bill is designed to keep elected officials anonymous if they pass along reports of someone hiring illegal immigrants. Senator Bill Ketron is the bill's sponsor. He said, "If you don't have some kind of protection or immunity, then you'll have elected officials that are hesitant to turn in that form to the state Department of Labor." In Tennessee, anyone who wants to report an employer hiring illegal immigrants must do so to an elected official, who then passes the information on to the Department of Labor. In its original version, the bill would protect that official's identity. The...

Foreign-born Hispanics migrating to the United States tend to have higher drop-out rates than native-born Hispanics, a national researcher said. Nationally, native-born Hispanics have drop-out rates twice as high as white students, but foreign-born students are about five times more likely to drop out, said Dr. Richard Fry, senior researcher with the Pew Hispanic Center. “A good chunk of immigrant youths haven’t been in U.S. very long,” he said. “Many of them might have already left school in their country of origin and came to the U.S. for job opportunities.” Jessica Castañeda, state coordinator and recruiter for the Tennessee Migrant...

After suffering through name-calling in the early 1970s, and then the years of denial that followed, Roger Rahor finally is ready to own up to his Vietnam veteran status with pride. The Signal Mountain resident plans to march as a veteran for the first time on Saturday, which marks a first for Tennessee and the nation: the first official Vietnam Veterans Day. “Time does heal many wounds,” said Mr. Rahor, who has been in counseling for the past nine years and still fights post-traumatic stress disorder as a result of a yearlong deployment to Vietnam with the U.S. Army in...

NASHVILLE — From Fox News to C-SPAN, Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen has been blitzing national media this week in an effort to sell his idea of a “primary” of Democratic superdelegates to break a potential logjam in the party’s presidential nomination battle. “It’s been interesting, and you don’t know what will happen,” Gov. Bredesen told Tennessee reporters Thursday. The governor was in Washington on Monday and part of Tuesday. He has been interviewed by at least 27 national outlets this week. The interest started with a March 19 op-ed piece in The New York Times in which he pitched his...

NASHVILLE — A Tennessee attorney general’s opinion should provide a legal boost to proposed legislation cracking down on illegal immigrants arrested for felonies and repeat DUI offenses, a Chattanooga lawmaker said. “I’m going to run the bill now,” Rep. Richard Floyd, R-Chattanooga, said. “I think it’ll provide me with a lot of help.” The bill requires jail officials at city- or county-operated facilities to make a “reasonable effort” to determine a detainee’s legal status through such actions as examining the suspect’s personal documents. When Rep. Floyd presented the bill earlier this month in the House Criminal Practice and Procedure Subcommittee...

BRISTOL, Tenn. -- The seats climb inconceivably toward the Tennessee sky, the racetrack tilts to an impossibly steep angle, and on an overcast day the Blue Ridge Mountains cast the entire place in a spooky haze. But at Bristol Motor Speedway, nothing matches the noise. Once cars roll onto that white concrete surface, the wall of sound builds to an ear-splitting crescendo. The place almost vibrates from a horsepower-induced decibel level that can be felt right down to the bones. It's part of what makes this place so ... well, the only word is overwhelming. It's far from the prettiest...

CHURCH HILL, Tenn. - Investigators are searching for whomever poured deer urine into an air conditioning unit at a school in eastern Tennessee. About a dozen students became ill after the prank at Volunteer High School in Church Hill. Firefighters were sent to the school Monday after the odor became overpowering in one classroom, and paramedics treated students who complained of headache and nausea. Church Hill Police Chief Mark Johnson says the stunt could result in a vandalism charge. Deer urine is sold by the bottle to be used to attract the animals for hunting.

NASHVILLE — Positions taken by the Tennessee and Georgia legislatures over the years sometimes were at odds with lawmakers’ current-day stances on an old dispute over the states’ boundary, records show. Georgia lawmakers, who are trying to reopen a controversy over an erroneous 1818 survey that set today’s border, say Peach State officials always have rejected and never officially accepted the boundary. But records and news accounts show the Georgia House of Representatives only 36 years ago acknowledged the very same border lawmakers reject today. “(M)embers of this body do hereby go on record as approving the boundary line currently...

One state representative would lose a mile of his district along the Georgia state line from Red Clay Historical Area to the town of Copperhill if politicians in the Peach State are successful in an efforts to move the state boundaries a mile north. District 22 State Rep. Eric Watson said Friday Georgians are forcing the Tennessee legislators into taking a firm stand against redrawing the border between the two states. “It’s a lawyer’s issue is all it is,” Watson said. “They tried it with North Carolina, South Carolina, Alabama and now Tennessee.” A joint resolution, HJR 919, by Rep....

THIS IS A CHILD ABDUCTION EMERGENCY RECEIVED BY THE TENNESSEE BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION730 PM EST FRI MAR 7 2008

A lone Cherokee Indian walked the barren earth where bulldozers had cleared the way for construction of a monument to the people who were at the Blythe Ferry staging area prior to the Trail of Tears in 1838. Alva Crow of the Eastern Band of the Cherokee from Cherokee, N. C., arrived at Blythe Ferry Landing, west of Georgetown, two hours early. It was a difficult journey for Crow, who is undergoing chemotherapy. “I am blessing the people who were here that made the removal on the Trail of Tears is here,” he said. “The people who passed away is...

The Tennessee Republican Executive Committee selected 22nd District State Rep. Eric Watson Wednesday as an at-large delegate for the 2008 Republican National Conven-tion. An at-large delegate in the GOP is the same as a super delegate in the Democratic Party. Watson said this morning he and Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey were the only two elected state officials of the 13 at-large delegates going to the Republican National Convention scheduled Sept. 1-4 in Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minn. “I was called by the state Republican Party and asked if I would be interested in attending,” Watson said this morning. “I’m excited about this...

Multiple Victims Reported at Binghampton Shooting Last Edited: Monday, 03 Mar 2008, 6:35 PM CST Created: Monday, 03 Mar 2008, 6:29 PM CST MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WHBQ FOX13 myfoxmemphis.com) -- Memphis Police are responding to reports of multiple victims at a shooting on Lester Street near Faxon Avenue in Binghampton.

Reported by: Joyce Peterson Email: jpeterson@myeyewitnessnews.com Last Update: 2/26 6:29 am Trucking Company Says It Is Not The Focus of Federal Investigation Documents seized during a raid on two truck driving schools and a Driver’s License Bureau. Memphis, TN - Federal and state agents raided two Mid-South truck driving schools and a Memphis driver's license center on February 25, 2008. Both schools, one on Brooks Road in Memphis, and the other on Veterans Parkway in Millington, are operated by Swift Transportation. The state run license center on Shelby Drive in Whitehaven was also targeted in the investigation. The FBI confirms...

“Anti-Semites for Obama” by the Tennessee Republican Party barely recognizes the tip of the ugly iceberg. Obama’s association with and refusal to repudiate anti-Semites, racists, and Catholic-haters is indeed a problem, but his open promotion of anti-Semitic, anti-Catholic, and racist individuals and organizations is far worse. ...The National “Jewish” Democratic Council, with its long and extensive record of whitewashing and sanitizing anti-Semitism and other forms of hate while promoting hatred of Christians for political gamesmanship, is an insult not only to Jews but to all decent people of all political persuasions. We can see no other motive behind Ira Forman’s...

ATLANTA — Chattanooga city officials waded into the border war between Tennessee and Georgia Wednesday when they delivered about 2,000 bottles of water to lawmakers in the drought-parched Peach State. Dressed in a coonskin hat and 19th century frontiersman garb, Matt Lea, special assistant to Mayor Ron Littlefield, described the gesture as “a humorous political joke.” But Georgia Sen. David Shafer, R-Duluth, said lawmakers accepted the bottled water as “a small down payment on the billions of gallons of Georgia water that flows from our creeks and streams into the Tennessee River every year.” The trip was billed as a...

“Give Our Georgia Friends A Drink Day” Proclaimed The city of Chattanooga, facing a possible Georgia land grab as part of an effort to get access to the Tennessee River, is sending a truck load of bottled water to Atlanta. Mayor Ron Littlefield said the water will be delivered on Wednesday by his aide Matt Lea wearing a coonskin cap. The mayor has officially proclaimed Feb. 27, 2008, as “Give our Georgia Friends a Drink Day.” The proclamation comes as a result of the Georgia Legislature passing a joint resolution that seeks to pursue reestablishing the boundary between Georgia and...

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — A resolution that would change the state’s constitution to allow more limits on abortion has failed a vote, likely ending consideration for this legislative session. The measure sponsored by Rep. Dolores Gresham, a Somerville Republican, was voted down 6-3 Tuesday in the House Public Health and Family Assistance Subcommittee. The bill has repeatedly failed in the Democrat-controlled subcommittee. The measure, which passed the Senate last month, sought to nullify a state Supreme Court ruling that finds the Tennessee Constitution offers greater protection for abortion rights than the U.S. Constitution. The proposal would have said “nothing in this...

#1 Memphis versus #2 Tennessee ......at Memphis.

Years ago a Georgia planner joked, half seriously, that the Peach State should just “stick a straw” in the Tennessee River to bring water to thirsty Atlanta. The analogy may turn out to be easier than anyone thought. Regional cavers are suggesting on their blogs that Georgia take advantage of Tennessee River water backed up years ago by TVA dams into Nickajack Cave and some connected caverns. They say water captured from the Tennessee River flows underground into Georgia and Alabama. If engineers could drill in, then courts might have to decide if the water is groundwater or impounded Tennessee...

For one week at least, there's Nos. 1 and 2 in the ESPN/USA Today coaches' poll, and then there's everyone else. It's not a stretch to make that argument when No. 1 is 25-0 Memphis and the week's new No. 2 is 23-2 Tennessee -- and the fact the two square off Saturday (9 p.m. ET, ESPN) on the Tigers' FedExForum home court. Memphis and Tennessee, their campuses separated by 383 miles, will be the first 1-vs.-2 matchup in the coaches' poll since last Feb. 25, when No. 1 Ohio State beat No. 2 Wisconsin 49-48 in Columbus. The two...

According to Newsmax, The Telegraph is outlining a scenario by which Al Gore becomes the Democratic Nominee for President. In the unattributed report from Newsmax (meaning I can't give you a link), Gore comes into play after Clinton regains enough momentum in March to deflate Obama's current surge. The Clinton camp reportedly believes that if Obama doesn't deliver a knock-out blow before the March 4 primaries in Texas and Ohio, Hillary could win those races and regain the momentum, with many superdelegates uniting behind her to preserve party unity. That could lead to bitter battles at the Democratic convention in...

WASHINGTON — Hoping to block a $120 million sale of weapons to Saudi Arabia that goes through on Friday, Rep. Zach Wamp, R-Tenn., and two other Republican lawmakers on Tuesday urged their colleagues to oppose President Bush’s plans. A resolution signed by 80 Democrats and 13 Republicans opposes the sale of 900 Joint Direct Attack Munitions to Saudi Arabia. Rep. Wamp called it “a mistake” to be selling high-tech weapons to a country that consistently bankrolls terrorist organizations. “We have tried to buy friends with arms, but usually it doesn’t work, and they turn around and use them against us,”...

Early this morning, President Bush spoke at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Washington D.C. In his outstanding speech (Transcript—must read!), the president talked about his time in office, “about what you and I have achieved together, what it tells us about the stakes in the year ahead, and why it is so important that we keep the White House in 2008. (Applause.)” Audience Member: “We love you, George!” President Bush: “Well, thank you. (Applause.)” From there, the president traveled to Lafayette, Tennessee to survey the damage caused by Tuesday’s tornados and to meet with the survivors as they...

West Virginia replaces Tennessee as No. 1 in prescription drug useby The Associated Press Wednesday February 6, 2008 CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. -- A report shows Tennessee has lost the top national ranking of per capita prescription drug use to West Virginia. The report by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Tennessee shows West Virginia took the lead, with 17.4 prescriptions per capita in 2006, compared with 16.9 prescriptions per person in Tennessee. The report uses data from drug company Novartis' most recent Pharmacy Benefit Report. Tennessee's rates dropped 6.6 percent from 18.1 prescriptions in 2004. The drug use rates remain well above...

Tornadoes Roar Across Southern U.S., Killing at Least 44, Injuring Hundreds February 06, 2008 LAFAYETTE, Tenn. — Crews went door-to-door Wednesday searching debris for more victims of deadly tornadoes that ripped the roof off a shopping mall, pummeled mobile homes and blew apart warehouses as they tore across four states. At least 44 people were killed throughout the South. The victims included 24 people in Tennessee, 13 in Arkansas, and seven in Kentucky, emergency officials said. Among those killed were Arkansas parents who died with their 11-year-old in Atkins, about 60 miles northwest of Little Rock. Hundreds more were injured....