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A top representative of the U.S. State Department was in Tennessee this week to discuss a law dealing with the state's refugee resettlement program. The Refugee Absorptive Capacity Act, which originated from the desk of State Sen. Jim Tracy, became law last July. It's the first bill of its kind. It requires the state's refugee program agency, Catholic Charities, to meet four times a year with local governments to plan and coordinate "the appropriate placement of refugees in advance of the refugees' arrival ..." The law also allows local communities to apply for a "moratorium" on refugee resettlement if those...

OKLAHOMA CITY - A push to strengthen the rights of citizens across the state is on the agenda as Oklahoma lawmakers look at the 2012 legislative session as a time to expand the rights of gun owners. State Senator Steve Russell said Sunday he is working to strengthen Second Amendment rights. "I think it's important constitutionally," explained Russell. "What we see are homeowners able to save their own lives and business men and women able to save their own lives. We have to keep that in view." 1/29/2012 Related Story: Oklahoma Lawmakers Look To Expand 'Make My Day' Law Several...

The two men involved in Friday night’s fatal shooting inside 802 North Second Street were known to each other and had a romantic interest in the same woman. Police say the woman's estranged husband, 37 year old John Allen allegedly shot and killed the woman's ex-boyfriend, 33 year old Christopher Franklin. Allen told police after answering a knock at the door, Franklin aggressively entered and physically confronted him. Allen said that he shot Franklin in self defense. Allen and his estranged wife told detectives that Franklin had threatened her in the past. She believed that Franklin had been watching her...

New York lawmakers are reportedly asking the Manhattan District Attorney's Office to show mercy to a Tennessee tourist who was arrested for bringing a gun to the 9/11 Memorial. City Councilman Peter Vallone Jr., D-Queens, chairman of the Public Safety Committee, personally asked Cyrus Vance Jr.’s office not to push for the 3 1/2-year minimum sentence for Meredith Graves, 39, the New York Post reports. “By prosecuting this woman and seeking 3 1/2 years of jail, we are shooting our own [gun-control] efforts in the foot and giving the rest of the country ammunition,” Vallone said. Graves had a .32-caliber...

The Issue: The arrest of a Tennessee woman after she inadvertently brought a gun to the 9/11 Memorial. The arrest of Meredith Graves highlights the absurd disconnect from prevailing national firearms policy that reigns in New York City (“Hold Your Fire,” Dec. 30). The majority of states guarantee the right of law-abiding citizens to carry firearms for self-defense. Graves mistakenly believed that New York would protect her basic rights but instead was met with a felony criminal complaint, thanks to our mayor and his neurotic fear of firearms. Graves’ arrest is a disgrace, and the same can be said of...

Authorities have not charged a convenience market clerk after he fatally shot a convicted carjacker he said tried to rob him Wednesday night. Sm Mazahir Hamadani, 59, was working at the Kwik Tobacco Market at 619 Millwood Drive, when he said 25-year-old William England charged the counter and held scissors to Hamadani’s throat. According to the Metro Nashville Police Department, Hamadani said he feared for his life, pulled a pistol that was in his pocket and shot England one time. England died shortly after arriving at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. He was on probation after receiving an eight-year sentence for...

Memphis, Tn - Shelby County Sheriff's Deputies responded to a call on Wednesday on the 7400 block of Locke Rd. The homeowner claims that upon returning to his home, he found a man in the process of robbing his residence. "As he walked in his home he saw that there was several of his items stacked against the door getting ready to be carted out," said Shelby County Sheriff's Spokesman Chip Washington. He says that when he confronted the robber, 38-year-old Jeffrey Butcher, he rushed at the homeowner, who then fired two shots at Butcher, striking him once. Butcher then...

1 dead, 16 injured in Tennessee crashes involving 176 carsFrom Dave Alsup, CNN updated 4:52 PM EST, Thu December 1, 2011 (CNN) -- One person was killed and 16 others injured Thursday in three separate chain-reaction crashes involving 176 cars north of Nashville, authorities said. Heavy fog and black ice were thought to have contributed to the crashes on State Highway 386 in Sumner County, said county emergency medical services Capt. Vincent Riley. The incidents began just before 8 a.m. ET, when a car ran off the highway and caused a chain reaction accident in "heavy, heavy fog," he said....

Chattanooga Police are still investigating an attempted robbery and shooting that occurred Thursday morning at 4409 Drummond Drive. Calvin McGhee called police immediately after the shooting and said that two black males attempted to rob him as he was leaving for work. The two men pulled guns on McGhee. McGhee then pulled his own gun and fired at both suspects, hitting at least one of them. McGhee describe the suspects as two young black males wearing all black clothes. One was believed to be at least 6 feet tall and the other around 5’07. Moments after the call was reported...

Muslims around the country are calling on state officials to rebuke Rep. Rick Womick, R-Murfreesboro, for saying the U.S. should purge Muslims from the military. But if they want strong denunciations, Gov. Bill Haslam isn't their guy. He might be the chief executive of this state and the head of the Tennessee Republican Party, but he clearly doesn't see standing up for freedom of religion or striking a blow against bigotry as top priorities. Asked today what he had to say about Womick's remarks, the governor declared: "I don’t think I would agree with Rick on that." OK, governor, but...

Businessman Herman Cain is the favorite of Tennessee voters for the state’s March 6 presidential Republican primary election, but female voters are far less likely to support him. That pattern is unlikely to change in light of allegations of sexual harassment against him, according to a new poll by the Center for the Study of Democratic Institutions at Vanderbilt University. Cain was the choice of 22 percent of 823 likely primary voters polled Oct. 28 through Nov. 5. The poll was conducted as the sexual harassment claims started to arise. Yet Cain’s support did not change much as the story...

* Police say a Papa Johns driver was lured to a vacant home in Hickory Hill * The driver was ambushed by an armed robber * The driver shot the robbery suspect (Memphis 11/11/14) A teenager tried to rob a pizza delivery driver, but ended up getting shot by his intended victim. Its happened Thursday night in the 6900 block of Snyder Road, near Riverdale. Police say a 31-year-old man was lured to a vacant home in the Hickory Hill neighborhood to deliver three pizzas. Investigators say as the victim walked up to the front door he noticed the suspect...

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...

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*...

Clarksville, TN – On October 25th, 2011, around 10:15 pm, a man with a crowbar walked into The Wine Cellar, 4 Lealand Drive, at closing time, said he was homeless and demanded money. The 67 year old store owner refused to give him any money, at which time, the would-be robber struck him in the head with the crowbar. The owner pulled out a revolver, the suspect grabbed the gun, and the fight was on. A 66 year old woman, an employee of the store heard the commotion, came out, saw the two men fighting, grabbed a baseball bat, and...

Herman Cain's speech today in Bartlett, TN (Memphis) the first 10 mins have been cut. Click the link at the top. Herman Cain was born in Memphis and is coming home to his roots, in Memphis. MY observations: There were over 2,000, when only 200 were expected, and we left the grounds SPOTLESS, we did not take a dump on a LEO car, or call the LEO bad names, or burn the Flag. Not one flag was left on the ground. Pledge was said, as was the National Anthem sung. People of all colors were there with their children. It...

Saturday October 8,2011 2 - 4 p.m. (CDT) Scoreboard Resturant 2804 Music Valley Dr. Nashville TN (across from Opryland Hotel) We need your help: - PLEASE make plans to attend and help us support Gibson Guitar - If you have contacts with musical talent who would like to lend their support, please let us know - If you can help with security and staffing and promotion please let us know - Please spread the word by emailing the link to the website

Dr. John R. Lott, Jr., the internationally renowned author and activist for the Constitutional right to bear arms, spoke at the Commons Center this past Monday on the subject of gun control. Young Americans for Liberty (YAL) at Vanderbilt sponsored the presentation. He opened his speech with a simple question: “Can you name one place that’s adopted a gun ban that has seen a drop in crime numbers?” Lott provided the audience with graphs and statistics showing that gun control laws in cities such as Washington, D.C. and Chicago, IL, actually experienced increased overall crime rates. “It is the good,...

(Reuters) - Representative Phil Roe retired from his medical career to go to Congress, but on Tuesday he put his doctor skills to use to help save a man's life at a Charlotte, North Carolina airport. The Tennessee Republican said he was drinking a cup of coffee and chatting with Representative Mick Mulvaney of South Carolina at the Charlotte Douglas International Airport when he heard someone shouting for a doctor. Roe ran over to a man lying on the floor. "I couldn't feel a pulse," Roe told Reuters by telephone from Washington. "It looked like he was taking his last...

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Immigrant rights advocates claim federal immigration raids in Shelbyville were designed to intimidate local Latinos who complained about the way they are treated by law enforcement at a hearing last week - a claim Immigration and Customs Enforcement denies.

A West Knox County homeowner told law enforcement officers he acted in self-defense when he fatally shot a man who he discovered in bed with his girlfriend Thursday morning. As of yet, no charges have been filed in connection with the shooting, which initially was reported as a domestic disturbance at 7:14 a.m. at 9325 Wells Station Road in the Nicholas Landing subdivision, according to Martha Dooley, Knox County Sheriff's Office spokeswoman. Officers arrived at the Ball Camp area residence to find a man dead of multiple gunshot wounds, she said. Authorities have yet to release the victim's name, pending...

Clyde, N.Y. - Wayne County Sheriff's deputies are searching for an illegal immigrant indicted for raping a six-year-old girl. Investigators fear Dagoberto Ruiz-Barrios, 40, may have left the area, and could be in Tennessee. The alleged sexual assault happened in July. A grand jury indicted Ruiz-Barrios last week. He's facing charges including predatory sexual assault against a child, rape in the first degree and performing criminal sexual act. If you have any information on the whereabouts of Ruiz-Barrios, you're asked to call CrimeStoppers at 423-9300.

Police in a small Tennessee town have salvaged a rare painting of supposedly the true face of Jesus from a thief who was trying to sell it to a church. The 150-year-old painting, a Catholic relic based on the “Veil of Veronica,” had been stolen and dumped in a closet for years by a thief, identified as Kelly Ghormley, before she approached a church in Madisonville to sell it, Daily Mail reported Friday. According to legend, when a follower named Veronica from Jerusalem encountered Jesus on the way to Calvary and wiped sweat off His face with her veil, Christ’s...

(CNN) -- An illegal immigrant who this week was awarded $200,000 in a lawsuit against a Tennessee sheriff's office will ask a federal judge to grant her permission to remain in the United States legally, her attorney told CNN. A jury on Thursday awarded Juana Villegas the damages in a civil case against state officials in which she alleged that sheriff's deputies violated her rights when they shackled her while pregnant, while in labor and during her postpartum recovery. She had initially filed suit against federal officials, but the judge dismissed that part of the case. Now, her attorney, Elliott...

Deep inside the Wilson County Sheriff’s Office is a vault containing racks and racks of hundreds of seized guns. For the most part, they just sit there. “These are already crowded evidence areas, they crowd them up,” said Sheriff Terry Ashe. But efforts are afoot to force authorities to sell seized guns to the public instead of letting police departments destroy them, trade them for service weapons or stockpile them. The effort exposes a long-standing dispute among law enforcement, gun dealers and gun-rights advocates. While police say they don’t want to see more guns on the streets — particularly guns...

The Memphis area's jobless rate surged in June, nearing the worst levels of the recession. Layoffs by government offices and the tourism industry caused the surge along with a big flow of people who had given up looking for work coming back into the labor force and hunting for jobs again..... Business analysts sounded a pessimistic note, saying the high jobless rate is another sign the Memphis economy is running poorly. "We're still fighting our way up from the bottom," said economist John Gnuschke of the University of Memphis.... The jobless rate rose in June. Here's how June 2011 compares...

President Obama spoke briefly on Monday with a woman who is becoming a symbol of the effort to stop deportations of young illegal immigrants. Mercedes Gonzalez said in an interview that the president told her: “Everything is going to be fine. You’re going to be OK.” She said she didn’t believe that Mr. Obama had any particular knowledge of her case when he made his comment. The president met Ms. Gonzalez while working a rope line after giving a speech to the National Council of La Raza, the nation’s largest Hispanic advocacy group. Ms. Gonzalez, 18 years old, was brought...

On July 14, 2011, Republican presidential candidate held a rally in Murfreesboro, TN. Steve Gill (see in the video) introduces Mr. Cain. Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dG5o0Hx_ARg (Also that same day, Herman Cain talks to Steve Gill about the debt ceiling on the air - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vWDd08nL_qU&feature=related )

Yesterday, Chris Wallace interviewed Herman Cain, a candidate for the Republican nomination for President (full transcript).  A portion of the interview focused on Cain's sometimes controversial views of Muslim Americans. Here is an extensive excerpt from the interview: WALLACE: You said this week that you oppose construction of a new mosque in Murfreesboro, Tennessee..... What's your objection to their building a new mosque? CAIN: One of my guiding principles, Chris, is that if you want to know the solution to the problem or if you want to understand the problem, go to source closest to the problem. I talk to the...

A New Tazewell man shot his stepson in self-defense last week according to police reports. The Claiborne County Sheriff’s Office responded to a call on Smith Road on reports that someone had been shot at the residence. When Sgt. Ted Brindle and Deputy Phillip Stubblefield arrived on scene, they saw a man, Jimmy Wayne Edens, 27, walking out the front door onto the deck. Officers noticed that Edens had a towel wrapped around his forearm that appeared to have blood on it. Edens stated to officers that his stepfather, Alfred Bell, had shot him and he was still inside the...

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...

The Shelbyville chief of police and a former Tyson employee confirmed that threatening messages surfaced this week, leading to extra security at the plant. "A couple days ago, they had a terrorist threat that was written on the bathroom walls that said 'all Americans must die,'" said a woman, who said she wanted to remain anonymous to protect her relative, who works inside the plant. She said that she didn't see the writing herself but is aware of what's going on from others. "One day last week, someone set the women's bathroom on fire, and they finally put a security...

COLUMBIA, Tenn. -It was a case that shook Maury County: a first grade teacher accused of killing her husband, a recent Iraq Veteran. His family claims it was murder; she says it was self-defense and late this week a jury agreed. Shawn Armstrong's attorney spoke about the trial and takes us back through the vivid 911 call that helped lead to the jury's decision. Dispatcher: 911, what is your emergency? Armstrong: I need an ambulance at Enterprise Road now. Dispatcher: Ma'am? What's going on? Armstrong: I just shot my husband because he attacked me. Dispatcher: You shot your husband? Armstrong:...

Quarterback Kerry Collins announced his retirement from the NFL on Thursday, ending his 16-year career and possibly speeding up the Jake Locker era for the Tennessee Titans. Collins, the Titans' off-and-on starter since 2006, released a statement in which he said after several months of "introspection," he decided that "my willingness to commit to the preparation necessary to play another season has waned to a level that I feel is no longer adequate to meet the demands of the position." Brooks: What now, Titans? Kerry Collins' retirement will force the Titans to quickly explore their QB options, and Bucky Brooks...

As far as Democrats go, Heath Shuler gives conservatives some reasons for cheer: he’s pro-life, pro-gun, and stopped voting for Nancy Pelosi to be Speaker. But he represents a deeply conservative section of western North Carolina, and his lifetime ACU rating is only 28.5. In an R+6 district (and because of geography, the district can only change so much when the lines are redrawn), it would be low-hanging fruit for a conservative Republican candidate in an open seat race. That seat might just open up, as Shuler is reportedly interested in a high-profile, non-political job, according to a Knoxville, Tennessee...

A standing-room-only crowd gathered in the county executive’s conference room June 13 to express their objections to a proposed shooting range planned for Claude Loftis Road, near the Cherry Creek community. Members of the county commission’s Steering Committee B were surrounded by constituents of all ages, including several young children, who occupied every seat in the room. Sheriff Oddie Shoupe acted as spokesperson for the group and stated he was there not in his capacity as the chief law enforcement officer of the county but as a resident of Claude Loftis Road. According to information provided by Commissioner Al Klee,...

At 75 years old, Betty McIntyre didn’t think she would need to know how to use a gun. She had fired a shotgun years ago with her husband Ray while duck hunting, but never thought much about a pistol. That changed years ago because of concerns by her late son, Phillip. “Phillip gave me a gun just in case something happened to Ray. He said he wanted me to learn to protect myself,” McIntyre said. She took a self-defense gun class through the Florence Police Department and then learned about the Florence Gun Club. “I went to the shooting range...

(Cordova, TN 6/11/11) A woman was shot in the head after she and two other suspects stole a female victim's purse and beat her up. It happened around 3:30 or 4:00 a.m. on Saturday at the Trinity Lakes Apartments in Cordova. Police said 25-year-old Maria Fugitt was followed home from work early Saturday morning. When she pulled up in her parking lot, the three women who were following her got out of their car with a gun and demanded money. They allegedly took $240, Fugitt's purse and backpack. But Fugitt didn't give up without a fight. She called for her...

Over the last few years, we've seen a troubling trend in various state laws which attempt to come up with ways to outlaw being a jerk online. Many of these are based on politicians and/or the public taking an emotional reaction to something bad happening after some does something online that angered someone else. Of course, while it would be nice if jerks would go away or jerky behavior would cease, that's just not realistic. The real issue is: how can it be constitutional to outlaw being a jerk? In many cases it raises serious First Amendment issues, among other...

Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN-9) represents the Memphis area in Congress. His Congressional district is majority African-American and is considered one of the safest Democratic seats in the country. A win in the Democratic primary is tantamount to winning the election. Cohen is also extremely liberal. According to the website, ProgressivePunch.org, his lifetime score is 95.84% which puts him ahead of such liberal icons as Nancy Pelosi and the Queen Bee of Gun Control, Carolyn McCarthy. It is hard to find anyone more liberal than Cohen and he tends to wear his politics on his sleeve. Indeed, Cohen caused a stir...

Tennessee state Sen. Stacey Campfield has introduced legislation this year that would allow any full-time faculty member or staffer at a public university to have a concealed weapon on campus if they have a handgun-carry permit. Campfield, a Republican whose district includes the University of Tennessee-Knoxville, said he received a letter from a UT student with concerns about a troubled student in her class, according to a report in The Commercial Appeal. Gun violence on college campuses in recent years also factored into Campfield’s decision. He said he introduced the legislation as a “constitutionalist.” “Colleges are great about defending the...

Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) may be in the sights of Tea Party activists ahead of 2012, but the Utah Republican has given help to two of his Senate colleagues who face conservative primary challengers themselves. Hatch's political action committee — OrrinPAC — donated to both Sens. Dick Lugar (R-Ind.) and Olympia Snowe (R-Maine) during the first quarter of the year, according to the PAC's March filing with the Federal Election Commission. Both Republicans are Tea Party targets in 2012. Hatch's PAC donated $1,000 each to Lugar and Snowe in February. Asked about the donations, Hatch campaign manager Dave Hansen said...

A measure to allow faculty and staff to carry handguns on the campuses of Tennessee's public colleges and universities cleared its first legislative committee on Wednesday.

Hamilton County Criminal Court Judge Don Poole dismissed voluntary manslaughter charges Thursday morning against Andrews Graves. He was originally charged with first degree murder in the June 2010 shooting death of Michael Newby at the victim's home on North Concord in East Brainerd. Prosecutors asked the judge to dismiss the charge saying Graves acted in self-defense. Witnesses testified that Newby had left his home and came back wearing a mask and wielding a gun, ordering everyone to the floor. Graves fired at Newby striking him in the head.

A bill requiring presidential candidates to provide their birth certificates to Tennessee's secretary of state as a condition of getting on the Tennessee ballot was killed Wednesday in a House subcommittee. Also dying Wednesday was a proposal to establish a legislative committee that would review federal laws and regulations then recommend which, if any, should be nullified by the General Assembly. Rep. Rick Womick, R-Rockvale, was House sponsor of the birth certificate bill. He said it was inspired by constituents who doubt that President Barack Obama was born in the United States. Passage of the bill, he said, would "put...

A night on the job for two downtown gas station workers became violent when two men walked in, guns in hand. A wild shootout unfolded on camera, inside the very close quarters of the Lewis Street Market in Nashville. No one was shot, but you'll be amazed that it didn't end in tragedy. On Wednesday, store owner Kamil Alakabi described what happened. “I was right here when I grabbed my gun. They stayed on the other side, and I shot them on this side,” said Alakabi. What Alakabi is talking about can be seen in the surveillance video captured from...

Why is it that union supporters seem so incredibly comfortable with using reprehensible means of displaying their dissatisfaction with things? They’re always out there jumping at the chance to use completely inappropriate tactics. Or, like in this case, tactics that are inappropriate for the situation.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Troopers forcibly carried out seven union supporters from the Tennessee's legislative office complex on Tuesday after their protest disrupted a Senate committee hearing. The disruption occurred after hundreds of labor supporters gathered for a midday protest near the Capitol to denounce a bill to strip teachers of their collective bargaining rights. The seven arrested were among those who stood up during the hearing and began chants about "union busting" by the Legislature. <snip> "This General Assembly will not be intimidated by nomadic bands of professional agitators on spring break bent on disruption," he said. "We talk through...

Cleveland City School officials said "sexting" on school grounds will result in suspension or explusion. At the Cleveland City School Board's regularly scheduled meeting Monday the board reviewed policy 6.312 Use of Personal Electronic Devices in School, adding wording regarding "sexting." The proposed board policy changes state: "Sexting, the elctronic transmission or "reception and retention" of pornographic pictures, if found on a device in the possession of a student on school property or at a school-related event, will result in supension/expulsion. Sexting events that occur off campus are subject to review by school officials to determine whether or not bullying...

<p>CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. — A federal grand jury has indicted six people, including a Department of Motor Vehicles employee, for conspiring to produce and sell Tennessee driver's licenses for cash.</p>