Free Republic

The unionization vote at the Volkswagen plant in Tennessee has been certified by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), according to a Tuesday announcement from the manufacturer and the United Auto Workers (UAW). Workers at the Chattanooga plant voted two weeks ago, with 73 percent, or 2,628 staffers, in favor of unionization, and 27 percent against, representing 985 employees. “Volkswagen and union workers around the world have a long history of successfully building vehicles together, and we are jointly committed to a strong and successful future at Volkswagen Chattanooga with the UAW,” the automaker and UAW said in a joint...

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WZTV) — A Tennessee bill that would authorize the death penalty as a punishment for rape of a child sits on Gov. Bill Lee's desk. This bill allows prosecutors to go after the death penalty when it comes to heinous crimes against children, like sexual assault of a child under the age of 12. It passed both the House and the Senate last month. Legislators say the person convicted would have to be 18-years or older. Supporters believe this would act as a deterrent. Critics say it might make it harder for the victim to come forward, especially...

The phrase “arming teachers” has standard meanings: To provide teachers with arms or to force teachers to carry arms. “Arming teachers” puts teachers in a passive role, with someone else “arming” them. It is being used to oppose a mild gun law reform bill in Tennessee.The phrase is being used in an Orwellian way by those opposed to an armed population. It is used by the left to prevent teachers from being allowed to protect themselves and the children in their care. The phrase “arming teachers” has become equated with removing restrictions on the ability of teachers to arm themselves....

Tennessee Governor Bill Lee signed House Bill 2435 into law on Tuesday, requiring all public schools in the state to include an approved prenatal child development segment in the state-mandated age-appropriate family life curriculum. A three-minute ultrasound or computer animation can satisfy the curriculum requirements; Live Action’s “Meet Baby Olivia” is listed as one such animation, though it is not specifically required. The legislation previously passed the House in an overwhelming 67-23 vote in March, and likewise, the Senate passed the bill by a wide margin, at 21-6. “Meet Baby Olivia” was created by Live Action in collaboration with medical...

(LifeSiteNews) — On Tuesday, Tennessee Governor Bill Lee signed the ‘Baby Olivia Act’ into law, requiring public schools to show school children a “high-quality, computer-generated animation or high-definition ultrasound” of unborn babies developing in the womb. The law cites Live Action’s computer-animated “Baby Olivia” video depicting fertilization and fetal development from conception as an example of an animation that would meet the law’s requirements, which include the depiction of “the development of the brain, heart, and other vital organs in early fetal development.” Family life curriculum is required by Tennessee law in all counties where the teen birth rate exceeds...

Tennessee and Kentucky can continue to ban gender-affirming care for young transgender people while legal challenges against those state laws proceed, federal appeals judges ruled. In a 2-1 decision by a 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals panel late Thursday, the majority wrote that elected lawmakers made “precise cost-benefit decisions” in instituting the bans and “did not trigger any reason for judges to second-guess them.” The laws were passed by Republican majorities in both states. “Prohibiting citizens and legislatures from offering their perspectives on high-stakes medical policies, in which compassion for the child points in both directions, is not something...

U.S. District Court Judge Aleta A. Trauger sided with the Tennessee Star last month, in seeking all the written documents from shooter Audrey Hale, which resulted in the deaths of three students and three faculty members. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The FBI has turned over writings from the Covenant school shooter to a federal judge, including the killer’s manifesto, which will be read privately by the judge. Star News Digital Media Inc., the parent company of The Tennessee Star, sued the FBI in May claiming the bureau had violated the First Amendment by rejecting multiple Freedom of Information Act requests for the Covenant...

Volkswagen workers at an automotive plant in Tennessee voted to unionize Friday, becoming the first southern car manufacturer to do so since the 1940s, the Washington Post reported. Roughly 75% of the 3,613 workers employed at the plant voted in favor of joining the United Auto Workers(UAW) union over the course of the election, according to a Volkswagen press release. The vote to unionize was opposed by a coalition of six Republican governors in the region, citing concerns that a stronger union presence could lead to fewer companies investing in new factories and, by extension, fewer jobs, the Washington Post...

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. — Workers in attendance for Friday's United Auto Workers (UAW) watch party feel they've made history. And for those Volkswagen employees who wanted unionization, the third time was the charm. In order to unionize, the UAW needed 50% plus one vote. Both previous UAW elections fell short of this, with 2014's election showing 47%, and 2019's election showing 48%. But Friday night, employees won by a landslide with the official National Labor Relations Board results reporting 2,628-985 votes for union representation. Some who came to watch the vote were from other right-to-work states in the U.S., wanting to...

MEMPHIS, Tenn. - Memphis Police are responding to reports of multiple people shot in Orange Mound. Viewer videos from the scene showed dozens of gunshots fired as a crowd gathered at the Orange Mound Community Center. People could be seen running for cover.

Whether the journals of a Nashville school shooter can be released to the public will go before a Tennessee judge on Tuesday after nearly a year of legal wrangling over who can participate in the case. What started as a simple public records request has ballooned into a messy mix of conspiracy theories, leaked documents, probate battles and new legislation as different sides try to gain an advantage. And even though the main issue of which police investigative records can be released has finally made it to a court hearing, any decision by Chancery Court Judge I’Ashea Myles is likely...

Over four years ago, someone sent me a November 2019 Huffington Post article titled “Coal Knew, Too” by Élan Young, a writer for the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of (UTK). The story, remarkably, also promptly appeared in Mother Jones, the UK’s Daily Mail, and even in an article from the Kent Law School. We were told that the Department head, Chris Cherry, “accidentally discovered what is, so far, the earliest known evidence of the coal industry acknowledging its awareness of the impending climate crisis”. The supposed “confession”, which fit nicely into an ongoing activist litigation...

Memphis Police officers responded to a call about a suspicious vehicle this morning at around 2 AM. Two teenage boys were found at the scene of the alleged crime and became engaged in a shootout with the police officers. One of the teens, 18-year-old Yaylen Loble, was recently caught inside a stolen vehicle by police officers with an illegally modified firearm that could be used as a machine gun. He was arrested and released without bond in March. The teen thugs murdered one Memphis Police Officer, while two more officers have been hospitalized.

At least one person is dead and five others are injured after an Easter Sunday shooting at a coffee shop in the Germantown section of Nashville, according to police. The incident was reportedly called in at around 3:03pm local time at Roasted Salemtown, a brunch place on Garfield Street. According to police, one person has been killed by gunfire, while five others have been shot, with police saying that they are not critical. 'A total of eight persons were transported from the scene, one of them deceased, 5 others confirmed gunshot victims, one other with a scratch, the cause of...

HARRISON, Tenn. — UPDATE: 2 suspects involved in a deadly home invasion in Harrison are still on the loose, according to the Hamilton County Sheriff's Office. HCSO says there were 3 armed suspects involved in the invasion. The preliminary investigation reveals the three suspects broke into the home around 1a.m. and were confronted by the homeowner, according to HCSO. Gunfire was exchanged between the homeowner and suspects. HCSO says one of the suspects was shot during the exchange and died at the scene. Two other suspects jumped through a window to escape and fled the scene, according to HCSO. Members...

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A woman who is three months pregnant says she was carjacked at gunpoint after a crash, but an AirTag hidden inside a Bible helped her track down her vehicle. Zaliyah Hughes said she was headed to Tops Bar-B-Que on Summer Avenue when a light-colored Nissan crashed into the passenger side of her Hyundai Sonata at the intersection of Summer and Holmes. “I was going through the light, and they were supposed to stop. They were speeding and hit me,” said Hughes.”Once they hit me, the man who had a black mask on already had his gun pointed...

A Nashville nightclub is redefining the concept of faith - and clubbing - with heavily attended gatherings that have strict rules against twerking, drinking, and smoking. Enter The Cove - an 18-and-up pop-up started this past year by seven young, black Christians, that only enforces the three above rules. There's an unspoken one as well - a playlist devoted entirely to Christian music. The establishment comes in response to a post-pandemic decline in church attendance, organizers this week said - citing the mostly black, Gen-Z crowd. These pious partiers flood their doors regularly, the masterminds revealed -speaking for a feature...

Strain disappeared on March 8 after being kicked out of Luke’s 32 Bridge Food + Drink in downtown Nashville while on a trip with his fraternity. University of Missouri student Riley Strain's body has been found in the Cumberland River Friday morning, the Metropolitan Nashville Police announced. "The body of Riley Strain was recovered from the Cumberland River in West Nashville this morning, approximately 8 miles from downtown," the department wrote on X. "No foul play-related trauma was observed. An autopsy is pending." Police received a call around 7:28 a.m. from a worker at a nearby business who discovered Strain's...

(The Center Square) – Two dozen Republican U.S. senators are pushing back against the Biden administration's plan to increase taxes on the U.S. oil, natural gas and coal industries to the tune of over $110 billion. U.S. Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., led a coalition of 24 senators expressing “grave concern regarding the administration's continued hostility towards American energy production.” In a letter to U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, they wrote, “America's working families and small businesses are facing immense challenges including high energy prices. At the same time, our allies and partners across the globe are asking for reliable American...

The body of missing University of Missouri student Riley Strain has been found in a Nashville river after he went missing leaving a country bar earlier this month, authorities said. “The body of Riley Strain was recovered from the Cumberland River in West Nashville this morning, approximately 8 miles from downtown,” the Metropolitan Nashville Police wrote on X. His body was found in the Cumberland River near 61st Avenue North around 7:30 a.m. Friday, news station WKRN reported. No foul play is suspected, but an autopsy has been scheduled, police said. Strain was visiting the Music City with his Delta...