Free Republic

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Opponents of the so-called guns in bars and restaurant law won their battle in court Friday. Nine local restaurant owners filed a petition in August asking for a hearing on an injunction to challenge the law. In court on Friday, a judge found the new state law to be unconstitutional due to vagueness. The law, which allows gun carry permit holders to take their weapons into bars and restaurants where alcohol is served, went into effect in July. The law will be put on hold until lawmakers return to session in January. Some lawmakers said they would...

NASHVILLE — Republican legislators are at odds over whether to criticize the state’s largest anti-abortion organization for supporting a Democrat. House Republican Leader Jason Mumpower drafted a letter to Tennessee Right to Life President Brian Harris saying the endorsement of Democrats would harm prospects for anti-abortion legislation. The Knoxville News Sentinel reported Monday that he e-mailed the letter last week to House Republicans, inviting them to add their names to the letter. But several have objected, including House Speaker Kent Williams and Knoxville Reps. Bill Dunn and Stacey Campfield. Mumpower cites the group’s endorsement of Democrat Ty Cobb in a...

A Knox County jury delivered the death sentence this afternoon to the ringleader in the torture slayings of a young Knoxville couple following a carjacking. The same panel of seven men and five women who convicted Lemaricus Davidson, 28, in the 2007 attack on University of Tennessee student Channon Christian, 21, and her boyfriend Christopher Newsom, 23, decided his fate. Davidson was found guilty of more than 30 counts, including felony murder and premeditated murder of each victim. The jury had a choice of a life sentence mandating a minimum of 51 years in prison, life without parole with no...

http://www.wsmv.com/news/21288749/detail.html

A Cason Lane Academy teacher accused of pocketing students’ lunch money was charged with theft under $500 Monday by Murfreesboro Police. Teacher Angela M. Strube, 30, of Sky Valley Trail in Smyrna was charged with theft of the money from her third grade students after an investigation by Detective Lt. Nathan McDaniel. McDaniel’s arrest warrant accused Strube of removing the lunch money from envelopes. Murfreesboro City Schools’ spokeswoman Cheryl Harris said Strube was suspended without pay. She is a tenured teacher. Police spokesman Kyle Evans said the Murfreesboro City Schools system, not the children, was the victim because the teacher...

MOUNT JULIET, Tenn. -- A woman in Mount Juliet got a scare this week when a man broke into her home while she was in the shower. The intruder quickly ran out, but the woman grabbed her gun and shot at his car. Police arrested Franklin Fish a short time later. The woman identified him as the burglar. Detectives believe Fish is wanted for several other home break-ins.

PETROS, Tenn. - She may be 75, but she's still a mom. Jesse Williams, 28, discovered that truism Thursday night when the mother of a man he allegedly was fighting shot him once in the leg to stop the assault on her son. According to Morgan County Sheriff's Office Chief Deputy William Angel, Williams broke into David Brandenburg's residence at 905 Back Petros Road. The 43-year-old Brandenburg was home and began struggling with the intruder. The fighting men spilled out from the house and onto the yard, where Brandenburg's mother, Ruth Robbins, heard the commotion. Robbins lives next door, Angel...

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) -- A teenager was shot Friday night in South Knoxville after a homeowner says the he pointed a shotgun at him. It happened at 837 Lester Road around 11:00 pm. Jonathan Stevens, 20, and his wife Kara, 29, told deputies they heard their pit bulls barking outside. So, Jonathan took a pistol and flashlight to investigate. The couple says they spotted a 15-year-old boy they knew pointing a shot gun at them. Stevens fired his pistol twice, hitting the boy in the torso. He reportedly then returned fire. The Stevens ran inside and called 911. When investigators...

A Nashville, TN man used his gun to fend off two robbers who broke into his home Saturday night. Police say that two robbers broke in to the man's home on Lindy Murff Ct. The homeowner grabbed his self defense gun and shot one of the home invaders in the chest. Both criminals then fled to a nearby gas station, and tried to claim that they were themselves the victims of a robbery. The wounded criminal was taken to a local hospital, and is expected to survive and face charges. The unwounded criminal has been arrested. The homeowner was unharmed....

Davidson County jurors bused to Knox County Criminal Court last week to consider the fate of 26-year-old torture slaying suspect Letalvis Cobbins spent six days hearing testimony, viewing gruesome photographs and listening to hours of attorney arguments and legal instruction.Cobbins' defense team of Scott Green and Kim Parton and prosecutors Takisha Fitzgerald and Leland Price had one last chance Saturday afternoon to argue their respective cases. Despite the unexpected testimony of Cobbins against his defense team's advice, neither wavered from their original positions on Cobbins' alleged role. Neither paid much heed to Cobbins' claim that Christian volunteered oral sex in...

Bishop Richard F. Stika Knoxville, Tenn., Aug 17, 2009 / 10:42 am (CNA).- Catholics in the Diocese of Knoxville, Tennessee are praying for their new bishop after he suffered a mild heart attack while on a trip this past weekend.According to Deacon Sean Smith, chancellor of the Diocese of Knoxville, Bishop Richard F. Stika, was paying a visit to a friend who is sick in Florida. Things took a turn for the worse when the bishop "became ill with severe flu-like symptoms, which precipitated a diabetic crisis," Smith said.The "diabetic crisis" caused Bishop Stika to suffer a mild heart...

Please begin praying immediately for the health and recovery of Bishop Richard Stika of Knoxville. While in Florida Bishop Sitka suffered a massive heart attack, his kidneys are failing and his sugar count is over 1000.

KNOXVILLE — A home invasion robbery last week in South Knoxville that left a teenage boy dead was motivated by the illegal drug trade, and the homeowner who shot the boy had illegal drugs in his house, according to a defense attorney. T. Scott Jones, who has been hired to represent 17-year-old Zahn Christopher Ealey, said that his client surrendered to police Monday after negotiations with the Knox County District Attorney General’s Office led to an agreement that Ealey will face only juvenile charges in connection with the case. “Nobody’s a virgin in this thing,” Jones said. “That goes to...

A victim's tale of robbery and murder unraveled when investigators learned that she'd participated in the stickup that backfired and turned deadly, police said Monday Ashley Brannon, 22, has been charged with facilitation of attempted aggravated robbery. Brannon told police Thursday morning that a man forced his way into the back seat of her 2008 Dodge Avenger about 6:30 a.m. outside the Exxon at 4040 S. Third, pulling a gun and demanding money. She told officers a friend in the passenger seat, Gregory Mitchell, 18, struggled with the robber, then was shot to death. But another version of the homicide...

An article recently appeared in The Tennessean reporting on that state's experience one month after the passage of legislation allowing those citizens with concealed carry licenses to bring their firearms with them into restaurants that serve alcohol provided they do not drink. After Tennessee passed the law, it was challenged and upheld on court. Opponents of the bill predicted mayhem. "We apparently are going to have 225,000 vigilantes shooting in bars," said David Smith, one of the attorneys for the opposition. Of course, nothing of the sort actually occurred. The same thing happens every time a piece of pro-gun legislation...

A Tennessee man has been charged with assault for shooting a burglar he caught leaving his neighbor's home. According to a report in The Kingsport Times-News, Dennis McClanahan, 52, caught Dustin Eads, 29, breaking in to a neighbor's mobile home trailer. McClanahan had called 911 to report the break-in when he saw Eads exit the trailer. McClanahan confronted Eads at gunpoint and attempted to hold him for police. Eads reportedly went for the gun and a struggle ensued during which McClanahan struck him in the head with the handgun. Eads broke free and attempted to flee in his vehicle, while...

Bradley County Sheriff Tim Gobble... who has also declared his candidacy for a Tennessee U.S. House in 2010... says he supports guns in parks. In a written statement Sheriff Gobble said, "On Monday, the Bradley County Commission will vote on whether or not law abiding citizens with valid gun permits will be allowed to carry firearms in local parks, natural areas, historic areas, nature trails, campgrounds, forests, greenways, waterways and other such public areas. "I have long supported a law abiding citizen’s Second Amendment right to own and carry firearms, whether they are for hunting, sport shooting or the protection...

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. - A man died Wednesday after being shot in Murfreesboro. According to police, a young man shot and killed a 56-year-old man early Wednesday morning at an apartment located in the 600 block of Maple Street. Neighbors said the young man shot his father-in-law in self-defense. According to the neighbors, the 56-year-old man pulled a gun on his son-in-law first. Police confirmed that the shooting was classified as domestic related homicide; although, investigators have not ruled out self-defense or accidental shooting. In regards to an arrest, investigators spoke with and released a person of interest, which doesn't mean...

BLUE DOG DEMS CAN KILL OBAMA HEALTH CARE REFORM There are EIGHT "Blue Dog Democrats" who sit on the Energy and Commerce Committee. If these eight Democrats do not support the legislation, passage would likely not succeed. It is CRITICAL to contact them TODAY and make your voice heard. John Barrow (GA-12) p: (202) 225-2823, f: (202) 225-3377, email. Bart Gordon (TN-06) p: (202) 225-4231, f: (202) 225-6887, email. Baron Hill (IN-09) p: (202) 225-5315, f: (202) 226-6866, email. Jane Harman (CA-36) p: (202) 225-8220, f: (202) 226-7290, email. Jim Matheson (UT-02) p: (202) 225-3011, f: (202) 225-5638, email. Charlie...

MEMPHIS, TN – Two people have been shot during an attempted robbery of a jewelry vender in East Memphis. It happened around 3:00 p.m., Wednesday, July 8, 2009, in the 5300 block of Poplar Avenue, outside of the Hopson Building. myEyewitnessNews.com was first on the scene, just seconds after the call went out to Memphis Police. Police say a jewelry vender was doing business inside the building just before the shooting happened. The man told police that he had been followed by four men, but didn’t know how long they were watching him. Investigators say when the man left the...

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. - If Murfreesboro decides to allow guns in parks it could cost the city the annual Spring Fling event and the $3.5 million it brings in from tourism. The executive director of TSSAA said there is no way they would allow the week-long high school sport state tournaments to be played at a park where guns are allowed. A state law allowing people with carry permits to bring guns in parks goes into effect September first. However, local governments can opt out. Murfreesboro's City Council decided last week to postpone voting on a measure to uphold its ban...

In college football recruiting today, it's never too early. The entire process has been accelerated. In fact, it's now so fast that one rising star has decided where to play his college football even though he hasn't played a down of high school football. The player is Evan Berry of Fairburn, Ga. Berry is the younger brother of Tennessee super safety Eric Berry. Evan Berry has decided to follow in the footsteps of his brother and father after accepting a verbal scholarship offer to play for the Volunteers and coach Lane Kiffin. "Yes, I committed to Tennessee," Evan said. "It's...

Radio) - "We've already seen in this community a number of shootings in bars and restaurants and parking lots, I think this just makes it worse and I don't understand what the public purpose was for passing this law," John Elkington said. John Elkington represents the Beale Street Merchants Association and Performa Entertainment. He says guns and alcohol don't mix, which is why all handgun carriers will have to leave their weapons at home if they want to enjoy Beale Street. Come July 17th signs will be posted stating "No Guns Allowed." The new legislation restricts handgun carriers from drinking...

A home invasion turns deadly after one of the robbers is shot by the homeowner. It happened on Moss Landing Drive in Antioch around 1:00 a.m. Dennis Nicholson told detectives that he was confronted by 22 year old Elijah Minnard (pictured left) at the home. Nicholson says Minnard had a shotgun, and 17 year old Jeremie Thomas (pictured right), had a pistol. Police say the men forced Nicholson inside, and Minnard held Nicholson and 25 year old Lincoya Stephens at gunpoint upstairs while Thomas searched the downstairs area of the home. Police say Stephens grabbed the shotgun to try and...

Murfreesboro Police Officer Matt Garrett didn’t remember pulling his service firearm on a suspect pointing a gun at him but remembered screaming “gun” during a call Feb. 22 at Campus Crossing South apartments. Police dispatchers mistakenly sent Garrett and Officer Brad Premo to a 911 hang up call at Campus Crossing South instead of Campus Crossing North. After knocking on the door of the wrong apartment, Garrett said a gun “came down” from the door. “I didn’t remember I had my gun pointed at him,” Garrett said while testifying during the preliminary hearing Monday in General Sessions Court. He glanced...

Nashville police say a 21-year-old home invasion robbery suspect was fatally wounded by 1 of his victims. Elijah Minnard's 17-year-old armed accomplice was apprehended after he fled the home, according to police. His charges include aggravated robbery and unlawful weapon possession. The two home invasion victims are Dennis Clay Nicholson, 22, and Lincoya Stephens, 25. Nicholson told police he was confronted by an armed Minnard and the 17-year-old as he arrived home early Wednesday. Minnard held Nicholson and Stephens, who was already at the residence, at gunpoint while the 17-year-old searched the home. The victims got the gun away from...

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Police have arrested two men in connection with the shooting of a Metro police officer along Interstate 40 on Thursday afternoon. Police spokesman Don Aaron said Sgt. Mark Chesnut, 44, was hit multiple times during a traffic stop at about 1:30 p.m. Aaron said Chesnut was entering information into his in-car computer when police believe the suspect, who had been pulled over in a Dodge Magnum with Georgia tags, walked up and opened fire near exit 196 in Belleview.

A Blountville homeowner held an intruder at gunpoint when he spotted him going into his travel camper Tuesday morning. The Reedy Creek Lane resident told Sullivan County Sheriff's deputies he first thought a relative had entered his camper, which was parked in his driveway. When he discovered the man was a stranger, he went to get his gun. He returned with his pistol to find the man inside his car, which was parked next to the camper, according to a sheriff's office spokesman. The homeowner held the man at gunpoint until deputies arrived to arrest him. Jeffrey B. Welch, 19,...

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) -- Knoxville police responded to a report of a stabbing shortly after 8 p.m. Sunday night. The call came from 2914 Browning Avenue in West Knoxville. Caroline Chesney, 50, has told officers that her daughters boyfriend, Sidney Salaam, 46, was drunk and tried to attack both Caroline, and her sister, Marie, 47. Police say Chesney stabbed Salaam in self defense. Salaam was taken to Fort Sanders emergency room, and treated for non-life threatening injuries. He's now charged with 2 counts of simple assault.

MEMPHIS, TN (WMC-TV) - Big changes are coming to Beale Street, as the entertainment district rebels against the state of Tennessee's new 'guns in bars' bill. The Beale Street Entertainment District fought legislation allowing guns in bars. And now that the battle has been lost, they are making their own law - and planning to use metal detectors to make sure patrons aren't breaking it. Officials said Wednesday that starting July 17th, no guns will be allowed on Beale Street. All clubs and businesses will post signs notifying patrons of the ban. Police officers and private security guards will use...

Shift in House Leadership Key to Victories The state's oldest and largest pro-life organization closed the legislative session with an impressive win on a long sought priority: removal of preferential treatment for Planned Parenthood, the state's largest promoter and provider of abortion services. By strong bi-partisan majorities of 25-7 in the state senate and 69-22 in the state House, legislators took action to remove language first placed into law during the early 1970's which specifically named abortion provider Planned Parenthood in coordinating family planning services in the state. In addition to removing the clause, legislators enacted language which mandates the...

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Gov. Phil Bredesen is expressing doubt that Tennessee can afford the financial demands from General Motors to select its Spring Hill plant to build a new small car. The Democratic governor said Thursday that it became clear in meetings with GM officials this week that the automaker wants a large cash payment from Tennessee to pick Spring Hill. The other sites competing for the work are in Orion, Mich., and Janesville, Wis. Tennessee's incentive packages are usually tilted toward long-term tax incentives, training and infrastructure improvements. Bredesen says the state doesn't have "a lot of spare money...

The manager of a prominent Nashville hotel cancelled a contract with a conservative foundation to hold a conference this weekend on radical Islam, apparently after learning that the group would feature a keynote address by controversial Dutch parliamentarian and filmmaker, Geert Wilders. Muslim groups succeeded in preventing Wilders from screening “Fitna,” his 15-minute movie on radical Islam, in the House of Lords this February, on claims it was insulting to Muslims, and dogged him during a recent U.S. tour as well. Thomas A. Negri, managing director of Loew’s Vanderbilt Hotel and Office complex in Nashville, told Newsmax on Wednesday that...

Some of the Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia Denver, Colo., Jun 7, 2009 / 02:19 pm (CNA).- “No matter how much I gave away, it was never enough.”  With these words, Kelsey Wicks, 26, described her calling to religious life.  Although she had been studying at the Augustine Institute in Denver, Colorado and working as a campus minister, she always felt called to something more.  Now, Wicks is preparing to enter the Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia on August 10, pursuing a vocation that she describes as “a beautiful challenge.”The idea of a vocational crisis has been a concern...

There are new developments for two stories presented here this week. The Tennessee guns in adult dining establishments veto has been overridden, and NRA is appealing the Seventh Circuit ruling upholding gun bans. Tennessee veto override As we discussed on Tuesday,Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen vetoed a bill that would allow concealed carry permit holders to retain their firearms in establishments that serve alcohol, reversing his campaign pledge to support the measure. Per the Memphis Business Journal: The state House of Representatives has overridden Gov. Bredesen’s veto of the new law that makes it legal for gun owners with carry permits...

VALLEY STATION, KY (WAVE) - Church shootings have been in the headlines for the past few years, so when a local church announced that it is asking people to bring guns to church we wanted to know why. Most people consider church a sanctuary, a place of peace. But recently, church shootings have been in the headlines. Last Sunday, Kansas abortion Dr. George Tiller was shot and killed while ushering at his church. In March, an Illinois pastor was killed and two parishioners injured after a gunman opened fire during Sunday services. In July 2008, a gunman killed two people...

NASHVILLE -- After setting a veto-override vote for Wednesday, state Rep. Curry Todd lashed out at Gov. Phil Bredesen Monday night for vetoing his bill allowing gun-carry licensees to take pistols into places serving alcohol. "I won't tell you what the governor can do with that piece of paper he just sent," Todd, R-Collierville, said at the House lectern after the governor's veto message -- which said the the bill is "reckless and lacking basic safeguards to ensure public safety" -- was read aloud. The House veto-override vote is Wednesday sometime after it convenes at 9 a.m. The Senate sponsor...

NRA is feeling betrayed. Another one of their endorsed politicians has broken his vows. (Guys, guys, guys...) Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen vetoed a bill that would allow concealed carry permit holders to retain their firearms in establishments that serve alcohol. “The notion that this bill would permit one to carry a concealed weapon into a crowded bar at midnight on a Saturday night defies common sense, and I cannot sign such a measure into law,” Gov. Bredesen said. This despite a weasel-worded campaign pledge to support "such a measure". Yes, I would support such legislation. (I would support any such...

NASHVILLE — The National Rifle Association is accusing Gov. Phil Bredesen of having “betrayed” a “trust” by vetoing legislation Thursday allowing handgun-carry permit holders to bring loaded weapons into establishments selling alcohol. The executive director of the NRA’s Institute for Legislative Action, Chris Cox, in a statement called the veto “a shock and a major disappointment to gun owners and supporters of the Second Amendment because Governor Bredesen had committed to supporting this legislation.” “During the 2006 campaign, Governor Bredesen assured Tennesseans — and the NRA in writing — that he would support this effort. NRA’s endorsement of Governor Bredesen...

Good for Governor Spunk. Phil Bredesen on Thursday vetoed the guns-in-bars bill which had passed both houses of the legislature by wide margins. With the backing of law enforcement and restaurant owners, he said allowing gun owners to take concealed weapons into places that serve alcohol “crosses the line” of responsible gun ownership. A hunter and gun owner himself, Bredesen said he supports Second Amendment rights, but pointed out that those rights carry a responsibility. “Americans have also understood for more than two centuries that there are sensible rules to be applied to the exercise of those rights,” he said....

Statement From Chris W. Cox, Executive Director NRA - Institute for Legislative Action On Governor Bredesen's Veto Of House Bill 962 Along with more than 200,000 law-abiding Right-to-Carry permit holders in Tennessee, I am disappointed Governor Phil Bredesen vetoed House Bill 962. This bill would extend self-defense rights of permit holders to restaurants. This is a shock and a major disappointment to gun owners and supporters of the Second Amendment because Governor Bredesen had committed to supporting this legislation. 36 other states, including seven states that border Tennessee, provide this protection to law-abiding citizens. During the 2006 campaign, Governor Bredesen...

Heather Golczynski and her 8-year-old son Christian hold tightly to the memory of Marine Staff Sgt. Marc Golczynski. Choking back tears, Christian Golczynski accepted the flag from his father's casket. Photographer Aaron Thompson described this moment as "the most emotionally moving event I may have ever witnessed and may ever witness in my life." *snip* Just days before he left for his second tour, Marc sent a letter to his family that would be his epitaph. "Due to our deep desire to finish the job we started, we fight and sometimes die so that our families don't have to....

MILWAUKEE — The morning after being voted off America’s most popular reality show, Milwaukee’s Danny Gokey was already planning his next steps — and they don’t involve his music. "During this competition, I have not really put my hands into Sophia’s Heart Foundation," the 29-year-old "American Idol" finalist said in a telephone conference with reporters Thursday. "Right off the bat, I’m gonna call my team, we’re gonna start having meetings. I want to define our goals. "This foundation means so much to me — it is the legacy of my wife and myself here on the Earth," he said. "I...

On Tuesday, May 12, we will be escorting Spec. Ryan C. King from the funeral home in Dallas, Georgia to the National Cemetery in Canton, Georgia. Spec. King was killed in action in Afghanistan on May 1. If any FReepers would like to join us for this mission, you are more than welcome. You need not be a PGR member to ride with us, and you need not ride a motorcycle. Staging information for this mission is as follows: TUESDAY May 12 Staging at Ingles Supermarket (270 Merchants Sq. Dallas, GA 30132) at 0900. Kickstands up at 0945 We will...

Tomorrow, the legislature will vote on the Tennessee Firearms Freedom Act. This proposed law is very similar to the law exempting firearms manufactured and kept within the state from federal regulation that was recently enacted in Montana. Barrett firearms are big guns manufactured in Tennessee and are among the guns in the Congress sights in HR 1022 to be banned. http://www.barrettrifles.com/ Now you have one more reason to move to Nashville. It appears this bill has enough support to pass. For more on this story: http://www.wztv.com/newsroom/top_stories/wztv_vid_5694.shtml

A Brainerd man shot and killed two pit bull dogs attacking a neighbor's pit bull in an incident on Sunday. The case was turned over by Chattanooga Police to the McKamey Animal Trust. McKamey officials have charged the owner of the two dogs, Walter Pitmon, for letting his dogs run at large. Police Officer Brian Blumenberg said he responded to 108 S. Howell Ave. and spoke with Stephen Hooper, who said two pit bulls attacked his pit bull who was chained in the back yard. He said while the attack was going on, his neighbor, James Klassen, came out of...

A Kingsport man used his concealed handgun to protect himself during an alleged road rage incident on Sunday. According to Kingsport Police, the incident occurred about 1:58 a.m. on Harris Avenue. Michael Salyer told police he was headed home when a yellow Ford Probe in front of him started weaving from left to right. The driver, later identified as Jonathan Lee Adams, 28, 1630 Spruce St., stopped in the middle of the road, jumped out and started screaming at him, Salyer said. When Adams tried to get in his car, Salyer said, that's when he pulled out his handgun and...

What a beautiful day the Lord has made! What a wonderful gathering of Freepers. The best people I know are Freepers ... and it regaled my soul to share a picnic with some of the best. Some drove from as far away as two and a half hours, others from within twenty minutes, but we had a great get together and even got to see Tea Party signs from Wednesday! To those pinged to the original thread (http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2198470/posts): we missed those who couldn't make it ... and there was plenty of food! [Poor New Jersey Bob missed some really tasty...

Hunker down Southeast FReepers, it's supposed to be a bad one..

Note: The following text is a quote: http://www.usdoj.gov/opa/pr/2009/March/09-crm-260.html MS-13 Member Sentenced to 25 Years in Prison for Involvement in Rico Conspiracy WASHINGTON – A member of La Mara Salvatrucha, or MS-13, was sentenced today to 25 years in prison and five years of supervised release for his participation in a racketeering enterprise, Acting Assistant Attorney General Rita M. Glavin of the Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney Edward M. Yarbrough of the Middle District of Tennessee announced. Manuel Marquez, a/k/a "Morro," was sentenced in Nashville, Tenn., by Chief Judge Todd J. Campbell of the Middle District of Tennessee. At his plea...