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Police said a neighbor who has a gun carry permit spotted a burglar next door and put the man on the ground. Officers said James Kelly Glover, 37, of 1421 Wright St., was still lying down with a handgun trained on him when they arrived at the address on Jenkins Road.

A federal judge this week refused to void the Tennessee Democratic primary for U.S. Senate won by an anti-gay candidate the party has disavowed. --snip-- The petition contended that the party committed fraud because it could have kept Clayton off the ballot by meeting an April deadline to tell the state he wasn't a bona fide Democrat under the party's by-laws. The lawsuit also claimed the state's alphabetical arrangement of candidates' names on the ballot creates an unfair advantage for some candidates. The petition noted Clayton's 2008 Senate race, in which he lost to former state Democratic Party chairman Bob...

A bus full of three-dozen undocumented immigrants — displaying their illegal status for all to see — is set to stop in Nashville on Thursday to raise awareness of immigration politics. The “UndocuBus,” as organizers call it, will be at a public rally Thursday near the Super Mercado La Reyna #2 at 3761 Nolensville Pike in Nashville from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. The group’s motto: “No papers, no fear.” Advertising for Thursday’s event is virtually nonexistent, but supporters are beginning to spread the word via Facebook. The group includes six undocumented immigrants from Tennessee. “The Hispanic community in Tennessee...

NASHVILLE, Tenn.- The Democratic Party is vowing to fix the candidate review process that allowed Mark Clayton to become the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate. The promise came after one of the candidates who lost to Clayton promised to sue the party. Democrat Larry Crim, who finished fourth in last week's primary, says party leaders should have researched Mark Clayton and kept him off the ballot. "Mr. Forrester did not do his duty to screen this democratic candidate," Larry Crim said. Crim blames party chairman Chip Forrester for the embarrassing mess. A letter from state Coordinator of Elections, Mark Goins,...

When is the National Rifle Association going after a politician news? When that politician is an incumbent Republican in a red state. The NRA has launched a full-scale assault on Tennessee state Rep. Debra Maggart, R-Gallatin, in an effort to have her unseated this fall. Maggart is more than just a state representative for the 45th District, which includes part of Sumner County. She is also the Republican caucus chairman, which gives her considerable clout in the General Assembly. Though the NRA routinely endorses Republicans, the gun rights organization doesn’t regularly endorse challengers to incumbent Republicans, even when the challenger...

COOKEVILLE, TN (WSMV) - Despite a sign prohibiting weapons, police said three people had brought guns into a movie theater Friday night where the Batman film "The Dark Knight Rises" was showing. According to the Herald Citizen, all of the gun carriers had permits. Police said the movie was stopped briefly and officers entered the Carmike Highland Cinemas on South Jefferson Avenue around 9 p.m. According to investigators, a theater employee called police after seeing a man with a holstered pistol walk into the theater. Police found the gun carriers after making an announcement in the theater. The officers explained...

The Shelby County Commission has filed a subpoena in federal court asking for the identities of all online commenters in The Commercial Appeal's stories about suburban plans to create their own school districts. (snip) On June 26, the County Commission attorneys filed a federal court motion to block the Aug. 2 referendums to start school districts in Arlington, Bartlett, Collierville, Germantown, Lakeland and Millington. They argued that the people who arranged the referendums are trying to discriminate against African-Americans by carving out majority white suburban districts from the new unified school district. (snip) But, Levy said, "Let's hypothesize that people...

Republicans can thank President Barack Obama for the party's solid control of the Tennessee Legislature, starting with his appearance at the top of the national Democratic ticket in 2008 — after losing the state's presidential primary even among Democratic voters — and continuing in more dramatic fashion in 2010. The GOP has used advertising that linked many Democratic state legislators, even some who were staunch fiscal and social conservatives, to the evil national Democrats. "You'd think Nancy Pelosi was my high school sweetheart and I played golf with Barack Obama every weekend," grumbled state House Democratic Caucus Chairman Mike Turner...

Located more than 1,000 miles from the embattled border between the United States and Mexico, Scotland County definitely is not on the forefront of the immigration debate. That didn't prevent local law enforcement officials from getting a first-hand glimpse of federal policy recently. On Monday, June 4th, Scotland County Sheriff's Deputy Bryan Whitney initiated a traffic stop on Highway 136 east of Downing. The deputy pulled over a white Ford truck for a lane violation on suspicion of careless driving.

Memphis may join the growing list of cash-strapped cities that ask nonprofit and tax-exempt organizations to make payments in lieu of tax. The City Council will vote Tuesday on a resolution to form a committee to explore the idea. "We want to see if this is feasible, and if it is feasible, how much revenue it could generate," said council member Janis Fullilove, who sponsored the resolution. Fullilove said the committee, if approved, would focus on tax-exempt and nonprofit entities that gross $15 million or more annually. As municipal budgets have felt the crunch of the economic slowdown, cities across...

Another ballot challenge has been dismissed, this one on the basis of legal standing. Most ballot laws allow any voter or citizen to challenge an ineligible candidate, but perhaps not Tennessee. But that's not the most interesting part of this legal decision. Instead, the Tennessee Democrat Party makes a baffling argument which includes a pretty obvious admission that they can't prove Obama is eligible for office: "Defendants assert that the Tennessee Democratic Party has the right to nominate whoever it chooses to run as a candidate, including someone who is not qualified for the office." What other point is there...

As your sheriff, I am writing this open letter to the citizens of Hamilton County. In recent days, I have been taking a lot of heat from some in the print media regarding my stand on commission cards, special deputies and the Sheriff’s Posse. I normally refrain from commenting publicly about such articles, because I realize everyone is entitled to their own opinion. Also, as an elected individual, I know I am fair game. This time, however; I feel I need to defend this matter more vigorously. Unfortunately, there are those in our community who strongly oppose our Second Amendment...

Regular, long-time readers of SFW may recall a posting from almost exactly 2 years ago in which it was announced that an attorney who had specialized in Shariah Finance had been appointed as a White House fellow by President Barack Obama: http://www.shariahfinancewatch.org/blog/2010/06/23/shariah-compliant-finance-specialist-joins-white-house-as-fellow/ The attorney in question is named Samar Ali. At the time she was appointed to the Obama White House, Ali raised some concerns nationwide due to her specialization in Shariah-Compliant Finance and her association with the World Islamic Economic Forum, an organization that has essentially designated Shariah Finance as “missionary operations” to promote Islam and Shariah. Now we...

MADISON, Tenn. - A man gunned down in a Nashville apartment complex Saturday night appears to be a case of self-defense. Police said 28-year-old Javonte Johnson tried to rob Howard Bridgeforth at in the Mission Apartments on Saturday. That's when Bridgeforth pulled out his own gun, opened fire, killing Johnson. An accomplice took off running. A stray bullet went into a neighbor's apartment, where kids were sitting inside. No one was hurt. But at least one of the four bullets fired went into a nearby apartment with children inside. Phyllis Richardson showed NewsChannel 5 the shattered glass door in her...

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Metro police are looking for the person involved in an attempted armed robbery in the Madison area that left one person dead. Police said the incident happened around nine p.m. Saturday night at the Mission Madison Apartments at 501 Heritage Drive. A man walking to his car was approached by two people who then tried rob him. One of the robbers had a gun but so did the victim who shot and killed one of the robbers. The other would-be robber ran off. Police believe the two may have also been involved in another robbery earlier at...

KNOXVILLE — A botched holdup attempt today sent three would-be robbers running and left one shot in the chest, police said. The shooting happened just after 10:45 a.m. at the South Side Market, 1316 Maryville Pike, near the Montgomery Village housing project, Knox County E-911 records show. A store clerk told police three men in masks tried to rob him. He pulled a pistol and shot one of them in the chest, Knoxville Police Department Capt. Nate Allen said. Officers arrived and canvassed the area. They found the wounded man lying on the ground on Cook Drive, Allen said.

Parents may pay the price for an illicit love affair between a teenage girl and her grown-up boyfriend. Stephen Rogers Jr. faces a charge of statutory rape, but police have also charged his girlfriend's parents with child neglect. The parents admitted they didn't stop the relationship, in fact they did something to signal their approval. She's 15. He's 21. Bottom line: Their sexual relationship broke the law. But some do not see this as a black-and-white kind of issue. The young love between a 15-year-old girl and her 21-year-old boyfriend has this neighborhood taking sides. "Some 15 year olds may...

WASHINGTON -- Sen. Bob Corker, a Republican who serves on the Senate Banking Committee, has called for a hearing on the $2-billion trading loss by JPMorgan Chase & Co., saying that "policies are going to be derived out of what’s happened." Corker, who was a key participant in the debate over the 2010 financial reform law, said it was important for policymakers to get the facts about the situation and whether pending regulations would have prevented it.

NASHVILLE — Gov. Bill Haslam declares that he is successfully presiding over a "cultural shift" in Tennessee's government operations and the state's education system, though occasionally dealing with a "perception factor" caused by inordinate media attention to some legislative activities. His own relationship to the Legislature, dominated by fellow Republicans, is marked by a general unity of purpose and broad support on substantive issues, Haslam said in an interview last week. He discounts talk of a conservative-moderate split in Republican ranks. "I honestly think that's exaggerated. I really do," he said, though acknowledging that "Any time you have a party...

JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. -- A Johnson City man was arrested Sunday after police say he struck his girlfriend with a handgun. According to reports from the Johnson City Police Department, Kenneth S. Harrison, 40, of Cherokee Road was arrested on Sunday at noon and charged with Aggravated Domestic Assault. Police report that Harrison and his girlfriend got into a fight and when she attempted to run away, he grabbed her by the shirt and began to strike her in the face with a handgun. Harrison then allegedly pushed the woman to the ground and hit her several more times on...