Since the Tennessee Supreme Court struck down the so-called “crack tax” in 2009, the state Department of Revenue has refunded $3.7 million to 161 people but there are still 2,772 people who paid the tax that may be eligible for a refund. In 2005, State Representative Charles Curtiss co-sponsored legislation with Senator Randy McNally... »
House Democrats have spent the past week dismissing the Republican agenda, “A Pledge to America,” as a budget-busting, irresponsible return to the Bush era. But what’s the Democratic agenda if they actually retain majorities in Congress? Some Democrats are in a damage-control mode, barely able to look past Nov. 2. Others are defensive, believing... »
The historic town of Jonesborough, Tennessee welcomes the National Storytelling Festival October 1-3, 2010. The festival, now in it’s 38th year, is acclaimed as one of the Top 100 Events in North America. The Festival began in 1973 when 60 people gathered around an old farm wagon in Courthouse Square to hear a few... »
According to CNN, the University of Texas at Austin was under a lockdown Tuesday morning after a suspected gunman wielding an AK-47 fired shots and then turned the gun on himself inside a campus library. The gunman died, said Robert Dahlstrom, chief of staff in the Austin Police Department. No one else was injured.... »
A small-town mayor and an aide were found stoned to death Monday in a drug-plagued western state, the fifth city leader to be killed in Mexico since mid-August. Michoacan state Attorney General Jesus Montejano said the bodies of Tancitaro Mayor Gustavo Sanchez and city adviser Rafael Equihua were discovered in a pickup truck abandoned... »
Vice President Joe Biden stoked a firestorm of liberal discontent with President Barack Obama on Monday – demanding that the Democratic base “stop whining” and start fighting Republicans instead of the White House. Biden, speaking at a frozen yogurt plant in New Hampshire, said he wanted to “remind our base constituency to stop whining... »
According to The Orange County Register, Democratic Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez, D-Santa Ana, said in a recent Spanish-language interview that “the Vietnamese” and Republicans are thrying to take control of her seat in Congress, from which “we have done so much for our community.” Her opponent, Republican Assemblyman Van Tran – who immigrated from... »
Former Nevada Republican Assemblywoman Sharron Angle is tied with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid at 43 percent in the latest poll of the Nevada Senate race from Mason-Dixon Polling & Research. The two candidates remain unpopular, and the latest poll shows 4 percent of voters supporting the “none of these candidates” ballot option. Still,... »
According to Fox News, Senate Democrats huddled behind closed doors for one hour on Thursday trying to figure out what to do about the expiring Bush tax cuts. With no consensus emerging, Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., decided to postpone a vote until after the election. “Democrats believe we must permanently extend tax cuts... »
Teresa Lewis became the first woman to be executed by the state of Virginia in almost 100 years Thursday night. Lewis is the 12th woman to be executed in the United States since capital punishment was reinstated in 1976. Lewis, who plotted with her young lover to kill her husband and stepson for insurance... »
President Barack Obama said today that assistance to developing countries can spur U.S. economic growth and announced an overhaul of U.S. foreign aid policy that focuses on helping foreign economies develop over the long-term. “In our global economy, progress in even the poorest countries can advance the prosperity and security of people far beyond... »
Six weeks before midterm elections, House Republicans vowed to cut taxes and federal spending, repeal President Barack Obama’s health care law and ban federal funding of abortion as part of a campaign manifesto designed to propel them to victory in November and a majority in the next Congress. The “Pledge to America,” circulated to... »
In an article on The Foundry, Rory Cooper writes about Obama’s apathetic attitude regarding the possibility of another terrorist attack: Washington is reveling this week in one of its oldest traditions – dissecting a Bob Woodward book that analyzes the sitting president. While much focus will be given to what one senior official said about another... »
A Republican-led filibuster on Tuesday blocked efforts to repeal the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy on gays in the military, shelving an Obama administration priority at least until after the November election. The measure repealing the military policy banning gays from serving openly was part of the 2011 Defense authorization bill. Democrats tried to... »
Denver Broncos wide receiver Kenny McKinley has been found dead in his home Monday in an apparent suicide. Arapahoe County Sheriff Grayson Robinson said authorities were called to McKinley’s home by a female friend of the player who found his body after returning from an errand with his child. He said detectives believe McKinley,... »
According to Rasmussen, fifty-two percent (52%) of Likely U.S. Voters say their own views are closer to Sarah Palin’s than they are to President Obama’s, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey. Just 40% say their views are closer to the president’s than to those of the former Alaska governor and Republican... »
A Frenchman whose arms and legs were amputated is attempting to swim across the English Channel using leg prostheses that have flippers attached. Philippe Croizon’s father said his son is making better-than-expected time in favorable wind conditions – and three dolphins even swam alongside him for a time. “We took that as a sign... »
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid drew criticism from Republicans when he announced this week that he would attach to the defense authorization bill a program to grant young people who join the military or attend college legal status. Under the DREAM Act, anyone who came to the United States when they were under 16... »
House Republicans dismissed Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s plan to pass an immigration measure by tacking it onto the defense authorization bill as an election year ploy aimed at winning Hispanic votes in Nevada. Reid, who’s locked in a tight race against Republican Sharron Angle, announced earlier this week that he’ll offer up the... »
Former state Attorney General Kelly Ayotte is the official winner of the GOP primary for the open New Hampshire Senate seat. Ayotte, who was recruited by national Republicans to get into the race last year, defeated tea party favorite Ovide Lamontagne by a slim margin of 1,667 votes after a long night of vote... »
Amid rumors that the Heisman Trophy Trust intended to strip him of his 2005 Heisman Trophy, Reggie Bush announced in a statement that he is forfeiting the title. The controversy stems from sanctions against USC for major NCAA violations in 2004 and 2005 while Bush was a part of the Trojans football program. Bush, now a running back for... »
Saran Shourd, held in solitary confinement in an Iranian prison for more than a year, may be released if a payment of $500,000 is sent to the Iranian judiciary. Although labeled as “bail money,” this demand to Shourd’s family for cash is tantamount to criminal ransom. As reported by CNN, Shourd, 32, Shane Bauer,... »
Marco Rubio is looking like the winning prospect in the Florida Senate race. According to a new Sunshine State News Poll, Republican Rubio now enjoys a double-digit lead over Independent Charlie Crist and Democrat Kendrick Meeks. The survey of likely voters conducted by Voter Survey Service, shows Rubio with 43 percent, independent Crist with... »
A full featured film depicting the life of Ronald Reagan is planned for release in 2011. According to Reuters, the film’s title is simply “Reagan” and is based on the two best-selling biographies of the 40th U.S. president by Paul Kengor: “The Crusader” and “God and Ronald Reagan.” Producers Mark Joseph and Ralph Winter... »
In remarks made to the BBC, former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair describes radical Islam as the greatest threat facing the world today. During an interview about the publication of his memoirs, Mr Blair said radical Islamists believed that whatever was done in the name of their cause was justified. ”There is the most... »
An indictment was unsealed in Hawaii on Thursday in what the FBI has called the largest human-trafficking operation ever to result in charges in the United States. According to CNN, six job recruiters have been indicted in federal court and are accused of luring about 400 people from Thailand with false promises of lucrative... »
Stephen Hawking states in his book “The Grand Design” that, given the existence of gravity, “the universe can and will create itself from nothing.” “Spontaneous creation is the reason why there is something rather than nothing, why the universe exists, why we exist,” he writes in the excerpt published Thursday in The Times of... »
Simon Wiesenthal, internationally famous as a Nazi-hunter, was a prisoner in five concentration camps during the Holocaust. A new biography reviewed by The New York Times, reveals that he was also frequently on the payroll of the Mossad, Israel’s spy agency. Tom Segev, the author of “Simon Wiesenthal: The Life and Legends,” describes the... »
James Jay Lee, a man known for protesting the Discovery Channel’s environmental programming stormed the network’s Maryland headquarters carrying a handgun on Wednesday, holding three people hostage for hours until he was shot and killed by police, according to authorities. James Lee entered the building in Silver Spring around 1 p.m. and appeared to... »
A Satanist church located in the middle of the Bible Belt, enjoys an Oklahoma state listing as a tax exempt religious organization. The church, under the name of the Church of the IV Majesties, was awarded the tax exempt designation this past spring according to ABCNews.com. Disdaining traditional secrecy, the Satanist group has rented... »
