thetennesseestar--2020-05-01--Nashville Not Ready to Reopen Economy After COVID-19, John Cooper Says

Nashville officials will not , as many people had hoped , move to Phase One of their roadmap for reopening the city after the COVID-19 pandemic hit the United States .
Cooper , though , said he had room for optimism .
“ The results from the last two days put us clearly on the right track .
We are close .
We are meeting much of the important criteria contained within the framework , including hospital bed capacity and the ability to conduct countywide contact tracing investigations , ” Cooper said .
“ Based on recent active case data @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a day over the next several days while continuing to meet our other public health benchmarks , we can enter Phase One of the roadmap for reopening Nashville , which will enable local restaurants , bars that serve food , retail establishments , and commercial businesses to open at half capacity while observing social distancing protocols and other public health measures.
” Metro Coronavirus Task Force Chair Alex Jahangir said at Thursday ’ s press conference that Davidson County now has 2,669 confirmed COVID-19 cases , an increase of 57 cases in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the virus took the life of a 68-year-old man , raising the county ’ s COVID-19 death toll to 25 .
Jahangir said an additional 2,272 COVID-19 cases in surrounding counties brought the region ’ s total to nearly 5,000 cases .
Exactly 1,233 of those cases remained active as of Thursday , while 1,411 residents were clear of the virus , he said .
Cooper , meanwhile , said county officials had published a COVID-19 dashboard that displays several public health metrics at covid19.nashville.gov .
These measures include the county ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ case trend , and public health capacity to conduct contract tracing investigations across Davidson County , among other things .
As The Tennessee Star reported last month , Cooper issued a four-phased plan to reopen Nashville ’ s economy .
According to ASafeNashville.org , for each of the four phases Nashville is in , city officials will only advance to the next phase if the area meets one of two benchmarks .
The website said either the number of COVID-19 cases in Davidson County must remain stable or the number must decline over @ @ @ @ @ @ @ officials will slow the process down “ if something worrisome presents in those metrics.
” According to Jahangir , the four phases involve the following : • In Phase One retail businesses will open and restaurants will have dine-in services , all at half-capacity and added guidelines and restrictions and operations will be present .
Employees will be screened daily to ensure that they are symptom free and they will be required to wear cloth face coverings .
Other public gatherings will be limited to 10 people or less .
Everyone out in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ if you are able , still work from home .
• In Phase Two , businesses and restaurants can go to three-quarters capacity with certain guidelines .
In addition , personal hygiene businesses like hair and nail salons will open but only for appointments , no walk-ins , and limited to 10 people inside the building at one time .
Playgrounds , tennis courts , and basketball courts will open .
Other public gatherings , including worship services , will be limited to 50 people and with adherence to strict physical distancing protocols @ @ @ @ @ @ @ restaurants will go to full capacity .
In addition , bars and entertainment venues will open at half capacity .
Gyms and fitness facilities will open .
Other gatherings will be limited to 100 , again with adherence to strict physical distancing protocols .
• In Phase Four , bars and entertainment venues will be at full capacity , and sport venues will open with adherence to physical distancing protocols and best practices .
Chris Butler is an investigative journalist at The Tennessee Star .
Follow Chris on Facebook .
Email tips to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Cooper ” by John Cooper .

Nashville officials will not, as many people had hoped, move to Phase One of their roadmap for reopening the city after the COVID-19 pandemic hit the United States.
Mayor John Cooper announced the news at a press conference Thursday.
Cooper, though, said he had room for optimism.
“The results from the last two days put us clearly on the right track. We are close. We are meeting much of the important criteria contained within the framework, including hospital bed capacity and the ability to conduct countywide contact tracing investigations,” Cooper said.
“Based on recent active case data, if we average around 80 cases a day over the next several days while continuing to meet our other public health benchmarks, we can enter Phase One of the roadmap for reopening Nashville, which will enable local restaurants, bars that serve food, retail establishments, and commercial businesses to open at half capacity while observing social distancing protocols and other public health measures.”
Metro Coronavirus Task Force Chair Alex Jahangir said at Thursday’s press conference that Davidson County now has 2,669 confirmed COVID-19 cases, an increase of 57 cases in the previous 24 hours. He also said the virus took the life of a 68-year-old man, raising the county’s COVID-19 death toll to 25.
Jahangir said an additional 2,272 COVID-19 cases in surrounding counties brought the region’s total to nearly 5,000 cases. Exactly 1,233 of those cases remained active as of Thursday, while 1,411 residents were clear of the virus, he said.
Cooper, meanwhile, said county officials had published a COVID-19 dashboard that displays several public health metrics at covid19.nashville.gov. These measures include the county’s coronavirus transmission rate, the 14-day new case trend, and public health capacity to conduct contract tracing investigations across Davidson County, among other things.
As The Tennessee Star reported last month, Cooper issued a four-phased plan to reopen Nashville’s economy.
According to ASafeNashville.org, for each of the four phases Nashville is in, city officials will only advance to the next phase if the area meets one of two benchmarks. The website said either the number of COVID-19 cases in Davidson County must remain stable or the number must decline over a 14-day period.
Jahangir said city officials will slow the process down “if something worrisome presents in those metrics.”
According to Jahangir, the four phases involve the following:
• In Phase One retail businesses will open and restaurants will have dine-in services, all at half-capacity and added guidelines and restrictions and operations will be present. Employees will be screened daily to ensure that they are symptom free and they will be required to wear cloth face coverings. Other public gatherings will be limited to 10 people or less. Everyone out in public should wear cloth masks and, if you are able, still work from home.
• In Phase Two, businesses and restaurants can go to three-quarters capacity with certain guidelines. In addition, personal hygiene businesses like hair and nail salons will open but only for appointments, no walk-ins, and limited to 10 people inside the building at one time. Playgrounds, tennis courts, and basketball courts will open. Other public gatherings, including worship services, will be limited to 50 people and with adherence to strict physical distancing protocols.
• In Phase Three businesses and restaurants will go to full capacity. In addition, bars and entertainment venues will open at half capacity. Gyms and fitness facilities will open. Other gatherings will be limited to 100, again with adherence to strict physical distancing protocols.
• In Phase Four, bars and entertainment venues will be at full capacity, and sport venues will open with adherence to physical distancing protocols and best practices.
– – –
Chris Butler is an investigative journalist at The Tennessee Star. Follow Chris on Facebook. Email tips to [email protected]
Photo “John Cooper” by John Cooper.


thetennesseestar--2020-05-01--FBI Planned to Close Michael Flynn Investigation, And Then Peter Strzok Intervened

Former FBI counterintelligence official Peter Strzok intervened at the last minute in early 2017 to stop the bureau from closing an investigation into Michael Flynn , the incoming national security adviser , according to government files unsealed Thursday .
The FBI was investigating Flynn and several other Trump campaign associates at the time for possible links to Russia as part of Crossfire Hurricane .
But as of Jan. 4 , 2017 , the FBI ’ s Washington Field Office had determined that there was no justification to continue investigating Flynn , whom the FBI referred to with the code name @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is closing this investigation .
If new information is identified or reported to the FBI regarding the activities of CROSSFIRE RAZOR , the FBI will consider reopening the investigation if warranted , ” the memo stated .
A review of intelligence databases “ did not yield any information ” to justify continuing an investigation of Flynn , which focused on whether the retired lieutenant general was wittingly or unwittingly working on behalf of the Russian government , according to the memo .
But text messages released Thursday show that Strzok stopped the FBI @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ Hey if you haven ’ t closed RAZOR don ’ t do so yet , ” Strozk wrote to an FBI colleague .
The memo and text messages were part of a batch of FBI documents unsealed Thursday in Flynn ’ s legal case .
Lawyers for Flynn are trying to convince a judge to throw out Flynn ’ s case , arguing that the FBI trapped him into lying during a White House interview on Jan. 24 , 2017 .
Andrew McCabe , who served as deputy director of the FBI @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
He dispatched Strzok and another FBI agent to interview Flynn regarding phone calls he had in late December 2016 with Sergey Kislyak , who then served as Russia ’ s ambassador to the United States .
Documents unsealed on Wednesday showed that the FBI team strategized on how to approach the Flynn interview .
Bill Priestap , who was Strzok ’ s boss , wrote a note asking whether the goal of the interview was to force Flynn to lie , in order to either lead to his prosecution or his firing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , 2017 , to lying during the interview about speaking to Kislyak about sanctions against Russia .
But he said in a Jan. 29 , 2020 , court filing that he pleaded guilty to protect prosecutors from going after his son .
He denied lying in the FBI interview .
The newly released documents do not show Strzok ’ s rationale for stopping the Flynn investigative file from being closed .
It is unclear when Strzok and the Crossfire Hurricane team received evidence of Flynn ’ s phone calls with Kislyak , which @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s position in the Russian government .
The FBI opened the Crossfire Hurricane investigation on July 31 , 2016 .
The initial targets of the probe were Flynn and former campaign aides Carter Page , George Papadopoulos and Paul Manafort .
Investigators could find no evidence that any Trump associates were conspiring with Russia or working as agents of the Kremlin , the inspector general ’ s report stated .
Strzok was removed from the special counsel ’ s probe in July 2017 after the discovery of text messages he exchanged with FBI @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the pair speaking negatively about Donald Trump .
Strzok was fired in August 2018 .
Chuck Ross is a reporter for the Daily Caller News Foundation .
Photo “ Michael Flynn ” by Gage Skidmore .
CC BY-SA 2.0 .
Background Photo “ DOJ Building ” by Coolcaesar .
CC BY-SA 3.0 .

by Chuck Ross
Former FBI counterintelligence official Peter Strzok intervened at the last minute in early 2017 to stop the bureau from closing an investigation into Michael Flynn, the incoming national security adviser, according to government files unsealed Thursday.
The FBI was investigating Flynn and several other Trump campaign associates at the time for possible links to Russia as part of Crossfire Hurricane. But as of Jan. 4, 2017, the FBI’s Washington Field Office had determined that there was no justification to continue investigating Flynn, whom the FBI referred to with the code name “Crossfire Razor.”
“The FBI is closing this investigation. If new information is identified or reported to the FBI regarding the activities of CROSSFIRE RAZOR, the FBI will consider reopening the investigation if warranted,” the memo stated.
A review of intelligence databases “did not yield any information” to justify continuing an investigation of Flynn, which focused on whether the retired lieutenant general was wittingly or unwittingly working on behalf of the Russian government, according to the memo.
But text messages released Thursday show that Strzok stopped the FBI from formally closing the Flynn file.
“Hey if you haven’t closed RAZOR don’t do so yet,” Strozk wrote to an FBI colleague.
The memo and text messages were part of a batch of FBI documents unsealed Thursday in Flynn’s legal case. Lawyers for Flynn are trying to convince a judge to throw out Flynn’s case, arguing that the FBI trapped him into lying during a White House interview on Jan. 24, 2017.
Andrew McCabe, who served as deputy director of the FBI, called Flynn to arrange the interview. He dispatched Strzok and another FBI agent to interview Flynn regarding phone calls he had in late December 2016 with Sergey Kislyak, who then served as Russia’s ambassador to the United States.
Documents unsealed on Wednesday showed that the FBI team strategized on how to approach the Flynn interview. Bill Priestap, who was Strzok’s boss, wrote a note asking whether the goal of the interview was to force Flynn to lie, in order to either lead to his prosecution or his firing.
Flynn pleaded guilty on Dec. 1, 2017, to lying during the interview about speaking to Kislyak about sanctions against Russia. But he said in a Jan. 29, 2020, court filing that he pleaded guilty to protect prosecutors from going after his son. He denied lying in the FBI interview.
The newly released documents do not show Strzok’s rationale for stopping the Flynn investigative file from being closed. It is unclear when Strzok and the Crossfire Hurricane team received evidence of Flynn’s phone calls with Kislyak, which were reportedly monitored because of Kislyak’s position in the Russian government.
The FBI opened the Crossfire Hurricane investigation on July 31, 2016. The initial targets of the probe were Flynn and former campaign aides Carter Page, George Papadopoulos and Paul Manafort.
Investigators could find no evidence that any Trump associates were conspiring with Russia or working as agents of the Kremlin, the inspector general’s report stated.
Strzok was removed from the special counsel’s probe in July 2017 after the discovery of text messages he exchanged with FBI attorney Lisa Page. The messages showed the pair speaking negatively about Donald Trump. Strzok was fired in August 2018.
– – –
Chuck Ross is a reporter for the Daily Caller News Foundation.
Photo “Michael Flynn” by Gage Skidmore. CC BY-SA 2.0. Background Photo “DOJ Building” by Coolcaesar. CC BY-SA 3.0.


thetennesseestar--2020-05-01--Seeing a Dentist in Tennessee After COVID-19 Now Requires Temperature Check, Among Other New Rules

Dentists in Tennessee may perform non-emergency services starting May 6 , and one Nashville dentist says state officials have imposed clear guidelines for him and his staff to follow .
But , for now , Tennessee Department of Health spokeswoman Shelley Walker said state officials gave Wednesday , May 6 , as the start date for a reason .
She said the Tennessee Dental Association , the Tennessee Dental Hygienist Association , and the Tennessee Board of Dentistry must continue working on a safe reopening and practice .
Staff for Gov .
Bill Lee did not return The Tennessee Star @ @ @ @ @ @ @ matter Thursday .
Nashville dentist Jeremy Elliott said he has received the new guidelines that state officials have already imposed .
“ We originally thought we would start on Monday , and then we found out it would be Wednesday before we returned back to work .
We are seeing the people who need to get in before something turns into a worst-case-scenario , but we are still not business as usual , ” Elliott said .
“ So we have been seeing emergency patients , but we are anticipating what the new @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with caution .
There is a lot of unknown at this time .
My thoughts are ‘ What will it be like a month from now ?
Six months from now ?
What are we exposed to ?
’ Those are my thoughts .
There are a lot of questions without a lot of answers right now.
” Elliott ’ s staff emailed their clients Thursday with new guidelines .
They include the following : • Staff will check and record temperatures twice daily on all team members to ensure none of them @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will also have to answer a series of questions to verify they are not experiencing any symptoms .
• Staff will take each patient ’ s temperature prior to entering the practice .
Any readings of 100.4 or higher will result in rescheduling .
Each patient will also have to verify that they are not experiencing any Covid-19 symptoms nor been around anyone who has tested positive .
• Staff will wear additional layers of protective equipment such as N-95 mask , gowns , face-shields , and hats .
• Staff will have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rinse prior to their appointment .
• To maintain social distancing , staff will limit the number of people in the office to 10 , including staff members .
Chris Butler is an investigative journalist at The Tennessee Star .
Follow Chris on Facebook .
Email tips to [ email protected ]

Dentists in Tennessee may perform non-emergency services starting May 6, and one Nashville dentist says state officials have imposed clear guidelines for him and his staff to follow.
But, for now, Tennessee Department of Health spokeswoman Shelley Walker said state officials gave Wednesday, May 6, as the start date for a reason. She said the Tennessee Dental Association, the Tennessee Dental Hygienist Association, and the Tennessee Board of Dentistry must continue working on a safe reopening and practice.
Staff for Gov. Bill Lee did not return The Tennessee Star’s request for comment on the matter Thursday.
Nashville dentist Jeremy Elliott said he has received the new guidelines that state officials have already imposed.
“We originally thought we would start on Monday, and then we found out it would be Wednesday before we returned back to work. We are seeing the people who need to get in before something turns into a worst-case-scenario, but we are still not business as usual,” Elliott said.
“So we have been seeing emergency patients, but we are anticipating what the new norm will be. We are proceeding with caution. There is a lot of unknown at this time. My thoughts are ‘What will it be like a month from now? Six months from now? What are we exposed to?’ Those are my thoughts. There are a lot of questions without a lot of answers right now.”
Elliott’s staff emailed their clients Thursday with new guidelines.
They include the following:
• Staff will check and record temperatures twice daily on all team members to ensure none of them has a fever. Each team member will also have to answer a series of questions to verify they are not experiencing any symptoms.
• Staff will take each patient’s temperature prior to entering the practice. Any readings of 100.4 or higher will result in rescheduling. Each patient will also have to verify that they are not experiencing any Covid-19 symptoms nor been around anyone who has tested positive.
• Staff will wear additional layers of protective equipment such as N-95 mask, gowns, face-shields, and hats.
• Staff will have each patient rinse with a disinfecting mouth rinse prior to their appointment.
• To maintain social distancing, staff will limit the number of people in the office to 10, including staff members.
– – –
Chris Butler is an investigative journalist at The Tennessee Star. Follow Chris on Facebook. Email tips to [email protected]


thetennesseestar--2020-05-01--Gov. Walz, Called a ‘Failed and Misguided Leader,’ Extends Stay at Home Order for Second Time

Minnesota Gov .
Tim Walz extended his stay-at-home order Thursday for another two weeks , but with some modifications .
This marks the second extension of the stay-at-home order , which initially went into effect on March 27 .
The extended stay-at-home order was set to expire Monday , but now has been extended again until May 18 .
The updated order will allow all “ customer-facing retail establishments ” to conduct curbside pick-up and delivery .
This includes all businesses that “ sell , rent , maintain , and repair goods of all kinds , ” according to a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Department of Employment and Economic Development .
Companies that provide “ household goods , rental services , and pet grooming services ” can also conduct curbside business .
The order allows salons and barbershops to open up the retail aspects of their stores , but they still can ’ t begin to provide haircuts .
Dining-in at bars and restaurants remains forbidden until May 18 .
A previous executive order from the governor allows “ non-critical ” businesses that are office-based or in the industrial and manufacturing sectors to return to work .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ still exempt from the stay-at-home order .
“ From building out critical hospital capacity to launching a landmark testing strategy , Minnesota has made meaningful progress in preparing for the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic , ” Walz said in a statement .
“ Minnesotans have made this possible by staying home and holding down the rate of infection .
But now is not the time for sudden movements .
There ’ s more work to be done , and we need to keep this virus at a simmer , not a boil @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Minnesotans while taking cautious , strategic steps toward getting people safely back to work , ” he continued .
Places of worship are required to stay closed , but Walz said they could reopen sometime in May .
He claimed he was working on modifying the ban on elective surgeries , but didn ’ t provide any more details .
The governor also encouraged all Minnesotans to wear a manufactured or homemade mask at all times when outside their homes , though he wasn ’ t wearing one himself during his Thursday @ @ @ @ @ @ @ predicts that the revised stay-at-home order will put up to 30,000 Minnesotans back to work .
All businesses that begin offering curbside services must develop and publicly post a plan for how to open safely , abide by social distancing guidelines , and ask employees to wear face masks .
“ The governor is asking the right questions and looking at the right data , but I ’ m disappointed he ’ s not turning the dial further today , ” said Senate Majority Leader Paul Gazelka ( R-Nisswa ) .
“ I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ faster , opening businesses up again in Minnesota.
” House Minority Leader Kurt Daudt ( R-Crown ) said the extension of the stay-at-home order “ could be a devastating setback ” for many small businesses “ that they may not recover from.
” “ Main Street businesses have been forced for weeks to remain closed while big box stores have been able to keep their doors open , ” he said in a press release .
“ I hope the governor will move as quickly , and with as much advance notice as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ doors .
Every day that goes by risks the permanent closure of businesses that are staples in our communities.
” Rep. Steve Drazkowski ( R-Mazeppa ) , leader of the New House Republican Caucus , harshly criticized the governor as a “ failed and misguided leader.
” “ The facts speak for themselves .
Minnesota is surrounded by proof that this stay-at-home order has clearly not accomplished anything beneficial and must be ended .
The governor is stripping millions of Minnesotans of their God-given rights and he is blatantly crushing the economy , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fail to correct our course , we will see a devastating economic depression .
Food shortages have begun and deaths from suicide , domestic abuse , and drug and alcohol abuse will continue to rise if we do not make a change .
No amount of government loans will be able to fix the societal destruction that has taken place , ” he added .
Anthony Gockowski is managing editor of The Minnesota Sun and The Ohio Star .
Follow Anthony on Twitter .
Email tips to [ email protected ] .
Photo @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz extended his stay-at-home order Thursday for another two weeks, but with some modifications.
This marks the second extension of the stay-at-home order, which initially went into effect on March 27. The extended stay-at-home order was set to expire Monday, but now has been extended again until May 18.
The updated order will allow all “customer-facing retail establishments” to conduct curbside pick-up and delivery. This includes all businesses that “sell, rent, maintain, and repair goods of all kinds,” according to a summary of the revised order from the Department of Employment and Economic Development.
Companies that provide “household goods, rental services, and pet grooming services” can also conduct curbside business.
The order allows salons and barbershops to open up the retail aspects of their stores, but they still can’t begin to provide haircuts. Dining-in at bars and restaurants remains forbidden until May 18.
A previous executive order from the governor allows “non-critical” businesses that are office-based or in the industrial and manufacturing sectors to return to work. All “critical sector” workers are still exempt from the stay-at-home order.
“From building out critical hospital capacity to launching a landmark testing strategy, Minnesota has made meaningful progress in preparing for the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic,” Walz said in a statement.
“Minnesotans have made this possible by staying home and holding down the rate of infection. But now is not the time for sudden movements. There’s more work to be done, and we need to keep this virus at a simmer, not a boil. Our action today prioritizes the safety of Minnesotans while taking cautious, strategic steps toward getting people safely back to work,” he continued.
Places of worship are required to stay closed, but Walz said they could reopen sometime in May. He claimed he was working on modifying the ban on elective surgeries, but didn’t provide any more details.
The governor also encouraged all Minnesotans to wear a manufactured or homemade mask at all times when outside their homes, though he wasn’t wearing one himself during his Thursday press briefing.
Walz’s office predicts that the revised stay-at-home order will put up to 30,000 Minnesotans back to work. All businesses that begin offering curbside services must develop and publicly post a plan for how to open safely, abide by social distancing guidelines, and ask employees to wear face masks.
“The governor is asking the right questions and looking at the right data, but I’m disappointed he’s not turning the dial further today,” said Senate Majority Leader Paul Gazelka (R-Nisswa). “I think he should move further, and faster, opening businesses up again in Minnesota.”
The Governor is asking the right questions and looking at the right data, but I'm disappointed he's not turning the dial further today. I think he should move further, and faster, opening businesses up again in Minnesota. #mnleg — Paul Gazelka (@paulgazelka) April 30, 2020
House Minority Leader Kurt Daudt (R-Crown) said the extension of the stay-at-home order “could be a devastating setback” for many small businesses “that they may not recover from.”
“Main Street businesses have been forced for weeks to remain closed while big box stores have been able to keep their doors open,” he said in a press release. “I hope the governor will move as quickly, and with as much advance notice as possible to help other businesses reopen their doors. Every day that goes by risks the permanent closure of businesses that are staples in our communities.”
Rep. Steve Drazkowski (R-Mazeppa), leader of the New House Republican Caucus, harshly criticized the governor as a “failed and misguided leader.”
“The facts speak for themselves. Minnesota is surrounded by proof that this stay-at-home order has clearly not accomplished anything beneficial and must be ended. The governor is stripping millions of Minnesotans of their God-given rights and he is blatantly crushing the economy,” he said.
“If we fail to correct our course, we will see a devastating economic depression. Food shortages have begun and deaths from suicide, domestic abuse, and drug and alcohol abuse will continue to rise if we do not make a change. No amount of government loans will be able to fix the societal destruction that has taken place,” he added.
Read the governor’s executive order here.
Watch his press conference below:
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Anthony Gockowski is managing editor of The Minnesota Sun and The Ohio Star. Follow Anthony on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Tim Walz” by CCX Media.


thetennesseestar--2020-05-01--Michigan Doctor Says Coronavirus Similar to Flu, Calls for Lifted Restrictions

A Michigan doctor has published an open letter to the public and Michigan legislators , saying that the coronavirus is no worse than the common flu and that shelter-in-place orders and other treatments should be restricted by region and industry .
“ All available data suggests the mortality rate of COVID-19 in the general population will approximate that of the seasonal flu in the long run , ” said Dr .
Rob Steele , a doctor of internal medicine , cardiovascular disease , interventional cardiology and echocardiography .
“ It is the same patients in danger from either infection with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ influenza is dramatically more dangerous for those ages 2 and under than COVID.
” Steele , who is part of party leadership for the Michigan Republicans , said that initial social distancing guidelines were based on “ theoretical models and witnessing the hospital systems of Italy and China being overwhelmed ” and these models “ have since been found to be wildly inaccurate.
” “ The goal of shelter in place orders was to ‘ flatten the curve ’ and protect the healthcare system , ” Steele wrote .
“ With public private @ @ @ @ @ @ @ funding and logistical support there are now plenty of PPE , ICU beds and ventilators available with many temporary overflow facilities being decommissioned without ever being used.
” The letter was supported by the Michigan Conservative Coalition .
“ Lansing is unable or unwilling to see the crushing effects of the Governor ’ s ill conceived ‘ Stay Home ’ order , ” said Rosanne Ponkowski , President of the Michigan Conservative Coalition , in a statement .
“ Over 1,200,000 Michiganders are unemployed and half of those citizens have yet to receive @ @ @ @ @ @ @ says that the construction sector can ’ t open until May 7 .
What is the science behind May 7 ?
Why not now ?
Why are mom & pop stores , and not big box stores , being pushed to bankruptcy ?
” Steele said that those who are at risk should be social distancing or sheltering at home , not the healthy .
“ The U.S. healthcare system has not and will not be overwhelmed , ” Steele said .
“ Mission accomplished.
” Jordyn Pair is a reporter with The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at @ JordynPair .
Email her at [ email protected ] Photo “ Dr .
Rob Steele ” by Dr .
Rob Steele .

A Michigan doctor has published an open letter to the public and Michigan legislators, saying that the coronavirus is no worse than the common flu and that shelter-in-place orders and other treatments should be restricted by region and industry.
“All available data suggests the mortality rate of COVID-19 in the general population will approximate that of the seasonal flu in the long run,” said Dr. Rob Steele, a doctor of internal medicine, cardiovascular disease, interventional cardiology and echocardiography. “It is the same patients in danger from either infection with similar hospitalization and mortality rates. Seasonal influenza is dramatically more dangerous for those ages 2 and under than COVID.”
Steele, who is part of party leadership for the Michigan Republicans, said that initial social distancing guidelines were based on “theoretical models and witnessing the hospital systems of Italy and China being overwhelmed” and these models “have since been found to be wildly inaccurate.”
“The goal of shelter in place orders was to ‘flatten the curve’ and protect the healthcare system,” Steele wrote. “With public private partnerships and large amounts of federal government funding and logistical support there are now plenty of PPE, ICU beds and ventilators available with many temporary overflow facilities being decommissioned without ever being used.”
The letter was supported by the Michigan Conservative Coalition.
“Lansing is unable or unwilling to see the crushing effects of the Governor’s ill conceived ‘Stay Home’ order,” said Rosanne Ponkowski, President of the Michigan Conservative Coalition, in a statement. “Over 1,200,000 Michiganders are unemployed and half of those citizens have yet to receive a dime. Yet now the Governor says that the construction sector can’t open until May 7. What is the science behind May 7? Why not now? Why are mom & pop stores, and not big box stores, being pushed to bankruptcy?”
Steele said that those who are at risk should be social distancing or sheltering at home, not the healthy.
“The U.S. healthcare system has not and will not be overwhelmed,” Steele said. “Mission accomplished.”
>
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Jordyn Pair is a reporter with The Michigan Star. Follow her on Twitter at @JordynPair. Email her at [email protected]
Photo “Dr. Rob Steele” by Dr. Rob Steele.


thetennesseestar--2020-05-01--Unemployment Agency Director Said He Is Unsure When Claims Will Be Processed

Michigan Unemployment Agency Director Steve Gray said that he does not know if his agency discussed how it would handle a surge in unemployment claims caused by a stay-at-home order before and that he can not give a precise timeline for when the agency will be caught up with processing .
Gray made the comments during an interview with the Detroit News on Wednesday , where he said that the agency is working to process unemployment claims as average calls have jumped from roughly 5,000 a day to 150,000 .
“ A system that is designed to have human intervention @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Gray said .
The system for processing an unemployment claim is designed to an individual review the case .
“ There wasn ’ t enough staff , ever , that we could get to be able to handle all the call volumes , ” Gray said .
“ What ’ s holding those last group of people who haven ’ t had been paid yet is the need to have individual people review the cases and we ’ ve only got so many people that can do that.
” Gray said it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ employees .
The director also said that he was unsure if discussions between his agency and the governor ’ s office had taken place in March to discuss the unemployment fallout of a stay-at-home order .
“ I don ’ t know whether they happened before March 23 , and I probably shouldn ’ t comment on any specific conversations we ’ ve had with the governor ’ s office , ” Gray said .
March 23 was the day the Gov .
Gretchen Whitmer signed the “ Stay Home , Stay Safe @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he was not sure when the agency would be able to process all the claims .
“ I don ’ t want to make any promises because then when we ’ re not able to get it done by then , then people are going to get upset and going to call to find out what ’ s going on , ” Gray said .
Gray ’ s statements were criticized by conservative group Michigan Rising Action .
“ Over a month into this crisis and it ’ s clear Gov .
Whitmer @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for the over 1.2 million who have lost their jobs and that they still don ’ t , ” said Tori Sachs , executive director of Michigan Rising Action , in a statement .
“ Gov .
Whitmer ’ s focus on national politics in her bid to be named Biden ’ s running mate comes at the expense of finding solutions for the ongoing unemployment payment problems in Michigan.
” Michigan saw more than 80,000 filings for unemployment insurance in the week ending April 25 , bringing the state ’ s total @ @ @ @ @ @ @ past six weeks , according to data analysis by MLive .
Jordyn Pair is a reporter with The Michigan Star .
Follow her on Twitter at @ JordynPair .
Email her at [ email protected ] Photo “ Long Lines ” by Gabriel White .
CC BY-SA 2.0 .

Michigan Unemployment Agency Director Steve Gray said that he does not know if his agency discussed how it would handle a surge in unemployment claims caused by a stay-at-home order before and that he cannot give a precise timeline for when the agency will be caught up with processing.
Gray made the comments during an interview with the Detroit News on Wednesday, where he said that the agency is working to process unemployment claims as average calls have jumped from roughly 5,000 a day to 150,000.
“A system that is designed to have human intervention on our side really causes problems,” Gray said.
The system for processing an unemployment claim is designed to an individual review the case.
“There wasn’t enough staff, ever, that we could get to be able to handle all the call volumes,” Gray said. “What’s holding those last group of people who haven’t had been paid yet is the need to have individual people review the cases and we’ve only got so many people that can do that.”
Gray said it takes about six weeks to properly train employees. The director also said that he was unsure if discussions between his agency and the governor’s office had taken place in March to discuss the unemployment fallout of a stay-at-home order.
“I don’t know whether they happened before March 23, and I probably shouldn’t comment on any specific conversations we’ve had with the governor’s office,” Gray said.
March 23 was the day the Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed the “Stay Home, Stay Safe” executive order.
Gray also said he was not sure when the agency would be able to process all the claims.
“I don’t want to make any promises because then when we’re not able to get it done by then, then people are going to get upset and going to call to find out what’s going on,” Gray said.
Gray’s statements were criticized by conservative group Michigan Rising Action.
“Over a month into this crisis and it’s clear Gov. Whitmer’s administration never had a plan for the over 1.2 million who have lost their jobs and that they still don’t,” said Tori Sachs, executive director of Michigan Rising Action, in a statement. “Gov. Whitmer’s focus on national politics in her bid to be named Biden’s running mate comes at the expense of finding solutions for the ongoing unemployment payment problems in Michigan.”
Michigan saw more than 80,000 filings for unemployment insurance in the week ending April 25, bringing the state’s total to more than 1.26 million in the past six weeks, according to data analysis by MLive.
– – –
Jordyn Pair is a reporter with The Michigan Star. Follow her on Twitter at @JordynPair. Email her at [email protected]
Photo “Long Lines” by Gabriel White. CC BY-SA 2.0.


thetennesseestar--2020-05-01--Commentary: Ohio’s Economy Will Blossom Again Under Trump

From the outset of the deadly coronavirus outbreak , the Trump administration has taken decisive steps to protect working families from the disease and to prepare the private sector for the economic rebound to come .
Although the President ’ s critics will never admit it , the U.S. was one of the first countries in the world to recognize – and respond to – the threat posed by the novel coronavirus .
While the World Health Organization and the mainstream media were downplaying the outbreak in Wuhan , China , President Trump implemented life-saving restrictions on international travel that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the U.S. and saved countless American lives .
Even as state and local stay-at-home orders ground our strong and growing economy to a halt , the President never lost sight of the fact that working families are the building blocks of the U.S. economy , and they must never be left behind by the federal government .
To ensure that families have the support they need during the pandemic , the President negotiated a historic $ 2.2 trillion economic recovery package , providing emergency payments of up to $ 1,200 for each @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the average Ohio taxpayer saves each year on their federal income taxes thanks to President Trump ’ s tax cuts .
Parents also receive an additional $ 500 per child , bringing the total financial relief to $ 3,400 for a typical family of four .
Of course , the U.S. economy can ’ t remain closed down forever – which is why the White House Coronavirus Task Force recently unveiled its Guidelines for Opening Up America Again .
Incredibly , our collective efforts to stop the spread of COVID-19 have been effective @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dramatically reducing the projected death toll from more than 2 million Americans to fewer than 100,000 .
Thanks to these successes and the expert guidance emanating from the White House , roughly half of all Americans currently reside in states that have begun implementing plans to gradually reopen their economies .
To learn more about the risks and benefits of reopening local economies , I ’ ll be participating in a Women for Trump “ EMPOWER Hour ” this week along with Trump Victory Finance Committee National Chair Kimberly Guilfoyle and campaign leaders @ @ @ @ @ @ @ This event is specifically designed to address the current economic situation in states like Ohio , and we ’ ll answer all your questions about the impact of the President ’ s policies .
Ohioans have a great reason to trust President Trump in a crisis – he already rescued the Buckeye State from one daunting economic predicament , and he ’ s the right and perhaps only leader who can do it again .
When Donald Trump was inaugurated , Ohio ’ s economy was in poor condition .
Nearly a decade @ @ @ @ @ @ @ regulations and radical economic policies had taken their toll on working families across our great state , leaving us wondering whether we would ever fully recover from the Great Recession .
As a proud Ohioan , I still remember the pain and uncertainty that plagued much of the Midwest , and the exhaustion that we felt at the end of Obama ’ s presidency .
Ohio voters put their faith in Donald Trump ’ s America First message , and we were rewarded almost immediately – under his watch , our state unemployment @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rode a nationwide wave of rapid job creation and escalating prosperity .
Ohio will recover from the deadly coronavirus pandemic – and our economy will blossom yet again under President Trump .
He ’ s the only person in Washington who has actually led the nation through a genuine economic recovery , and he ’ s already got a plan for leading us through another one .
Madison Gesiotto is an Ohio attorney , former Miss Ohio USA and an opinion contributor for The Hill .
Photo “ Newspaper Job Ads ” by @ @ @ @ @ @ @

by Madison Gesiotto
From the outset of the deadly coronavirus outbreak, the Trump administration has taken decisive steps to protect working families from the disease and to prepare the private sector for the economic rebound to come.
Although the President’s critics will never admit it, the U.S. was one of the first countries in the world to recognize – and respond to – the threat posed by the novel coronavirus. While the World Health Organization and the mainstream media were downplaying the outbreak in Wuhan, China, President Trump implemented life-saving restrictions on international travel that helped curb the early spread of COVID-19 in the U.S. and saved countless American lives.
Even as state and local stay-at-home orders ground our strong and growing economy to a halt, the President never lost sight of the fact that working families are the building blocks of the U.S. economy, and they must never be left behind by the federal government.
To ensure that families have the support they need during the pandemic, the President negotiated a historic $2.2 trillion economic recovery package, providing emergency payments of up to $1,200 for each American adult – nearly as much as the average Ohio taxpayer saves each year on their federal income taxes thanks to President Trump’s tax cuts. Parents also receive an additional $500 per child, bringing the total financial relief to $3,400 for a typical family of four.
Of course, the U.S. economy can’t remain closed down forever – which is why the White House Coronavirus Task Force recently unveiled its Guidelines for Opening Up America Again. Incredibly, our collective efforts to stop the spread of COVID-19 have been effective beyond anyone’s wildest dreams, dramatically reducing the projected death toll from more than 2 million Americans to fewer than 100,000.
Thanks to these successes and the expert guidance emanating from the White House, roughly half of all Americans currently reside in states that have begun implementing plans to gradually reopen their economies.
To learn more about the risks and benefits of reopening local economies, I’ll be participating in a Women for Trump “EMPOWER Hour” this week along with Trump Victory Finance Committee National Chair Kimberly Guilfoyle and campaign leaders Katrina Campins and Dr. Gina Loudon. This event is specifically designed to address the current economic situation in states like Ohio, and we’ll answer all your questions about the impact of the President’s policies.
Ohioans have a great reason to trust President Trump in a crisis – he already rescued the Buckeye State from one daunting economic predicament, and he’s the right and perhaps only leader who can do it again.
When Donald Trump was inaugurated, Ohio’s economy was in poor condition. Nearly a decade of President Obama’s draconian government regulations and radical economic policies had taken their toll on working families across our great state, leaving us wondering whether we would ever fully recover from the Great Recession. As a proud Ohioan, I still remember the pain and uncertainty that plagued much of the Midwest, and the exhaustion that we felt at the end of Obama’s presidency.
Ohio voters put their faith in Donald Trump’s America First message, and we were rewarded almost immediately – under his watch, our state unemployment rate dropped to historic lows as we rode a nationwide wave of rapid job creation and escalating prosperity.
Ohio will recover from the deadly coronavirus pandemic – and our economy will blossom yet again under President Trump. He’s the only person in Washington who has actually led the nation through a genuine economic recovery, and he’s already got a plan for leading us through another one.
– – –
Madison Gesiotto is an Ohio attorney, former Miss Ohio USA and an opinion contributor for The Hill.
Photo “Newspaper Job Ads” by Ametec Photos. CC BY-SA 2.0.


thetennesseestar--2020-05-01--More Than One Million Ohioans Have Asked for Government Assistance Over the Last Six Weeks

Another 92,920 Ohioans filed for unemployment benefits last week , which means that 1,075,486 Ohioans have filed for unemployment benefits during the last six weeks , according to the Associated Press .
Nationally , 3.8 million people asked for government assistance last week .
This means that America has seen 30.3 million people jobless claims over the last six weeks .
Ohio accounts for almost four percent of the nation ’ s job loss during this stretch .
For the week ending on April 25 , Ohio saw less than 100,000 people file for unemployment benefits for the first time @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Family Services is still having a hard time getting people their unemployment benefits as only 481,000 Ohioans have received them , according to Fox 8 In the future , these numbers should continue to fall as Gov .
DeWine announced this week that Ohio will be opening up parts of the state ’ s economy .
On Friday , the healthcare industry can perform out-patient surgeries , imaging procedures , diagnostic tests and dental and veterinary procedures .
Three days later , general office environments and businesses in manufacturing , distribution , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Consumer , retail and service businesses will be able to start on May 12 .
For all these businesses , they must follow these certain guidelines Ohio has developed to remain open : • Requiring face coverings for all employees , and recommending them for clients and customers at all times • Conducting daily health assessments or self-evaluations of employees to determine if they should work • Maintaining good hygiene at all times such as hand washing and social distancing • Cleaning and sanitizing workplaces throughout the day and at the close of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , barbershops and salons remained closed , but DeWine has formed two separate advisory boards to develop best practices for reopening these entities , according to the governor ’ s press release .
Zachery Schmidt is the digital editor of Star News Digital Media .
If you have any tips , email Zachery at [ email protected ] Photo “ Long line of People ” by Dave Winer .
CC BY-SA 2.0 .

Another 92,920 Ohioans filed for unemployment benefits last week, which means that 1,075,486 Ohioans have filed for unemployment benefits during the last six weeks, according to the Associated Press.
Nationally, 3.8 million people asked for government assistance last week. This means that America has seen 30.3 million people jobless claims over the last six weeks.
Ohio accounts for almost four percent of the nation’s job loss during this stretch.
For the week ending on April 25, Ohio saw less than 100,000 people file for unemployment benefits for the first time since March.
Ohio Department of Job and Family Services is still having a hard time getting people their unemployment benefits as only 481,000 Ohioans have received them, according to Fox 8
In the future, these numbers should continue to fall as Gov. DeWine announced this week that Ohio will be opening up parts of the state’s economy. On Friday, the healthcare industry can perform out-patient surgeries, imaging procedures, diagnostic tests and dental and veterinary procedures.
Three days later, general office environments and businesses in manufacturing, distribution, and construction can return to work.
Consumer, retail and service businesses will be able to start on May 12.
For all these businesses, they must follow these certain guidelines Ohio has developed to remain open:
Requiring face coverings for all employees, and recommending them for clients and customers at all times
Conducting daily health assessments or self-evaluations of employees to determine if they should work
Maintaining good hygiene at all times such as hand washing and social distancing
Cleaning and sanitizing workplaces throughout the day and at the close of business or between shifts
Limiting capacity to meet social distancing guidelines
Restaurants, bars, barbershops and salons remained closed, but DeWine has formed two separate advisory boards to develop best practices for reopening these entities, according to the governor’s press release.
– – –
Zachery Schmidt is the digital editor of Star News Digital Media. If you have any tips, email Zachery at [email protected]
Photo “Long line of People” by Dave Winer. CC BY-SA 2.0.


thetennesseestar--2020-05-01--Minnesota Spent $62,000 to Develop COVID-19 Model

A recently released document reveals that the state of Minnesota spent $ 62,000 to develop its controversial COVID-19 model .
The modeling platform in question was developed by the Minnesota Department of Health and researchers with the University of Minnesota School of Public Health .
According to a state contract , the government spent $ 62,881 to pay those researchers .
Another $ 233,000 was spent on conducting a COVID-19 Social Contact Survey .
The contract for the coronavirus model was included as an amendment to the state ’ s ongoing $ 1.5 million contract with the university for conducting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s coronavirus model has been a source of disagreement among state lawmakers , to put it mildly .
Republican lawmakers frequently point out that the model shows little variation in the predicted number of deaths and ICU admissions between four of the scenarios investigated .
“ However , scenario 3.2 allows our economy to re-open significantly earlier than the governor ’ s current path .
The economic pain people are feeling is real , and we need to take reasonable steps to protect the livelihoods , mental health , and rights of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ COVID-19 response , ” said state Sen. Michelle Benson ( R-Ham Lake ) .
The model predicts Minnesota will experience 22,000 deaths over the course of the pandemic , but other models forecast a far lower mortality rate .
A model developed by the University of Washington ’ s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation ( IHME ) thinks that the state will have just 741 coronavirus-related deaths .
As of Thursday , Minnesota had a total of 343 deaths , more than 90 percent of which are associated with long-term care facilities @ @ @ @ @ @ @ One of the main differences between the two forecasts is that the Minnesota model tracks the full course of the pandemic while the IHME model looks only at a four-month period .
Other lawmakers have pointed out that the Minnesota model relies on “ data from early outbreaks in China , Europe , and the U.S. , ” but significant questions have been raised about the accuracy of the information put out by the Chinese Communist Party .
Nationally , modeling platforms in general have been questioned by Republican lawmakers , including a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a review of the models used by the government to make projections about the impact of the virus .
“ While widely distributed and used by many thought leaders , these models have exhibited conflicting data over time , as well as within comparison of the models themselves , ” said a letter calling for a congressional review of the models .
“ These models have also undergone multiple wildly varying revisions , and have not seemed to account for real world behavioral changes , even demonstrating assumptions at odds with visible data @ @ @ @ @ @ @ managing editor of The Minnesota Sun and The Ohio Star .
Follow Anthony on Twitter .
Email tips to [ email protected ] .

A recently released document reveals that the state of Minnesota spent $62,000 to develop its controversial COVID-19 model.
The modeling platform in question was developed by the Minnesota Department of Health and researchers with the University of Minnesota School of Public Health. According to a state contract, the government spent $62,881 to pay those researchers. Another $233,000 was spent on conducting a COVID-19 Social Contact Survey.
The contract for the coronavirus model was included as an amendment to the state’s ongoing $1.5 million contract with the university for conducting the Minnesota Health Access Survey.
Minnesota’s coronavirus model has been a source of disagreement among state lawmakers, to put it mildly. Republican lawmakers frequently point out that the model shows little variation in the predicted number of deaths and ICU admissions between four of the scenarios investigated.
“However, scenario 3.2 allows our economy to re-open significantly earlier than the governor’s current path. The economic pain people are feeling is real, and we need to take reasonable steps to protect the livelihoods, mental health, and rights of Minnesotans as we continue to prepare our COVID-19 response,” said state Sen. Michelle Benson (R-Ham Lake).
The model predicts Minnesota will experience 22,000 deaths over the course of the pandemic, but other models forecast a far lower mortality rate. A model developed by the University of Washington’s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) thinks that the state will have just 741 coronavirus-related deaths.
As of Thursday, Minnesota had a total of 343 deaths, more than 90 percent of which are associated with long-term care facilities or people with underlying health conditions.
One of the main differences between the two forecasts is that the Minnesota model tracks the full course of the pandemic while the IHME model looks only at a four-month period.
Other lawmakers have pointed out that the Minnesota model relies on “data from early outbreaks in China, Europe, and the U.S.,” but significant questions have been raised about the accuracy of the information put out by the Chinese Communist Party.
Nationally, modeling platforms in general have been questioned by Republican lawmakers, including a group of House Republicans who called for a review of the models used by the government to make projections about the impact of the virus.
“While widely distributed and used by many thought leaders, these models have exhibited conflicting data over time, as well as within comparison of the models themselves,” said a letter calling for a congressional review of the models. “These models have also undergone multiple wildly varying revisions, and have not seemed to account for real world behavioral changes, even demonstrating assumptions at odds with visible data in real time.”
– – –
Anthony Gockowski is managing editor of The Minnesota Sun and The Ohio Star. Follow Anthony on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].


thetennesseestar--2020-05-01--Tennessee Unemployment Claims Now Exceed 300,000 Because of COVID-19

Tennesseans filed nearly 44,000 unemployment claims between April 18 of this year through April 25 because of the COVID-19 pandemic , according to numbers the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development released Thursday .
As of Thursday , and in total , more than 300,000 Tennesseans are on record for filing unemployment claims since mid-March , when the virus hit the United States , the TDLWD ’ s website reported .
The TDLWD on Thursday reported the following number of unemployment claims , by region : As The Tennessee Star reported last month , residents in Northern Middle Tennessee @ @ @ @ @ @ @ numbers of claims because of their respective hospitality industries .
If tourists may not travel to those areas then , of course , Tennessee ’ s hospitality industry can not thrive .
“ There is no way to know for certain why these areas of Tennessee have seen more unemployment than others .
But , Nashville sits in the Northern Middle Tennessee region and the Smoky Mountains are part of the East Tennessee region , ” TDLWD spokesman Chris Cannon told The Star last month .
“ These locations are home to a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ industry .
This industry has been one of the hardest hit by the COVID-19 health emergency in our state.
” Also , as reported , TDLWD officials did not see an unprecedented increase in unemployment claims until the third and fourth weeks of March .
The statewide unemployment rate for April 2020 will come out on May 21 , 2020 , at 1:30 p.m. Central Time , TDLWD officials said .
TDLWD officials said the state of Tennessee has started paying approved unemployment claimants their first installment of the $ 600 Federal Pandemic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in addition to their Tennessee Unemployment Compensation ( TUC ) benefit .
On April 14 the state distributed benefit payments of close to $ 94 million to financial institutions for approximately 110,000 unemployed Tennesseans .
Chris Butler is an investigative journalist at The Tennessee Star .
Follow Chris on Facebook .
Email tips to [ email protected ] Photo “ Unemployment Office ” by Burt Lum .
CC BY 2.0 .

Tennesseans filed nearly 44,000 unemployment claims between April 18 of this year through April 25 because of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to numbers the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development released Thursday.
As of Thursday, and in total, more than 300,000 Tennesseans are on record for filing unemployment claims since mid-March, when the virus hit the United States, the TDLWD’s website reported.
The TDLWD on Thursday reported the following number of unemployment claims, by region:
• Greater Memphis: 8,215
• Northwest Tennessee: 1,105
• Southwest Tennessee: 1,480
• Northern Middle Tennessee: 14,927
• Southern Middle Tennessee: 3,251
• Upper Cumberland: 1,510
• Southeast Tennessee: 5,018
• East Tennessee: 9,290
• Northeast Tennessee: 2,379
• West Tennessee Mobile American Job Center: 14
• Middle Tennessee Mobile American Job Center: 147
• East Tennessee Mobile America Job Center: 15
As The Tennessee Star reported last month, residents in Northern Middle Tennessee and East Tennessee have likely filed high numbers of claims because of their respective hospitality industries.
If tourists may not travel to those areas then, of course, Tennessee’s hospitality industry cannot thrive.
“There is no way to know for certain why these areas of Tennessee have seen more unemployment than others. But, Nashville sits in the Northern Middle Tennessee region and the Smoky Mountains are part of the East Tennessee region,” TDLWD spokesman Chris Cannon told The Star last month.
“These locations are home to a majority of the state’s hospitality industry. This industry has been one of the hardest hit by the COVID-19 health emergency in our state.”
Also, as reported, TDLWD officials did not see an unprecedented increase in unemployment claims until the third and fourth weeks of March. The statewide unemployment rate for April 2020 will come out on May 21, 2020, at 1:30 p.m. Central Time, TDLWD officials said.
TDLWD officials said the state of Tennessee has started paying approved unemployment claimants their first installment of the $600 Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (FPUC) benefit, in addition to their Tennessee Unemployment Compensation (TUC) benefit.
On April 14 the state distributed benefit payments of close to $94 million to financial institutions for approximately 110,000 unemployed Tennesseans.
– – –
Chris Butler is an investigative journalist at The Tennessee Star. Follow Chris on Facebook. Email tips to [email protected]
Photo “Unemployment Office” by Burt Lum. CC BY 2.0.


thetennesseestar--2020-05-02--Knox County Backs off Communion, Bible Ban After Lee’s Church Guidance Overrules Local Decisions

The Knox County government backed off a ban of communion , baptism and Bibles at church services after Gov .
Bill Lee said his guidance on houses of worship overruled local decisions .
The Knox County government is one of six counties that can largely set its own rules for reopening .
The county , in saying churches could reopen as of Friday , had determined that activities it ruled were not “ core worship ” were forbidden for any churches that decided to reopen this weekend , Reformation Charlotte reported .
Those non-essential things included groups , classes , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Bible .
The county recommended against singing as non-essential .
WBIR reported Wednesday that the county ’ s requirements for churches were overridden by Lee ’ s Executive Order 30 .
That order , issued Wednesday , said local governments could not issue rules about places of worship because he was on the verge of issuing statewide church guidelines .
Lee said that while churches are not banned , he still encourages them to meet online for now .
His full church guidelines are here .
Even though Knox County missed its @ @ @ @ @ @ @ takes on plenty of other organizations and businesses , and could be doing so for some time .
According to their 29-page amended reopening guidance , available here , Knox County is in the “ reopening ” for the long haul — a minimum of three months , or at least 28 days for each of three phases .
A minimum of 28 days will be spent in each phase regardless of whether the benchmarks are met at an earlier timepoint .
The phased reopening is not a return to pre-pandemic normal , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for reopening that relies on the Five Core Actions we must all consistently take to reduce the spread of COVID-19 .
They include physical distancing , wearing cloth face coverings , handwashing , cleaning surfaces , and staying home if you are sick or instructed to isolate/quarantine .
We will only be able to safely maintain our reopening efforts if all of us commit to maintaining these Five Core Actions .
Jason M. Reynolds has more than 20 years ’ experience as a journalist at outlets of all sizes .

The Knox County government backed off a ban of communion, baptism and Bibles at church services after Gov. Bill Lee said his guidance on houses of worship overruled local decisions.
The Knox County government is one of six counties that can largely set its own rules for reopening.
The county, in saying churches could reopen as of Friday, had determined that activities it ruled were not “core worship” were forbidden for any churches that decided to reopen this weekend, Reformation Charlotte reported. Those non-essential things included groups, classes, youth services, communion, baptism and the Bible. The county recommended against singing as non-essential.
The physical taking of communion/sacrament should not be performed due to the serial breaking of physical distancing across a congregation. Consider guiding parishioners in how to connect with the spiritual aspects of these practices during this phase.
WBIR reported Wednesday that the county’s requirements for churches were overridden by Lee’s Executive Order 30. That order, issued Wednesday, said local governments could not issue rules about places of worship because he was on the verge of issuing statewide church guidelines.
Lee said that while churches are not banned, he still encourages them to meet online for now. His full church guidelines are here.
Even though Knox County missed its chance to regulate churches, their guidance takes on plenty of other organizations and businesses, and could be doing so for some time.
According to their 29-page amended reopening guidance, available here, Knox County is in the “reopening” for the long haul — a minimum of three months, or at least 28 days for each of three phases.
A minimum of 28 days will be spent in each phase regardless of whether the benchmarks are met at an earlier timepoint. The phased reopening is not a return to pre-pandemic normal, and the phased plan presents a pathway for reopening that relies on the Five Core Actions we must all consistently take to reduce the spread of COVID-19. They include physical distancing, wearing cloth face coverings, handwashing, cleaning surfaces, and staying home if you are sick or instructed to isolate/quarantine. We will only be able to safely maintain our reopening efforts if all of us commit to maintaining these Five Core Actions.
– – –
Jason M. Reynolds has more than 20 years’ experience as a journalist at outlets of all sizes.


thetennesseestar--2020-05-02--Commentary: Joe Biden Is Cooked

Commentary: Joe Biden Is Cooked

Despite polls showing that he leads President Trump in key states and in the country overall , there remains something seriously missing and not credible in the putative presidential nomination of Joe Biden .
The polls are never accurate with Trump , and there is both a reticence by his supporters to identify themselves and some sampling errors by the main polling organizations because of the unusually high numbers of people this president draws to the polls in his support who are not otherwise frequent voters .
The real test of these matters is how the people vote , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fourth in Iowa and fifth in New Hampshire , and descend to 11 percent in that state ’ s Democratic primary .
Generally , no candidate in either party is nominated who loses badly in New Hampshire .
It did not require a resurrected Alexis de Tocqueville to observe that Biden ’ s sudden emergence from punch-drunk Palooka on the ropes to the anointed nominee in two weeks was not entirely spontaneous .
In a formidable display of professionalism , the Democratic Party elders carried him to the finish line on March 3 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Pete Buttigieg , and Elizabeth Warren out of the race and obtaining endorsements of Biden from three of them .
With Bloomberg spending $ 937 million in a few months to collect just five delegates from American Samoa—the costliest pursuit of votes per capita in world history—there was no one else to snatch the nomination from Senator Bernie Sanders ( I-Vt. ) , who would have lost all 50 states ( but not the District of Columbia ) to Trump with his Marxist nonsense .
Biden won most of the Super Tuesday @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ leading candidate , he is now awash in the endorsements of the Obamas , Clintons , and Sanders himself .
But this is still the same person who got 11 percent of the vote in New Hampshire .
The putative nominee was just getting into high gear as a human gaffe machine when the coronavirus pandemic mercifully rescued him from much direct exposure to the public and confined him to a little podium in his basement in Delaware , from which he skypes a somewhat moderated number of malapropisms and amnesiac lapses @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the accumulated limitations of his performance as a functioning candidate , there are other problems already clawing at him or waiting to pounce .
There is no reason to believe that the issue of his and his son ’ s involvement in questionable financial activities in Ukraine and China will not return .
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has assured President Trump and his representative , Rudolph Giuliani , that he will look into the matter of Hunter Biden ’ s work with Burisma Holdings , the Ukrainian natural gas firm .
The Bidens @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to use the clichés of the public relations business , the optics and externalities are not great .
Special counsel John Durham will be along some time in the next few months with indictments ( or not ) in the origins of the fraudulent Trump-Russian collusion outrage .
It was clear from the December report of Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz that there were many illegalities and improprieties in the FISA aspect of the matter : internal espionage , conducted under the spurious rubric of a counterintelligence investigation against a major party @ @ @ @ @ @ @ evidence exists that Biden was present when these matters were discussed with President Obama .
That doesn ’ t make Biden guilty of anything , of course .
But if there is a slew of indictments over activities that he was aware of , it isn ’ t a great election year image-builder either .
And then there is the Tara Reade affair .
This is a responsible , credible , stable person .
A Democrat , whose friends say they remember how upset she was when she left the employ of then-Senator @ @ @ @ @ @ @ raped by him .
This isn ’ t a dippy Blasey-Ford rerun with a pseudo-anonymous frequent flyer who hates flying and has no corroboration of any kind and who can ’ t remember where an incident stopping far short of rape 36 years before had occurred , as in Justice Brett Kavanaugh ’ s confirmation hearings .
Nor is it a recording of an 11-year-old bawdy comment unconnected to any act or plaintiff , as with candidate Trump ’ s “ Access Hollywood ” tape that almost killed his 2016 campaign .
This @ @ @ @ @ @ @ substantial person .
Reade ’ s is a serious allegation from a believable woman with some corroboration and a consistent story .
Biden has avoided all comment , and the anti-Trump media with whom he converses from his virus-shelter basement haven ’ t got around to asking him about Reade ( showing their customary no-holds-barred professional impartiality ) .
The Democrats embarked en bloc in the Kavanaugh nomination battle over two years ago on the credo “ believe all women , ” and Senator Kirsten Gillibrand ( D-N.Y. ) said that her former @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have resigned because of his sexual advances on various women .
Of course , this is not a sustainable position and we can ’ t just take a woman ’ s word for the assertion that a sex crime was committed many years before because she says so .
We have to end this practice of career destruction by mere denunciation .
But this , too , could profoundly shake the Biden campaign , which has not been conducted to this point by a tidal wave of well-earned popularity .
Another Nominee Waiting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ aura of otherworldly unreality about the Biden candidacy : a man who got 11 percent of the vote in New Hampshire is effectively the party ’ s nominee a month later , and takes to his basement to avoid exposure to the media while he and his backers ignore several impending problems , any one of which could blow up his candidacy .
Yet there are polls from ostensibly serious polling organizations claiming if the election were held today , Biden would defeat the president .
I believe that all of these supplementary @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and early summer .
At that point , Biden could do the honorable thing and stand aside and ask his delegates to support a more presentable candidate than himself , well to the right of Sanders .
After such a shuffle , when the delegate selection was over and too late for Sanders to restart his campaign , someone like New York Governor Andrew Cuomo could be nominated .
There is some precedent in the Democratic Party for former unsuccessful contenders for the highest office effectively nominating more promising candidates .
In 1912 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s House speaker Beauchamp Champ Clark and New Jersey governor and former Princeton University president Woodrow Wilson , three-time unsuccessful presidential candidate William Jennings Bryan threw his weight behind Wilson , who was nominated and elected ( as the Republicans were split between President Taft and former President Theodore Roosevelt ) .
In 1932 , legendary media magnate William Randolph Hearst , who had once entertained some political ambitions , permitted Franklin D. Roosevelt to be nominated by causing his own candidate , House Speaker John Nance Garner of Texas , to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in exchange for the vice presidency ( an office Garner memorably disparaged in scatological terms ) .
Unless Biden comes out of hiding and takes some serious positions and looks and sounds like a leader , and can neutralize the Ukrainian , Durham , and Reade issues , his utility will have been to deny the nomination to Sanders and keep the place warm for a more plausible candidate .
Whatever some polls say , this candidate can not defeat the incumbent , unless Trump takes complete leave of his senses and starts @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hideous caricature of him as a monster who incarnates corruption and incompetence .

by Rick Manning
Joe Biden is the Jeb Bush of the 2020 Democratic primary, a candidate who the kingmakers of the Democratic Party attempted to put into the White House so that they could control the levers of power much like Jeb in 2016.
The problem that Democratic leaders have is that Biden has never been successful electorally outside of Delaware, and has a long history of running for President and failing to even make a mark, let alone win any states.
Given that Biden is the only Democratic candidate with any appeal to the African-American voters in polls, Biden’s failure in Iowa and New Hampshire poses a near existential threat to the Democrats’ ability to hold on to their base. In 2016, then candidate Trump appealed to the African American community saying, “What do you have to lose?”
Four years later, the African American community has a lot to lose: Record low unemployment, rising wages, opportunity zones and an economic policy that lifts all boats.
The President’s controversial decision to drive criminal justice reform with a goal to provide freedom and due process to prisoners who had unfair, unduly long federal sentences is viewed by far-left activists like Van Jones as the achievement that not even Barack Obama could deliver. As Jones noted after the State of the Union Address, Trump’s “strong” address was a wake-up call to Democrats, signaling Trump is going after black votes.
For the first time in history, I’m going to say Jones is right. 50 years of failed Democratic promises will be counted against 4 years of unprecedented prosperity and opportunities for blacks. Just as significantly, wages have been rising faster for those who had been economically left behind than for the top 20 percent, meaning that many blacks have been able to lift themselves out of dependency upon the state to self-sufficiency.
The two current front runners Bernie Sanders and Pete Buttigieg both offer a radical vision of change and the same old failed, race-based policies and virtue signaling.
After Biden’s collapse, President Trump’s appeal to all voters including African Americans, promises to be very attractive. After all, who votes for radical change at a time of unprecedented prosperity.
As James Carville once declared, “It’s the economy, stupid.” And Democrats will be hard pressed to vote their own gains out of blind loyalty to those who make the same old stale, failed and broken political promises.
– – –
Rick Manning is the President of Americans for Limited Government.


thetennesseestar--2020-05-02--Owner Carey Bringle of the Peg Leg Porker BBQ Restaurant in Downtown Nashville Joins Leahy to Discus

Owner Carey Bringle of the Peg Leg Porker BBQ Restaurant in Downtown Nashville Joins Leahy to Discuss His Recent Letter to Mayor Cooper

Live from Nashville , Tennessee , Friday morning on The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy – broadcast on Nashville ’ s Talk Radio 98.3 and 1510 WLAC weekdays from 5:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m.– Leahy was joined on the newsmakers line by Carey Bringle who is the local business owner of the popular BBQ restaurant located in The Gulch of downtown Nashville the Peg Leg Porker .
During the third hour , Bringle described his recent letter to Mayor John Cooper in Nashville in direct response to his recently proposed 32 % tax increase .
He expressed his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s decision not only to have his constitutional rights be violated to make a living due to COVID but also because he feels he ’ s being fiscally punished for making smart choices years ago and contributing to the growth of Nashville by developing a successful and locally owned business .
Leahy : We are joined now by a new friend .
The owner of a fantastic restaurant here in Nashville .
Peg Leg Porker .
One of the best BBQ joints in the country at 903 Gleaves Street in Nashville .
And @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , you wrote just a withering letter the other day about the government shutting you down against your constitutional rights .
Tell us about your argument there Carey .
Bringle : Well Michael , I understand that the mayor is trying to keep this virus from spreading in Nashville .
I get that .
And understand that he ’ s shut the whole city down and it wasn ’ t just us .
We ’ re not crazy about it but we ’ ve been shut down for about a month and a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ up today for take-out and delivery but we still can ’ t have in-house dining until at the earliest next Friday under his order .
It ’ s very frustrating .
You can ’ t run a business with no cash flow .
We still have expenses and we still have our bills with the city .
( Chuckles ) Leahy : By the way , apparently he wants to raise property taxes as well .
Bringle : And so in the middle of this crisis and pandemic , he decided to announce @ @ @ @ @ @ @ increase on our property tax .
And over the last seven years , our property taxes have already gone up 1100 % .
We understand the area is hot and the property value has gone up but those gains on property value are only relevant if you sell your property .
When I bought this property in 2012 our property taxes were $ 4,600 .
And now they are $ 55,000 and with the mayor ’ s proposed tax increase they would be $ 72,000 a year .
Leahy : That ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ value are you getting from those property taxes your paying ?
Bringle : Well I don ’ t think we ’ re getting much value .
The city is broke .
We ’ re four billion dollars in debt .
And this tax increase is the only way that the mayor says we can make the budget .
They are using this pandemic or this virus as an excuse for poor fiscal management over the last 10 years .
While we ’ ve had to furlough 45 employees for a month a half @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who are sitting at home are still collecting checks and are still on full benefits .
Leahy : Do you think the governor has the constitutional authority to shut your restaurant down and deprive you of the ability to make a living and the mayor ?
Bringle : No .
I don ’ t think that they do .
They have .
They ’ ve exercised that right that they feel like they have .
I think its clear , Attorney General Barr has already telegraphed to the states and cities that they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Constitution does not stop in the middle of a crisis .
Leahy : The governor has said that restaurants can open up in certain conditions in 89 of the 95 counties in the state .
So this next Friday , May the 8th the safer at home rule has been extended .
Restaurants can not open for sit down dining , what are you going to do if Mayor Cooper extends that order and continues to prohibit you from making a living by saying you can ’ t have in-store dining on May @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we ’ ll have to decide on May the 8th what we ’ re going to do .
We may just have to say guess what ?
We ’ re going to get open anyway .
The frustrating part right now is that neighboring counties are open for business and so we are literally watching our customers that are next door , down the street , that work downtown , get in their cars and go on a 10-minute ride down I-65 and go eat at a restaurant down in Brentwood , Williamson @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to our restaurant and eat .
It doesn ’ t make any sense .
They are coming right back downtown right back to their office building and back to the same group people , they were with before .
And they ’ ve been able to sit in a restaurant and have a meal but they can ’ t do it next door because of the governor ’ s and the mayor ’ s orders .
Leahy : Have been you been contacted by any constitutional attorneys who say you ’ ve got @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be happy to help you file a lawsuit against the mayor if he decides not to let you open up on Friday , May the 8th ?
Bringle : I haven ’ t been contacted by any constitutional attorneys yet .
We already have a lawsuit against our insurance company for our business loss insurance that they don ’ t want to pay under this virus .
So I don ’ t know if we want to embark on another lawsuit at this time .
But it would be interesting to talk to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ re talking about the business interruption part of your insurance policy ?
A lot of small businesses have been trying to do that .
But they ’ ve been resisted by the insurance companies .
Is that the particular kind of thing that you are focusing on there ?
Bringle : That ’ s exactly what we ’ re focusing on .
We don ’ t a virus clause attached to our policy .
And so we do business interruption insurance .
We think that this is a perfect example of an applicable @ @ @ @ @ @ @ contamination would be a cause for a payout and also civil authority shutdown would be cause for a payout .
But the insurance companies were sending notices even before anybody filed any claims that they did not intend to pay any of these claims .
Leahy : Well , I have a little bit of good news for you on that .
Earlier in this program during the six o ’ clock hour , we spoke with Hogan Gidley and our all-star panelist Clint Brewer asked him the very question that you ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the White House plan on addressing the failure of insurance companies to pay out business interruption claims .
And guess what ?
The White House is looking at that .
Bringle : Well , that ’ s great news .
We hope that they ’ ll address it .
But we ’ re not going to wait around if they do address it .
We ’ ve already filed a lawsuit in federal court against our insurance provider to force them to look at this again and pay up .
They denied the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
As they saw this coming down the pipe and they took a stance and started posturing to go ahead and deny everybody ’ s claims because they knew this might be a nail in the coffin business interruption insurance .
Leahy : I ’ m guessing you personally have put a lot of money at risk to make this business a success .
When you look at this and look at the failure of the system in many regards and the government to help you succeed .
How do you react to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Michael .
You know we ’ ve dumped about $ 3.5 million worth of investments into our neighborhood and into The Gulch .
Into what was once a blighted part of Nashville .
We helped make it a vibrant community and it feels like one , not only like we ’ re being kicked while we ’ re down but two penalized for investing in our city which we love and being an early adopter in this neighborhood .
And so when you invest in Nashville and Nashville turns around and says we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ making good choices and for taking a chance then it ’ s extremely frustrating .
We ’ ve created over 50 new jobs and since 2013 we ’ ve collected over 1.9 million in sales and liquor tax .
And we ’ ve paid over $ 560,000 in the payroll tax .
And yet our taxes on our property continue to go up .
And if the mayor ’ s proposal is adopted our new payment for our payment will be $ 6,000 a month .
That is $ 700 more than our @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I first opened the Peg Leg Porker .
Leahy : Carey Bringle .
Peg Leg Porker .
PegLegPorker.com .
You are taking orders now and people can go online and order from Peg Leg Porker ?
Bringle : We are .
We are opening today for take-out and delivery .
And if you want to to to PegLegPorker.com we will ship anywhere in the nation through Goldbelly .
Leahy : And if it ’ s OK with you , we ’ re going to make Peg Leg Porker the official BBQ restaurant of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that work ?
Bringle : Thank you very much , Michael .
I really appreciate your support and thanks for the call .
Listen to the full third hour here : Tune in weekdays from 5:00 – 8:00 a.m. to the Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy on Talk Radio 98.3 FM WLAC 1510 .
Listen online at iHeart Radio .
Photo “ Peg Leg Porker ” by Peg Leg Porker .

Live from Nashville, Tennessee, Friday morning on The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy – broadcast on Nashville’s Talk Radio 98.3 and 1510 WLAC weekdays from 5:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m.– Leahy was joined on the newsmakers line by Carey Bringle who is the local business owner of the popular BBQ restaurant located in The Gulch of downtown Nashville the Peg Leg Porker.
During the third hour, Bringle described his recent letter to Mayor John Cooper in Nashville in direct response to his recently proposed 32% tax increase. He expressed his disappointment in the timing of Cooper’s decision not only to have his constitutional rights be violated to make a living due to COVID but also because he feels he’s being fiscally punished for making smart choices years ago and contributing to the growth of Nashville by developing a successful and locally owned business.
Leahy: We are joined now by a new friend. The owner of a fantastic restaurant here in Nashville. Peg Leg Porker. One of the best BBQ joints in the country at 903 Gleaves Street in Nashville. And Carey Bringle is the owner. Carey, you wrote just a withering letter the other day about the government shutting you down against your constitutional rights. Tell us about your argument there Carey.
Bringle: Well Michael, I understand that the mayor is trying to keep this virus from spreading in Nashville. I get that. And understand that he’s shut the whole city down and it wasn’t just us. We’re not crazy about it but we’ve been shut down for about a month and a half right now.
We are opening up today for take-out and delivery but we still can’t have in-house dining until at the earliest next Friday under his order. It’s very frustrating. You can’t run a business with no cash flow. We still have expenses and we still have our bills with the city. (Chuckles)
Leahy: By the way, apparently he wants to raise property taxes as well.
Bringle: And so in the middle of this crisis and pandemic, he decided to announce that he wanted a 32% tax increase on our property tax. And over the last seven years, our property taxes have already gone up 1100%. We understand the area is hot and the property value has gone up but those gains on property value are only relevant if you sell your property. When I bought this property in 2012 our property taxes were $4,600. And now they are $55,000 and with the mayor’s proposed tax increase they would be $72,000 a year.
Leahy: That’s a huge increase. What sort of value are you getting from those property taxes your paying?
Bringle: Well I don’t think we’re getting much value. The city is broke. We’re four billion dollars in debt. And this tax increase is the only way that the mayor says we can make the budget. They are using this pandemic or this virus as an excuse for poor fiscal management over the last 10 years. While we’ve had to furlough 45 employees for a month a half all of the Metro employees in Nashville who are sitting at home are still collecting checks and are still on full benefits.
Leahy: Do you think the governor has the constitutional authority to shut your restaurant down and deprive you of the ability to make a living and the mayor?
Bringle: No. I don’t think that they do. They have. They’ve exercised that right that they feel like they have. I think its clear, Attorney General Barr has already telegraphed to the states and cities that they are overstepping their bounds and that the Constitution does not stop in the middle of a crisis.
Leahy: The governor has said that restaurants can open up in certain conditions in 89 of the 95 counties in the state. So this next Friday, May the 8th the safer at home rule has been extended. Restaurants cannot open for sit down dining, what are you going to do if Mayor Cooper extends that order and continues to prohibit you from making a living by saying you can’t have in-store dining on May the 8th?
Bringle: I think we’ll have to decide on May the 8th what we’re going to do. We may just have to say guess what? We’re going to get open anyway. The frustrating part right now is that neighboring counties are open for business and so we are literally watching our customers that are next door, down the street, that work downtown, get in their cars and go on a 10-minute ride down I-65 and go eat at a restaurant down in Brentwood, Williamson County instead of being able to come to our restaurant and eat.
It doesn’t make any sense. They are coming right back downtown right back to their office building and back to the same group people, they were with before. And they’ve been able to sit in a restaurant and have a meal but they can’t do it next door because of the governor’s and the mayor’s orders.
Leahy: Have been you been contacted by any constitutional attorneys who say you’ve got a good case and we’d be happy to help you file a lawsuit against the mayor if he decides not to let you open up on Friday, May the 8th?
Bringle: I haven’t been contacted by any constitutional attorneys yet. We already have a lawsuit against our insurance company for our business loss insurance that they don’t want to pay under this virus. So I don’t know if we want to embark on another lawsuit at this time. But it would be interesting to talk to somebody.
Leahy: So you’re talking about the business interruption part of your insurance policy? A lot of small businesses have been trying to do that. But they’ve been resisted by the insurance companies. Is that the particular kind of thing that you are focusing on there?
Bringle: That’s exactly what we’re focusing on. We don’t a virus clause attached to our policy. And so we do business interruption insurance. We think that this is a perfect example of an applicable case. We have in there that contamination would be a cause for a payout and also civil authority shutdown would be cause for a payout. But the insurance companies were sending notices even before anybody filed any claims that they did not intend to pay any of these claims.
Leahy: Well, I have a little bit of good news for you on that. Earlier in this program during the six o’clock hour, we spoke with Hogan Gidley and our all-star panelist Clint Brewer asked him the very question that you’re dealing with right now. Does the White House plan on addressing the failure of insurance companies to pay out business interruption claims. And guess what? The White House is looking at that.
Bringle: Well, that’s great news. We hope that they’ll address it. But we’re not going to wait around if they do address it. We’ve already filed a lawsuit in federal court against our insurance provider to force them to look at this again and pay up. They denied the claim after three days without any investigation. As they saw this coming down the pipe and they took a stance and started posturing to go ahead and deny everybody’s claims because they knew this might be a nail in the coffin business interruption insurance.
Leahy: I’m guessing you personally have put a lot of money at risk to make this business a success. When you look at this and look at the failure of the system in many regards and the government to help you succeed. How do you react to that?
Bringle: Well its frustrating Michael. You know we’ve dumped about $3.5 million worth of investments into our neighborhood and into The Gulch. Into what was once a blighted part of Nashville. We helped make it a vibrant community and it feels like one, not only like we’re being kicked while we’re down but two penalized for investing in our city which we love and being an early adopter in this neighborhood.
And so when you invest in Nashville and Nashville turns around and says we’re going to penalize you for making good choices and for taking a chance then it’s extremely frustrating. We’ve created over 50 new jobs and since 2013 we’ve collected over 1.9 million in sales and liquor tax. And we’ve paid over $560,000 in the payroll tax.
And yet our taxes on our property continue to go up. And if the mayor’s proposal is adopted our new payment for our payment will be $6,000 a month. That is $700 more than our mortgage on the property after renovation when I first opened the Peg Leg Porker.
Leahy: Carey Bringle. Peg Leg Porker. PegLegPorker.com. You are taking orders now and people can go online and order from Peg Leg Porker?
Bringle: We are. We are opening today for take-out and delivery. And if you want to to to PegLegPorker.com we will ship anywhere in the nation through Goldbelly.
Leahy: And if it’s OK with you, we’re going to make Peg Leg Porker the official BBQ restaurant of the Tennessee Star Report. How does that work?
Bringle: Thank you very much, Michael. I really appreciate your support and thanks for the call.
Listen to the full third hour here:

– – –
Tune in weekdays from 5:00 – 8:00 a.m. to the Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy on Talk Radio 98.3 FM WLAC 1510. Listen online at iHeart Radio.
Photo “Peg Leg Porker” by Peg Leg Porker.


thetennesseestar--2020-05-02--Steve Bannon Presents ‘War Room: Pandemic’

An all new LIVE STREAM of War Room : Pandemic starts at 9 a.m. Central Time on Saturday .
Former White House Chief Strategist Stephen K. Bannon began the daily War Room : Pandemic radio show and podcast on January 25 , when news of the virus was just beginning to leak out of China around the Lunar New Year .
Bannon and co-hosts bring listeners exclusive analysis and breaking updates from top medical , public health , economic , national security , supply chain and geopolitical experts weekdays from 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 noon ET .
The show ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Voice News , the John Fredericks Radio Network , Salem Media Group , and Newsmax TV and the podcast is available on Apple , Spotify , Stitcher , SoundCloud , and Google Play .
You can watch past episodes here .
Previously , Bannon hosted a series of three , two-hour long special programs entitled Descent into Hell : The Chinese People Confront the CCP .
The groundbreaking specials aired live on the John Fredericks Radio Network , America ’ s Voice Network , Dish TV Channel 219 , The Epoch Times , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Mandarin .
For more information , visit www.pandemic.warroom.org and @ WarRoomPandemic .

An all new LIVE STREAM of War Room: Pandemic starts at 9 a.m. Central Time on Saturday.
Former White House Chief Strategist Stephen K. Bannon began the daily War Room: Pandemic radio show and podcast on January 25, when news of the virus was just beginning to leak out of China around the Lunar New Year. Bannon and co-hosts bring listeners exclusive analysis and breaking updates from top medical, public health, economic, national security, supply chain and geopolitical experts weekdays from 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 noon ET.
The show’s broadcast partners are America’s Voice News, the John Fredericks Radio Network, Salem Media Group, and Newsmax TV and the podcast is available on Apple, Spotify, Stitcher, SoundCloud, and Google Play.
You can watch past episodes here.
Previously, Bannon hosted a series of three, two-hour long special programs entitled Descent into Hell: The Chinese People Confront the CCP.
The groundbreaking specials aired live on the John Fredericks Radio Network, America’s Voice Network, Dish TV Channel 219, The Epoch Times, ND TV, GTV and GNews in Mandarin.
For more information, visit www.pandemic.warroom.org and @WarRoomPandemic.