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Tennessee lawmakers send bill to ban first-cousin marriages to governor

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Tennessee lawmakers send bill to ban first-cousin marriages to governor


NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The Republican-led Tennessee Legislature has overwhelmingly voted to send GOP Gov. Bill Lee a proposal that would ban marriage between first cousins.

The House cast a 75-2 vote Thursday on the bill after the Senate previously approved it without any opposition.

But a particularly vocal opponent, Republican Rep. Gino Bulso, took up most of the debate time, as he argued for an amendment to allow first-cousin marriages if the couple first seeks counseling from a genetic counselor.

In a previous committee hearing on the bill, Bulso lightheartedly shared a story about how his grandparents were first cousins who came to the U.S. from Italy in the 1920s, then traveled from Ohio to Tennessee to get married. He and other lawmakers laughed, and Bulso voted for the bill in that committee.

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Then during Thursday’s floor debate, the socially conservative attorney argued that the risk of married cousins having a child with birth defects does not exist for gay couples. He contended there is no compelling government interest to ban same-sex cousins from getting married, saying that would run afoul of the U.S. Supreme Court’s gay marriage decision.

He also couched his argument by saying that he thought the Supreme Court decision on gay marriage was “grievously wrong.” Bulso has supported legislation aimed at the LGBTQ community. That includes a bill he is sponsoring that would largely ban displaying pride flags in public school classrooms, which civil liberties advocates have contended runs afoul of the U.S. Constitution.

“The question is, is there a public health issue with a male marrying a male first cousin?” Bulso said. “And I think the answer is no.”

Ultimately, lawmakers voted down Bulso’s amendment and approved the ban proposed by Democratic Rep. Darren Jernigan.

“I hope it’s safe to say that in 2024, we can close this loophole,” Jernigan said.

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Jernigan said a 1960 attorney general’s opinion determined that an 1820s Tennessee law restricting some marriages among relatives does not prevent first cousins from marrying. He responded to Bulso that there was no violation to the gay marriage ruling in his bill.

Republican Rep. Monty Fritts was the other lawmaker to vote against the bill.

Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.



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$660,000 Daily Tennessee Jackpot winner in La Vergne – WBBJ TV

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0,000 Daily Tennessee Jackpot winner in La Vergne – WBBJ TV


INCLUDES NEWS RELEASE FROM TENNESSEE EDUCATION LOTTERY

LOTTERY WINNER NEWS
Jan. 11, 2025

$660,000 DAILY TENNESSEE JACKPOT WINNER IN LA VERGNE

LA VERGNE– Congrats to a lucky Daily Tennessee Jackpot player in La Vergne, who won the game’s jackpot of $660,000 from the drawing held last night, Jan. 10.

The winning ticket was sold at Walmart Supercenter, 5511 Murfreesboro Road in La Vergne.

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Daily Tennessee Jackpot is a Tennessee-only game with drawings held every day. Tickets are just a dollar per play, and for an extra dollar, players can add Quick Cash for the chance to win up to $500 instantly.

No additional information is available until the prize is claimed.

About the Tennessee Education Lottery Corporation

The Tennessee Education Lottery Corporation operates from the revenue it generates through the sale of its products. Since January 20, 2004, the Lottery has raised more than $8 billion to fund designated education programs, including college grants, scholarships, and K-12 after-school programs. In addition to the educational beneficiaries, players have won more than $22 billion in prizes and Lottery retailers have earned more than $2.1 billion in commissions.

For more Tennessee news stories, click here.

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Tennessee mom loses leg in attack by her own pit bull that left limb ‘basically hanging off’

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Tennessee mom loses leg in attack by her own pit bull that left limb ‘basically hanging off’


A Tennessee mom was forced to have her leg amputated after her pit bull savagely locked its jaws around the limb, leaving it “hanging on by a thread” as she tried to break up a dogfight inside her home.

Amanda Mears, 42, was preparing to take her mixed American Pit Bull-American Staffordshire, named Dennis, out for a walk when the dog lunged at Ralphie, an American Bully, after he escaped from a bedroom where he had been kept inside her Murfreesboro home, according to The Mirror.

As Mears, a health care worker, tried to intervene in the vicious attack, Dennis clamped onto her left leg and refused to release his grip, prompting her to choke the animal with her other leg to break free.

Amanda Mears, 42, had her leg amputated after her own dog savagely locked its jaws around her limb. gofundme

“When he charged at my other dog, Ralphie, I got in between them, and that’s when Dennis latched on to my leg and would not let go,” she told the outlet of the terrifying Dec. 10 incident.

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“I was a bit scared, but I’ve broken up dog fights before, and I didn’t feel any pain because of the adrenaline. I ended up having to hook my right leg and my arms around him and choked him out to get him off me.”

She said the pit bull also bit her left hand and crushed the bone in her right arm — injuries she didn’t even realize she’d suffered amid her chaotic attempt to pry her dog’s jaws loose while also yelling at her 10-year-old son to stay in his room.

Once Mears finally broke free, she was rushed to a Nashville hospital, where her mangled leg was practically “hanging off.” Doctors told her she could either amputate the limb or undergo a series of painful surgeries over the next two years, the outlet reported.

“I wasn’t able to stand up because my leg was basically hanging off,” Mears, who has four dogs and also homes canines abandoned by their previous owners, recalled.

She said the pit bull also bit her left hand and crushed the bone in her right arm — injuries she didn’t even realize she’d suffered amid her chaotic attempt to pry her dog’s jaws loose. Facebook/Amanda Mea
Mears had her leg removed below the knee and underwent surgery on her arms. gofundme

“I decided to have my leg amputated because to save my leg, I’d have had to have 12 more surgeries over the next two years and I would be in constant pain.”

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Mears had her leg removed below the knee three days later and underwent surgery on her arms, according to a GoFundMe launched to help with her medical expenses.

She is also expected to be fitted for a prosthetic.

Mears seen with her other dog, Ralphie, after the attack by Dennis. Facebook/Amanda Mea

After spending a week in the hospital, the single mom chose to euthanize Dennis to keep her son safe.

“Dennis has always been the sweetest dog; he’d never been aggressive before,” she told the outlet.

“I decided to have Dennis put down, which was hard. He was my best friend, and I raised him from two weeks old. It was a decision that hurt, but it was not a difficult decision.”

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Tennessee football beats out Ohio State for a top transfer portal target

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Tennessee football beats out Ohio State for a top transfer portal target


COLUMBUS, Ohio — Tennessee football beat out Ohio State for transfer edge rusher Chaz Coleman, giving the Vols one of the top players in the portal.

Coleman spent one season at Penn State. With the Nittany Lions, the former four-star prospect collected eight tackles, three tackles for loss, one sack and a forced fumble in nine games.

Coleman is a native of Warren, Ohio. His offer sheet out of Harding High School included Ohio State, Missouri, Illinois, Ole Miss and Kentucky, among others.

In Coleman’s lone season at Penn State, the Nittany Lions saw a plethora of change.

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Former head coach James Franklin was fired in mid-October after a 3-3 start. After finishing the season with an interim staff, Penn State hired Matt Campbell as its next head coach.

The change in staff also led to the departure of Jim Knowles — Penn State’s defensive coordinator who served in that role at Ohio State from 2022-24. He’s not at Tennessee.



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