VOL. 39 | NO. 4 | Friday, January 23, 2015
REAL ESTATE
Top 2014 residential real estate transactions for Davidson, Williamson, Rutherford, Wilson and Sumner counties, as compiled by Chandler Reports.
Top December 2014 residential real estate transactions for Davidson, Williamson, Rutherford, Wilson and Sumner counties, as compiled by Chandler Reports.
IN THE WEEDS
Claiming table before ordering messes with the math
It’s 7 p.m. on Friday night at Hattie B’s Hot Chicken in Midtown, and the line to order curls out the front door and stretches down the sidewalk.
TENNESSEE TITANS
As Eddie George neared the end of his nine seasons in the NFL, the running back began pondering his next play.
UT SPORTS
KNOXVILLE – Jack Jones didn’t want to waste any time getting started with his football career at the University of Tennessee, so he graduated in December from Murfreesboro Oakland High School.
NEWSMAKERS
Argent Trust Company has announced the election of Charles D. Wade as president of the Tennessee-based subsidiary of Argent Financial Group.
BEHIND THE WHEEL
In a year when attention is focused on big, full-size pickup trucks, the revamped-for-2015 Chevrolet Colorado arrives as a fine, mid-size pickup that’s arguably the first major redesign in the smaller truck segment in a decade.
BUSINESS BOOK REVIEW
Down. That’s your computer now, and thus your productivity and probably your mood. You can’t get anything done, can’t check Facebook, can’t even surf the web for funny pictures of cats. What did you do with your time before you got a computer? Good question but, according to Andrew Keen, “The Internet is NOT the Answer.”
GUERRILLA MARKETING
Architects, lawyers, engineers, accountants and consultants: I am betting you didn’t get into the professional services field because you have a natural affinity for sales.
CAREER CORNER
On a recent Sunday night, while relaxing and watching the Golden Globe Awards, I received a text from a friend stating: “I spent some time today figuring out a new video software.” And, it had a link to a fun, short video.
I SWEAR
Wikipedia indicates that a song written by Fats Domino and Dave Bartholomew “charted #7 on the Billboard R&B charts and #14 on the Billboard pop charts” in 1960.
KAY'S COOKING CORNER
Well, the time has come – it’s moving week. By this time Saturday, we’ll be in our new home.
STATE LEGISLATURE
NASHVILLE (AP) - Tennessee lawmakers are turning to the federal government for help with a task that might seem self-contradictory - keeping the federal government at bay.
COURTS
NASHVILLE (AP) — A task force formed by Gov. Bill Haslam meets Thursday in Nashville to examine Tennessee's sentencing structure and examine ways to reduce the state's high recidivism rate.
STATEWIDE
NASHVILLE (AP) — Tennessee's Department of Agriculture says it is accepting applications from those interested in growing industrial hemp.
NASHVILLE (AP) — Republican Gov. Bill Haslam is wrapping up his statewide tour on Thursday seeking to drum up support for his Insure Tennessee proposal.
REAL ESTATE
WASHINGTON (AP) — Average long-term U.S. mortgage rates rose slightly this week after four straight weeks of declines, while remaining near historically low levels.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Fewer Americans signed contracts to buy homes in December, a sign that low mortgage rates have yet to coax more buyers into the market.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
WASHINGTON (AP) — Never mind dropping oil prices. U.S. producers are pushing harder than ever for the right to sell U.S. crude oil overseas.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The number of people seeking unemployment aid plunged last week to the lowest level in almost 15 years, a sign hiring will likely remain healthy.
Major stock indexes drifted mostly higher in midday trading Thursday as investors sifted through a mix of corporate earnings and economic news. Energy stocks were among the biggest decliners as oil prices extended their slide.
DEARBORN, Mich. (AP) — Ford's net income tumbled in the fourth quarter as the company took an expected charge to deal with its struggling Venezuelan operations.
NEW YORK (AP) — Chinese e-commerce powerhouse Alibaba's Group reported adjusted fourth-quarter earnings that beat expectations as its user base continued to grow and shoppers bought more on mobile phones.
NATIONAL POLITICS
BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — Oil pipeline accidents have become increasingly frequent in the U.S. as Congress pushes for approval of the Keystone XL pipeline — a project that would pass near the spot where 30,000 gallons of crude spilled into Montana's Yellowstone River earlier this month.
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 28
STATE LEGISLATURE
NASHVILLE (AP) - Projections for enrollment in Gov. Bill Haslam's proposal to cover low-income Tennesseans have been revised upward to 280,000 people in the first year.
STATEWIDE
NASHVILLE (AP) - The Tennessee Highway Patrol is accepting applications for the 2015 Citizens' Trooper Academy in March.
MIDSTATE
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Brown-Forman Corp. has announced a new executive has been named to lead its Jack Daniel's Brands.
HEALTH CARE
WASHINGTON (AP) — More than 6 in 10 Americans would want Congress to restore federal financial assistance for millions buying health care coverage under President Barack Obama's health care law if the Supreme Court invalidates some of those government subsidies, a poll said Wednesday.
TECHNOLOGY
NEW YORK (AP) — For the seventh quarter in a row Facebook beat profit and revenue forecasts, continuing to win more mobile advertising revenue as most users shift to using the site on smartphones and other portable devices.
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Apple CEO Tim Cook says consumer demand for new iPhones has been "staggering" and "hard to comprehend." That helped the company report record-smashing earnings for its latest quarter and sent the stock climbing more than 7 percent on Wednesday.
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer is losing a precious security blanket now that she is spinning off the Internet company's prized stake in China's Alibaba Group.
AUTO INDUSTRY
DETROIT (AP) — Nissan is recalling nearly 768,000 SUVs worldwide to fix faulty hood latches and electrical shorts that could cause fires.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
WASHINGTON (AP) — Standard & Poor's is close to a $1.37 billion settlement with the Obama administration and U.S. states over allegations it knowingly inflated its ratings of risky mortgage investments that helped trigger the financial crisis.
The Federal Reserve's latest take on the U.S. economy got investors in a selling mood Wednesday, as stocks fell sharply for the second straight day.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Federal Reserve reiterated Wednesday that it will be "patient" in raising interest rates from record lows even as the U.S. economy moves steadily closer to full health.
NATIONAL POLITICS
WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House said Tuesday it is dropping a proposal to scale back the tax benefits of college savings plans amid a backlash from both Republicans and Democrats.
TUESDAY, JANUARY 27
NASHVILLE AREA
NASHVILLE (AP) - Google is bringing its ultra-fast fiber optic service, with Internet speeds at more than 50 times the national broadband average, to Nashville and three other metro areas in the Southeast.
STATE LEGISLATURE
NASHVILLE (AP) — Federal Medicaid officials and the state's attorney general on Tuesday confirmed that Tennessee could end Gov. Bill Haslam's proposal to cover 200,000 low-income people without penalty.
STATEWIDE
NASHVILLE (AP) — Federal Medicaid officials and the state's attorney general on Tuesday confirmed that Tennessee could end Gov. Bill Haslam's proposal to cover 200,000 low-income people without penalty.
TECHNOLOGY
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Microsoft shares plunged 10 percent Tuesday after the software giant reported quarterly revenue that beat expectations but warned that a weak PC market and a strong dollar will curb growth this year. Many analysts slashed price targets on the stock and some cut their Buy ratings to Hold.
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Facebook said the outage that made its social media sites inaccessible worldwide for about an hour Tuesday was self-inflicted.
AUTO INDUSTRY
DETROIT (AP) — Audi, Volkswagen and Porsche are recalling more than 80,000 cars and SUVs worldwide to fix fuel leak problems.
REAL ESTATE
WASHINGTON (AP) — Sales of new U.S. homes accelerated strongly in December, a sign that home-buying may improve this year after a lackluster 2014.
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. home prices rose at a modest pace in November, held back by weaker sales and a limited number of available houses.
HEALTH CARE
WASHINGTON (AP) — Some 9.5 million people have already signed up for 2015 coverage under President Barack Obama's health care law, and the administration is on track to surpass its nationwide enrollment target set last year.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
U.S. stocks slumped Tuesday after some of the market's largest companies reported disappointing earnings, taking investors on a turbulent ride that deepened the losses for the year.
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. consumers welcomed the new year with a surge in confidence.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Orders for long-lasting manufactured goods dropped sharply in December, dragged lower by a big decline in demand for commercial aircraft.
FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — American Airlines is logging record profits and rewarding shareholders just one year removed from bankruptcy court and a big merger.
PEORIA, Ill. (AP) — Caterpillar took a hit in the fourth quarter from restructuring costs and the heavy machinery maker issued a weak outlook for 2015, citing the tumbling price of commodities.
NATIONAL POLITICS
WASHINGTON (AP) — A senior Democratic senator's complaints Tuesday, and noisy protesters, underscored the Obama administration's challenge in seeking congressional approval for enhanced powers to cut trade deals with Japan, Australia and many other countries.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Obama administration floated a plan Tuesday that for the first time would open up a broad swath of the Atlantic Coast to drilling, even as it moved to restrict drilling indefinitely in environmentally-sensitive areas off Alaska.
MONDAY, JANUARY 26
NASHVILLE AREA
NASHVILLE (AP) — An overnight fire has gutted a historic chapel at a Nashville cemetery.
STATEWIDE
NASHVILLE (AP) - About 90 percent of Tennessee's senior class has applied for the first year of Tennessee Promise, the program that offers eligible high school seniors the chance to go to a community college or technical college tuition-free.
NASHVILLE (AP) - Republican Gov. Bill Haslam is making six more stops around the state to promote his Insure Tennessee plan to extend health coverage to more than 200,000 low-income people.
HEALTH CARE
WASHINGTON (AP) — Medicare will change the way it pays hospitals and doctors to reward quality over volume, the Obama administration said Monday, in a shift that officials hope will be a catalyst for the nation's $3-trillion health care system.
AUTO INDUSTRY
DETROIT (AP) — With only five days left before the deadline to seek payments, compensation expert Kenneth Feinberg has decided that 50 death cases are eligible for money due to crashes caused by faulty General Motors ignition switches.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Federal Reserve ended 2014 with a pledge to be "patient" in raising interest rates from record lows. The way things are going, its patience may endure for a long while.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Rising sales helped boost hiring at U.S. businesses in the last three months of 2014, and companies are optimistic that continued improvement in business conditions will bring increased employment and wages in the current quarter, a new survey shows.
U.S. stocks eked out tiny gains on Monday after spending much of the day drifting sideways.
CAMARILLO, Calif. (AP) — The average price of a regular gallon of gas dropped 13 cents in the past two weeks to $2.07, but it could soon rise.
Businesses large and small are feeling the effects of a huge snowstorm sweeping into the Northeast Monday. For some, wintry weather is derailing activity: Airlines canceled thousands of flights. Car dealers expect to lose a couple sales days. Others are enjoying sales bumps, as shoppers stock up on shovels and other winter gear — and snow day snacks.
BRUSSELS (AP) — The election in Greece of a radical party that wants to overhaul the country's bailout program raises new uncertainties for the eurozone. But several European creditor nations hinted they will seek a compromise deal to avoid disastrous scenarios, like Greece falling out of the euro.
NATIONAL POLITICS
WASHINGTON (AP) — Solid economic growth will help the federal budget deficit shrink this year to its lowest level since President Barack Obama took office, according to congressional estimates released Monday.
WASHINGTON (AP) — This should be a golden era for tea party conservatives, whose energies helped Republicans gain a historic House majority and take control of the Senate. But the House's die-hard conservatives face new frustrations and uncertainty, thanks to a higher number of establishment-friendly Republicans and a leadership push to "show we can govern" instead of throwing partisan brickbats.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Winners by far in last fall's elections, Republicans now demand bipartisanship from President Barack Obama as their due and the voters' desire.
FRIDAY, JANUARY 23
STATEWIDE
NASHVILLE (AP) — Tennessee's unemployment rate for December was 6.6 percent, two-tenths of one percentage point lower than the previous month.
NASHVILLE AREA
NASHVILLE (AP) — Nashville's Metro Transit Authority is officially abandoning a $175 million bus rapid transit project that had attracted vocal opposition.
Nashville communications firms DVL Public Relations & Advertising and Seigenthaler Public Relations, Inc., have been purchased by global agency Finn Partners.
NEW YORK (AP) — The battle over dollar stores is nearly over. Family Dollar shareholders voted on Thursday to approve a takeover bid by rival Dollar Tree, despite higher competing offers from Goodlettsville-based Dollar General.
MIDSTATE
WYOMING, Mich. (AP) — A Tennessee-based company is taking a significant financial interest in a health system that includes a 208-bed hospital in western Michigan.
STATE LEGISLATURE
NASHVILLE (AP) - State House Republican Caucus Chairman Glen Casada, a staunch opponent of Gov. Bill Haslam's proposal to extend health coverage to 200,000 low-income Tennesseans, on Friday decried what he called "dishonest scare tactics" by a conservative group running radio ads targeting GOP lawmakers.
NASHVILLE (AP) - A co-sponsor of legislation to repeal Tennessee's Common Core standards said Thursday the measure is likely to change after discussions with teachers and other educators who say the higher benchmarks in English and math are helping students.
COURTS
NASHVILLE (AP) - A woman visiting an inmate at a privately run Tennessee prison says guards forced her to expose her genitals to prove she was menstruating when she tried to take a sanitary napkin into the facility, according to a lawsuit filed Thursday.
AUTO INDUSTRY
DETROIT (AP) — In an effort to better compete with BMW and Mercedes, Cadillac wants about 700 smaller U.S. dealers to create "boutique" stores that focus on the General Motors luxury brand.
REAL ESTATE
WASHINGTON (AP) — More Americans purchased homes in December, yet total sales slipped in 2014 as first-time buyers struggled to find houses.
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. home rental prices continued to climb at a modest pace in December, but rapidly escalating costs in cities such as San Francisco and Denver suggest that apartment dwellers are facing more financial pressure.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Average long-term U.S. mortgage rates fell for the fourth straight week, with the benchmark 30-year rate again marking its lowest level since May 2013. The average for a 15-year mortgage, a popular choice for people who are refinancing, slipped further below 3 percent.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
WASHINGTON (AP) — An index designed to predict the future health of the U.S. economy posted a fourth straight solid gain in December.
NEW YORK (AP) — A batch of mixed earnings reports Friday helped push the stock market to its first day of losses this week.
NEW YORK (AP) — Oil prices rose initially on news of the death of Saudi Arabia's powerful King Abdullah, but the increase was moderate and short-lived.
NEW YORK (AP) — Apparently, airline passengers aren't buying enough garden gnomes, superhero pajamas and heated cat shelters. SkyMall has filed for bankruptcy.
NEW YORK (AP) — Expedia has acquired travel booking site Travelocity from the Sabre Corp. for $280 million in cash.
NEW YORK (AP) — The huge cost of ensuring timely deliveries cost UPS during the holidays and the shipping company is now cutting its outlook for the year.
OAK BROOK, Ill. (AP) — McDonald's isn't lovin' it, and it's going to do something about it.
FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — The European Central Bank on Thursday launched its most aggressive effort to date to revive the region's ailing economy — a program to buy 1.1 trillion euros in government and private bonds starting in March.
NATIONAL POLITICS
WASHINGTON (AP) — The most conservative lawmakers in the House Republican majority have gotten their way a lot in recent years. That may be starting to change.
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama has a telling hit list.
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama's proposal to scale back the tax benefits of college savings accounts is running into opposition from Republicans in Congress who say they have no intention of raising taxes on families trying to save money for their children's education.