VOL. 39 | NO. 5 | Friday, January 30, 2015
STATE LEGISLATURE
Battle lines have been drawn for a Feb. 2 special session of the state Legislature to determine the fate of Gov. Bill Haslam’s Insure Tennessee proposal, which would use federal funds to catch some 280,000 working people falling through a health insurance coverage gap.
STREET LEVEL
Dreams, cancer, tofu, death, love, loyalty and the quest for good gut bacteria are parts of the story of the hidden little gem that is the Sunflower Café.
REALTY CHECK
My father was born (1928) and raised in Franklin, when it was a sleepy little standalone hamlet unrelated to Nashville. In the mid-90s, I met him for lunch at the Shoney’s near I-65 off of Highway 96.
REAL ESTATE
Top 2014 residential real estate transactions for Davidson, Williamson, Rutherford, Wilson and Sumner counties, as compiled by Chandler Reports.
UT SPORTS
KNOXVILLE – Galen Campbell might get to play a minute here or there as the University of Tennessee men’s basketball team pursues its surprising run toward bubble status for the NCAA tournament.
NEWSMAKERS
Stites & Harbison, PLLC veteran attorney Gregory D. Smith has been named office executive member for the firm’s Nashville office.
BEHIND THE WHEEL
Toyota’s lowest-priced car, the Yaris, is restyled inside and out for 2015, has an improved ride and adds new standard features – all for a starting retail price of less than $16,000.
GUERRILLA MARKETING
Regardless of what happens on the field, history will be made at this year’s Super Bowl of advertising – starting with a record price tag of roughly $4.5 million for a 30-second spot, a significant spike from the $4 million advertisers forked over last year.
CAREER CORNER
Hiring season is on! Chances are good you’ve been sending out your resume online for every interesting job out there. Soon, you’ll find yourself invited for in-person interviews.
THE WORLDLY INVESTOR
The stock market overreached in 2013, expecting big things from 2014. Earnings estimates for 2014 were for growth of 10 percent-plus. High expectations boosted valuations above long-term averages.
I SWEAR
I’m fortunate to count Lee Martin, assistant director of Vanderbilt University’s English Language Center, as a weekly reader. Most recently, he writes about my having written, in a recent column, “No different than watching reruns on regular TV, right?”
STATE LEGISLATURE
NASHVILLE (AP) - Six of the seven Republican senators who voted to kill Gov. Bill Haslam's proposal to extend health coverage to 280,000 low-income Tennesseans are enrolled in the state government health plan.
NASHVILLE (AP) - Gov. Bill Haslam is unsure of his next steps after fellow Republicans swiftly defeated his Insure Tennessee proposal in the Legislature this week.
NASHVILLE (AP) - Democratic state Sen. Lee Harris of Memphis has filed legislation that would use revenue from municipal red light cameras to send students to college.
COURTS
NASHVILLE (AP) — A judge's decision to seal all of the trial evidence used to convict two former Vanderbilt University football players of rape is unusual and overly broad, according to advocates for open records and the media.
REAL ESTATE
WASHINGTON (AP) — Average long-term U.S. mortgage rates fell this week, resuming their downward trend of this year after rising slightly last week. Rates are near historically low levels.
TECHNOLOGY
WASHINGTON (AP) — Declaring the Internet critical for the nation, a top U.S. regulator on Wednesday proposed an unprecedented expansion of federal power to ensure providers don't block or slow web traffic for America's countless users.
WASHINGTON (AP) — A top U.S. regulator just announced he wants more power to oversee Internet service, much in the same way that the government already regulates phone service and other public utilities. The goal is to prevent Internet service providers like AT&T, Verizon, Comcast, Sprint and T-Mobile from blocking or slowing down Web traffic, or striking deals with companies that provide content like Amazon, Google or Netflix to move their data faster than others.
HEALTH CARE
WASHINGTON (AP) — From food safety to tobacco regulation and politically charged drug approvals, Margaret Hamburg reset the course of the embattled Food and Drug Administration.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks rose broadly Thursday, helped by a 6 percent jump in the price of oil and a rise in health care stocks following Pfizer's $16 billion deal to buy drugmaker Hospira.
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. worker productivity went into reverse in the final three months of the year, while labor costs increased.
WASHINGTON (AP) — More people sought unemployment benefits last week, but the number of applicants remained near historic lows in a positive sign for job growth.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. trade deficit in December jumped to the highest level in more than two years as American exports fell and imports climbed to a record level.
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Health insurer Anthem said hackers infiltrated its computer network and gained access to personal information for "tens of millions" of customers and employees, including CEO Joseph Swedish.
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 4
STATE LEGISLATURE
NASHVILLE (AP) - Gov. Bill Haslam's proposal to extend health coverage to 280,000 low-income Tennesseans has failed during a special legislative session after nearly two years of negotiating with federal officials.
NASHVILLE (AP) - Reactions to the defeat of Republican Gov. Bill Haslam's Insure Tennessee to extend health coverage to 280,000 low-income residents:
NASHVILLE (AP) - The fate of Gov. Bill Haslam's proposal to extend health coverage to 280,000 low-income Tennesseans could be decided on Wednesday.
NASHVILLE (AP) — House Speaker Beth Harwell says that Tennessee lawmakers are unlikely to take up a gas tax increase during this year's legislative session.
STATEWIDE
SPRING HILL (AP) — Growers who want to participate in farmers markets can learn more about what it takes at six Farmers Market Boot Camp Workshops, including Clarksville and Franklin, this month in Tennessee.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Producers of Kentucky bourbon and Tennessee whiskey scored another round of U.S. sales growth in 2014, while exports topped $1 billion for the second straight year, a distilled spirits trade group said Tuesday.
NASHVILLE AREA
NASHVILLE (AP) — Tennessee Titans fans will find it easier to check scores or upload photos at LP Field with new Wi-Fi access through fiber Ethernet connections.
DOVER, Del. (AP) — A trial will be needed to resolve a dispute between former Vice President Al Gore and Al Jazeera America over tens of millions of dollars held in escrow as part of the news network's $500 million acquisition of Current TV, a Delaware judge ruled Tuesday.
HEALTH CARE
WASHINGTON (AP) — A small, influential group of Republicans in search of a replacement health care law intends to propose tax credits to help lower-income individuals and families purchase insurance, while simultaneously jettisoning the controversial coverage requirement in the current law, officials said Wednesday.
TECHNOLOGY
WASHINGTON (AP) — Declaring the Internet critical for the nation, a top U.S. regulator on Wednesday proposed an unprecedented expansion of federal power to ensure providers don't block or slow web traffic for America's countless users.
AUTO INDUSTRY
DETROIT (AP) — If it weren't for the recalls, 2014 would have been a stellar year for General Motors.
TOKYO (AP) — Toyota Motor Corp., the world's No. 1 automaker, raised its earnings forecast Wednesday after third quarter profit jumped 14 percent, boosted by a weak yen.
JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Nissan Motor Co. has declined U.S. State Department mediation of its dispute with the United Autoworkers over the union's attempts to organize a Mississippi plant.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
NEW YORK (AP) — The stock market ended an uncertain day mostly lower after the price of oil took another plunge. Stronger profits at Disney pushed its stock higher, giving the Dow Jones industrial average a small lift.
NEW YORK (AP) — Oil prices are sliding, ending a four-day rally, as the U.S. government reports that crude inventories surged last week.
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. companies hired at a solid pace last month, a private survey found, the latest sign of steady improvement in the job market.
FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — The signal from RadioShack Corp., the company that introduced the first mass-market personal computer, is fading after years of heavy losses and the suspension of its shares.
NEW YORK (AP) — Evolving shopping habits have forced yet another retailer to think outside of the box.
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 3
STATE LEGISLATURE
NASHVILLE (AP) — House Speaker Beth Harwell said Tuesday that she has offered to have her committee chairmen draw up an alternate proposal for Gov. Bill Haslam if his Insure Tennessee plan appears to be headed for defeat in the ongoing special legislative session.
NASHVILLE (AP) — A normally routine prayer in the Senate on Tuesday turned out to be anything but when a minister and activist bemoaned what she called "tyrannical" overreach from Washington.
NASHVILLE (AP) - House Republican leader Gerald McCormick said Tuesday that Gov. Bill Haslam's proposal to extend health coverage to 280,000 low-income Tennesseans would pass comfortably in a full floor vote but faces an uphill battle in legislative committees.
NASHVILLE (AP) — Republican Gov. Bill Haslam told lawmakers Monday evening that his proposal to extend health coverage to 280,000 low-income Tennesseans is needed to improve lives and fix a "broken health care system."
NASHVILLE (AP) — Opponents of Republican Gov. Bill Haslam's proposal to extend health coverage to 280,000 low-income Tennesseans are planning to protest at the legislative office complex on Tuesday.
HEALTH CARE
NASHVILLE (AP) — HCA Holdings Inc. (HCA) on Tuesday reported fourth-quarter profit of $527 million.
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Franklin-based Community Health Systems and three New Mexico hospitals have agreed to pay the federal government $75 million to settle allegations in a Medicaid false-claims case that stemmed from a whistleblower's complaints.
AUTO INDUSTRY
DETROIT (AP) — With low interest rates and cheaper gasoline to motivate them, and no polar vortex to keep them home, consumers went car-shopping in a big way in January.
REAL ESTATE
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. home values rose at a modest pace in December, a sign there are too few potential buyers to bid up prices.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
NEW YORK (AP) — Oil soared again Tuesday as the low prices of the past few months force oil companies to slow down production in the U.S. and elsewhere.
NEW YORK (AP) — A jump in oil prices helped push U.S. stocks indexes sharply higher for a second day on Tuesday, erasing much of their losses from the start of the year.
WASHINGTON (AP) — More than six years after the financial crisis struck, credit rating giant Standard & Poor's will be paying a hefty $1.38 billion penalty for its role in fueling the subprime mortgage meltdown. But that doesn't mean it can't happen again.
NEW YORK (AP) — Coke is coming out with premium milk that has more protein and less sugar than regular. And it's betting people will pay twice as much for it.
LONDON (AP) — Oil giant BP reported a loss Tuesday of $4.4 billion for the fourth quarter of 2014, as oil prices plunged.
NATIONAL POLITICS
WASHINGTON (AP) — With the recent dip in oil prices, the Environmental Protection Agency wants the State Department to "revisit" how much of a toll the Keystone XL oil pipeline would have on global warming.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Boosting tax credits for the working poor emerged as one area of common ground as administration officials testified Tuesday on President Barack Obama's budget for 2016.
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 2
STATE LEGISLATURE
NASHVILLE (AP) — Republican Gov. Bill Haslam told lawmakers Monday evening that his proposal to extend health coverage to 280,000 low-income Tennesseans is needed to improve lives and fix a "broken health care system."
NASHVILLE (AP) — As Gov. Bill Haslam's Insure Tennessee proposal to cover 280,000 low-income people heads into a special legislative session Monday, here are five lawmakers who are playing key roles in the debate.
MURFREESBORO (AP) — A poll shows that two-thirds of Tennesseans haven't heard much about Gov. Bill Haslam's plan to extend health coverage to more than 280,000 low-income residents. But the MTSU Poll indicates support significantly outweighs opposition among people familiar with the plan.
STATEWIDE
NASHVILLE (AP) - Tennessee's Achievement School District, the agency charged with turning around Tennessee's lowest performing schools, wants to start recruiting students.
NASHVILLE AREA
NASHVILLE (AP) - President Barack Obama's budget proposal includes $181.5 million for a new federal courthouse in Nashville.
NASHVILLE (AP) — Nashville-based HCA has a new chief operating officer, Sam Hazen, a 32-year veteran of HCA.
MIDSTATE
VICKSBURG, Miss. (AP) — Vicksburg's River Region Medical Center and five other hospitals and 36 affiliated clinics purchased a year ago by Franklin-based Community Health Systems have formed Merit Health.
TECHNOLOGY
NEW YORK (AP) — Apple is planning another large bond sale at a time when investors are paying near record premiums for high-quality bonds.
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Technology's big-spending trio of Google, Facebook, and Amazon.com appear to be tightening their belts — at least a notch — in a concession to cost-conscious investors and a strong dollar that's taking a big bite out of their revenue.
HEALTH CARE
WASHINGTON (AP) — With patients facing more exposure to the cost of revolutionary new medications, the budget President Barack Obama released Monday reopened a debate on whether government should use its buying power to squeeze the pharmaceutical industry for lower prices.
AUTO INDUSTRY
DETROIT (AP) — More than 1,100 claims were filed in the week before Saturday's deadline to seek payments from the General Motors ignition switch compensation fund. So far, 51 death and 77 injury claims have been granted.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
NEW YORK (AP) — A late rally led by energy companies pushed U.S. stock indexes to a higher close.
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. construction spending accelerated in December as building activity increased for new houses and government-backed highways.
WASHINGTON (AP) — US factories expanded last month at the slowest pace in a year, as orders, production, and hiring all declined. The figures suggested manufacturing may not add much to growth in the first few months of 2015.
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. consumer spending slipped in December, as the pace of motor vehicle sales slowed and more Americans saved their money.
NEW YORK (AP) — If you're talking about Super Bowl ads with co-workers on Monday, you're not alone.
NEW YORK (AP) — Forget slapstick and sex in Super Bowl ads: This year, serious was the name of the game.
NATIONAL POLITICS
WASHINGTON (AP) — Promising to help America's middle class, President Barack Obama on Monday sent Congress a record $4 trillion budget that would hammer corporate profits overseas and raise taxes on the wealthy while boosting tax credits for families and the working poor.
FRIDAY, JANUARY 30
MUSIC INDUSTRY
NEW YORK (AP) — Miranda Lambert is continuing her reign as contemporary country queen with eight nominations at this year's Academy of Country Music Awards.
STATE LEGISLATURE
MURFREESBORO (AP) — Gov. Bill Haslam has finally found a Senate sponsor for his Insure Tennessee proposal just days before the start of a special legislative session to take up the matter.
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.
STATEWIDE
FRANKLIN (AP) — State officials are joining the Tennessee Titans in urging folks to not drink and drive Super Bowl weekend.
COURTS
WASHINGTON (AP) — A Colorado man accused of operating a "revenge porn" website has settled with federal regulators who said he broke the law by posting nude pictures of women without their consent or knowledge.
TECHNOLOGY
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Google has turned into a stock market laggard as the shift to mobile devices has lowered the Internet search leader's digital ad prices and the company's expensive investments in far-out technology has trimmed its profit margins.
NEW YORK (AP) — Shares of Amazon.com jumped over 8 percent in aftermarket trading after the e-commerce giant beat quarterly profit expectations by a mile.
AUTO INDUSTRY
WASHINGTON (AP) — The chances of a driver dying in a crash in a late-model car or light truck fell by more than a third over three years, and nine car models had zero deaths per million registered vehicles, according to a study by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
WASHINGTON (AP) — There's a good reason the U.S. economy is impressing the world right now despite a slowdown in the final three months of 2014: In a word, steadiness.
NEW YORK (AP) — The stock market is sagging at the close as investors weigh a slowdown in the U.S. economy and corporate earnings.
NEW YORK (AP) — The price of oil is up 7 percent on indications that production in the U.S. has slowed following the big drop in prices since last June.
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. consumers are more confident than they've been since January 2004.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. economy slowed in the final three months of 2014, but a burst in consumer spending and the prospect of continued low energy prices are bolstering confidence that growth will strengthen this year.
NEW YORK (AP) — It's just a forecast, and for only one of 10 industry groups in the stock market. Yet it has almost singlehandedly turned what had been a strong earnings season into a weak one.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Wages and benefits rose at slightly healthier rate last year, a sign strong job gains could be forcing companies to pay a bit more for workers.
EL SEGUNDO, Calif. (AP) — Slumping sales of Barbie did little to bring a happy holiday to her maker, Mattel Inc.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The American public and U.S. scientists are light-years apart on science issues. And 98 percent of surveyed scientists say it's a problem that we don't know what they're talking about.
NEW YORK (AP) — The plunge in oil has crushed the Russian ruble, erased $80 billion from Exxon Mobil's market value and pushed Venezuela to the brink of economic collapse.
BRIDGEPORT, Conn. (AP) — A Venezuelan hedge fund manager has been sentenced to 13 years in prison for running a massive Connecticut-based investment fraud scheme that involved hundreds of millions of dollars.
NATIONAL POLITICS
WASHINGTON (AP) — The deficit is dead. Long live the deficit.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The House will vote next week to repeal the health care law Republicans have vowed to undo. They'll also direct work to start on a replacement bill the GOP promised more than four years ago.
STATEWIDE
NASHVILLE (AP) - A new poll by Middle Tennessee State University shows overwhelming support for Gov. Bill Haslam's program to make community college and technical schools free for upcoming graduates.