VOL. 42 | NO. 1 | Friday, January 5, 2018
TIM GHIANNI: STREET LEVEL
Abdul and Rahima Ata’s sons focus on the future as they toil to keep the family business operating at the corner of Benton and Bransford avenues – literally across the street and downhill from the State Fairgrounds gates nearest the planned Major League Soccer stadium.
RICHARD COURTNEY: REALTY CHECK
Realtors have no choice but to look forward as the new year begins. It would be more pleasant looking back at 2017 since the year was filled with thousands of closings, each with its own drama, turmoil, and excitement. But that always goes with the residential real estate territory.
TERRY McCORMICK: TENNESSEE TITANS
There is some irony in the Tennessee Titans’ going to the “Show-Me State” for a first-round playoff game against the Kansas City Chiefs.
First down: Don’t be just happy to be there. The Titans have precious few players who have played in a postseason game. Even veterans like Derrick Morgan and Jurrell Casey are tasting the playoffs for the first time. They will have to survive the early jitters and realize it is just another football game (albeit with higher stakes) and go out and take care of business.
NEWSMAKERS
Eric Keen, a general partner at Council Capital, has joined CapStar Bank’s Healthcare Advisory Council.
BEHIND THE WHEEL
We are in a new era of car safety: The focus has shifted from reducing death and injury in a vehicle collision to preventing a crash from happening in the first place. Safety features designed to avoid accidents are becoming increasingly common in new cars.
BRIEFS
Brentwood-based Commerce Union Bancshares, Inc. changed its name to Reliant Bancorp, as of the last day of 2017.
BUSINESS BOOK REVIEW
Things are going to be different around here this year.
CAREER CORNER
If 2017 left you feeling disappointed at work, today is the perfect day to start turning things around for 2018.
NASHVILLE AREA
NASHVILLE (AP) — A Tennessee university has canceled a Republican candidate for governor's summit amid criticisms that its speakers were anti-Muslim.
STATEWIDE
MEMPHIS (AP) — A group of sanitation workers whose strike 50 years ago brought civil rights icon Martin Luther King Jr. to Memphis, Tennessee, is being honored.
COURTS
MEMPHIS (AP) — Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam has appointed a veteran prosecutor to serve as a criminal court judge in the county that includes Memphis.
REAL ESTATE
WASHINGTON (AP) — The cost of borrowing money to buy a home rose slightly this week, but remains historically low.
EDUCATION
WASHINGTON (AP) — Too often, low-income, black and Latino students end up in schools with crumbling walls, old textbooks and unqualified teachers, according to a report released Thursday by the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks recovered from their first wobble of the year and climbed on Thursday. Energy stocks led the way after oil climbed to its highest price since 2014.
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — State and local governments have been more than happy to play up the amenities they think make their locations the best choice for Amazon's second headquarters. But many of them will not disclose the tax breaks or other financial incentives they are offering the online giant.
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. wholesale prices fell 0.1 percent in December, led by cheaper food and lower shipping costs.
BENTONVILLE, Ark. (AP) — Walmart, the world's largest private employer, is boosting its starting salary for U.S. workers to $11 an hour, giving a one-time cash bonus of up to $1,000 to eligible employees and expanding its maternity and parental leave benefits.
NATIONAL POLITICS
WASHINGTON (AP) — In a major policy shift that could affect millions of low-income people, the Trump administration said Thursday it is offering a path for states that want to seek work requirements on Medicaid recipients.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Opposition to the Trump administration's plan to expand offshore drilling is mounting as Democrats from coastal states accuse President Donald Trump of punishing states with Democratic leaders and a second Republican governor asks to withdraw his state from the plan.
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 10
STATE LEGISLATURE
NASHVILLE (AP) — Election-minded Tennessee Senate Republicans say they want to tout their accomplishments more effectively amid their party's potential to divide over national politics.
MUSIC INDUSTRY
MEMPHIS (AP) — Mavis Staples, Taj Mahal and the North Mississippi All-Stars are among the nominees for this year's Blues Music Awards in Tennessee.
JACKSON (AP) — Singer and songwriter Denise LaSalle, whose hit "Trapped by a Thing Called Love" topped the R&B charts in 1971, has died. She was 78.
SPORTS
NASHVILLE (AP) — Tennessee coach Mike Mularkey says running back DeMarco Murray will not play against the New England Patriots in the AFC divisional round.
NASHVILLE (AP) — Viktor Arvidsson and the Nashville Predators cruised into their bye week with another win against the Edmonton Oilers.
COURTS
CHATTANOOGA (AP) — Jurors in the fraud trial of former executives at the truck stop chain Pilot Flying J have heard a portion of secret recordings that include one of the defendants saying the n-word.
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A federal judge on Tuesday night temporarily blocked the Trump administration's decision to end a program protecting young immigrants from deportation.
AUTO INDUSTRY
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Japanese automakers Toyota and Mazda on Wednesday announced plans to build a huge $1.6 billion joint-venture plant in Alabama that will eventually employ about 4,000 people.
TECHNOLOGY
LAS VEGAS (AP) — The flash of the CES technology show in Las Vegas is all about robots, drones and smart gadgets. But its subtext is all about Google versus Amazon.
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Today's vision of a smart home has more to do with what's technologically possible than what people really need.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
NEW YORK (AP) — The stock market's fantastic start to 2018 stalled on Wednesday after real-estate companies and other dividend payers sank on concerns about rising interest rates.
NEW YORK (AP) — President Donald Trump's biggest lender won't have to give up a part of its business as punishment stemming from a criminal conviction thanks to a temporary reprieve from the administration.
NEW YORK (AP) — Diet Coke is getting a makeover to try to invigorate the sugar-free soda's slumping sales.
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Two U.S. lawmakers are asking federal regulators to open an investigation into stock sales that reaped a $25 million profit for Intel's CEO several weeks before the company disclosed a serious security flaw threatening millions of computers, phones and other devices.
GENEVA (AP) — Organizers of the World Economic Forum say U.S. President Donald Trump's upcoming visit to its annual conference in Davos, Switzerland, will allow participants "to get a direct perspective on U.S. political and economic priorities."
NEW YORK (AP) — Sears has secured more financing, and is eying more cost cutting, as the beleaguered retailer reported a big sales drop during the critical holiday season.
NATIONAL POLITICS
WASHINGTON (AP) — In the early days of the Trump administration, the head of one of America's largest coal companies sent a four-page "action plan" to the White House calling for rollbacks of Obama-era environmental and mine safety regulations.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Democrats from coastal states accused the Trump administration of punishing states with Democratic leaders after the administration said it would block oil drilling off Florida's coast following objections from that state's Republican governor.
WASHINGTON (AP) — A new report by Senate Democrats warns of deepening Russian interference throughout Europe and concludes that even as some Western democracies have responded with aggressive countermeasures, President Donald Trump has offered no strategic plan to bolster their efforts or safeguard the U.S. from again falling victim to the Kremlin's systematic meddling.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Bargainers seeking a bipartisan immigration accord planned talks as soon as Wednesday as President Donald Trump and leading lawmakers sought to parlay an extraordinary White House meeting into momentum for resolving a politically blistering issue.
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is getting his first medical checkup since taking office, a head-to-toe exam on Friday as questions swirl about the health and fitness of the oldest person ever elected to the nation's highest office. In advance, the 71-year-old president has pushed back vigorously against suggestions he's mentally unfit, declaring himself "a very stable genius."
TUESDAY, JANUARY 9
SPORTS
NASHVILLE (AP) — The Nashville Predators have signed a trio of defensemen to contract extensions — Yannick Weber, Matt Irwin and Anthony Bitetto.
STATE LEGISLATURE
Lt. Gov. Randy McNally (R-Oak Ridge) today announced state Senate committee assignment changes for the second annual session of the 110th General Assembly.
NASHVILLE (AP) — Tennessee lawmakers are returning for a legislative session colored by upcoming elections, House Speaker Beth Harwell's bid for governor and Republican Gov. Bill Haslam's final lap before he hits his term limits.
MIDSTATE
NASHVILLE (AP) — Eminem, The Killers, Muse, Future, Bassnectar and Sturgill Simpson lead the lineup for this year's Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival.
MUSIC INDUSTRY
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — A fiddle believed to be once owned by the late country music star Roy Acuff is back with its owners after it was accidentally donated to a Goodwill store in Missouri.
COURTS
NASHVILLE (AP) — A federal appeals court dealt abortion opponents and state elections officials a victory Tuesday by ruling that Tennessee won't have to recount votes on a constitutional amendment passed in 2014 that allows tougher abortion restrictions.
STATEWIDE
NASHVILLE (AP) — An average of three people died by suicide each day in Tennessee in 2016, the highest recorded in the state in more than 35 years.
NASHVILLE (AP) — Col. Jason Glass is the new assistant adjutant general for the Tennessee Air National Guard.
HEALTH CARE
WASHINGTON (AP) — Empowering Medicare to negotiate drug prices could leave patients with reduced access to medications, President Donald Trump's pick for health secretary warned Tuesday.
TECHNOLOGY
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Intel has big plans to steer toward new business in self-driving cars, virtual reality and other cutting-edge technologies. But first it has to pull out of a skid caused by a serious security flaw in its processor chips, which undergird many of the world's smartphones and personal computers.
LAS VEGAS (AP) — The smartphones and other small machines that used to dominate the annual CES gadget show have been overshadowed in recent years by bigger mobile devices: namely, automobiles.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks pushed further into record territory Tuesday, and the Standard & Poor's 500 index's immaculate start to the year extended to a sixth day.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The World Bank is predicting that the global economy will grow 3.1 percent this year, which would be its best showing in seven years. The United States, the world's largest economy, is expected to receive a boost from the $1.5 trillion tax cut package Congress approved last month.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Employers posted fewer open jobs in November, the second straight month of decline after openings reached a record high in September.
NEW YORK (AP) — Target leveraged its stores as delivery centers, helping to boost sales during the critical holiday period.
NEW YORK (AP) — Natural grocery chain Sprouts is teaming up with Instacart to expand its delivery options, a strategy many chains have been racing to adopt since Amazon's purchase of Whole Foods last year.
NATIONAL POLITICS
WASHINGTON (AP) — Special counsel Robert Mueller's team of investigators has expressed interest in speaking with President Donald Trump as part of a probe into potential coordination between Russia and the Trump campaign, a person familiar with the matter said Monday.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration's decision to end special protections for about 200,0000 Salvadoran immigrants raises the possibility they will be forced to abandon their roots in the U.S. and return to a violent homeland they have not known for years, even decades.
NASHVILLE (AP) — Connecting with rural Americans, President Donald Trump on Monday hailed his tax overhaul as a victory for family farmers and pitched his vision to expand access to broadband internet, a cornerstone of economic development in the nation's heartland.
NASHVILLE (AP) — President Donald Trump is misstating the size of his tax cuts.
MONDAY, JANUARY 8
STATE LEGISLATURE
NASHVILLE (AP) — Tennessee lawmakers are returning for a legislative session colored by upcoming elections, House Speaker Beth Harwell's bid for governor and Republican Gov. Bill Haslam's final lap before he hits his term limits.
NASHVILLE AREA
NASHVILLE (AP) — President Donald Trump pitched his efforts to help rural America, promoting his tax overhaul law and economic development plans on a visit to Nashville on Monday. He's also reserving a seat at the national college football championship game.
SPORTS
NASHVILLE (AP) — Go ahead and pick against the Tennessee Titans. Count them out against the New England Patriots or call them the ugliest team left in the NFL playoffs.
NASHVILLE (AP) — Tennessee owner Amy Adams Strunk shot down speculation that Mike Mularkey's job is at risk, saying her coach is going nowhere after helping change the Titans' culture and getting their first playoff victory in 14 years.
KNOXVILLE (AP) — Tennessee junior defensive tackle Kahlil McKenzie has posted on Instagram that he's entering the NFL draft.
COURTS
NASHVILLE (AP) — The U.S. Department of Justice is adding four new federal prosecutors in Tennessee as part of steps to combat violent crime.
HEALTH CARE
WASHINGTON (AP) — Democrats are shifting to offense on health care, emboldened by successes in defending the Affordable Care Act. They say their ultimate goal is a government guarantee of affordable coverage for all.
TECHNOLOGY
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Toyota says it's developing self-driving mini-buses that can serve as bite-sized stores.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
NEW YORK (AP) — The stock market's perfect start to the year rolled on, and the Standard & Poor's 500 index shook off a bit of weakness on Monday to tick further into record territory.
WASHINGTON (AP) — With three strong hurricanes, wildfires, hail, flooding, tornadoes and drought, the United States tallied a record high bill last year for weather disasters: $306 billion.
NEW YORK (AP) — With new options and conveniences, there's never been a better time for shoppers. As for workers ... well, not always.
PARIS (AP) — France's top women's rights official says the government is working on a "tough, concrete" plan to make companies more transparent about the pay gap between men and women.
NATIONAL POLITICS
WASHINGTON (AP) — While speaking in defense of his mental capabilities, President Donald Trump said the question of collusion between his 2016 campaign and Russians is a dead issue, which it isn't. He also said the mandate to buy health insurance or pay a fine is gone — another premature death announcement.
FRIDAY, JANUARY 5
STATE LEGISLATURE
CLEVELAND (AP) — State Rep. Kevin Brooks has announced that he won't seek re-election because he is running for mayor of Cleveland, Tennessee.
STATEWIDE
NASHVILLE (AP) — So long, Emma. The name Ava is now the most popular for girls born in Tennessee.
MEMPHIS (AP) — Lewis Randolph Donelson III, who helped shape the modern Republican Party in Tennessee and co-founded Memphis law firm Baker Donelson, died Thursday, according a statement from the firm. He was 100 years old.
NASHVILLE (AP) — The Latest on fundraising totals in the U.S. Senate race in Tennessee (all times local):
NASHVILLE (AP) — Republican hopeful Stephen Fincher says he raised $1.45 million in about two months for his bid to succeed Republican U.S. Sen. Bob Corker.
SPORTS
GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) — The first 41 games of the season were a struggle for the Arizona Coyotes, who only won nine times and earned 23 points.
MUSIC INDUSTRY
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — A fiddle that Goodwill believes was once owned by country music legend Roy Acuff is expected to generate thousands of dollars for the charitable organization in the Kansas City area.
HEALTH CARE
WASHINGTON (AP) — Striving to fulfill a campaign promise, the Trump administration moved Thursday to facilitate the interstate sale of health insurance policies that cost less but may not cover as much.
REAL ESTATE
WASHINGTON (AP) — Long-term U.S. mortgage rates fell this week, making it slightly more affordable to borrow for a home.
TECHNOLOGY
NEW YORK (AP) — Cable and satellite TV providers are ringing in the new year with an unwelcomed gift: higher cable bills.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
NEW YORK (AP) — After another solid monthly jobs report, technology companies again led the way as U.S. stocks rose for the fourth day in a row to start 2018. They are on their longest new-year winning streak in eight years.
NEW YORK (AP) — Shares of Barnes & Noble are tumbling to all-time lows after airing some ugly holiday sales numbers.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Wall Street sure loves the tax bill, even if polls show most Americans don't.
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. employers added 148,000 jobs in December, a modest gain but still enough to suggest that the economy entered the new year with solid momentum.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Construction boosted strong hiring in December, with builders and contractors expanding to keep up with heavy demand for homes.
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. services companies expanded at a slower pace in December for the second straight month.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. trade deficit rose to $50.5 billion in November, the largest imbalance in nearly six years, as imports and exports both hit records.
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Billionaire Warren Buffett has given away roughly $43 million of Berkshire Hathaway stock since last summer with the majority of that — $30 million — going to one unnamed charity.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration on Thursday moved to vastly expand offshore drilling from the Atlantic to the Arctic oceans with a plan that would open up federal waters off the California coast for the first time in more than three decades.
DALLAS (AP) — Southwest Airlines will pay $15 million to settle class-action lawsuits that accuse the four biggest U.S. carriers of conspiring to boost prices by holding down the supply of tickets for sale.
NEW YORK (AP) — Macy's and J.C. Penney both reported holiday sales growth, offering encouraging signs that if department stores struggling to hold their own against online retailers had a decent period, other retailers did as well.
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. companies closed out 2017 with strong hiring in December, adding the most jobs in nine months.
NATIONAL POLITICS
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump directed his White House counsel to tell Attorney General Jeff Sessions not to recuse himself from the Justice Department's investigation into potential ties between Russia and the Trump campaign, according to a person familiar with the matter.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The buzz kill long dreaded in the marijuana industry came just days after California opened what is expected to be the world's largest legal pot market.
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is demanding the author and publisher of a new book about him immediately halt its release.
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump launched a scathing attack on former top adviser Steve Bannon, responding to a new book that portrays Trump as an undisciplined man-child who didn't actually want to win the White House and quotes Bannon as calling his son's contact with a Russian lawyer "treasonous."