VOL. 38 | NO. 40 | Friday, October 3, 2014
STREET LEVEL
Scott Zaft “jumped the wall” and made it out of corporate America to a life in which he’s his own boss and lives in tick-tock precision down a steep driveway and to the rear of a 1950s Crieve Hall rancher.
REALTY CHECK
Following the grueling negotiations between buyers and sellers over issues such as price, possession and the list of appliances that remain with the houses, the inspection ensues.
REAL ESTATE
Top August 2014 commercial real estate transactions for Davidson, Williamson, Rutherford, Wilson and Sumner counties, as compiled by Chandler Reports.
TENNESSEE TITANS
Just for a moment, I’m going to let you in on something that not a lot of people know about.
UT SPORTS
KNOXVILLE – Much has happened since Tennessee placekicker James Wilhoit booted a 50-yarder with seven seconds remaining and the No. 13-ranked Vols beat No. 11 Florida 30-28 at Neyland Stadium.
NEWSMAKERS
Capella Healthcare has announced the appointment of Angie L. Mulder as corporate compliance officer.
BUSINESS BOOK REVIEW
The thought pops into your head at least four times per weekday: I can do this.
GUERRILLA MARKETING
Research giant Gallup released its State of the American Consumer Report in June with the overarching finding that few brands are winning the battle for consumer engagement.
CAREER CORNER
This week, I had the pleasure of interviewing Mike Steinerd from Indeed.com. Indeed is the No. 1 job site worldwide with over 140 million visitors per month. We talked about everything from how fast you should apply for a job to companies you should consider if you’re looking for work-life balance.
THE WORLDLY INVESTOR
The market’s game ball in the third quarter goes to the U.S. dollar.
I SWEAR
DAVIDSON, N.C. – A few years ago, Brown University had the largest puzzle-related student activities organization in the country. Its Puzzling Association, with more than 30 members, met weekly to solve, discuss and construct.
KAY'S COOKING CORNER
Fall’s here y’all, and the soup’s on! I don’t know about you, but for me spring and summer slipped by way too quickly, and I’m rather bummed about it. I enjoy autumn; It’s the season after that I dread.
STATEWIDE
NASHVILLE (AP) — Forget the syrupy, feel-good message so common to Lamar Alexander's past political campaigns. This time, the Tennessee Republican is going into attack mode.
NASHVILLE (AP) - Tennessee officials have approved a $6.75 million incentive for Under Armour's planned distribution facility in Mt. Juliet.
AUTO INDUSTRY
DETROIT (AP) — Gas mileage for new cars and trucks in the U.S. averaged a record 24.1 miles per gallon last year, but gains in fuel economy are slowing.
REAL ESTATE
WASHINGTON (AP) — Average U.S. mortgage rates fell for the third straight week, making it more affordable to borrow to buy a home.
NATIONAL BUSINESS
WASHINGTON (AP) — Though braced by a resurgent United States, the global economy is under threat from other regions — from Europe and Latin America to China and Japan — where growth is stalling and prospects remain dim.
Airline delays and cancelations are up slightly from last year's peak travel season.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Slightly fewer Americans sought unemployment benefits last week, pushing the average number of applications in the past month to an eight-year low.
NEW YORK (AP) — Wall Street's roller coaster ride is continuing for a third day Thursday, with the Dow Jones industrial average plunging nearly 300 points in afternoon trading. Gap's stock dropped after the company announced its CEO was retiring, and energy stocks fell sharply as the price of oil fell again.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Enthusiasm for free markets runs higher in communist China and Vietnam than in traditional capitalist bastions the United States and United Kingdom, the Pew Research Center reports.
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 8
MIDSTATE
FRANKLIN (AP) — The American Civil Liberties Union in Tennessee is urging school board members in Williamson County not to add prayers to meetings.
NASHVILLE AREA
NASHVILLE (AP) — The Tennessee State Library and Archives is launching a new partnership with the popular genealogy site Ancestry.com.
STATEWIDE
NASHVILLE (AP) — A new television ad by Republican U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander directly targets Democrat Gordon Ball as being beholden to President Barack Obama's agenda.
COURTS
NASHVILLE (AP) — One of four former Vanderbilt University football players accused of raping a student in a campus dormitory last year testified Wednesday that athletics officials told him he would lose his scholarship if he didn't cooperate with police investigating the case, so he felt he had no choice.
NASHVILLE (AP) - Two top Tennessee officials are protected from claims that they violated the rights of Occupy Nashville protesters who were arrested on a plaza outside the state Capitol in October 2011, a federal appeals court ruled Wednesday.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Workers who fill customer orders for Internet retailer Amazon might be out of luck in their quest to be paid for time they spend going through security checkpoints each day.
TECHNOLOGY
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Apple is expected to step up its efforts to boost recently slumping iPad sales with the unveiling of its latest tablet computer at an Oct. 16 event.
NEW YORK (AP) — SolarCity will begin offering loans to homeowners for solar systems, a move that industry analysts say could reshape the market for rooftop solar and propel its rapid adoption.
PAWTUCKET, R.I. (AP) — Welding isn't just for aircraft carriers anymore.
HEALTH CARE
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Obama administration has unveiled an updated version of HealthCare.gov. It's got some improvements and some challenges. There's also at least one early mistake.
NASHVILLE (AP) - Officials with a state agency that's been sending inaccurate letters to Tennesseans informing them they don't qualify for Medicaid say they're addressing the issue.
NATIONAL BUSINESS
WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal Reserve officials agreed last month that they would begin raising interest rates only when measures of the economy's health and inflation signaled the time was right.
NEW YORK (AP) — Wall Street had its best day of the year. The U.S. stock market surged Wednesday, erasing a steep loss from the day before.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The federal government's budget deficit has fallen to $486 billion, the smallest pool of red ink of President Barack Obama's six-year span in office, a new report said Wednesday.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Telecom giant AT&T will pay a hefty $105 million settlement after the government accused the company of unlawfully billing wireless customers for tens of millions of dollars in bogus charges — a practice known as cramming.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Timothy Geithner, a key player in the U.S. government's 2008 bailout of American International Group Inc., is due back in court Wednesday in a trial of a lawsuit filed by the insurance giant's former CEO over the handling of the rescue.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Army has awarded $80 million in helicopter contracts to Wall Street executive Lynn Tilton even as the Justice Department is investigating whether she played by the rules to win earlier military work.
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 7
STATEWIDE
NASHVILLE (AP) - Republican Gov. Bill Haslam is questioning why Tennessee's unemployment rate remains well above the national level when other statistics indicate the state's jobs picture should be improving.
NASHVILLE AREA
NASHVILLE (AP) — The Tennessee Titans' team dentist is partnering with a nonprofit organization and other dentists to provide 300 area youth with free dental services.
COURTS
NASHVILLE (AP) — The U.S. Supreme Court's decision not to hear appeals from five states seeking to prohibit gay and lesbian marriages has no direct effect on Tennessee, where both the constitution and state law recognize only marriages between one man and one woman.
NASHVILLE (AP) — The U.S. Supreme Court's decision to turn away appeals from five states seeking to prohibit gay and lesbian unions does not have a direct effect on Tennessee because the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals must still rule on the state's case.
HEALTH CARE
NEW YORK (AP) — Wal-Mart Stores Inc. plans to eliminate health insurance coverage for some of its part-time U.S. employees in a move aimed at controlling rising health care costs of the nation's largest private employer.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Millions of Americans may qualify for waivers from the most unpopular part of President Barack Obama's health care overhaul. But getting that exemption could be an ordeal.
AUTO INDUSTRY
WASHINGTON (AP) — Just because you can talk to your car doesn't mean you should. Two new studies have found that voice-activated smartphones and dashboard infotainment systems may be making the distracted-driving problem worse instead of better.
TECHNOLOGY
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Smartphones, tablets and other gadgets aren't just changing the way we live and work. They are shaking up Silicon Valley's balance of power and splitting up businesses. Long-established companies such as Hewlett-Packard Co. and eBay Inc. are scrambling to regain their footing to better compete against mobile-savvy trendsetters like Apple and Google, as well as rising technology stars that have built businesses around "cloud computing."
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — The world's biggest smartphone maker is suffering a stunning financial decline in the face of intense competition from Apple Inc. and upstart Chinese brands.
REAL ESTATE
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. home prices increased in August, yet the pace of these gains continues to slow, helping to improve affordability for would-be buyers.
NATIONAL BUSINESS
NEW YORK (AP) — Heating bills should be lower this winter because the deep freeze that chilled much of the nation last year is unlikely to return.
NEW YORK (AP) — Worries about weakening global growth drove the stock market lower Tuesday.
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. employers advertised the most job openings in nearly 14 years during August, yet their pace of hiring fell compared to July.
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — The securities industry in New York City tallied $8.7 billion in profits during the first half of 2014, which was 13 percent lower than the same period last year as it continued to deal with the fallout from the 2008 financial crisis, New York's comptroller reported Tuesday.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The International Monetary Fund slightly lowered its outlook for global economic growth this year and next, mostly because of weaker expansions in Japan, Latin America and Europe.
NEW YORK (AP) — Americans are expected to spend at the highest rate in three years during what's traditionally the busiest shopping season of the year, according to the nation's largest retail industry trade group.
NEW YORK (AP) — SodaStream says it isn't winning over enough new customers in the U.S. and reported preliminary sales results that fell short of Wall Street expectations.
MONDAY, OCTOBER 6
NASHVILLE AREA
NEW YORK (AP) — Even as the income gap widens, the wealthiest Americans are giving a smaller share of their income to charity, while poor and middle-income people are donating a larger share, according to an extensive analysis of IRS data conducted by the Chronicle of Philanthropy.
NASHVILLE (AP) — The nonprofit that runs Andrew Jackson's historic home, The Hermitage, is getting a new name and adding prominent national figures to its board of directors.
MIDSTATE
MURFREESBORO (AP) — A Holocaust survivor who helped craft The Washington Post's Watergate coverage is giving a free public talk in Murfreesboro.
STATEWIDE
NASHVILLE (AP) - Democrat Gordon Ball and Republican incumbent Lamar Alexander are launching television ads criticizing each other in the U.S. Senate race in Tennessee.
NASHVILLE (AP) — Gov. Bill Haslam has proclaimed October 12-18 Earth Science Week in Tennessee.
COURTS
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court cleared the way Monday for an immediate expansion of same-sex marriage by unexpectedly and tersely turning away appeals from five states seeking to prohibit gay and lesbian unions. The court's order effectively makes gay marriage legal now in 30 states.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court has rejected the appeal of an Ohio public school science teacher who was fired for promoting the theory of creationism and refusing to remove religious materials from his classroom.
HEALTH CARE
NEW YORK (AP) — Wal-Mart is taking one-stop shopping to another area: health insurance.
AUTO INDUSTRY
DETROIT (AP) — U.S. safety regulators are investigating complaints that the power-assisted steering can suddenly fail on three Ford midsize car models.
NATIONAL BUSINESS
NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks are closing slightly lower, giving up an early gain.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The 2008 government bailout of American International Group Inc. was specifically designed to punish the insurance giant, former Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson said in U.S. court Monday.
LONDON (AP) — In a year that's been awash with multi-billion dollar corporate deals, the number and value of mergers and acquisitions is set to grow further, reaching pre-crisis levels over the coming 12 months, consulting firm EY said Monday.
NEW YORK (AP) — Hewlett-Packard is splitting itself into two companies, one focused on its personal computer and printing business and another on technology services such as data storage, servers and software, betting that it can drive faster sales growth with more-focused operations.
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 3
MIDSTATE
FRANKLIN (AP) — A Middle Tennessee school board chairman has decided to step down from his leadership role over a controversy due to his involvement in a business that created a novelty bottle opener shaped like a woman's behind.
MT. JULIET (AP) — Athletic apparel maker Under Armour on Thursday announced plans to build a new $100 million distribution center in Tennessee that is projected to create 1,500 new jobs in the next five years.
NASHVILLE AREA
NEW YORK (AP) — Marriott International will pay a $600,000 fine for jamming conference attendees' own Wi-Fi networks at its Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center, forcing them to pay hefty prices to use the hotel's own connection.
NASHVILLE (AP) — The Tennessee Titans are asking fans to bring baby items to LP Field on Sunday as part of a pregame event they're calling "Nashville's largest baby shower."
NASHVILLE (AP) - Country singer Vince Gill and Kristen Laviolette have been appointed to positions on the Nashville Predators Foundation's board of directors.
NASHVILLE (AP) — Nashville Metro school officials have launched a campaign to compete with charter schools in recruiting students.
AUTO INDUSTRY
DETROIT (AP) — General Motors announced two more recalls Friday, pushing its total for the year to 71, affecting almost 30 million vehicles in North America.
STATEWIDE
NASHVILLE (AP) — The Tennessee Treasury Department is announcing a program to help low-income families build college savings.
NATIONAL BUSINESS
NEW YORK (AP) — Investors think the U.S. economy is at a perfect temperature for stocks: not too hot, not too cold.
WASHINGTON (AP) – Where are the pay raises? Employers in the United States are hiring at a brisk pace. Unemployment has sunk to a nearly healthy rate. Jobs are being filled across a range of industries.
WASHINGTON (AP) — A surge in hiring last month helped drive the nation's unemployment rate down to a six-year low of 5.9 percent — within striking distance of what economists consider a healthy level.
New government rules aimed at curbing overseas deals that cut corporate taxes appear to be working, just not entirely the way regulators intended.
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. service firms expanded at a healthy pace in September although it was slightly below the record pace set in August.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. trade deficit shrank for the fourth straight month in August, falling to the lowest level since January as exports rose to an all-time high.
Aeran Brent is tired of visitors asking about her store's name or snapping pictures of the sign outside.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — New details on a cyberattack against JPMorgan Chase & Co.'s computer servers this summer add to increasing doubts over the security of consumer data kept by lenders, retailers and others.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Just how healthy is the U.S. job market? Despite steady hiring and falling unemployment, the question has provoked sharp debate and considerable uncertainty on the eve of the September jobs report.
CHICAGO (AP) — Chicago prosecutors say a high-frequency trader in New Jersey has been indicted for allegedly manipulating commodities prices by using software that executes trades within milliseconds.
NATIONAL POLITICS
PRINCETON, Ind. (AP) — Boosted by the lowest jobless rate in six years, President Barack Obama on Friday heralded September's hiring rate as the longest uninterrupted stretch of private sector job growth in U.S. history and declared that the United States is surpassing combined job creation in other advanced economies.