VOL. 36 | NO. 40 | Friday, October 5, 2012
From one-hit wonder to Music Row executive, Harnen learned empathy for artists the hard way
After scoring a degree in biology in the mid ‘80s, Jimmy Harnen, to the delight of his parents, was heading to dental or medical school.
It’s rare for major label recording artists to switch over and start working for the record labels. That’s what Republic Nashville chief Jimmy Harnen did some 15 years after having a top-five pop hit with Where Are You Now.
The phones started to ring soon after Solomon Builders announced plans in June for the second phase of Hendersonville’s New Island Centre medical and retail office building.
From large-scale operations that cover the entire country to bare-bones outfits in smaller communities, chambers of commerce are a longstanding and familiar part of the American business landscape.
Parents of diabetic children face a daily fear many never have to worry about – whether their child will wake up safely each morning.
REALTY CHECK
The Council of Multiple Listing Services met in Boston last week, and one of the speakers was Elliot Eisenberg, PhD., a highly regarded economist who made several observations on the status of the economy, as well as several predictions on where the US is heading.
TERRY McCORMICK
Payout games. Guarantee games.
NEWSMAKERS
Nashville’s Haven Behavioral Healthcare, Inc., a provider of behavioral health care for adults, senior citizens and active-duty military personnel, has hired Scott W. Kardenetz as executive vice president and chief operations officer.
GUERRILLA MARKETING
Great advertising engages our senses. While we may not be able to touch or taste a product through an ad, with the right visual, we get a sense for what it’s like through another’s eyes.
THE WORLDLY INVESTOR
We Have Seen the Face of Reform: In 2008, a prolonged lack of credit scrutiny led to a financial crisis. While the clean-up of the financial system continues, the bulk of the rationalization happened very quickly. Massive institutions failed, while remainder institutions began internal austerity programs to reconstruct rotten balance sheets.
SMART STUFF 4 WORK
Last Sunday morning while channel surfing through the cacophony of talking head shows, I ran across a very interesting discussion about foreign affairs.
I SWEAR
Regarding the column in which I quoted lawyers’ courtroom and deposition questions and statements, Ron Curlin of Memphis writes:
KAY'S COOKING CORNER
Hubby and I have been visiting the Windy City of Chicago for the last few days, and it was true to its nickname. It was been windy and just a bit on the cool side, but the sun was out the entire time so it was nice. The coolness gave me an excuse to go to Macy’s and get a new jacket.
MIDSTATE
NASHVILLE (AP) - The Tennessee Republican Party appears to be standing by a freshman congressman seeking re-election despite the revelations of a recorded conversation in which he urged his mistress to get an abortion.
NASHVILLE AREA
NASHVILLE (AP) - A Texas-based development company has canceled plans to convert the existing Nashville Convention Center into a new medical trade center.
NASHVILLE (AP) - Tennessee health officials reported that the number of cases of rare fungal meningitis has increased by five to 49 cases.
NATIONAL BUSINESS
WASHINGTON (AP) — The number of Americans seeking unemployment aid plummeted last week to seasonally adjusted 339,000, the lowest level in more than four years. The sharp drop, if sustained, could signal a stronger job market.
NEW YORK (AP) — The New York Times Co.'s stock rose on Thursday after an analyst raised his rating and price target on the shares.
U.S. foreclosure filings dropped to a five-year low in September as fewer homes were on track to be seized by lenders.
NEW YORK (AP) — One piece of good news on jobs was enough Thursday on Wall Street.
Oil prices rose Thursday as tension between Turkey and Syria raised concerns that crude oil supplies from the Middle East could be disrupted.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Average U.S. rates on fixed mortgages tick up from record lows last week. Cheaper mortgages are fueling a modest housing recovery that could help the broader economy.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. trade deficit widened in August as exports fell to the lowest level in six months, a worrisome sign that a slowing global economy is cutting into demand for U.S. goods.
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 10
MIDSTATE
NASHVILLE (AP) - A freshman congressman running for re-election on a pro-life platform urged his pregnant mistress to get an abortion a decade ago, according to a transcript of the recorded conversation.
MUSIC INDUSTRY
NASHVILLE (AP) — Luke Bryan just keeps getting hotter.
NASHVILLE AREA
NASHVILLE (AP) - The Centers for Disease Control reported Wednesday that the number of rare fungal meningitis cases in Tennessee has increased by five more cases to 44, but the number of deaths in the state remains at six.
NASHVILLE (AP) - A Nashville court has issued a temporary restraining order against a Franklin-based hormone replacement therapy company after the state attorney general filed a lawsuit for making unsubstantiated health claims and failing to advise patients of potential side effects.
NASHVILLE (AP) - A Nashville judge has delayed a public intoxication and vandalism case against two-time Olympic gold medalist Shaun White.
NASHVILLE (AP) — Anyone interested in entrepreneurship may want to visit Belmont University's campus on Wednesday.
STATEWIDE
KNOXVILLE (AP) — Recreation equipment maker Brunswick Corp. is closing its last Sea Ray Boats plant in a Knoxville industrial park, ending 225 jobs by the end of the year.
NASHVILLE (AP) — Handwritten notes from the state worker who supervises Tennessee's regulation of oil and gas production derided opponents of the hydraulic fracturing method of gas drilling as "stupid."
AUTO INDUSTRY
TOKYO (AP) — Toyota Motor Corp. is recalling 7.43 million vehicles in the U.S., Japan, Europe and elsewhere around the world for a faulty power-window switch — the latest, massive quality woes for Japan's top automaker.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Car owners whose air bags have been replaced in the past three years may have had dangerous counterfeit bags installed, the Obama administration warned Wednesday.
NATIONAL BUSINESS
WASHINGTON (AP) — Stronger housing markets helped boost economic growth at the end of the summer in nearly every region of the United States, according to a Federal Reserve survey released Wednesday.
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. employers advertised slightly fewer jobs in August than July, while they filled the most positions in three months, offering a mixed signal for the job market.
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. wholesalers increased their stockpiles in August and their sales rose for the first time in four months. The gains could provide a boost to the still-weak economy.
NEW YORK (AP) — Downbeat reports from Alcoa and Chevron at the start of corporate earnings season pulled stock indexes lower for a third straight day Wednesday. The Dow Jones industrial average slumped 128 points, its steepest loss since late June.
NEW YORK (AP) — The price of oil finished lower Wednesday after some mixed economic signals.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — The large-scale development of wind power off the Mid-Atlantic coast would create more than 70,000 jobs from New York to Virginia, an industry-sponsored study concludes.
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 9
NASHVILLE AREA
NASHVILLE (AP) — Tennessee health officials say the state has recorded its first West Nile Virus death this year.
NASHVILLE (AP) - The state's death toll from an outbreak of rare fungal meningitis has risen to six, Tennessee Department of Health officials said Tuesday.
NEW YORK (AP) — As many as 13,000 people received steroid shots suspected in a national meningitis outbreak, health officials said Monday. But it's not clear how many are in danger.
NASHVILLE (AP) — A three-day event to benefit Middle Tennessee's homeless veterans will be held Friday and over the weekend.
STATEWIDE
NASHVILLE (AP) - Tennessee's tax collections have shown marginal growth in the second month of the budget year.
NASHVILLE (AP) - A Democratic lawmaker who played a role in the formation of the embattled Tennessee Department of Children's Services says the agency's commissioner shouldn't be blamed for deeply rooted problems that she inherited.
NASHVILLE (AP) — Tennessee has been recognized as one of the top states in the nation for its efficient use of digital technology.
AUTO INDUSTRY
TOKYO (AP) — Sales of Toyota and Honda vehicles nosedived in China during September as anti-Japanese sentiment flared over a territorial dispute that threatens to hobble what was a booming business relationship between Japan and its biggest export market.
PONTIAC, Mich. (AP) — General Motors Co. is considering expanding its global powertrain engineering headquarters in Pontiac.
NATIONAL BUSINESS
TOKYO (AP) — Plagued by uncertainty and fresh setbacks, the world economy has weakened further and will grow more slowly over the next year, the International Monetary Fund says in its latest forecast.
NEW YORK (AP) — Small business owners are growing more pessimistic.
NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks slumped Tuesday on Wall Street after the International Monetary Fund predicted weaker world economic growth and as investors waited for what they expected to be lower corporate earnings.
NEW YORK (AP) — The price of oil rose more than 3 percent Tuesday on concerns about supplies from the Middle East and the North Sea.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal investigators have charged 530 people for allegedly defrauding more than 73,000 desperate homeowners around the country who fell behind on mortgage payments, leaving them vulnerable to con artists offering to help them avoid foreclosure.
WASHINGTON (AP) — About 100 medium-sized U.S. banks will have to show how prepared they are to withstand a financial crisis next year, under a rule adopted Tuesday.
NEW YORK (AP) — Wal-Mart is testing a same-day delivery service in select markets for customers who buy popular items online during the holiday shopping season.
NEW BRITAIN, Conn. (AP) — Tool maker Stanley Black & Decker Inc. is selling its hardware and home improvement business to Spectrum Brands Holdings Inc. for $1.4 billion in cash.
MONDAY, OCTOBER 8
STATEWIDE
NASHVILLE (AP) - State labor officials have begun enforcing new unemployment requirements passed by the Legislature.
NASHVILLE (AP) — Monday is the last day to register to vote in Tennessee.
NASHVILLE (AP) — Notices are going out in the mail to an estimated 37,000 Tennessee borrowers who may be eligible for payment under a $25 billion national mortgage foreclosure settlement.
MUSIC INDUSTRY
NASHVILLE (AP) — Kim Williams hesitated only slightly when asked who he thinks has been the best interpreter of his songs before the start of the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame induction ceremony.
NATIONAL BUSINESS
Investors looked warily at forecasts for poor U.S. corporate earnings and weaker growth in Asia and decided there wasn't much reason to buy stocks.
NEW YORK (AP) — A strong warning from the World Bank that growth in Asia may slow further dragged the price of oil Monday to its lowest close in two months.
NEW YORK (AP) — As criticism over sugary sodas intensifies, Coke, Pepsi and Dr Pepper are rolling out new vending machines that display just how many calories are in their drinks.
UnitedHealth Group will spend about $4.9 billion to buy a Brazilian health benefits and hospital services provider, as the largest U.S. health insurer takes a big leap toward international growth.
LONDON (AP) — YouTube is taking its original programming venture to Europe, announcing a slew of new partnerships aimed at internationalizing its array of tailor-made videos with content from Britain's BBC, London-based FreemantleMedia, Netherland's Endemol, and dozens of others.
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 5
MUSIC INDUSTRY
NASHVILLE (AP) - The Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame has a permanent home at the city's new convention center.
NASHVILLE AREA
NASHVILLE (AP) - Tennessee health officials report four more people have been sickened by an outbreak of fungal meningitis.
Two people blinded in Washington, D.C., in 2005. Three dead in Virginia in 2006 and three more in Oregon the following year. Twenty-one dead polo horses in Florida in 2009. Earlier this year, 33 people in seven states with fungal eye infections.
NASHVILLE (AP) — First Lady Crissy Haslam is preparing to celebrate the children's awareness campaign of Governor's Highway Safety Office.
STATEWIDE
NASHVILLE (AP) — Friday is the last day for Tennesseans to register to vote by mail.
MURFREESBORO (AP) - Enrollment at Tennessee Board of Regents colleges has dropped an average of 4.4 percent this fall.
HEALTH CARE
WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal strike force has charged 91 people, including a hospital president, doctors and nurses, with Medicare fraud schemes in seven cities involving $429 million in false billings.
COURTS
NASHVILLE (AP) — The state Supreme Court has ruled that refiled medical malpractice lawsuits must follow new state laws.
HEALTH CARE
WASHINGTON (AP) — Mitt Romney's Medicare plan won't try to control costs by limiting the payments that future retirees would use to buy private health insurance, aides say, adding detail to a proposal from the GOP presidential nominee that has both intrigued and confused many Americans.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Free birth control led to dramatically lower rates of abortions and teen births, a large study concludes. The findings were eagerly anticipated and come as a bitterly contested Obama administration policy is poised to offer similar coverage.
NATIONAL BUSINESS
WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. unemployment rate fell to 7.8 percent last month, dropping below 8 percent for the first time in nearly four years and giving President Barack Obama a potential boost with the election a month away.
A big drop in the unemployment rate wasn't enough for investors Friday. Stocks posted gains early in the day but faded to a mixed close.
Oil fell more than 2 percent Friday as traders fret that jobs aren't growing fast enough in the U.S. to significantly boost demand for fuel.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Federal Reserve wants to find a clearer way to signal to the public when it might start raising interest rates.
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Google and major book publishers have settled a lengthy legal battle over digital copyrights, but a bigger dispute still looms with thousands of authors who allege that Google is illegally profiting from their works.