VOL. 40 | NO. 48 | Friday, November 25, 2016
SAM STOCKARD: VIEW FROM THE HILL
Beth Harwell has been called a lot of things over the last few years, “trailblazer” chief among them as Tennessee’s first female House speaker.
RICHARD COURTNEY: REALTY CHECK
With Thanksgiving hovering, listings usually go into hibernation this time of year as sellers do not want to be inconvenienced with showings over the holidays.
REAL ESTATE
Top commercial real estate sales, October 2016, for Davidson, Williamson, Rutherford, Wilson and Sumner counties, as compiled by Chandler Reports.
A look at Davidson County’s top lenders based on total number of all loans, commercial and residential. Only loans that have the actual Lender name listed on the trust deed filing are included.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Long-term U.S. mortgage rates continued to surge this week in the aftermath of Donald Trump's election win.
DAVID CLIMER: OUT OF LEFT FIELD
Note to Mike Mularkey: It’s time to let Marcus be Marcus. As we swing toward the final month of the NFL regular season with the Titans at 5-6, it makes sense to take the training wheels off Marcus Mariota. He is your greatest asset, so why not see how far he can take you?
TERRY McCORMICK: TENNESSEE TITANS
Are we there yet? We took a family vacation to South Carolina several years ago and heard the old familiar question from the back seat after about five minutes on the road.
Pressure Jay Cutler. Cutler is an enigma. The former Vanderbilt quarterback has had a star-crossed career with lots of good mixed with about as much bad.
DAVE LINK: UT SPORTS
Tennessee’s primary goal for the 2016 football season was to win the SEC East Division, and the Vols failed. Does that mean the season was a failure? Not yet.
NEWSMAKERS
Meharry Medical College has appointed Veronica Thierry Mallett M.D., MMM, as its senior vice president for health affairs and dean of the School of Medicine, effective March 2017.
BEHIND THE WHEEL
The spacious Kia Cadenza becomes arguably the most stylish large, near-luxury sedan for 2017 with upgraded looks, new amenities and a smooth ride.
BUSINESS BOOK REVIEW
There’s something going around the office this month.
GUERRILLA MARKETING
It sometimes seems like marketing campaigns are an escalating game of chase.
CAREER CORNER
Can we agree that the interview process can be stressful?
I SWEAR
HIGHLANDS, N.C. – Was Old Edwards Golf Course dropped from heaven to its resting place on this marvelous crest of the Continental Divide? Or was it etched into the sides of this mountain thousands of years ago by divine beings in need of a place to practice their short game?
NASHVILLE AREA
GOODLETTSVILLE (AP) — Dollar General put up weak earnings numbers for the third quarter in an environment that has largely favored bargain stores, with so many people still looking to cut costs where they can.
NASHVILLE (AP) — Gov. Bill Haslam and first lady Crissy Haslam are inviting Tennessee residents to tour the executive residence and see its holiday decorations beginning Friday and continuing through Dec. 16.
STATEWIDE
GATLINBURG (AP) — After nearly 24 hours of drenching rain helped quench a series of devastating wildfires in eastern Tennessee, local officials turned to cleanup and recovery efforts even as they battled their own personal crises.
HEALTH CARE
WASHINGTON (AP) — Only about 1 in 4 people in the United States wants President-elect Donald Trump to entirely repeal his predecessor's health care law that extended coverage to millions, according to a poll.
AUTO INDUSTRY
DETROIT (AP) — Black Friday deals — a relatively new phenomenon for the auto industry — were expected to pull November U.S. auto sales out of their recent slump.
DUBLIN, Ohio (AP) — As Gov. John Kasich announced a $15 million investment in advanced self-driving highway technology on Wednesday, he urged Ohioans to push back against old ideas about the state.
REAL ESTATE
WASHINGTON (AP) — Long-term U.S. mortgage rates marked a fifth week of surges in the aftermath of Donald Trump's election win, reaching their highest levels this year.
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. builders boosted spending on construction projects by a modest amount in October, helped by big gains in spending on home construction and the biggest increase in government projects in 10 months.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
NEW YORK (AP) — More big gains for Goldman Sachs and Chevron helped pull the Dow Jones industrial average to another record high Thursday even as other indexes continued to slip. Ford and General Motors are rising after they announced strong sales in November. Technology companies and high-dividend stocks are trading lower.
WASHINGTON (AP) — American factories expanded for the third straight month in November, another good sign for the American economy.
WASHINGTON (AP) — More Americans filed for unemployment benefits last week. But claims are still at low levels that point to greater job security.
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran's President Hassan Rouhani on Thursday welcomed an OPEC deal that cut the oil cartel's output to push up crude prices.
DALLAS (AP) — OPEC's decision to cut production gave an immediate boost to oil prices, but the impact on consumers and the U.S. economy is likely to be more modest and gradual.
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 30
STATEWIDE
GATLINBURG (AP) — Buddy McLean watched from a deserted Gatlinburg street as flames surrounded his 26-acre hotel nestled in the mountains of eastern Tennessee.
GATLINBURG (AP) — Three more bodies were found in the ruins of wildfires that torched hundreds of homes and businesses in the Great Smoky Mountains area, raising the death toll to seven, a Tennessee mayor said Wednesday.
NASHVILLE AREA
NASHVILLE (AP) — The U.S. House has voted to name the new federal courthouse in Nashville after the late actor-politician Fred Thompson.
MIDSTATE
MURFREESBORO (AP) — Five current and former broadcasters will be inducted into the Tennessee Journalism Hall of Fame Dec. 8 in Murfreesboro.
TECHNOLOGY
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Netflix subscribers can now binge on many of their favorite shows and movies even when they don't have an internet connection.
REAL ESTATE
WASHINGTON (AP) — The number of Americans who signed contracts to purchase homes edged up slightly in October, a sign that the housing market remains on sure footing after solid price and sales gains this year.
AUTO INDUSTRY
DETROIT (AP) — The Obama administration has decided not to change government fuel economy requirements for cars and light trucks despite protests from automakers.
DETROIT (AP) — The U.S. government wants more people to complain about auto safety problems.
PHOENIX (AP) — Electric car maker Lucid Motors said Tuesday it will build a manufacturing plant in Arizona that will begin production in 2018 as it looks to compete in the fast-growing market for luxury electric vehicles.
DUBLIN, Ohio (AP) — A self-driving truck is scheduled to hit the road in central Ohio in conjunction with an announcement about new state investments to support researching that kind of transportation technology.
HEALTH CARE
WASHINGTON (AP) — Congress may vote to repeal President Barack Obama's health care law before coming up with a replacement, GOP leaders said Tuesday.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks moved mostly lower Wednesday as gains in blue-chip energy companies and banks were not enough to make up for losses in the broader market.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Federal Reserve reports that the U.S. economy grew at a modest rate this fall, with solid gains in consumer spending helping offset lingering weakness in exports.
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The CEO of Levi's is asking customers and employees not to bring guns into its stores, offices or facilities, even in states where it's legal.
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. companies added a solid 216,000 jobs in November, the most since June and evidence that the incoming Trump administration is inheriting a solid economy.
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. consumers boosted their spending again in October, while their incomes increased at the fastest clip in six months. A key gauge of inflation watched by the Federal Reserve posted the fastest 12-month gain in two years.
VIENNA (AP) — Breaking with years of inaction, OPEC agreed Wednesday to cut its oil output for the first time since 2008. The move effectively scraps its strategy of squeezing U.S. competition through high supply that had backfired by lowering prices and draining the cartel's own economies.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Steven Mnuchin, President-elect Donald Trump's expected choice to be the nation's 77th treasury secretary, has had a long history as a successful financial executive and a shorter but significant period in a job that ushered him into Trump's inner circle: head of Trump's campaign finance operation.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Air conditioning company Carrier Corp. said Tuesday that it had reached a deal with President-elect Donald Trump to keep nearly 1,000 jobs in Indiana. Trump and Vice President-elect Mike Pence planned to travel to the state Thursday to unveil the agreement alongside company officials.
NATIONAL POLITICS
WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump said Wednesday he's leaving his business empire to focus on being the nation's 45th president, declaring he can successfully avoid conflicts of interest between governing and profiting in the private sector.
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 29
STATEWIDE
NASHVILLE (AP) - Officials say there are more than 800 staff vacancies in Tennessee's public and private prisons amid ongoing complaints from employees, inmates and others about pay, benefits, safety and other concerns.
GATLINBURG (AP) — Wildfires fueled by high winds killed three people near the Great Smoky Mountains and authorities went door to door Tuesday to check on the well-being of residents and visitors of the popular tourist area.
ATLANTA (AP) — Country music icon Dolly Parton says she's heartbroken about wildfires that tore through the Tennessee county where she grew up, but spared the Dollywood theme park that bears her name.
NASHVILLE AREA
NASHVILLE (AP) — President Barack Obama is tapping Nashville businessman and Democratic booster Bill Freeman to serve on an advisory committee for the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
MIDSTATE
NASHVILLE (AP) - Tennessee Lottery officials say 20 co-workers at a metal manufacturing plant will split a Powerball jackpot of nearly $421 million.
HEALTH CARE
WASHINGTON (AP) — Republicans and Democrats put finishing touches Tuesday on a $6.3 billion medical research bill as GOP leaders prepared to try pushing the measure through the lame-duck Congress by next week.
REAL ESTATE
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. home prices have fully recovered from their steep plunge during the housing bust and Great Recession, according to a private measure.
AUTO INDUSTRY
YOKOHAMA, Japan (AP) — Nissan is going to offer internet access, safety technology and myriad accessory options the Japanese automaker calls "hyper-personalization," not only in new models but also for vehicles people already own.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks closed slightly higher on Tuesday, boosted by health-care companies like UnitedHealth Group, which helped outweigh steep declines in energy companies.
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. banks' earnings in the July-September period jumped nearly 13 percent from a year earlier as continued growth in lending fueled interest income.
WASHINGTON (AP) — US consumer confidence rebounded this month to the highest level in more than nine years as Americans appeared unfazed by a tumultuous election campaign.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. economy in the third quarter grew at the fastest pace in two years, with a revised report showing stronger consumer spending than first estimated.
VIENNA (AP) — Up to this week, chances that OPEC countries would agree to their first cut in output in eight years were looking good. Now, not so much.
NEW YORK (AP) — Shoppers put in a strong showing on Thanksgiving Day and Black Friday.
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 28
NASHVILLE AREA
NASHVILLE (AP) — Gov. Bill Haslam and his wife, Crissy, are scheduled to light the state Capitol Christmas tree on Monday evening.
AUTO INDUSTRY
FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — Volkswagen is coming out with a new model that will add to its offerings of larger cars in the United States, where its market share has lagged the competition.
TECHNOLOGY
NEW YORK (AP) — There are already a few online services that aim to replace cable, but they haven't attracted many users yet. AT&T's DirecTV hopes to change that.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks pulled back slightly on Monday, retreating from the records the market set last week.
HAVANA (AP) — Passengers erupted into applause as the first commercial flight from the United States to Havana in more than 50 years landed in Cuba, arriving as the island begins week-long memorial services for revolutionary leader Fidel Castro.
NEW YORK (AP) — Millions of Americans paused during the Monday after Thanksgiving to check out online deals and check off people on their holiday gift list. But so-called Cyber Monday may be in danger of losing its online sales title.
PARIS (AP) — An international economic agency said Monday that the kind of infrastructure spending promised by U.S. President-elect Donald Trump could boost global growth, but warned that protectionist tendencies hurt prosperity.
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 23
MIDSTATE
NASHVILLE (AP) — The Tennessee Lottery says one Powerball ticket sold in the community of Lafayette has matched all six numbers from the latest drawing to win an estimated $420.9 million jackpot.
COURTS
NASHVILLE (AP) - The state is seeking to dismiss a lawsuit in which the Islamic Center of Nashville says it was unfairly denied a tax exemption.
TECHNOLOGY
DETROIT (AP) — The government wants smartphone makers to lock out most apps when the phone is being used by someone driving a car.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal Reserve officials earlier this month believed it would be appropriate to raise a key interest rate "relatively soon," with some arguing for a hike at the Fed's next meeting in December in order to preserve the Fed's credibility.
NEW YORK (AP) — The Dow Jones industrial average and the Standard & Poor's 500 index closed at record highs again but the Nasdaq composite fell, dragged down by declines in big technology names.
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Wal-Mart intentionally failed to pay hundreds of truck drivers in California the minimum wage, a federal jury decided Wednesday, awarding the drivers $54 million in damages and opening up the retail giant to penalties.
CHICAGO (AP) — Elizabeth Thompson can't wait to leave the big city behind and decompress over the Thanksgiving holiday at her grandmother's house in rural south-central Indiana. But first she has to get there.
NEW YORK (AP) — The airline that ships packages for Amazon and DHL says it is seeking a court order to get striking pilots back to work as the busy holiday shipping season kicks off.
LONDON (AP) — Britain will have less money, more debt and a slower economy in coming years as it grapples with uncertainty over leaving the European Union, the Treasury chief said Wednesday in his first budget update since the 'Brexit' vote.
NATIONAL POLITICS
NEW YORK (AP) — After Ivanka Trump appeared on CBS's "60 Minutes" wearing a $10,800 bracelet from her jewelry line, someone at her company sent photos from the interview to fashion writers to drum up free publicity. A firestorm of criticism erupted over the impropriety of profiting off the presidency, and the company apologized.