VOL. 39 | NO. 50 | Friday, December 11, 2015
VIEW FROM THE HILL
Tennessee officials are lauding Gov. Bill Haslam’s plan to restructure higher education in an effort to meet his goals for the Drive to 55.
NASHVILLE (AP) — Members of the Tennessee Board of Regents speaking at their quarterly meeting Thursday were generally upbeat about the possibility of reducing their focus to the state's 13 community colleges and 27 colleges of applied technology.
REALTY CHECK
Danny Herron, the president and CEO of the Nashville Area Habitat for Humanity, told a Realtor group last week that he and others in the affordable housing realm are faced with numerous challenges as Nashville-area property values continue to escalate.
REAL ESTATE
November 2015 real estate trends for Davidson, Williamson, Rutherford and Wilson counties, as compiled by Chandler Reports.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Average long-term U.S. mortgage rates edged higher this week following three straight weeks of declines, amid expectations that the Federal Reserve will raise its key short-term interest rate next week.
TENNESSEE TITANS
The biggest positive for the 2015 Titans is that they continue to fight.
NEWSMAKERS
Bass, Berry & Sims PLC is recently hired 13 attorneys for its Nashville office.
GUERRILLA MARKETING
The fourth in an 11-part series on the Top Ten 2016 Marketing Trends.
BEHIND THE WHEEL
Toyota’s 2016 Tacoma is a tough, capable pickup with new interior, more power than ever, better fuel efficiency than its predecessor and a built-in GoPro camera mount next to the rearview mirror to capture every adventure.
CAREER CORNER
There’s frequently an expectation that you must attend and bring your spouse. In addition to the stress of taking time out of your personal life for a work event, you must find child care, pick out the perfect holiday attire and convince your spouse that this evening is important.
I SWEAR
Ezra Pound’s 1940-1943 broadcasts over Roma Radio, for the Fascist-controlled Italian government, “were written in a vigorous erudite subtly-cadenced prose style [similar to] his Cantos .... It was a style that guaranteed he would have no success with a radio audience” (R. Wernick).
STATE LEGISLATURE
NASHVILLE (AP) - A House Republican has made a formal request to hold a caucus meeting to reconsider the leadership position of embattled Rep. Jeremy Durham.
NASHVILLE (AP) — Embattled state Rep. Jeremy Durham said Wednesday that he won't resign as House majority whip amid worries among top Republicans that his ongoing leadership role could hurt campaign fundraising efforts.
MIDSTATE
NASHVILLE (AP) - Jamie Melton of the Franklin Fire Department has been selected as the 2015 Tennessee Public Fire Educator of the Year.
AUTO INDUSTRY
DETROIT (AP) — Two auto sales forecasting companies say Americans will buy more cars and trucks in December than any other month in more than a decade.
BERLIN (AP) — Germany's Volkswagen says it's making structural changes that will help it speed up its internal decision-making processes.
REAL ESTATE
WASHINGTON (AP) — Average long-term U.S. mortgage rates rose slightly this week in the days before the Federal Reserve announced a historic increase in its key short-term interest rate.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks are sliding at midday Thursday after a big rally the day before. Mining companies fell along with the price of gold and copper, while a proposed Congressional budget deal sent solar power companies higher. Indexes jumped Wednesday after the Federal Reserve raised interest rates for the first time in nearly a decade.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Fewer Americans applied for unemployment claims last week, another sign of strength in the job market.
NEW YORK (AP) — Martin Shkreli, the former hedge fund manager vilified in nearly every corner of America for buying a pharmaceutical company and jacking up the price of a life-saving drug more than fiftyfold, was arrested Thursday on securities fraud charges unrelated to the furor.
Apple named Jeff Williams as its new chief operating officer, a job that hasn't been filled since Tim Cook left the position more than four years ago to become CEO.
WASHINGTON (AP) — A drop in exports of petroleum and other U.S. goods increased the deficit in the broadest measure of U.S. trade in the July-September quarter.
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 16
STATE LEGISLATURE
NASHVILLE (AP) - While many GOP leaders in the Tennessee Legislature have distanced themselves from state Rep. Jeremy Durham for writing a character reference letter on behalf of a former youth minister who pleaded guilty to child porn possession, a judge in the Franklin Republican's home county is praising what he calls the lawmaker's "moral courage."
STATEWIDE
NASHVILLE (AP) — Tennessee Finance Commissioner Larry Martin says the state's general fund tax collections in November were $42.6 million higher than projected.
NASHVILLE (AP) — After nixing an anti-DUI ad campaign that garnered criticism, the Tennessee Department of Transportation is paying millions on another attempt to educate the public about highway safety.
NASHVILLE AREA
NASHVILLE (AP) — Some Tennessee and Kentucky humanities projects will receive part of $21.8 million in grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities announced this week.
NASHVILLE (AP) — Nashville International Airport says United Airlines plans new nonstop service from Nashville to San Francisco International Airport, starting May 5.
NASHVILLE (AP) — Officials say a plane has rolled off a runway at Nashville International Airport, injuring eight people.
AUTO INDUSTRY
WASHINGTON (AP) — New cars and trucks averaged a record 24.3 miles per gallon last year, but falling gas prices and America's rekindled love affair with SUVs could endanger future fuel economy gains.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — California unveiled precedent-setting draft rules Wednesday that would slow the public's access to self-driving cars of the future until regulators are confident the technology is safe.
TOKYO (AP) — Toyota is expecting to sell more than 10 million vehicles in 2016 but little changed from what it expects to sell this year.
REAL ESTATE
WASHINGTON (AP) — A big jump in apartment construction in the Midwest and South boosted the pace of homebuilding in November, marking a solid bounce back after tumbling in October.
TECHNOLOGY
WASHINGTON (AP) — The massive year-end spending bill encourages companies to share cyber threat information with the government.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
WASHINGTON (AP) — For anyone considering whether to buy a home or car, the Federal Reserve's interest rate increase Wednesday shouldn't make much difference.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Federal Reserve is raising interest rates from record lows set at the depths of the 2008 financial crisis, a shift that heralds modestly higher rates on some loans.
NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks climbed Wednesday after the Federal Reserve raised interest rates, a long-expected vote of confidence in the U.S. economy. At the same time investors were encouraged that the Fed emphasized that further increases will be gradual.
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. industrial output fell for the third straight month in November, another sign that American manufacturers are under stress.
NEW YORK (AP) — The U.S. could soon end restrictions on oil exports put in place in the mid-1970s. The lifting of the embargo is part of a spending deal expected to be pushed through the House and Senate by the end of the week. Here are the reasons why the ban was in place, why it is now being lifted and how consumers and businesses will be affected.
NATIONAL POLITICS
WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican leaders have decided to delay until January a House vote to unravel President Barack Obama's health care overhaul and block federal money for Planned Parenthood, hoping to increase attention on their drive against two of conservatives' favorite targets.
WASHINGTON (AP) — From finance companies and manufacturers to teachers and the working poor, there is a tax break for almost everyone in the massive package unveiled by congressional leaders.
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 15
NASHVILLE AREA
NASHVILLE (AP) - Nashville authorities say a man suspected in the November shooting of Metro Councilman Loniel Greene has been arrested in Mississippi after an unrelated incident.
STATEWIDE
NASHVILLE (AP) — Motorists who don't buckle up in Tennessee will soon face a stiffer fine.
AUTO INDUSTRY
CHATTANOOGA (AP) — The National Labor Relations Board has certified the United Auto Workers win in a union vote among skilled workers at the Volkswagen plant in Tennessee.
MILAN (AP) — Volkswagen sales growth in Europe screeched to a near-halt in November compared with both its mass-market and premium competitors as the German carmaker was penalized for its involvement in a diesel emissions-cheating scandal.
REAL ESTATE
U.S. homebuilders are feeling slightly less confident about their sales prospects in coming months, though they remain positive overall that the housing market will continue to improve next year.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks posted their biggest gains in more than a week Tuesday, led by rising energy companies and banks.
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. consumer prices were unchanged in November as declines in energy and food held down overall costs. But core inflation was up 2 percent over the 12 months ending in November. That was the fastest pace in more than a year and the kind of increase Fed officials want to see to justify the start of a round of interest rate increases.
SEATTLE (AP) — Seattle has been seen as a leader on workers' rights with moves that include gradually raising the minimum wage and requiring most employers to provide paid sick leave.
NEW YORK (AP) — The beneficiaries include a manager at the Brazos Bookstore in Houston with a passion for works in translation and a community school in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, dedicated to reaching as many readers as possible.
MONDAY, DECEMBER 14
STATEWIDE
NASHVILLE (AP) - Weeks after being blasted by state lawmakers for financial mismanagement, an inmate rehabilitation organization is planning to stop providing meals to Tennessee prisons.
NASHVILLE (AP) — Republican Gov. Bill Haslam's effort to outsource hospitality operations at 11 state parks has failed to draw any interest from private vendors.
STATE LEGISLATURE
NASHVILLE (AP) — Voters in the home county of a top Republican in the state house are getting robocalls demanding his resignation over a prescription fraud investigation and a letter he wrote urging a lower sentence for a former youth pastor who pleaded guilty to child porn possession.
MIDSTATE
MURFREESBORO (AP) — Middle Tennessee Senior Associate Athletic Director Whit Turnbow is sponsoring a coat drive that will benefit children in Rutherford, Bedford and Coffee counties.
HEALTH CARE
WASHINGTON (AP) — It's crunch time to sign up for coverage under President Barack Obama's health care law. The website works much better now, but rising premiums and shaken faith among insurers have cast new shadows.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
NEW YORK (AP) — A late burst of buying left U.S. stock indexes higher at the closing bell after a day of wavering between small gains and losses.
NEW YORK (AP) — The junk-bond market has something to really fear: fear itself.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Owners of many small drones and model airplanes will have to register them with the government.
SEATTLE (AP) — Seattle may soon become the first city to let drivers of ride-hailing companies such as Uber and Lyft collectively bargain over pay and working conditions, a move opposed by the companies and one seen as a test case for the changing 21st century workforce.
NATIONAL POLITICS
WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican demands to end the ban on exporting crude oil emerged as a final negotiating point Monday as lawmakers scrambled to complete a year-end spending bill needed to keep the government running.
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 11
STATE LEGISLATURE
NASHVILLE (AP) - A top Republican in the state House wrote to a federal judge to call for a lenient sentence for a former youth pastor convicted of child porn possession.
NASHVILLE (AP) — Republican leaders in Tennessee aren't exactly rallying to the side of a state lawmaker prosecutors wanted to charge with prescription fraud.
AUTO INDUSTRY
BERLIN (AP) — Volkswagen said Friday that its global sales were 2.2 percent lower in November than a year earlier, with increases in western European and Chinese deliveries helping cushion the impact of steep drops in the U.S. and elsewhere.
WOLFSBURG, Germany (AP) — A small group of Volkswagen engineers began working as early as 2005 on emissions cheating software after they were unable to find a technical solution to U.S. emissions controls as the automaker pushed into the North American market, executives said Thursday.
TECHNOLOGY
NEW YORK (AP) — The mobile payment wars are heating up. Wal-Mart Stores Inc., the world's largest retailer, said it's launching its own mobile payment system that will allow shoppers to pay with any major credit or debit card or its own store gift card through its existing smartphone app at the cash register.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
WASHINGTON (AP) — Holiday shoppers are off to a solid but unspectacular start as retail sales registered a modest gain in November.
NEW YORK (AP) — Another sharp drop in the price of oil prompted investors to dump stocks again, leaving the U.S. market with its worst weekly loss since the summer.
PARIS (AP) — The price of oil is falling further after the International Energy Agency forecast a decline in demand.
DOVER, Del. (AP) — Dow Chemical and the DuPont Co. announced Friday that they are merging in a $130 billion chemical industry megadeal.
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. producer prices rose in November for the first time in four months, driven up by higher profit margins for retailers and wholesalers and a jump in shipping costs.
NEW YORK (AP) — The gas produced by hog manure at farms across the U.S. punches holes in the ozone layer, overheats the planet, and angers neighbors with its peculiar odor, a mix of rotten egg and ammonia.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The stock market's sharp decline in August and September took its toll on Americans' finances in the third quarter. Household net worth fell for the first time in four years.
NATIONAL POLITICS
LE BOURGET, France (AP) — With only hours left to produce a global climate accord, rifts emerged Friday between Western countries and China and its allies over how to share the burdens of reducing carbon pollution and helping vulnerable nations cope with the rising seas and extreme weather that comes with global warming.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Congress sent President Barack Obama a short-term spending bill to keep the government open through next Wednesday as lawmakers and the White House rushed to finalize a $1.1 trillion government-wide spending bill and a sprawling tax package.
WASHINGTON (AP) — White House and congressional negotiators searched for compromise Thursday on huge tax and spending bills with a combined price tag of well over $1 trillion, with leaders hoping to clinch agreements and let Congress adjourn next week for the year.