VOL. 39 | NO. 51 | Friday, December 18, 2015
Anybody got a spare $2 billion lying around? If so, the Tennessee Titans could be yours. Despite statements to the contrary by Titans management, there is growing sentiment locally and around the NFL that the team soon will be available to the highest bidder.
With Tennessee Vols legend Peyton Manning likely in his final season as an NFL player, there has been speculation that he will be pursued by the Titans for a front-office position with the organization.
In the 26 months since the death of Tennessee Titans founder Kenneth S. “Bud” Adams, the franchise has been in a constant state of transition. Here’s a timeline of the biggest changes:
As the Tennessee Titans sink toward the end of another lackluster season, they head into the off-season with still more holes to fill for 2016.
VANDERBILT SPORTS
There’s an excited undertone, a giddy murmur about Vanderbilt’s men’s basketball team this season.
VIEW FROM THE HILL
U.S. Sen. Bob Corker says he believes the nation needs to stop admitting Syrian refugees until security problems are solved, but the nation’s “bigger risk” in letting terrorists slip into the country lies with the nation’s Visa Waiver Program.
STREET LEVEL
He says he’s “not religious,” but he trusts God, loves his family and makes “the best kebab in America.”
REALTY CHECK
November sales numbers from the Greater Nashville Association of Realtors show the inevitable has happened – November 2015 sales are less than November 2014.
REAL ESTATE
Top residential real estate sales, November 2015, for Davidson, Williamson, Rutherford, Wilson and Sumner counties, as compiled by Chandler Reports.
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.
NEWSMAKERS
Sam Lingo has been appointed president and COO of the organization Nashville Entrepreneur Center.
BEHIND THE WHEEL
Cadillac has delivered its most powerful car, the 2016 CTS-V, and the track-ready sport sedan capable of speeds of 200 mph is also stylish and remarkably comfortable for everyday driving.
GUERRILLA MARKETING
With the New Year almost upon us, it’s time to adjust your marketing strategy to propel your company’s growth in 2016.
CAREER CORNER
It’s that time of year again, and you’re required to attend an awkward holiday party with your co-workers during the day.
I SWEAR
On Nov. 27, 1945, a poet named Pound, married to a woman named Shakespear, was arraigned before a judge named Laws. No joke.
KAY'S COOKING CORNER
Christmas is almost here, and I hope you are more prepared than I.
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 23
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks were little changed in light trading Thursday as investors remained on the sidelines ahead of Christmas. The price of crude oil continued to recover.
WASHINGTON (AP) — What Fed rate hike?
WASHINGTON (AP) — The number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits fell last week, reflecting a job market that continues to look persistently healthy.
STATEWIDE
NASHVILLE (AP) — State Rep. Joe Armstrong says he quietly "stepped down" from his House Democratic Caucus leadership position after being indicted earlier this year on federal fraud and tax evasion charges.
NASHVILLE (AP) — Members of the Tennessee Black Caucus of State Legislators are condemning what they consider to be an "attack" on diversity programs in higher education by Republican lawmakers.
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 22
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks advanced for a third straight day on Wednesday, once again helped by higher oil prices, which lifted shares in oil and gas companies.
NEW YORK (AP) — In a flat year overall for stocks, there was still plenty of excitement to be enjoyed — or endured — by 2015's biggest winners and losers.
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. consumer sentiment rose in December to its highest level since July, lifted in part by low inflation, which has boosted Americans' purchasing power.
DALLAS (AP) — Airlines are shifting the timing of thousands of flights, even adding dozens of redeyes, as they try to avoid delays while hauling millions of passengers from now through the Christmas weekend.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Factory orders for long-lasting goods such as autos, airplanes and electronics were flat in November, as the impact of a strong dollar and struggling global economy weigh on U.S. manufacturers.
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. consumer spending rebounded in November after a weak showing in October, while a key inflation gauge posted the fastest year-over-year increase in 11 months.
STATE LEGISLATURE
NASHVILLE (AP) — Supporters of school choice say they plan to push for proposals that they argue allow parents to play a stronger role in how their children are educated in the legislative session that begins in January.
MONDAY, DECEMBER 21
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. economy grew at a slightly slower pace over the summer than the government had previously estimated. Most economists foresee a slight acceleration in the current quarter and stronger growth in the first half of 2016.
NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks rose for a second day on Tuesday, helped by a stabilization in crude oil prices. Chipotle Mexican Grill fell on more worries about the safety of its food.
NEW YORK (AP) — Investing is becoming more of a grind. Expect it to stay that way.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Home sales plunged sharply in November, as rising prices are creating affordability pressures and new regulations have delayed finalizing purchases.
STATEWIDE
NASHVILLE (AP) — The state Supreme Court has approved changes to
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 18
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks posted moderate gains in a quiet trading day Monday, recovering part of their losses sustained late last week. Energy stocks continued to be a drag on the market, as the price of oil fell once again.
NEW YORK (AP) — Staples says that regulators have rejected its offer to sell $1.25 billion in contracts, part of its plan to ease monopoly fears as it attempts to acquire rival Office Depot.
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — JPMorgan Chase has agreed to pay $150 million to public pension funds and individuals hurt by its $6 billion "London Whale" trading loss.
NEW YORK (AP) — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says it is investigating more recent cases of E. coli cases linked to Chipotle, and that it does not know yet if they are linked to a larger outbreak that began in October.
TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — In barely 24 hours, Martin Shkreli went from an egotistical pharmaceutical boy wonder running two small drug developers and live-streaming his daily activities to unemployed and facing securities fraud charges that could land him in prison for years.
AUTO INDUSTRY
DETROIT (AP) — U.S. safety regulators have slapped German automaker BMW AG with a $40 million penalty for moving too slowly to fix Mini brand cars that failed federal crash tests.
PERSONAL FINANCE
Wondering how you will fare financially in 2016? Below are what experts think next year will hold for financial matters close to home: Raises, rent, gas, food and health.
STATEWIDE
JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (AP) — East Tennessee State University has updated some restrooms in academic buildings and residence halls with signage that identifies them as gender-neutral restrooms.
STATEWIDE
NASHVILLE (AP) - Tennessee's unemployment rate for November stayed at 5.6 percent for the second straight month.
NASHVILLE (AP) — Tennessee law enforcement officials will kick off the "Booze It and Lose It" holiday safety campaign on Friday.
NASHVILLE AREA
NASHVILLE (AP) — Evangelical leaders are urging fellow Christians to welcome refugees from Syria and Iraq despite opposition by many governors and presidential candidates.
STATE LEGISLATURE
NASHVILLE (AP) - Tennessee's House Republican caucus will meet next month to reconsider embattled Rep. Jeremy Durham's leadership position over what one colleague called his "questionable judgment."
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.
DETROIT (AP) — Volkswagen has hired Washington lawyer Kenneth Feinberg to figure out a way to compensate owners of diesel-powered cars that the company rigged to cheat on emissions tests.
TECHNOLOGY
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Facebook is trying to make it easier to send photos as the holiday season's picture-taking frenzy escalates with the arrival of Christmas and New Year's Eve.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
WASHINGTON (AP) — Just as the Federal Reserve is pulling back slightly on the economic accelerator, Congress is pressing down a bit harder.
NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks plunged across all sectors in the heaviest trading of the year Friday as enthusiasm over a long-awaited increase in U.S. interest rates faded.
TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — The pharmaceutical executive reviled for price-gouging resigned Friday as head of the drugmaker Turing Pharmaceuticals, a day after being arrested on charges of securities fraud related to a company he previously ran.
WASHINGTON (AP) — JPMorgan Chase is paying $307 million to settle federal charges of failing to reveal conflicts of interest from steering clients into certain investments tied to its businesses.
NEW YORK (AP) — "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" has set a box office record with an estimated $57 million from Thursday night shows.
Women may be badly outnumbered in the top ranks of corporate America, but at least they aren't underpaid.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Anyone under the age of 18 would be barred from using indoor tanning equipment, under a federal proposal to help reduce skin cancer linked to the devices.
NEW YORK (AP) — A boyish-looking entrepreneur who became the new face of corporate greed when he jacked up the price of a lifesaving drug fiftyfold was led away in handcuffs by the FBI on unrelated fraud charges Thursday in a scene that left more than a few Americans positively gleeful.
NATIONAL POLITICS
WASHINGTON (AP) — Congress ended its chaotic year on a surprising note of bipartisan unity and productivity Friday, overwhelmingly approving a massive 2016 tax and spending package and sending it to President Barack Obama for his signature.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Americans appear less inclined to buy new homes as the year ends. Sales improved in November only because fewer people bought new homes in October than initially reported.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The government on Tuesday mistakenly released data on consumer spending for November the day before its scheduled release.