VOL. 40 | NO. 52 | Friday, December 23, 2016
A hero for women who have lived lives with none
Possibly the difference between Becca Stevens and the rest of us mortals is her drive to act while others take time to ponder.
Soy candles, essential oils, shea butter – simple and pure. Thistle Farms started making products that can nourish the body and soften the home in 2001 in a church basement.
SAM STOCKARD: VIEW FROM THE HILL
Bipartisanship forms the backbone of state Rep. Karen Camper’s legislative philosophy. The Memphis Democrat from Whitehaven recently received the honor as one of the 2016 Elected Women of Excellence, an award established by the National Foundation for Women Legislators to recognize hard work and legislative efforts.
RICHARD COURTNEY: REALTY CHECK
As an admittedly aging parent of 8-year-old twins, I have been made aware of one very important challenge facing these apparently neglected youngsters.
REAL ESTATE
Top commercial real estate sales, November 2016, for Davidson, Williamson, Rutherford, Wilson and Sumner counties, as compiled by Chandler Reports.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Long-term US mortgage rates climbed again this week, hitting the highest levels since 2014.
TERRY McCORMICK: TENNESSEE TITANS
Tennessee has its NFL team back. The Titans had slipped off the national radar about eight years ago and – to a lesser extent – out of Nashville’s consciousness a few years after that, sometime around the end of the Jeff Fisher era and throughout the following years.
First down: Take care of business. The Titans have gotten themselves in a position to contend for a playoff spot. The next step is a Christmas Eve road game against the lowly Jacksonville Jaguars.
DAVID CLIMER: OUT OF LEFT FIELD
In the spirit of the holiday season, Joshua Dobbs is the gift that keeps on giving.
NEWSMAKERS
Nathan Ridley, who leads Bradley, LLP’s Tennessee government relations and lobbying practice as part of the Government Affairs Practice Group, will serve as 2017 President of the Nashville Bar Association.
BEHIND THE WHEEL
For 2017, Lincoln continues to improve its midsize MKZ Hybrid sedan by adding a Jaguar-esque grille, easier-to-use audio and ventilation controls and an upgraded interior.
GUERRILLA MARKETING
The launch of a new product is just about as important as the product itself. As good as the product may be, if the launch is lackluster, the product may sit on the shelf until it one day lands in a clearance bin.
CAREER CORNER
No matter what your personal religious, political or social views might be, it seems fair to say we can all agree on one thing: 2016 has been a tough year.
I SWEAR
Paul Greenberg, editorial page editor emeritus of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, likes to write about Franz Kafka (1883-1924) and the word coined for his name, Kafkaesque.
MUSIC INDUSTRY
NASHVILLE (AP) — Singers Vince Gill, Amy Grant and Kallen Esperian top the list of winners of the Tennessee governor's arts awards.
REAL ESTATE
WASHINGTON (AP) — Long-term US mortgage rates ticked up again this week, staying at their highest levels since early 2014.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
U.S. stocks edged mostly higher in early trading Thursday, led by utilities and phone companies. Banks fell, and the price of crude oil was headed lower. Trading was light ahead of the New Year's Day holiday.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Fewer Americans applied for unemployment benefits last week, continuing a nearly two-year trend that suggests a solid job market.
WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump has vowed to name China a currency manipulator on his first day in the White House.
PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump applauded the return of 8,000 jobs to the U.S. and hailed his transition discussions with President Barack Obama in a series of comments that amounted to the most detailed interaction he's had with journalists since before the election.
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 28
MUSIC INDUSTRY
NASHVILLE (AP) - The new season of "Nashville" starts with traditional songs rooted in gospel and folk music rather than big production country songs.
STATEWIDE
NASHVILLE (AP) - The devastation from wildfires that roared out of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, torching hundreds of buildings and leaving 14 people dead, has been voted the top Tennessee news story of 2016, according to an annual Associated Press survey of reporters, editors and broadcasters.
NASHVILLE (AP) — The Tennessee attorney general says a ban on snapping selfies at the ballot box is constitutional.
REAL ESTATE
WASHINGTON (AP) — Fewer Americans signed contracts to buy homes in November. The decrease likely reflects the drag caused by rising mortgage rates and the shallow inventory of properties on the market.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
Banks led a broad slide in U.S. stocks Wednesday that more than wiped out gains from the day before.
NEW YORK (AP) — In a solid year for stocks, graphics processor maker Nvidia stood far above its peers on the Standard & Poor's 500 index. The company's stock more than tripled for the year. But it was far from the only company that made a notable move. Goldman Sachs helped a rally in financial companies and Caterpillar contributed to an industrial boom on Wall Street, while drug companies like Mylan suffered big drops.
LONDON (AP) — Oil company BP says it has agreed to buy the fuel business of Australian supermarket chain Woolworths Ltd for $1.3 billion as part of its efforts to rebuild itself.
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 27
STATEWIDE
NASHVILLE (AP) — The Tennessee Senate's top Democrat is criticizing Republican Gov. Bill Haslam for lacking diversity in his cabinet.
REAL ESTATE
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. home prices rose again in October as buyers bidding for scarce properties drove prices higher.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
Real estate investment trusts led a modest slide for U.S. stocks in morning trading Wednesday. The broad decline wiped out most of the gains from the day before, when the Nasdaq composite index closed at a record high. Trading was quiet in a light week of economic and company news before the New Year's Day holiday weekend.
NEW YORK (AP) — Federal prosecutors have charged three Chinese nationals accused of profiting from insider information about mergers and acquisitions by hacking into the networks of law firms working on the deals, authorities said Tuesday.
WASHINGTON (AP) — American consumers are the sunniest they've been in more than 15 years.
MONDAY, DECEMBER 26
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
Gift cards are a popular present at the holidays — the National Retail Federation says more than half of consumers plan to give one this year.
NEW YORK (AP) — The holiday shopping season is losing some of its power in the year's sales.
BEIJING (AP) — Stock markets in Japan and China declined Monday in light trading after Christmas with most other Asian markets closed.
NATIONAL POLITICS
WASHINGTON (AP) — Republicans are united on repealing President Barack Obama's health care law, but ideologically and practically speaking, they're in different camps over replacing it. Getting the factions together won't be easy.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Congressional Republicans are planning a massive overhaul of the nation's tax system, a heavy political lift that could ultimately affect families at every income level and businesses of every size.
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 31
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks are ending slightly lower on Wall Street as a number of retailers lose ground.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. economy grew at a 3.5 percent annual rate in the July-September quarter, the fastest pace in two years and more than the government had previously estimated. But the growth spurt isn't expected to last.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Consumers slowed the growth in their spending in November and income growth was flat, two worrisome signs at the start of the holiday shopping season.
NATIONAL POLITICS
WASHINGTON (AP) — House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi has issued a call to action to her rank and file to fight Republican efforts to scrap the health care law by highlighting the risks of repeal for millions of Americans.