VOL. 39 | NO. 52 | Friday, December 25, 2015
Nashville’s publically-funded art projects have reaped national awards and attracted international attention in the past four years, particularly for the creativity and usefulness of its budding bike rack program.
Christian Moeller’s public art is sprinkled around the globe.
“Ghost Ballet’’
VIEW FROM THE HILL
It’s going to take a Christmas miracle for Insure Tennessee to make it into anyone’s stocking this year.
STREET LEVEL
“Jesus is all over this place,” I scribble in my reporter’s notebook as I sit back in a chair inside The Cookery.
REALTY CHECK
Tis the season to be jolly for those considering selling their homes, as this year’s sales numbers will reflect the fifth consecutive year of positive growth as far as the units sold.
REAL ESTATE
Top residential real estate sales, November 2015, for Davidson, Williamson, Rutherford, Wilson and Sumner counties, as compiled by Chandler Reports.
TENNESSEE TITANS
The Tennessee Titans are holding out hope that Marcus Mariota’s right knee injury, sustained in Sunday’s loss to the Patriots, won’t be season-ending.
NEWSMAKERS
Lizabeth Theiss is the new president of the Nashville Chapter of NAIOP, Commercial Real Estate Development Association, making history as the chapter’s first female president.
BUSINESS BOOK REVIEW
Sometimes, you’d just like to run home. It’s quieter there. No noise, no crowds, no networking or small talk.
GUERRILLA MARKETING
With our sights set on 2016, it’s the perfect time for reflection on your growth strategy. What marketing successes will you carry over from 2015 into the New Year, and which will you abandon? What marketing trends, anticipated for 2016, are worthy of consideration in your 2016 plan?
BEHIND THE WHEEL
The 2016 Subaru Forester is a solid, practical and flexible crossover sport utility vehicle that endears with its easy-to-drive nature, off-road capability and generous cargo area.
I SWEAR
Writing in the November issue of The American Lawyer, a quartet of byline authors put forth: “Among big-firm lawyers, the Dewey & LeBoeuf trial [which, after four months of testimony and 21-days of jury deliberation, ended in a mistrial] has produced reactions ranging from introspection to schadenfreude.”
KAY'S COOKING CORNER
Well, a new year is quickly approaching. It seems that they are beginning to fly by so quickly they are bumping into each other.
STATEWIDE
NASHVILLE (AP) - Motorists in Tennessee who don't buckle up could face stiffer fines under one of many new Tennessee laws taking effect Friday.
REAL ESTATE
WASHINGTON (AP) — Average long-term U.S. mortgage rates crossed the 4 percent mark this week, a slight increase in the wake of the Federal Reserve decision this month to hike a key short-term interest rate.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
WASHINGTON (AP) — More Americans requested unemployment benefits last week, but the level remains near historic lows in a positive sign for the job market.
U.S. stocks veered lower on the last day of the year as the market headed for a sluggish end to 2015. The modest losses in early trading Thursday dragged the Standard & Poor's 500 index back into the red for the year. With dividends included it will have a slight gain.
NEW YORK (AP) — For decades, children visiting New York City savored one stop above all: a trip to the kind of toy store that existed only in their imagination. Now they'll have to keep dreaming.
NEW YORK (AP) — Target's efforts to draw shoppers back into its stores are paying off.
LONDON (AP) — BBC says its main news website and other sites were knocked offline due to an attack.
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 30
STATEWIDE
NASHVILLE (AP) - Tennessee officials have recorded more pedestrian and bicycle deaths in 2015 than in any other year in the past two decades.
NASHVILLE (AP) — Tennessee drivers who renew their licenses next year won't have to go through the process again for eight years.
REAL ESTATE
WASHINGTON (AP) — Fewer people signed contracts to purchase homes in November, as the real estate market appears to have cooled after sales gains for much of 2015.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
NEW YORK (AP) — Companies around the world spent a record $5.04 trillion on acquisitions in 2015, according to Dealogic, as slow worldwide economic growth and low interest rates pushed companies to combine forces.
The latest downturn in crude oil prices put investors in a selling mood Wednesday, pulling U.S. stocks lower for the second time this week.
NEW YORK (AP) — Weight Watchers is getting another boost from Oprah Winfrey.
NEW YORK (AP) — Pep Boys will be acquired by Carl Icahn for $1 billion, ending a weeks-long bidding war with the Japanese tire company Bridgestone.
ROME (AP) — Italian authorities say Apple Italia has agreed to pay 318 million euros ($350 million) in taxes for several past years and is working out a deal to cover future tax liabilities for business it does in the country.
NEW YORK (AP) — Kalobios, the troubled drugmaker taken over by Martin Shkreli last month, is seeking bankruptcy protection less than two weeks after his arrest on securities fraud.
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 29
STATEWIDE
NASHVILLE (AP) — New business owners can get answers to their tax questions at a series of free workshops offered in January by the Tennessee Department of Revenue.
REAL ESTATE
WASHINGTON (AP) — Steady job growth, low mortgage rates and tight inventories helped fuel rising U.S. home prices in October.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
The stock market took investors for a wild ride in 2015, but in the end it was a trip to nowhere.
Technology and health care companies led a broad rally in U.S. stocks Tuesday that pulled the Standard & Poor's 500 index back into the black for the year.
WASHINGTON (AP) — An improving job market lifted consumer confidence in December, a business group says.
MONDAY, DECEMBER 28
STATEWIDE
NASHVILLE (AP) - The fatal shooting of four Marines and a sailor in Chattanooga has been voted the top Tennessee news story of 2015.
NASHVILLE (AP) - Tennessee is preparing to launch a $1 million advertising campaign to encourage adults who dropped out of college to go back and get their degrees.
HEALTH CARE
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Obama administration says it's giving employers who need more time a limited extension for critical reporting requirements next year under the federal health care law.
NEW YORK (AP) — The head of troubled pharmaceutical company Valeant has been hospitalized.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — Online retailer Amazon has been a prime beneficiary of more consumers doing their holiday shopping online and procrastinating.
U.S. stocks closed modestly lower on Monday as a deepening slump in crude oil prices pulled down energy and mining stocks on a lighter than usual day of trading.
NEW DELHI (AP) — Like consumers around the globe, Indians are flocking to the online marketplace in droves these days. But there's one unusual item flying off the virtual shelves: Online retailers say cow dung patties are selling like hot cakes.
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) — Saudi Arabia said Monday that this year's budget deficit amounted to $98 billion (367 billion riyals) as lower oil prices cut into the government's main source of revenue, prompting the kingdom to scale back spending for the coming year.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" has reached $1 billion at the box office, achieving the milestone with record-setting hyper speed.
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 24
STATE LEGISLATURE
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.
NASHVILLE (AP) — State. Rep. Joe Armstrong says he hopes the "truth comes out" when he goes to trial on federal fraud and tax evasion charges.
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.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks closed slightly lower in extremely 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.