VOL. 43 | NO. 52 | Friday, December 27, 2019
Tennessee would be hardest-hit by MLB plan to pare minor league franchises
Major League Baseball is planning to eliminate 42 of its 162 minor league teams, even after setting a minor league attendance record of 41.5 million in 2019. And while the AAA Nashville Sounds are safe from the proposed contraction, teams in six communities are not.
JOE ROGERS: MY TAKE
As Jan. 1 approaches, a familiar controversy returns about what the New Year will or will not bring about. As a veteran of such disputes, I will attempt to debunk it again.
RICHARD COURTNEY: REALTY CHECK
History was made when Greater Nashville Realtors installed officers for 2020 with Kristy Hairston sworn in as president of the 129-year-old association.
REAL ESTATE
Top residential real estate sales during the 2010s for Davidson, Williamson, Rutherford, Wilson and Sumner counties, as compiled by Chandler Reports.
Washington (AP) — U.S. long-term mortgage rates are little changed this week, remaining at historically low levels to prod prospective homebuyers.
TENNESSEE TITANS
At least the Tennessee Titans are familiar with the situation they find themselves in as they approach the 2019 regular season finale.
The Tennessee Titans control their own destiny as they prepare to face the Houston Texans in the regular-season finale.
Titans 21, Texans 20: It all comes down to this for the Titans. Can they go on the road and defeat the rival Texans, who really have little to play for other than keeping their division rival out of the postseason?
UT SPORTS
Securing the borders is a common recruiting goal among college athletic programs as coaches don’t want to let the best players from their state escape to other schools.
The location wasn’t going to matter to the players and coaches on the University of Tennessee football team. Just being eligible to compete in a bowl game and getting extra practices was worthy of celebration.
NEWSMAKERS
The Tennessee Bar Association has picked 33 attorneys from across the state for its 2020 Leadership Law program.
BRIEFS
Nashville has been named a host city for the 2022 ASAE Annual Meeting & Exposition.
BEHIND THE WHEEL
Hybrids have evolved in recent years, moving on from the original Toyota Prius to a new crop of efficient crossover SUVs.
BUSINESS BOOK REVIEW
The paper on your living room floor was waist-high. That tossed-aside wrapping – ripped off the presents in 2.5 seconds – was a good indication of a good holiday, and everyone was content.
PERSONAL FINANCE
Your expenses don’t end with your paychecks, but creating a reliable income stream in retirement can be tricky. The right choices can result in sustainable income for the rest of your life. The wrong choices could leave you uncomfortably short of cash.
CAREER CORNER
The headline for this column may sound funny. After all, you’re looking for a new job, not a steak and baked potato. You’re right, of course, but there are lessons you can carry over from your dinner tonight to your job interview tomorrow morning.
MILLENNIAL MONEY
To calculate a restaurant server's tip, double the first number on the bill. A $62.47 tab gets a $12 tip. If the bill is more than $100, double the first two digits.
PREDATORS
DALLAS (AP) — Dallas Stars interim coach Rick Bowness had just seen a very similar comeback by his team, though the surroundings for this one were drastically different.
UT SPORTS
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — It's been more than 50 years since Indiana won nine games in a season. The perennial Big Ten doormat, known more for its basketball prowess than its football progress, has a chance to match its most wins in program history Thursday night against streaking Tennessee in the Gator Bowl.
AUTO INDUSTRY
BERLIN (AP) — Volkswagen and a German consumer group said Thursday they will conduct talks on a possible settlement in a landmark case in which hundreds of thousands of people aim to establish a right of compensation for cars affected by the automaker's diesel emissions scandal.
TUESDAY, DEC. 31
TOURISM
NASHVILLE (AP) — A new passport will let tourists in Tennessee check off their visits to 22 of the state's most iconic country music destinations.
MEMPHIS (AP) — Elvis Presley's Graceland is planning an auction of artifacts to be held during the late entertainer's 85th birthday celebration on Jan. 8.
VANDERBILT SPORTS
NASHVILLE (AP) — Vanderbilt used a balanced offensive attack to get a win over Davidson on Monday night.
AUTO INDUSTRY
TOKYO (AP) — In a daring escape that confounded authorities, Nissan's former Chairman Carlos Ghosn skipped bail while awaiting trial in Japan on allegations of financial misconduct and reappeared in Lebanon, where he said Tuesday that he had fled to avoid "political persecution."
REAL ESTATE
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. home prices rose faster in October than the previous month as many would-be buyers competed for a limited supply of available properties.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
NEW YORK (AP) — After a year of nirvana, investors may need to get ready for something a little more normal.
Wall Street closed the books Tuesday on a blockbuster 2019 for stock investors, with the broader market delivering its best returns in six years.
BALTIMORE (AP) — U.S. consumer confidence slipped ever so slightly in December, as expectations fell about economic growth over the next six months.
BEIJING (AP) — China's Huawei Technologies said Tuesday that its sales rose a lower-than-projected 18% in 2019 and predicted tough times ahead as the U.S. moves to restrict its business.
NEW YORK (AP) — An anti-robocalls measure signed into law Monday by President Donald Trump should help reduce the torrent of unwanted calls promising lower interest rates or pretending to be the IRS, though it won't make all such calls disappear.
NEW YORK (AP) — Every movie year offers up a parade of hits and flops. But in 2019, no winner was in the same galaxy as the Walt Disney Co. And the biggest loser might have been anyone less thrilled about the box-office domination of franchise films.
MONDAY, DEC. 30
STATE GOVERNMENT
NASHVILLE (AP) — Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee's new appointee to the state Board of Parole says she will continue to pursue a slander lawsuit in which she accuses the chair of the House finance committee of saying she was trying to have the representative killed.
TENNESSEE TITANS
HOUSTON (AP) — Mike Vrabel's playoff debut as a head coach will come against the team he helped to three Super Bowl titles as player.
NEW YORK (AP) — Tom Brady and the New England Patriots will be playing in the postseason a week earlier than usual this year.
AUTO INDUSTRY
BEIRUT (AP) — Former Nissan chairman Carlos Ghosn, who is awaiting trial in Japan on charges of financial misconduct, has arrived in Beirut, a close friend said Monday. He apparently jumped bail.
MEDIA
MARTINEZ, Calif. (AP) — One of the longest-running newspapers in California printed its final edition on Sunday, ending 161 years of publishing news about the city of Martinez east of San Francisco.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Fred P. Graham, who covered the Supreme Court and momentous legal affairs of his era for The New York Times, CBS News and Court TV, has died at his Washington home. He was 88.
HEALTH CARE
WASHINGTON (AP) — As a candidate for the White House, Donald Trump repeatedly promised that he would "immediately" replace President Barack Obama's health care law with a plan of his own that would provide "insurance for everybody."
REAL ESTATE
WASHINGTON (AP) — Americans signed more contracts to purchase homes in November, a rebound from the previous month, indicating that the housing market is still strong.
COURTS
WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge on Monday dismissed a lawsuit from a former White House official who had challenged a congressional subpoena in the impeachment inquiry involving President Donald Trump.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — A federal judge on Monday temporarily blocked a new California law outlawing mandatory arbitration agreements that critics say can make it more difficult for workers to sue their bosses for sexual harassment.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
Stocks closed broadly lower on Wall Street Monday, erasing some of the major indexes' recent gains, though the market remains on track to end the year with its best performance since 2013.
NORTH HAVEN, Conn. (AP) — Guess who's getting used to working with robots in their everyday lives? The very same warehouse workers once predicted to be losing their jobs to mechanical replacements.
VERSAILLES, Ky. (AP) — Jim Beam was fined $600,000 (537,000 Euros) earlier this month after a July warehouse fire sent a nearly 23-mile (37-kilometer) plume of alcohol into the Kentucky and Ohio rivers, killing fish.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL POLITICS
WASHINGTON (AP) — Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will visit Ukraine this week, making his first trip to the country at the heart of President Donald Trump's impeachment.
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump starts the new year knee-deep in daunting foreign policy challenges at the same time he'll have to deal with a likely impeachment trial in the Senate and the demands of a reelection campaign.
FRIDAY, DEC. 27
STATEWIDE
NASHVILLE (AP) — Tennessee motorists are now able to apply for personalized license plates online.
TENNESSEE TITANS
NASHVILLE (AP) — Pro Bowl running back Derrick Henry makes it very clear he will play Sunday against the Houston Texans with a playoff berth on the line for the Tennessee Titans.
AUTO INDUSTRY
FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — Automaker Volkswagen is raising the bar for its plunge into battery powered cars, saying it will reach its goal of 1 million electric cars per year two years earlier than planned. The announcement Friday comes as European automakers are under pressure to meet lower emissions limits aimed at fighting global warming.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
Major U.S. stock indexes closed nearly flat Friday as the market retreated slightly from its latest highs.
LONDON (AP) — British regulators said Friday they are launching a full-scale investigation of Amazon's plan to purchase a stake in Deliveroo to determine if it would dampen competition.
A close adviser to Boeing's ousted CEO will also leave the company.
THURSDAY, DEC. 26
STATE GOVERNMENT
NASHVILLE (AP) — Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee has appointed former GOP state Sen. Mae Beavers to serve on the state Board of Parole.
ENVIRONMENT
WARRENTON, Ore. (AP) — A rare environmental success story is unfolding in waters off the U.S. West Coast.
AUTO INDUSTRY
The day Youngstown's steel mills began shutting down 40 years ago remains fresh in the minds of those who live in the blue-collar corner of Ohio. Community leaders don't want the recent closing of General Motors' massive assembly plant to leave that same lingering gloom.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
Retailers and technology companies powered stocks broadly higher on Wall Street Thursday, extending the market's record-setting run.
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) — Saudi Arabia and Kuwait have ended a nearly five-year-long dispute over shared oil fields and have agreed to resume oil production from the divided Neutral Zone, but stressed this would not change their OPEC commitments to crude oil production cuts.