VOL. 41 | NO. 5 | Friday, February 3, 2017
RICHARD COURTNEY: REALTY CHECK
My wife stumbled onto a sale at a clothing store over the weekend and found a dress that had been priced at $750 marked down to $150, or something close to that. Don’t hold me to those numbers.
DAVID CLIMER: OUT OF LEFT FIELD
While we wait – and wait and wait and wait – for the University of Tennessee to hire its next athletics director, let’s ponder the man who soon will walk out the door.
TERRY McCORMICK: TENNESSEE TITANS
With the Super Bowl putting the finishing touches on the 2016 NFL season, it’s time to concentrate on next season.
Here we are, another football season coming to an end with the Super Bowl. One of the teams, the New England Patriots, is a perennial contender led by Coach Bill Belichick and future Hall of Fame quarterback Tom Brady.
DAVE LINK: UT SPORTS
To say Tennessee quarterback Joshua Dobbs might be the next Dak Prescott is a stretch. Or is it?
BEHIND THE WHEEL
For those who can afford the luxury of a Mercedes S-Class and want everyone to know it, the German automaker is offering its S550 convertible for the first time since 1971.
GUERRILLA MARKETING
Buzz is building around this year’s Super Bowl ads, which will feature Justin Timberlake, political controversy, Mr. Clean as Magic Mike and the first-ever live ad.
CAREER CORNER
As you grow in your career, finding a new job can become harder and harder. One of the big reasons for this has to do with salary.
STATE LEGISLATURE
NASHVILLE (AP) — A bill proposed in Tennessee's legislature would create a sales tax holiday for guns and ammunition.
STATEWIDE
NASHVILLE (AP) — A new survey says the Volunteer State is one of the worst places in the country for singles who are looking for love. But Tennesseans can take heart: At least it's not as bad as it is in Mississippi, which came in dead last in the rankings.
NASHVILLE (AP) — The Tennessee Treasury Department says it returned a record of almost 42,000 claims of unclaimed property in the 2016 budget year.
KNOXVILLE (AP) — A former vice president of the truck stop chain owned by the family of Cleveland Browns owner Jimmy Haslam and Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam wants a judge to throw out statements he made to federal investigators during a raid of the company's headquarters.
REAL ESTATE
WASHINGTON (AP) — Long-term US mortgage rates eased slightly this week.
AUTO INDUSTRY
TOKYO (AP) — Nissan reported Thursday that its October-December profit rose 3.5 percent from last year as vehicle sales climbed in all major markets.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
Banks and other financial companies led U.S. stocks higher Thursday afternoon, pushing the major indexes further into record territory. Investors were poring over earnings from Kellogg, Viacom and other companies. Energy stocks were also up as the price of crude oil headed higher. Utilities and materials were lagging the market.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits dipped to a 12-week low at the start of February, a sign of a stable job market for U.S. workers.
MCLEAN, Va. (AP) — Gannett Co. (GCI) on Thursday reported fourth-quarter profit of $24.6 million.
ATLANTA (AP) — Coca-Cola's profit fell 55 percent in the most recent quarter, as the world's biggest beverage maker restructures its business.
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 8
STATE LEGISLATURE
NASHVILLE (AP) — An audit released Wednesday outlines hundreds of potential campaign finance violations by former state Rep. Jeremy Durham, a Franklin Republican who was expelled from the state House last fall amid a series of sexual harassment allegations.
Calling the governor’s fuel-tax plan a “slap in the face” of working Tennesseans, legislative Democrats are making a move to offset increased costs at the pump by phasing out the grocery tax.
NASHVILLE (AP) — Republican Gov. Bill Haslam has introduced legislation seeking to ban any open alcohol bottles or cans in vehicles traveling on Tennessee roads.
STATEWIDE
NASHVILLE (AP) — The Tennessee Highway Patrol is exploring the idea of equipping its troopers with body cameras.
MEMPHIS (AP) — George Cogswell III has stepped down as publisher and president of The Commercial Appeal of Memphis, where he's served since 2012.
NASHVILLE AREA
NASHVILLE (AP) — A transition team has provided the leader of Nashville Metro Public Schools with more than 100 recommendations to improve student achievement in the district.
NASHVILLE (AP) — The Tennessee State Museum is offering a free lecture on one of Music City's most storied neighborhoods and its residents' struggle for civil rights.
AUTO INDUSTRY
DETROIT (AP) — Some of America's most popular cars and trucks are made in Mexico — for now.
CANTON, Miss. (AP) — Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and actor Danny Glover are coming to Mississippi to help bring attention to what organizers call poor working conditions at Nissan's manufacturing plant in Canton.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
Utilities, real estate and other big-dividend-paying companies led U.S. stocks mostly higher Wednesday, pushing the Nasdaq composite to a new record for the second day in a row.
NEW YORK (AP) — President Donald Trump criticized Nordstrom, the latest company to be the focus of his Twitter attention, saying Wednesday that the department store chain that decided to stop selling his daughter's clothing and accessory line has treated her "so unfairly."
NEW YORK (AP) — Whole Foods says quarterly sales fell 2.4 percent at established locations, marking the sixth straight quarter of declines as it faces competitive pressures. The company also cut its sales and profit forecast for the year.
NEW YORK (AP) — Despite a bumpy holiday season, chains like The Limited shutting down and department stores such as Macy's closing stores, the largest retail trade group says it's still optimistic that sales will grow this year — especially online.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Disney CEO Bob Iger says the company will open its Star Wars-themed lands at California's Disneyland and Florida's Walt Disney World in 2019.
NATIONAL POLITICS
PLAINS, Ga. (AP) — Former President Jimmy Carter said Wednesday millions of jobs could be created in the United States if President Donald Trump embraced renewable energy sources such as geothermal, solar and wind power.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Pondering new restrictions on how the Environmental Protection Agency can use scientific data, congressional Republicans are seeking advice from the chemical and fossil fuel industries.
WASHINGTON (AP) — A group of Republican senior statesmen is pushing for a carbon tax to combat the effects of climate change, and hoping to sell their plan to the White House.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. and India seem like a natural fit in the Trump era: rambunctious democracies, led by populists, focused on economic growth and fighting radical Islam. It's a budding partnership that could be set back by a nuts-and-bolts dispute over employment visas.
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 7
STATE LEGISLATURE
Conservative voters are more likely to support legalizing medical marijuana than raising gas taxes, at least ahead of using a $1 billion surplus to pay for transportation projects.
SPORTS
KNOXVILLE (AP) — Tennessee has fired director of football operations Chris Spognardi, who had been on paid administrative leave since August.
STATEWIDE
NASHVILLE (AP) — Republican Gov. Bill Haslam says his administration won't make a bid to reshape Tennessee's sentencing laws this year.
NASHVILLE (AP) — Gov. Bill Haslam said Monday that the state's move to require all major online vendors to collect sales taxes on purchases made in Tennessee has drawn a legal challenge.
REGION
FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — The economic potency of bourbon is getting stronger with age, increasing its impact on Kentucky by $1 billion in the past two years as demand for American whiskeys continues to grow.
AUTO INDUSTRY
DETROIT (AP) — At an investors' conference during Detroit's auto show in January, confident General Motors executives told investors to expect improved pretax profits for 2016 and 2017, thanks to strong sales in key markets and cost cuts.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stock indexes are notching tiny gains as the market struggles higher after a day of up-and-down trading.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. trade deficit hit a four-year peak in 2016 and is posing a tough challenge to President Donald Trump's drive to shrink the deficit, accelerate the economy and create many more jobs.
NEW YORK (AP) — The tightly corseted Playboy Bunnies, with rabbit tails and ears, will soon be back in business in New York City.
BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union is warning Britain that any financial commitment it has taken on as a member "should be honored in full," even well after it leaves as a result of the Brexit negotiations.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. trade deficit narrowed slightly in December, but the improvement wasn't enough to keep the deficit for the entire year from rising to the highest level since 2012. That should provide fuel for President Donald Trump's contention that America needs a tougher approach to trade.
NATIONAL POLITICS
WASHINGTON (AP) — Labor Secretary nominee Andrew Puzder acknowledged Tuesday that he had employed a housekeeper who was in the U.S. illegally, putting him again at odds with President Donald Trump's push to keep jobs in American hands.
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump has promised to revitalize America's aging roads, bridges, railways and airports, but a plan put forward by his economic advisers relies on a transportation financing scheme that hasn't been tried before and comes with significant risks.
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 6
NASHVILLE AREA
WASHINGTON (AP) — Goodlettsville-based Dollar General Corp. says it plans to create 10,000 jobs this year tied to the opening of 1,000 stores and two distribution centers.
STATEWIDE
NASHVILLE (AP) — Gov. Bill Haslam says Tennessee has been sued for moving to require all major online vendors to collect sales taxes on purchases made in the state.
CHATTANOOGA (AP) — A General Electric company will repay Chattanooga and Hamilton County $6 million after closing a manufacturing plant purchased from a French company that received millions in tax breaks.
STATE LEGISLATURE
With an eye toward helping convicted felons clear their records for a fresh start, Rep. Raumesh Akbari is sponsoring legislation to dramatically cut expungement fees.
NASHVILLE (AP) — Republican Gov. Bill Haslam is raising concerns about a bill seeking to label IDs issued to people without permanent residency status with the words "alien" or "non-U.S. citizen."
NASHVILLE (AP) — A Republican state senator wants to change Tennessee election finance law to exempt churches from having to report campaign spending on "public or private morality."
AUTO INDUSTRY
TOKYO (AP) — Toyota Motor Corp. said Monday that its profit fell 23 percent in the October-December quarter from a year earlier as its sales fell and a stronger yen squeezed its overseas earnings.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
Energy companies led U.S. stocks slightly lower Monday as the price of crude oil declined, snapping a three-day winning streak for the Standard & Poor's 500 index.
SEATTLE (AP) — Dozens of tech companies, including behemoths like Apple, Google, and Facebook, are siding with Washington state and Minnesota as they fight President Donald Trump's ban on refugees and travelers from seven predominantly Muslim countries from entering the United States.
BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union's top diplomats vowed Monday to uphold sanctions against Russia for destabilizing conflict-torn Ukraine, despite confusion over how U.S. President Donald Trump plans to manage his relations with Moscow.
NATIONAL POLITICS
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is insisting "I call my own shots" and that any negative polling data is "fake news."
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 3
STATEWIDE
CHATTANOOGA (AP) — Chattanooga Mayor Andy Berke is dismissing an opponent's suggestions that internal documents show the incumbent was preoccupied with statewide office or a Cabinet post had Democrats won last year's presidential election.
NASHVILLE (AP) — Tennessee election officials, who said up to 42 voter fraud cases could've happened in last year's elections, can identify only one resulting in conviction: someone who tried to register the year before the vote.
STATE LEGISLATURE
Rep. Barbara Coopers says she is inviting Gov. Bill Haslam to “sell” his proposal to raise gas taxes and reduce business taxes to her Memphis constituents.
Republican Gov. Bill Haslam wants to boost transportation funding largely through a hike in Tennessee's gas and diesel taxes to tackle a more than $10 billion backlog in road and bridge projects. Here is a glance at how much money would be spent in all 95 counties. Note that some of the projects are included more than once if they run through multiple counties.
MIDSTATE
NASHVILLE (AP) — A former sheriff's major in Rutherford County has pleaded guilty to lying in connection with his application for U.S. citizenship.
NASHVILLE AREA
NASHVILLE (AP) — Police say they plan to charge a woman in the death of a Metro Nashville police officer who slipped into the bitterly cold Cumberland River while trying to save her.
NASHVILLE (AP) — The Latest on the search for a Tennessee officer, who fell into the Cumberland River while trying to rescue a woman (all times local):
HEALTH CARE
WASHINGTON (AP) — Republicans are increasingly talking about repairing President Barack Obama's health care overhaul, a softening of tone that comes as their drive to fulfill a keystone campaign promise encounters disunity, drooping momentum and uneasy voters.
AUTO INDUSTRY
SPRING HILL (AP) — General Motors is investing $47 million into two plants in Tennessee and Michigan.
DETROIT (AP) — You might not want to open a rear window if you're driving a Nissan Altima.
REAL ESTATE
WASHINGTON (AP) — Long-term US mortgage rates barely budged this week, after marking their first increase of the year last week.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
NEW YORK (AP) — Banks and other financial companies made big gains Friday after President Donald Trump moved to scale back regulations on the financial industry. Other stocks also rose as investors were also pleased that employers hired workers at a faster pace in January.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Uber's CEO quit President Donald Trump's business council. Nordstrom stopped selling Ivanka Trump's fashion. Boeing, Lockheed Martin and Toyota, meanwhile, suffered through the discomfort of being on the receiving end of Trump Twitter tirades.
WASHINGTON (AP) — House Republicans face opposition to their plan to overhaul the way corporations pay federal taxes from a powerful group of lawmakers — other Republicans.
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump has inherited a healthy-looking job market from his predecessor, with the U.S. economy registering a burst of hiring in January and an influx of Americans looking for work.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Orders to U.S. factories rose moderately in December, closing out a second rough year for American manufacturers who have been battered by a strong dollar and a plunge in capital investment.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The pace of growth for U.S. services companies slipped a tad in January, but employment measures improved in a positive for the economy.
MALVERN, Pa. (AP) — A Pennsylvania-based investment firm is apologizing to about 17,000 millionaire clients.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The first U.S. jobs report to be released since Donald Trump became president will reveal whether growing confidence among businesses fueled an accelerated pace of hiring in January.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Uber CEO Travis Kalanick has quit President Donald Trump's council of business leaders, according to an internal memo obtained by The Associated Press.
NEW YORK (AP) — The New York Times Co. is racking up digital subscribers as President Donald Trump makes news waves, but the decline in the print business continues to drag on its finances.
NATIONAL POLITICS
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump met with 17 business titans Friday at the White House, and some in attendance had planned to press him on his executive order upending the country's refugee program.
A top aide to President Donald Trump said Friday she misspoke when she cited a 2011 "massacre" in Kentucky that never happened.
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is taking his first steps aimed at scaling back financial services regulations, and the Republican-run Congress cast a vote early Friday signaling that it's eager to help.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The number of open jobs was mostly unchanged in December from the previous month, leaving openings at a healthy level.