VOL. 46 | NO. 10 | Friday, March 11, 2022
REAL ESTATE
Top residential real estate sales, February 2022, for Davidson County, as compiled by the Nashville Ledger.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Average long-term U.S. mortgage rates rose this week but remain at historically low levels as the Federal Reserve prepares to raise its main borrowing rate.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Would-be homeowners are increasingly opting to pay sellers more than their asking price in hopes of edging out rival buyers as heightened competition for few homes on the market fuels bidding wars.
UT SPORTS
Kennedy Chandler isn’t putting much thought into his professional future. The Tennessee freshman guard has more immediate concerns.
NEWSMAKERS
Jennifer Weaver and Eric Scalzo have been named leaders of Waller Lansden Dortch & Davis, LLP’s health care industry team, which includes more than 200 attorneys advising health care providers and investors across the country.
BRIEFS
The Nashville Sports Council has reported a record-breaking $32 million of total economic impact for Nashville from the TransPerfect Music City Bowl.
BEHIND THE WHEEL
It has been difficult to find a new car in today’s market, which is plagued by chip shortages and supply chain issues. Many dealership lots are looking bare, and the few cars they carry might not have the options you need or are more expensive than you planned on spending.
PERSONAL FINANCE
Even though what can feel like a gift from the government is actually a delayed receipt of your own money, the best use of those funds is not always apparent.
MILLENNIAL MONEY
In just a couple of months, a new cohort of college graduates will leave behind their careers as students and start new ones as entry-level workers. And for many – regardless of age – that change brings a whole new financial landscape to navigate.
MUSIC INDUSTRY
NASHVILLE (AP) — Kane Brown is the leading nominee for the 2022 CMT Music Awards, which celebrates the best in country music videos.
PREDATORS
NASHVILLE (AP) — Juuse Saros made 35 saves to lead the Nashville Predators to a 4-1 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday night.
TENNESSEE TITANS
Proposals to change the rules for overtime have been submitted by three NFL teams, with Tennessee seeking to include 2-point conversions as part of the process of deciding the winner, the league announced Wednesday.
NASHVILLE (AP) — The Tennessee Titans have released veteran cornerback Janoris "Jackrabbit" Jenkins after one season to clear approximately $6.9 million in salary cap space before the start of the new league year.
SPORTS
NASHVILLE (AP) — Jordan Wright had 24 points as Vanderbilt defeated Belmont 82-71 in the first round of the NIT on Tuesday night.
STATE GOVERNMENT
NASHVILLE (AP) — A proposed Tennessee ballot initiative that would have asked voters if the attorney general should be confirmed by state lawmakers after the current process of selection by the state Supreme Court has failed in a legislative panel.
NASHVILLE (AP) — Despite already enacting one of the strictest abortion bans in the U.S., Tennessee Republicans on Tuesday began advancing yet another anti-abortion measure strategically written to sidestep federal court challenges.
STATEWIDE
KNOXVILLE (AP) — The Tennessee Valley Authority says its seasonal campgrounds are reopening, just in time for spring.
MIDSTATE
PRIMM SPRINGS (AP) — Greg Deen and his family have farmed along Lick Creek in Middle Tennessee since shortly after the Civil War. The children of Vange Johnson's large extended family were baptized in the creek. Bea and Neil Jobe, now in their 80s, no longer grow tobacco irrigated with creek water but still get their drinking water from a nearby well.
EDUCATION
NASHVILLE (AP) — Meharry Medical College has received a $20 million donation from philanthropist and author MacKenzie Scott, the school said in a statement.
COURTS
TOKYO (AP) — Japanese prosecutors filed an appeal Wednesday against the verdict in the trial of former Nissan executive Greg Kelly, who recently was cleared of almost all charges he had faced related to alleged under-reporting of his former boss Carlos Ghosn's pay.
MEDIA
NEW YORK (AP) — A veteran videographer and a 24-year-old Ukrainian journalist working for Fox News were both killed when their vehicle came under fire outside of Kyiv, the network said on Tuesday.
AUTO INDUSTRY
LONDON (AP) — BMW and Volkswagen warned this week that Russia's invasion of Ukraine is causing shortages of some vital components, forcing them to reduce vehicle production in Europe.
DETROIT (AP) — Any motorist who has had to fill up lately could be forgiven for wincing in disbelief.
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) — Mercedes-Benz has opened a new electric vehicle battery factory near Tuscaloosa, Alabama, that will create up to 600 new jobs.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — For years Americans have been told autonomous technology was improving and that driverless vehicles were just around the corner.
VIRUS OUTBREAK
LONDON (AP) — After dropping nearly all coronavirus restrictions last month, Britain is now ending some of its most widespread COVID-19 testing and monitoring programs, a move some scientists fear will complicate efforts to track the virus and detect worrisome new variants.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
Stocks shook off an afternoon stumble and ended higher on Wall Street Wednesday after the Federal Reserve announced its first interest rate hike since 2018.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Federal Reserve launched a high-risk effort Wednesday to tame the worst inflation since the early 1980s, raising its benchmark short-term interest rate and signaling up to six additional rate hikes this year.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Americans who have long enjoyed the benefits of historically low interest rates will have to adapt to a very different environment as the Federal Reserve embarks on what's likely to be a prolonged period of rate hikes to fight inflation.
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Disney workers are planning walkouts during their breaks every day this week to protest CEO Bob Chapek's slow response in publicly criticizing Florida legislation that critics have dubbed the "Don't Say Gay" bill.
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden marked Equal Pay Day on Tuesday by spotlighting new steps aimed at closing the gender pay gap for federal workers and contractors. And he urged private companies to do likewise.
NEW YORK (AP) — After beginning the year in a buying mood, Americans slowed their spending in February on gadgets, home furnishings and other discretionary items as higher prices for food, gasoline, and shelter are taking a bigger bite out of their wallet.
Longtime Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz is returning to lead the company on an interim basis after the coffee giant's chief executive announced his retirement.
BEIJING (AP) — The U.S. customs agency says it is holding imported goods from Chinese sports brand Li Ning after an investigation indicated they were made by North Korean labor.
Ratings agencies say Russia is on the verge of defaulting on government bonds following its invasion of Ukraine, with billions of dollars owed to foreigners. That prospect recalls memories of a 1998 default by Moscow that helped fuel financial disruption worldwide.
BEIJING (AP) — China's government tried Wednesday to reassure jittery investors by promising support for real estate and technology companies after regulatory crackdowns caused stock prices to plunge.
Delivery company DoorDash said Tuesday it will refund its drivers for some U.S. gasoline purchases to help offset higher prices at the pump.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL POLITICS
WASHINGTON (AP) — Five people accused of acting on behalf of the Chinese government have been charged with plotting to stalk and harass Chinese dissidents living in the United States, the Justice Department said Wednesday.
STRASBOURG, France (AP) — The Council of Europe on Wednesday expelled Russia from the continent's foremost human rights body in an unprecedented move over Moscow's invasion and war in Ukraine.
WASHINGTON (AP) — A Senate committee has approved a bipartisan blueprint to overhaul the nation's public health system, applying the lessons of COVID-19 to future outbreaks through a new chain of command, a stronger medical supply chain, and clearer crisis communications.
UKRAINE
WASHINGTON (AP) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy summoned the memory of Pearl Harbor and the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks in appealing Wednesday to the U.S. Congress to do more to help Ukraine's fight against Russia. President Joe Biden said the U.S. is sending more anti-aircraft, anti-armor weapons and drones.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told Congress on Wednesday he was grateful for U.S. help against invading Russian forces but pressed for more — more military aid to combat Russian warplanes, more blowback for Russia's politicians and economy.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy invoked Pearl Harbor and 9/11 during a rare and urgent appeal Wednesday to the U.S. Congress for more weapons to stem the Russian assault, even as he projected optimism that Moscow's demands for halting the nearly three-week war were becoming "more realistic."
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russian forces destroyed a theater in Mariupol where hundreds of people were sheltering and rained fire on other cities Wednesday, Ukrainian authorities said, even as the two sides projected optimism over efforts to negotiate an end to the fighting.
WARSAW, Poland (AP) — The prime ministers of Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovenia safely returned to Poland Wednesday after a visit to Kyiv intended to show support for Ukraine as it defends itself against the Russian military onslaught.
TUESDAY, MARCH 15
STATE GOVERNMENT
NASHVILLE (AP) — Tennessee's GOP-controlled General Assembly has advanced legislation banning local officials from requiring police officers to live in the county they patrol.
COURTS
KNOXVILLE (AP) — A federal judge has temporarily lifted a requirement that students wear masks while attending classes in an East Tennessee school district.
AUTO INDUSTRY
DETROIT (AP) — First came the beeping alarms and the dashboard lights warning that something had gone haywire. Then the driver's side windows suddenly and mysteriously rolled down. Kendall Heiman's Volkswagen SUV then pulled the scariest stunt of all: It abruptly braked for no reason.
TRANSPORTATION
BERLIN (AP) — Air travel was disrupted across Germany on Tuesday as security personnel at several airports in the country staged walkouts to demand higher wages.
MEDIA
LONDON (AP) — European regulators on Tuesday cleared Amazon's purchase of Hollywood studio MGM, saying the deal doesn't raise any competition concerns.
NEW YORK (AP) — A video journalist for Fox News was killed in Ukraine when the vehicle he was traveling in outside of Kyiv with another reporter came under fire, the network said on Tuesday.
VIRUS OUTBREAK
WASHINGTON (AP) — Drugmaker Pfizer is expected to request authorization this week for an additional COVID-19 booster dose for seniors, according to a person familiar with the matter.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The federal government has provided more than $2 billion to help cover funeral costs for more than 300,000 families of people who died from COVID-19, the Federal Emergency Management Agency announced Tuesday as it launches a new campaign to raise awareness about the aid to eligible families. More than 965,000 people have died in the U.S. from the virus.
BEIJING (AP) — Chinese authorities on Tuesday tightened anti-virus controls at ports, raising the risk of trade disruptions after some auto and electronics factories shut down as the government fights coronavirus outbreaks.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks closed higher on Wall Street Tuesday as inflation worries ebbed and oil prices slid.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Sarah Bloom Raskin has withdrawn her nomination to the Federal Reserve's Board of Governors after a key Democrat joined with all Republicans in the Senate to oppose her confirmation, according to a person familiar with the matter who requested anonymity before an official announcement.
BRUSSELS (AP) — Pure-bred horses, truffles, a soccer club owner and a media company chief.
LONDON (AP) — British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is set to visit Saudi Arabia and meet with its crown prince for talks on oil supplies, as he stressed that the West must end its dependence on Russian energy.
SEATTLE (AP) — Amazon said Tuesday it will spend more than $120 million to build affordable-housing units close to transit stations near Seattle and Washington, D.C, the latest example of a tech company trying to address the affordable housing crisis critics say the industry has exacerbated.
LONDON (AP) — U.S. chipmaker Intel unveiled plans on Tuesday to invest up to 80 billion euros ($88 billion) across Europe as part of an ambitious expansion aimed at evening out imbalances in the global semiconductor industry that have led to big chip shortages.
Wholesale inflation in the United States shot up 10% last month from a year earlier — another sign that inflationary pressures remain intense at all levels of the economy.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL POLITICS
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden on Tuesday signed a bill providing $13.6 billion in additional military and humanitarian aid to Ukraine as part of a $1.5 trillion government spending measure that omits COVID-19 aid the White House says is urgently needed.
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden will travel to Europe next week for face-to-face talks with European leaders about the Russian invasion of Ukraine, White House press secretary Jen Psaki announced Tuesday.
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Puerto Rico's government formally exited bankruptcy Tuesday, completing the largest public debt restructuring in U.S. history after announcing nearly seven years ago that it was unable to pay its more than $70 billion debt.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House is marking Equal Pay Day by taking new steps aimed at ending the gender pay gap for federal workers and contractors.
The International Olympic Committee has always been political, from the sheikhs and royals in its membership to a seat at the United Nations to pushing for peace talks between the Koreas. But Russia's invasion of Ukraine three weeks ago exposed its irreconcilable claims of "political neutrality."
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden on Monday held his first in-person fundraiser since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, marking a return to a traditional form of politics that many Democrats eschewed as a matter of public safety over the past two years.
UKRAINE
TORONTO (AP) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy asked Canadians Tuesday to imagine bombs landing in their communities as he urged the Canadian Parliament and government to exert greater economic and military pressure on Russia.
WASHINGTON (AP) — New U.S. sanctions Tuesday target more individuals in Russian President Vladimir Putin's power structure, including tougher penalties against the leader of Kremlin-allied Belarus and his family.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin's war in Ukraine and his push to upend the broader security order in Europe may lead to a historic shift in American thinking about defense of the continent. Depending on how far Putin goes, this could mean a buildup of U.S. military power in Europe not seen since the Cold War.
Russian forces are pounding Ukrainian cities and edging closer to the capital, Kyiv, in a relentless bombardment that keeps deepening the humanitarian crisis in this war, now in its third week.
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia's relentless bombardment of Ukraine edged closer to central Kyiv as a series of strikes hit a residential neighborhood Tuesday, while the leaders of three European Union countries planned a bold visit to Ukraine's capital and the number of people the war has driven from the country passed 3 million.
BEIJING (AP) — China on Tuesday said its stance on the Ukraine conflict is "completely objective, impartial and constructive," and repeated accusations the U.S. is spreading misinformation over reports Beijing has responded positively to a Russian request for military supplies.
MONDAY, MARCH 14
PREDATORS
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Roman Josi scored twice to establish a career high with 17 goals for the season, leading the Nashville Predators past Minnesota 6-2 on Sunday night to spoil the start of a franchise-record nine-game homestand for the Wild.
TENNESSEE TITANS
NASHVILLE (AP) — A person familiar with the deals says the Tennessee Titans are keeping center Ben Jones in the middle of their offensive line and are adding Seattle offensive lineman Jamarco Jones.
UT SPORTS
The ninth-ranked Tennessee Volunteers have an argument that they deserved a better seed than third in the South Region.
MUSIC INDUSTRY
Dolly Parton has announced she is pulling out of this year's nominations for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, saying she hasn't "earned that right."
STATEWIDE
NASHVILLE (AP) — Officials with the Tennessee Association of Chiefs of Police say its president has resigned following an investigation into its financial accountability and "personnel issues."
COURTS
LONDON (AP) — Britain's top court on Monday refused WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange permission to appeal against a decision to extradite him to the U.S. to face spying charges.
DOVER, Del. (AP) — More than two years after the Boy Scouts of America sought bankruptcy protection amid an onslaught of child sex abuse allegations, a judge will determine whether to confirm its proposed reorganization plan in a trial beginning Monday.
VIRUS OUTBREAK
LONDON (AP) — Britain's government said Monday all remaining coronavirus measures for travelers, including passenger locator forms and the requirement that unvaccinated people be tested for COVID-19 before and after their arrivals, will end Friday to make going on holiday easier for the Easter school vacation.
PARIS (AP) — France lifted most COVID-19 restrictions on Monday, abolishing the need to wear face masks in most settings and allowing people who aren't vaccinated back into restaurants, sports arenas and other venues.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
Stocks swayed lower on Wall Street Monday, crude oil prices fell and bond yields rose sharply as waves of market-moving forces crash into each other.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Federal Reserve on Wednesday will launch one of the most difficult tasks a central bank can attempt: Raise borrowing costs enough to slow growth and tame high inflation, but not so much as to topple the economy into recession.
Two months after the Berlin Wall fell, another powerful symbol opened its doors in the middle of Moscow: a gleaming new McDonald's.
The fate of hundreds of planes leased by Russian airlines from foreign companies grew murkier Monday after Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a law letting the airlines register those planes and continue flying them.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL POLITICS
WASHINGTON (AP) — Democrats on the House Oversight Committee are seeking an investigation into a U.S. Postal Service plan to replace its aging mail trucks with mostly gasoline-powered vehicles.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Sen. Joe Manchin, a West Virginia Democrat, said Monday that he opposes the nomination of Sarah Bloom Raskin to a key position on the Federal Reserve's Board of Governors, endangering her prospects of winning Senate confirmation.
UKRAINE
Russian troops fired on suburbs around Ukraine's capital city of Kyiv on Monday and air raid sirens were heard across the country as Russian forces continued their assault on Ukraine.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Face to face, President Joe Biden's national security adviser warned a top Chinese official on Monday about China's support for Russia in the Ukrainian invasion, even as the Kremlin denied reports it had requested Chinese military equipment to use in the war.
LVIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia and Ukraine kept a fragile diplomatic path open with a new round of talks Monday even as Moscow's forces pounded away at Kyiv and other cities across the country in a punishing bombardment that the Red Cross said has created "nothing short of a nightmare" for civilians.
WASHINGTON (AP) — More than two weeks into a war he expected to dominate in two days, Vladimir Putin is projecting anger, frustration at his military's failures and a willingness to cause even more violence and destruction in Ukraine, in the assessment of U.S. intelligence officials.
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The ongoing Russian war on Ukraine has become "nothing short of a nightmare" for those living in besieged cities, a top Red Cross official said Monday, calling for safe passage out for civilians and humanitarian aid to be allowed through the front lines.
BOSTON (AP) — Long before waging war on Ukraine, President Vladimir Putin was working to make Russia's internet a powerful tool of surveillance and social control akin to China's so-called Great Firewall.
FRIDAY, MARCH 11
VANDERBILT SPORTS
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Scottie Pippen Jr. scored 26 points, Myles Stute added 18 and 11th-seeded Vanderbilt rallied from a 15-point second-half deficit to upset six-seed and defending SEC tournament champ Alabama 82-76 Thursday night.
PREDATORS
NASHVILLE (AP) — Matt Duchene had two goals and an assist, Juuse Saros made 27 saves and the Nashville Predators beat the Anaheim Ducks 4-1 Thursday night.
TENNESSEE TITANS
NASHVILLE (AP) — The Tennessee Titans have gone from trying to modernize Nissan Stadium to working on plans for a new stadium right next door after renovation costs more than doubled to $1.2 billion.
NASHVILLE (AP) — Outside linebacker Harold Landry loves playing for the Tennessee Titans and wanted to do whatever he needed to make that continue.
NASHVILLE AREA
NASHVILLE (AP) — The downtown Nashville, Tennessee record store that was opened by Opry legend Ernest Tubb in 1947 and has been a landmark in country music for decades will close as the building is being put up for sale.
COURTS
NASHVILLE (AP) — Nashville's lead prosecutor says he agrees with defense attorneys that a death row inmate is intellectually disabled and should not face execution.
STATE GOVERNMENT
NASHVILLE (AP) — Tennessee House Republican lawmakers say they were betrayed by one of their own after they hired a shadowy political consulting firm talked up by a colleague who has since pleaded guilty to fraud in an alleged kickback scheme that also implicates a former House speaker and others.
MIDSTATE
NASHVILLE (AP) — Iconic whiskey maker Jack Daniel's will become the latest company to suspend business operations in Russia following its invasion of Ukraine.
MEDIA
BRUSSELS (AP) — British and European regulators threatened to crack down on Google and Facebook parent Meta over an agreement for online display advertising services, saying Friday that the deal may breach rules on fair competition.
TECHNOLOGY
WASHINGTON (AP) — Companies critical to U.S. national interests will now have to report when they're hacked or they pay ransomware, according to new rules approved by Congress.
ENVIRONMENT
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Environmental Protection Agency is proposing a federal plan that would restrict smokestack emissions from power plants and other industrial sources that burden downwind areas with smog-causing pollution they can't control.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks fell again after another bumpy day of trading on Wall Street Friday, marking the fourth losing week in the last five.
ROME (AP) — Poorer countries in northern Africa, Asia and the Middle East that depend heavily on wheat imports risk suffering significant food security because of Russia's war in Ukraine, and the conflict is poised to drive up already soaring food prices in much of the globe, the U.N. food agency warned Friday.
VERSAILLES, France (AP) — European Union leaders on Friday tried to find ways to support the continent's economies as they face skyrocketing energy prices amid a crisis aggravated by Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
A shrinking number of well-known companies are still doing business in Russia, even as hundreds have announced plans to curtail ties.
BEIJING (AP) — China's government hopes to generate as many as 13 million new jobs this year to help reverse a painful economic slump but faces "many difficulties and challenges," the country's No. 2 leader said Friday.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL POLITICS
BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) — U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris said Friday that Washington's dedication to the collective defense of NATO is "ironclad" as she visited allied Romania, which has experienced a flood of refugees from neighboring Ukraine amid Russia's invasion there.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican U.S. senators are imploring the Biden administration to reverse course and allow the transfer of Poland's MiG fighter jets to the Ukrainians to fight the Russian invasion, a sign the Defense Department's rejection of the offer may be running into steep resistance on Capitol Hill.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Even for Congress, the $1.5 trillion price tag for its bipartisan package helping Ukraine and financing federal agencies for the last half of this year is a lot of money. And 2,741 pages is a long, long bill.
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden told Democrats on Thursday night that they have a record "to be proud of" and must sell it with "confidence, clarity, conviction and repetition" heading into critical midterm elections that will help shape the next two years of his term in office.
WASHINGTON (AP) — A judge handling the case of a lawyer for the Hillary Clinton campaign charged with lying to the FBI during its probe into Russian election interference reminded attorneys on Thursday that their legal filings are under a public "microscope" and that he was the only audience that should matter to them.
UKRAINE
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden announced Friday the U.S. will dramatically downgrade its trade status with Russia as punishment for its invasion of Ukraine and also ban imports of Russian seafood, alcohol and diamonds.
WASHINGTON (AP) — In escalating the U.S. drive to squeeze Russia's economy, President Joe Biden moved Friday, with European and other key allies, to revoke Moscow's "most favored nation" trade status. His administration also banned imports of Russian seafood, alcohol and diamonds.
VERSAILLES, France (AP) — European Union leaders said on Friday they will continue applying pressure on Russia by devising a new set of "massive" sanctions to punish Moscow for its invasion of Ukraine while stepping up military support for Kyiv.
With Russia's invasion of Ukraine now in its third week, Russian forces appear to be expanding the offensive by striking new areas in the west of the country. Russian President Vladimir Putin has approved the recruitment of "volunteer" fighters from Syria and elsewhere to fight in Ukraine.
BRUSSELS (AP) — The Russian airstrike on a children's and maternity hospital in the Ukrainian port city of Mariupol is the latest in a series of attacks that have gutted apartment buildings and killed people in their homes or simply going about their business.
LVIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia widened its offensive in Ukraine on Friday, striking airfields in the west and an industrial city in the east, while the huge armored column that had been stalled for over a week outside Kyiv was on the move again, spreading out into forests and towns near the capital.
BANGKOK (AP) — As Russia intensifies its assault on Ukraine, it is getting a helping hand from China in spreading inflammatory and unsubstantiated claims that the U.S. is financing biological weapons labs in Ukraine.
THURSDAY, MARCH 10
NASHVILLE SC
NASHVILLE (AP) — The largest soccer-specific stadium in the United States and Canada will be named GEODIS Park in a multi-year naming rights deal between the Nashville Soccer Club and the global supply chain operator.
VANDERBILT SPORTS
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Scotty Pippen Jr. scored 13 of his 14 points in the first half as 11th-seeded Vanderbilt built a big lead and routed No. 14 seed Georgia 86-51 in the first round of the Southeastern Conference tournament on Wednesday night.
NASHVILLE (AP) — Vanderbilt coach Clark Lea has announced Nick Howell as the Commodores' new defensive coordinator weeks after hiring him as defensive backs coach.
NASHVILLE AREA
Ascension Saint Thomas has announced a strategic agreement with Southwest Value Partners and AEG, joint venture partners and co-developers of the Nashville Yards entertainment district and music venue, to become a founding partner of the 18-acre Nashville Yards, as well as the exclusive naming rights partner for the project’s open plaza and green space, to be known as Ascension Saint Thomas Landing.
MIDSTATE
NASHVILLE (AP) — Federal officials say they are funding a project that will look into what infrastructure could help prevent further flooding in a community where rushing waters killed 20 people.
STATEWIDE
MEMPHIS (AP) — Tennessee's two U.S. Senators and nine members of the U.S. House have sent a letter to President Joe Biden asking him to approve Gov. Bill Lee's request for a major disaster declaration for a February winter storm.
COURTS
NEW YORK (AP) — Angry, defiant and sometimes tearful, more than two dozen Americans whose lives were upended by the opioid crisis finally had their long-awaited chance Thursday to confront in court some members of the family they blame for fueling it.
The Justice Department named a chief prosecutor for pandemic fraud Thursday, following through on President Joe Biden's State of the Union promise to go after criminals who stole billions in relief money.
HEALTH CARE
Their advocacy helped send Purdue Pharma into bankruptcy and is forcing the family that has controlled the company for generations to relinquish ownership and provide billions of dollars for communities to combat opioid addiction.
AUTO INDUSTRY
WASHINGTON (AP) — Some social media users suggest that soaring fuel prices in the U.S. aren't the result of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, increased consumption or supply chain issues as daily life resumes after two years of stagnation brought on by the coronavirus pandemic.
VIRUS OUTBREAK
WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal officials are extending the requirement for masks on planes and public transportation for one more month — through mid-April — while taking steps that could lead to lifting the rule.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is developing guidance that will ease the nationwide mask mandate on airplanes, buses and other mass transit next month, according to a U.S. official, but the existing face covering requirement will be extended through April 18.
NEW YORK (AP) — Two years into the COVID-19 pandemic, most of the world has seen a dramatic improvement in infections, hospitalizations and death rates in recent weeks, signaling the crisis appears to be winding down. But how will it end? Past epidemics may provide clues.
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump rolled out the Paycheck Protection Program to catapult the U.S. economy into a quick recovery from the coronavirus pandemic by helping small businesses stay open and their employees working. President Joe Biden tweaked it to try to direct more of the money to poorer communities and minority-owned companies.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks slipped on Wall Street Thursday as markets remain choppy amid uncertainty about where inflation, interest rates and the global economy are heading.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The IRS said Thursday it plans to hire 10,000 new workers to help reduce a massive backlog that the government says will make this tax season the most challenging in history.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Propelled by surging costs for gas, food and housing, consumer inflation jumped 7.9% over the past year, the sharpest spike since 1982 and likely only a harbinger of even higher prices to come.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Slightly more Americans applied for unemployment benefits last week, but layoffs have settled to the low, pre-pandemic levels seen before the coronavirus recession in 2020.
The European Central Bank said Thursday that it will make an early exit from its economic stimulus efforts as it combats record inflation that threatens to go ever higher as energy prices soar during Russia's war in Ukraine.
Western sanctions are dealing a severe blow to Russia's economy. The ruble is plunging, foreign businesses are fleeing and sharply higher prices are in the offing. Familiar products may disappear from stores, and middle-class achievements like foreign vacations are in doubt.
BERLIN (AP) — German chemical and health care company Bayer said Thursday it is selling a U.S.-based pest control business to private equity firm Cinven for $2.6 billion.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL POLITICS
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden announced Thursday that he intends to designate Colombia as a major non-NATO ally, a step that will provide the Latin American nation with certain benefits in the areas of defense, trade and security cooperation.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The House overwhelmingly approved legislation Wednesday night that would ban Russian oil imports to the United States, an effort to put into law the restrictions announced by President Joe Biden in response to the escalating war in Ukraine.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The House approved a massive spending bill Wednesday night that would rush $13.6 billion in U.S. aid to battered Ukraine and its European allies, after top Democrats were forced to abruptly drop their plan to include fresh funds to battle COVID-19.
DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) — The crisis in Ukraine and Russia, one of the world's main sources of grain, fertilizers and energy, presents new challenges in securing food supplies on top of a prolonged pandemic, a U.N. official said Thursday.
UKRAINE
WASHINGTON (AP) — Top U.S. intelligence officials admitted Thursday that they underestimated Ukraine's ability to defend itself against Russia's invasion, a mistake for intelligence agencies that have otherwise been lauded for accurately predicting Russian President Vladimir Putin's intention to launch a war.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Russia's invasion of Ukraine has given the smaller nation's embassy in Washington an unexpected role: recruitment center for Americans who want to join the fight.
WARSAW, Poland (AP) — U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris on Thursday embraced calls for an international war crimes investigation of Russia over its invasion of Ukraine, citing the "atrocities" of bombing civilians, including a maternity hospital.
Russia's two-week-long war in Ukraine has killed thousands of people and forced more than 2 million others to flee the country, shaking the foundations of European security. Across Ukraine, civilians trapped in besieged or destroyed areas are suffering from electricity outages and shortages of food, medicines and other vital services.
MARIUPOL, Ukraine (AP) — A Russian airstrike on a Mariupol maternity hospital that killed three people drew outrage on Thursday, with Ukrainian and British officials branding it a war crime. As efforts to reach a broad cease-fire failed, emergency workers renewed efforts to get vital food and medical supplies into besieged cities, and to get traumatized residents out.
VERSAILLES, France (AP) — European Union leaders on Thursday focused on how to help Ukraine in its war with Russia, but the measures discussed are expected to stop short of fulfilling the country's hopes it can soon join the bloc.
BOSTON (AP) — Ukraine's attempt to get Russia kicked off the internet failed, but a diverse group of experts proposes a more narrow approach to sanctioning the Kremlin for invading its neighbor: Consider creating a mechanism that could technically blacklist individual Russian military and propaganda websites.