VOL. 37 | NO. 12 | Friday, March 22, 2013
REALTY CHECK
In the not-so-distant past, a buyer found a house she liked and let her desires be known to her Realtor. That Realtor would then, in most cases, research comps for her client in order to determine what the property should command.
REAL ESTATE
Top February 2013 residential real estate transactions for Davidson, Williamson, Rutherford, Wilson and Sumner counties, as compiled by Chandler Reports.
LEGISLATIVE PROFILE
State Rep. Mike Turner (D-Nashville) has a political lineage of which he is proud.
NEWSMAKERS
Corrections Corporation of America has promoted Kim White to vice president of the Correctional Programs Division. She formerly served as managing director of inmate programs.
BUSINESS BOOK REVIEW
Your office is like a Petri dish.
GUERRILLA MARKETING
If your company’s contributions are more newsworthy than the media coverage generated, you could have a sales problem.
THE WORLDLY INVESTOR
In human psychology, fear seems more legitimate than hope. Claims of “impending doom,” and “bursting bubbles” elicit fast emotional responses that seem impervious to critique. So many programs, speeches and advertisements prey on this phenomenon today.
SMART STUFF 4 WORK
Years ago I stumbled across an interesting book titled “The Logic of Failure” by Dietrich Dörner. The main premise of the book is that if you are not careful, the side effects of some solutions will make things worse.
I SWEAR
BROOKLYN, N.Y. – The American Crossword Puzzle Tournament is like an annual meeting for the cruciverbalism industry. At the 36th installment of this event, the three-peat crown wearer, Dan Feyer, a pianist from Manhattan, pretty much went wire to wire.
KAY'S COOKING CORNER
I have two great and very easy recipes to share with you this week, a main dish, one-pot entrée and a dessert.
STATE LEGISLATURE
NASHVILLE (AP) - The Senate has passed a bill to eliminate hotel allowances for lawmakers who live within 50 miles of the state Capitol.
NASHVILLE (AP) - The mother of a Middle Tennessee State University freshman who died after contracting meningitis says she hopes legislation headed to the governor will prevent the deaths of other college students.
NASHVILLE (AP) — Legislation to eliminate hotel allowances for some Tennessee lawmakers is scheduled to be heard by the Senate on Thursday.
NASHVILLE AREA
FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Actress Ashley Judd announced Wednesday she won't run for U.S. Senate in Kentucky against Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, saying she had given serious thought to a campaign but decided her responsibilities and energy need to be focused on her family.
STATEWIDE
NASHVILLE (AP) — Tennessee has $170,000 available for certified organic farmers and those transitioning to organic agriculture.
COURTS
NASHVILLE (AP) — A federal appeals court has ruled in favor of a Nashville school nurse who was sued after she visually examined a 6-year-old student who complained of genital discomfort.
NATIONAL BUSINESS
WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. economy grew at a slightly faster but still anemic rate at the end of last year. However, there is hope that growth accelerated in early 2013 despite higher taxes and cuts in government spending.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits jumped by 16,000 last week, the second straight weekly increase. But the longer-term trend in layoffs remained consistent with an improved job market.
NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stock futures rose slightly on the last trading day of the quarter as Cyprus' banks reopened for the first time in nearly two weeks.
BANGKOK (AP) — Oil prices fell slightly Thursday after climbing more than $4 in less than a week ahead of the reopening of banks in financially troubled Cyprus.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Average U.S. rates on fixed mortgages edged up this week but remained near historic lows. Low rates have helped drive the housing market's steady recovery.
TORONTO (AP) — Research In Motion Ltd. said Thursday that it sold about 1 million of its critically important new BlackBerry 10 devices and surprised Wall Street by returning to profitability in the most recent quarter.
TOKYO (AP) — Panasonic's president said Thursday the company will persist with trying to fix its money-losing TV business, characterizing an exit from the fiercely competitive industry as a "final resort."
NATIONAL POLITICS
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama pressed for swift action on a sweeping immigration bill Wednesday, saying last-minute obstacles are "resolvable" and predicting Congress could pass historic legislation by the end of the summer.
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 27
MUSIC INDUSTRY
NASHVILLE (AP) - Gordon Stoker, a member of The Jordanaires vocal group that backed up Elvis Presley, has died. He was 88.
STATEWIDE
NASHVILLE (AP) - Gov. Bill Haslam announced Wednesday that a breakdown in negotiations with the federal government means that he won't expand the state's Medicaid program, a decision that will cost Tennessee billions of dollars in federal money and keep 140,000 uninsured Tennesseans from obtaining free coverage.
NASHVILLE (AP) — Tennessee transportation officials are shutting down highway construction for the Easter weekend.
STATE LEGISLATURE
NASHVILLE (AP) — A proposal to bar public universities and colleges from implementing nondiscrimination policies for student groups is headed to the governor for his consideration.
NASHVILLE (AP) - The Alvin C. York Institute is still scheduled to lose direct state funding in the summer of 2014.
NASHVILLE (AP) — A measure that would have forced schools to tell parents if their children have talked to a teacher or counselor about being gay has failed this session.
NASHVILLE AREA
NASHVILLE (AP) - Winter's grip is beginning to slip, but not in time to save the annual Easter egg roll at the governor's residence.
GOODLETTSVILLE (AP) - Dollar General Corp. said Wednesday that some of its existing shareholders plan to sell 30 million shares in an underwritten secondary public offering.
NASHVILLE (AP) — Belmont University is providing 25 full scholarships to students graduating from Metro Nashville high schools.
AUTO INDUSTRY
JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Mississippi lawmakers are considering giving a development agency the capacity to use $100 million in bonds toward the construction of buildings for suppliers of Nissan Motor Co.'s Canton plant.
HEALTH CARE
WASHINGTON (AP) — A new study finds that insurance companies will have to pay out an average of 32 percent more for medical claims under President Barack Obama's health care overhaul.
NATIONAL BUSINESS
WASHINGTON (AP) — A measure of Americans who signed contracts to buy homes fell only slightly in February to the second-highest level in nearly three years. The report suggests sales of previously occupied homes will keep rising in the coming months.
NEW YORK (AP) — Worries about Europe pushed the stock market lower Wednesday, a day after the Dow Jones industrial average had its biggest gain in three weeks.
BANGKOK (AP) — The price of oil eased back Wednesday after a strong day of gains propelled by U.S. economic data suggesting a sustained recovery in the world's largest economy.
NEW YORK (AP) — A federal bankruptcy judge signaled his support for the $11 billion merger of American Airlines and US Airways.
NEW YORK (AP) — No "downward-facing dog" is required.
ST. LOUIS (AP) — Order a bowl of turkey chili at a St. Louis-area Panera Bread cafe and it'll cost you a penny. Or $5. Or $100. In other words, whatever you decide.
TUESDAY, MARCH 26
STATE LEGISLATURE
NASHVILLE (AP) - A person familiar with the plans says Republican Gov. Bill Haslam will address a joint session of the Tennessee General Assembly on Wednesday about his decision on whether to expand Medicaid to cover more uninsured people under the federal health care overhaul.
NASHVILLE (AP) - The Republican and Democratic caucuses of the General Assembly would decide Tennessee's nominees to the U.S. Senate under a bill headed for a vote in the state Senate.
NASHVILLE (AP) - A proposal to give security clearance to certain lawmakers is dead this session.
NASHVILLE (AP) - Tennessee liquor stores would be allowed to be open for business on Sundays under changes to a supermarket wine bill adopted by the Senate Finance Committee on Tuesday.
NASHVILLE (AP) - A Republican lawmaker who last year backed off a bill that would have allowed local officials to hold more closed-door meetings has withdrawn a similar measure this session.
NASHVILLE (AP) — The Senate sponsor of a bill to allow people to display student IDs to vote said Monday he plans to press ahead with the matter even through the version approved by the House would not allow the practice.
NASHVILLE (AP) - Legislation that would increase the fine for not wearing a seat belt is scheduled to be heard by lawmakers next week.
NASHVILLE (AP) — The House has given final approval to a bill requiring public notices to be published on newspaper websites, sending the measure for the governor's signature.
NASHVILLE (AP) — State Rep. Mark Pody has dropped his bill seeking to strip Vanderbilt University of its police powers because of the school's nondiscrimination policy for student groups.
NASHVILLE AREA
NASHVILLE (AP) - Russell D. Moore, a theology professor from Biloxi, Miss., has been elected as the new president of the Southern Baptist Convention's Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission.
STATEWIDE
NASHVILLE (AP) — The Tennessee Fish and Wildlife Commission has approved a change that could help fishermen catch more invasive Asian carp.
NASHVILLE (AP) — The Tennessee Electronic Library has resources for people trying to earn a GED diploma before requirements change next year.
NATIONAL BUSINESS
NEW YORK (AP) — The Standard & Poor's 500 index closed within a short reach of its all-time high on Tuesday. Rising home prices and orders for manufactured goods drove stocks up from the opening bell.
NEW YORK (AP) — The price of oil climbed above $96 a barrel Tuesday after fresh U.S. economic data suggested the world's largest economy keeps recovering.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Gains in housing and manufacturing propelled the U.S. economy over the winter, according to reports released Tuesday, and analysts say they point to the resilience of consumers and businesses as government spending cuts kick in.
NEW YORK (AP) — Maybe winning doesn't take care of everything.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Americans are less confident in the economy than they were last month as massive government spending cuts have stoked economic uncertainty.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Sales of new homes fell in February after climbing to the highest level in more than four years in January.
WASHINGTON (AP) — A surge in commercial aircraft demand pushed orders for U.S. long-lasting manufactured goods up sharply in February. The gain offset a steep drop in orders that signal company investment plans, although economists viewed the decline as a temporary setback.
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. orders for long-lasting goods that signal business investment plans fell in February by the largest amount in seven months, although the decline followed a strong month in January and may prove to be a temporary setback.
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. home prices rose in January at the fastest pace since the summer of 2006, just before the housing bubble burst. The gain shows the housing recovery is strengthening ahead of the spring buying season.
LONDON (AP) — One of Britain's youngest Internet entrepreneurs has hit the jackpot after selling his top-selling mobile application Summly to search giant Yahoo.
MONDAY, MARCH 25
NASHVILLE AREA
GOODLETTSVILLE (AP) — Dollar General's fiscal fourth-quarter net income climbed 9 percent as more customers came in to its stores and shoppers spent more per transaction.
NASHVILLE (AP) — Gov. Bill Haslam on Monday will pay tribute to Vietnam Veterans leading into the 40th anniversary of the withdrawal of troops.
STATE LEGISLATURE
NASHVILLE (AP) - The Senate sponsor of a bill to allow student IDs to vote says he plans to press ahead with the matter even through the House version would not allow the practice.
NASHVILLE (AP) - Sometimes a mop sink is just a mop sink.
NASHVILLE (AP) — Student identification cards issued by public universities could not be used to vote under legislation scheduled to be heard on the House floor Monday evening.
NASHVILLE (AP) — Proponents of expanding Medicaid in Tennessee say the financial support from Washington is a deal too good to pass up — federal funding for 100 percent of the expansion costs for three years and at least a 90 percent match after that.
STATEWIDE
NASHVILLE (AP) - The Obama administration has angered Tennessee's U.S. senators by again nominating energy-efficiency expert Marilyn Brown for a full term on the TVA board.
COURTS
WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal regulators are pressing the Supreme Court to stop big pharmaceutical corporations from paying generic drug competitors to delay releasing their cheaper versions of brand-name drugs. They argue these deals deny American consumers, usually for years, steep price declines that can top 90 percent.
NATIONAL BUSINESS
WASHINGTON (AP) — Chairman Ben Bernanke says the Federal Reserve's low-interest-rate policies are helping to boost growth around the world and have created markets for products made in developing nations.
NEW YORK (AP) — The Securities and Exchange Commission said Monday that it has approved a plan by the Nasdaq stock exchange to pay $62 million in reimbursements to investment firms that lost money because of technical problems during Facebook's initial public offering last year.
Stocks reversed an early rise on Wall Street Monday as traders returned to worrying about the European economy.
NEW YORK (AP) — The price of oil rose to a five-week high after Europe patched up the latest problem in its yearslong financial crisis.
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The two new suitors pursuing Dell have a message for Wall Street: Don't allow Michael Dell to hoard potential gains from the PC maker's expansion into more profitable technology products and services.
TOKYO (AP) — Japan and the European Union agreed Monday to start negotiations for a free-trade pact encompassing nations that account for nearly a third of the world economy.
NATIONAL POLITICS
WASHINGTON (AP) — Whether it means opening school track meets to deaf children or developing a new lunch menu with safe alternatives for students with food allergies, recent Obama administration decisions could significantly affect Americans with disabilities. But there's been little progress in one of the most stubborn challenges: employing the disabled.
WASHINGTON (AP) — When it comes to budgets, balance is in the eye of the congressional beholder.
FRIDAY, MARCH 22
COURTS
NASHVILLE (AP) — The Tennessee Supreme Court has agreed to take a case that could determine whether police can arrest people suspected of driving drunk after they pass field sobriety tests.
NASHVILLE (AP) — The Tennessee Attorney General is defending a state law that caps damages in civil cases in a lawsuit filed by the husband of a Brentwood woman who died after getting fungal meningitis from tainted steroid injections.
NASHVILLE AREA
NASHVILLE (AP) - A former Tennessee Titans cheerleader was charged with aggravated sexual battery and soliciting a minor for inappropriately grabbing a 12-year-old boy and making sexual advances toward him at his home in Murfreesboro.
STATEWIDE
NASHVILLE (AP) — Tennessee's unemployment rate for February was 7.8 percent, a slight increase from the previous month.
STATE LEGISLATURE
NASHVILLE (AP) - A Republican lawmaker who last year backed off a bill that would have allowed local officials to hold more closed-door meetings has renewed the effort, saying he's asked county commissioners to bring him a proposal that has a chance of passing a key subcommittee.
NASHVILLE (AP) — Tennessee Senate Speaker Ron Ramsey is joining the executive committee of the Republican Lieutenant Governors Association.
NASHVILLE (AP) — Coaches and school athletic directors would be required to complete a concussion safety education course under legislation that's headed to the governor for his consideration.
AUTO INDUSTRY
CANTON, Miss. (AP) — The Advanced Technologies program at Alcorn State University has been presented with a pair of high-tech robots from Nissan.
NATIONAL BUSINESS
NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stock markets are closing higher on Wall Street, bolstered by strong earnings from companies like Nike.
NEW YORK (AP) — Oil finished the week with a gain as traders took their cue from rising stock markets while watching developments in the financial crisis in Cyprus.
NEW YORK (AP) — The chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, Julius Genachowski, is set to announce his resignation.
NEW YORK (AP) — Ka-ching! The cash register may be on its final sale.
TORONTO (AP) — Apple's iPhone is outdated, according to the chief executive of BlackBerry-maker Research In Motion Ltd.
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Is Michael Dell's attempt to gain more control over his company about to turn into a financial tug-of-war?
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. sales of previously occupied homes rose in February to their fastest pace in more than three years, and more people put their homes on the market. The increases suggest a growing number of Americans believe the housing recovery will strengthen.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The number of people seeking U.S. unemployment aid barely changed last week, while the average over the past month fell to a fresh five-year low. The decline in layoffs is helping strengthen the job market.
NATIONAL POLITICS
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Pentagon says it will delay furlough notices for its civilian employees for about two weeks while officials analyze how Congressional funding changes will affect the cuts.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Three years, two elections, and one Supreme Court decision after President Barack Obama signed the Affordable Care Act, its promise of health care for the uninsured may be delayed or undercut in much of the country because of entrenched opposition from many Republican state leaders.