VOL. 43 | NO. 15 | Friday, April 12, 2019
JIM MYERS: CULINARITY
On May 6, the top toques of American dining will gather in Chicago for a celebration of all things food, drink and hospitality at the annual paean to cookery called the James Beard Foundation Awards.
SPORTS
The ever-increasing numbers indicate the Nashville Sounds must be doing something right.
Jason Wood played for the Sounds back in the days when Greer Stadium was the team’s home ballpark. Now, he’s returning as the team’s manager at Nashville’s new stadium, First Tennessee Park.
STATE GOVERNMENT
As this year’s legislative session winds down, details are beginning to surface on a bill authorizing Gov. Bill Lee to ask the federal government to provide TennCare matching funding – currently about $7.5 billion of a $12 billion TennCare budget – as a block grant.
RICHARD COURTNEY: REALTY CHECK
In most real estate transactions, there is a confluence of legality, reality and realty. From time to time, however, there are situations in which the law and the contract and realism are at war.
REAL ESTATE
Top residential real estate sales, March 2019, for Davidson, Williamson, Rutherford, Wilson and Sumner counties, as compiled by Chandler Reports.
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. long-term mortgage rates rose moderately this week, remaining at historically low levels that can lure potential purchasers in the spring homebuying season.
NEWSMAKERS
First Tennessee has hired Debra Hooper as senior vice president and private client services manager. Hooper will be based in the Brentwood office and report directly to executive vice president Andrew Kintz.
BRIEFS
The Greater Nashville Regional Council, WeGo Public Transit and Tennessee Department of Transportation have kicked-off the South Corridor Study to find public transportation options for the corridor stretching through Davidson, Williamson and Maury counties.
BEHIND THE WHEEL
Vehicle safety technology continues to evolve at a rapid pace. Today’s cars can watch your blind spot, help keep you in your lane, automatically hit the brakes in an emergency and more.
CAREER CORNER
There has been much in the news lately about ghosting. Job seekers aren’t showing up to interviews. And, they’re not coming to work on their first day – all with no notice.
PERSONAL FINANCE
If your tax refund this year was disappointing, you may be able to do something about it: Contribute more to a retirement fund.
MILLENNIAL MONEY
There's almost always a reason for photographs — an engagement, wedding, graduation, pregnancy and more.
STATE GOVERNMENT
NASHVILLE (AP) — Tennessee legislative leaders are hoping to win over skeptical GOP members wary of a contentious voucher-style bill by offering more financial help to rural schools while also proposing to reduce funds to participating urban schools.
STATEWIDE
GATLINBURG (AP) — Most campgrounds, picnic areas and roads in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park are opening just in time for Easter weekend.
PREDATORS
DALLAS (AP) — The bounce-back effort by Ben Bishop after a tough game didn't surprise Dallas Stars coach Jim Montgomery.
AUTO INDUSTRY
TOKYO (AP) — Japan's top court said Thursday it has rejected an appeal by former Nissan Chairman Carlos Ghosn's lawyers against his extended detention after his fourth arrest on allegations of financial misconduct.
TECHNOLOGY
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Some of Samsung's new, almost $2,000 folding phones appear to be breaking after just a couple of days.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. retail sales surged in March at the fastest pace since late 2017, as spending on autos, gasoline, furniture and clothing jumped.
The number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits dropped to the lowest level in nearly half a century.
NEW YORK (AP) — Earth, meet Polo. Polo Ralph Lauren on Thursday launched a version of its iconic polo shirt made entirely of recycled plastic bottles and dyed through a process that uses zero water.
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Pinterest is pricing its shares at $19 for its initial public offering Thursday, putting it on track to raise more than $1.4 billion.
NATIONAL POLITICS
WASHINGTON (AP) — After nearly two years of waiting, America will get some answers straight from Robert Mueller — but not before President Donald Trump's attorney general has his say.
MOSCOW (AP) — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un will visit Russia later this month, the Kremlin said Thursday, in a meeting that offers President Vladimir Putin an opportunity to emerge as a broker in the long-running nuclear standoff and raise Russia's profile in regional affairs.
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 17
NASHVILLE AREA
NASHVILLE (AP) — Nashville Public Radio has hired veteran CBS Radio executive Steve Swenson as its new president and chief executive officer.
NASHVILLE (AP) — Democratic presidential hopeful Amy Klobuchar weighed in on Nashville's 2018 transit referendum Wednesday, saying it failed partly because voters weren't sure they wanted to fund the initiative locally, without the federal government pitching in.
STATE GOVERNMENT
NASHVILLE (AP) — A handful of protesters on Wednesday remained camped outside Gov. Bill Lee's office in the Tennessee Statehouse in an attempt to secure a meeting with the Republican to discuss a lawmaker accused of sexual misconduct.
NASHVILLE (AP) — The Tennessee House has advanced a proposal that would create a new state charter school commission to manage charter school appeals if operators are denied by a local school board.
NASHVILLE (AP) — The Tennessee House has advanced legislation banning motorists from holding cellphones while driving.
NASHVILLE (AP) — An ongoing protest outside Gov. Bill Lee's office in the Tennessee Statehouse has raised concerns after reporters were warned they risked arrest if they did not leave the building.
AUTO INDUSTRY
Auto shows may be waning in importance as companies find other ways to introduce new products, but the New York International Auto Show still has a healthy list of new vehicle debuts.
BERLIN (AP) — Munich-based startup Sono Motors plans to build the first mass produced solar electric vehicle in Sweden, starting next year.
TOKYO (AP) — The wife of Carlos Ghosn, the former chairman of Nissan and Renault, said Wednesday she is worried whether her husband, detained in Japan on financial misconduct allegations, will receive a fair trial, and expressed outrage over a justice system that dragged him back into custody.
MILAN (AP) — New car sales in Europe are continuing to fall for the seventh straight month, dropping by 4 percent in March.
TECHNOLOGY
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Apple and mobile chip maker Qualcomm have settled a bitter financial dispute centered on some of the technology that enables iPhones to connect to the internet.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
Stocks finished a wobbly day of trading on Wall Street Wednesday with modest losses that erased most of the market's slight gains from a day earlier.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Federal Reserve said Wednesday the economy was expanding at a moderate pace in March and early April, despite uncertainty caused by trade tensions and severe flooding in the Midwest.
NEW YORK (AP) — Electric scooters are overtaking station-based bicycles as the most popular form of shared transportation outside transit and cars in the U.S.
BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union has drawn up a list of $20 billion worth of U.S. products it could tax in an escalating feud over plane industry subsidies, the EU's executive commission said Wednesday.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. trade deficit fell for the second straight month in February, and the politically sensitive deficit in the trade of goods with China narrowed.
NEW YORK (AP) — A burgeoning movement to outlaw fur is seeking to make its biggest statement yet in the fashion mecca of New York City.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration on Wednesday opened the door for lawsuits against foreign firms operating on properties Cuba seized from Americans after the 1959 revolution.
NBC Universal and the LA Olympics are going into business together, combining to package commercial time on all the network's platforms with opportunities to sponsor the American team through 2028.
SHANGHAI (AP) — China's economic growth held steady in the latest quarter despite a tariff war with Washington as Beijing's efforts to reverse a slowdown started to gain traction.
NATIONAL POLITICS
CORAL GABLES, Fla. (AP) — The Trump administration on Wednesday intensified its crackdown on Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela, rolling back Obama administration policy and announcing new restrictions and sanctions against the three countries whose leaders national security adviser John Bolton dubbed the "three stooges of socialism."
WASHINGTON (AP) — Many Americans aren't ready to clear President Donald Trump in the Russia investigation, with a new poll showing slightly more want Congress to keep investigating than to set aside its probes after a special counsel's report left open the question of whether he broke the law.
TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — Terry Gou, chairman of the world's largest contract assembler of consumer electronics, including Apple's iPhones, said Wednesday he intends to run for president of Taiwan, bringing his pro-business and China-friendly policies to what is expected to be a crowded field for next year's election.
MADRID (AP) — A senior official says that the Spanish government is asking the European Union to challenge a U.S. move to allow lawsuits against foreign companies operating in properties seized from Americans in post-revolution Cuba.
TUESDAY, APRIL 16
STATE GOVERNMENT
NASHVILLE (AP) — Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee is seeking almost $24.7 million to treat hepatitis C in prisons.
NASHVILLE (AP) — Tennessee could penalize some paid voter registration groups with fines for too many faulty signups and criminal charges for violating new requirements under a proposal passed by the House on Monday.
NASHVILLE (AP) — Tennessee lawmakers have struck a deal that would limit community oversight boards that investigate police misconduct but maintain limited subpoena power.
MIDSTATE
ASHLAND CITY (AP) — Officials in a Tennessee county want to build a new jail after overcrowding and other issues led to a brawl that injured five people, including two correctional officers.
NASHVILLE AREA
NASHVILLE (AP) — Officials with scenic Natchez Trace Parkway are reminding motorists that the roadway is designed for leisurely drives and not interstate-style speeds.
STATEWIDE
NASHVILLE (AP) — Tennessee officials are halting most interstate road construction work for Easter weekend.
PREDATORS
DALLAS (AP) — Nashville goalie Pekka Rinne withstood a flurry of shots when the Dallas Stars had an extended power play in the second period, including a 5-on-3 advantage.
TENNESSEE TITANS
NASHVILLE (AP) — Cornerback Alterraun Verner is signing a one-day contract with the Tennessee Titans to retire with the team that drafted him.
NASHVILLE (AP) — The Titans are enjoying their best run since this franchise moved to Tennessee more than two decades ago, stringing together three straight 9-7 seasons.
UT SPORTS
KNOXVILLE (AP) — Tennessee coach Rick Barnes believes he would be in Westwood today coaching the UCLA's men's basketball team if buyout negotiations hadn't broken down.
KNOXVILLE (AP) — Evina Westbrook is transferring from Tennessee after sharing the team lead in scoring this season.
HEALTH CARE
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. health regulators are halting sales of a type of surgical mesh used to repair pelvic conditions in women.
COURTS
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court on Tuesday seemed inclined to rule against workers on oil drilling platforms off California who want to be paid for the off-work time they spend on the platform, including sleeping.
TECHNOLOGY
LONDON (AP) — When Samsung said this year it would launch a smartphone with a folding screen, the big question was whether the innovation was something people actually wanted or needed.
AUTO INDUSTRY
LORDSTOWN, Ohio (AP) — A union official says a small contingent of workers has finished making replacement parts for the Chevy Cruze at a General Motors plant in Ohio where production of the compact sedan ended in March.
SHANGHAI (AP) — Automakers showcased electric SUVs and sedans with longer range and luxury features Tuesday at the Shanghai auto show, wooing Chinese buyers as Beijing slashes subsidies that helped to launch the industry.
TECHNOLOGY
MOSCOW (AP) — Russia's lower chamber of parliament has adopted a bill that would expand government control over the internet, raising fears of widespread censorship.
MEDIA
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Netflix's popularity is still booming, even as the video streaming service rolls out it biggest U.S. price increases and girds for new challenges from Walt Disney and Apple, two of the world's most popular brands.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The first episode of the final season of "Game of Thrones" is a record-breaker for the series and HBO.
NEW YORK (AP) — AT& has sold its 9.5% share in Hulu back to the streaming TV company, leaving Disney and Comcast as its owners.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks edged higher on Wall Street, erasing the market's modest losses from a day earlier.
NEW YORK (AP) — Sprint and T-Mobile shares are falling after a Wall Street Journal report cast doubt on the likelihood of government approval of their $26.5 billion merger .
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. industrial production fell in March, pulled down by a drop in mining output. Factory output remained weak amid a slowing global economy and trade tensions with China.
MILAN (AP) — Italian bank UniCredit will pay $1.3 billion (1.5 billion euros) to settle charges by the U.S. government that it violated sanctions against Iran and other countries.
NEW YORK (AP) — Walmart is teaming up with Kidbox, the 3-year-old online styling service for children, to offer its customers an exclusive, curated style box.
NATIONAL POLITICS
WASHINGTON (AP) — Two House committees subpoenaed Deutsche Bank and several other financial institutions Monday as part of investigations into President Donald Trump's finances.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Top administration officials have been discussing ways to increase pressure on countries with high numbers of citizens who overstay short-term visas, as part of President Donald Trump's growing focus on immigration heading into his re-election campaign.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders on Monday released 10 years of his long-anticipated tax returns as he campaigns for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Democratic presidential candidates raised about $75 million during the first quarter of the 2020 election, a lackluster sum spread out across more than a dozen campaigns that signals a drawn-out battle likely lies ahead.
MONDAY, APRIL 15
UT SPORTS
KNOXVILLE (AP) — New Tennessee coach Kellie Harper believes it would be good for women's basketball in general to have the Lady Vols competing for titles again.
MUSIC INDUSTRY
NEW YORK (AP) — Aretha Franklin is still getting R-E-S-P-E-C-T after death: The Queen of Soul received the Pulitzer Prize Special Citation honor Monday, becoming the first individual woman to earn a special citation prize since the honor was first awarded in 1930.
MEDIA
NEW YORK (AP) — The South Florida SunSentinel won the Pulitzer Prize for public service Monday for its coverage of the school massacre that killed 17 people in Parkland, Florida, and the shortcomings in school discipline and security that contributed to the carnage.
EDUCATION
NASHVILLE (AP) — Vanderbilt University has picked a team to find its next chancellor.
COURTS
KNOXVILLE (AP) — A Tennessee prosecutor has proposed banning access to police videos in criminal cases for most members of the public outside the courtroom.
BOSTON (AP) — "Full House" actress Lori Loughlin and her fashion designer husband, Mossimo Giannulli, pleaded not guilty Monday to charges that they paid $500,000 in bribes to get their daughters into the University of Southern California.
TECHNOLOGY
There is a way around the notoriously sluggish internet in West Virginia. You just need a car and some time.
LONDON (AP) — Britain's privacy regulator wants to stop kids from being able to "like" posts on Facebook and other social media sites as part of tough new rules it's proposing to protect children's online privacy.
AUTO INDUSTRY
FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — German prosecutors charged former Volkswagen CEO Martin Winterkorn and four others with fraud in the emissions cheating scandal that has helped turn many Europeans against diesel engines and accelerated the push toward electric cars.
TOKYO (AP) — Japan's Supreme Court has turned down an appeal by the lawyers for former Nissan Chairman Carlos Ghosn to end his detention following his arrest for the fourth time on financial misconduct allegations.
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Sen. Bernie Sanders on Sunday accused President Donald Trump of betraying the working people who put him in office and challenged him to deny federal contracts to General Motors until the company reopens shuttered plants.
Volkswagen is planning to release a fully-electric SUV in China which could compete with Tesla's Model X.
TRANSPORTATION
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is offering some unsolicited advice to Boeing, manufacturer of the troubled 737 Max jet.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
Stocks closed slightly higher on Wall Street Tuesday, erasing the market's modest losses from a day earlier.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said Monday that the Federal Reserve's independence is important globally, while refusing to comment on President Donald Trump's latest attack on the Fed.
NEW YORK (AP) — Goldman Sachs said its first quarter earnings fell by 21% from a year earlier, hurt by a slowdown in trading.
BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union approved Monday its terms for negotiating a new trade deal with the United States, but set up a possible show-down with Washington by refusing to include agricultural products in the talks.
NEW YORK (AP) — It's showing up in everything from skin creams to bath balms to dog treats — an elixir that can supposedly reduce anxiety and help you sleep.
NATIONAL POLITICS
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump suggested Monday that his threat to ship migrants to so-called sanctuary cities is taking effect, even though it remains unclear whether such a plan is feasible.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department expects to make a redacted version of special counsel Robert Mueller's report on the Russia investigation public Thursday morning, a spokeswoman said Monday.
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump spoke over the weekend with former President Jimmy Carter about his China policies and "numerous other topics."
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Ardently liberal, pro-labor and anti-corporate cash, the field of Democrats running for president may look like a union activist's dream. But some key labor leaders are starting to worry about the topics dominating the 2020 conversation.
FRIDAY, APRIL 12
NASHVILLE AREA
To help ensure traffic flow during the NFL Draft downtown, Metro is closing its offices and departments at 3 p.m. April 25-26 for all non-essential personnel.
MIDSTATE
MT. JULIET (AP) — Commissioners in Mt. Juliet, Tennessee, have unanimously approved a zoning ordinance limiting surgical abortions to industrial zoned areas.
STATEWIDE
MEMPHIS (AP) — Fred's Inc. says it will close 159 underperforming and unprofitable stores in 13 states by the end of May.
NASHVILLE (AP) — Tennessee is holding more than 100 free legal advice clinics across the state this month.
ENVIRONMENT
NASHVILLE (AP) — Shutting down a Kentucky coal-fired power plant is the right decision, the new head of the Tennessee Valley Authority said Friday. President Donald Trump and the U.S. Senate majority leader who hails from Kentucky had previously criticized the move.
STATE GOVERNMENT
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee would dramatically overhaul how it provides health care to its lower-income and disabled residents under a proposal the House advanced Thursday.
NASHVILLE (AP) — A Democratic Tennessee lawmaker says he's resigning from his leadership position after a House ethics panel concluded he violated the General Assembly's sexual harassment policy.
NASHVILLE (AP) — A proposal that would allow teachers and others in public schools to carry concealed firearms won't be considered further in 2019.
SPORTS
NASHVILLE (AP) — Five-time NFL most valuable player and two-time Super Bowl champion quarterback Peyton Manning headlines the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame's latest induction class.
TENNESSEE TITANS
NASHVILLE (AP) — The Tennessee State Museum is marking 20 years of the NFL's Titans in the state with a special display.
PREDATORS
NASHVILLE (AP) — Miro Heiskanen scored a goal and had an assist, helping the Dallas Stars beat the Nashville Predators 3-2 on Wednesday night in Game 1 of their first-round Western Conference series.
COURTS
MURFREESBORO (AP) — An inmate who became paralyzed after a fall at a Tennessee jail is suing the county that operates it.
AUTO INDUSTRY
TOKYO (AP) — A Tokyo court on Friday approved the detention of Nissan's former Chairman Carlos Ghosn through April 22, allowing prosecutors to interrogate him daily on fresh allegations of financial misconduct.
TRANSPORTATION
Southwest is removing flights with the troubled Boeing 737 Max aircraft from its schedule through Aug. 5, a period that includes the peak of the airline's busy summer travel season.
TECHNOLOGY
WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. government will hold a massive auction later this year to bolster 5G service , the next generation of mobile networks. President Donald Trump showcased the announcement Friday, declaring that the race to stand up these faster, more powerful networks is a competition "America must win."
YEHUD, Israel (AP) — An Israeli spacecraft crashed into the moon just moments before touchdown, failing in an ambitious attempt to make history Thursday as the first privately funded lunar landing.
MEDIA
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Disney raised the curtain on a hotly anticipated video steaming service that's aiming to topple industry pioneer Netflix, once a valuable ally of the Magic Kingdom.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
Stocks notched solid gains on Wall Street Friday, erasing most of the losses the market sustained after an uneven week of trading.
NEW YORK (AP) — Hembert Figueroa just wanted a taco. So he was surprised to learn the dollar bills in his pocket were no good at Dos Toros Taqueria in Manhattan, one of a small but growing number of establishments across the U.S. where customers can only pay by card or smartphone.
LONDON (AP) — British politicians on both sides of the Brexit divide are launching campaigns for an election that may never take place: the contest for U.K. seats in the European Parliament.
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Uber is providing a look under the hood of its business in the lead-up to its hotly anticipated debut on the stock market, revealing strong growth but an ongoing struggle to overcome huge losses and repair its reputation.
DALLAS (AP) — Boeing's CEO says crews have made 96 flights to test a software update for its troubled 737 Max jet and will make more in coming weeks as the company attempts to convince regulators to let the plane fly again.
NEW YORK (AP) — Amazon's Jeff Bezos challenged other retailers to raise wages and improve benefits for their employees, saying the competition will help everyone.
The major U.S. stock indexes closed unevenly Thursday after an early rally gave way to a mostly sideways day of trading on Wall Street.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The head of the 189-nation International Monetary Fund said Thursday the world is facing a time of high uncertainty with 70% of the global economy caught in a growth slowdown that could be worsened by self-inflicted wounds such as unnecessary trade battles.
LONDON (AP) — British Prime Minister Theresa May urged lawmakers Thursday to spend the upcoming Easter break to "reflect" on the need for a Brexit compromise, after a clearly frustrated European Union gave the country six more months to find a way to leave the bloc.
MIAMI (AP) — A federal judge has threatened to temporarily block Carnival Corp. from docking cruise ships at ports in the United States as punishment for a possible probation violation.
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. wholesale prices increased in March by the most since last fall, driven largely by more expensive gas and electricity.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The number of people applying for unemployment aid fell last week to its lowest level in nearly five decades, solid evidence that the job market is healthy and layoffs scarce.
NATIONAL POLITICS
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump said Friday he is strongly considering releasing "Illegal Immigrants" into Democratic strongholds to punish congressional foes for inaction on the border— just hours after White House and Homeland Security officials insisted the idea had been rejected as fast as it had been proposed.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is declining to say whether he thinks his chamber would confirm Herman Cain to join the Federal Reserve board, casting doubt on the former Republican presidential candidate's prospects should President Donald Trump advance him for the post.
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump says the U.S. wants to keep economic sanctions in place to pressure North Korea to give up nuclear weapons, but isn't ruling out a third summit with Kim Jong Un or taking steps to ease food or other shortages in the repressive nation.
By JONATHAN LEMIRE and ERIC TUCKER Associated Press
LONDON (AP) — A bearded and shouting Julian Assange was pulled from the Ecuadorian Embassy in London and hauled into court Thursday, the start of an extradition battle for the WikiLeaks founder who faces U.S. charges related to the publication of tens of thousands of secret government documents.
NEW YORK (AP) — President Donald Trump's sister has retired as a federal appellate judge in Philadelphia, ending a civil misconduct inquiry launched after a report that she participated in Trump family schemes to dodge taxes.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Treasury Department has missed a deadline to deliver President Donald Trump's tax returns to the House Ways and Means Committee chairman. It's another early step in a battle between the Trump administration and congressional Democrats over access to Trump's business and financial dealings, with the dispute likely to end up in court.