VOL. 35 | NO. 15 | Friday, April 15, 2011
First quarter prices jump for Davidson, Williamson compared to 2010
With home prices rising and Realtors reporting something they haven’t seen in years – multiple offers on some of the houses they are selling – Nashville’s housing market showed signs of strength in the first quarter of the year.
At a time when big-box retailers have brought designer clothes to the masses at reasonable prices – and temporary pop-up shops are what’s hot in youth-driven retail – the idea of a family-owned clothier seems almost quaint. And the idea that such a business not only exists but has thrived for 156 years seems almost unreal.
Despite no small amount of wailing and moaning in the weeks following the closings of Borders and Davis-Kidd bookstores, Nashville’s bibliophiles haven’t been left in a total bind.
GREEN BUSINESS
Businesses have to fight for every consumer dollar these days, and, for many, the best ammunition is to take the concerns of their customers seriously. That often means addressing environmental concerns.
GET A JOB!
If you’re looking for a career in a growing industry – especially in the Nashville area – take a look at medicine.
BOOK REVIEW
Imagine that everybody’s naked.
NEWSMAKERS
F. Michael Minch, MD, a Nashville surgeon, will be installed as the 157th president of the Tennessee Medical Association during the annual TMA House of Delegates meeting here Saturday.
I SWEAR
I was sitting in Starbucks. Minding my own business. Reading the paper, actually. On a Monday morning.
KAY'S COOKING CORNER
Spring is in the air. All the tulips, buttercups, azaleas, redbud and dogwood trees are blooming! Just don’t take too big of a whiff. That could cause some major sneezing since the pollen count is so high! Before too long, all the beautiful blooms will be replaced with green dust. You know, the dust that makes your car temporarily green?
STATEWIDE
SMYRNA (AP) — Nissan is shuffling some North American auto production as it ramps up to make the electric LEAF sedan at its Smyrna plant.
NEW YORK (AP) — Nissan Motor Co. will resume taking U.S. reservations for its Leaf electric car on May 1, Nissan Americas Chairman Carlos Tavares said Wednesday.
NASHVILLE (AP) — Sixty employees will be laid off at the state Department of Economic and Community Development as part of an overhaul of the agency's mission, Gov. Bill Haslam announced Wednesday.
SPRING HILL (AP) — The Spring Hill Board of Mayor and Aldermen has rejected a request to rezone 725 acres for a theme park.
NASHVILLE (AP) — A special conference April 29 in Nashville is designed to give women insights into making a living in agriculture and small business.
STATE LEGISLATURE
NASHVILLE (AP) — A revised proposal that would require the Tennessee Board of Education to review what's being taught in schools regarding sexuality is headed for a Senate floor vote.
NASHVILLE (AP) — A proposal to replace Tennessee teachers' collective bargaining rights with a policy manual is "insulting to teachers" and could create chaos, said the lobbyist for the Tennessee Education Association.
NATIONAL BUSINESS
LONDON (AP) — Oil prices jumped above $112 a barrel Thursday to near the highest level since 2008 amid signs U.S. demand remains robust despite rising fuel costs.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Fewer Americans applied for unemployment benefits last week, partly reversing a sharp jump in applications the previous week.
NEW YORK (AP) — General Electric Co. said Thursday that earnings jumped 77 percent in the first quarter, led by strong results in its financial services business.
NEW YORK (AP) — Morgan Stanley's income fell 48 percent in the first quarter on a sharp drop in revenue from sales and trading of fixed-income securities and commodities.
DALLAS (AP) — By the thinnest of margins, Southwest Airlines Co. says it made money in the first quarter despite higher fuel prices.
NEW YORK (AP) — JetBlue said Thursday that it squeezed out a small profit in the first quarter as higher fares and improving traffic countered the rising price of jet fuel.
NEW YORK (AP) — Helped by the iPhone, Verizon Wireless is pulling in more high-paying subscribers than it has in a year, and 15 times more than rival AT&T.
MILAN (AP) — Italian automaker Fiat is closing in on its goal of taking a majority stake and full control of Chrysler LLC by the end of the year, announcing a deal Thursday to buy another 16 percent share sooner than expected for $1.3 billion.
NATIONAL POLITICS
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Obama administration plans to give the Libyan opposition $25 million in non-lethal assistance in the first direct U.S. aid to the rebels after weeks of assessing their capabilities and intentions, officials said Wednesday.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton outlined Wednesday the daunting task awaiting Haiti's incoming president: 650,000 in camps, a rubble-strewn capital, a broken judicial system and the looming hurricane season. She said the U.S. will help the impoverished, earthquake-ravaged Caribbean nation "all the way."