VOL. 39 | NO. 17 | Friday, April 24, 2015
STREET LEVEL
Other than the fact the roads outside – 53rd and Charlotte – are paved, not much has changed at Wendell Smith’s Corner, a monument to a short life well lived.
REALTY CHECK
How crazy is it out there (there being the residential real estate market, of course)?
REAL ESTATE
Top commercial real estate transactions, first quarter 2015, for Davidson, Williamson, Rutherford, Wilson and Sumner counties, as compiled by Chandler Reports.
TENNESSEE TITANS
As the NFL Draft edges ever closer, the Tennessee Titans appear to hold the key.
UT SPORTS
Todd Kelly Jr. concludes his first spring practice with Tennessee’s football team this week in a heated competition for a safety job.
NEWSMAKERS
Attorney Anthony C. Bills has joined Wiseman Ashworth Law Group, PLC, as an associate.
BEHIND THE WHEEL
The latest from luxury automaker Lexus is an audacious-looking sport coupe that turns heads and challenges long-held stereotypes of Lexus cars as sedate, plush rides.
BUSINESS BOOK REVIEW
Your broker thinks your portfolio needs more diversification. Take a little out of metals, he says, put it into tech. Move money from here, put it there. Sell manufacturing, buy oil. You hope that’s sound advice but you’ve noticed that he never uttered a word about stuffed animals. That’s a good thing, as you’ll see in “The Great Beanie Baby Bubble” by Zac Bissonnette.
GUERRILLA MARKETING
Partnering with a brand spokesperson is a strategy for giving a larger voice to your message and allowing the positive feelings the market has for that spokesperson to transfer to your brand.
I SWEAR
Once again, as Eli swung around the dark trees and onto the lawn, the children fled.” Philip Roth, in “Eli, the Fanatic” (1959).
KAY'S COOKING CORNER
One day not long ago, I was strolling leisurely through my favorite health food market. I wasn’t in any particular hurry, so I was able to stop and check out a few things instead of doing my usual hectic run-through, picking up only what was on my quickly scribbled list.
STATEWIDE
NASHVILLE (AP) - People having trouble navigating the justice system and who can't afford a lawyer are invited to attend a series of legal clinics across the state.
AUTO INDUSTRY
SMYRNA (AP) - An auto supplier is spending more than $53 million to build a new manufacturing facility in Smyrna, Tennessee.
NASHVILLE AREA
NASHVILLE (AP) — A historic Nashville school that has produced a number of distinguished alumni is celebrating 100 years.
REAL ESTATE
WASHINGTON (AP) — The poshest of luxury homes are acquiring the cachet of a masterwork by Picasso or Matisse.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Average long-term U.S. mortgage rates rose slightly this week, but remain near historic lows with the spring home-buying season underway and showing strong sales.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks traded lower Thursday as investors assessed the latest corporate earnings. Harman International, which makes audio systems for cars, and Yelp, an online listings company, fell sharply after posting weak earnings.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The number of Americans seeking unemployment aid plummeted to the lowest level in 15 years last week, evidence that employers are laying off few workers despite a sharp slowdown in economic growth.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Paychecks for U.S. workers are rising at a faster pace as strong hiring in the past year has lowered the unemployment rate and increased competition for workers.
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. consumers boosted spending in March by the largest amount in four months, a hopeful sign that this key sector of the economy is reviving after a frigid winter.
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 29
MIDSTATE
MURFREESBORO (AP) — Global food manufacturer General Mills is investing $250 million to expand its current operations in Rutherford County.
MURFREESBORO (AP) — Middle and high school girls interested in math and science are eligible to participate in a conference at Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro.
NEW YORK (AP) — Concert promoter and ticket seller Live Nation said Tuesday that it bought a controlling stake in annual music festival Bonnaroo.
COURTS
WASHINGTON (AP) — A unanimous Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that federal judges have authority to make sure the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is trying hard enough to settle charges of job discrimination before filing lawsuits against employers.
REAL ESTATE
WASHINGTON (AP) — More Americans signed contracts to buy homes in March, the third straight month of gains as housing heats up with the start of the spring buying season.
AUTO INDUSTRY
NASHVILLE (AP) — The United Auto Workers union has 816 members at the Volkswagen plant in Tennessee, or about 55 percent of the total blue collar work force, according the union's latest disclosure with the U.S. Department of Labor.
FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — German automaker Volkswagen said first-quarter profit rose 19 percent from a year ago as cost-cutting improved profit margins at its namesake brand and as European car sales showed a modest recovery.
TECHNOLOGY
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Microsoft figures one way to get people psyched about Windows 10 is to make sure there are plenty of cool features and apps for smartphones and tablets that use the new operating system.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Federal Reserve took a gloomier view of the U.S. economy Wednesday after a winter in which growth nearly froze. It offered no sign that a rate increase might be coming soon.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. economy skidded to a near halt in the first three months of the year, battered by a triple whammy of harsh weather, plunging exports and sharp cutbacks in oil and gas drilling.
NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks are closing lower as traders react to weak U.S. economic growth.
NEW YORK (AP) — Pimco has hired former Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke as a senior adviser, the bond fund manager said Wednesday.
TOANO, Va. (AP) — The Justice Department is seeking criminal charges against Lumber Liquidators in an ongoing investigation over imported products.
NATIONAL POLITICS
WASHINGTON (AP) — Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will seek support for a trans-Pacific trade pact that has divided U.S. lawmakers as he makes the first address by a Japanese leader to a joint meeting of Congress.
TUESDAY, APRIL 28
NASHVILLE AREA
NASHVILLE (AP) - Nashville International Airport is conducting a full-scale emergency drill this weekend simulating two airplanes colliding on the runway.
COURTS
NASHVILLE (AP) — Four victims' rights groups are asking the Tennessee Supreme Court to rule against a coalition of news media organizations, including The Associated Press, that is fighting to get access to some of the records in a high-profile rape case involving four former Vanderbilt University football players.
STATEWIDE
NASHVILLE (AP) — Some parents say they don't think it's fair that the troubled Tennessee Virtual Academy has to close.
HEALTH CARE
Your employer may one day help determine if your genes are why your jeans have become too snug.
REAL ESTATE
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. home prices climbed at a faster pace in February than the previous month, driven by higher sales and a limited supply of available houses.
MIDSTATE
NASHVILLE (AP) - A published report says a Middle Tennessee doctor accused of infractions similar to those of U.S. Rep. Scott DesJarlais has received a more severe punishment.
AUTO INDUSTRY
BRUSSELS (AP) — All new vehicles in the European Union will have to be fitted as of 2018 with a system that automatically calls the emergency services in case of an accident.
TECHNOLOGY
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The iPhone is still the engine behind Apple's phenomenal success, even if attention lately has been focused on its new smartwatch.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
WASHINGTON (AP) — The National Football League is giving up its tax-exempt status, which Commissioner Roger Goodell called a "distraction."
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. consumer confidence fell this month to the lowest level in four months, knocked down by a slowdown in hiring.
NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks posted modest gains Tuesday as investors worked through another large batch of earnings reports.
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Two groups petitioned the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on Monday for an investigation of Royal Dutch Shell PLC and what the groups call misstatements in regulatory filings regarding the risk of a catastrophic oil spill from Arctic offshore drilling.
NATIONAL POLITICS
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe declared progress Tuesday in trade talks between their two nations, stopping short of announcing a breakthrough in negotiations that are central to a massive 12-nation trade deal that would open markets around the Pacific rim to U.S. exports.
WASHINGTON (AP) — House Republicans unveiled legislation on Tuesday to sharply curb the Obama administration's recent moves to ease restrictions on travel to Cuba.
MONDAY, APRIL 27
STATEWIDE
NASHVILLE (AP) - A report released by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation shows the number of reported homicides across the state increased by nearly 10 percent last year, even as other crimes decreased.
NASHVILLE (AP) — Gov. Bill Haslam is continuing to promote his free-tuition plan for Tennessee adults.
NASHVILLE AREA
NASHVILLE (AP) — A West Tennessee attorney will be in Nashville on Monday to discuss his research on an NAACP member who was killed in Brownsville nearly 75 years ago.
AUTO INDUSTRY
FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — Volkswagen's patriarch has left the building. Does this mean change is coming to the world's No. 2 automaker — in particular, to its high-cost ways of doing business?
DETROIT (AP) — Families of at least 90 people killed in crashes caused by defective General Motors ignition switches will get compensation from the automaker.
TECHNOLOGY
NEW YORK (AP) — ESPN is suing Verizon in an escalating clash over how the popular sports channel is being sold in a discounted pay-TV package.
COURTS
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court said Monday it will decide whether Web sites and other firms that collect personal data can be sued for publishing inaccurate information even if the mistakes don't cause any actual harm.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
WASHINGTON (AP) — For 6½ years, the Federal Reserve has held its key interest rate near zero, and for nearly that long the financial world has speculated about when the Fed will start raising it.
NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks are closing lower as health care companies weigh on the market and investors await a flood of earnings reports.
CAMARILLO, Calif. (AP) — The average national price of a regular gallon of gasoline has jumped 13 cents in the past two weeks to $2.58.
NEW YORK (AP) — A glitch that disabled registers at thousands of Starbucks stores Friday was a reminder of the invisible systems restaurants rely on to run increasingly sophisticated operations.
FRIDAY, APRIL 24
STATE LEGISLATURE
NASHVILLE (AP) - Local governments in Tennessee can no longer bar people with handgun carry permits from bringing firearms to parks, playgrounds and sports fields under legislation signed Friday by Republican Gov. Bill Haslam.
NASHVILLE (AP) - Republican Gov. Bill Haslam said Thursday that he will decide this week whether to sign a bill to allow people with handgun carry permits to be armed in city parks near schools.
NASHVILLE (AP) - The defeat of Gov. Bill Haslam's proposal to extend health coverage to 280,000 low-income Tennesseans set the tone for the 2015 session of the state Legislature.
NASHVILLE AREA
NASHVILLE (AP) - Police are warning that security will be tight and road closures could cause traffic delays during Saturday's Country Music Marathon.
NASHVILLE (AP) — Nashville's new riverfront amphitheater will open July 30 with a headline show by seven-time Grammy nominee Eric Church, ushering in an inaugural outdoor concert season featuring big names from past and present.
NASHVILLE (AP) - A Nashville swingers club has undergone a conversion - it says it's now a church - in order to win city approval so it can open next to a Christian school.
WASHINGTON (AP) — A second ice cream company has shut down production this week after health officials found listeria in a sample of its frozen treats.
ST. LOUIS (AP) — Hardee's is considering moving its headquarters out of downtown St. Louis, perhaps to Nashville, Tennessee.
AUTO INDUSTRY
DETROIT (AP) — Harley-Davidson is recalling nearly 46,000 motorcycles in the U.S. because they could stay in gear due to clutches that won't fully disengage.
DETROIT (AP) — Ford Motor Co. said Thursday it's laying off 700 workers at a Michigan assembly plant because of slow sales of the small cars and hybrids it makes.
DETROIT (AP) — Encouraged by lower gas prices, consumers in the U.S. spent big in the first quarter on vehicles that carry lots of passengers and cargo — and deliver hefty profit margins for General Motors.
TECHNOLOGY
MANASSAS, Va. (AP) — Michelle Obama says the technology industry has committed to hiring or training 90,000 military veterans and spouses over the next five years.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
WASHINGTON (AP) — Purchases of long-lasting manufactured goods in March jumped by the largest amount in eight months, but a closer look at the details reveals that businesses kept pruning their investment plans in the face of a softening U.S. economy.
NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks advanced slightly Friday as investors cheered the quarterly results of three large technology companies: Google, Microsoft and Amazon.
NEW YORK (AP) — Fifteen years after peaking during the dot-com boom, the Nasdaq composite has reached a new all-time high.
NEW YORK (AP) — What killed Comcast's $45 billion bid for Time Warner Cable? Regulators' desire to protect the Internet video industry that is reshaping TV.
NEW YORK (AP) — Even if Comcast's $45.2 billion bid for Time Warner Cable is dead, consolidation among the companies that pipe in our TV, phone and Internet will carry on.
POMONA, Calif. (AP) — A bachelor's in beer? A master's in malt? Not quite. But these days some colleges are teaching students to make beer as part of their studies.
NATIONAL POLITICS
WASHINGTON (AP) — House Republicans pushed White House-backed trade legislation toward committee approval on Thursday despite strong objections by Democrats demanding stronger labor and environmental standards as well as a ban on currency manipulation by Asian nations.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The House passed a bill Thursday encouraging private companies to share information about cyberattacks with federal authorities in an attempt to combat the growing problem.
DALLAS (AP) — For airlines, the record profits keep coming, thanks to cheaper jet fuel.