VOL. 39 | NO. 14 | Friday, April 3, 2015
IN THE WEEDS
If you were looking to celebrate National Whipped Cream Day, then you’ll have to wait until next year on Jan 5.
REALTY CHECK
With the dismal winter behind us, and trees beginning to glow with greenery, many are hoping the spring will sprout some listings.
UT SPORTS
Joshua Dobbs enters his junior season as Tennessee’s undisputed No. 1 quarterback and team leader, the player most responsible for the Vols’ relevance again in SEC football.
NEWSMAKERS
Waller Lansden Dortch & Davis, LLP have announced the addition of W. David Bridgers, Chanelle R. Acheson, John E. Haubenreich and Wells Trompeter Hoffman to the firm’s Nashville office.
BUSINESS BOOK REVIEW
A nice fat surprise came in the mail for you the other day.
BEHIND THE WHEEL
The roomy, fuel-sipping Toyota Camry Hybrid family sedan gets better for 2015 with more appealing exterior styling, upgraded interior, improved ride and handling and quieter passenger cabin.
GUERRILLA MARKETING
Why do so many great organizations struggle with change? After all, “the only thing that is constant is change,” according to Greek philosopher Heraclitus, and the sentiment couldn’t be truer today.
I SWEAR
“Ipsy dipsy!” shouts Ann Marie, Marlo Thomas’s character in “That Girl.” Trying to impress a judge in court, she mispronounces ipse dixit. Meaning “he, himself, said it,” this Latin phrase connotes a dogmatic, unsupported assertion.
KAY'S COOKING CORNER
Not long ago I felt a close friend of mine needed some cheer, so I took her a bouquet of flowers as a little pick-me-up. She and her family have been going through some difficult medical issues lately and it just seemed to me she could use a bit of cheering.
STATE LEGISLATURE
NASHVILLE (AP) - The state House has voted to allow constables in Tennessee to be armed if they are certified by the Tennessee Peace Officers Standards and Training Commission.
STATEWIDE
NASHVILLE (AP) — Republican Gov. Bill Haslam's administration wants lawmakers to approve a cut in aviation fuel taxes for Memphis-based FedEx Corp.
AUTO INDUSTRY
DETROIT (AP) — If you live where salt is used to clear the roads of snow and ice, U.S. safety regulators have a message for you: Wash the underside of your car.
TECHNOLOGY
NEW YORK (AP) — Buying an Apple Watch won't be as simple as walking into an Apple store and handing over your credit card.
NEW YORK (AP) — The public will have its first chance to see, touch and buy the Apple Watch on Friday, as Apple stores in the U.S. and eight markets abroad start previews and online orders commence.
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — When Samsung dubbed development of its latest smartphones "Project Zero," it was sounding a note of desperation as sales tumbled and it lost pole position in the crucial Chinese market to rivals Xiaomi and Apple.
REAL ESTATE
WASHINGTON (AP) — Average long-term U.S. mortgage rates declined this week, approaching historically low levels with the spring home-buying season underway.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
WASHINGTON (AP) — More Americans sought unemployment benefits last week, but applications for jobless aid overall remain low — a reassuring sign after hiring slowed last month.
NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks edged lower Thursday as investors assessed some mixed news on company earnings. Energy stocks rose as oil recouped some of its losses from a big sell-off on Wednesday.
Walgreens will shutter about 200 U.S. stores as part of an expanded cost reduction push, but the nation's largest drugstore chain has no plans to shrink in the wake of its combination with European health and beauty retailer Alliance Boots.
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 8
STATE LEGISLATURE
NASHVILLE (AP) - Jack Daniel's has turned back the latest challenge to a state law that determines which spirits can be marketed as "Tennessee Whiskey," but upstart distillers hoping their brands make the cut vow the fight isn't over for good.
NASHVILLE (AP) - A proposal that seeks to do away with Tennessee's motorcycle helmet requirement was revived Wednesday and is advancing in the state Legislature despite concerns about how it would be enforced.
NASHVILLE (AP) - A Tennessee state senator who made headlines recently for cussing out a protester on YouTube has returned to the spotlight by comparing vasectomies to abortions.
NASHVILLE (AP) - Legislation that seeks to replace the state's current academic standards is advancing in the state Legislature.
NASHVILLE (AP) - Legislation to prohibit Tennessee teachers from engaging in political campaigning during work hours is headed to the governor.
NASHVILLE AREA
NASHVILLE (AP) — Republican Gov. Bill Haslam's administration has rejected state troopers' request to work security at the National Rifle Association's annual convention in Nashville this weekend.
NASHVILLE (AP) — The Tennessee Highway Patrol is accepting applications for its youth and junior trooper academies in Nashville this summer.
COURTS
NASHVILLE (AP) — The state constitution guarantees the right to bail, but it's not absolute, the Tennessee Supreme Court ruled Tuesday.
AUTO INDUSTRY
DETROIT (AP) — Electric car maker Tesla Motors is going after mainstream luxury car buyers by adding all-wheel-drive and more range and power to the base version of its only model.
FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — Luxury car maker Mercedes-Benz saw its highest monthly sales ever in March.
HEALTH CARE
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama is giving his health care law an eight out of a 10, and calls a lawsuit hanging over it "the last gasp" from opponents.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
WASHINGTON (AP) — Fed officials disagreed widely last month on when they might begin lifting interest rates from record lows.
WASHINGTON (AP) — AT&T is paying $25 million in a settlement with federal regulators over data breaches at three call centers in Latin America that compromised customer data for some 280,000 U.S. customer accounts.
WASHINGTON (AP) — In Mexico City, an auto parts company expects to ride a resurgent U.S. auto industry to $1 billion in annual revenue by 2016.
NEW YORK (AP) — Deal news gave the stock market a lift Wednesday. Health care stocks rose after generic drugmaker Mylan bid $29 billion for rival Perrigo. That offset a slump in energy stocks prompted by a big drop in oil prices.
LONDON (AP) — Oil and gas company Shell has agreed to buy British rival BG Group for 47 billion pounds ($69.7 billion) in cash and stock, in a deal that may signal a new wave of mega-mergers as the energy industry tries to adapt to lower prices.
NEW YORK (AP) — IMAX Corp. and The Walt Disney Co. renewed their multi-picture deal that includes live-action and animated releases from Disney, Pixar and Lucasfilm.
TUESDAY, APRIL 7
STATE LEGISLATURE
NASHVILLE (AP) - Gov. Bill Haslam has signed legislation that allows workers to sue their employers if they are fired for storing guns in cars parked on company lots.
NASHVILLE (AP) - Senate Speaker Ron Ramsey says he opposes a measure to make the Bible the official state book of Tennessee.
NASHVILLE (AP) - Jack Daniel's has turned back the latest challenge to a state law that determines which spirits can be marketed as "Tennessee Whiskey," but upstart distillers hoping their brands make the cut vow the fight isn't over for good.
NASHVILLE (AP) - Tennessee residents who are authorized to be in the United States would be eligible for in-state tuition under legislation that advanced in the state Legislature on Tuesday.
NASHVILLE (AP) — An effort to repeal the state's bill determining which spirits can be sold as "Tennessee Whiskey" faces key votes in the state House and Senate committees on Tuesday.
NASHVILLE (AP) — The House voted Monday to remove the Tennessee Capitol from a bill to expand the areas where people with handgun carry permits can be armed, a move supported by Republican Gov. Bill Haslam.
NASHVILLE (AP) — Legislative staffers are calling video streaming problems on the Tennessee General Assembly's website unacceptable.
STATEWIDE
MEMPHIS (AP) — Officials say Greater Memphis led Tennessee's metro areas in patents issued in 2013.
THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — American package delivery service FedEx has agreed to take over Dutch rival TNT Express, one of Europe's largest delivery companies, for 4.4 billion euros ($4.8 billion), the companies announced Tuesday, in a move FedEx said will strengthen its business globally.
COURTS
NASHVILLE (AP) - Lawyers representing the families of three children who attend a struggling online school pleaded with a judge in a Nashville courtroom Tuesday to keep it open.
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) — A fraternity at the University of Virginia announced Monday that it will "pursue all available legal action" against Rolling Stone, saying a Columbia Journalism School review shows the magazine acted recklessly and defamed its members by publishing an article that falsely accused them of gang rape.
NASHVILLE (AP) — The Tennessee Supreme Court has ruled that a jury is free to convict someone of the less serious crime of criminal attempt even if there is actual evidence that the crime was not only attempted but actually completed.
AUTO INDUSTRY
CHATTANOOGA (AP) — Volkswagen is seeking to add to a planned expansion announced last year to produce a new sport utility vehicle in Tennessee.
TECHNOLOGY
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Federal Communications Commission has been asked to consider whether phone companies could do more to stop the onslaught of "robocalls," the automated phone calls favored by scammers.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The new YouTube Kids mobile app targets young children with unfair and deceptive advertising and should be investigated, a group of consumer advocates told the Federal Trade Commission in a letter Tuesday.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
WASHINGTON (AP) — Consumers increased their borrowing to a record high in February, driven by a large jump in auto and student loans.
NEW YORK (AP) — Drivers will see the lowest summer gasoline prices in about 6 years, according to the Energy Department.
WASHINGTON (AP) — It turns out we may be able to breathe easier about the slowdown in hiring last month.
NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks fell Tuesday as an early advance fizzled in the last hour of trading.
NEW YORK (AP) — Business travelers are bypassing the taxi queue with greater frequency, choosing instead ride-hailing services like Uber Technologies.
NATIONAL POLITICS
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama will ask Americans to think of climate change as a threat not just to the environment, but also to their health.
MONDAY, APRIL 6
STATE LEGISLATURE
NASHVILLE (AP) - The gloves are coming off in a legislative fight over efforts to repeal state guidelines about which spirits can be labeled as "Tennessee Whiskey."
NASHVILLE (AP) - Gov. Bill Haslam said Monday that he favors House lawmakers stripping a provision inserted into a guns-in-parks proposal that would allow handgun carry permit holders to be armed on the grounds of the state Capitol.
STATEWIDE
NASHVILLE (AP) — Gov. Bill Haslam will travel across the state this week to highlight an initiative for adults to attend a Tennessee college of applied technology free of tuition and fees.
NASHVILLE (AP) — Republican U.S. Sen. Bob Corker is making a nine-stop tour of Tennessee this week to discuss the nation's fiscal and foreign policy challenges.
NASHVILLE (AP) — College students interested in pursuing a career in criminal justice or forensic science can get hands-on experience through a new training program being offered by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.
COURTS
NASHVILLE (AP) — The Tennessee Supreme Court said that it is adding a way that lawyers can voluntarily donate to access to justice programs to help people who don't have enough money for an attorney. The state's highest court also adopted changes this week that would not require lawyers to report all of their pro bono hours.
NASHVILLE AREA
NASHVILLE (AP) — When more than 70,000 gun enthusiasts descend on Nashville for the National Rifle Association's annual meeting this week, they won't be hearing from one prominent Tennessean: Republican Gov. Bill Haslam.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. service firms expanded at a slightly slower yet still healthy pace in March, an encouraging sign after multiple reports last week pointed to a slowing economy.
NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks are closing higher, led by gains in energy shares as the price of crude oil surges.
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Indiana tourism agencies are rolling out campaigns emphasizing that everyone is welcome, but it might not be enough to quickly restore the state's battered image after a backlash over its religious objections law.
FRIDAY, APRIL 3
COURTS
NASHVILLE (AP) - The Tennessee Supreme Court has ordered a new trial for a man convicted of child molestation in Union County because the judge in the case did not follow the rules on how to pick a jury.
STATE LEGISLATURE
NASHVILLE (AP) - A top Republican supporter of a bill to strip local governments of the power to bar handgun carry permit holders from being armed in parks, playgrounds and ball fields said Thursday that even if a school uses a park, playground or ball field for just one event per year, that would enable the school to ban guns there.
NASHVILLE (AP) — The state Senate has voted to ban drones from recording images above ticketed events with more than 100 people in attendance.
MIDSTATE
MURFREESBORO (AP) — A Republican activist from Murfreesboro is announcing a challenge to scandal-plagued U.S. Rep. Scott DesJarlais in next year's GOP primary in the 4th Congressional District.
STATEWIDE
KNOXVILLE (AP) — An advanced plastics manufacturer is opening a new manufacturing facility in Knox County that's expected to create more than 200 jobs.
COURTS
NEW YORK (AP) — A jury in Georgia has awarded $150 million to the family of a 4-year-old boy killed when a Jeep Grand Cherokee exploded into flames three years ago after being rear-ended. The jury said Chrysler, the maker of Jeeps, must pay nearly the full amount.
AUTO INDUSTRY
An autonomous vehicle has completed a 3,400-mile U.S. road trip with almost no intervention from drivers.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
WASHINGTON (AP) — For months, the U.S. economy's strength has been flagging. Manufacturing slowed. Fewer homes were built. Cheaper gas failed to ignite consumer spending. Yet month after month, employers kept on hiring vigorously.
NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. government bond prices jumped and the dollar dipped on Friday following news that U.S. employers added the fewest jobs in a month since December 2013. The stock market was closed in observance of Good Friday.
NEW YORK (AP) — People struggling with a bad credit score, or lack of one, could benefit from a program rolling out in the next few months aimed at making it easier to get a Visa or MasterCard.
NEW YORK (AP) — The Boy Scouts' New York chapter said Thursday that it has hired the nation's first openly gay Eagle Scout as a summer camp leader, which is in public contrast to the national scouting organization's ban on openly gay adult members.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Arctic is the next great frontier for oil and gas — and one of the most environmentally fragile places on earth.
NATIONAL POLITICS
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama has delayed his departure for a trip to Kentucky because of the Iran nuclear talks in Switzerland.