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VOL. 37 | NO. 20 | Friday, May 17, 2013
EMPHASIS ISSUE: TECHNOLOGY

Made in the shades

Brentwood firm’s video glasses offer glimpse of future for police, health care

They look like a pair of fashionable sunglasses. Yet these shades have a high-tech secret.

Using video glasses in health care applications

The owner of Brentwood’s Applied Technology envisions hands-free video sunglasses finding a niche in Nashville’s health care industry.

Small recording devices prompt big questions

It is not a criminal act to record someone while in public, and Nashville attorney Brent Horst says that fact makes his job increasingly difficult.

East Tennessee county finds value in video glasses

In the far eastern corner of Tennessee, patrol officers use a high-tech tool that their big city counterparts may well envy.

Local Weather
Currently
Nashville, TN
44.1°F
Overcast
Wind: Northwest at 5.8 mph
Humidity: 63%

EVENTS

Music City Center Grand Opening. Grammy-winning artist and Nashville resident Sheryl Crow will headline the Music City Center grand opening and free outdoor concert today. Performing with Crow will be The Time Jumpers, Vince Gill, the Fisk Jubilee Singers and Mikky Ekko. The concert is set for 6-9 p.m., followed by fireworks. A free open house continues today.

more events »

3-D 'printing' offers new dimension in product visualization

“Star Trek” characters use a replicating device to whip up instant meals of all varieties. While 3-D printers aren’t yet at that level, advocates say it’s just a matter of time.

No computer secret safe from Nashville’s DSi

Have you heard about the Detroit couple convicted of stealing hybrid car secrets from GM and trying to sell them to China?

Be careful what you type, view on company computers

You know that e-mail or Facebook post that you deleted at work? It’s not really deleted.

REAL ESTATE

Rising economy lifts Midstate home sales, up 27% from 2012

The Midstate economy is expanding so rapidly that hundreds of jobs are going unfilled. So it’s no surprise home sales are surging as employers recruit workers from other states to fill those positions.

REALTY CHECK

How to avoid surprises from home inspection

Home inspections are one of the most necessary functions performed in the home buying and selling process. A home inspection also can ruin a wonderful day for either the buyer or the seller.

NEWSMAKERS

Saint Thomas names Wood to top HR post

Marvin ‘Bud’ Wood has assumed the role of chief human resources officer for Saint Thomas Health’s nine-hospital network.

GUERRILLA MARKETING

Push, pull marketing needed for marketing success

The future of push vs. pull marketing is a hot debate. With social media continually on the rise, there’s a trend to disregard push marketing in its entirety.

THE WORLDLY INVESTOR

How high can we go? Watch hiring

Total stock market returns combine dividends with a change in earnings and a change in multiples. Right now, the dividend yield on the S&P 500 is 2 percent.

SMART STUFF 4 WORK

Strategy for very familiar questions

OK, I was trying to be somewhat nice in the title. This article is really about answering those questions that you have heard hundreds or perhaps thousands of times. Questions that make you think, “If I have to answer that question one more time, I might just go crazy!”

I SWEAR

Rules of the house: Customer not always right

ATLANTA, GA. – On a weekend trip to this, the city where we honeymooned four decades ago, Susan and I find ourselves in a place touting the “best burgers in Atlanta.”

KAY'S COOKING CORNER

Fennel: Looks strange, tastes great

How much do you know about this fennel? That’s about how much I know, too! One thing is for sure, however, I made a great chicken dish for dinner using this spice/vegetable.


WEDNESDAY, MAY 15
NATIONAL BUSINESS

Stocks mixed as investors reassess Fed worries

NEW YORK (AP) — Investors recovered their poise by midday Thursday after an early sell-off sent stocks sharply lower.

US unemployment aid applications fall to 340K

WASHINGTON (AP) — The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits fell by 23,000 last week, further evidence that the job market is slowly returning to health.

Oil down to near $93 on Chinese recovery concerns

(AP) The price of oil fell to near $93 a barrel on Thursday after a survey showed manufacturing activity in China falling to its lowest level in seven months, a sign that the recovery in the world's No. 2 economy is fading.

STATEWIDE

Federal grants help landowners conserve wildlife

Federal grants help landowners conserve wildlife

NATIONAL BUSINESS

US home sales tick up to highest in 3 ½ years

WASHINGTON (AP) — Sales of previously occupied U.S. homes ticked up last month to the highest level in three and a half years, helped by a jump in the number of houses for sale.

Stocks fall on news Fed weighed cutting stimulus

NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks fell in afternoon trading Wednesday on news that several Federal Reserve policymakers in a meeting earlier this month favored cutting back on stimulus programs as early as June if the economy continued to improve.

The release of minutes of the April 30-May 1 meeting reversed a surge earlier in the day on hopes that the Fed was a long way from stopping its stimulus efforts.

Bernanke signals Fed to maintain stimulus efforts

WASHINGTON (AP) — Chairman Ben Bernanke told Congress Wednesday that the U.S. job market remains weak and that it is too soon for the Federal Reserve to slow its extraordinary stimulus programs.

Oil stays near $96 before crude stocks report, Fed

(AP) -- The price of oil was little changed above $96 a barrel Wednesday as investors waited confirmation of a rise in U.S. crude stocks and the Federal Reserve's latest views on the U.S. economy.

STATE GOVERNMENT

Tennessee recoups unemployment benefits

NASHVILLE (AP) — State Labor Department officials say they have recouped about $15.3 million worth of fraudulently collected unemployment benefits by garnishing tax refunds and other federal payments to people who were not entitled to receive the assistance.

Van-Rob Automotive expanding in Manchester

NASHVILLE (AP) — Automotive supplier Van-Rob will expand its plant in Coffee County, adding 104 jobs.

AUTO INDUSTRY

US auto factories cutting back on summer downtime

DETROIT (AP) — The Detroit automakers are largely forgoing the traditional two-week summer break at their factories and speeding up production to meet buyers' growing demand for new cars and trucks.

MUSIC INDUSTRY

Blake Shelton putting together Okla. benefit show

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Blake Shelton and NBC are putting together a benefit for Oklahoma tornado victims.


TUESDAY, MAY 21

NATIONAL BUSINESS

JPMorgan's Dimon survives shareholder referendum

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Shareholders at JPMorgan Chase voted to let Jamie Dimon, the chairman and CEO, keep both his jobs.

Oil slips as traders wait for Fed, supply data

NEW YORK (AP) — The price of oil fell Tuesday as investors waited for the Federal Reserve's latest views on the U.S. economy.

Housing recovery boosts Home Depot 1Q results

ATLANTA (AP) — Even though the weather was poor, Home Depot posted an 18 percent increase in its net income for the first quarter thanks to the ongoing housing recovery.

Stocks gain on reassurance from a top Fed official

NEW YORK (AP) — Reassuring comments from a Federal Reserve official and better earnings from two big retailers helped push the stock market higher Tuesday.

MUSIC INDUSTRY

Sony/ATV moving administrative offices downtown

NASHVILLE (AP) — Music publisher Sony/ATV is moving its administrative offices from Nashville's famed Music Row to new offices downtown.

NASHVILLE AREA

Trial begins in international custody cas

NASHVILLE — A trial was to begin Tuesday in federal court that will determine what country will decide the fate of two 13-year-old twin boys at the center of an international custody battle that extends from Eastern Europe to Middle Tennessee.

STATEWIDE

Vanderbilt poll: Tennesseans oppose online tax

NASHVILLE (AP) — A majority of Tennesseans oppose the state enforcing online sales taxes, though respondents were split on whether the current system is fair to local businesses, according to a Vanderbilt University poll released Tuesday.

Henry to become permanent DCS commissioner

NASHVILLE (AP) — Gov. Bill Haslam has named interim Children's Services Commissioner Jim Henry to fill the post permanently.

NATIONAL POLITICS

Leading Senate Democrat: IRS behavior intolerable

WASHINGTON (AP) — A leading Senate Democrat says the Internal Revenue Service's targeting of conservative groups was intolerable, and he is promising to get to the bottom of how it happened.


MONDAY, MAY 20

NASHVILLE AREA

National exhibit on Civil War in Nashville

NASHVILLE (AP) — A national traveling exhibit on the Civil War will be on display at Nashville's Green Hills Library beginning on Monday.

NATIONAL BUSINESS

Economists predict increase in consumer spending

WASHINGTON (AP) — Consumer spending is likely to pick up this year, while government spending declines at a faster rate, according to a survey of business economists.

Small company stocks take the limelight

NEW YORK (AP) — Small-company stocks were a bright spot in a slow and choppy start to the week for Wall Street.

The Russell 2000, an index of small-company stocks, climbed above 1,000 points for the first time and ended higher Monday, even as the Dow Jones industrial average, the Standard & Poor's 500 index and the Nasdaq composite index all edged lower.

Oil rises on falling dollar; gasoline at $3.65

NEW YORK (AP) — The price of oil rose Monday, taking its cue from the stock market and the dollar.

Yahoo takes big leap with $1.1B deal for Tumblr

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Yahoo is buying online blogging forum Tumblr for $1.1 billion as CEO Marissa Mayer tries to rejuvenate an Internet icon that had fallen behind the times.

Jamie Dimon under pressure ahead of investor vote

NEW YORK (AP) — Jamie Dimon, chairman and CEO of the country's biggest bank, faces a key test this week: His shareholders are voting on whether to let him keep both jobs.

Panel: Apple uses firms outside US to avoid taxes

WASHINGTON (AP) — Apple Inc. employs a group of affiliate companies located outside the United States to avoid paying billions of dollars in U.S. income taxes, a Senate investigation has found.


FRIDAY, MAY 17
MUSIC INDUSTRY

Sugarland's Nettles signs up Rubin, goes solo

NASHVILLE (AP) - Sugarland's Jennifer Nettles is releasing a solo album. Nettles says Friday in a news release that she is working with Rick Rubin and will release the album in the fall.

Tim McGraw recasts ACM's TV special, airing Sunday

NASHVILLE (AP) — When the producers of the Academy of Country Music's annual television special approached Tim McGraw about the 2013 edition, the country music star immediately flashed on the program's format.

STATE LEGISLATURE

Senate panel questions UT funding of sex week

NASHVILLE (AP) - Members of special Senate panel are raising questions about University of Tennessee fees being used to pay for speakers at a student-initiated program about sex.

Gov. Haslam signs grocery tax reduction into law

NASHVILLE (AP) - Republican Gov. Bill Haslam has signed into law a reduction in the state's sales tax on groceries.

Governor signs school security bill

NASHVILLE (AP) — Gov. Bill Haslam has signed a bill that allows school districts to let people with police training be armed in schools.

Governor signs ignition interlock bill

NASHVILLE (AP) — Tennessee's ignition interlock law will apply to more drunken drivers under legislation signed by Gov. Bill Haslam.

STATEWIDE

7 Tennessee airports to get grant funds

NASHVILLE (AP) — The Tennessee Department of Transportation announced this week that state aeronautics grants totaling more than $316,000 have been approved for seven Tennessee airports.

Tennessee receives portion of drug quality claim

NASHVILLE (AP) — Tennessee will receive a portion of a $500 million settlement with generic drug manufacturer Ranbaxy.

AUTO INDUSTRY

GM stock rises above $33 for first time in 2 years

DETROIT (AP) — Shares of General Motors reached an important milestone on Friday, topping their initial public offering price of $33 for the first time in more than two years.

6 indicted after accused of defrauding Nissan

NASHVILLE (AP) - Six people have been indicted by a federal grand jury in Nashville after being accused of running a scheme to defraud Nissan North America of more than $570,000.

European car sales up for first time since 2011

MILAN (AP) — The European automaker's association says car sales grew in April, ending 18 consecutive months of decline.

NATIONAL BUSINESS

Gauge of US economy's future health up in April

WASHINGTON (AP) — A measure of the U.S. economy's future health rose in solidly in April, buoyed by a sharp rise in applications to build new homes and apartments.

Stocks rise on hopeful signs for the US economy

NEW YORK (AP) — Encouraging news about the U.S. economy pushed stocks higher on Wall Street Friday.

Oil gains to near $96 as investors eye US economy

NEW YORK (AP) — Oil followed a familiar pattern Thursday, moving higher despite some less-than-stellar economic reports.

Dell's dismal 1Q illuminates PC maker's challenges

ROUND ROCK, Texas (AP) — Dell's first-quarter earnings plunged 79 percent as the shift to smartphones and tablets reduced demand for the company's personal computers.

Organic industry clout grows with consumer demand

WASHINGTON (AP) — The organic food industry is gaining clout on Capitol Hill, prompted by rising consumer demand and its entry into traditional farm states. But that isn't going over well with everyone in Congress.

CFTC adopts weakened rule on derivatives trading

WASHINGTON (AP) — A rule intended to loosen the largest U.S. banks' control over the trading of complex investments and help safeguard the financial system was weakened Thursday by regulators.

Interior issues new drilling rule on public land

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Obama administration is proposing a rule that would require companies that drill for oil and natural gas on federal lands to publicly disclose chemicals used in hydraulic fracturing operations. The new "fracking" rule replaces a draft proposed last year that was withdrawn amid industry complaints that federal regulation could hinder an ongoing boom in natural gas production.

Ticketmaster settles rewards lawsuit for $23M

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Ticketmaster has agreed to settle claims for up to $23 million over a lawsuit affecting more than a million people who, after buying a ticket online, were enrolled in a rewards program that cost $9 a month but never gave them any benefits.

NATIONAL POLITICS

Senate panel considers labor board nominees

WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Republicans said Thursday they would not support five nominees to the National Labor Relations Board, raising the possibility the troubled agency could be rendered mostly inoperable later this year.

Obama walking a familiar path on IRS allegations

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Internal Revenue Service controversy dogging President Barack Obama is hardly the first time a White House and the tax agency have been accused of political meddling and bias. Nor is it the first time that political and social advocacy groups have searched for and exploited loopholes and fine points in the federal tax code.

STATEWIDE

Senate confirms physicist Moniz as energy chief

WASHINGTON (AP) — Physicist Ernest Moniz won unanimous Senate confirmation Thursday to be the nation's new energy secretary.

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RECORD TOTALS DAY WEEK YEAR
PROPERTY SALES 0 0 0
MORTGAGES 0 0 0
FORECLOSURE NOTICES 0 0 0
BUILDING PERMITS 0 0 0
BANKRUPTCIES 0 0 0
BUSINESS LICENSES 0 0 0
UTILITY CONNECTIONS 0 0 0
MARRIAGE LICENSES 0 0 0