VOL. 37 | NO. 21 | Friday, May 24, 2013
How Amy Grant led the way to connect country music with people in need
In Nashville, it’s almost a requirement for celebrities to get involved with charities by donating time, money and talent. But how does a country star choose an organization to represent?
For decades, country music and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital have shared a special relationship that now includes title sponsorship of Nashville’s annual Country Music Marathon.
Dolly Parton, country singer/songwriter and movie star – Dolly grew up without much, so she wanted poor kids in and around her hometown in East Tennessee to have access to books. So she started buying them. Today, Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library has provided almost 40 million books in more than 1,600 communities in the U.S., Canada and the United Kingdom.
Nothing kills a good mood like filling up the tank and seeing gas a nickel cheaper two miles down the road.
Despite having an array of skills that would be valuable to any employer, many veterans find the civilian job market a tough place to gain traction.
Maybe it’s the authentic Irish music, both live and on the sound system. Perhaps it’s the food, certainly likely with a chef named Magic.
REALTY CHECK
With the reality of the recession fresh in the minds of many investors, there has been more and more interest in realty. While stocks may climb and fall, the need for shelter is consistent, and people somehow manage to pay rent in order to keep the roofs over their heads and their enormous television screens.
REAL ESTATE
Top April 2013 commercial real estate transactions for Davidson, Williamson, Rutherford, Wilson and Sumner counties, as compiled by Chandler Reports.
NEWSMAKERS
Guy joined TriStar Centennial as the chief medical officer of TriStar Centennial Women’s & Children’s hospital in September 2012 and has been serving as interim chief medical officer of TriStar Centennial since November 2012.
THE WORLDLY INVESTOR
The “Sell in May, and Go Away” slogan is common vernacular within the investment sphere. However, for some of our readers who might not be as familiar with this phrase, we will use this week’s writings to review.
KAY'S COOKING CORNER
I recently served as a wedding coordinator for a sweet, young couple at our church. This past weekend was the wedding, which was an experience like no other, including when my daughter married.
I SWEAR
(With apologies to Schmick, Wheelan, Rowling, Lamott, Wallace, Sedaris and others, here is the graduation speech I’ve never been asked to give – in two parts.)
STATEWIDE
NASHVILLE (AP) — The federal investigation into the truck stop chain owned by the family of Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam and Cleveland Browns owner Jimmy Haslam led to its first convictions this week and threatens to widen against employees at Pilot Flying J.
AUTO INDUSTRY
DETROIT (AP) — Electric car maker Tesla Motors Inc. is promising to boost the number charging stations during the next year so its customers can drive across North America.
DETROIT (AP) — Auto companies are hoping lower lease prices can put a charge into sluggish sales of electric cars.
NATIONAL BUSINESS
WASHINGTON (AP) — The number of Americans who signed contracts to buy homes ticked up in April to the highest level in three years. The increase points to growth in home sales in the coming months.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Average U.S. rates on fixed mortgages jumped this week to their highest levels in a year, signaling slightly higher costs for homebuyers. But rates still remain low by historical standards.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. economy grew at a modest 2.4 percent annual rate from January through March, slightly slower than initially estimated. Consumer spending was stronger than first thought, but businesses restocked more slowly and state and local government spending cuts were deeper.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The number of Americans seeking unemployment aid rose 10,000 last week to a seasonally adjusted 354,000. Still, the level of applications is consistent with steady hiring and remains near a five-year low.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Sales of bank-owned homes have plunged to a five-year low, the latest evidence that the nation's foreclosure woes are easing as the U.S. housing market recovery gains momentum.
NEW YORK (AP) — A pair of lackluster economic reports eased concern that the Federal Reserve would pull back on its economic stimulus, pushing stocks higher on Wall Street.
NEW YORK (AP) — The price of oil rose Thursday on indications the U.S. economy still isn't strong enough for the Federal Reserve to pull back on stimulus measures.
VIENNA (AP) — Once the symbol of oil dominance, OPEC faces new challenges as its members gather for a ministerial meeting this week on how much crude to pump.
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Microsoft is trying to fix what it got wrong with its radical makeover of Windows. It's making the operating system easier to navigate and enabling users to set up the software so it starts in a more familiar format designed for personal computers.
NEW YORK (AP) — Retired Army Gen. David Petraeus will take a new job with investment firm Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. L.P. as he attempts to rebuild his reputation after an extramarital affair with a biographer triggered his resignation as CIA director last fall.
NATIONAL POLITICS
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama is prepared to nominate James Comey, a former Bush administration official with bipartisan credentials, as the next FBI director. In a possible warning sign, the top Republican on the Senate committee that would review the nomination said Comey would face questions about his ties to Wall Street.
WEDNESDAY, MAY 29
STATEWIDE
NASHVILLE (AP) - A Tennessee employer could fire a worker who violates company policy by storing firearms and ammunition in vehicles parked on employers' property despite a new state law, according to a state attorney general's opinion.
NASHVILLE (AP) - Two employees of the truck stop chain owned by the family of Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam and Cleveland Browns owner Jimmy Haslam pleaded guilty Wednesday in a federal probe of the company's business practices.
NASHVILLE (AP) — The TennCare Office of Inspector General says there have been more than 1,700 arrests for fraud against the state health care system since 2005.
NASHVILLE (AP) — The state Health Department has named the clinics in Tennessee receiving suspect medication from a Newbern pharmacy.
NATIONAL BUSINESS
NEW YORK (AP) — Wall Street's recent passion for high-dividend stocks is fading.
NEW YORK (AP) — The price of oil fell near $93 a barrel Wednesday on concerns that the Federal Reserve may ease up on its stimulus measures and that the stock market rally is cooling.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Wealthier households benefit significantly more than lower earners from big tax breaks such as deductions for mortgage interest and charitable giving, the government said in a study Wednesday.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Nasdaq has agreed to pay a $10 million penalty to settle federal civil charges after regulators said its systems and decisions disrupted Facebook's public stock offering last year.
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. banks earned more from January through March than during any quarter on record, buoyed by greater income from fees and fewer losses from bad loans.
DALLAS (AP) — The CEO of Exxon Mobil Corp. says there's no quick replacement for oil, and sharply cutting oil's use to reduce greenhouse gas emissions would make it harder to lift 2 billion people out of poverty.
NEWARK, Del. (AP) — Sallie Mae plans to split into two separate, publicly traded companies. The student loan giant also named John Remondi as its CEO.
WASHINGTON (AP) — America's working mothers are now the primary breadwinners in a record 40 percent of households with children — a milestone in the changing face of modern families, up from just 11 percent in 1960.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Andrew "Bo" Young III, son of former U.N. Ambassador Andrew Young, is carving out his own path for social change courtesy of a mobile app designed to help real families through the purchase of virtual goods.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Home prices are surging. Job growth is strengthening. And stocks are setting record highs.
TUESDAY, MAY 28
STATEWIDE
NASHVILLE (AP) - Gov. Bill Haslam has appointed Larry Martin interim commissioner of the Department of Finance and Administration.
MUSIC INDUSTRY
NASHVILLE (AP) - For a couple of months now, Sheryl Crow has been loading her two young boys aboard a bus and taking off on a tour of country music radio stations around the country.
NASHVILLE (AP) — Keith Urban is no different than the rest of us: He has no idea what's going on with "American Idol."
MIDSTATE
MURFREESBORO (AP) — Ten college students from across the country are taking part in a Middle Tennessee State University environmental research project.
AUTO INDUSTRY
FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — Volkswagen's German factory workers will get a two-stage raise under a new wage deal reached as the automaker grapples with slipping sales and profit.
NATIONAL BUSINESS
WASHINGTON (AP) — Americans' confidence in the economy jumped in May to a five-year high, lifted by a better outlook for hiring, rising home prices and more optimism about business conditions. The increase suggests consumers may keep boosting economic growth this year.
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. home prices jumped 10.9 percent in March compared with a year ago, the most since April 2006. A growing number of buyers are bidding on a tight supply of homes, driving prices higher and helping the housing market recover.
NEW YORK (AP) — A rally that brought the stock market to record highs this year came back to life after U.S. home prices rose the most in seven years and consumer confidence reached a five-year high. As stock prices rose investors sold bonds, sending interest rates higher.
NEW YORK (AP) — The price of oil rose to $95 a barrel Tuesday, supported by gains on global stock markets.
NATIONAL POLITICS
WASHINGTON (AP) — The storm engulfing the Internal Revenue Service could provide a boost for lawmakers who want to simplify U.S. tax laws — a code that is so complicated most Americans buy commercial software to help them or simply hire someone else to do it all.
MONDAY, MAY 27
AUTO INDUSTRY
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Tesla Motors is fighting a bill in North Carolina that would effectively ban the company from selling its electric cars in the state, pitting it against auto dealers who say the car maker has an unfair advantage selling directly to consumers online.
NATIONAL BUSINESS
AMSTERDAM (AP) — With U.S. markets closed, world stocks were mostly higher Monday, with Japan the notable exception as the Nikkei sold off sharply for the second time in a week.
The price of oil fell Monday as traders concerned about global energy demand took profits ahead of economic data from China and the United States.
BERLIN (AP) — Amazon's German workers are staging a short-term strike in a push for higher wages.
FRIDAY, MAY 24
MIDSTATE
NASHVILLE (AP) — State officials say that automotive seat manufacturer NHK Seating of America Inc. plans to expand its facility in Murfreesboro, adding 94 jobs in the process.
STATEWIDE
WASHINGTON (AP) — Government health officials are investigating cases involving patients who suffered complications after being injected with potentially contaminated medications made by a Tennessee specialty pharmacy.
NASHVILLE (AP) — The Tennessee Highway Patrol is stepping up seat belt and DUI enforcement over the Memorial Day holiday weekend.
NASHVILLE (AP) — Rep. Scott DesJarlais, a licensed physician, was reprimanded and fined by the Tennessee Board of Medical Examiners for having sex with patients before he was elected to Congress, according to documents released Thursday.
MUSIC INDUSTRY
NASHVILLE -- Darius Rucker is a fan of Old Crow Medicine Show, but says he didn't really get what was so infectious about the string band's signature hit "Wagon Wheel" at first.
NATIONAL BUSINESS
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. orders for long-lasting manufactured goods rebounded in April, buoyed by more demand for aircraft and stronger business investment. The gains suggest economic growth may be holding steady this spring.
NEW YORK (AP) — Major stock indexes closed out their first weekly loss in a month in quiet trading Friday.
NEW YORK (AP) — The price of oil fell 2 percent this week, as oil traders worried about global demand and shared the stock market's concerns about possible changes to the Federal Reserve economic stimulus program.
WASHINGTON (AP) — When President Barack Obama pushed his health care overhaul plan through Congress, he counted labor unions among his strongest supporters.
NEW YORK (AP) — Household products giant Procter & Gamble Co. is hoping its former CEO can work his magic once again.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits fell 23,000 last week to a seasonally adjusted 340,000, a level consistent with solid job growth.
NATIONAL POLITICS
WASHINGTON (AP) — The economy is recovering, the White House is dealing with multiple controversies, and President Barack Obama appears generally unaffected either way.