VOL. 38 | NO. 24 | Friday, June 13, 2014
STREET LEVEL
Kale and collard king Hank Delvin rubs his sorta-bionic leg as he looks up from his Franklin Farmers Market table and time-travels to April 1972, when he was an 82nd Airborne captain facing extermination after the village of An Loc was surrounded by North Vietnamese Army troops.
NEWSMAKERS
John M. Perry, Jr. has joined Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP as a partner in the Health Care Practice Group. Perry had been working from the firm’s Birmingham office since rejoining the firm in January 2014. He began his legal career in the Birmingham office as an associate in 1997.
GUERRILLA MARKETING
For many B2B companies, the ability to grow correlates directly with the ability to effectively expand the sales team.
THE WORLDLY INVESTOR
The $2 trillion Russian economy has a problem.
I SWEAR
Dear Judge Vic, Enjoyed your column about stenosing tenosynovitis. I once felt your pain. Who did your surgery? /s/ Curious
KAY'S COOKING CORNER
One night last week, hubby and I had a wonderful meal at one of the fancier restaurants in town. One of my sides was golden beets with feta cheese, and one of his was haricot verts. He wasn’t sure what that was, so I had to tell him and let him know that he would like them.
HEALTH CARE
WASHINGTON (AP) — Most people who signed up under President Barack Obama's health care law rate their new insurance highly, but a substantial number are struggling with the cost, according to a poll released Thursday.
AUTO INDUSTRY
NASHVILLE (AP) — Auto parts maker Pacific Industries is building a new plant in Jackson, which is expected to create 190 new jobs over the first five years of operations.
TECHNOLOGY
MILWAUKEE (AP) — Harley-Davidson will unveil its first electric motorcycle next week, and President Matt Levatich said he expects the company known for its big touring bikes and iconic brand to become a leader in developing technology and standards for electric vehicles.
SEATTLE (AP) — There are two ways to view the smartphone Amazon introduced to the world on Wednesday: It's either the latest in a long line of phones with fancy new features that some people will never use or a magic wand for shopaholics.
SEATTLE (AP) — Amazon set out to do something different with the unveiling of its first smartphone Wednesday. How about a completely new way of interacting with your phone, for starters?
NATIONAL BUSINESS
WASHINGTON (AP) — A gauge designed to predict the economy's future health increased for a fourth month in May, providing further evidence that the economy is gaining strength after a harsh winter caused activity to go into reverse.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Fewer Americans sought unemployment benefits last week, as the number of people collecting jobless aid fell to its lowest level in more than six years.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Average U.S. rates on fixed mortgages eased slightly this week, remaining near historic lows.
Major stock indexes drifted lower in midday trading Thursday, retreating slightly from the market's latest record high close the day before. Coach and Rite Aid were among the biggest decliners on a day when investors weighed reports suggesting that the U.S. economy is gaining strength and a separate report that applications for unemployment benefits fell last week.
Violence in Iraq is pushing U.S. gasoline prices higher, depriving drivers of the usual price break between Memorial Day and July Fourth.
The price of oil climbed on Thursday as the violence gripping energy producer Iraq continued to weigh on supply fears, with global crude pushing higher after hitting a nine-month high.
NATIONAL POLITICS
WASHINGTON (AP) — Apparently fearing that the top Senate Republican might score a political win, Democrats for the second time in a week cancelled a preliminary vote on a major spending bill.
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 18
STATEWIDE
FedEx Corp. says its quarterly profit rose as growth in online shopping gave its ground-shipping business a lift.
NASHVILLE (AP) — Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam's administration has released more details of economic meetings in Japan and South Korea amid criticism from transparency advocates about lack of details about the seven-day trip.
NASHVILLE (AP) - The Tennessee State Employees Association has named former state Rep. Randy Stamps as its new government affairs director.
NASHVILLE (AP) - The Tennessee Department of Human Services has cut 121 employees from its rolls.
AUTO INDUSTRY
WASHINGTON (AP) — Lawmakers expressed disbelief Wednesday at General Motors' explanation for why it took 11 years to recall millions of small cars with defective ignition switches, and also confronted its chief executive with evidence that the company dragged its feet on a similar safety issue in different vehicles.
General Motors is the subject of multiple government investigations and civil lawsuits for taking more than a decade to recall 2.6 million cars with a deadly ignition switch defect. On Wednesday, GM CEO Mary Barra will appear for the second time before a U.S. House subcommittee to discuss the company's internal investigation into the recall.
DETROIT (AP) — The race to fill vehicles with the latest technology is hurting quality.
TECHNOLOGY
SEATTLE (AP) — Amazon has introduced a new smartphone that will be closely tied to the products and services it sells, while adding such touches as the ability to render images in 3-D.
NATIONAL BUSINESS
WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. economy still isn't healthy enough to grow at a consistently strong pace without the Federal Reserve's help.
Stocks are closing higher after the Federal Reserve said the U.S. economy was doing well enough for the central bank to make further reductions to its stimulus program.
The price of U.S. oil fell below $106 per barrel Wednesday for the first time in a week on higher than expected supplies, though global crude rose to a 9-month high as violence in Iraq continued.
NEW YORK (AP) — Banks are making it easier for small businesses to get loans, and they're giving companies better terms and lower interest rates.
NATIONAL POLITICS
WASHINGTON (AP) — Two senators unveiled a bipartisan plan Wednesday to raise federal gasoline and diesel taxes for the first time in more than two decades, pitching the proposal as a solution to Congress' struggle to pay for highway and transit programs.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Top environmental regulators for four Republican presidents told Congress on Wednesday what many Republican lawmakers won't: Action is needed on global warming.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Even as millions of baby boomers approach retirement, the Social Security Administration has been closing dozens of field offices, forcing more and more seniors to seek help online instead of in person, according to a congressional report being released Wednesday.
WASHINGTON (AP) — A massive spending bill to fund five Cabinet departments for the upcoming budget year is about to hit the Senate floor, giving senators a rare opportunity for open debate on legislation of any kind.
TUESDAY, JUNE 17
STATEWIDE
NASHVILLE (AP) - Some Tennessee college students could see a nearly 9 percent hike in tuition this fall.
NASHVILLE (AP) - Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam holding economic development meetings in Japan and Korea this week, but his office won't divulge further details about the seven-day trip.
AUTO INDUSTRY
DETROIT (AP) — Consumers looking for a used vehicle aren't shying away from GM models — even though more than 20 million GM cars and trucks have been recalled this year.
TECHNOLOGY
NEW YORK (AP) — Amazon, a company of seemingly boundless ambition, appears to be venturing into yet another market: smartphones.
NEW YORK (AP) — The energy world is not keeping up with Elon Musk, so he's trying to take matters into his own hands.
NATIONAL BUSINESS
Stocks rebounded from a downbeat start Tuesday, building on small gains for the third day in a row.
The price of oil eased slightly Tuesday after the U.S. said it was deploying a small group of troops to Iraq, which helped soothe fears somewhat over the prospect of disruption to crude supplies.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Optimism among chief executives of large U.S. companies has reached a two-year high, driven by a more positive outlook toward hiring and sales.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The pace of U.S home construction slipped in May with many Americans still struggling to afford new houses.
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. consumer prices increased in May by the largest amount in more than a year as the cost of food and gasoline showed big gains and airline fares jumped by the largest amount in 15 years.
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama is looking to create the largest marine preserve in the world in the Pacific Ocean.
NEW YORK (AP) — The Bitcoin digital currency system is in danger of losing its credibility as an independent payment system because of the growing power of a group that runs some of the computers behind it.
COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — Danish shipping and oil group A.P. Moller-Maersk says a plan to create an alliance of the world's three biggest container shipping operators has been scrapped after Chinese authorities blocked it.
WASHINGTON (AP) — When Federal Reserve officials gather this week and Fed Chair Janet Yellen speaks with reporters, investors will be seeking clues to two big questions:
MONDAY, JUNE 16
COURTS
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court has declined to revive a defamation lawsuit that former Chicago Bulls star Scottie Pippen filed against several media companies for falsely reporting he had filed for bankruptcy.
WASHINGTON (AP) — A divided Supreme Court sided with gun control groups and the Obama administration Monday, ruling that the federal government can strictly enforce laws that ban a "straw" purchaser from buying a gun for someone else.
NASHVILLE (AP) — A Tennessee Bar Association survey of its lawyer members found nine out of 10 respondents support the retention of three state Supreme Court justices who are on the ballot in August.
WASHINGTON (AP) — It's crunch time at the Supreme Court, where the justices are racing to issue opinions in 17 cases over the next two weeks.
AUTO INDUSTRY
DETROIT (AP) — General Motors is recalling 3.2 million more cars in the U.S. because of ignition switch problems.
DETROIT (AP) — More than four months after General Motors started recalling 2.6 million small cars to fix ignition switches, the company has repaired only 7 percent of the vehicles.
DENVER (AP) — U.S. Rep. Diana DeGette wants General Motors to explain how it plans to fix what's been described as a lax corporate culture and how the company plans to compensate victims of crashes tied to faulty ignition switches.
HEALTH CARE
WASHINGTON (AP) — Spending on veterans' health care could double in three years under the Senate's solution to the long waits experienced by thousands seeking medical care at VA hospitals and clinics, according to congressional budget experts.
NATIONAL BUSINESS
Investors nudged U.S. stocks into positive territory Monday, thanks in part to another round of corporate couplings.
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. homebuilders are feeling more confident about the housing market but don't think it is healthy yet.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. economy is poised to accelerate after a dismal start to the year even though the job market won't return to full employment until 2017.
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. manufacturing output rose in May after in shrinking in April, led by greater production of autos, computers and furniture.
The price of oil climbed above $107 a barrel but eased from earlier highs Monday as fears of widening instability in Iraq, a key energy producer, were tempered by views that its oil exports would not be affected for now.
NEW YORK (AP) — Starbucks plans to announce a program Monday intended to help its baristas earn an online college degree.
FRIDAY, JUNE 13
STATEWIDE
NASHVILLE (AP) - U.S. Senate candidate Gordon Ball said Friday that he is pouring up to $400,000 of his own money into a statewide television advertising campaign to bolster his bid for the Democratic nomination.
NASHVILLE (AP) — The Tennessee Lottery says a Powerball player who purchased a ticket in Knoxville has won the $259.8 million jackpot.
MUSIC INDUSTRY
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Amazon's newly announced music streaming service is yet another attempt by the company to move beyond e-commerce and infuse itself into the daily lives of Americans with an increasing number of offerings —including grocery delivery and streaming TV.
TECHNOLOGY
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The Federal Communications Commission is setting out to unravel the mystery behind the Internet traffic jams bogging down the delivery of Netflix videos and other online content.
AUTO INDUSTRY
DETROIT (AP) — Ignition switches once again are causing problems for General Motors.
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Electric car maker Tesla Motors is handing over the keys to its technology in an unusual effort to encourage other automakers to expand beyond gasoline-burning vehicles.
NATIONAL BUSINESS
The stock market is closing higher on corporate deal news and an improved forecast from chipmaker Intel.
The price of oil rose near $107 a barrel Friday, as Iraq's widening insurgency fueled concerns that crude supplies from OPEC's No. 2 producer could be slowed.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The prices U.S. companies receive for their goods and services fell in May, offering evidence that inflation is mild.
NEW YORK (AP) — Priceline is buying online restaurant reservation company OpenTable for $2.6 billion. The deal should help Priceline, the online travel company, branch out into a new business segment.
NEW YORK (AP) — If you hope to get a raise that finally feels like one, it helps to work in the right industry.
NEW YORK (AP) - The upheaval in Iraq could throw the world's remarkably stable oil market out of balance, threatening a delicate equilibrium that has kept prices steady for four years.