VOL. 37 | NO. 25 | Friday, June 21, 2013
‘Little Hollywood’ among this year’s Preservation Awards winners
No one seems to know exactly why, but about 15 Spanish Colonial Revival homes were built in the 1920s and 30s in a small hilly neighborhood in East Nashville that backs up to the Shelby Golf Course.
REAL ESTATE
Top May 2013 commercial real estate transactions for Davidson, Williamson, Rutherford, Wilson and Sumner counties, as compiled by Chandler Reports.
REALTY CHECK
“I hate your company!” A slurred voice blurted from the shadows.
NEWSMAKERS
Managing attorney Michele Johnson will succeed Gordon Bonnyman as executive director of the Tennessee Justice Center at the end of 2013.
BUSINESS BOOK REVIEW
The commute to work this morning was a bear.
GUERRILLA MARKETING
Seventeen short months after the former Apple retailer extraordinaire was tapped as CEO of J.C. Penney, Ron Johnson was fired in spectacular fashion for a 55 percent drop in stock and sales declines as high as 20 percent in a single quarter.
THE WORLDLY INVESTOR
Among attentive investors, the recent bout of market volatility has reprised fears of country, currency, economic decline and general market collapse.
SMART STUFF 4 WORK
Two organizations – the Miami-based One Laptop Per Child Association and the Cambridge, Mass.-based One Laptop Per Child Foundation – are nonprofit entities set up to oversee the creation of affordable educational devices for use in the developing world.
I SWEAR
Cleaning off a shelf, I came across the 2005 issue of Uncle John’s Fast-Acting, Long-Lasting Bathroom Reader. This series, by the way, has been around for a quarter-century now, and I’m long overdue to order the 2012 issue: the Fully Loaded 25th Anniversary Bathroom Reader.
KAY'S COOKING CORNER
One of America’s favorite celebrations – July 4th – will be here soon. This is always one of my favorites, not only because of what it stands for but:
NASHVILLE AREA
NASHVILLE (AP) — A Tennessee man was charged Wednesday in a scheme involving former Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney's income tax returns during the 2012 campaign.
NASHVILLE (AP) — A dozen federal lawsuits against the truck stop chain run by Cleveland Browns owner Jimmy Haslam could be consolidated before a single judge.
AUTO INDUSTRY
NASHVILLE (AP) - Nissan is adding 900 jobs to start making the Rogue crossover SUV at its Tennessee plant, the Japanese automaker announced Thursday.
COURTS
DENVER (AP) — Hobby Lobby stores won't have to start paying millions of dollars in fines next week for not complying with the federal birth-control coverage mandate, under a federal appeals court ruling issued Thursday.
NATIONAL BUSINESS
WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal Reserve officials are seeking to calm investors by assuring them the Fed won't start trimming its bond purchases until the economy has strengthened. They say any pullback in the Fed's stimulus will hinge on the economy's performance, not a calendar date.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The number of people who signed contracts to buy U.S. homes jumped in May to the highest level in more than six years, suggesting people are seeking to buy before mortgage rates rise further.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The average U.S. rate on a 30-year fixed mortgage surged this week to 4.46 percent, the highest in two years.
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. consumers spent more in May as their income increased, encouraging signs after a slow start to the year.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits fell 9,000 to a seasonally adjusted 346,000 last week, evidence that the job market is still improving modestly, despite signs of slower growth.
NEW YORK (AP) — Better news on jobs and consumer spending pushed stocks higher Thursday.
NEW YORK (AP) — The price of oil rose above $97 a barrel Thursday, as the latest U.S. economic data raised hopes for an increase in gasoline demand but suggested the Federal Reserve can wait to pull back on its current stimulus measures.
NEW YORK (AP) — Paula Deen's merchandise and media empire is fast unraveling.
NEW YORK (AP) — PayPal wants to explore space — or at least begin to figure out how payments and commerce will work beyond Earth's realm once space travel and tourism take off.
WASHINGTON (AP) — High-calorie sports drinks and candy bars will be removed from school vending machines and cafeteria lines as soon as next year, replaced with diet drinks, granola bars and other healthier items.
NATIONAL POLITICS
WASHINGTON (AP) — The top Democrat and Republican on the Senate's tax writing committee said Thursday they're starting with a "blank slate" approach to tax reform that envisions stripping the code of every single tax break as a setup to a debate over which ones to add back in.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Treasury Department watchdog who detailed Internal Revenue Service mistreatment of tea party groups seeking tax-exempt status says he has no evidence the IRS also mishandled progressive groups' applications, even as Democrats continue criticizing him for conducting a one-sided probe.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate is on the cusp of approving historic immigration legislation offering citizenship to millions in the U.S. illegally and spending billions of dollars to secure the border.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Efforts to keep interest rates on new student loans from doubling appeared to be falling apart Wednesday as the Democratic leader of the Senate declared a bipartisan proposal unacceptable.
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 26
MIDSTATE
NASHVILLE (AP) — The Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development says the first six Select Tennessee Certified Sites are ready for development.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — In axing a dozen combat brigades in the face of steep spending cuts and the wind-down of two wars, the Army says it is trying to ease the sting by spreading it around.
STATEWIDE
NASHVILLE (AP) - Gov. Bill Haslam says he is unconcerned that a company seeking coal mining rights on public land in Tennessee is managed by a board member of Pilot Flying J, the truck stop chain owned by the Haslam family.
NASHVILLE (AP) - State correctional officials say Byron Low Tax Looper, a Tennessee inmate serving a life sentence for the murder of state Sen. Tommy Burks, was found dead in his cell in the Morgan County Correctional Complex.
NASHVILLE (AP) - When Parole Board Chairman Charles Traughber steps down this week after working with offenders for more than 40 years, he says his fondest memories will be of those he helped work their way back into society.
NASHVILLE (AP) — A new study shows Tennessee is among 11 states in which charter school performance has outpaced traditional public school growth in both mathematics and reading.
AUTO INDUSTRY
LENOIR CITY (AP) — Volkswagen has opened a $40 million facility in Tennessee to distribute parts for Passat sedans made by the German automaker's nearby assembly plant.
COURTS
NASHVILLE (AP) - Tennessee Supreme Court Justice Janice M. Holder says she's retiring at the end of her current term.
WASHINGTON (AP) — In a major victory for gay rights, the Supreme Court on Wednesday struck down a provision of a federal law denying federal benefits to married gay couples and cleared the way for the resumption of same-sex marriage in California.
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama hailed the Supreme Court's decision to strike down a key provision of the Defense of Marriage Act on Wednesday, declaring the court "has righted a wrong, and our country is better off for it."
NASHVILLE (AP) - A Nashville attorney who married her wife a year ago in Washington, D.C., said she is thrilled with the U.S. Supreme Court decision on the Defense of Marriage Act.
NATIONAL BUSINESS
WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. economy may not be strong enough for the Federal Reserve to slow its bond purchases later this year.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. economy grew at an annual rate of 1.8 percent in the first three months of the year, significantly slower than first thought. The steep revision was mostly because consumers spent less than previously estimated, a sign that higher taxes could be having a deeper impact on growth.
NEW YORK (AP) — The stock market is closing higher for the second day in a row.
NEW YORK (AP) — The price at the gas pump dropped 6 cents in the past week, good news for drivers as the July Fourth holiday approaches.
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Microsoft on Wednesday released a preview version of an update to Windows 8, aiming to address some of the gripes people have with the company's flagship operating system.
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — With an ad blitz and a tersely worded letter, BP is mounting an increasingly aggressive campaign to challenge what could be billions of dollars in settlement payouts to businesses following its 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
NATIONAL POLITICS
WASHINGTON (AP) — Appealing for courageous action "before it's too late," President Barack Obama launched a major second-term drive Tuesday to combat climate change and secure a safer planet, bypassing Congress as he sought to set a cornerstone of his legacy.
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama's wide-ranging plan to combat global warming would for the first time put limits on carbon pollution from new and existing power plants.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate has agreed to spend tens of billions of dollars on a dramatic increase of border security.
TUESDAY, JUNE 25
MIDSTATE
WASHINGTON (AP) — In a massive restructuring, the U.S. Army is slashing the number of active duty combat brigades from 45 to 33, and shifting thousands of soldiers out of bases around the country as it moves forward with a longtime plan to cut the size of the service by 80,000.
MUSIC INDUSTRY
NASHVILLE (AP) - A Nashville man involved in a long-running dispute with country music singer John Rich has been arrested on stalking charges.
NASHVILLE AREA
NASHVILLE (AP) - Survivors of gun violence are expected to be among those participating in a Nashville rally on Wednesday to support legislation to expand background checks for gun buyers.
STATEWIDE
NASHVILLE (AP) - Republican Gov. Bill Haslam said Tuesday he will soon start paying adviser and lobbyist Tom Ingram out of his campaign account instead of from personal funds.
NASHVILLE (AP) - Republican Gov. Bill Haslam has hired a former IBM executive to become the state's chief operating officer, a new Cabinet-level position in his administration.
NASHVILLE (AP) - Senate Speaker Ron Ramsey has appointed a Kingsport social studies teacher to the Tennessee Consolidated Retirement System Board of Trustees.
AUTO INDUSTRY
YOKOHAMA, Japan (AP) — Nissan Chief Executive Carlos Ghosn promised strong sales growth to shareholders Tuesday in a turnaround from natural disasters and a boycott in China set off by a territorial dispute.
CHATTANOOGA (AP) — A Chattanooga-based shopping mall operator is having Tesla electric chargers installed at five of its properties.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Banks are increasingly extending auto-loan financing to borrowers with less-than-sterling credit, a trend that's contributing to a higher rate of missed loan payments.
REGION
KNOXVILLE (AP) — A new University of Tennessee report finds that if the federal government decides to go ahead with divesting the Tennessee Valley Authority, the public utility could be broken up among several private power generators in the region.
COURTS
WASHINGTON (AP) — A deeply divided Supreme Court on Tuesday halted enforcement of the federal government's most potent tool to stop voting discrimination over the past half century, saying it does not reflect racial progress.
NATIONAL BUSINESS
NEW YORK (AP) — Wall Street got back to focusing on the economy instead of the Federal Reserve on Tuesday, sending stocks higher.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Americans' confidence in the economy rose to its highest level in more than five years, bolstered by a more optimistic outlook for hiring.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Sales of new homes rose in May to the fastest pace in five years, a solid gain that added to signs of a steadily improving housing market.
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. home prices jumped 12.1 percent in April from a year ago, the most since March 2006. More buyers and a limited supply of available homes have lifted prices in most cities across the country, a sign of a broad-based housing recovery.
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. businesses boosted orders for long-lasting manufactured goods in May and a measure of their investment plans rose for a third straight month.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Stock and bond prices are sinking because investors were caught off guard and alarmed by the Federal Reserve's signal that long-term interest rates are headed higher.
NEW YORK (AP) — The price of oil showed a small gain Tuesday, as positive U.S. economic news provided some support while traders wait for the latest supply reports.
Charter schools benefit students from poor families, black students and Hispanic English-language learners more than their peers in other groups, a study shows.
NEW YORK (AP) — Barnes & Noble says its loss more than doubled in the latest quarter as it continued losing money in its Nook e-book reader unit.
Walgreen says its fiscal third quarter earnings jumped 16 percent compared to last year, when a business split hurt results for the nation's largest drugstore chain.
HONG KONG (AP) — Chinese credit rating company Dagong launched a new venture with Russian and U.S. partners on Tuesday to challenge the dominance of the major rating agencies that were blamed for contributing to the global financial crisis.
NATIONAL POLITICS
WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate passage of historic immigration legislation offering citizenship to millions looks near-certain after the bill cleared a key hurdle with votes to spare.
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama declared the debate over climate change and its causes obsolete Tuesday as he announced a wide-ranging plan to tackle pollution and prepare communities for global warming.
MONDAY, JUNE 24
NASHVILLE AREA
NASHVILLE (AP) — The Nashville Symphony reached a deal with creditors Monday to avoid bankruptcy and prevent the sale of its Schermerhorn Symphony Center.
The Nashville Symphony Association, a leading musical institution dedicated to achieving the highest standard for excellence in musical performance and educational programs, today announced that it has successfully resolved all outstanding issues with its bank lenders. Under the terms of a definitive agreement that was executed today, all of the Symphony’s obligations to its commercial lenders have been resolved, and the banks’ recent foreclosure notice has been withdrawn.
NASHVILLE (AP) - Travel on Interstate 440 in Nashville will be a weekend challenge all summer.
STATEWIDE
NASHVILLE (AP) - After warning bars and restaurants not to infuse alcohol for specialty drinks, the head of the state alcohol commission said the agency is suspending its plan to begin issuing penalties to establishments serving infused drinks.
NASHVILLE (AP) - Gov. Bill Haslam says he intends to continue privatizing some state government operations.
NASHVILLE (AP) - A recent report on the well-being of children in Tennessee shows the state has improved in key areas despite a drop in its ranking.
NASHVILLE (AP) - The Tennessee AFL-CIO Labor Council has changed its criteria for endorsing political candidates.
NASHVILLE (AP) - The enforcement effort is called Operation Dry Water. The title has a lot more to do with the boaters than the lakes.
HEALTH CARE
WASHINGTON (AP) — Fewer than 100 days before uninsured Americans can sign up for coverage, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said Monday the administration is gearing up with new call centers, a revamped website — and a confab with the National Football League.
NASHVILLE (AP) - The growing demand for medical care that is expected to accompany the full implementation of the federal health care law in January is adding urgency to a Tennessee debate over whether nurses should be allowed to provide more independent care to patients.
DALLAS (AP) — Tenet Healthcare Corp. plans to buy fellow hospital operator Nashville-based Vanguard Health Systems Inc. for about $1.8 billion, in a deal that will expand its reach into new markets as millions of patients start to gain insurance coverage through the health care overhaul.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Huge list prices charged by hospitals are drawing increased attention, but a federal law meant to limit what the most financially vulnerable patients can be billed doesn't seem to be making much difference.
AUTO INDUSTRY
CHATTANOOGA (AP) — Volkswagen calls its Chattanooga plant a global model for energy conservation and efficient production. But executives remain tightlipped about whether the facility is in line to produce a new crossover SUV for the German automaker.
WASHINGTON (AP) — It's a dilemma for drivers: Do they choose a gasoline that's cheaper and cleaner even if, as opponents say, it could damage older cars and motorcycles?
COURTS
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — The U.S. Supreme Court ruling on affirmative action in higher education will have "no impact" on the University of Texas' admissions policy, school president Bill Powers said Monday, noting UT will continue to use race as a factor in some cases.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court says generic drug manufacturers can't be sued in state court for a drug's design defects if federal officials approved the brand-name version the generic drug copied.
WASHINGTON (AP) — A sharply-divided Supreme Court on Monday made it more difficult for Americans to sue businesses for discrimination and retaliation, leading a justice to call for Congress to overturn the court's actions.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court has 11 cases, including the term's highest profile matters, to resolve before the justices take off for summer vacations, teaching assignments and international travel.
NATIONAL BUSINESS
The stock market recovered much of a nearly swoon caused by the latest signs of distress in China's economy and rising U.S. bond yields.
The price of oil had a sudden burst Monday after the stock market tried to put the brakes on a four-day skid.
NEW YORK (AP) — Luxury retailer Neiman Marcus plans to raise up to $100 million from an initial public offering of its common stock.
NEW YORK (AP) — Hostess is betting on a sweet comeback for Twinkies when they return to shelves next month.
NEW YORK (AP) — Samsung is making its tablet computers look more like its hit Galaxy phones in the hope that the success of the smartphones can boost tablet sales.
NATIONAL POLITICS
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Internal Revenue Service's screening of groups seeking tax-exempt status was broader and lasted longer than has been previously disclosed, the new head of the agency said Monday.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate headed Monday for a crucial test vote on White House-backed immigration legislation offering the prize of U.S. citizenship to millions and pouring new technology and manpower into the border.
FRIDAY, JUNE 21
STATEWIDE
NASHVILLE (AP) — The state is notifying Tennesseans drawing unemployment benefits that they will soon lose a weekly $15-per-child allowance as part of a new law signed by Republican Gov. Bill Haslam.
NASHVILLE (AP) — Tennessee Secretary of state Tre Hargett says a scam is targeting corporations.
NASHVILLE (AP) — State lawmakers are speaking out against a proposal by the state Department of Education they believe would eventually hurt teacher salaries in Tennessee.
MEMPHIS (AP) — FedEx Corp. said Thursday that it has agreed to buy businesses operated by its current service provider in five Southern African countries. Financial terms were not disclosed.
MIDSTATE
ISHPEMING, Mich. (AP) — A 25-bed hospital in Michigan's Upper Peninsula has been acquired by a Tennessee company.
Collierville-based BankTennessee is breaking ground on a new site in Lebanon later this month that will serve as the bank’s Middle Tennessee headquarters.
REGION
NEW YORK (AP) — Kroger says its customers are doing more of their shopping at its supermarkets, helped in part by the popularity of its store brands.
COURTS
NASHVILLE (AP) — Tennessee Secretary of State Tre Hargett said a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling concerning Arizona's law requiring proof of citizenship for people registering to vote does not impact Tennessee's election laws.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court ruled against merchants Thursday who object to having to accept American Express debit and credit cards along with the company's iconic charge card.
AUTO INDUSTRY
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — CarMax says higher sales drove the used car dealership chain's first-quarter profit up more than 21 percent.
HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (AP) — Toyota is spending $150 million on equipment as part of its expansion at an engine plant in north Alabama.
NATIONAL BUSINESS
Traders decided that the stock market has suffered enough, at least for now.
NEW YORK (AP) — The price of oil slid again Friday on the prospect of a tighter supply of cash and slower growth in China.
WASHINGTON (AP) — All it took was speculation that the Federal Reserve could slow its bond buying months from now — and then a few words Wednesday from Chairman Ben Bernanke to confirm it.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Wall Street investors wanted clarity from Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke.
HOUSTON (AP) — One of the country's most notorious financial scandals came to a protracted legal conclusion Friday as ex-Enron Corp. CEO Jeffrey Skilling — already in prison for his role in the once-mighty energy giant's collapse — was resentenced to 14 years as part of a court-ordered reduction and a separate agreement with prosecutors.
NEW YORK (AP) — Starbucks wants a few extra pennies for that latte.
NEW YORK (AP) — It's the kind of electronic junk that piles up in basements and garages — an old computer motherboard with wires sticking out.
NEW YORK (AP) — If the free breadsticks and unlimited soup and salad aren't enough, Olive Garden is hitting the gas on other promotions to get customers through its doors.
NEW YORK (AP) — Facebook is adding video to its popular photo-sharing app Instagram, following in the heels of Twitter's growing video-sharing app, Vine.
SUNNYVALE, Calif. (AP) — Yahoo has completed its $1.1 billion acquisition of online blogging forum Tumblr.
NATIONAL POLITICS
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama is holding his first meeting with a privacy and civil liberties board Friday as he seeks to make good on his pledge to have a public discussion about secretive government surveillance programs.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The House's broad rejection of a massive farm bill could signal a shift in the way Congress views agriculture policy.
WASHINGTON (AP) — A handful of senators struggled Thursday to hold together a bipartisan deal to keep student loan rates from doubling on July 1 while their colleagues traded political barbs with little more than a week to go before the deadline.