VOL. 39 | NO. 26 | Friday, June 26, 2015
REALTY CHECK
Bill Decker of Decker Wealth Management was recently discussing a contract issue he had with one of his vendors, the issue being whether Decker should be allowed to purchase additional product at a certain price.
REAL ESTATE
Top commercial real estate transactions, May 2015, for Davidson, Williamson, Rutherford, Wilson and Sumner counties, as compiled by Chandler Reports.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Average long-term U.S. mortgage rates were mixed this week, marking slight increases or declines but remaining close to high levels for the year.
BEYOND BELIEF
The Rev. Franklin Graham is so not cool with gay couples who express their romantic feelings using more than a subtle nod from across the room.
NEWSMAKERS
American Blue Ribbon Holdings has announced the appointment of Ned R. Lidvall as president of O’Charley’s, the company’s largest brand.
BEHIND THE WHEEL
The Mini Cooper Hardtop has oodles of personality, go-kart handling and now, of all things, four doors and a big, color-changing “mood ring” on the dashboard.
FAMILY TRAVEL
I must’ve been out of my mind. How else to explain an anti-Disney person deciding to travel two time zones to visit Disneyland, just days after the official kickoff of the madness of the 60th anniversary celebration?
GUERRILLA MARKETING
Unless you have more sales from ideal customers than you know what to do with, your organization can benefit from sales measurement strategies. They allow you to not only forecast future sales but also to dissect your team’s success through each step of the sales cycle in order to fine-tune your approach and improve results.
CAREER CORNER
Last week, the Internet was buzzing about the struggles of Gap and Lucky Magazine.
I SWEAR
Whatever can go wrong will go wrong. That’s a common wording for the epigram we call “Murphy’s Law.” Granted, others have said it somewhat differently.
KAY'S COOKING CORNER
At first, I didn’t know what to write about, and then I thought about the blackberries my mom is growing in her backyard. Since blackberries are ripening as I write, I decided to use them as my topic.
MUSIC INDUSTRY
NASHVILLE (AP) - The U.S. Postal Service is offering an Elvis Presley greatest hits CD to go along with a new commemorative stamp.
REAL ESTATE
WASHINGTON (AP) — Average long-term U.S. mortgage rates rose this week, reaching high levels for the year.
NASHVILLE AREA
NASHVILLE (AP) — President Barack Obama said Wednesday that he'd like to see "some good sense spring forth" as Tennessee lawmakers try to work out their differences and expand Medicaid in a state he touted as having a history of bipartisanship.
NASHVILLE (AP) — The Tennessee Department of Transportation is celebrating its centennial by placing a time capsule in a new granite memorial at Bicentennial Mall.
AUTO INDUSTRY
PALO ALTO, Calif. (AP) — Tesla's second-quarter deliveries surged 52 percent to set a company record exceeding 11,000 vehicles.
HEALTH CARE
Medicaid coverage provider Centene will pay about $6.3 billion to buy fellow insurer Health Net, as managed-care companies look to bulk up while adjusting to the federal health care overhaul.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
WASHINGTON (AP) — Orders to U.S. factories fell in May by the largest amount in three months, while a key category that signals business investment plans dropped for a second month.
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Officials in Florida, Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana announced an $18.7 billion settlement with BP on Thursday that resolves years of litigation over the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill.
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. employers added a solid 223,000 jobs in June, and the unemployment rate fell to 5.3 percent, a seven-year low. But wages failed to budge, and other barometers of the job market paint a mixed picture.
WASHINGTON (AP) — More people sought U.S. unemployment benefits last week, but the level of applications is still low and points to an improving job market.
NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks fell in afternoon trading Thursday following the release of a mixed report on the U.S. job market and news that Greek finances are deteriorating as a Sunday referendum on terms of an international bailout nears. While U.S. payrolls grew overall, many people gave up looking for work and wage growth stalled. Investors drove bond prices up in a bet that the Federal Reserve will be in no hurry to raise interest rates soon.
ATHENS, Greece (AP) — The battle for Greek votes entered full swing Thursday ahead of a crucial weekend referendum that could decide whether the country falls out of the euro. For Greeks, particularly the elderly, the daily struggle to get cash ground on in the face of uncertainty.
WEDNESDAY, JULY 1
NASHVILLE AREA
NASHVILLE (AP) - President Barack Obama is using the momentum from a recent Supreme Court victory for his health care law to change the conversation from talk about undoing his signature domestic achievement to talk about how to improve it.
STATE LEGISLATURE
NASHVILLE (AP) — Members of the House Republican Caucus are considering a special legislative session to address issues following the U.S. Supreme Court ruling upholding same-sex marriage.
STATEWIDE
NASHVILLE (AP) — All of Tennessee's county clerks are ready to or are already issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples, according to county staffers and gay marriage advocates.
NASHVILLE (AP) — Jim Henry has been chosen as chief of staff for Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam, effective Aug. 1.
REAL ESTATE
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. construction spending posted a solid gain in May, pushing total activity to the highest point since the fall of 2008, with the strength led by a big jump in non-residential projects.
NASHVILLE (AP) — A newspaper reports that pop music star and actor Justin Timberlake has purchased about 126 acres of land in Williamson County.
AUTO INDUSTRY
DETROIT (AP) — Americans again bought vehicles that sit up high and come loaded with features like backup cameras and smartphone capabilities in June. Horsepower was also in; gas-sipping not so much.
TOKYO (AP) — Nissan, Toyota and Honda are working together to get more fuel cell vehicles on roads in what they call Japan's big push toward "a hydrogen society."
TOKYO (AP) — Julie Hamp, Toyota's most senior female executive, has resigned following her arrest in Japan on suspicion of drug law violations, the automaker said Wednesday.
EDUCATION
WASHINGTON (AP) — Exotic dancers hired as admissions counselors. Recruiters told to seek out "impatient" individuals who have "few people in their lives who care about them." Military personnel still recovering from brain damage told to sign on the dotted line.
WASHINGTON (AP) — How did trade schools go from being mom-and-pop shops that trained mechanics and hair stylists to making billions on Wall Street? And if the industry is as predatory as the Education Department and many lawmakers suggest, why didn't they stop it?
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
NEW YORK (AP) — Hopes that a deal could be reached between Greece and its creditors pushed stocks higher on Wednesday.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. government is investigating possible collusion among major airlines to limit available seats, which keeps airfares high, according to a document obtained by The Associated Press.
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. manufacturing growth improved in June, helped by a jump in employment.
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. businesses added jobs at a robust pace in June, a private survey found, evidence that rising consumer spending and a healthy housing market are supporting more hiring.
ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Eurozone finance ministers decided Wednesday to break off talks on more aid for Greece until after it holds a weekend referendum, even as the Greek government pressed ahead with plans to let the people decide whether to accept more austerity measures in exchange for a rescue deal.
NEW YORK (AP) — Macy's is the latest company to end its relationship with Donald Trump as the fallout from the real estate mogul's remarks about Mexican immigrants continues.
TUESDAY, JUNE 30
STATEWIDE
NASHVILLE (AP) - A mandate for a 48-hour waiting period before an abortion is one of many new Tennessee laws taking effect Wednesday.
NASHVILLE (AP) - Seven of Tennessee's 95 counties were not issuing same-sex marriage licenses on Monday, but officials say technical hurdles, rather than political objections, were to blame for the majority of the delays.
NASHVILLE (AP) — The Tennessee Highway Patrol is taking steps to try to make the Fourth of July holiday period as safe as possible.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Tennessee and Kentucky are receiving assistance from the U.S. Department of Labor to help unemployed residents find work and determine eligibility.
REAL ESTATE
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. home prices increased at a solid clip in April, led by double-digit jumps in Denver and San Francisco.
COURTS
NEW YORK (AP) — Apple violated antitrust laws by colluding with publishers to raise electronic book prices when it entered a market in 2010 that had been dominated by Amazon.com, a federal appeals court said Tuesday.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
WASHINGTON (AP) — Consumer confidence showed a solid gain in June following a modest increase in May, supporting the view that strong job gains are giving a boost to the overall economy.
NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks are closing slightly higher as investors followed talks between Greece and its creditors.
ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Greece's European creditors were assessing a last-minute proposal Athens made for a new two-year rescue deal, submitted just hours before the country's international bailout program expires and it loses access to billions of euros in funds.
ARLINGTON, Va. (AP) — The insurer Willis Group Holdings PLC will tie up with Towers Watson in an all-stock deal valued at about $18 billion.
NATIONAL POLITICS
WASHINGTON (AP) — They're called managers, and they sometimes work grueling schedules at fast food chains and retail stores. But with no overtime eligibility, their pay may be lower per hour than many workers they supervise.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Groups trying to curb the partisan sculpting of House districts are hoping their Supreme Court victory will prompt more states to create independent commissions to redraw congressional lines.
MONDAY, JUNE 29
STATE LEGISLATURE
NASHVILLE (AP) - Supporters of a failed plan to expand Medicaid in Tennessee met Monday to renew an effort to try to pass it after a recent ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court to uphold health insurance subsidies.
COURTS
WASHINGTON (AP) — A divided Supreme Court on Monday ruled against federal regulators' attempt to limit power plant emissions of mercury and other hazardous air pollutants.
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The Supreme Court won't hear appeals from BP and Anadarko Petroleum Corp. over Clean Water Act fines for the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court is staying out of a long-running legal battle between technology giants Oracle and Google over copyright protection for a computer program that powers most of the world's smartphones and computer tablets.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court is meeting for the final time until the fall to decide three remaining cases and add some new ones for the term that starts in October.
NASHVILLE AREA
NASHVILLE (AP) — President Barack Obama is scheduled to visit Middle Tennessee on Wednesday to discuss how the nation can continue to build on progress made under the Affordable Care Act, which has helped more than 16 million Americans gain health insurance, the White House says.
REAL ESTATE
WASHINGTON (AP) — More Americans signed contracts to purchase homes in May, as pending sales climbed to their highest level in more than nine years.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
WASHINGTON (AP) — Solid job growth is finally boosting paychecks for the rest of us.
NEW YORK (AP) — Fears that Greece's troubles could spread through the global financial system shook markets on Monday, driving U.S. stocks to their worst day of the year.
ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Anxious pensioners swarmed closed bank branches Monday and long lines snaked outside ATMs as Greeks endured the first day of serious controls on their daily economic lives ahead of a July 5 referendum that could determine whether the country has to ditch the euro currency and return to the drachma.
ATHENS, Greece (AP) — The latest news on Greece's financial woes as it closes its banks and limits money withdrawals (all times local):
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — International economists released a critical report on Puerto Rico's economy Monday on the heels of the governor's warning that the island can't pay its $72 billion public debt.
FRIDAY, JUNE 26
STATEWIDE
NASHVILLE (AP) - Nikki Vonhaejer and Lauren Mesnard became the first same-sex couple to marry in Nashville after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the state's gay marriage ban on Friday.
NASHVILLE (AP) — The U.S. Supreme Court's decision to uphold health insurance subsidies in states that do not operate their own insurance exchanges means the more than 155,000 Tennesseans who use the subsidies will not lose their health insurance. Here's a look at who is getting subsidies in Tennessee and what Tennesseans are saying about the ruling:
NASHVILLE (AP) - State education officials say they're taking steps to address reading test scores that have remained relatively flat in early grade levels over the past five years.
NASHVILLE AREA
NASHVILLE (AP) - A Tennessee State University professor is being honored for his contributions to the field of agronomy.
NASHVILLE (AP) - The Tennessee Titans' home field is changing its name from LP Field to Nissan Stadium.
COURTS
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court declared Friday that same-sex couples have a right to marry anywhere in the United States.
NASHVILLE (AP) — A lawsuit has been filed in federal court over two abortion laws scheduled to take effect Wednesday.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court sent a clear message Thursday that President Barack Obama's health care overhaul is here to stay, rejecting a major challenge that would have imperiled the landmark law and health insurance for millions of Americans.
Reaction to the Supreme Court's decision Thursday upholding tax subsidies in President Barack Obama's health care law:
HEALTH CARE
Investors in hospital stocks rejoiced Thursday after the Supreme Court upheld a key portion of President Barack Obama's health care overhaul and eliminated the prospect of a sudden influx of uninsured patients seeking care.
AUTO INDUSTRY
CARSON CITY, Nev. (AP) — Nevada economic officials say work on a massive Tesla Motors battery factory east of Reno is going smoothly and it should be operational within a year.
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The latest models of Google's self-driving cars are now cruising the streets near the Internet company's Silicon Valley headquarters as an ambitious project to transform the way people get around shifts into its next phase.
TECHNOLOGY
NEW YORK (AP) — Charter is trying to convince the government that consumers will benefit if it is allowed to create a cable giant through its proposed $67.1 billion acquisition of Time Warner Cable and Bright House.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
WASHINGTON (AP) — Consumer sentiment rose this month to the highest level since January, suggesting that spending will strengthen this year.
NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks had a mixed day Friday, as investors waited for negotiators to finish their work on a solution to Greece's debt problems. Chinese stocks plunged 7 percent as fears spread that a yearlong bull rally there has become overheated. China's benchmark index is still up more than double over the past year.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau released thousands of complaints Thursday from disgruntled customers of banks, credit card companies and other providers of financial services.
BRUSSELS (AP) — Greece and its rescue creditors edged closer to a deal on loans needed to avoid a potentially disastrous bankruptcy, but angry objections in Athens to some demands kept the talks on edge ahead of a key meeting this weekend.
NATIONAL POLITICS
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court's resounding rejection of a conservative attempt to gut President Barack Obama's health care overhaul won't stop Republicans from attacking the law they detest. But now, their efforts will be chiefly about teeing up the issue for the 2016 presidential and congressional elections.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Republican-led Congress rounded out President Barack Obama's trade package Thursday, overwhelmingly passing a worker training program just weeks after it was stymied.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Cracking the often-lamented partisanship of Washington, a Republican-led Congress and a conservative Supreme Court chief justice delivered back-to-back victories for President Barack Obama's ambitious trade and health care initiatives.
MIDSTATE
MURFREESBORO (AP) - State inspectors have found several problems at Rutherford County's Adult Detention Center.