VOL. 37 | NO. 23 | Friday, June 7, 2013
If you’re looking for an environmentally friendly way to get around town, ride a bicycle.
An East Nashville middle school once marred by mold, asbestos and age is set to receive an almost full facelift that will add it to the list of Metro Nashville Public School’s “greenest” buildings.
REALTY CHECK
The lack of inventory in the residential real estate market is driving many of the would-be buyers mad, forcing some to consider renting as an option. There, they find another obstacle: A roughly 2 percent vacancy rate.
NEWSMAKERS
Carol Owen has joined Baker Donelson as a shareholder and a member of the firm’s Government Regulatory Actions Group.
GUERRILLA MARKETING
While the gender divide among men and women continues to narrow in regard to workforce equality, recent research from Nielsen NeuroFocus, reported by TechVibes, uncovers significant differences in the way men and women think and make purchase decisions. In fact, the mere manner in which the two genders process information is fundamentally different.
THE WORLDLY INVESTOR
Ever since the Federal Reserve began its zero interest rate policies, investors have searched for higher yielding assets.
I SWEAR
The posting sent to the members of the cruciverbal community read, “We’re looking for seasoned ... puzzle creators to help us build puzzles for our game, [which] uses a unique crossword-influenced style of word puzzle where the answers are hidden in ... famous quotations. We’re [a small outfit] and ... can’t create puzzles fast enough for the players.”
KAY'S COOKING CORNER
For the past few weeks, our family has been celebrating graduations: Kindergarten graduations, high school graduations and, this past Saturday evening, a college graduation.
STATE LEGISLATURE
NASHVILLE (AP) - The speakers of the House and Senate say they will seek a review of a no-bid contract with a real estate firm that once counted fellow Republican Gov. Bill Haslam as one of its investors.
NASHVILLE AREA
NASHVILLE (AP) - The Southern Baptist Convention's Lifeway Christian Resources is selling a financially troubled conference center in New Mexico to a group that already operates a Christian camp in Texas.
HOUSTON (AP) — The Southern Baptist Convention tackled topics at its annual meeting this week that seemed to show a concern for a broadening array of social issues, including human trafficking and the country's high rate of incarceration.
NASHVILLE (AP) — Michele Johnson has been named the new executive director of a Nashville group that supports greater access to Medicaid.
STATEWIDE
NASHVILLE (AP) — The Tennessee Board of Pharmacy says it has adopted new regulations for compounding pharmacies licensed by the state following recent outbreaks of illnesses associated with tainted medicines created at these specialty pharmacies.
NASHVILLE (AP) — Officials are warning Tennessee's seniors about a scam involving recorded phone calls promising free or low cost personal emergency or medical alert systems.
COURTS
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court ruled Thursday that companies cannot patent parts of naturally-occurring human genes, a decision with the potential to profoundly affect the emerging and lucrative medical and biotechnology industries.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Unpaid internships have long been a path of opportunity for students and recent grads looking to get a foot in the door in the entertainment, publishing and other prominent industries, even if it takes a generous subsidy from Mom and Dad.
NASHVILLE (AP) — A federal judge has ruled in favor of members of the Occupy Nashville movement who claimed their free speech rights were violated when they were arrested while protesting in 2011 on War Memorial Plaza.
MURFREESBORO (AP) - A Tennessee judge has drafted a letter, telling female attorneys to dress professionally at court.
AUTO INDUSTRY
DETROIT (AP) — Honda is recalling more than 18,000 cars in the U.S. to fix problems with the brakes.
NATIONAL BUSINESS
WASHINGTON (AP) — Fixed U.S. mortgage rates rose for the sixth straight week, putting the average rate on the 30-year loan just shy of 4 percent.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Americans stepped up purchases at retail businesses in May, spending more on cars, home improvements and sporting goods. The gain shows consumers remain resilient despite higher taxes and could drive faster growth later this year.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits dropped 12,000 last week to a seasonally adjusted 334,000, a decline that suggests steady job gains will endure.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Lenders stepped up action last month against homeowners who had fallen behind on their mortgage payments, taking possession of more homes and initiating the foreclosure countdown clock on many others.
NEW YORK (AP) — A pair of better economic reports helped nudge the U.S. stock market up Thursday afternoon, even as the Japanese market plunged again.
The price of oil fell toward $95 a barrel Thursday, dragged down by evidence that U.S. crude supplies are rising while global economic growth is seen slowing.
McLEAN, Va. (AP) — Gannett says it's reached a deal to buy TV station owner Belo for about $1.5 billion in cash.
WASHINGTON (AP) — One of the big goals of President Barack Obama's upcoming trip to Europe may be in jeopardy, with French objections threatening to hold up the launch of negotiations on a sweeping U.S.-European Union free trade pact.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Rural America is losing population for the first time ever, largely because of waning interest among baby boomers in moving to far-flung locations for retirement and recreation, according to new census estimates.
NATIONAL POLITICS
NEW YORK (AP) — There's little wonder why George Orwell's novel "1984" is seeing a resurgence in sales.
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 12
NASHVILLE AREA
WASHINGTON (AP) — An Internal Revenue Service official at the center of the agency's latest scandal told lawmakers Thursday that an expensive conference held in 2010 conformed to existing rules, though he acknowledged it was not the best use of taxpayer money.
NASHVILLE (AP) - A national traffic study shows congestion in Nashville has nearly doubled over the last three decades.
NASHVILLE (AP) - Tim and Chris Vanderhook think Myspace had it right - at one point. And they believe they've revived and improved that formula for success as the revamped first titan of social media debuts its latest incarnation.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission filed lawsuits Tuesday against discount retailer Dollar General Corp. and a BMW manufacturing plant in South Carolina over their use of criminal background checks to screen out job applicants or fire employees.
NASHVILLE (AP) — Nashville Mayor Karl Dean is calling all hikers.
STATEWIDE
NASHVILLE (AP) - Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam has named Burns Phillips the new commissioner of the Department of Labor and Workforce Development.
NASHVILLE (AP) — The Tennessee Republican Party has tapped U.S. Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina to deliver the keynote address at its annual dinner next month in Nashville.
AUTO INDUSTRY
WASHINGTON (AP) — Using voice commands to send text messages and emails from behind the wheel, which is marketed as a safer alternative for drivers, actually is more distracting and dangerous than simply talking on a cellphone, a new AAA study found.
NATIONAL BUSINESS
NEW YORK (AP) — The stock market is ending lower for the third day in a row after an early morning rally faded away.
NEW YORK (AP) — The price of oil rose above $96 a barrel and reversed some of its losses for the past two days.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The House has approved a bill giving the Federal Housing Administration the power to make quick fixes to its financially-troubled reverse mortgage program.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Chief executives for the largest U.S. companies are more optimistic about sales over the next six months and plan to add more workers.
NEW YORK (AP) — ESPN will stop broadcasting in 3-D by the end of the year, the network said Wednesday, dealing a major blow to a technology that was launched with great fanfare but has been limping along for years.
NEW YORK (AP) — Facebook is introducing hashtags, the number signs used on Twitter, Instagram and other services to identify topics being discussed and allow users to search for them.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The government says the U.S. budget deficit widened in May by $139 billion, but the annual deficit stayed on track to finish below $1 trillion for the first time since 2008.
NATIONAL POLITICS
WASHINGTON (AP) — Revelations of massive government collections of Americans' phone and email records have reinvigorated an odd-couple political alliance of the far left and right.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Lawmakers voiced their confusion and concern, and some called for the end of sweeping surveillance programs by U.S. spy agencies after receiving an unusual briefing on the government's yearslong collection of phone records and Internet usage.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Backers of far-reaching immigration legislation are turning their attention to courting support and counting votes after the Senate pushed the contentious bill over early procedural hurdles.
TUESDAY, JUNE 11
STATEWIDE
KNOXVILLE (AP) — Tennessee football ranks last in the Southeastern Conference in how the NCAA measures academic progress, and the Vols are at risk of being punished if they don't improve quickly.
NASHVILLE (AP) - State Finance Commissioner Larry Martin says overall May revenues were $31.5 million more than the state budgeted.
MUSIC INDUSTRY
NASHVILLE (AP) - Mumford & Sons bassist Ted Dwane has a blood clot on his brain that will require surgery.
COURTS
NASHVILLE (AP) - A Davidson County judge has reduced the fee a former public guardian charged a client who was double-billed for a shopping trip.
NASHVILLE (AP) - A Davidson County judge has issued an order, preventing state government from laying off more than 200 workers this month.
NASHVILLE AREA
NASHVILLE (AP) — Belmont University's law school has received provisional accreditation.
MIDSTATE
NASHVILLE (AP) — State Sen. Mark Green has been appointed to the Council of State Government Interbranch Affairs Committee.
AUTO INDUSTRY
DETROIT (AP) — A federal judge on Monday dismissed a $3 billion lawsuit filed by Dutch car maker Spyker against General Motors Co.
NATIONAL BUSINESS
NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks are ending lower after a volatile day as investors position themselves for less economic stimulus from central banks.
NEW YORK (AP) — Oil prices dropped Tuesday along with stocks and other commodities on concerns that central banks around the globe may back off on measures to boost the global economy.
WASHINGTON (AP) — More Americans are quitting their jobs, suggesting many are growing more confident in the job market.
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. wholesalers increased their stockpiles in April and their sales rebounded from a big decline in March, positive signs for economic growth.
NEW YORK (AP) — News Corp. said Tuesday that its shareholders have approved the company's plan to split into two publicly traded companies.
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Google is buying online mapping service Waze in a deal that keeps a potentially valuable tool away from its rivals while gaining technology that could improve the accuracy and usefulness of its own popular navigation system.
OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (AP) — A month after being challenged by a rival to raise its bid for Sprint Nextel, Japan's Softbank did just that, by $1.5 billion.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Microsoft has its head in the cloud with Xbox One.
NATIONAL POLITICS
WASHINGTON (AP) — House Speaker John Boehner says he thinks there's a good chance that legislation overhauling America's immigration system can be signed into law "by the end of the year."
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Obama administration is weighing whether to charge a government contractor with leaking classified government secrets while it defends a much-criticized National Security Agency surveillance program as an indispensable tool for protecting Americans from terrorists.
NEW YORK (AP) — People like Edward Snowden — nearly 500,000 employees of private firms with access to the government's most sensitive secrets — play a crucial role: They help monitor threats to national security.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The last time Congress passed a farm bill, Democrats had control of the House and the food stamp program was about half the size it is today.
NEW YORK (AP) — After setting off a storm of criticism from abortion rights groups upset that a Democratic president had sided with social conservatives, the Obama administration said it will comply with a judge's order to allow girls of any age to buy emergency contraception without prescriptions.
MONDAY, JUNE 10
STATEWIDE
NASHVILLE (AP) — The chairwoman of the state Senate Education Committee says the panel will hold meetings during the summer or fall to discuss a new set of uniform benchmarks for math and reading.
MIDSTATE
FRANKLIN (AP) — The removal of a Harpeth River dam at Franklin has won an environmental award.
NASHVILLE AREA
NASHVILLE (AP) — A decade ago, the Southern Baptist Convention was riding high. The president of the United States was a conservative evangelical Christian who personally addressed the group's annual meetings, either by satellite or video, at least four times in two terms, and SBC leaders were feeling their influence at the highest levels of government.
NATIONAL BUSINESS
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Apple is throwing out most of the real-world graphical cues from its iPhone and iPad software, like the casino-green "felt" of its Game Center app, in what it calls the biggest update since the iPhone's launch in 2007.
DALLAS (AP) — The new American Airlines will have more top executives from smaller but more successful US Airways than from the current American.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Standard & Poor's Ratings Services upgraded its outlook Monday for the U.S. government's long-term debt. S&P cited the government's strengthened finances, a recovering U.S. economy and some easing of Washington's political gridlock.
NEW YORK (AP) — The stock market is closing mostly lower after investors were unimpressed by a rating agency's brighter outlook on the U.S. government's credit rating.
NEW YORK (AP) — Oil stalled Monday, after last week's 4 percent gain, as traders await the latest readings on oil supplies and updated forecasts for demand.
NEW YORK (AP) — Cheap eats and new menu items helped McDonald's boost a key sales figure in May, bouncing back from a decline the previous month.
NATIONAL POLITICS
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama will nominate Jason Furman, a veteran White House economic official, as chairman of the president's Council of Economic Advisers.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The man who gave classified documents to reporters, making public two sweeping U.S. surveillance programs and touching off a national debate on privacy versus security, has revealed his own identity. He risked decades in jail for the disclosures — if the U.S. can extradite him from Hong Kong where he says he has taken refuge.
FRIDAY, JUNE 7
STATEWIDE
NASHVILLE (AP) — Tennessee is participating in a national law enforcement initiative to warn consumers about deceptive travel promoters and timeshare resellers.
NASHVILLE AREA
NASHVILLE (AP) - Foreclosure proceedings have been initiated against the Nashville Symphony and an auction of the center where it performs is scheduled for June 28.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Broadcast companies Media General Inc. and New Young Broadcasting Holding Co. said Thursday that they are combining to create a company that will operate 30 TV stations in 27 markets including Nashville (WKRN, Channel 2), San Francisco and Richmond, Va.
NATIONAL BUSINESS
WASHINGTON (AP) — Americans borrowed more in April to attend college and buy cars and were a little less cautious with their credit cards than the previous month.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. economy added 175,000 jobs in May— a steady pace that shows strength in the face of tax increases and government spending cuts if not enough to reduce still-high unemployment.
NEW YORK (AP) — The stock market is closing sharply higher after the government reported a pickup in hiring last month.
NEW YORK (AP) — The price of oil closed above $96 Friday, after the government said the economy added 175,000 jobs last month, a good sign for fuel demand.
NEW YORK (AP) — Target Corp. is planning a new organic and natural store brand as it works to rev up its grocery business.
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (AP) — Wal-Mart's biggest news at its annual meeting on Friday was that the world's largest retailer will repurchase up to $15 billion of its shares at a time when the behemoth faces increased scrutiny from investors over its business overseas.
WASHINGTON (AP) — America as a whole has regained all the household wealth it lost to the Great Recession and then some, thanks to higher stock and home prices.
NEW YORK (AP) — In the latest sign that Americans are feeling better about the overall economy, stores across the country had a pickup in sales in May.
NEW YORK (AP) — McDonald's is taking a small step toward offering breakfast items outside of its usual breakfast hours — at least if you're a night owl.
NATIONAL POLITICS
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama vigorously defended sweeping secret surveillance into America's phone records and foreigners' Internet use, declaring "we have to make choices as a society."
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — With every phone call they make and every Web excursion they take, people are leaving a digital trail of revealing data that can be tracked by profit-seeking companies and terrorist-hunting government officials.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Moving to tamp down a public uproar spurred by the disclosure of two secret surveillance programs, the nation's top intelligence official is declassifying key details about one of the programs while insisting the efforts were legal, limited in scope and necessary to detect terrorist threats.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The government is secretly collecting the telephone records of millions of U.S. customers of Verizon under a top-secret court order, according to the chairwoman of the Senate Intelligence Committee. The Obama administration is defending the National Security Agency's need to collect such records, but critics are calling it a huge over-reach.