VOL. 41 | NO. 23 | Friday, June 9, 2017
SAM STOCKARD: VIEW FROM THE HILL
A harassment conviction lingered on the record of Memphis resident Brenda A. for 10 years, the high cost of expungement making it difficult to erase the past.
RICHARD COURTNEY: REALTY CHECK
Nashville experienced a wet spring, so nearly every inspector is finding moisture under most of the homes. Soon, the humidity will descend upon us, and 98-degree air – paired with 90 percent humidity – will be lured into these damp, 60-degree crawl spaces that have ages-old moisture barriers with gaps and holes and varmints in and around them.
REAL ESTATE
May 2017 real estate trends for Davidson, Williamson, Rutherford and Wilson counties, as compiled by Chandler Reports.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Long-term U.S. mortgage rates fell this week, as the benchmark 30-year rate declined for the fourth straight week to its lowest level in nearly seven months.
PREDATORS
Nashville coach Peter Laviolette was so concerned that Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin would take criticism to heart that he wanted everyone to stop talking about it.
PITTSBURGH (AP) — The guy that scored the winner in Games 3 and 4 of the Stanley Cup Final doesn't even have a locker in the Nashville Predators' dressing room.
DAVID CLIMER: OUT OF LEFT FIELD
East is East and West is West – except where the Southeastern Conference is concerned.
NEWSMAKERS
The Tennessee Bar Association has named Nashville lawyer Joycelyn Stevenson as its new executive director.
BEHIND THE WHEEL
The top-selling Honda, the CR-V SUV, is a bit bigger for 2017 and offers its first turbocharged engine for stronger performance.
GUERRILLA MARKETING
Would it shock you to learn that one out of every three professionals on the planet and two-thirds of working-age Memphians are on LinkedIn?
CAREER CORNER
Typically, this column is targeted toward the job seeker. Today, I’m going to take a slightly different approach.
NASHVILLE AREA
PHOENIX (AP) — Southern Baptists on Wednesday formally condemned the political movement known as the "alt-right," in a national meeting that was thrown into turmoil after leaders initially refused to take up the issue.
STATEWIDE
NASHVILLE (AP) — Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam says he won't endorse any of the candidates seeking the Republican nomination to succeed him. But he says he has had conversations with several potential hopefuls about the strains that a tough primary fight.
CHATTANOOGA (AP) — A Tennessee man who was convicted of planning an attack on a New York mosque has been sentenced to nearly 20 years in federal prison.
HEALTH CARE
NASHVILLE (AP) — A Vanderbilt University report says heart disease death rates have dropped in Tennessee men over a decade.
REAL ESTATE
U.S. homebuilders are feeling slightly less optimistic, a shift that follows a big drop in sales of new homes in April.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks are falling Thursday morning and following international markets lower. Technology companies and retailers are taking some of the largest losses. Investors appeared rattled that the Bank of England came close to raising interest rates sooner than many had expected, and by reports the special counsel appointed to investigate Russian influence in the 2016 presidential campaign is now examining whether President Donald Trump tried to obstruct justice.
Forget frequent flier miles, last-minute getaways and even road trips. Nearly half of Americans say they won't be taking a vacation this summer, mostly because they can't afford it, according to a new poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. factory output fell last month as manufacturers cranked out fewer cars, computers and semiconductors, a sign that economic growth remains sluggish.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits fell for a second straight week, further evidence of the strength of the labor market.
CINCINNATI (AP) — Kroger Co. says that sales at established stores fell for the second straight quarter after more than seven years of consecutive growth, signaling that competition for the supermarket is growing more intense.
NATIONAL POLITICS
WASHINGTON (AP) — The special counsel appointed to investigate Russian influence in the 2016 presidential campaign is now examining whether President Donald Trump tried to obstruct justice, it has been reported.
WASHINGTON (AP) — A clear majority of Americans believe President Donald Trump has tried to interfere with the investigation into Russia's alleged election meddling and possible Trump campaign collusion, a new poll shows. Just one in five support his decision to oust James Comey from the FBI.
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 14
NASHVILLE AREA
PHOENIX (AP) — A national meeting of Southern Baptists will consider condemning the political movement known as the "alt-right" amid an uproar over the denomination's commitment to confronting prejudice.
NASHVILLE (AP) — Nashville International Airport (BNA) has been named the fastest growing airport of its size in the country following a surge in passenger traffic last year.
PHOENIX (AP) — The Southern Baptist Convention, home to prominent evangelical supporters of President Donald Trump, adopted a statement on moral leadership at the group's annual meeting Tuesday that avoided pointed criticism of current political officeholders.
MIDSTATE
LEWISBURG (AP) — Chinese auto supplier Minth Group is investing $13 million in a Tennessee plant, creating 200 jobs.
COURTS
NASHVILLE (AP) — A new lawsuit invokes the plight of a baby born dependent on opioid drugs, as three Tennessee prosecutors and the baby's guardian accuse several drug manufacturers of unleashing an epidemic through deceptive marketing about the risks of addiction to painkillers.
NASHVILLE (AP) — A new law that's been criticized as discriminatory against same-sex couples actually does "nothing new at all," Tennessee's attorney general contends in a legal filing.
AUTO INDUSTRY
DETROIT (AP) — General Motors is extending the normal two-week summer shutdown for at least two U.S. car factories because of slumping sedan sales.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks dipped Wednesday as investors worried about weak retail sales and oil prices sank. The Federal Reserve raised interest rates for the third time in six months.
SHANGHAI (AP) — The Chinese government has granted preliminary approval for nine Donald Trump trademarks it had previously rejected, in whole or in part, the Associated Press found, a turn that is likely to fuel further allegations that Beijing may be giving the president's family business special treatment.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Americans cut spending at gasoline stations, department stores and electronics shops in May as retail sales registered their biggest drop in 16 months, a cautionary sign for the economy.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Consumer prices declined in May, reflecting a big drop in energy prices and smaller declines in a number of other areas. It was the second monthly decline in the past three months and underscored that inflation remains a no-show for the slow-growing U.S. economy.
PARIS (AP) — OPEC's plan to cut production and support prices is likely to be undone by increased output in the U.S., the International Energy Agency predicted Wednesday.
NATIONAL POLITICS
WASHINGTON (AP) — A top House Republican, Steve Scalise of Louisiana, was shot and wounded by a rifle-wielding gunman Wednesday at a congressional baseball practice just outside of Washington. Several other people were also wounded, and at least two were in critical condition.
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump says the assailant in the congressional shooting has died from his injuries.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Attorney General Jeff Sessions, a close adviser to President Donald Trump during his battle for the presidency, heatedly defended himself before his former Senate colleagues as he denied having an undisclosed meeting with Russia's ambassador to the United States and rejected any misconduct in the ouster of FBI Director James Comey.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Attorney General Jeff Sessions gave more than two hours of sometimes heated testimony to Congress, with Democrats demanding details of matters including conversations with President Donald Trump, interactions with the Russian ambassador and the firing of FBI Director James Comey. The appearance before the Senate intelligence committee Tuesday gave Sessions a chance to defend himself, but offered little new insight.
TUESDAY, JUNE 13
STATE LEGISLATURE
State Sen. Lee Harris is criticizing a new law sponsored by Senate Majority Leader Mark Norris enabling state judges to consider a convict’s immigration status during sentencing.
NASHVILLE (AP) — Gov. Bill Haslam says his administration's legal team is very confident about the constitutionality of a new law that lets judges toughen sentences for defendants in the country illegally at the time of their crimes.
Senate Majority Leader Mark Norris is set to oversee a comprehensive review of Tennessee’s juvenile justice system in an effort to reshape the lives of offenders.
NASHVILLE (AP) — A federal appeals court will hear oral arguments in August in a case aimed at nullifying a vote on a Tennessee constitutional amendment that allows more abortion restrictions.
MUSIC INDUSTRY
NEW YORK (AP) — The recording of Dan Auerbach's new solo album was so magical he wanted to film the process, which included him collaborating with some of the most veteran session musicians of all time.
STATEWIDE
CROSSVILLE (AP) — A $100 million wind farm project in Tennessee has been put on hold after state lawmakers passed a yearlong moratorium on new turbines being installed in the state.
NASHVILLE (AP) — Three Tennessee county prosecutors and the guardian of a baby born dependent on drugs have filed a lawsuit against the makers of several opioid drugs, accusing the companies of unleashing an epidemic by deceptive marketing practices that downplayed the addiction risks with their painkillers.
REGION
NASHVILLE (AP) — State Sen. Ken Yager is withdrawing from consideration for the board of the Tennessee Valley Authority.
HEALTH CARE
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump told Republican senators Tuesday that the House-passed health care bill is "mean" and urged them to craft a version that is "more generous," congressional sources said.
Health insurer Centene announced plans Tuesday to expand into more Affordable Care Act insurance exchanges for next year, at a time when competitors are either pulling back from those markets or proposing steep price hikes to remain.
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is having lunch with Republican senators to discuss the repeal and replacement of the Affordable Care Act.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Vice President Mike Pence is helping his boss make a case that "Obamacare" is in a "death spiral."
AUTO INDUSTRY
DETROIT (AP) — General Motors says it has built 130 self-driving Chevrolet Bolt electric cars at a factory in suburban Detroit.
REAL ESTATE
MURFREESBORO (AP) — A new economic report shows housing prices are increasing across the state and rising higher than the rest of the U.S.
NASHVILLE (AP) — Tennessee has improved three spots to rank 35th in overall child well-being, according to a new report released Tuesday.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks bounced back to record highs Tuesday as investors put an end to a two-day drop for technology companies. Energy and consumer-focused companies also made outsize gains.
NEW YORK (AP) — Magazine publisher Time Inc. says it's cutting 300 jobs as it struggles to adjust to readers' shift online.
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Uber CEO Travis Kalanick will take a leave of absence for an unspecified period and let his leadership team run the troubled ride-hailing company while he's gone.
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Verizon has taken over Yahoo, completing a $4.5 billion deal that will usher in a new management team to attempt to wring more advertising revenue from one of the internet's best-known brands.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Inflation at the wholesale level stayed unchanged in May as food and energy prices slipped.
NEW YORK (AP) — Sears Holdings says it will cut about 400 full-time jobs as part of the troubled retailer's plan to turn its business around.
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump says apprenticeships could match workers with millions of open jobs, but he's reluctant to devote more taxpayer money to the effort.
NATIONAL POLITICS
WASHINGTON (AP) — Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin agrees with President Donald Trump that there could be such a thing as a "good" government shutdown.
NEW YORK (AP) — A revamped nutrition facts panel designed to make it easier to see how many calories and added sugars are in packaged foods and drinks is being delayed.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Republicans and Democrats reached agreement late Monday on a new package of sanctions on Russia amid the firestorm over Russia's meddling in the presidential election and investigations into Moscow's possible collusion with members of President Donald Trump's campaign.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein says he wouldn't follow orders from President Donald Trump or anyone else to fire special counsel Robert Mueller unless they were "lawful and appropriate orders."
WASHINGTON (AP) — Attorney General Jeff Sessions is preparing for sharp questions from his former Senate colleagues about his role in the firing of James Comey, his Russian contacts during the campaign and his decision to recuse himself from an investigation into possible ties between Moscow and associates of President Donald Trump.
WASHINGTON (AP) — A Democratic congressman from Illinois has introduced a bill named for President Donald Trump's infamous "covfefe" tweet with the goal of ensuring presidential social media posts are archived.
MONDAY, JUNE 12
PREDATORS
NASHVILLE (AP) — The Predators' amazing, improbable playoff run finally is over.
MIDSTATE
NASHVILLE (AP) — Clothing retailer Gap. Inc. is spending $42 million to upgrade a Tennessee distribution center to expand its online sales capabilities.
STATEWIDE
KNOXVILLE (AP) — A proposed tuition rate for the University of Tennessee will be revealed by a board of trustees subcommittee.
NASHVILLE (AP) — Tennessee Rep. Mark Pody says he is vying to replace Sen. Mae Beavers, who is running for governor.
NASHVILLE (AP) — It's early days yet in the Tennessee governor's race, but Republican candidate Randy Boyd has been quick out of the gate with some creative campaign swag.
HEALTH CARE
WASHINGTON (AP) — Continuing a dropout trend seen in the Obama years, about 16 percent of consumers who signed up for coverage this year through public health insurance markets had canceled their plans by early spring, the government said Monday.
COURTS
SEATTLE (AP) — Another U.S. appeals court upheld a decision blocking President Donald Trump's revised travel ban Monday, dealing the administration another legal defeat as the Supreme Court considers a separate case on the issue.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court is speeding up the time for generic biotech drugs to become available to the public. The court's unanimous ruling Monday means a loss of billions in sales to makers of original versions.
MUSIC INDUSTRY
NEW YORK (AP) — Sean "Diddy" Combs is the top earner on Forbes' list of the 100 highest-paid celebrities.
AUTO INDUSTRY
NEW YORK (AP) — The next Lyft car you book may soon be a Jaguar or a Land Rover.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stock indexes slipped again Monday as technology companies, which were near record highs last week, suffered a second day of sharp losses. Investors are changing course and selling some of the best-performing stocks of the year while buying companies that have struggled.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. budget deficit rose to $88.4 billion in May from $53 billion a year earlier, as government spending in areas such as Medicaid and defense rose at a faster pace than revenue.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Washington political world is in disarray. Britain's election tumult has scrambled the outlook for Europe. And economies in the United States and abroad are plodding along at a pace that hardly suggests robust health.
NATIONAL POLITICS
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump has chaired the first meeting of his full Cabinet, saying its members are here to "change Washington."
WASHINGTON (AP) — Republicans are taking a big political risk on health care.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Attorney General Jeff Sessions is preparing to face former Senate colleagues over his role in the controversy around ties between the Trump campaign and Russia, part of an escalating investigation into possible Russian meddling in the 2016 elections.
FRIDAY, JUNE 9
PREDATORS
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Pekka Rinne's struggles in Pittsburgh have his Nashville Predators on the brink of elimination.
PITTSBURGH (AP) — The night started with a catfish throw.
MIDSTATE
MANCHESTER (AP) — A man accused of bringing more than a thousand doses of fake drugs to the Bonnaroo music festival said he was doing "God's Work" with the bogus substances, Tennessee authorities said Thursday.
NASHVILLE AREA
NASHVILLE (AP) — A small aircraft with one person on board flipped over during a rough landing at a Nashville airport.
STATEWIDE
MEMPHIS (AP) — A former federal prosecutor will lead a team of lawyers to investigate allegations of illegal activity within Tennessee's largest school system.
MEMPHIS (AP) — A Tennessee city is starting a new program that will help employees repay their student loans.
MUSIC INDUSTRY
After walking away empty-handed at the Grammy Awards and the Academy of Country Music Awards earlier this year, Keith Urban found redemption at the 2017 CMT Music Awards, picking up four honors including video of the year for "Blue Ain't Your Color."
HEALTH CARE
A prominent Blue Cross-Blue Shield insurer is planning to return to the Affordable Care Act's health insurance exchanges next year in several states, including big markets like Texas and Illinois.
AUTO INDUSTRY
DETROIT (AP) — Honda said Thursday that it will have highly automated personal cars on the road by 2025.
TECHNOLOGY
NEW YORK (AP) — Online music service Pandora is raising cash to help it take on Spotify and other streaming music services.
NEW YORK (AP) — Verizon has a simple goal in buying Yahoo: It wants to challenge Google and Facebook in the huge and lucrative field of digital advertising. But Verizon faces its own challenge in doing so, given that it will be competing against a slew of other companies also looking to break in.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
Wall Street turned in an uneven finish Friday as investors unloaded their technology company shares in favor of energy and financial stocks.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Buoyed by higher stock prices, Americans' household net worth rose 1.4 percent to $94.8 trillion in the first three months of this year, a trend that could support future spending.
FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — The European Central Bank took small steps Thursday toward phasing out its extraordinary support measures for the economy, but made it clear the recovery still needs backing from the central bank despite its growing strength.
NEW YORK (AP) — Members of the Nordstrom family including co-presidents Blake, Peter and Erik Nordstrom are considering making an offer to buy out the 70 percent of the department store's stock they don't already own.
NATIONAL POLITICS
WASHINGTON (AP) — An influential conservative lawmaker says Republicans controlling the House are simply stuck and are unable to pass a party budget.
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump on Friday broke his silence on Twitter following explosive testimony by fired FBI Director James Comey, declaring "total and complete vindication."
WASHINGTON (AP) — Rep. Trey Gowdy is known as a dogged investigator of Hillary Clinton. Now Democrats wonder whether the South Carolina Republican will pursue President Donald Trump with the same vigor he used in going after the Democratic presidential candidate.
WASHINGTON (AP) — For three hours, former FBI Director James Comey leveled an unrelenting attack on the credibility of the president of the United States.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Former FBI Director James Comey asserted Thursday that President Donald Trump fired him to interfere with his investigation of Russia's ties to the Trump campaign, bluntly accusing the White House of spreading "lies, plain and simple."
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump has tried to give new life to a Republican health care bill that's facing uncertain prospects in Congress, using a speech about infrastructure in Cincinnati to go after "Obamacare," too.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Republican-led House has moved closer to fulfilling President Donald Trump's goal of doing "a big number" on Dodd-Frank, the landmark banking law created after the 2008 economic crisis that was designed to prevent future meltdowns.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Emboldened by a business-friendly president, Republicans in Congress have set a goal that is nothing if not ambitious: To undo the stricter banking rules that took effect after the devastating 2008 financial crisis.
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — While major airlines are on board with the president's desire to privatize the Federal Aviation Administration's air traffic control operations, some in the general aviation industry have concerns.