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VOL. 36 | NO. 28 | Friday, July 13, 2012
LEGAL ISSUES: A SPECIAL EMPHASIS

Going solo in search of justice

State Supreme Court helps novices bypass attorneys

The Great Recession and its lingering effects are causing a greater number of Tennesseans to seek help with legal problems, especially in civil cases that involve issues such as divorce, unemployment, eviction or bankruptcy.

Free legal help available for artists

When Andy Duensing was a struggling filmmaker, he didn’t have the money to hire a lawyer to advise him on the legal impediments of getting his feature film, Make-Out with Violence, distributed, so he contacted Volunteer Lawyers & Professionals for the Arts (VLPA), a Nashville-based organization that enables artists and emerging arts nonprofits to receive pro bono legal services.

Modest Means Initiative needs influx of cash to continue work

Many legal experts in Middle Tennessee agree there’s not enough assistance available for those who don’t qualify for free services. Most in need work, but bring in a modest income.

Free and reduced-fee resources for legal help

A list of legal resources in the Middle Tennessee area.

Local Weather
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EVENTS

OSHA Training. Participants will have the opportunity to learn basic construction safety skills over two full days and receive government-issued Occupational Safety Health Administration 10 hour training cards. This course is required before advanced skills trainings.

more events »

REAL ESTATE

Big second quarter increases for Midstate home sales

Legendary baseball player and manager Yogi Berra once said of a restaurant: “No one goes there anymore. It’s too crowded.” He could just as easily have been describing Middle Tennessee: Houses are selling so fast that people can’t buy them.

Real estate trends for June 2012

June 2012 real estate trends for Davidson, Williamson, Rutherford and Wilson counties, as compiled by Chandler Reports.

Real estate trends for second quarter 2012

Second quarter 2012 real estate trends for Davidson, Williamson, Rutherford and Wilson counties, as compiled by Chandler Reports.

REALTY CHECK

How ‘affordable’ is Franklin for its workers?

The recent Greater Nashville Housing Summit featured presentations by Franklin Mayor Ken Moore and Nashville Mayor Karl Dean and focused on the status of the regional real estate market.

GREEN BUSINESS

Pending changes could cut incentives for solar

Local solar companies are nervous about upcoming changes to Generation Partners, the Tennessee Valley Authority’s incentive program for green energy.

NEWSMAKERS

Four members of Avenue board re-elected

Four directors of the board have been re-elected to serve new three-year terms at Avenue Bank: David Anderson, Agenia Clark, Pat Emery and Karen Saul.

GUERRILLA MARKETING

Rip off the Band-Aid

Odds are, your company will eventually face a PR crisis – regardless of its size. PR crises can simply be accidental, such as an employee on your team neglecting to shred an important document that mistakenly fell into someone’s hands. Or you could face the more serious negligent action: an employee sold confidential customer information to a third party, for example.

SMART STUFF 4 WORK

Are you ready for Sully events?

At approximately 3:25 p.m. on Jan. 15, 2009, the pilot and co-pilot in command eased their Airbus A320 upward off runway 4 at New York’s LaGuardia airport and, as aviation enthusiasts sometimes say, “Escaped the surly bonds of earth.”

I SWEAR

No clue on Lost puzzle chronology

Dear J.V.,

KAY'S COOKING CORNER

Squeeze in some fruits and vegetables

Everyone has at least one family member who is a finicky eater. There is one in my family (my husband) and one in my daughter’s family (my youngest granddaughter, Gwynn.)

MIDSTATE

Arnold contractor requests workforce reduction

ARNOLD AIR FORCE BASE (AP) — The lead contractor at Arnold Air Force Base near Tullahoma has asked for a voluntary reduction in force.

Murfreesboro mosque not ready to open for Ramadan's start

MURFREESBORO (AP) — Tennessee Muslims who won a court battle to occupy their new mosque will have to wait a little longer while construction is finished.

STATEWIDE

State warns about scam to pay utility bills

NASHVILLE (AP) - State officials are warning about a scam in which perpetrators offer to arrange payments of consumers' utility bills.

NATIONAL BUSINESS

US rate on 30-year mortgage: 3.53 pct., new record

WASHINGTON (AP) — Average rates on fixed mortgages fell again this week to record lows, creating more incentive for buyers to enter the recovering housing market.

CEOs of American Airlines, US Airways discuss merger options

DALLAS (AP) — The CEOs of American Airlines parent AMR Corp. and US Airways met over breakfast Thursday to talk about potential merger scenarios.

US home sales drop 5.4 pct., fewest since October

WASHINGTON (AP) — Americans bought fewer homes in June than May, indicating the weak economy could make a modest housing recovery choppy.

US jobless claims rise to 386K on seasonal factors

WASHINGTON (AP) — The number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits rose by 34,000 last week, a figure that may have been skewed higher by seasonal factors.

US stocks creep up; IBM, other tech stocks rise

NEW YORK (AP) — Strong earnings from IBM and other technology companies nudged the stock market higher Thursday, but a trio of weak economic reports kept the gains in check.

Oil tops $92 for 1st time since late May

NEW YORK (AP) — Rising tensions in the Middle East have pushed oil prices sharply higher over the past three weeks, forcing drivers to pay more at the pump.

Foreclosure crisis hits older Americans hard

WASHINGTON (AP) — More than 1.5 million older Americans already have lost their homes, with millions more at risk as the national housing crisis takes its toll on those who are among the worst positioned to weather the storm, a new AARP report says.

Morgan Stanley closes a tough bank earnings season

NEW YORK (AP) — It's tough being a big bank these days.

Verizon 2Q results rise, match Street view

NEW YORK (AP) — Verizon Communications Inc., parent of the country's largest cellphone carrier, on Thursday said that its net income rose 13 percent in the second quarter as its wireless arm continued to pull in customers and higher fees.

UnitedHealth's 2Q profit rises 5.5 percent

WASHINGTON (AP) — UnitedHealth Group said Thursday that its second-quarter net income rose 5.5 percent, trumping Wall Street expectations, as enrollment gains helped fuel revenue growth and consumers continued to moderate their use of health care services.

NATIONAL POLITICS

House backs military sports sponsorships

WASHINGTON (AP) — NASCAR and bass fishing can count on the military to keep the sponsorship money coming.


WEDNESDAY, JULY 18
MIDSTATE

Judge grants Tenn. mosque's petition to open

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - A federal judge ordered a Tennessee county on Wednesday to move ahead with opening a Muslim congregation's newly built mosque after a two-year fight from opponents.

NASHVILLE AREA

Florida moving ahead with Corizon, prison health privatization

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Gov. Rick Scott's administration announced Tuesday that it was moving ahead with privatizing health care services in Florida's prisons, two weeks after a Tallahassee judge refused to rule on a legal challenge by unions representing nurses and other state employees.

Public transportation use up in Nashville

NASHVILLE (AP) — Commuter buses and a regional train in the Nashville area had more than 10 million passenger trips in the past year.

NATIONAL BUSINESS

Fed survey: Growth, hiring slowed in parts of US

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. economy expanded modestly in June and early July, but growth and hiring slowed in several parts of the country, according to a Federal Reserve survey released Wednesday.

US builders start most new homes since Oct. 2008

WASHINGTON (AP) — Home construction is making a long-awaited recovery that could help energize the U.S. economy.

Bernanke: Fed's efforts have helped the economy

WASHINGTON (AP) — Chairman Ben Bernanke told lawmakers Wednesday that the Federal Reserve's efforts to bolster growth have helped lift the U.S. economy out of the Great Recession. But he acknowledged that growth remains weak and the Fed can only do so much.

Jump in housing starts, earnings sending stocks up

NEW YORK (AP) — A new sign of recovery in the housing market and strong corporate earnings sent stocks higher for a second day.

Oil price climbs above $90 on stronger US demand

NEW YORK (AP) — The price of oil climbed above $90 per barrel for the first time since May after the government said U.S. oil demand is on the rise.

Capital One repays consumers to end card probe

WASHINGTON (AP) — Capital One Bank will pay $210 million to settle federal charges that it tricked credit card customers into buying costly add-on services like payment protection and credit monitoring.

Investigators move to seize disgraced CEO's assets

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Investigators are moving quickly to seize the wide-ranging personal assets of the founder of an Iowa brokerage who is accused of a $200 million fraud.

AT&T to introduce shared-data plans

NEW YORK (AP) — Following in Verizon's footsteps, AT&T Inc. said Wednesday that it will introduce wireless plans that let subscribers connect up to 10 phones or other devices.

Bank of America swings to a profit in Q2

Bank of America can't shake its mortgage headache.

American Airlines has 2Q loss of $241M on bankruptcy costs

DALLAS (AP) — American Airlines is reaping higher fares and record revenue but still losing money.

NATIONAL POLITICS

States saying no to 'Obamacare' could see downside

WASHINGTON (AP) — For Gov. Rick Perry, saying "no" to the federal health care law could also mean turning away up to 1.3 million Texans, nearly half the uninsured people who could be newly eligible for coverage in his state.

Obama proposes $1B for science, math teachers

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Obama administration unveiled plans Wednesday to create an elite corps of master teachers, a $1 billion effort to boost U.S. students' achievement in science, technology, engineering and math.

Highly anticipated weight-loss pill wins approval

WASHINGTON (AP) — A new weight-loss pill that many doctors consider the most effective of a new generation of anti-obesity drugs got the approval of the Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday.


TUESDAY, JULY 17
NASHVILLE AREA

Baptists have possible buyer for New Mexico center

NASHVILLE (AP) - The Southern Baptist Convention's Lifeway Christian Resources has announced a deal to sell a financially troubled conference center in New Mexico to Olivet University.

Most oppose unlimited corporate campaign spending

WASHINGTON (AP) - Most Americans know they have a constitutional right to freedom of speech, and for a clear majority, that does not translate into allowing unlimited spending by corporations or labor unions on political campaigns, according to a new survey.

STATEWIDE

State rated No. 1 for automotive manufacturing

NASHVILLE (AP) — A national publication ranks Tennessee No. 1 in automotive manufacturing strength for the third straight year.

GOP chapters call for sanctions for Haslam

NASHVILLE (AP) - At least two chapters of the Tennessee Republican Party say Gov. Bill Haslam seems to be consistently lacking conservative values and have passed resolutions calling on state party leaders to sanction him.

MIDSTATE

Nissan recalling 11,000 Jukes to fix rear seats

DETROIT (AP) — Nissan is recalling about 11,000 Juke small SUVs to fix a problem with the rear seats.

NATIONAL BUSINESS

Bernanke: Recession likely if Congress doesn't act

WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke painted a dark picture of where the U.S. economy is headed if Congress fails to reach agreement soon to avert a budget crisis.

Dow closes up 78 points; Mattel, Coke among earnings winners

NEW YORK (AP) — Stronger earnings from Mattel, Coca-Cola and other big companies lifted the Standard & Poor's 500 index on Tuesday for only the fourth day this month.

Small study: Drug may help stabilize Alzheimer's

For the first time, researchers are reporting that a treatment might help stabilize Alzheimer's disease for as much as three years, although the evidence is weak and in only four patients.

Oil price rises on housing outlook

NEW YORK (AP) — A brighter outlook for U.S. homebuilders and rising industrial production pushed the price of oil higher Tuesday for the fifth straight day.

US homebuilder confidence vaults to 5-year high

Confidence among U.S. homebuilders is swelling to a five-year high, with many now anticipating that sales of new homes will strengthen this year even as signs point to a slowing economy.

US factory output rose 0.4 percent in June

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. industrial production rose in June as factories made more cars, machines and business equipment. Factory output recovered to levels reached earlier this spring but appears to be leveling off.

Cheaper gas keeps US consumer prices flat

WASHINGTON (AP) — Consumer prices were unchanged in June, held down by cheaper gas. Outside the volatile food and energy categories, inflation was mild.

Goldman's net falls in Q2, but tops Wall Street

NEW YORK (AP) — Goldman Sachs says its net income fell 11 percent in the April-to-June period after the investment bank's clients made fewer deals and avoided volatility in global financial markets.

EU opens antitrust investigation of Microsoft

BRUSSELS (AP) — The EU's executive body, the European Commission, announced Tuesday that it was opening an investigation into whether Microsoft has kept the antitrust commitments it made in 2009, and warned that penalties for non-compliance would be "severe."

NATIONAL POLITICS

House GOP measure would kill funding for AmeriCorps, NPR, public TV, planned parenthood

WASHINGTON (AP) — House Republicans Tuesday unveiled legislation to get rid of AmeriCorps, the national service program, and cut off federal funding for National Public Radio, public television and Planned Parenthood.

Report: 2M jobs lost if automatic cuts kick in

WASHINGTON (AP) — Automatic cuts in federal spending will cost the economy more than 2 million jobs, from defense contracting to border security to education, if Congress fails to resolve the looming budget crisis, according to an analysis released Tuesday.

Senate GOP block campaign spending disclosure bill

WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Republicans blocked Democratic-backed legislation requiring organizations pouring hundreds of millions of dollars into campaign ads to disclose their top donors and the amounts they spend.


MONDAY, JULY 16
MUSIC INDUSTRY

1st female country superstar Kitty Wells dies

NASHVILLE (AP) — Singer Kitty Wells, whose hits such as "Making Believe" and "It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels" made her the first female superstar of country music, died Monday. She was 92.

Funk Brothers bass player Bob Babbitt dead at 74

DETROIT (AP) — Prominent Motown studio musician and Funk Brothers member Bob Babbitt has died. He was 74.

STATEWIDE

Tennessee releases teacher evaluation report

NASHVILLE (AP) — Tennessee education officials say teacher evaluations should be based more heavily upon how students score on tests in the subjects and grades that they teach, and less upon test scores for the entire school.

Hearings on insurance under federal plan begin

NASHVILLE (AP) - Tennessee will hold six hearings on the Affordable Care Act provision of essential health benefits.

Lottery raises record $323M for education programs

NASHVILLE (AP) - Tennessee lottery officials announced Monday that the lottery has raised more than $323 million this year for state education programs, the eighth consecutive record-setting year.

NATIONAL BUSINESS

Microsoft revamps Office for tablets, Internet

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Microsoft unveiled a new version of its widely used, lucrative suite of word processing, spreadsheet and email programs, one designed specifically with tablet computers and Internet-based storage in mind.

US business stockpiles grew 0.3 percent in May

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. companies added to their stockpiles in May. But their sales fell for a second straight month, adding to worries that the economy has slowed.

US retail sales fell 0.5 percent in June

WASHINGTON (AP) — Americans cut their spending at retail businesses in June for a third straight month, as a weak job market has made consumers more cautious.

Economists less bullish as early 2012 gains wither

DALLAS (AP) — Economists say the sales and profit gains of early this year are disappearing, and they are increasingly pessimistic about short-term growth.

IMF predicts slower growth for world, US economies

WASHINGTON (AP) — The global economy will grow more slowly over the next two years, according to the International Monetary Fund's latest forecast.

Stocks close lower after consumer spending slides

NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks closed lower for the seventh day out of the last eight on Monday after the government reported that U.S. consumers cut their spending last month.

Stephen Covey, "7 Habits" author, dies at 79

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Stephen R. Covey, author of "The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People," has died in Idaho three months after a serious bicycle accident in Utah.

Citigroup earns $2.9 billion in Q2, beats Street

NEW YORK (AP) — Citigroup made $2.9 billion in the April-to-June period, helped by lowering the amount it keeps aside for loan losses because more of its customers paid back loans on time.

Oil price rising on stimulus hopes

NEW YORK (AP) — Oil prices climbed for a fourth day on hopes that the Federal Reserve will take additional steps to prop up the economy.

Microsoft, NBC dissolve MSNBC.com joint venture

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Microsoft is pulling out of the joint venture that owned MSNBC.com, freeing the world's largest software maker to build its own online news service.

Study: Viewers turning to YouTube as news source

NEW YORK (AP) — A new study has found that YouTube is emerging as a major platform for news, one to which viewers increasingly turn for eyewitness videos in times of major events and natural disasters.

Study: Parents pulling back on college spending

CHICAGO (AP) — Families have implemented more cost-saving strategies to cut college spending in the past academic year, choosing less expensive schools and finding more economical ways for students to attend.

Ford recalls Escape crossover vehicles

Ford recalls Escape crossover vehicles

NATIONAL POLITICS

Repealing Obama's health care law wouldn't be easy

WASHINGTON (AP) — Yes, if Mitt Romney wins the White House and his Republican allies retake the Senate, he could shred most of President Barack Obama's health care law without having to overpower a Democratic filibuster.

Auditors: Billions likely wasted in Iraq work

WASHINGTON (AP) — After years of following the paper trail of $51 billion in U.S. taxpayer dollars provided to rebuild a broken Iraq, the U.S. government can say with certainty that too much was wasted. But it can't say how much.

FAA proposes fining Boeing $13.5 million

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Federal Aviation Administration on Friday proposed fining Boeing $13.5 million for failing to meet a deadline to provide airlines with instructions on how to prevent fuel tank explosions like the one that destroyed TWA Flight 800 off the coast of Long Island, N.Y., 16 years ago, killing all 230 people on board.


MONDAY, JULY 16
NASHVILLE AREA

Senate to hold hearings on TSU grade changes

NASHVILLE (AP) - The state Senate plans to hold hearings to investigate allegations that officials at Tennessee State University changed more than 100 students' grades without instructors' permission.

MIDSTATE

New auto parts plant coming to Lawrenceburg

NASHVILLE (AP) - Two automotive manufacturers have joined to build a foundry in Lawrenceville.

STATEWIDE

NRA finds some GOP lawmakers resistant to gun laws

NASHVILLE (AP) - Threats, denunciations and verbal potshots between the National Rifle Association and the leaders of the Legislature were common in the decades that Democrats ran the show in the Tennessee Capitol. Turns out Republicans are just as good at running afoul of the powerful gun rights group.

Early voting starts today for Aug. 2 primary

NASHVILLE (AP) — Early voting starts Friday for next month's primary.

GOP leaders brace for possible voter problems

NASHVILLE (AP) - Republican leaders say they expect some problems may arise from recent changes in electoral procedures when early voting starts Friday in Tennessee, but they hope to have the wrinkles ironed out by the general election in November.

Ramsey: State revenue surplus should stay in bank

NASHVILLE (AP) - Senate Speaker Ron Ramsey said Thursday that the state's revenue surplus of more than a half-billion dollars should stay in the bank despite calls from Democrats to use it to offset tuition costs and provide tax relief.

NATIONAL BUSINESS

JPMorgan Chase launches rally; Dow closes up 204 points

NEW YORK (AP) — JPMorgan Chase blew away a cloud of concern hanging over the banking industry Friday and set off a rally in stocks. Relieved investors drove up bank stocks, ended a six-day losing streak for the market and sent the Dow Jones industrial average up 204 points, the best day this month.

NY Fed told of interest rate manipulation in '07

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Federal Reserve Bank of New York released documents Friday that show it learned five years ago of big banks understating their borrowing costs to manipulate a key interest rate.

Investors retreated from stock mutual funds in June

BOSTON (AP) — A rising market didn't instill confidence last month, as investors continued to withdraw more from stock mutual funds than they deposited into them.

JPMorgan traders may have sought to conceal losses

NEW YORK (AP) — JPMorgan Chase said Friday that its traders may have tried to conceal the losses from a soured bet that has embarrassed the bank and cost it almost $6 billion — far more than its CEO first suggested.

Oil prices rise for a third day on supply concern

NEW YORK (AP) — The price of oil climbed Friday for a third straight day as traders fretted about declines in supply in key areas around the world.

US wholesale prices rise 0.1 percent in June

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. wholesale prices rose only slightly last month, as higher costs for food and pickup trucks offset another drop in energy prices. But overall inflation stayed mild, leaving the Federal Reserve room to take steps to boost the economy.

The noisiest shareholder activist takes a break

Evelyn Y. Davis is the world's most famous shareholder activist. She's also the most outspoken, the most outrageous, the most intelligent, the most confident, the most charming.

Mortgage applications boost Wells Fargo results

Wells Fargo's net income and revenue rose in the second quarter, driven by a pickup in lending and a decline in the amount of bad loans.

US 30-year mortgage rate drops to record 3.56 pct.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Average U.S. rates on fixed mortgages fell again to record lows, giving would-be buyers more incentive to brave the housing market.

Buffett says general economy slowing this summer

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Billionaire investor Warren Buffett said Thursday that U.S. economic growth has slowed in the last two months as fears about Europe's debt woes mounted.

NATIONAL POLITICS

Senate rejects Dem, GOP business tax cut bills

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate on Thursday rejected rival Democratic and Republican plans for cutting taxes on businesses, with both parties refusing to yield ground in their election-year struggle over how best to spark the economy.

Need for federal oversight of horse racing debated

WASHINGTON (AP) — Top horse racing industry figures took different sides before Congress on Thursday over whether the sport needs federal oversight to ban doping.

Boehner says no decision on farm bill vote

WASHINGTON (AP) — House Speaker John Boehner said Thursday that no decision has been made on House consideration of a five-year, $500-billion farm and nutrition bill that has cleared the Senate and was approved earlier in the day by the House Agriculture Committee with some changes.

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RECORD TOTALS DAY WEEK YEAR
PROPERTY SALES 0 0 0
MORTGAGES 0 0 0
FORECLOSURE NOTICES 0 0 0
BUILDING PERMITS 0 0 0
BANKRUPTCIES 0 0 0
BUSINESS LICENSES 0 0 0
UTILITY CONNECTIONS 0 0 0
MARRIAGE LICENSES 0 0 0