VOL. 39 | NO. 30 | Friday, July 24, 2015
Here is our 2013 interview with Francis S. Guess, who died Thursday.
STREET LEVEL
Lorenzo Washington pushes “pause” on his conversation so he doesn’t have to compete with the scream of a fire engine as it roars past his Jefferson Street recording empire and into the barbecue-flavored haze of this steamy, storm-threatened mid-summer’s day.
REALTY CHECK
If being the “It City” means that a super PAC from Texas elects the city’s mayor, I vote we relinquish the crown.
REAL ESTATE
Top residential real estate transactions, June 2015, for Davidson, Williamson, Rutherford, Wilson and Sumner counties, as compiled by Chandler Reports.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Average long-term U.S. mortgage rates fell this week, retreating from highs for the year and amplifying the incentive for prospective home buyers.
NEWSMAKERS
David Posch, CEO of Vanderbilt University Adult Hospital and Clinics and executive director for the Vanderbilt Medical Group, has been named to the newly created position of associate vice chancellor for Population Health.
BEHIND THE WHEEL
America’s favorite truck, the Ford F-Series, was revamped from top to bottom for 2015, and the handsomely styled result shows how far pickups have come from their rough-riding and utilitarian past.
GUERRILLA MARKETING
Curiosity might have killed the cat, but it can almost always keep you from killing a deal.
CAREER CORNER
Being out of work in today’s economy can be daunting. Even as things continue to improve, finding a job can be tough.
FAMILY TRAVEL
Waking on Sunday morning in the HoteLumiere in Downtown St. Louis, I was physically beat from a scorching hot Cardinals game the night before.
I SWEAR
Two weeks ago we left the 17-year-old Ben Franklin in the process of fleeing Boston. That was where he and his employer/brother, James, had literally come to blows.
KAY'S COOKING CORNER
One of the most beautiful signs of spring is a pink-flowering cherry tree promising succulent fruit in about two months. The only thing better is being able to enjoy the succulent fruit a few months later.
NASHVILLE AREA
NASHVILLE (AP) — More than 400 agricultural experts and farmers are expected at Tennessee State University in Nashville on Thursday for the Tennessee Small Farms Expo.
MIDSTATE
NASHVILLE (AP) — A quarantine for an insect that destroys ash trees has been expanded to five more Tennessee counties.
REAL ESTATE
WASHINGTON (AP) — Average long-term U.S. mortgage rates fell for a second straight week, with the key 30-year rate slipping below 4 percent.
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. home rental prices climbed much faster than incomes in June. But there are signs of slowing momentum around New York, Los Angeles and Washington.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. economy posted a solid rebound in the April-June quarter after a harsh winter, led by a surge in consumer spending and a recovery in foreign trade that bode well for the rest of the year.
WASHINGTON (AP) — More people sought U.S. unemployment benefits last week, though the increase was from a very low level and the figures still point to a healthy job market.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. economy grew more slowly over the past three years than the government had previously estimated, held back by more frugal consumers and steeper spending cuts by state and local governments.
NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks were slightly lower Thursday, following disappointing results from several big companies including Procter & Gamble, Whole Foods and Facebook. A positive report on U.S. economic growth did little to help the market.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Expectations have grown that sometime this year, the Federal Reserve will raise interest rates from record lows. The only question seems to be when.
LONDON (AP) — Royal Dutch Shell announced deep cuts to jobs and investment on Thursday as the global energy giant prepares for a prolonged period of low oil prices.
WEDNESDAY, JULY 29
STATEWIDE
NASHVILLE (AP) - A new sculpture planned for the state Capitol complex will celebrate Tennessee women's role in passing the 19th Amendment.
NASHVILLE (AP) - The chairwoman of the Tennessee Democratic Party wants to begin a discussion about whether to keep naming an annual fundraiser after President Andrew Jackson.
COURTS
NASHVILLE (AP) — Applications are being accepted for a judicial vacancy in Tennessee's 9th Judicial District.
STATE LEGISLATURE
NASHVILLE (AP) — A judge on Tuesday threw out a drunken driving case against freshman state Rep. Bill Beck on the basis that the police officer did not have reasonable suspicion to pull him over.
REAL ESTATE
WASHINGTON (AP) — The number of signed contracts to buy homes fell in June, as limited supplies of homes on the market are holding back possible sales growth.
HEALTH CARE
WASHINGTON (AP) — It's lasted six years. But now welcome relief from rising U.S. health care costs seems to be winding down.
WASHINGTON (AP) — When President Lyndon B. Johnson signed Medicare and Medicaid into law on July 30, 1965, Americans 65 and older were the age group least likely to have health insurance.
AUTO INDUSTRY
TOKYO (AP) — Nissan's April-June profit jumped 36 percent as the Japanese automaker benefited from a cheap yen and better sales in the U.S. and Europe.
FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — Automaker Volkswagen saw profits slip in the second quarter despite taking the global lead in sales over Toyota and GM.
DETROIT (AP) — In the age of Apple's CarPlay, a lot of cars on the road still have tape decks.
TECHNOLOGY
NEW YORK (AP) — Facebook surpassed expectations on all fronts in the second quarter, growing not just profit and revenue but its already-massive user base, mobile advertising and usage of its "family" of non-Facebook apps like Instagram and WhatsApp.
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Like a lot of teenagers, Aanya Nigam reflexively shares her whereabouts, activities and thoughts on Twitter, Instagram and other social networks without a qualm.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks rose on Wednesday after Federal Reserve policymakers voted to keep interest rates unchanged and gave no indication that a rate rise was imminent. A modest rebound in Chinese stocks also helped push the market higher.
WASHINGTON (AP) — International Monetary Fund chief Christine Lagarde says the world economy is recovering but fragile and "faces some downside risks."
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Federal Reserve is moving toward raising interest rates from record lows — just not likely yet.
NATIONAL POLITICS
WASHINGTON (AP) — The House voted overwhelmingly on Wednesday to shore up federal highway aid and veterans' health care before heading out of town for its August recess, leaving unresolved an array of sticky issues that are sure to complicate an autumn agenda already groaning under the weight of indecision.
WASHINGTON (AP) — House Speaker John Boehner says he supports a push by U.S. oil companies to ship their crude oil overseas and lift a decades-long ban on exports.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Congress is on track to shore up federal highway aid and veterans' health care before heading out of town this week for its August recess, leaving an array of sticky issues unresolved that are sure to complicate an autumn agenda already groaning under the weight of indecision.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate is moving toward the likely passage this week of a sweeping, six-year transportation bill, but the House is putting off consideration of the measure until this fall.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate will vote before its August recess on a Republican effort to bar federal aid to Planned Parenthood, GOP leaders said Tuesday, as anti-abortion groups clamored for action by lawmakers. Democrats said they will strongly oppose what they called the latest Republican effort to weaken women's health care programs, but stopped short of flatly predicting its defeat.
TUESDAY, JULY 28
MUSIC INDUSTRY
NASHVILLE (AP) - Miranda Lambert wants more women to have the kind of success she's had, so she founded a new scholarship at Belmont University.
COURTS
WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal appeals court is ordering the Environmental Protection Agency to relax some limits it set on smokestack emissions that cross state lines and taint downwind areas with air pollution from power plants.
NASHVILLE (AP) - A new judicial amendment to the state constitution has left an open question about when voters will get a chance to decide on a new Supreme Court justice.
STATEWIDE
NASHVILLE (AP) - Republican Gov. Bill Haslam announced Tuesday that he will kick off a 15-stop tour of Tennessee to highlight the state's transportation funding challenges as he considers a proposal to increase the gas tax for the first time in 25 years.
NASHVILLE (AP) — The Tennessee Department of Health wants residents to become more aware of Hepatitis C, saying the rate of acute cases in the state has more than tripled in the last seven years.
REAL ESTATE
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. home prices rose steadily in May, pushed higher by a healthy increase in sales this year.
TECHNOLOGY
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Microsoft's new Windows 10 operating system debuts Wednesday, as the longtime leader in PC software struggles to carve out a new role in a world where people increasingly rely on smartphones, tablets and information stored online.
AUTO INDUSTRY
TOKYO (AP) — Volkswagen overtook Toyota in global vehicle sales for January-June, the first time the German automaker has come out top in the intensely competitive tallies.
DEARBORN, Michigan (AP) — Ford Motor Co.'s net income jumped 44 percent to $1.9 billion in the second quarter as global sales rose and the company was able to charge more for new trucks and SUVs with premium features.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
NEW YORK (AP) — Global stocks steadied and U.S. markets advanced Tuesday, as investors were encouraged by strong results from UPS, Ford and other big companies.
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. consumer confidence fell this month to the lowest level since September. Consumers are worried about the job market and rattled by events in Greece and China.
BEIJING (AP) — China's stock market tumbled this week despite a massive government intervention aimed at halting a slide in prices that began last month. At its peak in early June, the Shanghai Composite Index had risen about 150 percent from late 2014. After dropping 30 percent over several weeks, government support measures calmed the market. But on Monday the sell-off resumed, with the Shanghai index suffering a drop of 8.5 percent, its biggest daily fall since February 2007. Here's what the sell-off means for China's economy and other countries.
NATIONAL POLITICS
NEW YORK (AP) — Small businesses are again able to get loans backed by the federal government.
MONDAY, JULY 27
NASHVILLE AREA
NASHVILLE (AP) - Five years after immigration agents and local police raided a south Nashville apartment complex, the federal and Nashville governments have agreed to pay $310,000 to 14 people who sued over constitutional violations.
STATEWIDE
MURFREESBORO (AP) - Former Associated Press executive Kent Flanagan is among nine people being inducted posthumously into the Tennessee Journalism Hall of Fame Aug. 11 in Murfreesboro.
AUTO INDUSTRY
DETROIT (AP) — Fiat Chrysler could be required to lay out hundreds of millions of dollars to get potentially defective Ram pickups and older Jeeps off the road under a deal with safety regulators to settle claims that the automaker mishandled nearly two dozen recalls.
TECHNOLOGY
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Jody Kearns doesn't like to spend time obsessing about her Parkinson's disease. The 56-year-old dietitian from Syracuse, New York, had to give up bicycling because the disorder affected her balance. But she still works, drives and tries to live a normal life.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
WASHINGTON (AP) — Orders to U.S. factories for big-ticket manufactured goods posted a sizable gain in June, reflecting a surge in demand for commercial aircraft. Meanwhile, a key category that reflects business investment rebounded after two months of declines.
NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks are closing lower following a steep sell-off in China and losses in other global markets.
ATHENS, Greece (AP) — The Greek government was poised Monday for the imminent start of intricate bailout discussion but faced rebuke following revelations that former finance minister, Yanis Varoufakis, formed a secret committee to plan for the possible conversion of euros into drachmas "at a drop of a hat."
NATIONAL POLITICS
WASHINGTON (AP) — House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy is ruling out House action on a long-term, must-pass highway bill the Senate is considering.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Senior Senate Republicans lined up Sunday to rebuke Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz for harshly criticizing Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, an extraordinary display of intraparty division played out live on the Senate floor.
FRIDAY, JULY 24
COURTS
NASHVILLE (AP) - State Supreme Court Justice Gary Wade, a target of a failed ouster campaign led by Republican Senate Speaker Ron Ramsey last year, says he plans to retire in September.
NASHVILLE AREA
NASHVILLE (AP) — A Tennessee State University graduate and civil rights advocate is among a dozen people being recognized by the White House for their efforts in protecting the environment and communities from the effects of climate change.
STATEWIDE
NASHVILLE (AP) - Tennessee is among seven states that have received extended No Child Left Behind waivers.
REAL ESTATE
WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. housing market has sizzled this summer, lifting expectations that home sales will finally help drive an economic expansion now in its seventh year.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Fewer Americans bought new homes in June, a possible sign that the real estate market might not be as hot as it appeared at the start of summer.
HEALTH CARE
NEW YORK (AP) — Anthem is buying rival Cigna for $48 billion in a deal that would create the nation's largest health insurer by enrollment, covering about 53 million U.S patients.
AUTO INDUSTRY
DETROIT (AP) — Fiat Chrysler has decided to recall about 1.4 million cars and trucks in the U.S. just days after two hackers detailed how they were able to take control of a Jeep Cherokee SUV over the Internet.
TOKYO (AP) — Japanese media reported Friday that automaker Mitsubishi Motors has decided to end production in the U.S. to focus on Asian markets.
DETROIT (AP) — The Federal Trade Commission is investigating General Motors because of dealers who advertised certified used cars for sale even though they still needed repairs under existing recalls.
General Motors Co. is looking past last year's safety recalls of 36 million vehicles worldwide as recall costs continue to shrink. Here is a by-the-numbers look at the recall issues, including new information filed Thursday in GM's second-quarter earnings release and its report to securities regulators:
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
The U.S. stock market capped a four-day losing streak with its biggest drop of the week.
NEW YORK (AP) — AT&T's $48.5 billion purchase of DirecTV is set to close after winning approval Friday from the Federal Communications Commission.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx said Friday the government has opened a price-gouging investigation involving five airlines that allegedly raised airfares in the Northeast after a deadly Amtrak crash in Philadelphia in May disrupted rail service.
HONG KONG (AP) — China's manufacturing slumped to a 15-month low in July in a fresh sign of deterioration in the world's second biggest economy, a survey showed Friday.
ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Greece is formally inviting the International Monetary Fund to join its negotiations with European creditors over a vital third bailout — talks that were delayed Friday by logistics but are expected to conclude before Greece faces another big repayment Aug. 20, Greek officials said.
ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Giorgos Prasinoudis ran his motocycle repair shop in Athens for three decades, through good times and bad. Now a "For Sale" sign hangs outside the window.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Maybe someone should tell the Chinese their economy is slowing. They don't seem to buy it.
NATIONAL POLITICS
WASHINGTON (AP) — A GOP-controlled Senate panel has voted to lift a decades-long ban on travel to Cuba, giving a boost to President Barack Obama's moves to ease travel restrictions and open up relations with the Castro-governed nation.