VOL. 35 | NO. 27 | Friday, July 8, 2011
GREEN BUSINESS
Chris Clark is a conservationist by birth. His father, Steve, founded Steve Clark and Associates, a Nashville-based natural resource planning firm 36 years ago. By combining landscape architecture and civil engineering with urban forestry, the company looks at designing sites from a holistic standpoint, taking in everything from the soil to trees.
REALTY CHECK
Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered weak and weary over a torn and tattered copy of an inspection of a home report. While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a rapping as of someone gently tapping, tapping at my chamber door. “Tis a Realtor, nothing more.” She delivered the original report to my door.
NEWSMAKERS
Lisa Ramsay Cole, an attorney with the law firm Lewis, King, Krieg and Waldrop, P.C., for more than 18 years, has been named managing partner of the firm’s Nashville office.
GET A JOB!
What’s easier, doing all the things necessary to find a new job or making excuses?
BUSINESS BOOK REVIEW
Your mother said you should be ashamed of yourself. And you were.
COLUMNIST
Most Twitter users are college educated, 26 to 44 years old, with incomes of $26K to $75K, according to Digital Surgeons. A whopping 67 percent of users follow a brand from which they intend to purchase.
I SWEAR
If memory serves, it was about this time of year in 2008 that I found myself face to face with my favorite Latin teacher at a party.
KAY'S COOKING CORNER
During the summer months, most churches hold vacation Bible school for the children and young people. Ours was last week, and it was really good. Busy, but good.
STATEWIDE
NASHVILLE (AP) — Gov. Bill Haslam is refusing to grant pay raises to hundreds of state workers who have been disciplined during the past year.
NASHVILLE (AP) — Federal prosecutors say a $220,000 settlement has been reached with a Florida-based provider of mental health services whose former employee billed the state of Tennessee for therapy sessions at nursing homes that were never held or were very brief.
NASHVILLE (AP) — A group of 39 disabled Tennesseans is suing the state over cuts to in-home care services they say will force them from their homes.
NASHVILLE (AP) — Among those no longer receiving Republican Gov. Bill Haslam's daily news roundup are 74 lawmakers, five dead people, former Democratic Gov. Phil Bredesen — and Bredesen's mother.
NATIONAL BUSINESS
WASHINGTON (AP) — Businesses added to their stockpiles for a 17th consecutive month in May. But sales fell for the first time in nearly a year, a sign that many companies could be forced to trim supply levels if the economy weakens.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Companies paid less for raw materials and factory goods in June, evidence that inflation pressures are weakening as gas prices fall.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Fixed mortgage rates fell this week, and the rate on the 15-year loan dropped to its lowest point of the year.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Fewer people applied for unemployment benefits last week, an encouraging sign that the job market may be slowly improving.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The number of homes taken back by lenders in the first half of this year fell 30 percent compared with the same 2010 period, the result of delays in foreclosure processing that threaten to stall a U.S. housing recovery.
SINGAPORE (AP) — Oil prices hovered above $98 a barrel Thursday in Asia amid speculation about a possible new round of U.S. monetary stimulus while a rating agency put the country's credit rating under review for a downgrade.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The nation's largest food companies say they will cut back on marketing unhealthier foods to children, proposing their own set of advertising standards after rejecting similar guidelines proposed by the federal government.
NEW YORK (AP) — ConocoPhillips, the nation's third-largest oil company, said Thursday that it will split itself into two separate publicly traded companies and its CEO and Chairman Jim Mulva plans to retire once the transaction is complete.
NEW YORK (AP) — JPMorgan Chase & Co.'s second-quarter income rose 13 percent as the bank collected higher fees from equity and debt underwriting in its investment banking business. The bank also cut losses in its credit card portfolio.
NATIONAL POLITICS
WASHINGTON (AP) — Echoing President Barack Obama's warning, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid says Social Security payments would stop if there is no deal to raise the government's borrowing limit by Aug. 2.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Amid new warnings and fresh signs of strain, President Barack Obama and congressional leaders are entering a perilous debt-limit endgame. The president, declaring "enough is enough," is demanding that budget negotiators find common ground by week's end even as the Senate's top Republican gained followers for his own last-ditch scheme to avoid a government default.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Testy lawmakers pointed fingers at one another and President Barack Obama on Thursday as negotiations over raising the national debt limited entered a perilous endgame. Wall Street eyed the standoff with growing anxiety, warning of catastrophe if the U.S. defaults on its obligations.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate's top Republican leader has a message for President Barack Obama on the debt limit talks: They're all yours.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Think you might do better than President Barack Obama and congressional leaders in picking and choosing what government spending to cut — or taxes to raise — to stave off a debt showdown that could wreck the economy? A new computer game gives you, too, the chance to play "Budget Hero."
WASHINGTON. (AP) — Republican presidential candidates are all but silent on Senate GOP leader Mitch McConnell's proposal to sidestep a potentially disastrous government default on loan obligations.
WEDNESDAY, JULY 13
STATEWIDE
NASHVILLE (AP) — All the legislation approved this year during the General Assembly is now available online.
NASHVILLE (AP) — State officials have issued a warrant for a woman charged with spray painting graffiti on the state Capitol last month.
NASHVILLE (AP) — A freshman Tennessee lawmaker who admits carving her initials into her desk in the state House chamber is going to have to pay to fix it.
NASHVILLE (AP) — Gov. Bill Haslam has asked President Barack Obama to declare seven counties federal disaster areas as a result of severe weather June 18-25.
NATIONAL BUSINESS
LONDON (AP) — Oil prices slipped to near $97 a barrel Wednesday in Europe after a report showed U.S. crude supplies unexpectedly rose last week, suggesting demand is weak.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Parents seeking healthier restaurant meals for their kids can start to look beyond chicken nuggets and macaroni-and-cheese.
NEW YORK (AP) — Capital One Financial Corp. said Wednesday that its second-quarter profit climbed 50 percent, as the improving payment habits of its credit card and loan customers allowed the bank to sharply reduce the amount it had set aside to cover uncollected payments.
NEW YORK (AP) — Stock futures are rising after an encouraging report on China's growth.
NATIONAL POLITICS
WASHINGTON (AP) — Budget talks between President Barack Obama and his GOP rivals are at a frustrating standstill, leading a top Republican to launch a long-shot proposal to give Obama sweeping new powers to muscle through an increase in the government's debt limit without the approval of a bitterly divided Congress.
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama aims at corporate fat cats when he calls for a tax increase on companies that own private jets. But he hits an American manufacturing industry that is just starting to show life after years of slumping sales and thousands of job losses.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said Wednesday that the central bank is prepared to provide additional stimulus if the current economic lull persists.
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama collected $86 million combined for his re-election campaign and the Democratic party during the past three months, giving him a large fundraising advantage over the Republican field seeking to challenge him in 2012.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Despite billions of dollars in security enhancements, U.S. airports are still vulnerable to terror attacks, according to a Republican congressman who is probing these deficiencies.
TUESDAY, JULY 12
NASHVILLE AREA
NASHVILLE (AP) — Music industry officials are meeting this week in Nashville to discuss ways to combat online music piracy.
NASHVILLE (AP) — Officials at the Nashville International Airport on Tuesday will celebrate its terminal renovation.
FRANKLIN (AP) — Nissan North America Inc. said Monday that pricing for its redesigned 2012 Nissan Versa sedan will start at $10,990.
STATEWIDE
NASHVILLE (AP) — Tennessee tax collections in June exceeded state budget estimates for the 11th straight month.
NATIONAL BUSINESS
WASHINGTON (AP) — It's shaping up to be a long, tough summer for jobseekers: The number of job postings didn't increase in May, the latest sign that hiring is unlikely to pick up anytime soon.
ST. LOUIS (AP) — Corn supplies are projected to be higher than expected this fall. A bigger crop would ease concerns of a grain shortage and could slow food inflation later this year.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. trade deficit surged in May to the highest level in more than two and a half years, driven wider by a big increase in oil imports and a decline in exports.
LONDON (AP) — Oil prices fell to near $94 a barrel on Tuesday as financial markets were hit by worries about Europe's debt crisis and the U.S. dollar strengthened, making commodities like crude more expensive for international investors.
MILAN (AP) — European financial markets were slammed Tuesday by fears that Italy and Spain would be dragged into the debt crisis, though investors found some relief in signs that Rome would speed up approval of austerity measures.
NATIONAL POLITICS
ASHINGTON (AP) — The top two Republicans in Congress sought Tuesday to put the onus on President Barack Obama for failure to resolve a fight over how to increase the government's borrowing authority. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said a deal with Obama is "probably unattainable" and House Speaker John Boehner said the specter of default is "his problem."
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Republican chairman of the House Budget Committee says his party is vehemently opposed to tax increases because U.S. businesses have been put at a disadvantage with their foreign competitors.
WASHINGTON (AP) — On the surface, it would seem like an opportune time for Congress to include targeted tax hikes as part of a cost-cutting package to reduce the huge federal deficit.
MONDAY, JULY 11
STATEWIDE
NASHVILLE (AP) — Gov. Bill Haslam plans to take a more proactive approach when the General Assembly meets next year after struggling to catch up with the flood of legislative initiatives in his first session.
NASHVILLE (AP) — Staffers in the state Senate have begun retransmitting Republican Gov. Bill Haslam's daily news summary through social media.
NASHVILLE (AP) — The state is looking to recognize Tennessee companies that have shown strong export growth.
NASHVILLE AREA
NASHVILLE (AP) — Metro Nashville has confirmed the first Hispanic woman ever to head a city department.
NATIONAL BUSINESS
NEW YORK (AP) — The latest readings on Chinese inflation and renewed worries about European debt are pushing oil lower.
YOKOHAMA, Japan (AP) — Japanese automaker Nissan is testing a super-green way to recharge its Leaf electric vehicle using solar power, part of a broader drive to improve electricity storage systems.
AP Sources: GM to sell diesel Chevy Cruze in US
NEW YORK (AP) — The parent of Dunkin' Donuts plans to raise as much as $461 million when it takes the company public, up from the $400 million it originally estimated.
LONDON (AP) — Shares in British Sky Broadcasting dropped sharply Monday on growing doubts over News Corp.'s ability to take full control of the lucrative satellite broadcaster amid signs that the government is looking at ways to block the deal.
GENEVA (AP) — Nestle SA, the world's biggest food and drink company, took another big step into the Chinese market Monday with the announcement that it is to buy a majority stake in candy maker Hsu Fu Chi for 2.1 billion Singapore dollars ($1.7 billion; $1.4 billion Swiss francs).
NATIONAL POLITICS
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama raised the stakes Monday in talks aimed at preventing an unprecedented U.S. default, saying there would be no agreement if Republicans did not compromise and that he would not sign a short-term agreement.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Speaker John Boehner says he agrees with President Barack Obama that the nation's borrowing limit must be raised to avoid a government default but insists that House Republicans won't back any deal with tax increases.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The No. 2 Senate Democrat is demanding that fellow lawmakers "stay, close the deal" on a new budget agreement to avert a government default in about three weeks.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Two senators from ethanol-producing states proposed Thursday to immediately end a tax credit for the corn-based fuel and agreeing to support shifting some of that money to debt reduction.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States and other Mideast mediators meet Monday in Washington, with the Israeli-Palestinian peace process in shambles and an upcoming U.N. confrontation over whether to admit Palestine as an independent country only likely to make the decades-old deadlock even more intractable.
FRIDAY, JULY 8
STATEWIDE
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — No news is not good news to hundreds of political figures who have quit receiving a popular daily roundup of state media reports e-mailed by Gov. Bill Haslam's office.
GATLINBURG (AP) — Visits to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park are off 9 percent from January through May, when compared with the first five months of 2010.
NASHVILLE (AP) — An audit by the state comptroller's office alleges that Community Health Network Inc. lost or misspent more than $1.2 million over a three-year period, including $700,000 from state funds.
MURFREESBORO (AP) — Gov. Bill Haslam on Thursday applauded the state's improved standardized test scores but acknowledged more work has to be done to meet federal regulations.
KNOXVILLE (AP) — A group proposing a national highway system for trains has been getting endorsements from public officials in Tennessee and other Southeastern states, but they have yet to get any public or private funds committed to the project.
WALLAND (AP) — Travel + Leisure Magazine has ranked Blackberry Farm in East Tennessee the No. 1 resort in the continental U.S. and Canada for 2011.
NASHVILLE AREA
NASHVILLE (AP) — An estimated 5,000 members of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) will meet in Nashville Saturday through Wednesday for the church's biennial General Assembly.
NATIONAL BUSINESS
WASHINGTON (AP) — Hiring slowed to a near-standstill last month. Employers added the fewest jobs in nine months and the unemployment rate rose to 9.2 percent.
SINGAPORE (AP) — Oil prices hovered below $99 a barrel Friday in Asia ahead of key jobs data from June that could shed light on the strength of the U.S. economy.
U.S. stocks opened sharply lower Friday after the government said businesses added the fewest jobs in June in more than a year. The unemployment rate rose to 9.2 percent.
WASHINGTON (AP) — June may turn out to have been a good month to find a job after all.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Wholesale companies added to their stockpiles for a 17th straight month in May but their sales declined for only the second time in the past 11 months, providing further evidence of the U.S. economy's slowdown in the spring.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Obama administration is making it easier for out-of-work homeowners to stay in their homes, as it tries to revamp its troubled foreclosure-prevention program.
NEW YORK (AP) — American consumers who were enticed by warmer weather and deep discounts of up to 80 percent on summer merchandise went on a buying binge in June, helping many retailers deliver the most robust revenue gains for that month since 1999.
A funny thing happened on the way to lower oil and gasoline prices: They went up.
BERLIN (AP) — Automaker BMW AG says it is buying a car leasing unit of Dutch bank ING Groep NV for euro637 million ($912 million).
NATIONAL POLITICS
WASHINGTON (AP) — With an August deadline for a budget deal to raise the nation's debt ceiling looming, President Barack Obama and congressional negotiators are looking at closing some tax loopholes and cutting popular social benefit programs as they work to reach an agreement between Republicans and Democrats.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The top House Democrat says she and fellow Democratic lawmakers will oppose including cuts in Social Security or Medicare benefits in any package aimed at reducing huge federal deficits.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The House is sending mixed signals on President Barack Obama's military action against Libya, voting to prohibit weapons and training to rebels looking to oust Moammar Gadhafi but stopping short of trying to cut off money for American participation in the NATO-led mission.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Six months after Rep. Gabrielle Giffords was shot, the White House is preparing to propose some new steps on gun safety, though they're likely to fall short of the bold measures activists would like to see.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The House voted Thursday to bar military aid to Libyan rebels battling Moammar Gadhafi but stopped short of prohibiting funds for U.S. involvement in a NATO-led mission now in its fourth month.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Internal Revenue Service is dropping its investigation of five donors for making contributions to the kind of nonprofit groups that have become popular for spending millions of dollars on political ads in the past few years, the agency announced Thursday.
WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal appeals court has restored a longstanding ban that prevents media companies from owning both a newspaper and a television station in the same market.