VOL. 37 | NO. 31 | Friday, August 2, 2013
REALTY CHECK
Home sales in the Nashville area continue to be hot despite the recent rise in interest rates. This increase has been much-anticipated and, many feel, a portent of things to come as these artificially low rates have to end at some point.
TERRY McCORMICK
When a team hasn’t won a playoff game in nearly a decade and hasn’t been to the postseason in five years, it’s easy to slip off the radar.
NEWSMAKERS
Watkins College of Art, Design & Film has named William H. Braddy III, Deborah G. Crowder, Marci Mason, and Cano A. Ozgener to its board. Each will serve three-year terms.
BUSINESS BOOK REVIEW
Your bankbook feels fatter these days and you sleep better at night.
GUERRILLA MARKETING
With all the attention paid to big brands making big blunders in the face of crisis, it’s refreshing to celebrate a brand getting it right.
SMART STUFF 4 WORK
Let’s think like farmers for a minute. It has often struck me that if you want to develop practical solutions to problems, you should try to think like farmers.
I SWEAR
“The court has viewed Woody Allen’s movie, Midnight in Paris, read the book, Requiem for a Nun, and is thankful that the parties did not ask the court to compare The Sound and the Fury with Sharknado.”
KAY'S COOKING CORNER
This past week, and in the weeks to come, Don and I have been moving. We have purchased another house that’s much smaller, and the yard – well, the new place is a patio home, so it’s just about non-existent.
MUSIC INDUSTRY
NASHVILLE (AP) - "Cowboy" Jack Clement, a producer, engineer, songwriter and beloved figure who helped birth rock 'n' roll and push country music into modern times, has died. He was 82.
STATEWIDE
NASHVILLE (AP) - Gov. Bill Haslam has named Robert E. Oglesby to become the new commissioner of the state Department of General Services.
NASHVILLE AREA
BOISE, Idaho (AP) — A former warden for private prison giant Corrections Corporation of America says he didn't know that mandatory posts at the Idaho prison he led were chronically unstaffed.
AUTO INDUSTRY
DETROIT (AP) — Two redesigned Honda Civic models were the only small cars to get the top rating in stringent front-end crash tests performed by an insurance industry group.
DETROIT (AP) — Electric car maker Tesla reported a narrower loss for the second quarter on Wednesday, sparking an after-hours rally in its stock.
HEALTH CARE
WASHINGTON (AP) — It started out a political "gotcha" — an amendment to President Barack Obama's health care law requiring members of Congress and staffers to get the same coverage offered to uninsured Americans. Wednesday, the administration tossed it back in the lap of Congress.
NATIONAL BUSINESS
WASHINGTON (AP) — A measure of Americans who applied for unemployment benefits over the past month has fallen to its lowest level in almost six years, signaling fewer layoffs.
NEW YORK (AP) — Retailers are reporting a slow start to the critical back-to-school shopping season in July. Shoppers focused on discounted summer merchandise but held off on picking up new fall clothing in an uncertain economy.
NEW YORK (AP) — An early rally on Wall Street fizzled, leaving the stock market slightly higher in midday trading Thursday.
BANGKOK (AP) — A drop in oil supplies and positive Chinese trade figures helped boost the price of oil on Thursday.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Average U.S. rates on fixed mortgages barely changed this week, giving prospective homebuyers time to lock in relatively low rates.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Mortgage giant Fannie Mae earned $10.1 billion in the second quarter, aided by the recovery in the housing market. The government-controlled company has turned a profit in each of the past six quarters.
NEW YORK (AP) — McDonald's says a key sales figure edged up modestly in July, as the Dollar Menu and Big Macs in the U.S. helped offset declines in other parts of the world.
NATIONAL POLITICS
WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House says President Barack Obama will sign a bill Friday to lower the costs of borrowing for millions of students.
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 7
COURTS
NASHVILLE (AP) — The Tennessee appellate court clerk's office is installing a new system to track appeals and provide online access.
NASHVILLE (AP) — Gov. Bill Haslam has appointed John C. Rambo as chancellor of the 1st Judicial District that serves Washington, Unicoi, Carter and Johnson counties.
NATIONAL BUSINESS
WASHINGTON (AP) — Americans borrowed more in June to buy cars and attend schools. But they were frugal again with their credit cards, indicating many remain wary of taking on high-interest debt.
NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks are closing lower on Wall Street after several companies reported weak earnings.
NEW YORK (AP) — The price of oil fell Wednesday as the prospect of the Federal Reserve pulling back on stimulus measures hung over the market.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Freddie Mac earned $5 billion from April through March, the seventh straight profitable quarter for the mortgage giant.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Homebuyers could feel the pinch if Congress follows through on plans to shut down Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the government-controlled mortgage guarantee giants that were rescued by a $187 billion taxpayer bailout during the financial crisis.
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Samsung Electronics Co. has applied for U.S. and South Korean trademarks for a watch that connects to the Internet in the latest sign that consumer technology companies see wearable devices as the future of their business.
NEW YORK (AP) — Time Warner, owner of HBO, CNN, and Warner Bros., said Wednesday that its second-quarter net income jumped 87 percent, boosted by better results at its film and TV businesses.
NATIONAL POLITICS
WASHINGTON (AP) — One of the key Senate players in the push to overhaul America's immigration system is voicing fresh confidence that an accommodation can be reached with the House.
WASHINGTON (AP) — After Mitt Romney's 2012 loss, many senior Republicans concluded the party must moderate its image on issues such as immigration and reproductive rights.
TUESDAY, AUGUST 6
REGION
KNOXVILLE (AP) — The Tennessee Valley Authority didn't sell as much electricity in its third fiscal quarter as last year's equivalent period, but it produced more cheap power.
NASHVILLE AREA
NEW YORK (AP) - The captain of a Southwest Airlines plane that landed on a collapsing nose gear at LaGuardia Airport took control from the first officer just 400 feet from the ground, the National Transportation Safety Board said Tuesday.
BOISE, Idaho (AP) — A federal judge has ordered that several documents be unsealed in a lawsuit between Idaho inmates and Corrections Corporation of America just days before a hearing is set over whether the private prison company should be held in contempt of court.
AUTO INDUSTRY
NASHVILLE (AP) - General Motors plans to spend another $167 million at its Tennessee factory so it can build two new midsize vehicles.
TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (AP) — Americans are keeping their cars and trucks longer than ever, and even with new car sales increasing, the average age will continue to rise, an industry research firm says.
DETROIT (AP) — General Motors is knocking 13 percent off the sticker price of the Chevrolet Volt electric car as it tries to keep pace with rivals in the market for plug-in vehicles.
NATIONAL BUSINESS
NEW YORK (AP) — Disappointing earnings news and a slump in bank stocks tugged the stock market lower early Wednesday, putting major indexes on track for their first three-day drop since June.
NEW YORK (AP) — The price of oil fell along with the stock market Tuesday. Meanwhile, the price of gasoline costs less than a year ago for the first time in more than two months.
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. employers in June advertised the most jobs in five years but hired fewer workers, a mixed sign for the recovering job market.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. trade deficit narrowed sharply in June to its lowest level in more than 3 ½ years. Exports rose to all-time high and imports declined, signs that economic growth could be stronger than previously thought.
U.S. home prices surged 11.9 percent in June from a year earlier, reflecting stronger demand amid a tight supply of homes for sale.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Switzerland's biggest bank, UBS, has agreed to pay about $50 million to settle federal civil charges of misleading investors in its sale of risky mortgage bonds ahead of the 2008 financial crisis.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Homeowners are doing a better job of making timely mortgage payments, a trend that brought down the national late-payment rate on home loans in the second quarter to the lowest level in five years.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Jeff Bezos turned selling books online into a multibillion-dollar business that has changed retailing forever. Many are now anxious to see if Bezos can do the same for the media industry, after the Amazon.com founder announced he is buying The Washington Post and other newspapers for $250 million.
NATIONAL POLITICS
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama is proposing to overhaul the nation's mortgage finance system, including shutting down government-backed Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac — a plan with bipartisan support on Capitol Hill.
WASHINGTON (AP) — For many House conservatives, President Barack Obama's decision to delay a central provision of his health care law has emerged as a major arguing point — not against that law but in opposition to immigration legislation.
MONDAY, AUGUST 5
NASHVILLE AREA
NASHVILLE (AP) - Corrections Corp. of America, one of the largest prison operators in the country, has completed its approximately $36 million acquisition of the privately held Correctional Alternatives Inc.
STATE LEGISLATURE
CINCINNATI (AP) — Thousands of civilian drones are expected in U.S. skies within a few years and concerns they could be used to spy on Americans are fueling legislative efforts in several states to regulate the unmanned aircraft.
NASHVILLE (AP) - House Republican Caucus Chairman Glen Casada has drawn his first primary opponent in a decade.
NATIONAL BUSINESS
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. service firms expanded in July at the fastest pace since February, fueled by a brisker month of sales and a jump in new orders. The increase suggests economic growth could be picking up after a weak first half of the year.
NEW YORK (AP) — A quiet day of trading left stock indexes mixed Monday.
NEW YORK (AP) — Oil fell slightly Monday as the market waited for the latest forecasts for global demand.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Amazon.com founder Jeff Bezos is buying The Washington Post and other newspapers for $250 million.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Time Warner Cable CEO Glenn Britt has offered to end a four-day blackout of CBS stations, saying the cable operator would allow CBS to sell its stations' signal "a la carte" to consumers instead of being packaged with other channels.
Terrance Wise has two jobs in Kansas City — one at a burger joint, a second at a pizza restaurant — but he says his paychecks aren't enough to buy shoes for his three daughters and insure his 15-year-old car. So he decided to draw attention to his plight: He walked off work in protest.
COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — Want to build a new home for Homer or try out a new hairstyle for Marge?
NEW YORK (AP) — Newsweek is being sold for the second time in just a few years.
NATIONAL POLITICS
WASHINGTON (AP) — House Republicans will take a carefully orchestrated, staunchly anti-Washington campaign to voters this month, blaming President Barack Obama and his fellow Democrats for Americans' unhappiness with government.
FRIDAY, AUGUST 2
MUSIC INDUSTRY
NASHVILLE (AP) - The estranged wife of rocker Jack White has filed a restraining order against him after she said in their divorce filings he was threatening her and she fears for her safety and her children's.
NASHVILLE AREA
NASHVILLE (AP) - The Tennessee Chamber of Commerce and Industry is hosting a seminar Tuesday for businesses on important changes to Tennessee tax law.
STATEWIDE
NASHVILLE (AP) - The commissioner of the Tennessee Department of General Services is leaving to take a job in the private sector, Gov. Bill Haslam said Friday.
NASHVILLE (AP) - Proponents of allowing wine to be sold in Tennessee supermarkets and convenience stores are touting a new study that they say suggests that the change would not be linked to increased crime or traffic fatalities.
NASHVILLE (AP) — A vote to scuttle penalties against prominent Republican operative Tom Ingram fell short Thursday in the state Ethics Commission.
HEALTH CARE
NASHVILLE (AP) — HCA Holdings Inc.'s second-quarter earnings climbed more than 8 percent, as the largest U.S. hospital chain saw admissions climb at its established locations and reaped more revenue out of each admission.
AUTO INDUSTRY
TOKYO (AP) — Toyota Motor Corp. said its profit for the first quarter of the fiscal year nearly doubled from a year ago, and set an ambitious, worldwide production goal that would break industry records if reached.
DETROIT (AP) — Pickup trucks may have led the charge, but strong sales of small cars in July showed demand for new vehicles is broad — and not slowing down.
NATIONAL BUSINESS
NEW YORK (AP) — The stock market is closing slightly higher after erasing an early loss.
NEW YORK (AP) — The price of oil fell Friday after two days of big gains, as investors took profits following a report that showed job growth slowed in the U.S. last month.
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. employers added 162,000 jobs in July, a modest increase and the fewest since March. At the same time, the unemployment rate fell to a 4½-year low of 7.4 percent, a hopeful sign.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Consumers increased their spending in June at the fastest pace in four months even though their income growth slowed.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Orders placed with U.S. factories rose to a record high in June, boosted by strong demand for airplanes, machinery and autos.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Companies have all but stopped laying off workers. They just aren't hiring many.
WASHINGTON (AP) — With union membership on the decline, labor leaders are getting more creative — and some say more desperate — to boost sagging numbers and rebuild their waning clout.
ROUND ROCK, Texas (AP) — A special committee of Dell's board has agreed to an increased offer from founder Michael Dell that would add a special dividend for shareholders.
Activist investor Carl Icahn is suing Dell to prevent the PC maker from changing crucial details of a buyout offer from founder Michael Dell that Icahn stridently opposes.
NEW YORK (AP) — Viacom Inc. said Friday that its fiscal third-quarter net income rose 20 percent, boosted by higher affiliate fees at its cable TV channels and an increase in advertising revenue.
NEW YORK (AP) — With its first smartphone designed completely in-house, Google is demonstrating one of the benefits of moving production from Asia to the U.S.: It's letting buyers customize phones to give them their own style.
NEW YORK (AP) — A former Goldman Sachs trader who earned the nickname "Fabulous Fab" was found liable Thursday in a fraud case brought by federal regulators in response to the 2007 mortgage crisis that helped push the country into recession.
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. factories revved up production, hired more workers and received a surge of new orders in July, helping them expand at the fastest pace in two years. The gains suggest manufacturing is rebounding and could provide a spark to economic growth.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe has a wish list for raising cash for his financially ailing agency. High on it is delivery of beer, wine and spirits.
NATIONAL POLITICS
WASHINGTON (AP) — The accomplishments are few, the chaos plentiful in the 113th Congress, a discourteous model of divided government now beginning a five-week break.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Senior Pentagon leaders offered a sober assessment Thursday of the impact of automatic spending cuts on the military, arguing that they are embarrassing and unsafe for the United States while imploring a stymied Congress to stop them.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Republicans Thursday killed a $54 billion funding bill for transportation, housing and community development grants because it exceeded the punishing spending limits required under automatic budget cuts that are the product of Washington's failure to deal with its fiscal problems.
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama has chosen a retired corporate and government official with experience managing numerous organizations in crisis to take over an Internal Revenue Service under fire for screening of political groups.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Forty-one pro-immigrant activists were arrested outside the Capitol Thursday after blocking traffic while pushing for passage of comprehensive immigration legislation.