VOL. 39 | NO. 35 | Friday, August 28, 2015
STREET LEVEL
A violin prodigy at age 5 – “I’m still waiting to get better at it” – fiddler Andrea Zonn attacks life with an upbeat bow during a a slow build to what surely soon will qualify as “near-stardom.” At the very least.
REALTY CHECK
With baseball winding toward the playoffs, we honor Yogi Berra once again by using his immortal quote: “It ain’t over ’til it’s over.” He’d do OK in real estate, where it often ain’t over when it’s supposed to be.
TENNESSEE TITANS
Not too long ago, the Tennessee Titans quarterback situation was viewed not only as unclear and unsettled but among the worst in the NFL.
UT SPORTS
John Jancek begins his third season as Tennessee’s defensive coordinator under head coach Butch Jones, and thanks to two solid recruiting classes should have his best defense with the Vols.
NEWSMAKERS
Four insurance industry veterans were honored this year, including one posthumously, with induction into the Robert E. Musto Tennessee Insurance Hall of Fame at Middle Tennessee State University.
BEHIND THE WHEEL
The fun, nimble Volkswagen Golf GTI, Germany’s original hot hatchback, has more power, new features, roomier seating and better fuel mileage for 2015. There’s also sharp-looking plaid upholstery that makes the compact car look as special on the interior as it is on the road.
BUSINESS BOOK REVIEW
You’d like to think of your business as a well-oiled machine. Your team members march together to get their work done. They execute tasks efficiently and every product your clients get is made with military-like precision.
GUERRILLA MARKETING
Today’s marketer is profoundly data-driven. In fact, there is so much potential data to monitor that the task can be arduous. These specific measurement priorities can help you avoid being overwhelmed.
CAREER CORNER
Typically, we think of sunk cost in terms of investing or economics. It’s the concept that money or some other cost you have already lost can’t be recovered.
I SWEAR
I don’t remember where I got the quip that is the theme for today’s I Swear Crossword. It’s hardly original.
KAY'S COOKING CORNER
If you are just now learning to cook, knowing what herbs and spices go with what foods can be daunting.
STATEWIDE
NASHVILLE (AP) - Gov. Bill Haslam says conversations he's having with some of Israel's top leaders are helpful in understanding international economic development opportunities and challenges.
NASHVILLE (AP) - Tennessee Education Commissioner Candice McQueen is continuing an effort to connect with teachers across the state.
REAL ESTATE
WASHINGTON (AP) — Average long-term U.S. mortgage rates rose this week after a sharp drop the previous week, as global markets continued to whipsaw amid economic disruption in China and uncertainty over Federal Reserve interest-rate policy.
AUTO INDUSTRY
BERLIN (AP) — Volkswagen says its chief financial officer, Hans Dieter Poetsch, is set to become its new chairman — filling the position that longtime company patriarch Ferdinand Piech vacated in April.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. and global stocks were modestly higher Thursday, helped by comments from European Central Bank policymakers, who said they were willing to provide more stimulus to the region's economy, if needed. A rebound in oil prices lifted energy stocks.
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. services companies expanded at a healthy pace in August, lifted by robust consumer spending resulting from steady job gains.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Almost 12,000 students are asking the federal government to discharge their college loan debt, asserting that their school either closed or lied to them about job prospects, according to government data released Thursday.
WASHINGTON (AP) — More Americans applied for unemployment benefits last week, but applications remain at historically near low levels in a positive sign for the U.S. economy amid a broader global slowdown.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. trade deficit fell in July to the lowest level in five months as exports posted a small gain while imports declined, reflecting a big drop in shipments of consumer goods such as cell phones.
FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — The European Central Bank kept its interest rates at record lows on Thursday, as expected, after reports showed the eurozone economy held up better than many had expected over the summer months.
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 2
STATEWIDE
NASHVILLE (AP) - While Republican Gov. Bill Haslam often states his goal of bringing "high-quality jobs" to Tennessee, a document produced by his administration suggests he may be less interested in making them high-paying positions.
MUSIC INDUSTRY
NASHVILLE (AP) — Country star Luke Bryan may have one of the most popular albums in the country, but Loretta Lynn made his day when she gave him a kiss.
AUTO INDUSTRY
BERLIN (AP) — Top directors at German carmaker Volkswagen plan to give a two-year contract extension to CEO Martin Winterkorn, who emerged on top of a power struggle this year with company patriarch Ferdinand Piech.
TOLEDO, Ohio (AP) — Fiat Chrysler assembly plant managers told workers Tuesday that Jeep Wrangler production will stay in the city where the vehicle's roots date to World War II, but they also delivered a surprising announcement that the Jeep Cherokee line would be sent out of state, union leaders said.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Federal Reserve's latest look at business conditions nationwide finds that the economy kept expanding during the summer. Housing and auto sales were two bright spots.
NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks are closing broadly higher as the market bounces back from a plunge the day before.
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. banks' earnings jumped 7.3 percent in the April-June period from a year earlier as revenues increased and the volume of soured loans banks had to write off fell to the lowest level since before the financial crisis.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Orders to U.S. factories posted a modest gain in July, helped by the biggest rise in motor vehicles orders in a year and a solid gain in a category that tracks business investment plans.
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. productivity in the spring rose at the fastest pace since late 2013, while labor costs declined.
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. businesses added jobs at a steady pace last month, with construction and manufacturing showing solid gains, a private survey found.
The stock market's sharp downturn in recent weeks has pulled the three major U.S. stock indexes into what is known as a "correction." But when does a market correction effectively end a bull market and usher in a full-blown bear market?
NEW YORK (AP) — Commodity markets are renowned for their booms and busts but the last four days in the crude oil market have even experienced traders wide-eyed.
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — The president of Shell Oil Co. said exploratory drilling off Alaska's northwest coast is going well despite stormy weather last week that caused the company to halt operations for a few days.
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 1
COURTS
NASHVILLE (AP) - Former television judge Joe Brown has been released from jail after serving a five-day jail sentence for contempt of court.
STATE LEGISLATURE
NASHVILLE (AP) — Add the chairman of the state Senate transportation committee to the list of opponents of raising Tennessee's gas tax in 2016.
NASHVILLE (AP) — Two Democrats are introducing legislation to allow all firearms to be banned at major sports and music venues.
STATEWIDE
NASHVILLE (AP) — House Democratic Caucus Chairman Mike Stewart is dismissing an upcoming audit of Tennessee's prison system as "business as usual."
TECHNOLOGY
NEW YORK (AP) — Comcast, which became a TV powerhouse by signing up Generation Xers, baby boomers and their parents, now is fighting for millennial eyeballs.
AUTO INDUSTRY
DETROIT (AP) — As China's auto market recoils, the U.S. remains a bright spot as it rolls on toward its best performance in more than a decade.
REAL ESTATE
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. construction spending in July climbed to its highest level in more than seven years, boosted by an increase in the building of houses, factories and power plants.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks plunged again Tuesday, continuing a rocky ride for Wall Street, after an economic report out of China rekindled fears that the world's second-largest economy is slowing more than previously anticipated.
WASHINGTON (AP) — A private survey finds that growth in US manufacturing slowed last month to the lowest pace in more than two years.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Airlines should clearly disclose the cost of change and cancellation fees, as well as the size of the plane's seats, before a passenger buys a ticket, a federal panel said Tuesday.
HONG KONG (AP) — Chinese manufacturing showed further signs of weakness in August, adding to evidence of an inexorable slowdown in the world's No. 2 economy despite recent government efforts to support growth.
FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — When is a trillion euros not enough? Could be soon, in Europe's shaky economy.
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer says she's pregnant with identical twins.
MONDAY, AUGUST 31
STATEWIDE
NASHVILLE (AP) — Gov. Bill Haslam says no decision has been made on whether to move forward with the outsourcing of a wide range of government facilities.
TECHNOLOGY
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Google is introducing an application that will connect Android smartwatches with Apple's iPhone, escalating the rivals' battle to strap their technology on people's wrists.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
NEW YORK (AP) — The stock market is closing out its worst month in more than three years on a down note.
NEW YORK (AP) — If you think investors in U.S. stocks have had it rough, consider the hapless folks who followed Wall Street's advice to buy emerging-market stocks.
A National Labor Relations Board ruling that modified the definition of an employer could hurt small businesses including franchises and subcontractors, according to industry groups that advocate for those companies.
BRUSSELS (AP) — Inflation in the 19-nation eurozone was stable in August at an annual rate of 0.2 percent, an official report shows — another weak figure that may help push the European Central Bank toward doing more economic stimulus.
FRIDAY, AUGUST 28
MUSIC INDUSTRY
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Apple's online music subscription service is losing a key player as millions of listeners near the end of a free three-month trial period that has drawn mixed reviews.
MIDSTATE
MURFREESBORO (AP) - A professor at Middle Tennessee State University has been appointed to lead a panel that will review the name of a campus building honoring Confederate Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest.
STATE LEGISLATURE
NASHVILLE (AP) - State Democratic Party Chairwoman Mary Mancini is calling on Republican state Rep. Andy Holt to resign over alleged environmental violations at his northwestern Tennessee hog farm.
NASHVILLE (AP) — A state lawmaker is facing up to $177,500 in fines from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for discharging waste from his northwestern Tennessee hog farm without a permit.
STATEWIDE
NASHVILLE (AP) - Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam is headed on a trade mission to Israel on Saturday.
NASHVILLE (AP) - Correction Commissioner Derrick Schofield says he has asked for an independent audit of Tennessee's prisons after complaints from current and former employees that violence is on the rise.
NASHVILLE AREA
NASHVILLE (AP) - A statue honoring legendary track coach Ed Temple was unveiled in downtown Nashville on Friday as he and some of the athletes he led to Olympic glory looked on.
NASHVILLE (AP) — James A. Hefner, the sixth president of Tennessee State University, has died at the age of 76 following a long illness.
COURTS
NASHVILLE (AP) — Former TV judge Joe Brown has surrendered to Tennessee deputies to begin serving a five-day jail term for contempt of court.
TECHNOLOGY
NEW YORK (AP) — A billion people logged in to Facebook on a single day this week, marking the first time that many members used the world's largest online social network in a 24-hour period. The number amounts to one-seventh of the Earth's population.
NEW YORK (AP) — The CEO of the company that runs adultery website Ashley Madison is stepping down in the wake of the massive breach of the company's computer systems and outing of millions of its members.
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A new report estimates Apple shipped 3.6 million watches in the last quarter — more than some analysts have estimated and enough to change the competitive landscape for fitness bands and other wearable gadgets.
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Apple has announced plans for a new product event on Sept. 9 in San Francisco, where the giant tech company is expected to show off new iPhones and other gadgets.
REAL ESTATE
WASHINGTON (AP) — Average long-term U.S. mortgage rates dropped this week to their lowest levels since May, in a week marked by turmoil in global markets that was stoked by economic developments in China.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
U.S. stocks ended the day little changed Friday, letting investors breathe a little easier after a week where both the highs and lows were extreme.
NEW YORK (AP) — Oil prices surged again Friday, a day after recording their biggest gain in more than six years.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal Reserve Vice Chairman Stanley Fischer said Friday that incoming economic data and market developments will likely determine whether the Fed boosts interest rates in September.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Plummeting stock prices have taken a toll on U.S. consumer confidence, though there are signs the setback may be temporary.
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. consumers increased their spending moderately in July, as wages and salaries made their biggest jump in eight months.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The fabled Goodyear Blimp is retiring. But don't fret, blimp fans. That big, cigar-shaped thing you've seen floating over sports events all your life will still be there.
NEW YORK (AP) — Oil soared more than 10 percent Thursday, its biggest one-day gain since March 2009, lifted by resurgent global stock markets and a report showing the U.S. economy grew faster than previously reported in the second quarter.
NEW YORK (AP) — McDonald's long-held position that it isn't responsible for workers at its franchised restaurants was dealt a blow on Thursday.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. economy staged a far bigger rebound last quarter than first thought, outpacing the rest of the developed world and bolstering confidence that it will remain sturdy in coming months despite global headwinds.