VOL. 39 | NO. 32 | Friday, August 7, 2015
With room rates higher than ever, an increased number of impressive venues competing for private party business and award-winning chefs earning awards and catching the attention of national publications, Nashville’s cache is hotter than its native hot chicken. Well, almost as hot.
Tod Roadarmel, director of sales and marketing for the nearly 2-year-old Omni Hotel downtown, is awestruck by the vitality of Nashville’s hospitality industry. In town since 1988, he remembers when pre-Bridgestone Arena Broadway was not a place you’d want to be late at night.
When showing off Nashville to business associates, family and friends, doing so at a swanky location with some Music City cache is sure to hammer home exactly why everyone wants to be here right now.
Country music isn’t the only big draw in Nashville these days. The city is at the top of its food game and has become a popular destination for food lovers across the country.
Pam Tillis has one of the greatest voices in country music, and if you’ve got $20,000 in your entertainment budget, you might be able to hire her for your private party.
VIEW FROM THE HILL
Republican Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey has a penchant for igniting flames of partisanship, and the retirement of Tennessee Supreme Court Justice Gary Wade is no exception.
REALTY CHECK
The real estate market remains frenzied with every passing week, with multiple-offer scenarios on numerous listings. As has been noted in this column, these spontaneous sales have often led to buyer’s remorse and, as a result, more terminated contracts than ever before.
TENNESSEE TITANS
If not for the overwhelming presence of Marcus Mariota in the Tennessee Titans training camp, all eyes would likely be on another rookie trying to make his mark in the NFL.
UT SPORTS
Tennessee’s football team has something to prove as it concludes the first week of preseason practices and moves forward to the 2015 season.
Prior to the 2014 season, Ledger columnist Dave Link picked the Vols to win six regular season games with wins against Utah State, Arkansas State, UT Chattanooga, Kentucky, Missouri and Vanderbilt.
NEWSMAKERS
Douglas Hanto M.D., Ph.D., professor of surgery and associate director of the Vanderbilt Transplant Center, has been named the Center’s new director.
BEHIND THE WHEEL
Bigger is better this year in Chevrolet’s largest sport utility vehicle, the Suburban.
BUSINESS BOOK REVIEW
The opportunity arrived on a silver platter. It was almost irresistible, in fact, but the truth is that you’re looking for a new plate because your old one is full. You have no time to take another project, no matter how wonderful it might be.
GUERRILLA MARKETING
The goal of business development is to create strategic business relationships, which drive revenue and help a company grow.
CAREER CORNER
One important component to any job search is the art of saying thank you. It may seem cliché, but saying thanks never gets old.
I SWEAR
In the first Poor Richard’s Almanack (1733), addressed to “Courteous Reader,” Ben Franklin wrote,
KAY'S COOKING CORNER
It’s hot outside. And we have just moved into the dog days of summer, so more than likely it’s going to stay that way for a while.
STATE LEGISLATURE
NASHVILLE (AP) — Gov. Bill Haslam is bringing his transportation funding road show to Nashville on Thursday amid increasing skepticism among fellow Republicans in the Legislature about the need to raise Tennessee's gas tax.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. businesses boosted their stockpiles in June by the largest amount in more than two years.
WASHINGTON (AP) — More people sought U.S. unemployment aid last week, but the average for the past month fell to the lowest level in 15 years, a sign that few employers are cutting jobs.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Americans bought more cars, restaurant meals and building supplies in July, as the spending points to steady economic growth anchored by the improving job market.
NEW YORK (AP) — Global markets steadied on Thursday as China's central bank eased fears of more steep drops for the country's currency. Major indexes in the U.S. wobbled between slight gains and losses.
NEW YORK (AP) — These Wheaties may not be so good with milk.
NEW YORK (AP) — NBCUniversal is investing $200 million in digital media company Vox Media, whose brands include news site Vox, food blog Eater, the sports-focused SB Nation and the tech blog Re/code.
ATHENS, Greece (AP) — The Greek government defended its new bailout program Thursday as tough but essential to avoid the nation's financial collapse, as it faced a rebellion in the governing Syriza party ahead of a parliamentary vote on the deal.
BEIJING (AP) — China tried Thursday to ease fears of more big declines for the yuan as companies from global automakers to Chinese clothing exporters faced a new era of uncertain exchange rates.
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 12
MUSIC INDUSTRY
NASHVILLE (AP) - Movie star, comedian and Grammy-winning musician Steve Martin will be honored by the International Bluegrass Music Association with a distinguished achievement award.
NASHVILLE (AP) - Christian rapper Lecrae leads the pack of nominees for the 46th annual Dove Awards with seven nominations, including artist of the year, thanks to his chart-topping album, "Anomaly."
MIDSTATE
SPRING HILL (AP) - Officials say 606 new jobs are coming to Maury County where Ryder Supply Chain Solutions plans to expand its warehousing, transportation, kitting and assembly operations.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. employers filled more of their available jobs in June, evidence that steady if modest economic growth is putting more Americans to work.
NEW YORK (AP) — Another drop in China's currency shook markets around the world for a second straight day amid rising concerns about the world's second-largest economy. Major markets in Europe slumped, while the U.S. stock market recovered from an early drop to finish nearly flat.
NEW YORK (AP) — Macy's reported a 26 percent drop in second-quarter profit and a sales shortfall after it was hobbled by weak tourist spending and West Coast port delays in the second quarter.
NEW YORK (AP) — Kraft Heinz says it is cutting about 2,500 jobs as part of its plan to slash costs after the food companies combined.
BEIJING (AP) — China's yuan fell further Wednesday, fueling concern about a possible "currency war" if other governments fight back with their own devaluations to compete in export markets.
BRUSSELS (AP) — Greece and its creditors have cleared up outstanding issues on a new bailout package for the debt-laden country.
TUESDAY, AUGUST 11
MUSIC INDUSTRY
Award-winning recording artists Trisha Yearwood and Garth Brooks will receive the 64th and 65th stars on the Music City Walk of Fame during a Sept. 10 induction ceremony.
NASHVILLE (AP) - Leslie Fram started seeing the problems that women were facing in country music when she came to Nashville four years ago to lead CMT's music strategy division.
NASHVILLE (AP) - As a child, Ashley Monroe says she'd often start crying as she was listening to the radio because she was overwhelmed by the emotion coming from country singers like Vince Gill and Dolly Parton.
MIDSTATE
MURFREESBORO (AP) — Middle Tennessee State University's annual student-recruiting effort now includes three out-of-state stops.
GALLATIN (AP) — A cleaning and restoration services company is investing $738,000 to expand its operations and create more than 200 jobs in Sumner County.
STATEWIDE
NASHVILLE (AP) — Eleven colleges will roll out new programs for student veterans in the fall thanks to $1 million in state funding that is part of a wide-ranging effort to draw more veterans to Tennessee.
TECHNOLOGY
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Google is creating a new company to oversee its highly lucrative Internet business and a growing flock of other ventures, including some — like building self-driving cars and researching ways to prolong human life — that are known more for their ambition than for turning an immediate profit.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
The price of U.S. crude oil has tumbled to its lowest level in more than six years.
NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks are moving lower, led by declines in materials stocks as commodities prices drop.
BEIJING (AP) — China's bold move Tuesday to sharply devalue its currency threatens to squeeze exporters around the world whose goods will likely become comparatively costlier than many Chinese products.
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. wholesalers increased their stockpiles in June by the largest amount in more than a year, while sales crept up slightly.
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. productivity rose at a moderate pace in the April-June quarter as growth picked up and hiring remained steady.
NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — A group of Ukrainian hackers worked with securities traders in the U.S. to make $30 million by breaking into the computer systems of companies that publish news releases about mergers and acquisitions and trading on the information before it became public, federal prosecutors said Tuesday.
ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Greece has agreed on the broad terms of a new three-year bailout package with international creditors, with a few last details expected to be ironed out Tuesday.
MONDAY, AUGUST 10
STATEWIDE
NASHVILLE (AP) — The Tennessee State Museum's plans for a statewide traveling exhibit on U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander's service as governor, initially scheduled to coincide with his Senate re-election campaign last year and then rescheduled, may now be canceled entirely.
NASHVILLE (AP) - Tennessee Department of Correction Commissioner Derrick Schofield assured lawmakers that the state's prisons are safe despite staff vacancies and recent violence at two of its prisons.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
NEW YORK (AP) — A resurgent energy sector and another big acquisition by Warren Buffett propelled the stock market to its best day in three months on Monday.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Air traffic controllers' work schedules often lead to chronic fatigue, making them less alert and endangering the safety of the national air traffic system, according to a study the government has kept secret for nearly four years.
NEW YORK (AP) — Adobe is the latest tech company to extend its paid parental leave policy after Netflix said it would offer corporate employees up to a year of paid leave to care for new babies.
CAMARILLO, Calif. (AP) — The average price of gasoline has dropped 11 cents over the past two weeks to $2.71 a gallon.
NEW YORK (AP) — As a campaign to raise the minimum wage as high as $15 has achieved victories in such places as Seattle, Los Angeles and New York, it has bumped up against a harsh reality: Plenty of scofflaw businesses don't pay the legal minimum now and probably won't pay the new, higher wages either.
FRIDAY, AUGUST 7
NASHVILLE AREA
NASHVILLE (AP) — Spending $3.6 million of his own money wasn't enough for Nashville mayoral candidate Bill Freeman.
NASHVILLE (AP) — A Nashville pastor who was trying to raise $50,000 to build a community of tiny homes for the homeless has exceeded his goal.
NASHVILLE (AP) — The transient glared at patrons in the dark movie theater, the dyed red tips of his hair faded to a dull orange.
NASHVILLE (AP) - What initially appeared to be another mass shooting at a movie theater ended up being an attack by a disturbed homeless man who wasn't armed with a real gun and was eventually shot and killed by police.
STATE LEGISLATURE
NASHVILLE (AP) — The Tennessee General Assembly's website has won the 2015 Online Democracy Award from the National Conference of State Legislatures.
STATEWIDE
NASHVILLE (AP) - A task force appointed by Gov. Bill Haslam to look at prison sentencing guidelines and recidivism has made its final recommendations.
NASHVILLE (AP) - A performance audit has found that the Tennessee court system didn't fully comply with a 2013 state law designed to keep firearms out of the hands of individuals with mental health issues.
NASHVILLE (AP) - The Tennessee Military Department has decided to allow Army and Air National Guard members who have valid handgun carry permits to carry the weapons at armories and Guard facilities.
REAL ESTATE
WASHINGTON (AP) — Average long-term U.S. mortgage rates fell for a third straight week amid anxiety over developments in the U.S. economy that lifted bond prices.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
WASHINGTON (AP) — A new era of higher rates on home and car loans, steeper borrowing costs for businesses and the government — maybe even a bit more return for savers — is about to arrive.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. job market just demonstrated that it may be nearing full health more than six years after the Great Recession — and showed why the Federal Reserve may be about to raise interest rates from record lows.
NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks fell Friday after a solid jobs report kept alive the possibly that the Federal Reserve may raise interest rates as soon as next month.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The government should crack down on airline fees for things like seat reservations, checked baggage and ticket changes or cancellations, which are often unfair or hidden from consumers, according to a Senate report released Thursday.
NEW YORK (AP) — The hotel industry is objecting to the acquisition of Orbitz by one-time rival Expedia, saying that it would lead to higher prices for vacationers and larger fees for hotel owners.
Even as an Oct. 1 deadline approaches to replace Americans' out-of-date credit cards with new cards embedded with computer chips, the vast majority of Americans still have not received their new cards and only a small minority are using the chips at all, a new Associated Press-GfK poll shows.