VOL. 37 | NO. 32 | Friday, August 9, 2013
There are certain signs that are sure to tip off whether you’ve found a dining gem.
REALTY CHECK
Since its creation in 1934, the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) has assisted more than 34 million buyers achieve the “American Dream” of home ownership.
NEWSMAKERS
The Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce and YP Nashville have announced the 2013 winners of the Nashville Emerging Leader Awards (NELAs).
TERRY McCORMICK
Meet Michael Preston. Unless you're a diehard Tennessee Titans fan, Preston's name might not jump out at you as you peruse the roster.
GUERRILLA MARKETING
Inbound leads are deemed by many as the Holy Grail of the sales world. These prospects likely have an immediate need for what you’re selling, which is why they typed the keywords into Google or read the blog post that ultimately led them to you.
THE WORLDLY INVESTOR
March 6, 2009, was a dark day in the investment world. The S&P 500 reached an intra-day level of 666 (no, that number is not a typo), as the pains of a prolonged and severe recession had swelled to a genuine concern of a pending economic depression.
SMART STUFF 4 WORK
Yes, I am being a bit nit-picky, but as the title states there is no such thing as time management. Time flows in a forward direction and does not respond to any human attempts to manage it. Therefore, time management strategies are, pardon the pun, a waste of time.
I SWEAR
As I understand it, “The Cuckoo’s Calling,” a first-fiction item by one Robert Galbraith was released last April. With generally positive reviews springing forth, 3,000 or so copies had been sold in England and the U.S. by early July.
KAY'S COOKING CORNER
There seems to always be some kind of excitement around our house. With our combined families of children and grandchildren, there is always something funny, dramatic, big, exciting, crazy, fantastic and, sometimes, traumatic going on. Oh, and we can’t forget my wonderful husband, Don. He is one of the “big” kids, too.
COURTS
NASHVILLE (AP) - A Wisconsin-based nonprofit association of atheists and agnostics says it has filed a complaint against a Tennessee magistrate for changing a baby's name from Messiah to Martin.
STATE LEGISLATURE
NASHVILLE (AP) - State Representative Stacey Campfield has filed a bill that he says would assure students and teachers they could wish others Merry Christmas.
STATEWIDE
NASHVILLE (AP) — The Tennessee Department of Education is giving local school districts $8 million in federal education funds.
NATIONAL BUSINESS
Confidence among U.S. homebuilders is at its highest level in nearly eight years, fueled by optimism that demand for new homes will drive sales growth into next year.
NEW YORK (AP) — Warnings of weaker sales from two major companies and concern that the Federal Reserve could ease off its support for the economy sent the stock market spiraling lower Thursday.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits dropped 15,000 last week to a seasonally adjusted 320,000, the fewest since October 2007 — a sign of dwindling layoffs and steady if modest job growth.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Output at U.S. factories declined slightly in July, reflecting a drop in auto production. The decline was expected to be temporary given the banner sales year automakers are having.
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. consumer prices rose slightly last month as gas costs increased at a slower pace. Overall, the figures showed that inflation remains mild.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The U.S. is on track to end the year with the fewest homes repossessed by lenders in six years, a trend that should help limit the negative impact foreclosures have on home values.
The price of oil climbed above $107 a barrel Thursday as the escalating violence in Egypt was seen as threatening stability in the Middle East, and U.S. crude supplies fell in a possible sign of stronger demand.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Average rates on U.S. long-term fixed mortgages remained steady for a second straight week, giving prospective home buyers more time to lock in historically low levels.
NEW YORK (AP) — Wal-Mart Stores Inc. cut its annual profit and revenue outlook as the world's largest retailer continues to deal with a tough economy at home and abroad that's squeezing its low-income shoppers.
DALLAS (AP) — The merger between American Airlines and US Airways was supposed to cap an era of consolidation that helped the airline industry return to profitability. And it would produce a stronger competitor to giants United and Delta.
NEW YORK (AP) — Financial companies need to create an honest culture among employees to prevent the kind of conspiracy that enabled two former JPMorgan Chase & Co. traders in London to falsify bank records to cover up trading losses that cost the bank more than $6 billion, authorities say.
NATIONAL POLITICS
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Obama administration, under pressure from black college presidents and lawmakers, has made changes to the PLUS loan program that may help thousands of families qualify for the college financial aid.
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 14
STATEWIDE
NASHVILLE (AP) - The state's largest teachers' union is challenging a proposal that would tie teacher licensure to student test data.
NASHVILLE AREA
NASHVILLE (AP) - Vendors of a newspaper about homelessness have lost a court battle to sell to people in cars in the affluent Brentwood community.
STATE LEGISLATURE
NASHVILLE (AP) — A special primary and general election have been scheduled to select a successor for the late Rep. Lois DeBerry.
NASHVILLE (AP) — The state Senate Education Committee plans a hearing in October to review Tennessee's textbook selection process for K-12 schools.
NATIONAL BUSINESS
WASHINGTON (AP) — Falling energy prices kept a lid on U.S. wholesale inflation in July after a jump in gasoline boosted prices in June.
NEW YORK (AP) — The stock market is ending lower after Macy's disappointed investors with a weak quarterly profit, casting doubt about how willing shoppers are to spend and support the U.S. economy.
NEW YORK (AP) — Prices for oil and gasoline barely budged on Wednesday.
MADRID (AP) — Minube, a travel startup on the outskirts of Madrid, is doing something that many Spanish companies haven't thought about for years: It's hiring.
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Activist investor Carl Icahn thinks Apple should be doing more to revive its stock price, and wants to help CEO Tim Cook with the resuscitation.
NEW YORK (AP) — Macy's Inc. is reporting a lower-than-expected profit for its second quarter, with the department store operator citing shoppers' economic wariness for a slip in sales.
WALTHAM, Mass. (AP) — The famed piano maker Steinway is being sold for $499 million.
NATIONAL POLITICS
WASHINGTON (AP) — With Thomas Perez now confirmed as head of the Labor Department, the agency is expected to unleash a flurry of new regulations that have been bottled up for months — a prospect that has business leaders worried and labor advocates cheering.
TUESDAY, AUGUST 13
MUSIC INDUSTRY
NASHVILLE (AP) - Tompall Glaser, a country music singer, publisher and studio owner best known for his association with the outlaw movement against record labels, died Tuesday. He was 79.
NASHVILLE (AP) - Luke Bryan has taken an unusual approach to the business side of his career since winning the Academy of Country Music's entertainer of the year in April: He's turning down almost everything.
NASHVILLE AREA
NASHVILLE (AP) — The Federal Transit Administration has signed off on a plan to run dedicated bus rapid transit lanes through Nashville.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — The former Vanderbilt football players charged with rape now have an initial court date.
STATEWIDE
NASHVILLE (AP) - Gov. Bill Haslam has named Larry Martin the new commissioner of the state Department of Finance and Administration.
COURTS
NASHVILLE (AP) — A Tennessee judge's decision to change a baby's first name from Messiah to Martin is drawing strong reactions from people who believe the judge overstepped her powers and those who think parents' creativity should have some limits.
NASHVILLE (AP) — The Tennessee Supreme Court has overturned an antiquated rule classifying statutory rape victims as accomplices.
AUTO INDUSTRY
CHATTANOOGA (AP) — The first dozen participants are graduating from Volkswagen's apprenticeship program at the German automaker's Tennessee plant.
NATIONAL BUSINESS
WASHINGTON (AP) — The federal government is trying to block the proposed merger of American Airlines and US Airways, saying it would cause "substantial harm" to consumers by leading to higher fares and fees.
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. retail sales edged up in July despite a drop in auto sales. A category of purchases that excludes the most volatile areas rose by the most in seven months, a sign that consumer spending could boost economic growth in coming months.
NEW YORK (AP) — Stock indexes edged higher in afternoon trading Tuesday, led by gains in technology companies and banks.
NEW YORK (AP) — The price of oil rose Tuesday as a government report indicated consumer spending could boost economic growth in the months ahead.
NEW YORK (AP) — Billionaire investor Carl Icahn says Apple should buy back more stock.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Americans remain stingy about carrying credit card balances and are making more of an effort to make timely payments, trends that have helped whittle the rate of late payments on credit cards down to the lowest level in nearly 20 years.
PLANO, Texas (AP) — William Ackman has resigned from J.C. Penney Co.'s board as part of a deal to resolve an unusually public battle between the activist investor and the struggling department store operator.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The concept sounds like something from the comic books that billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk read religiously as a boy: a capsule that speeds along as fast as sound, carrying people between major cities, never troubled by bad weather or turbulence.
MONDAY, AUGUST 12
NASHVILLE AREA
NASHVILLE (AP) - Graduating high school seniors will be able to attend a community college tuition-free thanks to a program that's expanding to Davidson County.
NASHVILLE (AP) — The Tennessee Bar Association is recruiting attorneys to assist Tennessee's troops and veterans.
COURTS
WASHINGTON (AP) — With the U.S. facing massive overcrowding in its prisons, Attorney General Eric Holder is calling for major changes to the nation's criminal justice system that would scale back the use of harsh sentences for certain drug-related crimes.
AUTO INDUSTRY
TUNICA, Miss. (AP) — It seemed like a win for everyone involved when a startup car company, backed by political heavyweights, wooed investors with plans to build a massive auto plant in the Mississippi Delta, hire thousands of people and pump out a brand new line of fuel-efficient vehicles.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Imagine stepping into a car-sized capsule in downtown Los Angeles and, 30 minutes later, emerging in San Francisco.
NATIONAL BUSINESS
WASHINGTON (AP) — The government on Monday reported a $97.6 billion deficit for July but remains on track to post its lowest annual budget gap in five years.
NEW YORK (AP) — Stock indexes are managing small gains as an upturn in technology companies outweighs weakness in other parts of the market, including a drop in airlines.
NEW YORK (AP) — The price of oil held steady around $106 a barrel Monday, while pump prices fell to their lowest level in a month.
CAMARILLO, Calif. (AP) — The average U.S. price of a gallon of gasoline has fallen about 8 cents over the past two weeks.
TORONTO (AP) — BlackBerry will consider selling itself after the long-awaited debut of its new phones failed to turn around the struggling smartphone maker.
NATIONAL POLITICS
WASHINGTON (AP) — Midway between the 2012 and 2014 election campaigns, moderate Republican conservatives are beginning to foment a revolt of their own — a backlash to anti-spending tea party shrillness as budget cuts begin to significantly shrink defense and domestic programs.
FRIDAY, AUGUST 9
STATEWIDE
NASHVILLE (AP) - The state has finshed the budget year with a $42 million general fund surplus.
NASHVILLE AREA
NASHVILLE (AP) - The Tennessee State Museum has put on hold plans for a statewide traveling exhibit about U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander's time as governor after concerns were raised about the state promoting the Republican during his re-election campaign.
NASHVILLE (AP) - Former Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen and former U.S. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist will co-chair the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition's Tennessee state advisory committee.
NASHVILLE (AP) - Country music legend Loretta Lynn will be among 16 people that President Barack Obama will venerate later this year with the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
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, died Thursday at his home. He was 82.
COURTS
NASHVILLE (AP) - A federal judicial panel has denied a request by trucking companies to have one judge preside over numerous lawsuits filed against the truck-stop chain owned by the family of Cleveland Browns owner Jimmy Haslam and Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam.
AUTO INDUSTRY
BEIJING (AP) — China's auto sales accelerated in July but domestic brands lagged behind fast-growing global rivals in the world's biggest vehicle market, an industry group reported Friday.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — A lawyer suing Toyota over the death of a California woman has told a jury he will ask for $20 million in damages.
NATIONAL BUSINESS
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. wholesalers cut their stockpiles in June for a third straight month even as their sales rose again. The combination suggests businesses have underestimated demand, a trend that could lead to stronger economic growth in coming months.
NEW YORK (AP) — Indexes are closing lower on Wall Street, closing out a dreary week for the stock market.
NEW YORK (AP) — The price of oil rose more than 2 percent Friday as positive economic news from China outweighed expectations that the U.S. Federal Reserve would soon start withdrawing its bond-buying program.
NEW YORK (AP) — Priceline.com came close Friday to becoming the first stock in the Standard & Poor's 500 index to ever cross $1,000.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Postal Service has trimmed its losses to $740 million over the last three months by consolidating processing facilities, cutting hours for workers and post offices and reducing workers' compensation costs, the agency said Friday.
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Yahoo's recently completed acquisition of Internet blogging service Tumblr includes an $81 million payment to Tumblr founder David Karp as long as he remains on the job for the next four years.
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) — Shoppers are holding off on back-to-school shopping, and those who delay long enough might be rewarded with some steep discounts from desperate retailers.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The United Food and Commercial Workers union is rejoining the AFL-CIO, giving the labor federation more power and resources to help revitalize the struggling union movement.
NATIONAL POLITICS
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama signed into law Friday a measure restoring lower interest rates for student loans, pledging the hard-fought compromise would be just the first step in a broader, concerted fight to rein in the costs of a college education.