VOL. 39 | NO. 37 | Friday, September 11, 2015
IN THE WEEDS
Lauren Moskovitz started hanging around her parent’s shop, Mosko’s and the Muncheonette, at age 5. After school, her mother Cindy would bring her back to the newsstand and deli, located beside the Exit/In in the Rock Block of Elliston Place.
REALTY CHECK
Can a sick house be cured? Some houses are simply healthier than others, and while there are no shortages of companies that will inspect and mitigate almost anything, things can change.
REAL ESTATE
August 2015 real estate trends for Davidson, Williamson, Rutherford and Wilson counties, as compiled by Chandler Reports.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Average long-term U.S. mortgage rates inched up this week as financial markets awaited the Federal Reserve's crucial decision next week on interest rates.
TENNESSEE TITANS
Don’t think for a minute that the schedule makers at the NFL office didn’t set this one up.
UT SPORTS
Finally, Tennessee’s football team has an attractive home opener in Neyland Stadium. It’s been a while.
NEWSMAKERS
Stites & Harbison, PLLC has announced the launch of a new entertainment law practice with the addition of member Stephanie R. Taylor to its Nashville office. Taylor will lead the team with help from current Stites & Harbison attorney Jeremy Brook.
BEHIND THE WHEEL
Don’t let the Pilot’s new, sleek look fool you. Honda’s largest sport utility vehicle is bigger than ever on the inside, particularly in its third-row seats.
GUERRILLA MARKETING
Hiring sales talent is tricky, as it can be difficult to distinguish between those who are merely strong at interviewing and those who will actually be strong on the job.
THE WORLDLY INVESTOR
A week ago, the European Central Bank committed to do even more of “whatever it takes,” driving European stocks up 2.5 percent. Conversely, after Friday’s strong U.S. job report, Fed tightening fears pushed American stocks down 1.5 percent.
I SWEAR
My hand surgeon and my chiropractor should be paying attention to a certain case being tried in the New York Supreme Court. The finger-pointing alone is bound to result in injuries that would require an adjustment, if not an operation.
STATEWIDE
NASHVILLE (AP) — AT&T says it will expand broadband Internet connection to more than 81,000 homes and businesses in rural Tennessee within six years.
MIDSTATE
MURFREESBORO (AP) – Fifty years after the Voting Rights Act was signed into law, two legends of the civil rights movement say they're encouraged by efforts to maintain equality at the polls despite what they see as attempts to thwart it.
AUTO INDUSTRY
NEW YORK (AP) — General Motors agreed to pay $900 million to fend off criminal prosecution over the deadly ignition-switch scandal, striking a deal that brought criticism down on the Justice Department for not bringing charges against individual employees.
FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — Car sales are growing in Europe and the U.S. and automakers are responding with something for every driver class at the Frankfurt auto show.
REAL ESTATE
WASHINGTON (AP) — For the second straight week, average long-term U.S. mortgage rates inched up this week as financial markets awaited the Federal Reserve's crucial decision on interest rates.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Builders broke ground on fewer houses and apartment complexes in August, a possible sign that the housing market may be levelling off after accelerating for much of the year.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks were more or less unchanged in midday trading Thursday as investors remained on the sidelines until the Federal Reserve's announcement this afternoon. Policymakers are considering whether or not to raise U.S. interest rates for the first time in nearly a decade.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits fell last week to the lowest level in two months, suggesting employers remain confident enough in the economy to hold onto their workers.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Will they or won't they? Nine years after they last raised their benchmark interest rate and after months of feverish speculation, Federal Reserve policymakers this week may finally raise that rate from a record low near zero.
WASHINGTON (AP) — As it does once each quarter, the Federal Reserve will deliver a triple-dose of news Thursday afternoon — a policy statement, economic forecasts and a news conference by Chair Janet Yellen. But all eyes will be on one question:
NEW YORK (AP) — The holidays are still months away, but retailers and shipping companies have begun announcing their hiring plans for the busy holiday season.
NATIONAL POLITICS
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Democratic leaders of the House and Senate plan to huddle with President Barack Obama on Thursday to discuss strategy as Congress prepares for some momentous decisions on how best to keep the federal government operating.
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 16
MIDSTATE
LEBANON (AP) — Shares of Cracker Barrel Old Country Store Inc. dropped Wednesday, after the restaurant chain issued a disappointing profit outlook for its new fiscal year.
COURTS
NASHVILLE (AP) — A Nashville attorney has filed a lawsuit seeking to expunge 350,000 cases that in the past 10 years have been dismissed or not prosecuted.
STATEWIDE
NASHVILLE (AP) - Lawmakers are asking taxpayers to weigh in on a proposal to charge people to view public records, and the taxpayers' response so far is clear: No.
MEMPHIS (AP) — FedEx's first-quarter profit missed analysts' estimates, and the package-delivery company lowered its fiscal 2016 adjusted earnings forecast.
NASHVILLE AREA
NASHVILLE (AP) — Three Nashville jail employees — two current and one former — are accused of pocketing money from the sale of inmate-made products through a personal business they marketed as a "Christian-based organization."
NASHVILLE (AP) — Officials in Nashville have announced a fund to provide free or low-cost digital access to people in the city who don't have it.
COURTS
NASHVILLE (AP) — State Attorney General Herbert Slatery announced Tuesday he won't apply to fill a vacancy on Tennessee's Supreme Court.
AUTO INDUSTRY
DETROIT (AP) — After weeks of negotiations, Fiat Chrysler and the United Auto Workers have hammered out a new labor agreement. But the hard work is just beginning.
FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — A sense of impending disruption hangs over all the shiny new cars at this year's edition of the Frankfurt International Motor Show.
REAL ESTATE
U.S. homebuilders are feeling slightly more optimistic about the housing market, nudging their confidence this month to a level not seen since the high-flying days of the housing boom nearly 10 years ago.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks posted solid gains Wednesday ahead of a closely watched decision by the Federal Reserve on whether or not to raise interest rates.
LONDON (AP) — The makers of Budweiser aren't satisfied with being the kings of beer. They want an empire.
WASHINGTON (AP) — For seven years — through political fights, Europe debt crises and market panic — investors could count on one thing: Short-term U.S. interest rates would stay locked near zero.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The wallets of America's middle class and poorest aren't seeing any extra money, the U.S. Census reported Wednesday, a financial stagnation experts say may be fueling political dissent this campaign season.
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. consumer prices edged down in August, marking the first decline in seven months and fueled by a big drop in gasoline prices.
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Hewlett-Packard Co. is preparing to shed up to another 30,000 jobs as the Silicon Valley pioneer launches into a new era in the same cost-cutting mode that has marred much of its recent history.
NATIONAL POLITICS
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama urged Congress on Wednesday to avoid another contentious budget showdown and warned that the economy would surely take a hit if the government shuts down again.
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 15
STATEWIDE
NASHVILLE (AP) - An internal report on the potential outsourcing of building management at public colleges and universities warns Gov. Bill Haslam that the changes could undermine his signature "Drive to 55" effort to improve graduation rates in Tennessee.
NASHVILLE (AP) - Annual standardized exams should be eliminated for Tennessee kindergarteners and first-graders amid teacher concerns that students are being tested too much, according to a state task force.
COURTS
NASHVILLE (AP) - An 85-year-old nun and two fellow Catholic peace activists have been resentenced to time served for vandalizing a storage bunker that held much of the nation's bomb-grade uranium.
NASHVILLE AREA
NASHVILLE (AP) — The race known as the Country Music Marathon has a new name for 2016, rebranding itself as the St. Jude Rock 'n' Roll Nashville Marathon and ½ Marathon.
TECHNOLOGY
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — Amazon founder Jeff Bezos is shipping his space business to Florida.
AUTO INDUSTRY
DETROIT (AP) — Many of the negotiators in contract talks between the United Auto Workers and Fiat Chrysler took a break Tuesday morning after bargaining through the night.
FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — BMW CEO Harald Krueger collapsed Tuesday during a news conference at the Frankfurt auto show and was helped off stage by staff. His condition was not serious, the company said later.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
WASHINGTON (AP) — Will they or won't they? Nine years after they last raised their benchmark interest rate and after months of feverish speculation, Federal Reserve policymakers this week may finally raise that rate from a record low near zero.
NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks are closing solidly higher ahead of the start of a crucial Federal Reserve policy meeting.
NEW YORK (AP) — UPS said Tuesday it will hire 90,000 to 95,000 employees — about the same as last year — to help handle shipping and deliveries over the holiday season.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Americans stepped up their spending on cars, restaurant meals, groceries and clothing in August, suggesting that consumers will help sustain U.S. economic growth despite a broader global slowdown.
NEW YORK (AP) — What kind of wine pairs best with a Chalupa? Taco Bell customers in Chicago and San Francisco will soon be able to find out.
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Target is testing the online grocery delivery waters. The Minneapolis-based discounter has teamed with Instacart, the online grocery delivery service that started in 2012, to let shoppers in the Minneapolis area order fruits and other perishables, as well as household, pet and baby products, and have them delivered to their homes in as little as an hour.
NATIONAL POLITICS
WASHINGTON (AP) — Think of it as tweeting for dollars. The social media service Twitter on Tuesday introduced a feature that enables political candidates and advocacy groups to raise money directly via its mobile application, making it quicker and easier to harvest small donations from followers.
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 14
NASHVILLE AREA
NASHVILLE (AP) - A Williamson County senator who endorsed the losing candidate in the Nashville mayor's election last week has filed a bill seeking to nullify a local hiring requirement approved by the city's voters.
STATEWIDE
NASHVILLE (AP) - Tennessee Finance Commissioner Larry Martin says the state's overall revenue collections in August were $28.5 million more than expected.
NASHVILLE (AP) – The state Office of Open Records Counsel is holding a series of hearings this week about a proposal to make taxpayers pay to inspect public records in Tennessee.
NASHVILLE (AP) — Administrators are heralding the Tennessee Promise scholarship program for seeming to have led to an increase in full-time enrollment at many of the state's 13 community colleges.
COURTS
NASHVILLE (AP) — Three applicants will be considered for an upcoming criminal court vacancy in the 9th Judicial District.
TECHNOLOGY
NEW YORK (AP) — Preorders for its latest iPhone have been so strong that Apple expects to surpass last year's record, when it sold 10 million phones during the first weekend.
AUTO INDUSTRY
Google has hired auto industry veteran and former Hyundai U.S. CEO John Krafcik to run its self-driving car program.
DETROIT (AP) — Fiat Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne canceled plans to attend the Frankfurt International Motor Show in Germany, an indication that the company may be getting close to a contract agreement with the United Auto Workers union.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
NEW YORK (AP) — More signs of slowing economic growth in China weighed on companies that produce raw materials on Monday, pulling the stock market to a slight loss. Trading was light as investors looked ahead to a much-anticipated Federal Reserve meeting later this week.
WASHINGTON (AP) — No checks, please. Starting next year, your check won't be any good at the IRS — if you're making a tax payment of $100 million or more.
LONDON (AP) — OPEC has cut its oil production forecasts for states like the U.S. that are not members of the cartel.
NEW YORK (AP) — The talent management company WME/IMG says it has acquired The Miss Universe Organization from Donald Trump.
NATIONAL POLITICS
WASHINGTON (AP) — Two years after New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie privatized much of the state's lottery operations, a big payoff remains out of sight.
WASHINGTON (AP) — No government shutdown this year, Republican congressional leaders say. But with Congress, it's never easy.
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Republican presidential candidate Scott Walker on Monday will call for sweeping restrictions on organized labor in the U.S., seeking to replicate nationwide his successful effort as Wisconsin's governor to curb the power of unions.
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 11
NASHVILLE AREA
NASHVILLE (AP) - Megan Barry's election as Nashville's first female mayor dashed Republican hopes of making inroads in one of the few remaining Democratic strongholds in Tennessee.
STATEWIDE
NASHVILLE (AP) — The State Building Commission has approved a $15 million project of renovations and upgrades for the University of Tennessee's Thompson-Boling Arena.
MIDSTATE
MURFREESBORO (AP) - Middle Tennessee State University has been awarded a $225,000 grant to support its efforts to help students stay on track to earn their college degrees.
MURFREESBORO (AP) - Two legends of the Civil Rights Movement will discuss present-day civil rights challenges at a program this month on the campus of Middle Tennessee State University.
AUTO INDUSTRY
WASHINGTON (AP) — Ten automakers have committed to the government and a private safety group that they will include automatic emergency braking in all new cars, a step transportation officials say could significantly reduce traffic deaths and injuries.
TECHNOLOGY
NEW YORK (AP) — Each year, Apple dazzles its devoted fans with faster, sleeker, more powerful iPhones with better cameras and a bevy of bells and whistles. So, what's to become of last year's model?
WASHINGTON (AP) — Cyberattacks against American interests are likely to continue and grow more damaging, in part because hackers face a low risk of consequences, the director of national intelligence told Congress Thursday.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks are ending moderately higher after overcoming a few early stumbles.
PARIS (AP) — Oil supply from the United States, Russia and other non-OPEC countries is expected to drop sharply next year — possibly the steepest decline since the Soviet Union collapsed — because of low prices, the International Energy Agency forecast Friday.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The prices charged by U.S. manufacturers, farmers and other producers were unchanged in August, the latest evidence that inflation is tame.
BOSTON (AP) — The daily fantasy sports industry is eyeing a breakout season as NFL games begin.
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — New York state will gradually raise the minimum wage for fast-food workers to $15 an hour — the first time any state has set the minimum that high.
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. airlines are posting better results for on-time performance and fewer cancelations but complaints are still rising.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Food manufacturers must be more vigilant about keeping their operations clean under new government safety rules released Thursday in the wake of deadly foodborne illness outbreaks linked to ice cream, caramel apples, cantaloupes and peanuts.
NATIONAL POLITICS
WASHINGTON (AP) — House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi said Thursday she is astonished by a judge's ruling that clears the way for a Republican challenge to President Obama's health care law to move ahead.
NASHVILLE (AP) - One of two Clarksville attorneys who were found guilty of trying to extort $50,000 from a client has been disbarred.