VOL. 35 | NO. 38 | Friday, September 23, 2011
East Nashville businesses live and die by word-of-mouth, which east of the Cumberland means listservs and Facebook
Since the beginning of its resurgence some 20 years ago, East Nashville has continued to boom with artisanal restaurants, cafes, consignment shops and a clamored-for, all-night diner.
GREEN BUSINESS
As national sales director of Thistle Farms, Katrina Robertson deals with large accounts, getting the all-natural products into more than 180 stores in the states and as far away as Singapore. But when she was first introduced to the company in 2005 she in no way thought she would be working so high up in the company today.
REALTY CHECK
“Have you seen my listing on Inconvenient Street?” the listing agent asks.
REAL ESTATE
Data collected by Chandler Reports, which has been publishing Real Estate Market Data since 1968.
Data collected by Chandler Reports, which has been publishing Real Estate Market Data since 1968.
TERRY McCORMICK
Change doesn’t come easily for the Tennessee Titans.
GET A JOB!
Keeping up with the latest trends and developments in your field is more important than ever during these difficult economic times, especially if you are looking for a job.
NEWSMAKERS
Attorney Albert J. Bart has rejoined Sherrard & Roe, PLC as a member, returning to the firm’s corporate practice group after serving as senior vice president and associate general counsel for Ceridian Corporation for the past three years. Bart was previously a member of Sherrard & Roe from 2005 to 2008.
I SWEAR
In August, the American Bar Association had its annual meeting in Toronto with 7,000 lawyers, judges and other legal professionals attended the meeting. I was not among them.
KAY'S COOKING CORNER
Time for a little quiz, this is one about spices:
NASHVILLE AREA
SPRING HILL (AP) — The United Auto Workers leader in Spring Hill said restarting assembly at the General Motors Co. plant and creating some 1,700 new jobs two years after shutting it down shows the auto industry bailout was the right move and President Barack Obama deserves credit.
NATIONAL BUSINESS
WASHINGTON (AP) — The economy is showing signs of modest improvement — not enough to reduce high unemployment but enough to ease fears that another recession might be near.
NEW YORK (AP) — Bank of America plans to start charging customers a $5 monthly fee for using their debit card for purchases.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Fixed mortgage rates have fallen to historic new lows for a fourth straight week and are likely to fall further.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The number of Americans who signed contracts to buy homes fell in August, after a weaker-than-expected peak buying season.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Only about one-third of chief executives of the largest U.S. companies expect to hire or spend more in the next six months, down sharply from about half who said so three months ago.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits fell sharply last week, an encouraging sign that layoffs are easing.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The economy grew slightly faster in the spring than previously estimated but remained dangerously weak in the face of high unemployment and higher gas prices. Many economists foresee slightly better growth in the current July-September quarter.
NEW YORK (AP) — Oil rebounded by 2 percent Thursday following encouraging economic news in the U.S. and Europe.
LONDON (AP) — Stocks were down modestly but the euro was higher on Thursday after Germany's parliament overwhelmingly approved the strengthening of a bailout fund intended to help European countries mired in debt crises.
NATIONAL POLITICS
WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said Wednesday that long-term unemployment is a "national crisis" and suggested that Congress should take further action to combat it. He also said lawmakers should provide more help to the battered housing industry.
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama's landmark health care overhaul appears headed for a Supreme Court ruling as the presidential election season hits full stride in the coming year.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Think of super PACs as shadow cash machines for presidential candidates. They're going to be big this year.
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 28
NASHVILLE AREA
NASHVILLE (AP) — Nissan Americas has joined with a nonprofit group in Nashville, Urban Green Lab, as a founding partner in a new sustainability living center in East Nashville's Inglewood neighborhood.
NASHVILLE (AP) — The Country Music Association has expanded its education initiative to Lipscomb University in Nashville and Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro.
STATEWIDE
NASHVILLE (AP) - A state task force will set priorities for rural economic development.
NASHVILLE (AP) — The state of Tennessee had almost 800,000 hits last year on the website for the Consumer Affairs Division of the Department of Commerce and Insurance.
NATIONAL BUSINESS
NEW YORK (AP) — Stock futures are rising, signaling another day of gains on Wall Street. Investors will assess fresh U.S. economic data and closely watch developments in Europe.
Oil prices slipped to near $84 a barrel Wednesday after strong gains in the previous session and ahead of U.S. economic data this week that will provide clues about the future strength of demand for crude.
TOKYO (AP) — Toyota Motor Corp. said Wednesday its global production rose for the first time in a year in August as Japanese automakers continued to recover from the March 11 earthquake and tsunami.
AmazonCEO Jeff Bezos on Wednesday showed off the Kindle Fire, a $199 tablet computer , challenging Apple's iPad by extending its Kindle brand into the world of full-color, multipurpose devices.
NATIONAL POLITICS
WASHINGTON (AP) — A small-business group opposed to the health care overhaul is asking the Supreme Court to strike down the entire law, not just the core requirement to buy health insurance or pay a penalty.
WASHINGTON (AP) — It's the third time this year a government budget crisis has been averted just in the nick of time. And the public seems plain fed up with the nonstop partisanship that led to the nerve-racking close calls.
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 27
STATEWIDE
NASHVILLE (AP) — State officials are reminding local governments that they must develop or revise their debt management policies to conform with standards issued by the State Funding Board.
SPRING HILL (AP) — With General Motors planning to create about 1,700 jobs and restart assembly work at its Spring Hill plant, United Auto Workers members in Spring Hill have voted to ratify a four-year contract with the automaker.
NATIONAL BUSINESS
NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks are closing higher for the third day in a row on hopes that European leaders are moving closer to a plan to contain that region's debt crisis.
NEW YORK (AP) — Amazon is expected to unveil a tablet computer Wednesday, picking a fight with Apple Inc. and its iPad. The iPad has many challengers, but analysts say Amazon's could be different — it has a chance to be more than a wannabe.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Home prices rose for a fourth straight month in most major U.S. cities in July, buoyed by the peak buying season. But the housing market remains depressed, and prices are expected to decline in the coming months.
NEW YORK (AP) — Consumers' confidence in the U.S. economy remained weak in September after dropping to a post-recession low during the month before as Americans continue to worry about high unemployment and low wages.
LONDON (AP) — Hopes that policymakers are preparing a grand plan to finally contain Europe's debt crisis bolstered stocks Tuesday ahead of a meeting between the leaders of Greece and Germany.
NEW YORK (AP) — Oil prices are climbing on hopes that European leaders are closer to drafting a plan to contain the region's debt crisis.
DEERFIELD, Ill. (AP) — Drugstore operator Walgreen Co. says its fiscal fourth-quarter profit jumped 69 percent, boosted in part by a gain from the sale of its pharmacy benefits management business.
NATIONAL POLITICS
WASHINGTON (AP) — More than half of U.S. cities have cut staff, canceled construction projects or raised fees this year, according to a report from the National League of Cities that catalogs the vast damage from shrunken property- and income-tax revenue.
WASHINGTON (AP) — A bitterly divided and poll-battered Congress has nearly worked its way out of a nasty fight over disaster aid, but only by abruptly abandoning efforts to immediately refill almost empty federal disaster relief accounts.
WASHINGTON (AP) — A senator who opposes federal regulation on philosophical grounds is single-handedly blocking legislation that would strengthen safety rules for oil and gas pipelines, a bill that even the pipeline industry and companies in his own state support.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Democrats are hitting the reset button on health care for next year's elections.
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 26
STATEWIDE
NASHVILLE (AP) - Gov. Bill Haslam is endorsing his brother's right to speak out against privatizing interstate rest stops, a move opposed by his family's truck stop chain.
NASHVILLE AREA
NASHVILLE (AP) - The U.S. Justice Department said Monday that a medical device manufacturer has agreed to pay $9.25 million in a false claims settlement.
NASHVILLE (AP) — The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum's new exhibition next year will explore the roots and heyday of the Bakersfield Sound, a music style personified by the careers of Buck Owens and Merle Haggard.
NASHVILLE (AP) — Vanderbilt University Medical Center has partnered with three other nonprofit hospitals in Middle Tennessee with the aim of boosting medical services in suburban markets.
NATIONAL BUSINESS
NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks are closing with their biggest gains in more than two weeks after European officials pledged to take bolder steps to fight the region's debt problems.
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — After a deluge of disillusioning news, Netflix unveiled a coming attraction that its subscribers might like: the Internet video rights to films and television specials from DreamWorks Animation.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Sales of new homes fell to a six-month low in August. The fourth straight monthly decline during the peak buying season suggests the housing market is years away from a recovery.
WASHINGTON (AP) — In the age of instant tweets and impulsive Facebook posts, some companies are still trying to figure out how they can limit what their employees say about work online without running afoul of the law.
NEW YORK (AP) — Oil hovered around $80 per barrel Monday after new home sales dropped to a six-month low, adding to worries about energy demand in the slowing economy.
NATIONAL POLITICS
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. (AP) — President Barack Obama says he makes no apologies for Wall Street regulation and environmental rules and doesn't buy the GOP charge they're costing jobs.
NEW YORK (AP) — The staff of the Securities and Exchange Commission is considering recommending civil legal action against the Standard & Poor's debt ratings agency over its rating of a 2007 collateralized debt offering.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Congress is once again allowing shutdown politics to bring the federal government to the brink of closing.
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama says kids and the economy will benefit from the changes he's making in education policy and his plan to spend billions to upgrade schools and keep teachers on the job.
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 23
NASHVILLE AREA
NASHVILLE (AP) — Veteran political adviser Tom Ingram has been appointed leader-in-residence at the Andrews Institute for Civic Leadership at Lipscomb University.
NASHVILLE (AP) - Jane Eskind of Nashville, the first woman to win a statewide election in Tennessee, will receive a Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Civil Liberties Union on Dec. 8.
NASHVILLE (AP) - The former executive director of a Tennessee wildlife rehabilitation center has pleaded guilty to theft of property stemming from charges that he stole more than $110,000 from the charity.
STATEWIDE
NASHVILLE (AP) - Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam has put partisan differences aside to join President Barack Obama for an announcement that states will be given more freedom to opt out of key parts of the federal No Child Left Behind law.
NASHVILLE (AP) - Rich Boyd, executive director of the Tennessee Arts Commission, is retiring effective next Jan. 31.
NASHVILLE (AP) — The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has awarded a $106 million contract to Bauer Foundation Corp. of Florida to install a barrier wall at Center Hill Dam.
NATIONAL BUSINESS
PARIS (AP) — Stock markets in Europe and the U.S. recouped some of their previous day's hefty losses Friday but investors remained skeptical about whether the world's leading economies will come up with a coordinated plan to shore up the global economy.
U.S. stock futures are falling as spreading recession fears power a global sell-off in all investments seen as risky.
NEW YORK (AP) — FedEx Corp. says consumers are putting off purchases of electronics and other gadgets from China, another example of the global economic slowdown that's prompting fears of another recession.
NEW YORK (AP) — Oil is lower again, a day after plunging more than 6 percent on fears that a slowing global economy will cut demand.
U.S. stocks are falling as recession fears and global selling take them to new yearly lows.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Fixed mortgage rates hovered at record lows for a third straight week and are likely to fall further in the coming weeks.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The number of people applying for unemployment benefits fell last week, though the decline isn't enough to signal improvement in the job market.
NATIONAL POLITICS
WASHINGTON (AP) — Rick Perry and Mitt Romney struggled with a simple reality in the latest GOP debate: Americans elect only experienced politicians as president, and Republicans nominate only proven conservatives.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Republican co-chairman of the deficit-fighting "supercommittee" said Thursday he wants to tackle corporate tax reform, a theme the White House has promoted for months. But big differences remain, including on the sticky issue of whether tax changes should lead to higher taxes.
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama, trying to energize school performance at the local level, wants to give states the flexibility to opt out of provisions of the No Child Left Behind law, a Bush-era education initiative that has grown increasingly unpopular as more schools risk being labeled a failure.