VOL. 40 | NO. 40 | Friday, September 30, 2016
SAM STOCKARD: VIEW FROM THE HILL
State Rep. William Lamberth balks at the notion Memphis and Nashville are softening the punishment for simple pot possession.
RICHARD COURTNEY: REALTY CHECK
Sales information flowing through Realtracs reflect two entirely different markets headed in opposite directions.
DAVID CLIMER: OUT OF LEFT FIELD
Coach Cliché tells us it was just another game.
DAVE LINK: UT SPORTS
Tennessee football coach Butch Jones went from goat to hero in a matter of hours last Saturday.
TERRY McCORMICK: TENNESSEE TITANS
For the first time in Marcus Mariota’s brief tenure as the Tennessee Titans starting quarterback, there were questions about how quickly he is progressing.
Be smart and disciplined: By now, everyone knows what happened with Taylor Lewan’s penalty late in the game, barreling into the pile and possibly preventing the Titans from tying or winning the game in the final minute.
NEWSMAKERS
Scott Cihak, chief executive officer of Kendall Regional Medical Center, an HCA facility in Florida, has been named CEO of HCA’s TriStar Centennial Medical Center, effective Nov. 28.
BEHIND THE WHEEL
Nissan has revamped its regular-duty full-size Titan pickup truck for 2017, giving it more aggressive styling, a nicer interior and a more powerful V8 gasoline engine.
BUSINESS BOOK REVIEW
Your business is doing well. It could do better.
GUERRILLA MARKETING
Seemingly every brand has a presence on at least one social platform these days. Very few, however, are successfully converting that resource investment into engaged, loyal customers.
CAREER CORNER
You probably never thought you’d hear the words “social media” and “cover letter” together in one sentence.
I SWEAR
Season 12 of “Grey’s Anatomy” really ticked me off! Recycled themes, sophomoric body-part jokes, endless throwbacks to earlier episodes, plots and departed characters.
MUSIC INDUSTRY
NASHVILLE (AP) — Lady Gaga showed that she could rock a club just as hard as arenas as she showcased songs from her new album.
COURTS
NASHVILLE (AP) — The state Supreme Court is scheduled to hear oral arguments on Thursday morning over whether Tennessee's lethal injection protocol constitutes cruel and unusual punishment.
NASHVILLE AREA
NASHVILLE (AP) — Actor Nate Parker's "Birth of a Nation" is one of the many films to highlight the 10th annual International Black Film Festival in Nashville.
REAL ESTATE
WASHINGTON (AP) — Long-term U.S. mortgage rates didn't move this week, remaining at their lowest levels since mid-July as a lure to prospective homebuyers.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
WASHINGTON (AP) — The number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits last week felt to the lowest level since mid-April, another sign that workers are enjoying job security despite sluggish economic growth.
NEW YORK (AP) — Health care and real estate stocks are leading a broad decline on Wall Street on Thursday as the market gives back some of a gain from the day before. Yields on government bonds rose again. Crude oil climbed past $50 a barrel, the highest price since June.
NEW YORK (AP) — Wal-Mart Stores Inc. is planning to slow new store openings as it looks to pour more money into its online efforts, technology and store remodels.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Breaking up the nation's biggest banks or erecting steep tariffs on imports may sound appealing, but the economy cannot be redesigned and put back together again without harmful consequences for many Americans, President Barack Obama says in an essay published in the Economist Magazine
FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — Top officials at the European Central Bank remain open to providing new stimulus to raise inflation in the 19 countries that use the euro as their currency — but for now are emphasizing carrying out measures they have already agreed on.
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 28
STATE LEGISLATURE
NASHVILLE (AP) - Republican leaders in the state Legislature are expressing alarm at the number of Tennessee historical events that would be removed from teaching requirements under a proposed overhaul of social studies standards.
NASHVILLE AREA
NASHVILLE (AP) — A judge has ordered Metro Nashville to pay nearly $57,000 in attorney's fees in an open records case related to police reports.
COURTS
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court on Wednesday seemed likely to preserve the government's broad power to crack down on insider trading on Wall Street.
TECHNOLOGY
NEW YORK (AP) — Yahoo responded again Wednesday to a report that it scanned incoming email to hundreds of millions of accounts for the U.S. government.
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Special Agent Jack Bennett was at the FBI's computer investigation lab in Quantico, Virginia, on a Sunday in March when an outside company showed the bureau how it could hack into an iPhone used by one of the San Bernardino shooters.
NEW YORK (AP) — Federal regulators announced new rules Wednesday governing the quickly growing prepaid debit card industry, an effort more than two years in the making which should bring basic account protections to its customers, who are often financially disadvantaged.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
NEW YORK (AP) — Banks and energy companies led stocks to close higher on Wall Street.
NEW YORK (AP) — Travelers along the East Coast are preparing for delays and cancelations as Hurricane Matthew heads toward the U.S.
UNITED NATIONS (AP) — A landmark agreement on climate change will enter into force on Nov. 4, backed by a coalition of the world's largest polluters and small island nations threatened by rising seas.
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. services companies grew last month at the fastest pace in nearly a year, potential good news for the U.S. economy.
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. businesses added 154,000 jobs in September, the slowest pace of hiring since April, a private survey found.
LONDON (AP) — With European businesses fretting over political uncertainties, including the impact of Britain's exit from the European Union, economic growth in the 19-country eurozone is losing momentum, a closely watched survey found Wednesday.
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 4
MUSIC INDUSTRY
NASHVILLE (AP) - Country star Dolly Parton will receive the Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award at the upcoming 50th annual Country Music Association Awards.
NASHVILLE AREA
NASHVILLE (AP) - The three top wardens at the Tennessee Prison for Women have been placed on leave while state officials investigate possible protocol violations at the Nashville facility.
HEALTH CARE
Millions of Americans who bought individual health insurance outside the Affordable Care Act's public exchanges may be leaving money on the table if they skip those marketplaces again in picking 2017 coverage, a new report says.
AUTO INDUSTRY
DETROIT (AP) — While the U.S. inched its way out of the Great Recession, consumers went car shopping in droves. As sales rebounded, the price of cars and trucks rose to record highs.
DETROIT (AP) — The government is investigating complaints that side air bags on some Nissan Versa small cars can inflate if the driver or passenger doors are slammed to hard.
DETROIT (AP) — U.S. safety regulators are investigating whether a recall of Ford F-150 pickup trucks for brake failures should be expanded to more model years.
TECHNOLOGY
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Google launched an aggressive challenge to consumer electronics giants like Apple and Samsung on Tuesday, introducing a new line of smartphones called Pixel and other gadgets designed to showcase a digital helper the company calls "Google Assistant."
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks fell broadly on Tuesday, led by sharp drops in utilities and phone companies. U.S. government bond prices also slumped, and gold had its worse day in nearly three years.
NEW YORK (AP) — Americans are expected to spend at a faster clip than last year for the critical holiday season, helped by an economy that should only continue to pick up, according to the nation's largest retail industry trade group.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The International Monetary Fund is downgrading its forecast for the U.S. economy this year and warns that political discontent threatens global growth.
FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — A rally in Deutsche Bank shares has lost some steam as investors face continued uncertainty about how big a U.S. penalty the bank will receive.
MONDAY, OCTOBER 3
AUTO INDUSTRY
DETROIT (AP) — Nissan says its September sales rose 4.9 percent, defying analyst expectations of a U.S. sales decline as demand for cars and trucks has peaked.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks ended lower on Wall Street, by declines in real estate companies and utilities.
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. manufacturing rebounded in September after contracting in August. New orders and production at factories increased, although employment fell — a sign that manufacturers have yet to fully stabilize after a difficult year.
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. builders trimmed spending on construction projects in August for a second straight month with housing, non-residential and government activity all seeing declines.
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Yes, you could call it free money. But that doesn't mean all Alaskans are happy about the $1,022 dividend checks nearly every resident will receive starting Thursday from the state's oil wealth fund.
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Outdoor gear giant Bass Pro is snapping up rival Cabela's in a $4.5 billion deal announced Monday.
NATIONAL POLITICS
WASHINGTON (AP) — THE ISSUE: Politicians love trying to use the tax code to highlight their goals to voters. This year, it's a battlefield between Hillary Clinton, who wants to boost levies on the rich to pay for expanding social programs and Donald Trump, who says cutting taxes would gird the economy. The clash has consequences for the rich, poor and those in the middle.
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 30
STATEWIDE
NASHVILLE (AP) - Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam says Doug Varney is retiring as commissioner of the state Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services.
NASHVILLE AREA
NASHVILLE (AP) - A pro-charter school organization and the four Nashville school board candidates it backed last month could face steep penalties over possible campaign disclosure violations.
HEALTH CARE
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Obama administration failed to follow the president's health care law in a $5 billion dispute over compensating insurers for high costs from seriously ill patients, Congress' investigative arm said Thursday.
FRANKLIN (AP) - Community Health Systems says it is selling four hospitals in Mississippi and Florida to Curae Health Inc.
STATE LEGISLATURE
NASHVILLE (AP) — A prominent school voucher advocate in Tennessee paid for a private plane to take public officials including potential Republican and Democratic candidates for governor to North Carolina on a private school tour.
REAL ESTATE
WASHINGTON (AP) — Long-term U.S. mortgage rates slipped this week to the lowest level since mid-July.
AUTO INDUSTRY
PARIS (AP) — An obscenely powerful hybrid sports car, a family-friendly SUV with enough space for seven adults, and an electric vehicle that promises to keep going for over 300 miles (500 kilometers) on a single charge — those are some of the notable vehicles shining on the display stands under bright overhead lights at the Paris auto show.
DETROIT (AP) — Volvo is recalling about 127,000 cars and SUVs worldwide because the air conditioning can leak water into the vehicles and cause air bags to malfunction.
PARIS (AP) — Global automakers are showing off new electric vehicles at the Paris auto show as they look ahead to a world of tighter environmental standards and brace for rapid changes in technology.
TECHNOLOGY
NEW YORK (AP) — Federal regulators delayed a decision Thursday on requiring cable and satellite TV companies to make free apps to eliminate the need for cable boxes.
COURTS
NASHVILLE (AP) - When a 5-year-old autistic boy came home from his Nashville public school with bruises and a bite mark, his parents sent him back with a recording device.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court will hear a First Amendment challenge over the government's refusal to register offensive trademarks in a case that could affect the Washington Redskins.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. consumers scaled back their spending in August to its weakest pace in five months, reflecting a drop in spending on autos. Income growth also decelerated as wages and salary gains slowed following four strong months.
NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks are closing higher on Wall Street, led by big gains in bank stocks.
BERLIN (AP) — Shares in Deutsche Bank swung wildly on Friday, touching a record low before roaring back to life, amid speculation about the stability of Germany's biggest bank and the European financial system.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Angry lawmakers heaped another round of blistering criticism on Wells Fargo's CEO, pressing Thursday for details about what senior managers knew about allegedly illegal sales practices and when any concerns were disclosed.
NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks are lower Thursday as EpiPen maker Mylan and other drug companies face scrutiny over increases in product prices. Oil prices are little changed after a big surge a day ago, but companies that drill for oil are climbing. A slide in high-dividend stocks like utilities and real estate companies is also pulling the market lower.