Belmont University’s College of Music & Performing Arts ranked 15th among the world’s top 20 music schools in The Hollywood Reporter’s annual list. The 2024 ranking, which highlights institutions preparing the next generation of composers across all media, places Belmont alongside renowned institutions The Juilliard School, Berklee College of Music and the New England Conservatory.

This recognition underscores Belmont’s strength in preparing students for careers across the music industry, from performance and composition to production, with alumni working at major entertainment companies, recording studios and performing arts organizations worldwide. With a 97% job placement rate within six months of graduation, the honor reflects the University’s continued commitment to providing cutting-edge music education in one of the world’s premier music cities.

The College of Music & Performing Arts offers comprehensive programs spanning classical, contemporary and commercial music, with noted strength in music technology and digital musicianship. The program’s success is enhanced by its collaboration with Belmont’s Mike Curb College of Entertainment and Music Business, where students can further develop their technical and business acumen through state-of-the-art audio engineering facilities and programs and other industry-focused coursework.

Rents fall in Oct.; more units expected in ’25

Rents fell by 0.8% to $1,720 in October, marking their 15th consecutive month of year-over-year declines and falling the most for smaller-sized units, Realtor.com’s October Rental Report reveals. Looking ahead, new rental properties coming onto the market are expected to put continued downward pressure on rents next year.

More completed multifamily homes made their way to the market in 2024 as projects begun in 2022 and 2023 were finished. Between January and September, the average seasonally adjusted annual rate of multifamily completions reached 606,000 units, up from 445,000 units in the same period in 2023 and higher than the 2017-19 pre-pandemic? average of 359,000 units.

While a lower rate of completions is anticipated for next year, rental housing stock is still expected to rise by 1.1% to more than 49 million units by fall 2025, which would be 6.7% higher than in the fall of 2019, before the pandemic.

New multifamily completions rose in all regions of the country this year, with the biggest year-over-year gains seen in the South (49.1%) followed by the Midwest (44.9%), West (23.9%) and Northeast (7.4%). That has translated to lower median asking rents.

In the South, the biggest annual drops in median asking rent in October were seen in Memphis (-5.4%), and Nashville (-5.2%).

2 of 3 of TN counties see unemployment drop

Unemployment rates in two-thirds of Tennessee’s counties declined from the previous month, according to newly released data from the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development.

In 63 of the state’s 95 counties, unemployment rates for October were down when compared with September’s rates. Rates remained the same in 15 counties and increased in 17 counties.

All but six Tennessee counties recorded unemployment rates of less than 5% in October. Those six counties had rates that were greater than 5% but less than 10%.

Sevier, Moore and Williamson counties once again reported the state’s lowest unemployment rates. All three had October rates of 2.6%.

Sevier County’s rate was 0.1% lower than in September. Moore County’s rate also was down 0.1% from the previous month. Williamson County’s rate was down 0.2%.

Weakley County in northwestern Tennessee had the state’s highest unemployment rate for the month at 6%. That rate was 2% more than the county’s September rate of 4%.

Unicoi and Lake counties had the next-highest unemployment rates for the month at 5.6% each. Unicoi’s rate was up 1.3 percentage points over the previous month, and Lake’s rate was up one-half of a percentage point.

Tennessee’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate in October was 3.3%. The rate was up slightly over the previous month but eight-tenths of a percentage point below the national rate of 4.1%.

Unlike the statewide rate, county rates are not adjusted to account for seasonal impacts on employment, such as weather and school breaks.

State launches grants to lower adoption costs

The Tennessee Department of Children’s Services has announced the launch of a new program to reduce the cost of the private adoption process for Tennessee families while helping recruit more foster families.

On Jan. 1, DCS will begin a Home Study Reimbursement Grant Program utilizing state funds appropriated to help adoptive families. The initiative will reimburse families up to $, 000 for the cost of a home study completed by a licensed child-placing agency or licensed clinical social worker, which is required to be adopted in Tennessee.

The state currently covers the entire cost of home studies for foster families, but a home study for a private adoption can cost thousands of dollars.

Through this grant program, DCS will have the opportunity to educate participating families on the need for more foster families and invite them to consider fostering while waiting for a private placement.

To be eligible for the grant, individuals must have completed a home study by a licensed Tennessee child placing agency on or after July 1. Eligible individuals will need to fill out an online application and provide proof of payment for the completed home study. The online application will be available on the DCS website beginning Jan. 1. Applications will be processed in the order they are received, up to 1,000.

The Home Study Reimbursement Program grew out of a collaboration between DCS, the governor’s office and The Adoption Project, a nonprofit organization focused on adoption and foster care public policy.

There are currently more than 8,000 youth in DCS care, with only about 5,000 approved foster homes across the state. In fiscal year 2023, there were 1,064 home studies completed by licensed child placing agencies in Tennessee.

LivAway Suites’ opens Smyrna location

LivAway Suites has announced the grand opening of its third national location in Smyrna, marking a significant milestone as the brand’s first venture east of the Mississippi River.

Developed by West77 Partners and financed by Keystone National Group, this 126-suite hotel offers fully equipped kitchens and advanced guest-facing technology, setting a new standard for affordable extended-stay accommodations.

”The LivAway Suites in Smyrna represents more than just an expansion of our footprint,” says Mike Nielson, CEO of LivAway Suites. “It’s about redefining what guests expect from an extended-stay experience through thoughtful design and operational efficiency.”

The strategic expansion into Nashville underscores LivAway Suites’ aggressive growth plan to have 50 locations open or under construction, by the end of 2026. As demand soars for reasonably priced extended stays in burgeoning markets like Nashville, this latest opening positions LivAway Suites as a front-runner in its segment.

Catering to construction professionals, travel nurses, digital nomads, relocating families and more, LivAway Suites offers modern finishes and accessible amenities for guests looking for extended-stay accommodations.

With self-serve check-in kiosks, smart laundry facilities, automated parcel lockers and other sleek improvements, the overall guest experience is enhanced for comfort and convenience while optimizing the operational efficiency of the hotel.

Study explores antibiotics role in childhood asthma

The use of antibiotics in the first year of life has been found to be a risk factor for the development of childhood asthma.

What is not known is how to protect children from the long-term effects of infant antibiotic use. Researchers at Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt are seeking to determine the age when infants are most susceptible to the risk of developing childhood asthma once exposed to antibiotics and the pathways through which infant antibiotic use can increase the risk of childhood asthma onset.

“There are currently no strategies to prevent asthma, the most common chronic lung disease in children,” says Christian Rosas-Salazar, M.D., MPH, assistant professor of pediatrics, allergy, immunology and pulmonary medicine at Monroe Carell. “Understanding the mechanisms that lead to asthma in children who receive antibiotics in early life can help us develop interventions to prevent this condition.”

Rosas-Salazar received $4.1 million from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute to conduct a five-year study, “Effect of infant antibiotics on the development of early-life airway and gut microbiome and risk of childhood asthma,” where his team will use available data and biospecimens collected from several birth cohorts from across the country that are part of the Environmental Influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) Program of the National Institutes of Health.

Results from previous studies indicate that the association of antibiotic exposure early in childhood and the risk of developing asthma is likely due to changes in the human microbiome, but the techniques utilized couldn’t accurately identify relevant bacterial species or functions. Rosas-Salazar said that is critical in designing interventions to prevent long-term detrimental effects of infant antibiotic use.

Belmont among top entrepreneur programs

Belmont University’s Entrepreneurship Program, within the Jack C. Massey College of Business, continues to excel as Tennessee’s premier entrepreneurship program according to “The Princeton Review” and “Entrepreneur” magazine’s latest rankings. The program maintains a strong position in the South at No. 5 and ranks 32nd globally.

The prestigious list identifies 50 undergraduate and 50 graduate schools for excellence in entrepreneurship studies. The rankings are based on a comprehensive June through September 2024 survey evaluating more than 300 institutions offering entrepreneurship programs.

At Belmont, the entrepreneurial mindset reaches far beyond the classroom walls of business school. This innovative approach influences students across all majors. A cornerstone of Belmont’s entrepreneurship success remains the Thomas F. Cone Center for Entrepreneurship, which offers a hands-on approach to entrepreneurial education, inviting students from every major to utilize resources, leverage networks and gain access to accomplished leaders in the space.