Property appraisals go online too soon

You don't necessarily have to wait on the mail to see the value assigned to your property in the latest Davidson County reappraisal.
But you might have to wait a bit to start complaining about it through the county's official channels.


Investor Report: Sycamore Urban Properties
Nashville-area Lowe’s stores accept tornado donations

Customers lose cars, still pay after Nashville Dodge closes

The closing of Nashville Dodge in Antioch, which was seized by the Tennessee Department of Revenue last month for not paying taxes, has created a nightmare for customers — many of whom bought vehicles from the dealer but haven't been able to get them licensed.
And inside the service department as many as 15 vehicles that customers had left for repairs several weeks ago remain locked up and unavailable to their owners as Chrysler Financial, the financing arm of the manufacturer, wades through paperwork to see if it has a lien on the property.


Nashville-area Lowe’s stores accept tornado donations
Investor Report: Rental Market Hurting
Nashville loses trusted voice of Dan Miller

Tennessee plans 450 road projects over 3 years

Tennessee's hectic summer road construction season will be busier than normal this year, thanks to federal stimulus cash.
On Tuesday, the state identified more than 450 projects to be started over the next three years, two-fifths of them paid for with $486 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds.


Tennessee Livestock Auctions
Investor Report: Sycamore Urban Properties

Nashville-area Lowe's stores accept tornado donations

Sixteen Nashville-area Lowe's stores will be official donation sites for the American Red Cross to aid residents affected by last Friday's tornado.
The tornado ripped through Rutherford County with winds that reached 170 mph in some places, scarring 22 miles and destroying hundreds of homes and buildings. Some $35 million in damages is estimated.


Nashville loses trusted voice of Dan Miller
Investor Report: Sycamore Urban Properties
Real Estate Outlook: A Turnaround May Be In Sight

Pharmacists get paid more for consultations

A push by Medicare and other insurers to control patients' misuse of medications as a way to cut unnecessary drug costs has given many pharmacists a chance to make additional money by getting paid for in-depth consultations or other extra services.
Kroger, for instance, is training more pharmacists to handle up to one-hour consultations with patients that it began offering members of sponsoring health plans two years ago. As profit margins shrink, the new fees could help pharmacists develop another stable source of revenue.


Washington Report: Obama and FHA
Real Estate Outlook: A Turnaround May Be In Sight
People in Business

In tough times, musicians cut concert prices

If you want to sit in the really good seats for a Keith Urban concert this summer, a pair of tickets will put you back about $170. But in a nod to the tough economic times, the country superstar has also priced some tickets as low as $20 per seat, so fans won't stay home because they can't afford to go.
"They may be to the side, but they still have a good view of the stage," Urban said recently of the discount tickets. "It's a way for us to allow those people that are a little hard up for cash to come and see the show."


Real Estate Outlook: A Turnaround May Be In Sight
Washington Report: Obama and FHA
Scammers hijack home rental ads

Business Calendar

Career Transition Support Group, topic is "Staying Focused and Energized in Your Search," 6:30 p.m., Monday, April 13, Brentwood United Methodist Church, 309 Franklin Road, Brentwood. 615-477-5651. Cost: free.


People in Business
Washington Report: Obama and FHA
Scammers hijack home rental ads

Tennessee Senate may lift phone limits

The state Senate is scheduled to vote today on a bill pushed by AT&T to deregulate the price of basic land line phone service, a move that critics such as the AARP and the state attorney general's office say could lead to higher prices.
A separate bill on the same topic still faces another hearing in the House Commerce Committee.


Try these tips to save money on medicine
Washington Report: Obama and FHA

Bootstrapping is safest path to profitability

The thought of having to put your life savings, your home, or your retirement accounts at risk to launch a new business can send a chill down the spine of even the most committed entrepreneur.
And for the accidental entrepreneurs who have to start a business to make it through the current recession, it can create an almost paralyzing fear.


Try these tips to save money on medicine
Pulte deal creates home-building giant

Try these tips to save money on medicine

Prescription prices are putting the bite on household budgets. The recession is amplifying the pain as workers lose health coverage and employers cut back on drug benefits.
Still, there are plenty of ways to save money, if you're willing to expend some effort.


Tax credit may boost geothermal business
People in Business

Tax credit may boost geothermal business

When Jim Mauries' electric heat pump and gas furnace quit working for his 4,500-square-foot home, he didn't replace them with conventional models.
Instead, he opted to spend $42,000 to buy and install a geothermal system that collects or releases heat from liquid circulated through pipes deep beneath the soil. Last month, workers drilled four 300-foot wells in his backyard and inserted serpentine plastic tubing that would stretch nearly the length of seven football fields if placed end to end.


Attics to doors, tax credit has it covered

Attics to doors, tax credit has it covered

NEW YORK — Before you put your 2008 tax documents up in the attic, think about the $1,500 you could save on next year's returns if you added extra insulation or a skylight.
Congress tripled the tax credit for energy-efficiency home improvements when it passed the latest stimulus plan. The tax credit now covers up to 30 percent of the cost of products installed this year and next.


Tax credit may boost geothermal business
Investor Report: Sycamore Urban Properties

Nashville loses trusted voice of Dan Miller

Dan Miller, the low-key "everyman" news anchor who came across as the funny, kind brother you welcome in your living room each night, died of a heart attack Wednesday night after collapsing in his hometown of Augusta, Ga. He was 67.
Mr. Miller anchored the news on WSMV-Channel 4 for more than three decades, taking it to competition-busting ratings. He left in the 1980s for a short hiatus as a Los Angeles newsman and trusty talk show sidekick to his longtime friend Pat Sajak before returning to Nashville.


Investor Report: Sycamore Urban Properties
Pulte deal creates home-building giant

Scammers hijack home rental ads

FRANKLIN — It sounded like a nice place to live at a reasonable price.
The Franklin home for rent featured two bedrooms and two bathrooms, a wood-burning fireplace, refrigerator, washer and dryer, new tile, carpet and paint, and a two-car garage. Pets welcome. The four photos on the Craigslist ad displayed a well-maintained residence.


Pulte deal creates home-building giant

People in Business

Spectrum Health Partners, LLC announced:
Phil Shaw is a principal of the Franklin-based company. Shaw was interim president and CEO of Penrose St. Francis Health System in Colorado.


Pulte deal creates home-building giant
Investor Report: Sycamore Urban Properties

Tennessee Livestock Auctions

Reported auctions on Tuesday, April 7, at Athens, Cookeville and Huntingdon, Tenn.:
Cattle receipts: 1,595

Ford hopes European van attracts U.S. families

DETROIT — Ford Motor Co.'s small, European cargo van, may find a home in the driveways of U.S. families.
Ford showcased Transit Connect, a boxy, commercial vehicle from Europe, in February. But the automaker has popped some windows into the van and retrofitted it for families. The Transit Connect Family One on display at the New York International Auto Show is a concept vehicle designed to attract families with active, busy lifestyles.

Pulte deal creates home-building giant

Pulte Homes Inc., which now is mostly known for its retirement community in Mt. Juliet, could become the Nashville area's dominant homebuilder after a $1.3 billion deal announced Wednesday.
The Bloomfield Hills, Mich.-based Pulte said it would buy fellow homebuilder Centex Corp. in a stock transaction that would make it the largest homebuilder by revenue in the nation, giving it an edge in a recession marked by declining property values and homebuilder bankruptcies.


Ford hopes European van attracts U.S. families

GM's Spring Hill workers worry

General Motors Corp.'s Spring Hill assembly plant could face a more difficult battle to survive a new round of auto industry cuts sought by the Obama administration in the wake of the ouster of GM's chief executive last week and the prospect of an even leaner GM.
In return for any continued federal financial support of GM, the Obama administration said, the automaker's reorganization plan must include steeper reductions in manufacturing capacity and labor costs, even though the company already has closed factories and reduced its work force by about 60,000 in the past year.


Washington Report: Federal Reserve
Holladay Properties begins office project
Washington Report: FDIC and Loan Pools
GM says 7,500 took buyouts, including 310 at Spring Hill

Comcast puts focus on phone and Internet

Steve Burke, president of Comcast cable and executive vice president of Comcast Corp., has been making the rounds nationally, pitching new products and rallying his corporate troops with the mantra that Comcast is investing $5 billion in capital expenditures this year despite the recession.
He leaves unsaid that the still lofty figure is down slightly from 2008 spending levels, based on stock analysts' reports on Comcast, but it's also far from a retrenchment.


Maximize Use of Internal Resources: Customer Retention Strategies to Enhance Profits
Recession boosts Roth’s tax-free appeal
Washington Report: Federal Reserve

AT&T labor talks down to the wire

Negotiators for AT&T Inc. and union officials representing 112,500 employees said Friday they expect to bargain into the weekend on five labor contracts that expire tonight.
The contract talks don't cover the nine-state region that includes Tennessee, however. This region's contract doesn't expire until Aug. 8.


Tennessee may lift restrictions on wine sales
People in Business
Real Estate Outlook: Housing Positioned For Growth
Investor Report: Bailout at Work

Disney cuts 1,900 jobs in parks

BURBANK, Calif. — In a sign that the recession is cutting into the Walt Disney Co.'s park business even deeper than originally thought, Disney on Friday said it eliminated about 1,900 jobs at its domestic theme parks through job cuts and attrition.
The entertainment giant in February announced a reorganization of its parks and resorts operation, which it acknowledged would set the stage for job cuts. The changes were announced amid falling attendance and expectations that the recession has many more months to run. But Friday's announcement signals that Disney is bracing for an extended downturn in its business as consumers continue to keep their wallets closed.


‘The’ Time to Invest in Real Estate is Now
FedEx to cut 1,000 jobs, $1 billion in expenses

TDOT agrees to pay $5.7M for state to replace wetlands

The state could soon begin replacing wetlands destroyed during road building over the past two decades.
The Tennessee Department of Transportation has agreed to pay $5.7 million into a fund to close out any unfulfilled commitments made when construction plowed over wetlands and streams in cases as far back as 1990.


Tuition increase is likely this fall
Tennessee may lift restrictions on wine sales
Investor Report: Bailout at Work

Supreme Court urges more free legal services

The Tennessee Supreme Court will adopt three rules Friday aimed at encouraging lawyers to provide free services to Tennesseans who need legal assistance but can't afford it.
The changes will encourage but not require lawyers to provide 50 pro bono hours of work each year; enable lawyers to provide limited scope legal assistance to people without formally becoming their attorney-of-record, and enable lawyers to earn one hour of continuing legal education credit for every five hours of pro bono services they provide.


Supreme Court says union contracts can limit age bias lawsuits
Appeals court: Madoff will remain in prison
Property Tax Reassessment Scams are on the Rise
Washington Report: Property Valuation

Supreme Court says union contracts can limit age bias lawsuits

WASHINGTON — Workers can't sue for age discrimination when the union representing them has agreed that any bias claims should go to arbitration rather than court, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled.
The justices, voting 5-4, ruled in favor of Temco Services Industries Inc. on a discrimination lawsuit by three men who were demoted from positions as night watchmen at a New York City office building. The suit invokes the U.S. Age Discrimination in Employment Act.


Washington Report: FDIC and Loan Pools
Washington Report: Property Valuation
Appeals court: Madoff will remain in prison
Madoff victims worry plea could deny justice

GMAC resumes car loans to riskier borrowers

General Motors' financing arm said Wednesday it plans to temporarily waive some dealer fees and start making loans to more potential buyers with low credit scores in a bid to stop the extended slide in U.S. vehicle sales.
GMAC said it will set aside $5 billion for consumer loans over the next 60 days and will resume lending to consumers with credit scores below 620 points, a level that flirts with riskier borrowers.


The best resumes highlight results, not just job titles
Dollar General to add 450 stores
Washington Report: FDIC and Loan Pools

Honda offers buyouts, cuts workers' pay

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Honda Motor Co. is offering voluntary buyouts, cutting workers' pay and imposing 13 non-production days at its North American plants to reduce its production this summer by 62,000 vehicles.
Honda spokesman Ron Lietzke said Tuesday that the buyouts will be offered to most of the Japanese automaker's 35,600 employees in the U.S., Canada and Mexico. He says enhanced retirement packages are also being offered.


Digital TV delayed until June
GM says 7,500 took buyouts, including 310 at Spring Hill
‘The’ Time to Invest in Real Estate is Now

Toyota's U.S. sales lag GM's for March, year to date

Toyota reported a drop of 39 percent in U.S. sales for March compared with last year, with a total of 132,802 vehicles delivered versus 217,730 in March 2008.
For the year to date through March, Toyota said it had delivered 359,672 vehicles, compared with 571,748 for the first three months of 2008 – a decline of 37 percent.


Real Estate Outlook: Sales Rising?
Walgreen profits decline 7%

Business Calendar

FastPitch final competition, 5:30 p.m., Tuesday, March 31, Maddox Grand Atrium inside the Curb Event Center, Belmont University. www.fastpitchnashville.com.
Real Estate Investors of Nashville's Tenant Screening class, 6-9 p.m., Tuesday, March 31, REIN Education Center, 2416 Music Valley Drive, Space 151. www.reintn.net. Cost: $25 members, $45 others.


Sony/ATV Nashville signs Keith Stegall to multi-year publishing agreement
HOA Renter Rights

Private Medicare plans get new rules

WASHINGTON — The Obama administration Monday placed new curbs on private insurance plans that are popular with seniors in Medicare but have been criticized for marketing abuses and for high costs to the government.
Medicare officials said the changes include winnowing the number of versions of a plan that insurers can offer, protecting patients with chronic diseases from excessive co-payments, and banning a practice by some plans that can add even more to the costs of brand-name drugs.


Investor Report: Small Scale Investing Challenge
Bank CEOs favor Obama’s plan but want more details
Washington Report: FDIC and Loan Pools