tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-79342237311402942492011-11-27T15:47:33.825-08:00Fiorettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11186836535254240841noreply@blogger.comBlogger17371100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7934223731140294249.post-60613101286676408642011-11-17T15:17:00.001-08:002011-11-17T15:17:49.089-08:00

NEW YORK — Cable companies said Wednesday that they will offer Internet service for $9.95 per month to homes with children that are eligible for free school lunches.The offer will start next summer and is part of an initiative the Federal Communications Commission cobbled together to get more U.S. homes connected to broadband.One third, or about 35 million homes, don’t have broadband. That

Fiorettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11186836535254240841noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7934223731140294249.post-13306756012355960572011-11-16T15:16:00.001-08:002011-11-16T15:16:20.016-08:00

SAN FRANCISCO -- Facebook Inc.’s expected settlement with the Federal Trade Commission is sending a strong message to Internet companies that regulators are getting serious about protecting the privacy of consumers.The social networking giant could announce a deal with the FTC as early as today over charges that it violated users’ privacy when it changed default settings to make more of their

Fiorettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11186836535254240841noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7934223731140294249.post-72188854938388503322011-11-15T15:23:00.001-08:002011-11-15T15:23:38.082-08:00

WASHINGTON — A Chevrolet Volt that caught fire three weeks after its lithium-ion battery was damaged in a government crash test has regulators taking a harder look at the safety of electric car batteries.The car that caught fire was tested May 12 by a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration contractor at a Wisconsin facility using a relatively new side-impact test intended to replicate

Fiorettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11186836535254240841noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7934223731140294249.post-80251969019926159432011-11-14T15:14:00.001-08:002011-11-14T15:14:01.577-08:00

Rehab Practice Management LLC said it has acquired Desert Physical Therapy and Sports Medicine, which provides outpatient physical therapy services in Apple Valley, Calif.Terms of the transaction weren’t disclosed.With the acquisition of Desert Physical Therapy, Franklin-based Rehab Practice now has four locations in Southern California’s high desert area.Earlier this year, the provider of

Fiorettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11186836535254240841noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7934223731140294249.post-52829316942570391072011-11-13T15:19:00.001-08:002011-11-13T15:19:32.624-08:00

ROCK HILL, MO. — Bobby Tessler’s temper sizzled just as much as his chicken wings as he stood over his deep fryers Tuesday and thought about the money that recently greased the pockets of thieves instead of his own.Since he opened his business St. Louis Wing Co. in April, thieves have siphoned hundreds of pounds of grease from a container behind his business, depriving him of about $2,000 that a

Fiorettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11186836535254240841noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7934223731140294249.post-73609560281980284372011-11-12T15:15:00.001-08:002011-11-12T15:15:55.082-08:00

WASHINGTON — A Chevrolet Volt that caught fire three weeks after its lithium-ion battery was damaged in a government crash test has regulators taking a harder look at the safety of electric car batteries.The car that caught fire was tested May 12 by a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration contractor at a Wisconsin facility using a relatively new side-impact test intended to replicate

Fiorettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11186836535254240841noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7934223731140294249.post-41017041332209698432011-11-11T15:22:00.001-08:002011-11-11T15:22:48.082-08:00

NEW YORK — Groupon, the company that pioneered online group discounts, saw its stock rise about 30 percent in its public debut Friday, showing strong demand for an Internet company whose business model is considered unsustainable by some analysts.Groupon’s stock initially jumped as high as $31.14 per share — or nearly56 percent — from its opening price of $20 a share before losing some

Fiorettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11186836535254240841noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7934223731140294249.post-87448094014226159652011-11-10T15:17:00.001-08:002011-11-10T15:17:00.349-08:00

Single-family home sales in the Nashville area dropped 4.6 percent in October from their September levels, the second consecutive month-to-month dip after a sales sprint this summer.There were 1,446 single-family homes sold in the nine-county Nashville market last month compared with 1,513 in September, the Greater Nashville Association of Realtors reported on Wednesday.But compared with

Fiorettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11186836535254240841noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7934223731140294249.post-60516737394436622092011-11-09T15:19:00.001-08:002011-11-09T15:19:54.232-08:00

DALLAS — Jerry Wright is a whiz when it comes to inventing protective face gear but considers himself a “social media idiot.” Nick Schaeffer is a master electrician, not a master of the virtual universe.Yet both are finding marketing success on Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn, Twitter and other social media.They routinely post blogs, star in slick, newslike videos and continuously fine-tune their

Fiorettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11186836535254240841noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7934223731140294249.post-57450813717295280552011-11-08T15:19:00.001-08:002011-11-08T15:19:51.703-08:00

NEW YORK — Americans were shopping in October, but they were spending at a slower clip than expected as they faced a barrage of bad economic news.October revenue at stores open at least a year — an indicator of a retailer’s health — rose3.7 percent from the same month a year ago, according to the International Council of Shopping Centers’ tally of 25 retailers.But October’s increase is weaker

Fiorettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11186836535254240841noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7934223731140294249.post-70076244311780250002011-11-07T15:16:00.001-08:002011-11-07T15:16:14.894-08:00

Rutherford County 118 Silverstone Drive, Murfreesboro 37130 Year built: 1998 Square feet: 1,960 Description: This three-bedroom, 2½-bath home is on a large, treed lot on a cul de sac. The home features a vaulted ceiling in the great room, built-in bookcases and a fireplace. It has new paint. There is room for an office or a fourth bedroom in the loft area on second level. The master suite is on

Fiorettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11186836535254240841noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7934223731140294249.post-68309254425220720422011-11-06T15:11:00.001-08:002011-11-06T15:11:02.481-08:00

MEMPHIS — Pinnacle Airlines Corp. figures to remain in rebuilding mode for much of next year.Executives of the Memphis-based owner of Pinnacle, Mesaba and Colgan airlines wouldn’t say how soon they expect to turn a profit within the next year or so, but they pointed to a brighter revenue picture by 2013 after reporting a multimillion-dollar loss for the most recent quarter.The company reported

Fiorettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11186836535254240841noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7934223731140294249.post-52376624915712268972011-11-05T16:21:00.001-07:002011-11-05T16:21:44.442-07:00

More than 40 years after the death of country singer “Gentleman” Jim Reeves, a Nashville court will determine the fate of his musical legacy – and the ownership of his considerable posthumous royalties.Reeves heirs – chiefly his nieces – and the surviving second husband of his widow Mary Reeves Davis will return to Davidson Country Probate court January 23.The two-day trial will determine how big

Fiorettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11186836535254240841noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7934223731140294249.post-27347821148044053052011-11-04T16:15:00.001-07:002011-11-04T16:15:40.879-07:00

When several major banks announced plans to impose new debit card fees on their customers earlier this fall, Avenue Bank’s marketing manager, Lisa Meiers, handled a daily barrage of questions from customers about the bank’s own fees.So, Avenue Bank launched a print and online campaign to make the message plain: The bank does not charge swipe fees — a fee of up to several dollars a month for using

Fiorettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11186836535254240841noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7934223731140294249.post-48919791394603173162011-11-03T16:16:00.001-07:002011-11-03T16:16:58.183-07:00

WASHINGTON — On the defensive over a half-billion-dollar loan to a now-bankrupt solar company, the White House on Friday ordered an independent review of similar loans made by the Energy Department, its latest response to rising criticism over Solyndra Inc.The announcement came as House Republicans prepared for a possible vote next week to subpoena White House documents related to the defunct

Fiorettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11186836535254240841noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7934223731140294249.post-31549124168972311462011-11-02T16:14:00.001-07:002011-11-02T16:14:40.144-07:00

Add First Tennessee Bank and Bank of America to the growing list of financial institutions scrapping monthly fees for making debit card purchases — a development being hailed by consumer advocates as a victory for customers.First Tennessee Bank will not be charging customers to use debit cards, becoming the latest bank based in Tennessee to turn back from its plans to impose monthly debit card

Fiorettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11186836535254240841noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7934223731140294249.post-21170042204592244502011-11-01T16:17:00.001-07:002011-11-01T16:17:19.101-07:00

Franchise owners Ted Bertuca Sr. and his son had no trouble securing a commercial loan for a McDonald’s location planned for Mt. Juliet later this year, pointing to what may be a long-awaited thaw in some sectors of local business lending.“The timing is right to do this,” said Bertuca, who operates 21 McDonald’s restaurants in the Nashville area. “And the bank has been there to support us.”As

Fiorettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11186836535254240841noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7934223731140294249.post-81961989797546356262011-10-31T16:34:00.001-07:002011-10-31T16:34:06.698-07:00

WASHINGTON — Home prices rose in August in half of major cities measured by a private survey, a sign that prices are stabilizing in some hard-hit portions of the country.The Standard & Poor’s/Case-Shiller index showed Tuesday that prices increased in August from July in 10 of the 20 cities tracked. That marked the fifth straight month that at least half of the cities in the survey showed monthly

Fiorettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11186836535254240841noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7934223731140294249.post-63646920129796887772011-10-30T16:27:00.001-07:002011-10-30T16:27:09.972-07:00

LOS ANGELES — Now that Apple Inc.’s chief visionary is gone, the company is facing a billion-dollar question: Will it be able to conjure another pioneering product without Steve Jobs?Perhaps fittingly, a possible answer came posthumously from Jobs himself.The television set, the quintessential squawk box of the 20th century, is ripe for a reinvention, the Apple co-founder said before he died Oct.

Fiorettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11186836535254240841noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7934223731140294249.post-52603772582160657392011-10-29T15:17:00.001-07:002011-10-29T15:17:55.263-07:00

NEW YORK — An agreement to contain the European debt crisis electrified the stock market Thursday, driving the Dow Jones industrial average up nearly 340 points and putting the Standard & Poor’s 500 index on track for its best month since 1974.Investors were relieved after European leaders crafted a deal to slash Greece’s debt load and prevent the crisis there from engulfing larger countries like

Fiorettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11186836535254240841noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7934223731140294249.post-11090457860584003902011-10-28T15:14:00.001-07:002011-10-28T15:14:27.569-07:00

Nissan’s two U.S. plants, including the one in Smyrna, could soon go global and begin making vehicles for export overseas, moving beyond their current role of assembling cars and trucks only for buyers in North America.The move could lead to significant expansion of the automaker’s U.S. production facilities, including its other vehicle-assembly plant, in Canton, Miss., and the engine plant in

Fiorettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11186836535254240841noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7934223731140294249.post-23961513174237736932011-10-27T15:14:00.001-07:002011-10-27T15:14:17.847-07:00

BMI’s board of directors has a new face at the helm, and it’s the first time the title has been given to a woman and an African-American.Susan Davenport Austin, an Ivy League-educated woman from Pittsburgh whose family has a long history in radio and who previously spent 10 years in investment banking, will be music rights group BMI’s next chairwoman of the board, the company said

Fiorettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11186836535254240841noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7934223731140294249.post-41387767860300745972011-10-26T15:25:00.001-07:002011-10-26T15:25:11.268-07:00

Bryan Jordan, CEO of First Horizon National Corp., has been elected to succeed Mike Rose as chairman of the bank holding company’s board as of Jan. 1. Scott M. Niswonger, chair and founder of Landair Transport, also has been elected to the First Horizon board. Memphis-based First Horizon is the parent of First Tennessee Bank.Rose, 69, will retire from the First Horizon board in April, just after

Fiorettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11186836535254240841noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7934223731140294249.post-11768501227632859222011-10-25T15:21:00.001-07:002011-10-25T15:21:59.946-07:00

An international law firm said Tuesday it will consolidate back-office functions in a new Nashville facility, the latest shared-services center to come to the region.Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLC said its planned center will provide human resource, information technology, finance and other non-legal professional services for its 14 offices worldwide, including its New York headquarters.The

Fiorettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11186836535254240841noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7934223731140294249.post-10706901430094824842011-10-24T15:16:00.001-07:002011-10-24T15:16:44.331-07:00

CHICAGO — Investors remain anxious to find safety even as the stock market moves back toward positive territory for the year.They’re on pace to yank more than $20 billion out of stock funds this month, the fourth time in the last five months, scarred by the volatility over everything from the sluggish economy to Europe’s debt crisis to the threat of another global recession.Despite the recent

Fiorettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11186836535254240841noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7934223731140294249.post-65904004486981920122011-10-23T15:20:00.001-07:002011-10-23T15:20:14.246-07:00

Musician and Detroit native John Maison is willing to pay his dues to make it in the music business — but he’s also willing to pay in cash.So the 20-something former commercial loan officer decided to hire Nashville songwriting consultant Marc-Alan Barnette to help him speed along the traditional years-long, dues-paying, school-of-hard-knocks route to Nashville songwriter success.For a fee,

Fiorettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11186836535254240841noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7934223731140294249.post-59283785366057668682011-10-22T15:24:00.001-07:002011-10-22T15:24:25.470-07:00

Four years ago, La Vergne-based Pro Charging Systems LLC outsourced manufacturing of several key components of its new line of battery chargers to China.The idea was to take advantage of lower labor costs and other advantages the company was counting on as it made charger parts there that would end up in hunting vehicles and golf carts sold in the United States.Over the past year, though, Pro

Fiorettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11186836535254240841noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7934223731140294249.post-24979848084636985922011-10-21T15:11:00.001-07:002011-10-21T15:11:13.616-07:00

The old adage about not putting all your eggs in one basket applies to marketers and how they must approach media in today’s multichannel world, especially if they’re chasing well-to-do customers.The affluent market is significant. There are 58.5 million adults in households with incomes of at least $100,000, just under one-quarter of all U.S. families. This group represents 60 percent of all

Fiorettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11186836535254240841noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7934223731140294249.post-81266512058174698382011-10-20T15:15:00.001-07:002011-10-20T15:15:07.407-07:00

After a decade of relative stability, the market transition is now complete.All three leading Metro Nashville health systems have new leaders. First, Jeff Balser at Vanderbilt Health. Next, Dr. Mike Schatzlein at Saint Thomas/Baptist. Finally, Steve Corbeil at HCA/TriStar.Corbeil, a Michigan graduate and the son of a suburban Detroit banker, has been in hospital management for more than 20 years.

Fiorettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11186836535254240841noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7934223731140294249.post-14649551628785542302011-10-19T15:36:00.001-07:002011-10-19T15:36:02.885-07:00

Social Security recipients are expected to get a cost-of-living raise of at least 3.5 percent beginning in January — the first increase in three years — and Nashville retiree Jack Duggin is “all for it.”The government will announce today whether inflation has risen sharply enough over the past year to justify an increase in monthly benefits for about 55 million Social Security beneficiaries under

Fiorettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11186836535254240841noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7934223731140294249.post-5213277347370310222011-10-18T15:17:00.001-07:002011-10-18T15:17:02.498-07:00

PARIS — Finance chiefs from the Group of 20 rich and developing nations wrangled Friday over whether the eurozone should pick up the whole bill for its escalating debt crisis, or whether the rest of the world should help out more.The International Monetary Fund — the world’s lender of last resort for cash-strapped countries — has until now funded about a third of the cost of the bailouts of

Fiorettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11186836535254240841noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7934223731140294249.post-47726699192993867592011-10-17T15:15:00.001-07:002011-10-17T15:15:00.258-07:00

NEW YORK — Netflix generates more head-scratching plot twists than a cheap B-movie.On Monday, the company said it would reverse a previously announced decision to put its DVD-by-mail and Internet streaming services on separate websites, a plan that was widely derided by Netflix subscribers.People will be able to use both services under one account and one password, CEO Reed Hastings said Monday

Fiorettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11186836535254240841noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7934223731140294249.post-66495672543467001662011-10-16T15:10:00.001-07:002011-10-16T15:10:48.446-07:00

The house at 913 Dorset Drive in Nashville looks like a traditional French country home from the outside. On the inside, it blends European innovation, green technology and Southern charm to create Middle Tennessee’s newest Southern Living Showcase Home.“People are going to enjoy seeing things they haven’t seen before,” says Alan Looney, president of Castle Homes, the custom builder selected by

Fiorettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11186836535254240841noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7934223731140294249.post-2493736826878666702011-10-15T15:14:00.001-07:002011-10-15T15:14:06.133-07:00

LOS ANGELES — 99 Cents Only Stores Inc., a West Coast-based discount chain built along the lines of Dollar General, has agreed to go private in a deal valued at $1.6 billion after months of talks with several groups interested in the company.The Commerce, Calif., chain agreed to be acquired by Los Angeles private equity firm Ares Management and the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board for $22 a

Fiorettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11186836535254240841noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7934223731140294249.post-3224637210523059882011-10-14T15:10:00.001-07:002011-10-14T15:10:53.656-07:00

DETROIT — The last of Detroit’s carmakers has reached a deal with the United Auto Workers union.Chrysler Group LLC and union negotiators agreed on a new four-year contract Wednesday that creates 2,100 new jobs. The company also will invest $4.5 billion in its plants under the deal, which covers 26,000 U.S. workers.The deal is less generous than those given to General Motors Co. and Ford Motor Co

Fiorettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11186836535254240841noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7934223731140294249.post-74774309339049200282011-10-13T15:28:00.001-07:002011-10-13T15:28:01.138-07:00

NEW YORK — Investors are bracing for a rough earnings season from banks.Turbulence in stock and bond markets, combined with waning confidence among business and consumers, hurt banks’ business in the third quarter. IPOs were shelved, companies postponed plans to sell bonds, and acquisitions were put on ice. Consumers also held back on spending.The sharp drop in business activity hurt banks,

Fiorettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11186836535254240841noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7934223731140294249.post-78529865835235870832011-10-12T15:15:00.001-07:002011-10-12T15:15:40.299-07:00

A Nov. 29 court hearing here will decide whether country music star Tim McGraw can record any new albums during an ongoing legal dispute with Curb Records.Curb Records filed suit against McGraw in May, alleging breach of contract by the singer whose career was launched by the label two decades ago.McGraw counter-sued, seeking a ruling that would release him from his contract with Curb entirely.A

Fiorettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11186836535254240841noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7934223731140294249.post-55107835721608284542011-10-11T15:17:00.001-07:002011-10-11T15:17:20.561-07:00

WASHINGTON — After two years on the unemployment rolls, Selena Forte thought she’d found a temporary job at a delivery company that matched her qualifications.But Forte, 55, of Cleveland, says a recruiter for an employment agency told her she would not be considered for the job because she had been out of work too long. She had lost her job driving a bus.“They didn’t even want to hear about my

Fiorettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11186836535254240841noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7934223731140294249.post-45513161712626187762011-10-10T15:06:00.001-07:002011-10-10T15:06:13.971-07:00

Gun maker Smith & Wesson Holding Corp. said it plans to sell off its Franklin-based perimeter security services operation to focus on its core business of making firearms.The Springfield, Mass.-based company also attributed its plans to a deteriorating environment for the security business amid cuts in government spending.Known as Smith & Wesson Security Solutions, the unit provides security

Fiorettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11186836535254240841noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7934223731140294249.post-33263705669976380402011-10-09T15:20:00.001-07:002011-10-09T15:20:59.356-07:00

DETROIT — The union that once set the gold standard for American wages is giving up pay raises in exchange for a piece of the auto industry’s profits and the promise of thousands of new jobs.Under agreements struck with Ford and General Motors, most of the companies’ factory workers will get profit-sharing checks instead of annual raises. They’ll also get a signing bonus. In turn, the automakers

Fiorettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11186836535254240841noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7934223731140294249.post-38342528362008372822011-10-08T15:10:00.001-07:002011-10-08T15:10:19.948-07:00

Attorneys for Gibson Guitar renewed their request in federal court Friday for the return of $70,000 worth of ebony wood seized from the company’s Nashville plant two years ago.The latest legal petition comes in the midst of an ongoing U.S. investigation into the company’s international wood deals that began in 2009 and has resulted in two separate raids on the company, a possible criminal probe

Fiorettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11186836535254240841noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7934223731140294249.post-39765755603681088192011-10-07T15:14:00.001-07:002011-10-07T15:14:20.142-07:00

WASHINGTON — Senate investigators are accusing three of the nation’s biggest home-care providers of deliberately increasing their visits to patients to get higher payments from the government’s Medicare program.A report released Monday by the Senate Finance committee lays out more than a half-dozen strategies used by executives at Amedisys, LHC Group and Gentiva to increase home care, even when

Fiorettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11186836535254240841noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7934223731140294249.post-50583082418201867862011-10-06T15:19:00.001-07:002011-10-06T15:19:54.660-07:00

WASHINGTON — The man who helped bring Sesame Street to a global audience for the past 11 years will take over as president and CEO of NPR, the public radio network announced Sunday.Gary Knell, the longtime president and CEO of Sesame Workshop, will start at NPR on Dec. 1.Knell succeeds Vivian Schiller, who resigned under pressure in March after a former NPR fundraiser was caught on camera

Fiorettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11186836535254240841noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7934223731140294249.post-57700282380765011212011-10-05T15:20:00.001-07:002011-10-05T15:20:21.058-07:00

Bob Winston, president of Winston Hospitality in Raleigh, N.C., snaps up troubled hotels with various financial woes at bargain prices — then tries to renew their life.For his latest venture, he came to Nashville.Winston on Friday bought a Hotel Indigo operation — a boutique hotel on Union Street downtown — for$14 million in a bankruptcy sale, according to Davidson County property records.That

Fiorettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11186836535254240841noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7934223731140294249.post-15581752377870719422011-10-04T15:08:00.001-07:002011-10-04T15:08:04.742-07:00

NEW YORK — Amazon is taking on the untouchable iPad with a touch-screen tablet of its own.The company on Wednesday introduced its entry in the rapidly expanding market for handheld computers — a device called Kindle Fire that connects to the Web, streams movies and TV, displays e-books and supports thousands of apps.It’s half the size of an iPad and will be less than half the price when it goes

Fiorettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11186836535254240841noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7934223731140294249.post-17414671948196513222011-10-03T15:12:00.001-07:002011-10-03T15:12:06.933-07:00

The annual marketing season for private Medicare health and prescription drug plans is under way, and for seniors that should mean a flood of TV ads and direct mail touting the extra benefits offered by various plans.This fall, seniors must decide earlier on which plans to enroll in for next year. And with the premiums on some large drug plans shifting, as well as new zero-premium Medicare

Fiorettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11186836535254240841noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7934223731140294249.post-11841992120987639852011-10-02T15:26:00.001-07:002011-10-02T15:26:39.987-07:00

PASADENA, Texas — Three commissioners appointed by Gov. Rick Perry may grant some of the nation’s largest refineries a tax refund of more than $135 million — money Texas’ cash-strapped schools and other local governments have been counting on to help pay teachers and provide other public services.The property tax refund would mean more pain for some communities after a year in which state

Fiorettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11186836535254240841noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7934223731140294249.post-77461025771020797512011-10-01T15:25:00.001-07:002011-10-01T15:25:26.768-07:00

Awards Gordon Bonnyman, attorney and co-founder of the Tennessee Justice Center, was recently honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award during the annual Health Care Heroes event in Nashville. Steven Field, principal of Stantec Consulting Services Inc., has received a Presidential Citation for his leadership of the American Council of Engineering Companies of Tennessee’s annual Engineering

Fiorettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11186836535254240841noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7934223731140294249.post-30133660192022923512011-09-30T15:25:00.001-07:002011-09-30T15:25:58.096-07:00

Hotel Indigo in downtown Nashville, a $30 million investment that went sour during the recession, was sold for $14 million in a bankruptcy sale recorded in county documents on Friday.According to the documents, Winston Hospitality, Inc., a hotel management company based in Raleigh, NC, purchased the boutique hotel located on Union Street in downtown.The property and building were sold for $11.8

Fiorettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11186836535254240841noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7934223731140294249.post-57136795059598988462011-09-29T15:13:00.001-07:002011-09-29T15:13:55.504-07:00

Factory workers at General Motors have overwhelmingly approved a new four-year contract with the company that has profit-sharing instead of pay raises for most workers and promises thousands of new jobs.The United Auto Workers union said Wednesday that 65 percent of production workers voted for the deal, while 63 percent of skilled-trades workers such as electricians were in favor. Voting by GM’s

Fiorettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11186836535254240841noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7934223731140294249.post-5361516587496571132011-09-28T15:57:00.001-07:002011-09-28T15:57:32.208-07:00

NEW YORK — If you’re prone to mistyping email addresses, here’s a new thing to worry about: you could be a target for spammers trying to sell you a dream vacation or a diet product by pretending to be one of your friends or colleagues.In a clever twist on spam, some websites with names that are confusingly similar to legitimate sites have been set up to reply to any mail sent to them. The

Fiorettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11186836535254240841noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7934223731140294249.post-63312872932584505392011-09-27T15:19:00.001-07:002011-09-27T15:19:01.206-07:00

Middle Tennessee businesses say they need more access to capital, less uncertainty about the federal debt and fewer government regulations before they’ll start hiring workers again in bigger numbers.Otherwise, CEOs of many of the region’s largest companies say they’ll remain reluctant to add jobs even if Congress and the Obama administration offer them fresh incentives to do so.Mark IV

Fiorettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11186836535254240841noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7934223731140294249.post-91771732459897243972011-09-26T15:19:00.001-07:002011-09-26T15:19:12.151-07:00

County by county unemployment numbers were a mixed bag in Middle Tennessee for August, with nearly an equal number shifting slightly higher or slightly lower compared to a month earlier.Davidson County’s jobless rate edged up three-tenths of a percentage point to 8.8 percent, while the Nashville-Murfreesboro region as a whole reported an 8.5 percent jobless rate. The state Department of Labor and

Fiorettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11186836535254240841noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7934223731140294249.post-90838508042921937802011-09-25T15:13:00.001-07:002011-09-25T15:13:35.110-07:00

Music City’s newest bank executive is Russell Goldsmith, chairman and CEO of Los Angeles-based City National Bank, which just opened on Nashville’s Music Row.The big-city bank is here, in large part, to offer financial services and loans to the music industry — from performers to business agents to concert tour operators.Goldsmith said the time was ripe to open a Nashville office. The bank has

Fiorettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11186836535254240841noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7934223731140294249.post-84156586573338558752011-09-24T15:20:00.001-07:002011-09-24T15:20:32.763-07:00

David Posch, chief executive officer of The Vanderbilt Clinic and executive director of Vanderbilt Medical Group, will slide over to the new role of CEO, Vanderbilt University Hospital and Clinics in October.He will take on the new job when current hospital CEO Larry Goldberg leaves to run Loyola University Health System in Maywood, Ill. Direct management responsibility for the hospital and

Fiorettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11186836535254240841noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7934223731140294249.post-57091062369788251362011-09-23T15:22:00.001-07:002011-09-23T15:22:57.384-07:00

SHANGHAI — General Motors Co. agreed Tuesday to deepen cooperation with its flagship Chinese partner on development of electric vehicle knowhow amid pressure from Beijing to hand over proprietary technology.GM would not say how much it’s investing in the venture with Chinese state-owned partner Shanghai Automotive Industrial Corp., and gave few details of the deal.The Detroit company denied that

Fiorettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11186836535254240841noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7934223731140294249.post-30986758330377036172011-09-22T15:16:00.001-07:002011-09-22T15:16:28.670-07:00

NEW YORK — Every year, toy makers and sellers hope there will be a runaway hit toy to help spur excitement around the holidays and boost sales.Toys R Us is betting that 15 toys ranging from a flying, inflatable remote-control fish to tiny collectible monsters will be big hits this season.Making the right picks early is crucial for toy sellers so they have the right mixture of toys at the right

Fiorettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11186836535254240841noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7934223731140294249.post-6212647791092234122011-09-21T15:20:00.001-07:002011-09-21T15:20:13.476-07:00

WASHINGTON — Employers’ hiring plans for the fourth quarter are “relatively stable” — slightly down from the third quarter, but a tick higher than in the prior year, according to the Manpower Employment Outlook survey released Tuesday.A seasonally adjusted net 7 percent of employers said they plan to add to their workforce in the fourth quarter, compared with 8 percent in the third quarter, and 6

Fiorettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11186836535254240841noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7934223731140294249.post-3564731212703253542011-09-20T15:26:00.001-07:002011-09-20T15:26:12.541-07:00

DETROIT — General Motors Co. and Chrysler Group LLC failed to meet a Wednesday deadline for reaching new contract agreements with the United Auto Workers union. GM negotiators were still in talks early Thursday, but talks at Chrysler appeared to have broken down.Up until Wednesday, the negotiations that began over the summer appeared to be proceeding without acrimony. But late Wednesday, the CEO

Fiorettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11186836535254240841noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7934223731140294249.post-4197697250375135662011-09-19T15:19:00.001-07:002011-09-19T15:19:58.282-07:00

Over the past decade, Skip Sawyer has seen the amount Medicare pays for the wheelchairs that his Goodlettsville-based company, Medical Mobility, supplies to patients decline by 30 percent.Now, he’s concerned those prices could be cut by an additional 20 percent as Medicare’s overseer expands a cost-cutting program to cover the four largest metropolitan areas in Tennessee, including Nashville. The

Fiorettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11186836535254240841noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7934223731140294249.post-65807653858076383762011-09-18T15:18:00.001-07:002011-09-18T15:18:31.292-07:00

Officials from Spring Hill and Maury County, along with Bill Hagerty, the state’s economic development commissioner, made their case to General Motors’ manufacturing executives in Detroit on Thursday for an eventual reopening of the automaker’s auto plant in Spring Hill.While there, they also met with GM real estate executives over the automaker’s plans for about 2,000 acres it owns adjacent to

Fiorettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11186836535254240841noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7934223731140294249.post-73929186065341562862011-09-17T15:15:00.001-07:002011-09-17T15:15:28.617-07:00

WALNUT CREEK, Calif. — After getting the good news on a Friday night that their offer topped all the others on a foreclosure in Vacaville, Calif., they wanted as their retirement home, Jack and Donna Pfister spent the weekend packing.But the next Tuesday they were told the bank had decided to go with an all-cash buyer, whose offer was $25,000 less than the $475,000 offer from the Pfisters.“My

Fiorettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11186836535254240841noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7934223731140294249.post-20564293909242745222011-09-16T15:18:00.001-07:002011-09-16T15:18:38.827-07:00

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Rock-bottom interest rates shored up banks, turned around the stock market and steadied the economy. They also put 82-year-old Wayne Wagner behind a lawn mower.Wagner, a retired engineer, mows and sprays for weeds at an Independence, Mo., fourplex he rents out to make ends meet. He bought the property two years ago when the interest rates on his savings dropped so low he

Fiorettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11186836535254240841noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7934223731140294249.post-36593354912825040152011-09-15T15:22:00.001-07:002011-09-15T15:22:50.692-07:00

The latest data in a ProPublica study of financial ties between doctors and big drug companies reveal deeper links involving Tennessee physicians and medical researchers than were previously known.One Nashville psychiatrist’s take from five major drug companies for a two-year period crossed the half-million-dollar threshold, the data show.Overall, drug companies disclosed $20.8 million in

Fiorettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11186836535254240841noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7934223731140294249.post-10757782619369977432011-09-14T15:24:00.001-07:002011-09-14T15:24:08.770-07:00

National food prices are probably on the way up because of an unseasonably hot summer and damage to this year’s corn crop, but at least in Tennessee a splash of much-needed rainfall from the remnants of Tropical Storm Lee may have provided some relief for farmers.This spring, farmers planted the second-largest crop since World War II. But high temperatures stunted plants.In Tennessee, corn,

Fiorettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11186836535254240841noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7934223731140294249.post-32452106972664647192011-09-13T15:24:00.001-07:002011-09-13T15:24:57.344-07:00

MEMPHIS — International Paper is buying smaller rival Temple-Inland Inc. for $4.3 billion after sweetening its bid and taking on some debt, but the deal still faces the scrutiny of the U.S. Justice Department.If the sale goes through, it would give the combined company roughly a 40 percent share of the corrugated packaging materials market in North America.Both companies said there will be

Fiorettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11186836535254240841noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7934223731140294249.post-6544403924231794532011-09-12T15:19:00.001-07:002011-09-12T15:19:46.777-07:00

DETROIT — Signing bonuses, pay raises for entry-level workers and early-retirement buyouts may soon be on the way for about 112,000 U.S. autoworkers.Since late July, the UAW and the Detroit Three have been negotiating a national labor deal to replace one that expires at 11:59 p.m. Wednesday.On Saturday, for the third day in a row, UAW President Bob King was in and out of contract talks with

Fiorettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11186836535254240841noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7934223731140294249.post-28991229237446826342011-09-11T15:20:00.001-07:002011-09-11T15:20:30.413-07:00

Last month, the large, bold-red sign that identifies the emergency department at Southern Hills Medical Center was replaced with one with the Spanish word “Emergencia” next to the English version.It’s one example of efforts to make the HCA-owned hospital a more welcoming place to the fast-growing, diverse community near its campus off Nolensville Pike in southeast Davidson County.Under the 3½-

Fiorettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11186836535254240841noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7934223731140294249.post-65202278132678584672011-09-10T15:26:00.001-07:002011-09-10T15:26:44.036-07:00

Site Selection magazine has named its annual Top Utilities in Economic Development and the Tennessee Valley Authority made the list.Top utilities in alphabetical order were: Alabama Power, Birmingham, Ala.; Ameren, St. Louis; Duke Energy, Plainfield, Ind., and Charlotte, N.C.; Entergy Corp., New Orleans; FirstEnergy, Akron, Ohio; Georgia Power, Atlanta; Hoosier Energy, Bloomington, Ind.;

Fiorettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11186836535254240841noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7934223731140294249.post-55210477113492552242011-09-09T15:15:00.001-07:002011-09-09T15:15:04.130-07:00

Seventeen banks and mortgage lenders, including Memphis-based First Horizon, were sued by the federal government Friday, the latest development in a broad-ranging housing scandal that caused havoc on Wall Street and crippled the Tennessee bank’s earnings late last decade.Bigger names, including Bank of America, Citigroup and Goldman Sachs, may be the prime targets of the lawsuits in a Manhattan

Fiorettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11186836535254240841noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7934223731140294249.post-84028789723843481622011-09-08T15:30:00.001-07:002011-09-08T15:30:19.714-07:00

NEW YORK — Gasoline is near the highest it has ever been for this time of year, just ahead of the Labor Day weekend.In Nashville the average price at the pump has edged up by a nickel to $3.48 per gallon, compared with $3.43 a week ago, the latest AAA fuel gauge survey shows.The run-up in oil prices this year, combined with a rash of refining problems throughout the U.S., has boosted pump prices

Fiorettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11186836535254240841noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7934223731140294249.post-50549033528532540772011-09-07T15:21:00.001-07:002011-09-07T15:21:28.525-07:00

WASHINGTON — Memphis-based International Paper ranks among a group of large corporations whose chief executives earned more in 2010 than the company paid in federal income taxes, according to a report released Wednesday.The report by the liberal-leaning Institute for Policy Studies found that 25 of the nation’s 100 highest-paid CEOs — representing such large corporations as Coca-Cola, Ford, eBay

Fiorettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11186836535254240841noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7934223731140294249.post-39752820426317992862011-09-06T15:24:00.001-07:002011-09-06T15:24:28.952-07:00

WASHINGTON — The Obama administration has explained its effort to block AT&T’s purchase of T-Mobile USA by saying it will fight mergers that would reduce competition and hurt consumers.Yet few think the lawsuit the administration filed last week signals a more aggressive stance toward acquisitions in other industries. Rather, experts say, the administration’s challenge of AT&T’s purchase comes

Fiorettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11186836535254240841noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7934223731140294249.post-51730077623087246852011-09-05T15:12:00.001-07:002011-09-05T15:12:15.718-07:00

Wealth management services, long a bedrock of revenue for banks, are no longer catering solely to the ultra-rich.Increasingly in Middle Tennessee, banks are offering personalized services to a larger slice of their customer base.Experts say it’s the latest way to maintain profit margins as new federal regulations transform the way financial institutions do business.At First Tennessee Bank, 400

Fiorettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11186836535254240841noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7934223731140294249.post-57819256742202147182011-09-04T15:48:00.001-07:002011-09-04T15:48:56.505-07:00

WASHINGTON — Pilots’ “automation addiction” has eroded their flying skills to the point that they sometimes don’t know how to recover from stalls and other mid-flight problems, say pilots and safety officials. The weakened skills have contributed to hundreds of deaths in airline crashes in the last five years.Some 51 “loss of control” accidents occurred in which planes stalled in flight or got

Fiorettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11186836535254240841noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7934223731140294249.post-73335362478820756402011-09-03T15:27:00.001-07:002011-09-03T15:27:11.704-07:00

HealthStream Inc. said Kevin P. O’Hara, its senior vice president and general counsel, resigned to become chief executive of early stage health-care information technology company Syus LLC.Michael M. Collier, formerly a corporate attorney at law firm Bass Berry & Sims, will replace him as vice president and general counsel of the Nashville-based health-care research and online health education

Fiorettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11186836535254240841noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7934223731140294249.post-53500357139162046722011-09-02T15:21:00.001-07:002011-09-02T15:21:49.094-07:00

As regional banks ready for new federal regulations expected to cut into profits, some of them are zeroing in on the down-and-out customer to turn a buck.More banks are now doling out short-term, high-interest loans to customers in dire straits.Observers worry that the loans signify an industry-wide shift toward making money from desperate consumers and — more broadly — slapping more fees on

Fiorettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11186836535254240841noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7934223731140294249.post-79253497212698826812011-09-01T15:21:00.001-07:002011-09-01T15:21:26.450-07:00

Age: 29 Job/employer: Founder/president, Anytakers Sports & Entertainment What she does: Arranges sports/entertainment travel packages for businesses and individuals Background: Taker, a native of Raleigh, N.C., graduated from North Carolina State University with a degree in agricultural business management in 2005. She moved to Nashville in 2007. Career turn: Taker was working at an Italian

Fiorettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11186836535254240841noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7934223731140294249.post-13596298578133907502011-08-31T15:28:00.001-07:002011-08-31T15:28:12.041-07:00

WASHINGTON — Some Federal Reserve officials pushed in August for a more aggressive response to the economy’s slowdown. They settled for a plan to keep rates near zero for another two years and won agreement to discuss more options at an extended meeting in September.Minutes of the Aug. 9 policy meeting released Tuesday show that Fed officials discussed a range of actions, including another round

Fiorettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11186836535254240841noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7934223731140294249.post-72570369298596579852011-08-30T15:29:00.001-07:002011-08-30T15:29:20.303-07:00

NEW YORK — Maybe gold isn’t so safe after all.After months of setting record after record, the price of gold plunged $104, or 5.6 percent, Wednesday to finish at $1,757 per ounce. That was the biggest percentage drop in nearly 3 years and a blow to investors who thought the metal could go only one way — up.“Gold was considered a safe haven for years because it wasn’t popular, but now it’s

Fiorettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11186836535254240841noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7934223731140294249.post-57331089991677130402011-08-29T15:16:00.001-07:002011-08-29T15:16:19.975-07:00

SAN FRANCISCO — Steve Jobs, the mind behind the iPhone, iPad and other devices that turned Apple Inc. into one of the world’s most powerful companies, resigned as the company’s CEO on Wednesday, saying he can no longer handle the job.The move appears to be the result of an unspecified medical condition for which he took an indefinite leave from his post in January. Apple’s chief operating

Fiorettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11186836535254240841noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7934223731140294249.post-85720468186908465182011-08-28T15:24:00.001-07:002011-08-28T15:24:19.285-07:00

SAN FRANCISCO — Computers, like humans, can learn. But when Google tries to fill in your search box based only on a few keystrokes, or your iPhone predicts words as you type a text message, it’s only a narrow mimicry of what the human brain can do.The challenge in training a computer to behave like a human brain is technological and physiological, testing the limits of computer and brain science.

Fiorettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11186836535254240841noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7934223731140294249.post-79626133804330947112011-08-27T15:26:00.001-07:002011-08-27T15:26:19.646-07:00

Johnny Howell’s answer was succinct when asked how his 200 acres of tomatoes, squash, cucumbers and other produce have fared this summer.“Lost 50 percent of my crop,” said Howell, who has been farming in southwestern Davidson County for five decades. “Heat and no rain got ’em.”Other Middle Tennessee farmers share his plight, to varying degrees. This summer’s near-record heat and scant rainfall

Fiorettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11186836535254240841noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7934223731140294249.post-82561071741797680002011-08-26T15:19:00.001-07:002011-08-26T15:19:58.919-07:00

WASHINGTON — Super-low interest rates haven’t done what they usually do after a recession. They haven’t ignited economic growth or revived the home market or persuaded consumers to spend freely again.They have, though, caused misery for retirees and others who depend on interest income. Such income plummeted 27 percent from 2008 to last year.Now, some economists worry that low rates might be

Fiorettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11186836535254240841noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7934223731140294249.post-86813580453374304862011-08-25T15:14:00.001-07:002011-08-25T15:14:52.053-07:00

MINNEAPOLIS — Recording industry attorneys are appealing a recent ruling that reduced the amount of money a Minnesota woman must pay for willfully violating the copyrights of 24 songs.U.S. District Judge Michael Davis ruled last month that the $1.5 million penalty imposed by a jury was unreasonable, and that Jammie Thomas-Rasset of Brainerd should instead pay $54,000.The judge also ruled that

Fiorettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11186836535254240841noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7934223731140294249.post-1552799919617087142011-08-24T15:24:00.001-07:002011-08-24T15:24:39.324-07:00

I just bought an Apple iPad tablet and connected it to my home Wi-Fi network, which already had two Windows PCs on it. But when the iPad is using the wireless network, we cannot receive any email on the other computers. What’s the cure? Rein in your iPad, which is trying to monopolize your email account, and, as a result, is locking out your two PCs.Why? The iPad is set up to use your email

Fiorettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11186836535254240841noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7934223731140294249.post-48296181595640310302011-08-23T15:21:00.001-07:002011-08-23T15:21:45.136-07:00

Executive Q&A: Rob McNeilly In what many banks called a “$12 billion-a-year gift to retailers,” a deal to slash fees that retailers pay banks when shoppers use a debit card got passed by Congress last year as part of President Barack Obama’s financial overhaul package.In response, Atlanta-based SunTrust Banks Inc., among a handful of other banks, introduced $4 and $5 debit cards fees for

Fiorettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11186836535254240841noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7934223731140294249.post-1061941227072455672011-08-22T15:19:00.001-07:002011-08-22T15:19:13.347-07:00

I just bought an Apple iPad tablet and connected it to my home Wi-Fi network, which already had two Windows PCs on it. But when the iPad is using the wireless network, we cannot receive any email on the other computers. What’s the cure? Rein in your iPad, which is trying to monopolize your email account, and, as a result, is locking out your two PCs.Why? The iPad is set up to use your email

Fiorettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11186836535254240841noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7934223731140294249.post-57078549663454934022011-08-21T15:19:00.001-07:002011-08-21T15:19:19.416-07:00

Meritor Inc., a parts manufacturer for commercial trucks, said it plans a $26.6 million expansion of its plant in Morristown, Tenn. Meritor said it will make the investment over five years and add 29 jobs over time.The plant employs 376 people, and it produces precision forged gears used in rear-drive axles for the commercial truck industry. The facility was built in 1979.— Staff reports Plant to

Fiorettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11186836535254240841noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7934223731140294249.post-313475692003188322011-08-20T15:26:00.001-07:002011-08-20T15:26:30.739-07:00

Just in time for football season, Nashville is getting another jolt of sports talk radio.Local radio station executive Bayard “Bud” Walters and the Cromwell Group Inc. plan to jump into the sports radio niche by switching WPRT-FM 102.5 to the all-sports format under the nickname “The Game,” once studio renovations are completed.Walters said 102.5 The Game will serve up local programming as much

Fiorettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11186836535254240841noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7934223731140294249.post-80903220531242089032011-08-19T15:14:00.001-07:002011-08-19T15:14:33.946-07:00

NEW YORK — The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are winding down, Osama bin Laden is dead, and the federal government is deeply in debt. This spells the end of what was a golden decade for the defense industry.In the decade since the Sept. 11 attacks, the annual defense budget has more than doubled to $700 billion and annual defense industry profits have nearly quadrupled, approaching $25 billion

Fiorettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11186836535254240841noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7934223731140294249.post-53979368492251997222011-08-18T15:25:00.001-07:002011-08-18T15:25:19.456-07:00

Tennessee Titans fan Ricky Adcock has been trying to sell a pair of south end zone season tickets on the open market for several weeks.So far, there have been few nibbles. Well, actually “none whatsoever,” Adcock says. “Sad, ain’t it?”Mike Woodke considers himself luckier. The Brentwood fan unloaded a pair of loge-level seats at the 45-yard line at LP Field for his asking price via an online

Fiorettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11186836535254240841noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7934223731140294249.post-31532255144766965082011-08-17T15:17:00.001-07:002011-08-17T15:17:54.173-07:00

Albie Del Favero, former publisher of the Nashville Scene, Nashville City Paper and the company that bought both publications — SouthComm Communications — has been named co-publisher of Nashville-based American Songwriter magazine.Del Favero bought in as a minority partner with options to acquire a majority interest, he said.The 27-year-old glossy magazine targets a niche audience of songwriting

Fiorettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11186836535254240841noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7934223731140294249.post-19127429744723332742011-08-16T15:22:00.001-07:002011-08-16T15:22:13.449-07:00

I heard you mention on your national radio show that Apple is about to release the next version of OS X. When can I get it? Will it work on my system? It is already here. You can download OS X 10.7 Lion for $30 from Apple’s Mac App Store. Your current system needs to be running OS X 10.6.6 Snow Leopard. Your computer needs an Intel Core 2 Duo processor or higher. PowerPC and older Intel

Fiorettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11186836535254240841noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7934223731140294249.post-30704313543294119732011-08-15T15:25:00.001-07:002011-08-15T15:25:14.754-07:00

NEW YORK — The downgrade of the USA’s once-pristine triple-A credit rating got a failing grade from Wall Street on Monday, as stocks suffered their worst plunge since December 2008, leaving the fragile stock market on the brink of another bear market.The fallout from the nation’s first-ever downgrade to AA+ hit global stock markets hard Monday in the first day of trading since rating agency

Fiorettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11186836535254240841noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7934223731140294249.post-92060625707504201702011-08-14T15:13:00.001-07:002011-08-14T15:13:45.179-07:00

LOS ANGELES — Concert promoter Live Nation Entertainment Inc. made a profit in the second quarter, reversing a loss from a year ago, as concert attendance went up in North America and people spent more money than last year on beer and parking.The results announced Monday beat analysts’ expectations for a break-even quarter and provided some upbeat news on a day the stock market fell sharply

Fiorettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11186836535254240841noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7934223731140294249.post-29759291052893476602011-08-13T15:16:00.001-07:002011-08-13T15:16:47.433-07:00

This startup company’s ad slogan says volumes about its appeal to college students: “We shop so you don’t have to.”Rising college junior Jonathan Murrell has worn the diverse mantles of business school student, Belmont University tennis player and now CEO of a startup food delivery company, Mydormfood.com.Operating from his parents’ home in a gated community in Williamson County, Murrell and two

Fiorettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11186836535254240841noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7934223731140294249.post-50312984397072524082011-08-12T15:20:00.001-07:002011-08-12T15:20:38.423-07:00

WASHINGTON — The Federal Reserve’s plan to keep interest rates super-low for at least two more years is great news for mortgage refinancers and other borrowers.For retirees and others who need interest income? Not so great.Nor will low rates likely revive a depressed home market, energize a weak economy or reassure frightened consumers.No matter how low rates stay, nervous individuals and wary

Fiorettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11186836535254240841noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7934223731140294249.post-87593306797286045682011-08-11T15:25:00.001-07:002011-08-11T15:25:23.949-07:00

WASHINGTON — The Postal Service said Friday that it lost $3.1 billion in the April through June period and could be forced to default on payments due to the federal government when the fiscal year ends in September.Losses for the year come to $5.7 billion.“We continue to take aggressive actions to reduce costs and bring the size of our infrastructure into alignment with reduced customer demand,”

Fiorettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11186836535254240841noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7934223731140294249.post-75424680809312141912011-08-10T15:18:00.001-07:002011-08-10T15:18:49.702-07:00

The Kroger supermarket chain said Friday that it’s closing its store at 3046 Dickerson Pike, which has endured $1 million in losses over the last two years.“The store has experienced significant losses, and the financial projections going forward are even more discouraging,” said Melissa Eads, a Kroger spokeswoman.Sixty-two employees will be offered jobs elsewhere within the chain.Eads said the

Fiorettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11186836535254240841noreply@blogger.com