VOL. 45 | NO. 39 | Friday, September 24, 2021
Wary clients slow to return, even as facilities go to great lengths to ensure safety
The name of his strength and conditioning gym is Competitive Edge, so it’s no wonder that owner Mark Johnson is a bit, well, competitive when it comes to the cleanliness of his facility during this COVID pandemic that seemingly won’t go away.
JOE ROGERS: MY TAKE
I used to be a professional TV viewer, as a critic for a daily newspaper. I thought it would be a dream job. It was not. Turned out that a lot of the stuff I had to watch was bad.
RICHARD COURTNEY: REALTY CHECK
For those who have grown weary of debating vaccinations, insurrections and recent elections, I offer a new subject for debate – flood insurance.
REAL ESTATE
WASHINGTON (AP) — Average long-term mortgage rates rose slightly this week continuing a months-long trend of little movement. They remained under 3%.
TENNESSEE TITANS
Two weeks in, the Tennessee Titans’ best friend thus far this season might be the fact that they play in the AFC South.
Adversity seems to bring out the best in the Tennessee Titans.
It’s Colts week in Tennessee, and here’s what the Titans must do to take control of the AFC South.
NASHVILLE (AP) — Tennessee left tackle Taylor Lewan practiced fully all week and is set to play Sunday against the Indianapolis Colts after being scratched for the Titans' win in Seattle.
The late Bum Phillips, a Texas coaching legend who worked wearing a cowboy hat, is being honored by the team he led to two AFC championship game appearances.
NEWSMAKERS
Cumberland Trust, an independent trust company, has named Jennie Menzie president and elected her to its board of directors. Menzie will serve as president, chief operating officer and corporate counsel.
BRIEFS
Nashville’s Pinnacle Financial Partners remains one of the nation’s Best Large Workplaces for Women, earning the No. 6 spot on the latest list from Fortune magazine and Great Place to Work.
BEHIND THE WHEEL
Volkswagen’s redesigned 2022 Golf GTI will be arriving at dealerships this fall, the latest generation of the car that pioneered the hot hatch segment when it launched in the U.S. for the 1983 model year. Nearly four decades later, the GTI still stands as a benchmark for sporty performance and everyday practicality on a budget.
PERSONAL FINANCE
Few retirement decisions are as critical, or as easy to get wrong, as when and how to take your Social Security benefits. The rules can be so convoluted that many people rely on what they’re told by Social Security employees, but that could prove to be an expensive mistake.
CAREER CORNER
Leaving your current employer for a new career opportunity is a big decision, similar to the breakup of a romantic relationship. The process can be sad and painful – and you might never again see co-workers you once saw daily – but it’s a necessary step of growth.
MILLENNIAL MONEY
The pandemic isn't crushing the entrepreneurial spirit. It's fueling it.
COURTS
NASHVILLE (AP) — A federal judge on Friday handed down a second blow to Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee's contentious order allowing parents to opt out of school mask requirements, ruling that Knox County Schools must implement a mask mandate to help protect children with health problems amid the coronavirus pandemic.
NASHVILLE (AP) — Tennessee Supreme Court Justice Cornelia Clark has died at the age of 71, the court announced Friday. She had been diagnosed with cancer.
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — A federal appeals court has revived a Philadelphia newscaster's lawsuit against Facebook over the unauthorized use of her image in advertisements for dating sites and sex-related products that ran on the site.
NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. prosecutors are prepared to resolve criminal charges against the chief financial officer of Chinese communications giant Huawei Technologies, the Justice Department disclosed Friday in a letter to a federal judge in New York.
REAL ESTATE
SILVER SPRING, Md. (AP) — Sales of new homes in the U.S. rose modestly in August as rising prices continue to sideline potential buyers.
ENVIRONMENT
BOSTON (AP) — Officials from companies with fleets of trucks are urging governors across the country to embrace a rule meant to speed the adoption of zero-emission trucks and reduce a potent source of greenhouse gases spewed from the large commercial vehicles.
TRANSPORTATION
WASHINGTON (AP) — United Airlines has been fined $1.9 million over 25 flights in which the plane sat on the ground for several hours, the largest fine imposed by the government for such long delays.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The rate of unruly passengers on airline flights is down sharply from early this year but is mostly unchanged over the past three months and remains more than twice the level seen in late 2020, according to government figures.
VIRUS OUTBREAK
The U.S. launched a campaign to offer boosters of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine to millions of Americans on Friday even as federal health officials stressed the real problem remains getting first shots to the unvaccinated.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Thursday endorsed booster shots for millions of older or otherwise vulnerable Americans, opening a major new phase in the U.S vaccination drive against COVID-19.
NEW YORK (AP) — Hospitals and nursing homes in New York are bracing for the possibility that a statewide COVID-19 vaccine mandate for health care workers could lead to staff shortages when it takes effect Monday.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
WASHINGTON (AP) — Restaurant and hotel owners struggling to fill jobs. Supply-chain delays forcing up prices for small businesses. Unemployed Americans unable to find work even with job openings at a record high.
Stocks ended a wobbly day with mixed results on Wall Street Friday as the market cooled off following a two-day rally.
BEIJING (AP) — Trying to dispel investor fears, some Chinese banks are disclosing what they are owed by a real estate developer that is struggling under $310 billion in debt and say they can cope with a potential default.
FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — Shortages of semiconductor chips and other raw materials are continuing to hit Germany's manufacturers, as bottlenecks leave companies struggling to fill orders from a rebounding global economy.
LONDON (AP) — British energy firms are rationing supplies of gasoline and closing some petrol pumps — the latest in a string of shortages that have seen McDonald's take milkshakes off the menu, KFC run short of chicken and gaps appear on supermarket shelves.
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The manager of a suburban Minneapolis Michaels store called police on a teenager looking for a job simply because he is Black, and officers then used unreasonable force against him because of his race, a state agency that investigates civil rights abuses said in findings released Thursday.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL POLITICS
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden said Friday that talks over his $3.5 trillion rebuilding plan have hit a "stalemate" in Congress as he made the case for his expansive effort to recast the nation's tax and spending programs and make what he sees as sweeping, overdue investments.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The time has come for President Joe Biden to close the deal — bring progressive and centrist Democratic coalitions together in Congress — if he has any hope of delivering on his domestic policy ambitions.
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden on Friday is meeting with leaders of an Indo-Pacific alliance known as "the Quad" as he wraps up a difficult week of diplomacy in which he faced criticism from both allies and adversaries.
WASHINGTON (AP) — A House committee investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol has issued its first subpoenas, demanding records and testimony from four of former President Donald Trump's close advisers and associates, including those who were in contact with him before the attack or on the day of it.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration will have a big say in whether the government releases information to Congress on the actions of former President Donald Trump and his aides on Jan. 6. But there could be a lengthy court battle before any details come out.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The House passed legislation Friday that would guarantee a woman's right to an abortion, an effort by Democrats to circumvent a new Texas law that has placed that access under threat.
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 23
TENNESSEE TITANS
NASHVILLE (AP) — The Tennessee Titans led the NFL in 2020 with a plus-11 turnover margin thanks in part to how well they took care of the ball.
VANDERBILT SPORTS
NASHVILLE (AP) — JT Daniels is feeling better every day, a health update that bodes very well for second-ranked Georgia.
NASHVILLE SC
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Hany Mukhtar scored two goals to reach 12 on the season and Nashville beat Inter Miami 5-1 on Wednesday night.
MIDSTATE
CLARKSVILLE (AP) — Tennessee officials say Florim USA will expand its operations at its facility in Clarksville, investing roughly $35 million and creating more than 30 jobs.
TECHNOLOGY
LONDON (AP) — The European Union unveiled plans Thursday that would require smartphone makers to adopt a single charging method for mobile devices.
AUTO INDUSTRY
BRUSSELS (AP) — A top European Union legal adviser said Thursday that software installed in Volkswagen cars to alter the amount of pollutants coming out of their exhaust pipes in hot or cold weather and at high altitude doesn't conform to the 27-nation bloc's laws.
ENVIRONMENT
WASHINGTON (AP) — In what officials call a key step to combat climate change, the Environmental Protection Agency is sharply limiting domestic production and use of hydrofluorocarbons, highly potent greenhouse gases commonly used in refrigerators and air conditioners.
MEDIA
Facebook's Chief Technology Officer Mike Schroepfer is stepping down from the social media company, taking on a part-time role while longtime executive Andrew Bosworth will replace him next year.
RELIGION
NEW YORK (AP) — Amid the Boy Scouts of America's complex bankruptcy case, there is worsening friction between the BSA and the major religious groups that help it run thousands of scout units. At issue: the churches' fears that an eventual settlement — while protecting the BSA from future sex-abuse lawsuits — could leave many churches unprotected.
VIRUS OUTBREAK
Is the delta variant of the coronavirus worse for kids? No, experts say there's no strong evidence yet that it makes children and teens sicker than earlier versions of the virus, although delta has led to a surge in infections among kids because it's more contagious.
The U.S. moved a step closer Wednesday to offering booster doses of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine to senior citizens and others at high risk from the virus as the Food and Drug Administration signed off on the targeted use of extra shots.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
Stocks rose broadly for a second day in a row on Wall Street Thursday, reversing the market's losses for the week just three days after the S&P 500 had its biggest skid since May.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The number of Americans applying for unemployment aid rose last week for a second straight week to 351,000, a sign that the delta variant of the coronavirus may be disrupting the job market's recovery, at least temporarily.
LONDON (AP) — The Bank of England kept its main interest rate at the record low of 0.1% while warning Thursday that inflation is set to be double its target rate by the end of this year, largely due to a sharp spike in energy prices.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California on Wednesday became the first state to bar mega-retailers from firing warehouse workers for missing quotas that interfere with bathroom and rest breaks under a new law signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom that grew from Amazon's drive to speed goods to consumers more quickly.
BEIJING (AP) — Fears that a Chinese real estate developer's possible default on multibillion-dollar debts might send shockwaves through global financial markets appeared to ease Thursday as creditors waited to see how much they might recover.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said Wednesday that the central bank will overhaul its financial ethics policies in response to growing questions about investing and trading decisions by high-ranking Fed officials that raise potential conflicts of interest.
TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — Taiwan announced Thursday it has applied to join an 11-nation Pacific trade group, setting up a potential clash with rival Beijing over the status of the island democracy.
BEIJING (AP) — The ruling Communist Party's campaign to tighten control over China's industries and use less foreign technology is slashing economic growth, a foreign business group warned Thursday.
BEIJING (AP) — China's central bank will soon have access to private credit information of hundreds of millions of users of Ant Group's online credit service, in a move signaling more regulatory oversight of the financial technology sector.
LONDON (AP) — The Bank of England kept its main interest rate at the record low of 0.1% while warning Thursday that inflation is set to be double its target rate by the end of his year largely as a result of a sharp spike in energy prices.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL POLITICS
WASHINGTON (AP) — The House overwhelming passed a bill Thursday to provide $1 billion for Israel's Iron Dome missile defense system as Democrats moved to quash criticism from Republicans that their party is wavering in support of Israel.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House and congressional Democrats have agreed to a "framework" of options to pay for their huge, emerging social and environment bill, top Democrats said Thursday, but they offered no details and the significance was unclear.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Bipartisan congressional talks on overhauling policing practices have ended without an agreement, top bargainers from both parties said, marking the collapse of an effort that began after killings of unarmed Black people by officers sparked protests across the U.S.