VOL. 126 | NO. 29 | Friday, February 11, 2011
Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam has signed the schools consolidation bill into law.
Winter weather stymies local businesses’ bottom lines
School children welcomed Jack Frost on Wednesday afternoon and the three to five inches of snow he brought with him, but for business owners, the snow that caused hazardous road conditions and closures across the city also caused dollar signs to melt like icicles in the sun.
Wright Medical Group, Inc. Thursday reported increased net sales and net income for the fourth quarter ended Dec. 31.
The Tennessee state House approved the schools consolidation bill Thursday on a 64-31 vote, now sending the legislation to the desk of Gov. Bill Haslam.
Memphis Mayor A C Wharton Jr. reacted angrily Thursday evening to the state House vote earlier in the day approving school consolidation legislation.
A group of 4,500 FedEx pilots begin voting Feb. 25 on a new, one-year labor agreement between the Memphis-based company and the Air Line Pilots Association.
Even before the state House voted Thursday to approve schools consolidation legislation, there was a move to Memphis federal court to stop the legislation.
Family Dollar has signed a 12,000-square-foot lease at 2754 Lamar Ave. Shawn Massey, partner with The Shopping Center Group LLC, represented the tenant. Harold Blockman with Keller Williams Realty Inc. represented the landlord, Chong K and Dul S. Pae.
In his 50s, Julio Cepeda left his career as a chemical engineer to embark on a new one using his increasingly valuable interpreting skills to help bridge communication gaps for the Memphis area’s growing Spanish-speaking community.
After a three-month search, the Metropolitan Inter-Faith Association has named Sally Jones Heinz as the organization’s new top executive.
The chief financial officer of FedEx Freight Corp. wants to try to make the LTL (less than truckload) freight business more like the package business.
Al Bell is a recording industry legend, responsible for shaping Stax Records and more specifically, the careers of Booker T and the MG’s, The Staple Singers, Otis Redding, Carla Thomas, Rufus Thomas, Sam and Dave and The Bar-Kays, just to name a few.
Part One of a Two-Part Series
In the new math, 30 percent is more than 70 percent.
Fellow I know who worked for S.C. Toof & Co. back in the ‘60s told a good story about the use of power. Then the company was family owned and the largest printing operation around these parts. Mr. Toof fancied himself a broad-minded leader, open to suggestion and reform. The company’s leadership would meet weekly to discuss issues and vote on policy.
The recent documentary concerning what ails public education in urban America, “Waiting for Superman,” observes there’s more concern about upsetting the adults than doing what’s necessary to educate their children.
MEMPHIS AREA
The Memphis division of U.S. Foodservice Inc. has agreed to stay in Hickory Hill and not move to Olive Branch, Miss.
STATEWIDE
UNION CITY, Tenn. (AP) – Community leaders in northwest Tennessee say an announcement that Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co. will idle 1,900 workers in a shutdown of its Union City plant is a severe blow.
NATIONAL BUSINESS
WASHINGTON (AP) – Businesses at the wholesale level added to their inventories in December at a healthy clip even though demand for their products slowed. The expectation is that rising demand from businesses will keep factories humming.
WASHINGTON (AP) – The number of people applying for unemployment benefits plunged last week to the lowest level in nearly three years, continuing a downward trend that suggests hiring could pick up this year.
NEW YORK (AP) – The average rate on the 30-year mortgage topped 5 percent this week for the first time since April. Higher rates could further hamper the struggling housing market ahead of the spring's prime home-buying season
NATIONAL POLITICS
WASHINGTON (AP) – From large manufacturers to a small electric company, businesses complained about costly government rules Thursday at a forum provided by Republicans who are eager to slash federal regulations. Democrats protested that GOP lawmakers only wanted to hear about the burdens of regulation, not the benefits to public health and worker safety.