VOL. 126 | NO. 233 | Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Memphis-based Magna Bank was the top Small Business Administration lender in Shelby County and among the top SBA lenders statewide for the 12 months ended Sept. 30, according to the SBA’s Tennessee District Office.
Hickory Hill’s Power Center Academy moves ahead
The company that operates the Power Center Academy charter school in Hickory Hill has made the list of charter schools the Tennessee Department of Education will use as part of its Achievement School District.
The Greater Memphis Chamber has a new chairman of the board.
With one week to the filing deadline, the race for General Sessions Court Clerk is the busiest of the four races to be decided next year in the March 6 county primaries and the Aug. 2 general elections.
Most commercial real estate markets have stabilized, but improvement in occupancies and rents won’t be as certain in 2012.
The countywide schools board is waiting on a plan for the merging of the two public school systems in Shelby County.
After returning from a tour of the nation’s capital that included performances at the National Cathedral, Basilica of the Immaculate Shrine, and the Canadian and Singapore embassies, the Memphis Boychoir celebrates the holy season of Advent with a hometown performance at Calvary Episcopal Church.
Medtronic Inc. has launched a new product designed to provide spinal stabilization and correction in patients suffering from a traumatic or tumor-related disorder.
MEMPHIS NEWSMAKERS
Doug Smith has been named vice president, administrative operations, at S. Webster Haining & Co.
LOCAL COLUMNISTS
The Black Friday moniker was coined in the 1960s as the first day of the year retailers turn a profit or operate in the black. Consumers know it as the day after Thanksgiving when retailers offer deep discounts to kick off the holiday shopping season.
MEMPHIS AREA
MEMPHIS (AP) – Elvis Presley Enterprises says three new exhibits will open next year at Graceland in Memphis to commemorate the 35th anniversary of the entertainer's death.
STATEWIDE
NASHVILLE (AP) – A committee of Tennessee legislators is considering cutting in half the amount of scholarship money for some college students.
NASHVILLE (AP) – The state Department of General Services billed Occupy Nashville $1,045 to provide two troopers for security the night before they began arresting the protesters and clearing their encampment.
REGIONAL
JACKSON, Miss. (AP) – The Mississippi Economic Council is holding 12 meetings statewide as it prepares to lobby officials to implement its recommendations to spur economic growth in the state.
NATIONAL BUSINESS
DALLAS (AP) – The parent company of American Airlines filed for bankruptcy protection Tuesday, seeking relief from crushing debt caused by high fuel prices and expensive labor contracts that its competitors shed years ago.
NEW YORK (AP) – For most of the 240,000 passengers who fly American Airlines each day, the airline's bankruptcy filing should have little noticeable impact.
NEW YORK (AP) – Online shoppers spent record amounts on the Monday after the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, making it the biggest online shopping day in history.
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) – One of the nation's largest meatpackers systematically discriminated against more than 4,000 qualified applicants who sought entry-level jobs at a turkey processing plant in Arkansas, the U.S. Labor Department said Tuesday.
NATIONAL POLITICS
WASHINGTON (AP) – A government watchdog said Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac improperly foreclosed on homeowners and cost the government billions of dollars by not holding major banks to strict underwriting requirements.
NEW YORK (AP) – The Fitch ratings agency will likely lower its outlook for debts linked to the U.S. government to negative, including debt of government-controlled mortgage buyers Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.
WASHINGTON (AP) – President Barack Obama's Medicare nominee Tuesday got unexpected support from one of Congress' Republican stars. House Majority Leader Eric Cantor told The Associated Press that Marilyn Tavenner is "eminently qualified" to run Medicare.
WASHINGTON (AP) – The White House is refusing to say whether President Barack Obama would sign into law an extension of payroll tax cuts that is not paid for.
WASHINGTON (AP) – Nonmilitary government agencies own or lease thousands of aircraft, but they are often on their own when it comes to safety oversight of their operations – a situation that accident investigators say has contributed to air crashes and deaths.
REAL ESTATE
WASHINGTON (AP) – U.S. home prices are falling again in most major cities after posting small gains over the summer and spring. The report suggests the troubled housing market remains weak and won't recover any time soon.
HEALTH CARE
WASHINGTON (AP) – Federal officials announced Tuesday they are awarding more money to help states carry out President Barack Obama's health care overhaul. So what's the surprise?
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) – Health insurer Humana Inc. says it is acquiring SeniorBridge, a New York-based chronic-care provider best known for offering in-home care for the elderly.
SPORTS
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – A Minnesota federal judge has put the legal fight between the NBA's players and owners on hold to give the two sides time to finish their collective bargaining agreement.
TECHNOLOGY
NEW YORK (AP) – Facebook is settling with the Federal Trade Commission over charges it deceived consumers with its privacy settings to get people to share more personal information than they originally agreed to.
NEW YORK (AP) – Facebook might finally be laying down the groundwork for a highly anticipated initial public offering, long expected to take place sometime after April 2012.
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) – Google's next frontier in digital mapping will span the world's shopping malls and airports.
NEW YORK (AP) – At age 91, Ray Bradbury is making peace with the future he helped predict.