VOL. 127 | NO. 22 | Thursday, February 2, 2012
Two new local owners are under contract to convert the former French Quarter Suites Hotel in Midtown’s Overton Square district to a Comfort Suites in a $6 million project.
Palmer Brothers celebrates 100 years of success
For 100 years, Palmer Brothers Inc. has operated in a conservative manner with repeat business from clients that share the same philosophy.
Smith & Nephew Thursday, Feb. 2, announced it will reduce its global workforce by 7 percent over the next three years. The announcement was made when the company announced fourth quarter earnings that exceeded analysts’ estimates in what’s been a formidable year for the medical device industry,
A year after the Memphis City Council and Republican state legislators from Shelby County had their first race to see who could pass their school consolidation measures first, there is hesitancy on both sides to stage a second political drag race on annexation.
The Memphis Bar Association is gearing up for a major public outreach program in the form of an educational campaign.
Special Olympics athletes and their supporters will plunge into the chilly waters of the Mississippi River Saturday, Feb. 4, to raise money for the organization’s Greater Memphis chapter, which provides year-round sports training and athletic competition for children and adults with intellectual disabilities.
One night earlier, their coach had rightly accused them of “not working.” So it was only fitting that on this night the Grizzlies had to literally work overtime to stop a four-game losing streak and find their misplaced pride.
MEMPHIS LAW TALK
Estate law has become so complex that what an attorney calls his or her practice in the field has to have a certain precision.
LOCAL COLUMNISTS
Ray’s Take Student loan debt in this country now totals over $920 billion; that out-distances total credit card debt by $120 billion. Even more alarmingly, this is a 10,000 percent increase in a mere 14 years. That’s a huge headwind for young people who are just starting to find their financial footing.
In the last two columns, I’ve let it be known that I am reading the novels of David Rosenfelt in order. I’ve provided teaser-type blurbs for the first five: “Open and Shut,” “First Degree,” “Bury the Lead,” “Sudden Death” and “Dead Center.” Since last week’s column, I’ve read No. 6, “Play Dead” (2007), and started “New Tricks” (2009).
MEMPHIS AREA
MEMPHIS (AP) – There's a glass case in a room on Graceland's first floor that holds a small white fur coat, a photo album of Elvis Presley's family and a blue record player used by his daughter, Lisa Marie.
STATEWIDE
KNOXVILLE (AP) – The University of Tennessee has a new branding campaign: "Big Orange. Big Ideas."
STATE GOVERNMENT
NASHVILLE (AP) – The Republican sponsor of a proposal to reduce the sales tax on groceries in Tennessee said Wednesday he's open to working with Democrats who have a similar measure if it would help the legislation's passage.
NATIONAL BUSINESS
DALLAS (AP) – The parent of American Airlines wants to eliminate about 13,000 jobs – 15 percent of its workforce – as the nation's third-biggest airline remakes itself under bankruptcy protection.
DETROIT (AP) – U.S. auto sales are off to a strong start this year, continuing their brisk pace from late 2011.
WASHINGTON (AP) – U.S. factories grew in January at the fastest pace in seven months, boosted by a rise in new orders. And builders ended a poor year for construction by spending more on homes and projects for the fifth straight month.
NATIONAL GOVERNMENT
WASHINGTON (AP) – The Treasury Department is exploring the idea of issuing two new types of securities as a way of expanding the government's means of financing operations.
FALLS CHURCH, Va. (AP) – President Barack Obama called on Congress Wednesday to make it easier for millions of additional homeowners to refinance their mortgages at lower interest rates even if they owe more than their homes are worth. He conceded that his administration's housing plans so far have not lived up to their promise.
REAL ESTATE
WASHINGTON (AP) – Builders increased their spending in December for the fifth consecutive month, ending a weak construction year on a hopeful note.
SPORTS
MEMPHIS (AP) – Memphis coach Justin Fuente has completed his staff by hiring former Wake Forest assistant Tim Billings as the Tigers' new defensive line assistant.
CHICAGO (AP) – The NBA's average ticket price increased for the first time in three years, up 1.7 percent to $48.48, the Team Marketing Report said Wednesday in its annual survey.
TECHNOLOGY
NEW YORK (AP) – Facebook made a much-anticipated status update Wednesday: The Internet social network is going public eight years after its computer-hacking CEO Mark Zuckerberg started the service at Harvard University.