VOL. 45 | NO. 25 | Friday, June 18, 2021
Commodores ‘back to normal’ with delayed CWS title defense
Omaha bound! Those inch-high words – inscribed on front of the black-and-white baseball caps that Vanderbilt players donned minutes after winning the NCAA Super Regional – tell only part of the story of the Commodores’ odyssey-like quest to reach the June 19-30 College World Series in Nebraska.
Tennessee baseball players were always a little envious whenever they traveled to SEC stadiums with fervent fan bases. They wanted to create the same environment in Knoxville and earn some respect from opponents.
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A look at the eight teams competing in the College World Series, which starts Saturday at TD Ameritrade Park. (Capsules in order of CWS opening games. Coaches' records through super regionals):
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Home runs — lots and lots of them — have defined the NCAA baseball tournament so far.
JOE ROGERS: MY TAKE
Clickbait internet teases are generally best avoided, being frequently of the “15 foods you should never eat naked” variety. But they can be tempting. And I couldn’t resist one I came across recently: “Best counties to raise a family in Tennessee,” for various reasons.
RICHARD COURTNEY: REALTY CHECK
Middle Tennessee real estate unit sales increased 24% in May compared to May 2020, Greater Nashville Realtors figures show. With inventory as low as it is, there are those who might wonder how these sales could occur.
REAL ESTATE
Top commercial real estate sales, May 2021, for Davidson County, as compiled by Chandler Reports.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Mortgage rates were mostly lower this week as the economy continued to show signs of recovery from the pandemic recession and recent bursts of inflation were deemed temporary by federal policymakers.
BRIEFS
SVP-Singer Holdings, Inc., with corporate headquarters in La Vergne, has reached a definitive agreement for Platinum Equity to acquire a controlling stake in the company along with its wholly owned subsidiaries.
BEHIND THE WHEEL
New and used car prices remain high as a global semiconductor chip shortage and increased consumer demand have caused a shortage of vehicles on dealer lots. The situation is expected to last many months, making it hard on people who are in need of a car today.
PERSONAL FINANCE
Gwen Merz was fresh out of college in 2014, working an information technology job she hated, when she decided early retirement was the answer. She socked away every dollar she could, saving as much as 70% of her income so that she could quit when she was 35.
CAREER CORNER
Sometimes, the devil really is in the details. This is especially true when it comes to the questions you ask when you’re looking for a job.
MILLENNIAL MONEY
Vaccination rates are climbing, and employers are rolling out back-to-office, back-to-normal plans. But some employees might want a new normal – one that includes flexible scheduling and benefits that align with their needs and values.
STATE GOVERNMENT
NASHVILLE (AP) — Tennessee lawmakers are calling for more scrutiny of a Chattanooga shelter for immigrant children after state officials confirmed that an unaccompanied migrant child reported being abused there.
COURTS
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — A southwest Missouri man has admitted that he threatened U.S. Reps. Emanuel Cleaver II of Missouri and Steve Cohen of Tennessee because he was upset by comments they made.
TOURISM
NASHVILLE (AP) — Tennessee tourism officials have launched a $150,000 ad campaign in and outside the state to help fill leisure and hospitality jobs amid a bounce-back from the COVID-19 pandemic's impact on the industry.
ENVIRONMENT
WASHINGTON (AP) — The head of the Environmental Protection Agency said Thursday he has fully reinstated one of two key advisory boards he dismantled earlier this year in a push for "scientific integrity" at the agency.
VIRUS OUTBREAK
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden is marking another milestone in his quest to bring the COVID-19 pandemic under control and help Americans return to a more normal way of life.
MEMPHIS (AP) — Many Americans are relaxing precautions taken during the COVID-19 pandemic and resuming everyday activities, even as some worry that coronavirus-related restrictions were hastily lifted, a new poll shows.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks sank again on Wall Street Friday, knocking the S&P 500 to its worst weekly loss since February, as more steam comes out of banks and other stocks that soared earlier this year with expectations for the economy and inflation.
Carnival Corp. said Thursday that a data breach in March might have exposed personal information about customers and employees on Carnival Cruise Line, Holland America Line and Princess Cruises.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL POLITICS
WASHINGTON (AP) — Gas prices have whizzed past $3 per gallon in much of the nation. The cost of used cars and new furniture, airline tickets, department store blouses, ground beef and a Chipotle burrito are on the rise, too.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate is set for a key vote Tuesday on a sweeping rewrite of voting and election law, setting up a dramatic test of Democratic unity on a top priority that Republicans are vowing to block.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court's latest rejection of a Republican effort to dismantle "Obamacare" signals anew that the GOP must look beyond repealing the law if it wants to hone the nation's health care problems into a winning political issue.
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden is facing a formidable to-do list now that he's back from his summit-filled trip to Europe, with pressing legislative challenges, foreign policy follow-up and a need to steer the country's reopening as the coronavirus threat recedes.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Black Americans rejoiced after President Joe Biden made Juneteenth a federal holiday, but some said that, while they appreciated the recognition at a time of racial reckoning in America, more is needed to change policies that disadvantage too many of their brethren.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand is on the brink of success in her yearslong campaign to get sexual assault cases removed from the military chain of command. But getting over the finish line may depend on whether she can overcome wariness about broader changes she's seeking to the military justice system.
THURSDAY, JUNE 17
TENNESSEE TITANS
NASHVILLE (AP) — The phrase "Pick your poison" has been used a lot to describe the Tennessee offense since the Titans traded for Julio Jones.
COURTS
NASHVILLE (AP) — A former Tennessee doctor who pleaded guilty to unlawfully distributing opioids has been sentenced to three years in prison, the Justice Department said.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court on Thursday sided with food giants Nestle and Cargill in a lawsuit that claimed they knowingly bought cocoa beans from farms in Africa that used child slave labor.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court, though increasingly conservative in makeup, rejected the latest major Republican-led effort to kill the national health care law known as "Obamacare" on Thursday, preserving insurance coverage for millions of Americans.
WASHINGTON (AP) — In another victory for religious groups at the Supreme Court, the justices on Thursday unanimously sided with a Catholic foster care agency that says its religious views prevent it from working with same-sex couples. The court said the city of Philadelphia wrongly limited its relationship with the group as a result of the agency's policy.
NASHVILLE (AP) — Tennessee's Trial Court Vacancy Commission on Wednesday selected three possible candidates to fill a vacancy in the 19th Judicial Circuit.
NEW YORK (AP) — Prosecutors urged a judge Wednesday to impose a "very substantial" prison sentence on Michael Avenatti for trying to extort millions of dollars from Nike.
KNOXVILLE (AP) — A federal judge declared a mistrial Wednesday in the case of a former University of Tennessee researcher charged with hiding his relationship with a Chinese university while receiving research grants from the federal government.
RELIGION
NASHVILLE (AP) — Delegates at the Southern Baptist Convention's annual meeting voted overwhelmingly Wednesday to create a task force to oversee an independent investigation into the denomination's handling of sexual abuse.
TRANSPORTATION
DALLAS (AP) — Passengers on Southwest Airlines had to deal with canceled flights and delays for a third day on Wednesday, as the airline tried to recover from technology problems that started earlier this week.
AUTO INDUSTRY
DETROIT (AP) — The head of Detroit's big international auto show says it will return to the Motor City next year, but with smaller indoor displays, and more emphasis on experiencing vehicles and technology outside.
Ford's outlook for the second quarter is improving, as the automaker is seeing strong customer reservations for four of its new vehicles.
VIRUS OUTBREAK
WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States is devoting more than $3 billion to advance development of antiviral pills for COVID-19, according to an official briefed on the matter.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. Embassy in Afghanistan ordered a near-complete lockdown Thursday because of a massive spike in coronavirus cases among employees.
TOKYO (AP) — Japan on Thursday announced the easing of a coronavirus state of emergency in Tokyo and six other areas from next week, with new daily cases falling just as the country begins final preparations for the Olympics starting in just over a month.
TOKYO (AP) — Public sentiment in Japan has been generally opposed to holding the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics, partly based on fears the coronavirus will spike as almost 100,000 people — athletes and others — enter for both events.
KAMPALA, Uganda (AP) — Hati Maronjei once swore he would never get a COVID-19 shot, after a pastor warned that vaccines aren't safe.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
NEW YORK (AP) — Most stocks ended lower on Wall Street Thursday as investors continued to interpret new guidance from the Federal Reserve, which is now looking at potentially raising interest rates as soon as 2023.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits rose last week for the first time since April despite widespread evidence that the economy and the job market are rebounding steadily from the pandemic recession.
LONDON (AP) — Scotch single malt whisky makers breathed a sigh of relief Thursday after the United States agreed to suspend tariffs on one of Scotland's main exports following the resolution of a long-standing trade row between the U.S. and the EU over subsidies to aircraft companies Boeing and Airbus.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration has sued to block the merger of two of the world's largest insurance brokers, asserting the deal could eliminate competition, raise prices and hamper innovation for U.S. businesses, employers and unions that use the companies' services.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL POLITICS
WASHINGTON (AP) — Democrats are eyeing a $6 trillion infrastructure investment plan that goes far beyond roads and bridges to include core party priorities, from lowering the Medicare eligibility age to 60 and adding vision and hearing benefits to incorporating a long-running effort to provide legal status for certain immigrants, including "Dreamers."
Shocked by an Associated Press investigation into the loss and theft of military guns, the Pentagon's top general signaled Thursday that he will consider a "systematic fix" to how the armed services keep account of their firearms.
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden spent his first trip overseas highlighting a sharp break from his disruptive predecessor, selling that the United States was once more a reliable ally with a steady hand at the wheel. European allies welcomed the pitch — and even a longtime foe acknowledged it.
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden's first overseas trip put his diplomatic and negotiating philosophy on display, as he rallied traditional U.S. democratic allies to confront new and old challenges and offered an often rosy take on the possibilities of cooperation with Russian President Vladimir Putin after a one-on-one summit.
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden signed legislation Thursday establishing a new federal holiday commemorating the end of slavery, saying he believes it will go down as one of the greatest honors he has as president.
WASHINGTON (AP) — A bipartisan senators' group working on a $1 trillion infrastructure compromise more than doubled in size to 21 members Wednesday, a key threshold that gives momentum to their effort as President Joe Biden returns from overseas at a pivotal time for his big legislative priority.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Democratic-led House, with the backing of President Joe Biden, is expected to approve legislation to repeal the 2002 authorization for use of military force in Iraq, a step supporters say is necessary to constrain presidential war powers even though it is unlikely to affect U.S. military operations around the world.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Both Republican and Democratic senators pressed Interior Secretary Deb Haaland for answers Wednesday after a federal court blocked the Biden administration's suspension of new oil and gas leases on federal lands and waters.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department is warning Missouri officials that the state can't ignore federal law, after the governor signed a bill last week that bans police from enforcing federal gun rules.