Baltimore Checkbook

Maryland can help heal financial woes by...

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Paying off debt and legalizing marijuana are among the solutions a new report from the Maryland Public Policy Institute recommends for the state to fix its budget gap and address long-running financial problems. The budget is a huge area of disagreement for Gov. Larry Hogan, a Republican, and Democratic leaders in the General Assembly. Together, they must figure out how to overcome a structural deficit exceeding $500 million. Both sides have already deflected blame to the other one. When Hogan…

8 things you need to know this morning (Video)

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Good morning, and happy Thursday. We’re going to get a full day of sun again, early clouds today will give way to the sun, with temperatures in the 50s. Here are eight things to know to get your day started. The Dow Jones average hit 20,000 for the first time ever Wednesday, a huge milestone for the U.S. stock market. The upward movement is attributed to the hope by Wall Street that President Donald Trump will cut regulations for businesses and reduce taxes. For more on the milestone, watch the…

Former Baltimore bank VP pleads guilty in $1.8M...

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A former vice president for Hopkins Federal Savings Bank has pleaded guilty to her role in a scheme to steal more than $1.8 million from bank customers. Melissa Strohman, 54 of Nottingham, pleaded guilty in federal court Wednesday to wire fraud and embezzlement. Federal prosecutors brought charges against in late December. Strohman was the unnamed employee in a lawsuit filed in September by former Hopkins Federal Chairman Alvin M. Lapidus and his wife, Lois. The couple claimed Strohman embezzled…

Pugh: Baltimore is, and will be, a 'welcoming'...

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Mayor Catherine Pugh describes Baltimore as a “welcoming” city for immigrants, including those who are undocumented. But it’s not technically a so-called “sanctuary city,” which are facing the ire of President Donald Trump. Trump is expected to sign Wednesday a series of executive orders that will cut federal funding to sanctuary cities, self-acclaimed jurisdictions where undocumented immigrants can live safely, and will not be asked to provide proof of their citizenship if they request local government…

Exclusive: Inside 10 Light's $12,000-a-month...

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What’s it like to have a slice of the Great Gatsby life high above Baltimore’s historic and funky skyline? For $12,000 a month you can find out. Two apartments in the downtown Art Deco landmark, 10 Light, are commanding the highest rents in the city — and some say it’s a beacon of things to come as Baltimore’s luxury rental market continues to evolve. They are part of eight penthouse-level apartments at the development recently built as part of a $100 million redevelopment and on the market…

What Maryland, D.C. businesses could expect from a...

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As the Affordable Care Act hangs in the balance, state governments have projected massive costs and funding losses, even as health insurance experts say one thing is clear: Nothing is changing anytime soon. Experts are already fielding plenty of calls from businesses around the region about whether they can stop complying with health reform rules or stop sending those requisite forms for reporting health coverage to the IRS for the upcoming tax season. “The answer, at the moment, is no,” said Zack…

Pugh wants to focus on Pennsylvania Avenue,...

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Mayor Catherine Pugh chooses to drive up Charles Street rather than taking Interstate 83 as she leaves City Hall each night and heads to her home in the Ashburton neighborhood. On those drives, she says she particularly notices a stretch of road on Charles Street between Mt. Royal Avenue and Johns Hopkins University that is particularly poorly lit. “When you get to the BP station [on Charles Street] it gets dark,” Pugh said during her weekly press conference Wednesday. Pugh is targeting Charles…

Mechanic Theatre site gets a cleanup but no...

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The former Morris A. Mechanic Theatre site at Charles and Baltimore Streets — stagnant for months because of litigation — is abuzz again with activity this week. It is the first activity on the site in months. But it’s not the expected construction just yet. Workers arrived Tuesday to remove piles of debris from the site in a fury to tidy it up, said a source close to developer Howard Brown, chairman of David S. Brown Enterprises Ltd. Brown is out of town and could not be reached to comment. On…

Baltimore was among the top 20 markets for home...

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Some 7.2 percent of Baltimore-area home sales in 2016 were “flipped,” ranking 19th in the U.S. and above the national average. According to new research from Trulia, a combination of rising home prices and a stronger labor market have helped push home-flipping numbers to their highest levels in a decade. Approximately 6.1 percent of all home sales in 2016 qualified as a “flip,” defined as the purchase of a house at a market rate and the subsequent sale of the same property at a higher price due…

Here's who made the list of Baltimore's 12...

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In a restaurant rut? If you’re like me, sometimes it’s too easy to just eat at your favorite tried-and-true neighborhood spots. But in case you haven’t noticed, Baltimore has a lot of newcomers on the scene — and apparently they’re drawing the crowds and the kudos. Eater, the online food blog, tapped food writer Ryan Detter to pick his favorite hotspots among those that opened in the past 12 months. Detter’s list offers lots of variety for the food lover at many different price points. That includes…