Baltimore Checkbook

Gov. Larry Hogan deflects blame for budget deficit...

http://baltimorecheckbook.tumblr.com/post/155729906262/gov-larry-hogan-deflects-blame-for-budget-deficit#_=_

As the 437th Maryland General Assembly kicked off on Wednesday, Gov. Larry Hogan was tight-lipped about what steps he will take to repair the state’s structural budget deficit. Hogan will present his budget fiscal 2018 budget proposal next week, addressing what the Department of Legislative Services estimates is a $500 million structural deficit. While he wasn’t specific at Wednesday’s Annapolis Summit about how he’ll address the problem, Hogan did offer up a couple of details about his budget. Hogan,…

Maryland's casino tax won't be going up, Senate...

http://baltimorecheckbook.tumblr.com/post/155728613867/marylands-casino-tax-wont-be-going-up-senate#_=_

Casino owners can rest easy — the state won’t be going after more of their earnings. Mayland Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr. on Wednesday quickly shot down any chance of a tax increase on gaming revenue during the Annapolis Summit moderated by radio show host Marc Steiner. Maryland’s casinos already pay the highest rates in the country, Miller said. Casinos in Maryland must contribute a portion of their earnings into the state’s Education Trust Fund. Currently, 15 percent of table…

Mayor Pugh wants to focus on education during...

http://baltimorecheckbook.tumblr.com/post/155725865127/mayor-pugh-wants-to-focus-on-education-during#_=_

Education is Mayor Catherine Pugh’s top priority in Annapolis as lawmakers begin the 90-day General Assembly on Wednesday. Pugh, speaking at her weekly press conference, said school funding and the city school board were going to be her main focal points during the session. The new mayor said she wants to work with the local delegation to write legislation that would give the mayor the power to appoint members of the Baltimore City Public Schools Board. Currently, its members are appointed by the…

​Trump criticizes, promises 'big things' for...

http://baltimorecheckbook.tumblr.com/post/155725367847/trump-criticizes-promises-big-things-for#_=_

In his first press conference since being elected president, President-elect Donald Trump told reporters at Trump Tower in New York on Wednesday that “we’re going to do some big things on the F-35 program and perhaps the F-18 program” amid criticism of the former program. The remarks expand on comments made last month, when Trump took to Twitter to call the costs of Lockheed Martin Corp.’s (NYSE: LMT) F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program “out of control” and added that he’s asking The Boeing…

M&T Bank acquires Philadelphia mortgage banking...

http://baltimorecheckbook.tumblr.com/post/155724701287/mt-bank-acquires-philadelphia-mortgage-banking#_=_

A Baltimore-based subsidiary of M&T Bank Corp. has acquired a Philadelphia-area mortgage banking firm to continue its local growth. Financial terms were not disclosed but Carey Kramer Pettit Panichelli & Associates brought all 15 of its employees and $2.7 billion in loans. M&T Realty Capital Corp., the Baltimore-based mortgage banking arm of the bank, has more than $13 billion in loans in its portfolio. The deal became effective Jan. 4, with Carey Kramer acting as an M&T Realty division. In addition…

Guest column: Women as a force for economic change

http://baltimorecheckbook.tumblr.com/post/155724211742/guest-column-women-as-a-force-for-economic-change#_=_

The economic potential of women remains glaringly untapped. A recent study in UBS’s CIO Wealth Management Research showed women could add trillions to the economy — $12 trillion in fact. Moreover, according to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, the more women who work, the faster economies grow. Unfortunately the United Nation’s 2015 Global Gender Gap Report found only 50 percent of all women worldwide are gainfully employed and here in Maryland, women are paid 85…

Gypsy Queen Cafe food truck planning a restaurant

http://baltimorecheckbook.tumblr.com/post/155721585337/gypsy-queen-cafe-food-truck-planning-a-restaurant#_=_

Pasted to the the side of the Gypsy Queen Cafe food truck is the mobile eatery’s 10-page menu. At the bottom, squished between the truck’s famous ‘Gypsy Crab Cone’ and a Maryland-style 'Old Bay Chicken Sub,’ is a small sign that reads, “Coming soon, our very own restaurant.” Gypsy Queen Cafe is planning a permanent restaurant and bar near Hampden for its food truck concept, tentatively to be named The Gypsy’s Table. Construction is moving slowly on the 3515 Clipper Mill Rd. location, formerly a…

Baltimore-area home sales, prices stay strong in...

http://baltimorecheckbook.tumblr.com/post/155721585112/baltimore-area-home-sales-prices-stay-strong-in#_=_

Two new reports show home sales in the city and Greater Baltimore remained strong in 2016. Homes sales in the region rose 5 percent year-over-year to 3,916 in December, according to data provided by ShowingTime RBI based on listing activity from MRIS. It was the highest sales level for the year’s final month since 2006. The median sales price of $245,000 was up 4.3 percent from a year before, reaching the highest December level since 2008 and reflects the 13th consecutive month of year-over-year…

Howard Hughes Corp. pays $39M for two more...

http://baltimorecheckbook.tumblr.com/post/155720639602/howard-hughes-corp-pays-39m-for-two-more#_=_

Howard Hughes Corp. is one step closer in its redevelopment of downtown Columbia. The company said Wednesday it had purchased two more office buildings in the suburban hub near The Mall in Columbia for a total of $39 million. The two existing buildings are the American City Building on Little Patuxent Parkway near the new Whole Foods Market and One Mall North, near the mall. In 2014, the company purchased a bundle of other office buildings nearby for $130 million as its redevelopment project began…

Alaska Airlines to offer seasonal flights from BWI...

http://baltimorecheckbook.tumblr.com/post/155720638827/alaska-airlines-to-offer-seasonal-flights-from-bwi#_=_

Getting to the West Coast this summer is getting easier as another airline has added a seasonal flight out of Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport across the country. Alaska Airlines announced Wednesday it will begin service from BWI to Portland, Ore., starting June 6 through Aug. 26. The flights will operate daily with a 4:50 p.m. departure time. The new Alaska Airlines service comes a day after Spirit Airlines announced it will offer service this summer from BWI to Oakland,…