Baltimore Checkbook

Rawlings-Blake wants a liquor board 'that takes...

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Leaders at City Hall were happy Wednesday to be gaining power from the state to appoint members of Baltimore’s liquor board, with Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake calling it a chance to balance neighborhood and business interests. “I’m looking forward to a new board that takes the role seriously,” Rawlings-Blake said. The mayor and City Council will soon be able to appoint members of the Baltimore City Board of Liquor License Commissioners under state legislation passed into law. Appointment power…

Maryland approves Purple Line contract

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Maryland’s Board of Public Works unanimously approved a $5.6 billion contract Wednesday for the construction and operation of the Purple Line, an east-west light rail line that’s a top transportation priority and a project with huge economic development potential. Gov. Larry Hogan green lit the project March 2, naming Purple Line Transit Partners as the contractor to build the 16.2-mile light rail line linking Bethesda with New Carrollton. The state is committing $3.3 billion to the project.…

Home of the Day: Preview Stunning $7M Estate in...

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By Creig Northrop, Clarksville Office, Home of the Day is presented by the Baltimore Business Journal with The Creig Northrop Team. This is your invitation to view some of Baltimore’s most-luxurious properties. Come inside and take a look around. Click on the gallery image to view today’s featured property. 3925 Folly Quarter Road, Ellicott City, MD 21042 | $7,000,000 Tucked away along the illustrious Folly Quarter Road of Ellicott City Maryland, is a grand estate of true distinction. The fair…

IHOP, Bon Fresco tapping into Owings Mills market

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Stevenson University students will soon have another place to get their pancake fix. The International House of Pancakes, known to most diners as IHOP, has signed a lease with David S. Brown Enterprises in the developer’s Boulevard College Center. The national chain is being joined by local sandwich shop and bakery, Bon Fresco. Both restaurants expect to open in mid-summer. The two restaurants are taking up about 6,000 square feet at the center. Ken Bernstein, of David S. Brown Enterprises, represented…

US oil boom not slowing enough to solve epic glut

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The American oil boom is proving far harder to kill than OPEC expected.



from http://www.wbaltv.com/money/us-oil-boom-not-slowing-enough-to-solve-epic-glut/38892270

Light City organizers plot next year's — possibly...

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Light City Baltimore ended its seven-day run leaving people wanting more. Good thing, too. The inaugural free festival, which drew about 400,000 people to Baltimore from March 28-April 3, is already in the planning stages for spring 2017. In i ts first year, the festival drew 100,000 more people than expected and created a social media buzz that drew locals back to the Inner Harbor for the first time in years. Specific dates haven’t been chosen but organizers say they’re trying to figure out whether…

Car buyers clamor for Tesla despite reliability...

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Pre-orders are piling up for the Tesla Model 3, approaching 300,000 just days after the car’s unveiling. Clearly, questions about whether Tesla’s cars are reliable haven’t made a dent with shoppers.



from http://www.wbaltv.com/money/car-buyers-clamor-for-tesla-despite-reliability-concerns/38878910

Six-figure payment brings Clark Turner's Beech...

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A six-figure check at the end of March brought undeveloped properties in Harford County’s Beech Creek development out of delinquency, staving off the possibility of a tax sale hitting developer Clark Turner’s high-profile tax increment financed project. The county received the check, for $102,590.27 from Beechtree Properties LLC, on March 31. It paid off $74,000 in missed special tax payments from September along with interest, additional taxes due to the county and some other delinquencies. The…

8 things you need to know this morning

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Happy Wednesday! Expect clear skies with temperatures in the mid-50s and continued gusty winds. Here are eight things to know. • Maryland’s House of Delegates approved a bill that would require employers with at least 15 workers to provide paid sick leave for employees, but the measure is expected to hit a roadblock in the Senate. [Washington Post] • Hackers who seriously disrupted operations at MedStar Health and held some data hostage broke into a computer server left vulnerable despite urgent…

Bill Me Later veteran's new fintech startup raises...

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Blispay, a financial technology startup by a former Bill Me Later executive, has come out of stealth mode with $12.75 million in financing. The company’s equity and debt financing comes from a long list of institutional investors, including FirstMark Capital, New Enterprise Associates, Accomplice, TriplePoint Capital, Founder Collective and Bill Me Later founder Vince Talbert. Other former Bill Me Later staffers also contributed as angel investors. The funding gives Blispay momentum as the company…