Baltimore Checkbook

Office Movers' landlord asks court to sell,...

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Washington, D.C.-based Perseus Realty LLC has asked the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Baltimore for permission to clear out Office Movers Inc.’s former Lanham headquarters so that it can sell or re-lease the space to others. Perseus wants the court to lift the automatic stay imposed when Office Movers filed Thursday for Chapter 7 bankruptcy so that it can remove the “substantial amount of inventory” still stored at 10100 Willowdale Road, according to a motion it filed Thursday with the court. Office…

Patterson Bowling Center to undergo renovation...

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Patterson Bowling Center in Canton, which has been offering duckpin bowling for nearly 80 years, is under new ownership and will undergo a massive renovation project in the coming year. Ken Staub, owner of Stoneleigh Lanes in Towson and Glen Burnie Bowl, took over the business on Oct. 1 after being contacted by the previous owner. Staub has already started making changes, including shutting down the electronic scoreboards in favor of paper-and-pencil scoring. Going forward, he said he expects…

Here's how much in severance Host Hotels'...

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Outgoing Host Hotels & Resorts (NYSE: HST) CEO Ed Walter will receive a nearly $5.3 million severance payment, along with other compensation, upon his departure from the company, according to federal filings. Walter, who announced his resignation Dec. 14, will step out of the CEO role at the end of the month, though the Bethesda-based company said he will stay on to aid in the transition until the end of January. As he leaves, Walter will receive $5.28 million in severance, which is equal to two…

Hold the nutmeg. Eggnog is flying off the shelves

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You would never know there was a risk of an eggnog shortage this holiday season if you’re having lunch at the Center Club. The downtown private club is offering diners a free glass of the festive drink complete with whipped cream, cinnamon stick and chocolate shavings. You can have it with or without a “little” bourbon. (You might want to make that decision based on your workload for the rest of the day.) A silver punch bowl full of the frothy yellow drink is set up strategically in the Center Club's…

​Year in Review 2016: Marriott pulls off largest...

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The late-breaking announcement of Marriott International Inc.’s blockbuster acquisition of Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc. actually topped our list of biggest stories for 2015 — and that was before we knew just how long it would take to complete, and how crazy that deal would get. But it makes the list yet again in 2016 due to some of that drama, not to mention the sheer size of the final price and resulting company. When all is said and done, Marriott (NASDAQ: MAR) pulled off a merger…

Year in Review 2016: Food halls, marketplaces...

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For all the restaurants that opened in 2016 in the Greater Baltimore area, there were many other ideas that couldn’t get off the ground for one reason or another. One of the major factors is money. Opening a brick-and-mortar restaurant can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars and the costs don’t stop coming when the doors open. That’s where food halls and marketplaces like R. House come in. R. House opened in December in Remington with 10 food and drink stalls, each one owned by a different chef…

8 things you need to know as the holiday weekend...

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The holiday weekend has finally arrived. Have a Merry Christmas and Happy Hannukah. Enjoy the time with family and friends. Here’s what you need to know going into the long weekend. Don’t get your hopes up for a white Christmas. Baltimore is about to hit its 14th year without a white Christmas forecast. Expect temperatures approaching 50s on Sunday. Before you bemoan the forecast, remember Baltimore has only had a white Christmas a dozen times since 1872. [Baltimore Sun] Have you figured out how…

Kane Co. switches from 'wind-down' to bankruptcy...

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The thing that wasn’t going to happen did happen Thursday for the head of Greater Washington’s largest office moving company. The Kane Co. and several of its affiliates, including Office Movers, filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy liquidation two weeks after CEO John Kane told the Washington Business Journal, “It’s not a bankruptcy,” and that he was “a job creator, not a terminator.” Kane filed for Chapter 7 in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Baltimore along with affiliates Circle K-1 Realty Inc., Kane…

Uber expected to stay in Maryland after...

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Maryland avoided a showdown with ride-sharing app Uber after the state’s Public Service Commission approved an alternative background check process. Previously, California-based Uber had threatened to cease operations in Maryland if the state had mandated that ride-sharing drivers had to go through a fingerprinting background check. Uber and fellow ride-sharing app Lyft argued that their already existing background checks were more extensive. The Public Service Commission voted Thursday to implement…

​Lockheed Martin CEO has 'productive meeting' with...

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President-elect Donald Trump met with Lockheed Martin Corp. (NYSE: LMT) CEO Marillyn Hewson Wednesday following a tweet from the president-elect last week blasting the “out of control” costs of the F-35 joint strike fighter program. Hewson said in a statement that it was a “productive meeting.“ “I appreciated the opportunity to discuss the importance of the F-35 program and the progress we’ve made in bringing the costs down,” the statement read. "The F-35 is a critical program to our…