Baltimore Checkbook

​Host Hotels CEO to step down

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Ed Walter, the president and CEO of Bethesda-based Host Hotels & Resorts Inc. (NYSE: HST), will step down from that role and as a member of Host’s board at the end of the year, according to a release. Walter will be replaced by James Risoleo, who currently serves as executive vice president and managing director of investments on the West Coast and Europe. The change will be effective Jan. 1, though Walter will remain with Host through Jan. 31 to ease the transition. Walter became Host’s CEO…

Six new insurers licensed to sell products in...

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The Maryland Insurance Administration granted licenses to six new out-of-state insurance companies to do business Maryland. The total number of new companies added to the Maryland market in 2016 is now up to 15. The MIA also approved applications for four companies that are already operating in Maryland to sell additional insurance products. “Our goal is to provide Maryland citizens with choice when it comes to insurance matters,“ Maryland Insurance Commissioner Al Redmer said in a statement.…

West Baltimore blight may get a boost from...

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A 140-acre swath of land surrounding Pennsylvania and North avenues in West Baltimore has been added into the city’s Enterprise Zone area just as the community is kicking off a major redevelopment after it was damaged during the unrest in 2015. The Maryland Department of Commerce added the Penn and North area to the city’s existing 13,453 acres of Enterprise Zone space as part of a push to add or renew zone areas in six Maryland jurisdictions. The Enterprise Zones have been used for years to help…

Hogan names new head of Health and Mental Hygiene,...

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Gov. Larry Hogan on Thursday announced changes for two major cabinet positions. Van Mitchell, the secretary of the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, is leaving his position, effective immediately, to pursue opportunities in the private sector, according to Hogan’s office. Dennis Schrader, the state’s former secretary of appointments, will take over for Mitchell. Schrader has also spent time as deputy secretary of transportation for the Hogan administration and as Maryland’s Homeland…

BWI climbs in J.D. Power rankings of nation's best...

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Recent investments in infrastructure and retail offerings at Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport were made to better serve the customers, and according to a recent J.D. Power study, travelers think it is paying off. The J.D. Power 2016 North America Airport Satisfaction Study released on Thursday ranks BWI at 15th in terms of consumer satisfaction for large airports. The ranking is up from No. 22 in the 2015 rankings. Portland International Airport in Oregon topped the…

Tenable Network Security names head of Dell unit...

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Tenable Network Security Inc., backed by $300 million in venture capital, has named the CEO of a Dell Inc. unit as its new chairman and CEO. Amit Yoran will take the place of the Columbia-based cybersecurity company’s founder, Ron Gula, who left the position earlier this year. Yoran’s hire is effective on Jan. 3. Tenable co-founders Jack Huffard and Renaud Deraison had been acting as co-CEOs during the search for a new CEO. Prior to joining Tenable, Yoran served as CEO of RSA, the cybersecurity…

BOGO meals at Joe's Crab Shack

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Joe’s Crab Shack has a perfect offer for a late afternoon bite after a grueling day of holiday shopping.

Use a coupon from 3 to 5 p.m. to get BOGO meals, including crab cake, fish and chicken sandwiches, burgers, fish & chips, clam strips and coconut shrimp baskets, among other choices.

The restaurant…

America's Best Wings restaurant moving into...

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Downtown diners will have a new choice of chicken wings and kabobs as 600 E. Pratt St. welcomes America’s Best Wings as its newest tenant next year. America’s Best Wings, which has more than a dozen locations in Maryland, will move in next to Blaze Pizza on the bottom floor of the roughly 90,000-square-foot Lockwood Place building. The restaurant will be 3,800 square feet and is expected to open in the first quarter. A majority of America’s Best Wings’ locations are around the Washington, D.C.,…

Free 3-month trial of Google Express, offering...

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Get a free 3-month membership of Google Express, the search engine giant’s answer to Amazon Prime.

A Google Express membership, which is $10 a month, offers free delivery with a minimum order of goods from Whole Foods, Costco, Walgreens, Petsmart, Kohl’s and the Google Store. Barnes & Noble, Bed…

8 things you need to know this morning

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Good morning, and a happy but very cold Thursday to you. The wind chill is in the low 10s this morning, so make sure you don’t leave your hat, scarf or gloves at home. And it’s only going to get colder overnight and into tomorrow morning. Here are eight things to know to get your day started. Baltimore public schools are facing a $129 million deficit in the next fiscal year’s budget, the largest gap in recent years. City schools CEO Sonja Santelises said the system is currently in the “This is…