Baltimore Checkbook

​Maryland leaders attend splashy debut of MGM...

http://baltimorecheckbook.tumblr.com/post/154216100502/maryland-leaders-attend-splashy-debut-of-mgm#_=_

In Washington, the phrase “holy shi*t” is usually associated with surprising election results or maybe some political intrigue. But not anymore, if MGM Resorts International (NYSE: MGM) has its way. MGM isn’t in the hotel business, it’s in the “holy sh*t business,” as one of several thumping-bass, over-the-top videos pointed out during an opening ceremony for the $1.4 billion resort Thursday. And that business is relatively new to Washington. But that business is what everyone affiliated…

Atapco Properties enters into contract to buy...

http://baltimorecheckbook.tumblr.com/post/154213960547/atapco-properties-enters-into-contract-to-buy#_=_

Local real estate firm Atapco Properties has entered into a deal to acquire the Baltimore Sun headquarters building at 501 N. Calvert St. Russell Powell, vice president of acquisitions for Atapco, said the company went under contract for the 450,000-square-foot building within the last two weeks. Powell declined to disclose a timeline for when the company plans to close on the sale or what its plans are for the property. The building and an adjacent garage are owned by Chicago-based Tribune Media. Developer…

City Council president, new members, discuss plans...

http://baltimorecheckbook.tumblr.com/post/154213163162/city-council-president-new-members-discuss-plans#_=_

The newest members of Baltimore’s City Council were excited to get to work Thursday after being sworn in — but first had to navigate through crowds of friends, family, politicians and community members wanting to catch their attention for 60 seconds at a time. In all, eight new faces were sworn in at a ceremony Thursday, and will join a group of a seven veterans as part of the 72nd City Council, headed by Bernard C. “Jack” Young, who will take on his third term as City Council president. The council…

Future Army-Navy games draw interest from cities...

http://baltimorecheckbook.tumblr.com/post/154211140177/future-army-navy-games-draw-interest-from-cities#_=_

Leaders from Army and Navy will host tourism officials from across the U.S. this weekend in Baltimore who are interested in bringing one of college football’s big rivalries to their cities. Following Saturday’s sold out game at M&T Bank Stadium, the game will move back to Philadelphia in 2017. But the two military academies have yet to award games for 2018 and beyond. Chet Gladchuk, the athletic director for Navy, said 10 cities have expressed interest in hosting the game, listing Baltimore, Seattle,…

Evergreen Health suspended from individual...

http://baltimorecheckbook.tumblr.com/post/154210810227/evergreen-health-suspended-from-individual#_=_

Evergreen Health Cooperative will not be able to participate in the individual health insurance market in January and about 9,000 people already insured with the carrier have to find new plans by Dec. 15. The insurer has been attempting to convert to for-profit status since October after experiencing extreme financial stress earlier this year. As the company makes the conversion, the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, which regulates business on insurance exchanges under the Affordable…

Tufaro's Whitehall Mill signs two office tenants,...

http://baltimorecheckbook.tumblr.com/post/154209637117/tufaros-whitehall-mill-signs-two-office-tenants#_=_

Two leases signed this fall at the Whitehall Mill in Hampden are lending promise to the redevelopment of the historic project. Developer David Tufaro, owner of Terra Nova Ventures LLC, said Thursday the project in the city’s Jones Falls Valley will soon be home to Mahan Rykiel Associates and MK Consulting Engineers LLC. Both companies expect to move into office space in April 2017. The companies will move into the large brick building located near the Jones Falls Expressway at 3300 Clipper Mill…

Jos. A. Bank showing signs of improvement despite...

http://baltimorecheckbook.tumblr.com/post/154208671882/jos-a-bank-showing-signs-of-improvement-despite#_=_

Jos. A. Bank’s third-quarter sales dropped 9.8 percent, but the loss was not as bad as expected. Net sales dropped to $166 million in the quarter ending Oct. 29, owner Houston-based Tailored Brands Inc.(NYSE: TLRD) reported late Wednesday. Tailored Brands CEO Doug Ewert said the results were good considering last year’s quarter featured the Hampstead-based brand’s final “buy-one-get-three free” event. Ewert attributed the improvement to a better promotion model and a Jos. A. Bank new clothing line.…

8 things you need to know this morning

http://baltimorecheckbook.tumblr.com/post/154203125482/8-things-you-need-to-know-this-morning#_=_

Good morning, and happy Thursday. It is going to be cold today — with the wind chill, it feels like 30 degrees outside this morning. When the sun comes out, it will obviously heat up, but bundle up this morning. Here are eight things to know to get your day started. A new report from the National Transportation Safety Board found that the driver of a Baltimore school bus involved in a deadly crash was speeding and had a history of seizures and accidents. The driver was at the wheel when a contracted…

How much Baltimore-area home values have declined...

http://baltimorecheckbook.tumblr.com/post/154202797537/how-much-baltimore-area-home-values-have-declined#_=_

Home prices have been on the rise with impressive vigor across much of the South as well as in pockets of the West and the industrial Northeast. But in dozens of regions across the country — including the Baltimore area — values are more depressed today than they were a decade ago, according to an American City Business Journals analysis of new federal housing data. ACBJ compared local house prices in the third quarters of 2006 and 2016 using an index managed by the Federal Housing Finance Agency.…

House committee approves FBI headquarters funding...

http://baltimorecheckbook.tumblr.com/post/154202797197/house-committee-approves-fbi-headquarters-funding#_=_

The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee has approved setting aside $834 million in federal funds for a new FBI headquarters to be built at one of three potential locations — two of them being in Maryland — despite lingering concerns about the complexity of the 2.1 million-square-foot project. The committee approved the General Services Administration’s appropriations request Wednesday morning as part of a larger package of deals it approved unanimously at one time, but not before…