Two local law firms have inked deals to relocate to a recently renovated building in the York Road corridor that is now nearing capacity. Bodie, Friddell & Grenzer P.C. and Coon & Cole LLC will occupy close to 13,000 square feet in the nine-story tower at 1301 York Road, formerly known as Heaver Plaza. The tower at York Road and the Beltway has been overhauled under a $7 million restoration by new owner ARLS Properties over the past few years.

The abrupt termination of Baltimore Health Commissioner Ihuoma Emenuga, the city’s top health official amid a “pending investigation” into possible wage theft raised concerns about turnover in the office from some members of the Baltimore City Council, who said Tuesday that the separation comes at a critical time. Emenuga, who held the position for fewer than eight months, departed on Monday, according to a memo sent to the City Council by City Administrator Faith Leach and a subsequent news release from Mayor Brandon Scott’s administration.

This week’s Federal Reserve meeting is not much about the present but potentially very much about the future. If things go according to expectations, policymakers again will keep short-term interest rates on hold roughly from where they’ve been the past year. However, with a raft of cooperating inflation data under their belts in recent months, central bankers are widely expected to lay the groundwork for interest rate cuts to begin in September.

It’s Artscape week and the festival is a collection of art for the eyes and taste buds. Dozens of food vendors will fill the streets of Baltimore and your stomach. When it comes to making magic or art in the kitchen, Elisa Milan, knows the first ingredient is love. “But we definitely got some sazon and adobo and sofrito,” said Milan, the owner of The Empanada Lady. “We slow cook everything so that all the flavors marry, and everything falls in love really well.”

 

The head of the U.S. Senate Republican campaign committee on Tuesday called former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan a “maverick” who has managed to distance himself from both political parties in his campaign for an open Senate seat in a Democratic-dominated state. “Larry, he’s a maverick — a self-described maverick,” Steve Daines, a Montana senator who chairs the National Republican Senatorial Committee, said Tuesday.

Newly released body-camera video shows the moment that Baltimore Police officers helped pull to land a construction worker who survived the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge after first responders rescued him from the water. The Baltimore Banner obtained a copy of the video on Tuesday through a Maryland Public Information Act request.

Wealth in Maryland continued moving from the cities to the suburbs in the years after the pandemic, with one county losing more than $1 billion in total income as residents flocked to nearby counties. The latest data from the IRS and U.S. Census Bureau for 2021-2022 reveals where wealth migrated within the state. A consistent trend has been the movement of wealth from urban centers to suburban areas.

What will it take for Baltimore City to get its act together with respect to the health and safety of its employees? A disturbing emergency report just published by Baltimore’s Inspector General Isabel Mercedes Cumming seems to reflect that it will take a lot and that improvement is urgently needed. The full report and its exhibits, as well as a synopsis of the report, can be found on the IG’s website under the “Latest OIG Report” Section.

The work of building Frederick County’s future economy is always going on, as it must be. If a business community is not moving forward, it is dying. Resting on laurels is a disaster waiting to happen. The business community in Frederick and the government officials of the city of Frederick and Frederick County all recognize this reality. That is why they are enthusiastic in their support for innovative organizations and leaders.

This was going to be a column about fancy-pants horse dancing. You know, dressage. Four years ago, the American horse Mopsie made the world lose its collective, Olympic-watching mind with his rave-dancing performance in Tokyo. Equestrian events started Friday in Paris, and dressage continues this week at the Palace of Versailles.