Railroad companies began implementing embargoes on certain shipments Monday ahead of a possible work stoppage that threatens to devastate the U.S. economy. The railroads and 12 unions representing over 100,000 employees have been negotiating a new labor contract for over two years. After multiple attempts at mediation — including the formation of an emergency board appointed by President Joe Biden — a strike or lockout becomes possible on Friday when a final federally mandated “cool down” period ends. To date, the railroads have reached tentative agreements with eight of the 12 unions based on the recommendations of the presidential emergency board.
A railroad work stoppage looms. Here’s where things stand.
What Maryland entrepreneurs learned at the first TEDCO tech fair
Some of the largest tech companies in the country met with a variety of Maryland entrepreneurs on Monday to answer questions about how their technology can help startups at the inaugural Maryland Technology Development Corp. (TEDCO) Tech Fair. Representatives from Microsoft, Google, PayPal, TikTok, Meta, Amazon, Ebay and Square all showcased how their companies could help small businesses and startups. The event in College Park gave many startups the chance to spruce up their understanding of how to use social media as a tool to promote their business or to ensure the safety of data stored in the cloud. TEDCO CEO Troy LeMaile-Stovall said the festival was an opportunity for small businesses to get close access to large companies that can often be difficult to reach.
Baltimore has paid $16M — and counting — to keep city-owned hotel afloat during pandemic
The City of Baltimore transferred an additional $3.1 million last month to the city-owned Hilton Baltimore Inner Harbor hotel, according to a recent financial disclosure, bringing the total amount of payments to about $16 million since the coronavirus pandemic decimated the hotel and tourism industry. The city built the 757-room convention center hotel in the mid-2000s, creating a unique city-owned corporation and borrowing $300 million in bonds to fund its construction. The Baltimore Hilton, on West Pratt Street overlooking Oriole Park at Camden Yards, was intended to lure more business to the convention center next door and has struggled to turn a profit under the crippling weight of its debt. After refinancing the bonds in 2017, the Baltimore Hilton continued to perform below projections, but it was eking out a profit.
Grace Speights takes a look at the future of the workplace
A prominent labor and employment attorney, Grace E. Speights says that as a Black woman who is passionate about equity, she is often asked how she can justify working for employers, rather than employees, on issues such as employment discrimination claims. “We’re not out to teach employers how to discriminate against their employees or how to do any kind of bad things against their employees,” she said. “We are trying to teach them and counsel them on making sure their workplaces are safe, inclusive and respectful.” Speights, a partner at the international firm Morgan Lewis, will speak Wednesday at The Center Club in Baltimore as part of the Maryland State Bar Association’s 125th anniversary speakers series.
Youth curfew: Great in concept, not in practice
In response to an uptick in gun violence, Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks last week announced a month-long enforcement of a longstanding curfew for children age 16 and younger. Early returns — one weekend’s worth anyway — appeared favorable as the D.C. suburban county reported just two shootings, neither fatal on Saturday and Sunday. As it happens, the move has proven trendy. The District of Columbia had already quietly resumed enforcing that city’s youth curfew as well with at least 16 young people picked up by police for violations since Aug. 1, according to The Washington Post. District officials aren’t claiming they’ve made inroads but recognized that with violent crime and youth arrests up this year, something needed to be done.
With Old Bay Caramel seasoning, McCormick says: ‘Move over, pumpkin spice’
Hunt Valley’s McCormick & Company launched a limited-edition Old Bay Caramel seasoning with fighting words: “Move over, pumpkin spice.” One envisions a battle between Old Bay fans and pumpkin spice acolytes. Crab mallet-fisted Marylanders duking it out in front of the local Starbucks with women in Ugg boots eager to welcome in Fall. Over the years, Old Bay has become a local icon, on par with crabs and the Orioles as a symbol of Baltimore pride. Then you have pumpkin spice, a seasoning with its own intense following, and a dizzying number of pumpkin spice-flavored items on the market. Ironically, McCormick itself deserves either blame or credit, depending on your perspective, for the entire pumpkin spice craze to begin with, having first launched its pumpkin pie spice in 1934.
‘They dying out here’: Baltimore community members meet to discuss alternatives for squeegee workers, long-term solutions
Investing in Black-owned businesses, incorporating job training into schools and establishing trauma-informed services: Those were just some of the solutions community members proposed to serve squeegee workers in Baltimore. At least 100 community members gathered Tuesday night at New Shiloh Baptist Church, hoping to find new ways to tackle a decades-old problem. The community conversation was hosted by the Squeegee Collaborative, launched by Mayor Brandon Scott on July 14. The Squeegee Collaborative is a “cross-section of young people who squeegee, business, community, nonprofit and government stakeholders that will work together to reimagine the city’s comprehensive squeegee strategy,” according to the collaborative’s website.
What tragedy becomes banal: Why news consumers experience crisis fatigue
When Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine by land, air and sea on Feb. 24, 2022, the images of war were conveyed to dismayed onlookers around the world. Far from the action, many of us became aware of the unprovoked aggression by reading online coverage or watching TV to see explosions and people running from danger and crowding into underground bunkers. Half a year later, the violence continues. But for those who have not been directly affected by the events, this ongoing war and its casualties have been shifting to the periphery of many people’s attention. This turning away makes sense.
Banner political notes: Water tests; Schifanelli meets future voters
Baltimore’s water contamination crisis this week offered an unusual glimpse, mid-campaign, to see how two candidates would respond to a public safety situation they might face as governor. Democrat Wes Moore was first to react, issuing a statement Tuesday evening that supported Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott and acknowledged “the importance of partnership between Baltimore City and the state in responding to crises like this one.” Scott and city leaders have drawn criticism for perceived delays in warning residents about the contaminated water. Scott has said that the city sounded the alarm as quickly as they could after city and state officials confirmed water samples tested positive for E. coli bacteria.
E. coli scare a reminder of Baltimore’s pioneering history in safe civic water systems
Once, Baltimore drinking water was a constant danger. Poor sanitation left the water dirty and often unfit to drink. In the early 20th century, “summer diarrhea,” a seasonal rise of gastrointestinal illness caused by microorganisms, was a leading cause of death among infants and children. Such dangers have become a distant memory in Baltimore, at least until city officials detected E. coli in the tap water. After a weeklong scare, the city announced Friday the water was again safe to drink, but the issue renewed attention to Baltimore’s famous, yet aging, municipal water system, long a source of civic pride and stability.