Gov. Larry Hogan and other political and business leaders Tuesday toured the Hitachi Rail factory that’s being built in Washington County. “The job creation potential and associated economic benefits are an absolute game-changer for this region and for the entire state,” the Republican governor said in remarks before the tour. “This project is further proof that the Hagerstown region is a major logistical center for transportation with unparalleled connections to the northeastern United States.” Hitachi also unveiled the final design of the $70 million factory, which will employ about 460 people and help sustain a total of 1,300 jobs in the region. The 307,000-square-foot facility is being built at the west end of Halfway Boulevard, which the county plans to extend to Greencastle Pike (Md. 63). The 41-acre site also will include an 800-foot test track.

Leaders of Montgomery County’s teachers union said they planned to file an unfair labor practice charge against the county’s public school system Tuesday in an ongoing disagreement over ground rules that have stalled contract negotiations. The dispute has blocked discussions over an upcoming three-year contract that would start in July 2023 and help determine teacher salaries and benefits. The Montgomery County Education Association — which represents more than 14,000 teachers — and Montgomery County Public Schools clashed this month over how many of those contract talks should be open. The union wanted all the negotiations to be open for all of its members; the school system has offered five virtual open sessions and two virtual town halls. Negotiations were scheduled to start Tuesday at the latest.

Marriott International Inc. (NASDAQ: MAR) is finally taking its ultra-luxury accommodations to the high seas. The Bethesda hotel giant on Monday announced it has launched The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection, which it bills as a combination of its high-end luxury hotel brand and the joys and exploration of a yachting vacation. The Evrima, a luxury vessel flying The Ritz-Carlton flag, left Saturday from Barcelona on a route to Nice on the French Riviera. It’s the first of three vessels planned as part of the collection — a collaboration between veteran cruise industry executive Douglas Prothero, Los Angeles investment firm Oaktree Capital Management and Marriott’s high-end brand portfolio. The yacht collection was first announced in 2017 but shipyard issues and Covid-19-related delays and supply chain troubles pushed its inaugural voyage several times before its first launch.

State energy officials are bracing for a wave of applications for clean energy rebates expected as part of recently enacted federal programs. Mary Beth Tung, director of the Maryland Energy Administration, said federal rebate programs could double the number of applications her agency handles annually. “Our interest in these new federal programs, as you can imagine, is as strong as yours are,” Tung told members of the Senate Finance Committee Tuesday. “Rolling out these new programs is going to take quite a lot of effort on the part of everyone to make sure that it is done right.” Included in those programs is the home residential rebate program and the high-efficiency electric home rebate program.

This month, the Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in two cases that pose the starkest threats ever to affirmative action in higher education. Central to those cases, involving admissions programs at Harvard College and the University of North Carolina, will be the value of campus diversity, which is the sole justification for affirmative action that the court has endorsed. The notion that racially diverse student bodies improve campus intellectual life has been roundly attacked by both liberals and conservatives. But the Roberts court should not be quick to dismiss diversity’s value and dismantle affirmative action. Because we have evidence that diversity works.

No, your company’s remote and hybrid workers are probably not slacking off. Microsoft Corp. (Nasdaq: MFST) surveyed 20,000 people in 11 countries and analyzed trillions of Microsoft 365 productivity signals, along with LinkedIn labor trends and Glint People Science findings, to come to one big conclusion: Managers need to ditch “productivity paranoia” in the hybrid era. That paranoia is exacerbated by worsening economic conditions even as employees are more productive than ever, according to Microsoft’s metrics. In this climate, experts say managers would be wise to resist the urge to micromanage as they seek to navigate an uncertain economy amid a still-competitive labor market.

The historic B.F. Shriver Cannery building in Sykesville’s South Branch Park is getting a new life, thanks to a $2 million grant from the state. The grant money is intended for infrastructure improvements needed to reuse the now-empty building. The funding will also be used to improve pedestrian access to South Branch Park.  “This funding will go a long way in helping Sykesville achieve our long-desired goal of seeing the cannery building put back into productive public use,” Sykesville Mayor Stacy Link stated in a news release. “The town will work diligently to develop options in the future reuse of the building, while ensuring that the public plays a part in the final say.”

Havre de Grace and Aberdeen were two of 18 municipalities recently honored at the Sustainable Maryland awards ceremony on Oct. 11 at the Maryland Municipal League’s annual fall conference, according to the University of Maryland’s Environmental Finance Center. “The Sustainable Maryland certification is an honor for the City of Havre de Grace, as our municipality makes a conscious effort to bring sustainability concerns into our policy and planning decisions,” the city’s mayor, Bill Martin, said of the award, according to a news release from Sustainable Maryland. In order to achieve a Sustainable Maryland certification, municipalities must form a “Green Team,” made up of local citizens, community leaders and municipality staff members and officials.