Business

Coppermine owner Alex Jacobs will spend close to $6 million on pickleball in the coming 12 months as he bets big on capturing the growing number of players from kids to seniors who want to learn the art of dink shots, dill balls and falafels. Jacobs is leading the charge alongside several other entrepreneurs, landlords and brokers in Greater Baltimore who are lining up to cash in on the sport that is morphing across the U.S. into a commercial real estate cash cow.

Orioles chairman John Angelos has repeatedly said that the Orioles will remain in Baltimore for years to come. Democrat Gov. Moore, a friend of Angelos’, has echoed the confidence, as have Mayor Brandon Scott and even MLB commissioner Rob Manfred. The prospect of the Orioles relocating remains a remote one. But until promises become agreements, there could be a bit of apprehension in Baltimore, where the NFL’s Colts’ midnight move 39 years ago feels fresh for many.

As a steady stream of people stopped by his table, Brian Dawkins, owner and creator of From Baltimore With Love, explained the inspiration of his clothing line brand to anyone who was interested. “A lot of the information that you see about Baltimore is negative, and people refer to [HBO’s] ‘The Wire’ and what’s going on in the news,” Dawkins said.

Johns Hopkins HealthCare has a new name — Johns Hopkins Health Plans — as it has expanded its business, grown its member base and broadened its geographic footprint across the Mid-Atlantic in recent months. Johns Hopkins Health Plans said it will offer Medicare Advantage plans, an employer group plan for Johns Hopkins Medicine employees, a Medicaid managed care organization and a health plan for active-duty family members, military retirees, and their families in its expanded footprint throughout the Mid-Atlantic region.

Two Maryland hotels have made Travel + Leisure’s list of the top 10 resorts in the mid-Atlantic. The Inn at Perry Cabin in St. Michaels on the Eastern Shore came in at no. 4 on the 2023 list while the Annapolis Waterfront Hotel ranked No. 8. The Inn at Perry Cabin has ranked every year since the list debuted while the Annapolis hotel made the list for the first time this year.

From the corner of West Baltimore Street and Summit Avenue, you can see the future of baseball in the Hub City. There aren’t any home runs flying yet. But next Spring, the cranes and construction workers will be gone. The 6.25-acre site in Downtown Hagerstown will be changed into a ballpark with a capacity for about 3,000 fans. It will be a ballpark that reflects the history and traditions of this hard-working city of 43,000 people, according to planners.

As German grocer Lidl closes one Baltimore-area store, another may finally be set to open. The discount grocery chain announced on Tuesday it was shuttering its store in Brooklyn Park in Anne Arundel County on Sunday because it was “underperforming.” However, early next year, the company is eyeing the grand opening of another local Lidl at 5950 Belair Road in Northeast Baltimore to replace a long-time independent market, spokesman Chandler Spivey said.

The Maryland Department of Commerce is set to grant $40 million to cannabis business owners who for a certain number of years have lived or attended school in communities where charges for possession of the drug have been disproportionately high. Beginning Aug. 1, eligible businesses that aren’t yet operational but are pre-approved for a license before Oct. 1, 2022, can apply for up to $5 million, which they can choose to receive as a lump sum or as a no-interest loan with a five-year term.