Business

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore signed an executive order Thursday to require state agencies to report data to assess the performance of the state’s Minority Business Enterprise program. “Our administration has the most diverse cabinet in history, and it’s critical that we take the first step forward in delivering more access and opportunities to our minority-owned businesses in order to create a more economically competitive and inclusive state,” Moore said.

Maureen Daly of Long Island’s North Shore Leader broke the story of George Santos’ deception months prior to the 2022 election. But people didn’t listen, and Santos went on to secure victory in New York’s 3rd Congressional District. He’s since faced scrutiny from local and national outlets alike for embellishing his background. Stories like this are what inspired newly elected state Del. Joe Vogel, D-Montgomery, to sponsor a bill sustaining local journalism in the Maryland General Assembly.

After 25 years, the Open Society Foundations, which funds grants around the world that focus on promoting justice, democracy and human rights, is closing its Baltimore location — its only U.S. field office. Tom Perriello, executive director of Open Society U.S., said the organization is consolidating and restructuring and putting more resources into its global work. A big focus for the foundation, he said, is to try and move more leadership, resources and programming into areas like Africa, Latin America and Asia. Offices in Nigeria, Afghanistan and Myanmar have also closed in the last few years.

The Congressional Budget Office said Wednesday that it expects the U.S. economy to stagnate this year with the unemployment rate jumping to 5.1% — a bleak outlook that was paired with a 10-year projection that publicly held U.S. debt would nearly double to $46.4 trillion in 2033. The updated 10-year Budget and Economic Outlook outlined stark expectations for the coming year as high interest rates and inflation, though easing, continue to impact U.S. households and businesses.

DrFirst Inc. is starting the year with its first new CEO in 23 years — one who plans to home in more on the pharmacy market to grow its medication management business. The Rockville company, which sells software and mobile products to medical providers to ensure patients stay on top of their treatments, saw founder and longtime chief executive James Chen step down from that role in January. Cameron Deemer, its president since 2006, assumed the top slot as Chen shifted to the executive chairman role.

Emergent BioSolutions Inc. (NYSE: EBS) could soon see its opioid overdose drug made more widely available after a regulatory advisory panel endorsed its use as an emergency over-the-counter treatment. The Food and Drug Administration’s Nonprescription Drugs Advisory Committee and Anesthetic and Analgesic Drug Products Advisory Committee voted in a joint meeting Wednesday to recommend that Narcan Nasal Spray, Emergent’s opioid overdose antidote currently available with a prescription, be made available without requiring a doctor’s order.

The Federal Hill location of Banditos Tacos & Tequila will undergo a renovation to nearly double its space to more than 5,000 square feet, Baltimore-based White Oak Hospitality announced Wednesday. To facilitate the expansion, Sean White, founder and CEO of Baltimore Based White Oak Hospitality, announced the company was closing its 101 Baltimore location, which White added aligns with the company’s overall expansion strategy which started in early 2022.

Gaithersburg biotech Emergent BioSolutions Inc. (NYSE: EBS) said Wednesday it has reached an agreement to sell its travel health business to Denmark’s Bavarian Nordic in a deal that could reach as much as $380 million with milestone payments. The sale agreement comes a little more than a month after Emergent initiated an “organizational restructuring plan” to focus on its drugs and vaccines that protect against public health threats, along with its contract development and manufacturing services.