Sinclair Broadcast’s Diamond Sports misses debt payment, setting up potential bankruptcy filing
A struggling subsidiary of Hunt Valley-based Sinclair Broadcast Group that owns regional sports networks has opted to miss a debt payment due Wednesday, setting up a potential bankruptcy reorganization. Diamond Sports Group, the nation’s largest owner of cable TV sports channels that showcase more than half of all MLB, NHL and NBA teams, said Wednesday that it plans to “maximize its financial flexibility” and will not pay the $140 million cash interest payments on its debt.
Home construction in Baltimore delayed by nationwide shortage of electrical equipment
A newly renovated rowhome sits empty in East Baltimore with marble steps and a picture window with dentil molding. It has a newly finished basement, granite countertops in the kitchen and two bedrooms on the second floor. The home, just a few blocks from Johns Hopkins Hospital, is under contract and the renovation was expected to finish in mid-December. But no one has been able to move in due to a global shortage of dull gray, metal boxes. They’re called meter cans or meter sockets and they house the electric meter — the device that measures electricity used by a home. While they don’t look like much, meter cans are essential to connect a new or renovated home to power.
Developer has abandoned plans to demolish former Hampden bookbindery and bird roost
A commercial real estate developer that had plans to demolish a former bookbindery in Hampden, where chimney swifts have roosted for generations as part of their seasonal migration, has walked away from the property, Councilwoman Odette Ramos confirmed Tuesday. Ramos, whose district includes Hampden, said a representative for the owner of the property informed her Monday that the developer, Segall Group, is no longer interested in the building “at this time.” The representative told Ramos they had not been in communication with the developer for months. The property was built in 1930, according to the Baltimore Sun, and used to serve as a clothing factory. Free State Bookbinders began operating there in 1984 but has since closed.
Southwest Airlines BWI service will top pre-pandemic levels this summer
Southwest Airlines, by far the dominant airline at BWI Marshall Airport in Maryland, will top its pre-pandemic summer flight schedule this year, and it’s bringing back a transcontinental flight from the airport that it suspended in December 2020. According to the airline, for the 2023 peak summer travel season, Southwest will offer about 220 daily departures from BWI Marshall, topping its scheduled service in summer 2019. As part of its schedule extension, now set through October, Southwest will restore nonstop service from BWI to Oakland, California. The daily service to Oakland will return Sept. 5.
Edmondson Village shopping center to sell for $17M as new owner looks to crowdfund its future
The Playbook: These issues could cause headaches for employers in 2023
How a Maryland woman designed Donna Kelce’s viral Super Bowl outfit
As Donna Kelce sported a black-and-red denim jacket and light-up high-top shoes during an interview before the Super Bowl on Sunday, Monica Blakely cried at her Maryland home. Fewer than two weeks ago, Blakely had messaged Kelce on social media, offering to create a jacket that would represent her fandom for her sons, playing on opposing teams in Sunday’s game. Jason is a center for the Philadelphia Eagles, and his younger brother, Travis, is a tight end for the Kansas City Chiefs.
Baltimore startup Marinalife raises $5M to add technology to the boating industry
A Baltimore company behind a service billed as the “Hotels.com for boaters” raised $5 million late last month to add new dimensions to its multipronged business. CEO Jennifer LeRoux said the company plans to use the funding to develop a new marina management software that will help business owners track reservations and other parts of their business. The new software would add to the two other products under the Marinalife umbrella: Snag-A-Slip, a Hotels.com-style site that lets boaters book time at docks, and the Marinalife magazine. LeRoux emphasized that much of the boating industry has failed to keep up with modern technology, giving the startup a strong niche in the market.
Novavax to sell 1.5M more doses of its Covid vaccine to the U.S. government
Gaithersburg biotech Novavax Inc. (NASDAQ: NVAX) has reached an agreement to sell 1.5 million more doses of its Covid-19 vaccine to the U.S. government. Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but the federal government will partially fund the company’s future work on Covid vaccines, including the development of smaller dose vials and strain selection in line with Food and Drug Administration recommendations, Novavax said in its announcement.
Marriott CEO Tony Capuano to take over president’s post from Stephanie Linnartz
Marriott International Inc. (NASDAQ: MAR) CEO Tony Capuano, 57, will absorb the duties of outgoing President Stephanie Linnartz, as she prepares to step down to take on a new role at Baltimore-based sports apparel firm Under Armour Inc. (NYSE: UA). The Bethesda hospitality giant said Friday its board voted to appoint Capuano to replace Linnartz as president, effective Feb. 24. Under Armour surprised Wall Street with its announcement in December that Linnartz would be taking over as president.