Business

Grants to Maryland companies manufacturing medical supplies early in the COVID-19 pandemic were successful in the short-term, Department of Commerce data shows, but have made little impact on the state’s manufacturing capability since then.  The state invested over $3.1 million in grants of as much as $100,000 to companies that pivoted to manufacture items like masks, gowns and gloves in the spring and summer of 2020. According to self-reported data, the grants allowed companies, which ranged from live events companies to bridal boutiques, to hire a total of 563 workers and produce hundreds of thousands of units of PPE and other COVID-19 supplies.

Chesapeake Bay crabbers will have reduced harvest allowances for the rest of this year under limits adopted this week in response to a worrisome drop in the Bay’s population of the popular crustaceans. In Maryland, tighter restrictions on both commercial and recreational crabbing take effect July 1, with watermen facing first-ever limits on the number of male crabs they can harvest in August and September.

Thousands streamed into downtown Baltimore as Beatles legend Paul McCartney’s voice echoed through Oriole Park at Camden Yards in June. The English invasion will continue in a few weeks as internationally popular soccer teams Arsenal and Everton play at M&T Bank Stadium, again attracting excitement, attention and revenue.

Sinclair Broadcast Group television stations in Baltimore and Washington won 28 regional Emmy Awards at the 64th annual National Capital Chesapeake Bay Emmy Awards. Baltimore FOX affiliate WBFF-TV, channel 45 won 17 awards, more than any other Baltimore station, including Best Daytime Newscast. Washington’s WJLA-TV, channel 7, an ABC affiliate, won 11 awards for the Hunt Valley-based broadcaster, including Best News Special for its coverage of 9/11 Twenty Years Later, Best Breaking News for its coverage on Jan. 6 from the Capitol and Best Weather Talent in chief meteorologist Bill Kelly.

The Maryland Medical Cannabis Commission, the body overseeing the state’s medical marijuana industry, is increasing staffing to get ready for the potential passage of recreational marijuana. The Maryland General Assembly mandated the commission staff increase through two bills enacted this year, House Bill 837 and Senate Bill 788, that require the MMCC to conduct research about the cannabis market, MMCC President Will Tilburg said.

An iconic 28-story office tower that once helped signal a downtown renaissance in the 1960s was sold back to its lender in foreclosure during an auction Wednesday. The Class A development at 201 N. Charles St. sold to the lone bidder — its lender, a special servicer that was unnamed — during a brief auction held in front of the Clarence M. Mitchell III Courthouse at 11 a.m. The lender likely will move to sell the 303,841-square-foot property on its own, as has been the case for similar auctions of downtown buildings.

Greater Baltimore is working toward a strong recovery from Covid-19 market setbacks as offices see workers return, hotels begin to fill up and tourists return to the Inner Harbor. According to data in a new report from JLL, employment and other quality of life and work metrics in the metro area have almost fully recovered since the pandemic hit in early 2020. Hiring, job postings and retail spending are seeing upticks and setting a new pace over last year.