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Amtrak turns to eminent domain in attempt to take control of Union Station

Amtrak is turning to eminent domain in an attempt to take control of D.C.’s Union Station so it can move ahead on expansion plans and other improvements at the busy rail station. According to a complaint filed Thursday, Amtrak is looking to seize the property interests in the station owned by Union Station Investco LLC, a subsidiary of Ashkenazy Acquisition Corp., which operates the property through a sublease from nonprofit Union Station Redevelopment Corp. that runs through 2084.

Talbot Goes Purple will collect medications for National Take Back Day

Talbot Goes Purple this week announced prescription medication collection from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. April 30, in St. Michaels, as part of National Drug Take-Back Day.  National Drug Take-Back Day is an annual collection event sponsored by the Drug Enforcement Administration. The DEA also sponsors a collection event each October; that event saw 372 tons of medications collected across more than 4,900 sites, including two in Talbot County. For this month’s event, Talbot County Sheriff’s deputies will collect unused prescription medications at the St. Michaels Volunteer Fire Department at 1001 South Talbot St. in St. Michaels. Medication collection here in April filled an entire barrel.

Read More: Star Democrat
Maryland’s sports betting handle rose to $31 million in March

Maryland’s sports betting handle totaled $31 million in March, up from the month before and almost on par with January, the first full month of sports betting operations in the state. The handle — or the amount of money that bettors wagered on games using Maryland sportsbooks — is one measure of the fortunes so far of the state’s budding sports betting industry, which launched in mid-December. For now, sportsbooks are up and running at five casinos, with more facilities on the way and a state-appointed commission looking at how to award more licenses to smaller operators and mobile platforms.

New construction contract for Maryland’s Purple Line signed

The private consortium managing Maryland’s Purple Line project has signed a $2.3 billion contract with a new construction team to complete the long-delayed light-rail line, according to the consortium and the Maryland Transit Administration. The deal, which went into effect Thursday, adds $1.46 billion to the Purple Line’s construction costs, bringing the total to $3.4 billion. That’s almost 75 percent more than the $1.97 billion the state initially budgeted. About $1.1 billion of work was completed before the original contractor quit in fall 2020 after several years of cost disputes with the state.

Atlantic General Hospital names new president and CEO

Atlantic General Hospital has a new president and CEO, the Berlin-based health system announced. Donald Owrey comes to Berlin from Pittsburgh, Pa., where he spent the past 20 years in various leadership roles with the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, AGH stated in a release. Owrey succeeds Michael Franklin, who left the health system in September last year after 17 years.

Read More: Delmarva Now
Bethesda firm raises $154M from foreign investors to buy real estate

Foreign investors are hungry for U.S. multifamily real estate, as one local firm has found. Bethesda’s Excelsa Holding has raised its second equity fund from international investors looking to acquire properties in the United States. It took just three months to raise $154 million, a big upswing from its first, $85.6 million round in 2016. With it, Excelsa is looking largely for multifamily deals in Greater Washington and the Sun Belt, though it is willing to consider a wider range of property types, said Khalil Hibri, head of business development.

Hogan Announces $9.8M In Grants For Security Improvements In Business Districts, Nonprofit Facilities
Fifty-four local business districts and 250 nonprofit organizations have received nearly $10 million in grants for security enhancements as part of Gov. Larry Hogan’s $500 million “Re-Fund the Police” initiative, state officials said Thursday. Funds can be used to make improvements that activate spaces and bring more “eyes on the street,” as well as security enhancements such as lighting, cameras and safety patrols.
Read More: WJZ
Exclusive: This Rockville company wants to make composting mainstream. It just raised $5.5M.

Compost Crew wants your old food scraps. The Rockville company has cooked up a plan to expand its food waste recycling service in Greater Washington — starting with $5.5 million in new funding. The goal, said CEO Ben Parry, is “to take composting from a niche market to a mainstream service.”

girl in blue jacket holding red and silver ring
Maryland mental health and addiction providers face financial and staffing pressures: ‘like a game of whack-a-mole’

Seven-year-old Lily Williams has a genetic condition called Phelan-McDermid syndrome that causes developmental and speech delays. With therapy and effort, the affectionate ponytailed youngster is playing with toys, potty training and using a device to say, “Hello,” and describe herself as “silly.” The huge milestones are matched by big bills for the services Lily receives. They’re paid through the St. Mary’s County family’s private insurance and, until recently, with Medicaid funds.

Read More: Baltimore Sun
Klein Family Harford Crisis Center will receive $2 million in state funding

The Klein Family Harford Crisis Center, a public-private mental health and addiction clinic in Bel Air, was allocated $2 million in this year’s state budget, according to a news release from State Sen. J.B. Jennings. “I am keenly aware of the mental health crisis in Maryland,” wrote Jennings, a Republican who represents District 7, in an Aegis op-ed earlier this month. The center, which opened in 2018, provides resources such as a 24-hour crisis hotline and mobile crisis team, scheduled outpatient services and a walk-in urgent care clinic.

Read More: The Aegis

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