Business

The Annapolis City Council passed a resolution Monday night ensuring that city restaurants can continue seasonal outdoor dining operations next year. The move comes as pending legislation about outdoor dining nears a vote. The resolution, sponsored by Alderman Ross Arnett, a Democrat representing Ward 8, extends a pilot program allowing restaurants to turn outdoor spaces, such as sidewalks and parking spaces, into additional seating during warm weather.

As city officials try to keep Hilton Baltimore Inner Harbor afloat, they said they see a new labor contract as an investment in making the hotel more competitive, even though it will likely increase the struggling hotel’s labor costs. But some question whether the struggling city-owned hotel’s problems are too big to overcome. The 757-room hotel overlooking Camden Yards opened in 2008 after the city borrowed about $300 million in bonds to fund the construction of the West Pratt Street building.

Attorneys involved in the sprawling civil case stemming from the Key Bridge collapse traded barbs Tuesday about the March 26 disaster at a hearing called to figure out how to resolve such a complicated legal matter. William Bennett, an attorney for the Singaporean companies that own and manage the 984-foot, 100,000-ton container ship named Dali that toppled the bridge, said there was “significant liability and fault by the State of Maryland” in the deadly disaster because the state “failed to protect the bridge, knowing its vulnerabilities.” He also said Hyundai Heavy Industries, the Korean company that manufactured the ship, bears some responsibility in the collapse that killed six construction workers and seriously injured a seventh, suggesting Hyundai built an electrical system that malfunctioned as the ship approached the 1.6-mile span.

Two new solar projects in Kent County, Delaware, developed by Rockville-based renewable energy project developer Chaberton Energy are beginning construction and will start generating electricity for subscribers in the surrounding communities in 2025. These are among the first Delaware community solar projects to break ground and will total nearly 10 megawatts direct current (MWdc) of electric generating capacity when they are completed. In total, they will provide enough clean energy to power the equivalent of 900 households and save subscribers an average of 10% on their electricity costs. The two solar projects are owned and operated by Pivot Energy, a national, Colorado-based renewable energy provider and independent power producer.

After more than 50 years, Scittino’s Italian Market Place is loosening its belt straps and expanding its appetite from its beloved cannolis and cured meats countertop to a larger space with sit-down service. The new 6241 Falls Road location, about 30 minutes east of the well-known Scittino’s market, will have an outdoor patio, wine bar and an anticipated 42 tables for dining service, according to a Board of Liquor License Commissioners for Baltimore County application. The move was set into motion following a Monday liquor board hearing, where board members approved owner Francesco Schittino’s request to transfer his Catonsville license and expand into the new premises.

Hotel workers at Baltimore’s downtown Hilton reached an agreement with the company for a new union contract after months of bargaining, picket lines and a one-day strike on Labor Day. The new four-year contract includes wage increases for non-tipped and tipped hotel workers and more funding for workers’ pension and health care funds, according to Unite Here Local 7 President Tracy Lingo.

Hercules Custom Iron will move its operation from Walkersville to the former Flying Dog Brewery building in Ballenger Creek. HCI, a division of Hercules Fence, does a wide variety of metal fabrication for commercial, industrial and residential clients. Adam McFadden, general manager of HCI, said the new location at 4607 Wedgewood Blvd. will enable the company to expand its capabilities in comparison to the current Walkersville facility.

Loyola University Maryland’s Simon Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship awarded an investment of $20,000 from the Loyola Angel Fund to Keppel & Kismet, a startup business in Baltimore that manufactures and curates premium small-batch corporate and personalized gifts. Loyola established the Loyola Angel Fund, a $250,000 charitable fund, in 2021 to provide students with angel investment knowledge and experience and support local under-resourced entrepreneurs, especially Baltimore-based minority- and women-owned businesses.