Business

With another school year starting amid a global pandemic, schools are seeking new ways to keep students engaged in all or partially virtual learning environments. Enter a growing local startup that combines video gaming with science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education, and is ready to scale its business with $1.5 million in new funding.

A proposed high-speed magnetic levitating train line that would get travelers from Baltimore to Washington, D.C., in 15 minutes has been grounded before it could even get rolling. Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Kendra Ausby tossed maglev builder Baltimore Washington Rapid Rail’s attempt to condemn property in Wesport because the company did not get necessary approval from the mayor and City Council.

BGE COO and President Stephen Woerner — who helped lead the company’s transitions with Constellation Energy and Exelon Corp. — is leaving the local energy giant for a new job in Boston. Woerner said on Monday he is moving on after 31 years at BGE to become president of National Grid New England, an international energy company with offices in the U.S. and headquarters in London. The company’s operations in the U.S. are focused on New England markets.

With Covid-19 cases on the rise and flu season around the corner, now is the time for businesses to make decisions about vaccine mandates before things get worse, one of Maryland’s top health officials said Friday. Dr. Mohan Suntha, CEO of the University of Maryland Medical System, painted a bleak picture for the fall during a virtual discussion about the coronavirus delta variant, hosted by the Greater Baltimore Committee.

Seven manufacturing and retail businesses in Maryland are receiving microgrants from a $500,000 Opportunity Zone investment, Governor Larry Hogan announced Friday. Opportunity Zones are designated communities that are eligible for federal capital gains tax incentives. “Our state has been working hard to supercharge investment and make Maryland’s 149 Opportunity Zones the most competitive ones in America,” said Governor Hogan. “Maryland Opportunity Zone funds have already received more than $333 million of equity investments, and we continue to see expansion of businesses, new jobs, and much-needed affordable housing in these areas.”

The 2021 edition of the Inc. 5000 is out Tuesday, spotlighting the fastest-growing businesses around the country. This year’s list comes amid a continuing global pandemic, taking stock of the companies that report three-year revenue growth. In all, the Baltimore metro area has 62 companies featured. That’s down slightly from the 71 companies the region saw make the list in 2020. Tops among locals this year is a company in the top 20: Chasen Companies, the real estate firm behind a growing portfolio of residential units and the Federal Hill and Fells Point coworking concept Vision, ranks #18 on the list.

Several people who attended the Maryland Association of Counties conference in Ocean City last week have since tested positive for COVID-19, the association said Tuesday in a notice to the thousands of attendees. Additionally, The Daily Record reported that at least four aides to Gov. Lawrence J. Hogan Jr. (R) have tested positive for coronavirus, and that at least two of them attended the conference that drew more than 2,000 state and local elected officials, county employees, and state workers.

Earlier this year, summer was painted as a possible return to normalcy, where Marylanders could finally dine out, gather with loved ones and enjoy concerts — mostly free from the fear of spreading COVID. But then the coronavirus delta variant reared its ugly head leading to a rise in cases and hospitalizations. That, plus a seemingly stagnant vaccination campaign have forced some notable Baltimore area businesses to act.

Well Crafted Kitchen needed to process tons of tomatoes this month, enough to make sauce for its Margherita pizzas for the year. But the Hampden restaurant was short on staff. Co-owner Liz Bower, who started the business as a food truck in 2016 with her husband and another couple, mentioned the problem in a newsletter she sends weekly to customers: “We have 10,000 pounds of tomatoes,” she recalled asking. “Anybody want to help?”