Business

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?”

Joe Biden is hardly the most beloved of chief executives in Republican-friendly Worcester County. The Maryland county, which is home to Ocean City, hasn’t voted for a Democrat in a presidential election since 1964. Biden won’t be helping his cause, the locals say, with his planned visit this week to the nearby Rehoboth Beach area of Delaware — a trip necessitating flight restrictions that have caused a scramble by the operators of Ocean City’s iconic banner-towing planes, sightseeing planes and skydiving companies to salvage business during their peak season.

Sarah Rehman had everything planned. With the momentum going into the grand opening of her Gaithersburg, Md., wellness studio, March 2020 was the beginning of a new chapter. Two weeks later, the covid-19 pandemic forced Rehman to shut down the business, Flying Buddha Studios. Rehman, like many business owners, had to get creative and start an online presence to continue her variety of yoga and wellness classes.

Harford Community College Foundation announced that Denise Dregier was appointed its executive director and that Natalie Shaw was hired as director for grants. Dregier previously served as director for college and alumni development for Harford Community College since 2010. Active in the local community, Dregier serves on the board of directors of the Harford County Chamber of Commerce and co-chairs the chamber’s education committee. She also serves on the boards of the Community Foundation of Harford County and the Miracle League of Harford County.

A rail operator seeking to take over a Westport development site for a high-speed Maglev train linking Baltimore and Washington asked a court Friday to deny the property developer’s request to dismiss a condemnation lawsuit. Maglev company Baltimore-Washington Rapid Rail filed a lawsuit June 7 to condemn 43 acres on Westport’s waterfront where Sparks-based Stonewall Capital plans to build a 1,300-unit mixed-use community of apartments and town houses.

Anne Arundel County has imposed a ban on industrial solar operations, then enacted a moratorium on using agricultural land for solar fields. Frederick County has adopted temporary moratorium on the projects, Kent County has battled a proposed solar array outside of the Eastern Shore city of Chestertown, and Montgomery County has adopted a heavily amended bill that restricts where solar projects can be built on farmland.