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Putting entertainment on the menu: Baltimore County seeks to boost musicians, restaurants with more live music

With the goal of supporting two industries hit hardest by the pandemic, the Baltimore County executive aims to change zoning rules and set up a permitting process for more restaurants and bars to host live music. The NOTE Act — it stands for New Opportunities for Tourism and Entertainment — would enable hundreds more restaurants and bars to hold live musical entertainment by amending zoning rules in areas where live music is currently prohibited. It’s modeled after a 2019 bill that changed zoning rules in Catonsville and Arbutus.

Read More: Baltimore Sun
Md. Senate gives preliminary OK to extending alcohol delivery option

A proposal to extend an executive order that has helped some restaurants in Maryland remain in business has sparked a public policy debate over whether alcoholic beverages should continue to be available for delivery when the pandemic ends.

Read More: Daily Record
PNC closing 28 more branches, including one in Greater Baltimore

PNC Financial Services Group Inc. is shuttering another 28 branches, according to new regulatory filings, including two in Maryland. The bank’s branches at 737 College Pkwy. E. in Annapolis and 600 Linden Ave. in Pocomoke City in Worcester County are both slated to close as part of the latest round of cutbacks. Pittsburgh-based PNC (NYSE: PNC) is the third largest retail bank in Greater Baltimore, with $9.6 billion in local deposits. It had 187 branches in Maryland, including 84 in Greater Baltimore, as of the June 30, 2020 annual Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. deposit data.

Lexington Market extends vendor application deadline amid wave of interest

Food and retail vendors who want to open a stall in the redeveloped Lexington Market have a little more time to get an application in. Seawall Development and Baltimore Public Markets, which are spearheading the historic downtown Baltimore market’s revamp, announced Thursday they will extend the application deadline for prospective vendors by a week, to March 26 at 11:59 p.m. The previous deadline was Friday.

With spring nearing, Blossoms of Hope forges ahead to support beautification projects in Howard County

After having to cancel the majority of its events in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic — including its Pretty in Pink Ladies Champagne Luncheon and Fashion Show and the popular Power of the Purse — Blossoms of Hope’s board of directors had to find new ways to raise funds for the many organizations and beautification projects the nonprofit supports in Howard County. “We are blessed to have an incredible bunch of people on the board,” according to Flora Betro, a Blossoms of Hope board member. “It is just phenomenal.”

Read More: Baltimore Sun
Bank of America’s Sabina Kelly stepping down as Maryland market president

A major change is coming to the local leadership team of the biggest bank in Maryland. Sabina Kelly, Bank of America’s market president for Greater Maryland since 2016, will retire at the end of March after a 41-year banking career. Kelly will be succeeded by Janet Currie, who will become the first Black woman to lead the Charlotte, North Carolina-based bank’s operations in Maryland.

Chase offers $5,000 homeownership grants in 180 minority neighborhoods in Baltimore

The Chase Home Lending of JPMorgan Chase is offering $5,000 grants to home buyers in 180 Baltimore-area neighborhoods identified as majority Black. The grants can go toward closing costs and down payments to buy homes in communities with low rates of homeownership and wealth creation, Chase said. Chase said it’s aiming to help close the racial wealth gap by offering grants in 6,700 communities nationally that the U.S. Census has identified as majority Black.

Read More: Baltimore Sun
Crop black businesswoman reading newspaper near modern building
New suitor may enter fray for Tribune Publishing

A deal that would reshape the American newspaper industry has run into complications just one month after an agreement was reached, according to three people with knowledge of the matter. As a result, New York hedge fund Alden Global Capital may have to fend off a new suitor for Tribune Publishing, the chain that owns major metropolitan dailies across the country, including The Chicago Tribune, The Daily News in New York and The Baltimore Sun, the people said.

Read More: New York Times
Crayons beside child coloring
Child Care Workers Say Lack of State Effort Leaves Them To ‘Scramble’ for Vaccines

After weeks of trying and failing to get a COVID-19 vaccination appointment, child care worker Christy Braddock said she now has peace of mind since she’s gotten her first of two shots. “It doesn’t change anything. But it changes everything,” said Braddock, who has taken care of infants in a Silver Spring child care center since last May. The vaccination she received was one set aside by the local health department at the direction of the state. Her employer received an unexpected email from the county inviting the center’s staff to a vaccination clinic on Daniel Avenue in Silver Spring.

Baltimore health tech firm Aidar Health plans funding round, hiring surge after winning FDA clearance

The entrepreneurs behind Baltimore’s Aidar Health have spent nearly a decade working to make their concept for an easy-to-use, at-home health tracking device a reality. Now, they’ve finally gained validation from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The health technology company has received 510(k) clearance from the FDA for its first product, called the MouthLab. That status indicates the device has been deemed safe and effective and clears the way for it to be brought to market. CEO Sathya Elumalai said now that MouthLab has gained market access in the U.S. and internationally, Aidar is ready to scale.

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