Business

While nestled a safe distance away in Towson, Pickett Brewing Company’s self-proclaimed “beertender” Eric Kraai watched his two children narrowly escape the destruction of Hurricane Helene. Ellen, 21, who still lives in Boone, a town along the Blue Ridge Mountains about an hour and a half drive from her brother, Andrew, 29, in Asheville, made it out of North Carolina shortly after the Category 4 storm hit. They returned to find their communities devastated.

Every so often, Stacey Dorsey — decked out in yoga wear — surveys the city from a vantage point high atop the Natty Boh Tower. How did she get up there? “It’s simple, sometimes, how these things happen,” Dorsey said. “You always think maybe it’s some big story. But it’s not.” Here’s Dorsey’s in a nutshell. She used to own a medical billing company, which she’s since sold.

With Tesla’s hotly anticipated robotaxi event hours away, investors will soon get a glance at what CEO Elon Musk has called the CyberCab. After a decade of unfulfilled promises to deliver autonomous vehicles, capable of traveling reasonable distances safely without a human at the wheel, there’s a hefty dose of skepticism about what Tesla can do technologically, and when its robotaxi might actually hit the market.

MilliporeSigma, the U.S. and Canada life science business of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, has opened its new $3.45 million biosafety testing facility in Rockville. Biosafety testing and analytical development are fundamental components of drug development and commercialization for traditional and novel modalities. Global demand for these services is growing at a double-digit rate.

Marriott International has agreed to pay $52 million and make changes to bolster its data security to resolve state and federal claims related to major data breaches that affected more than 300 million of its customers worldwide. The Federal Trade Commission and a group of attorneys general from 49 states and the District of Columbia announced the terms of separate settlements with Marriott on Wednesday.

A bar serving a drink that claims to be a healthier alternative to alcohol is getting ready to launch in Mt. Vernon. Root City Kava Bar & Lounge plans to bring kava, a drink popular in Pacific islands like Samoa, to Baltimore. Indigenous people have long consumed the plant by grinding the roots into a pulp and steeping it in water, similar to tea.

The Baltimore Ravens are now selling memberships to three new premium clubs at M&T Bank Stadium, giving the team’s more affluent fans some new places to spend time before and after games. The Ravens on Tuesday started sales for memberships to the all-inclusive clubs: The Trust Club, The Raven and The Champions Club. The new premium areas are part of the $430 million in renovations to bring M&T Bank Stadium up to the same level as other NFL stadiums when it comes to premium offerings.

The Maryland Science Center plans at least $10 million in upgrades over the next two years, the biggest makeover in two decades for the Inner Harbor’s oldest attraction. The interactive museum is looking to add new exhibits, including one on space exploration, and to enhance existing ones, including refreshing technology in its popular dinosaur display.