MGM National Harbor is locked in a vehement dispute with Prince George’s County about the hotel and casino’s 2019-2021 taxable assessed value — a disagreement with potentially sizable business and tax revenue ramifications. After a three-day hearing in 2023, the Maryland Tax Court ruled Jan. 2 that the assessed value of the property — the highest-grossing casino outside of Nevada — is just over $1 billion for the three-year assessment period that began 2019.

After a successful holiday shopping season at Harborplace, the Made in Baltimore store will reopen in the same location on Friday, Feb. 23. “Get ready to shop for unique and handmade gifts crafted by talented Baltimore artisans,” representatives announced. “This is the perfect opportunity to support local businesses and find one-of-a-kind goods. We’ve restocked the store with Spring and Summer merchandise featuring 70+ Baltimore makers.”

The largest maker of “ghost gun” parts — the gun frames and receivers that have no serial numbers and cannot be traced when used in a crime — agreed Wednesday to stop selling their products in Maryland and pay $1.2 million to settle a lawsuit filed in 2022 by the city of Baltimore. Baltimore joins D.C. and Los Angeles as cities which have successfully used lawsuits to keep ghost guns off their streets, and Wednesday’s settlement also requires the manufacturer to file regular reports documenting its compliance.

Workers gave high marks to a handful of companies headquartered in Maryland in a survey for Forbes’ annual lists of America’s Best Large Employers and America’s Best Midsize Employers.

Gaithersburg biotech Emergent BioSolutions Inc. (NYSE: EBS) has tapped pharmaceutical industry veteran Joseph Papa as its new president and CEO. The appointment, effective Wednesday, comes about eight months after Bob Kramer, the company’s leader of four years and a longtime executive with the Gaithersburg firm, stepped down. Haywood Miller, an adviser to Emergent, stepped into the top slot on an interim basis and has occupied the position since then.

In response to the increasing demand for mental health services among young people, Luminis Health was awarded a $1.6 million grant from the Maryland Community Health Resources Commission. The nonprofit regional health system will collaborate with Prince George’s County Public Schools by implementing comprehensive support services at six high schools. As part of the grant, Luminis Health will hire and deploy mental health providers directly to the schools, collaborating with school counselors to offer vital support to students and parents.

Developers of a new $1 billion container terminal at Tradepoint Atlantic in Baltimore County say they expect to break ground by the end of next year and open in 2028, creating 1,100 jobs. But much of that timeline depends on navigating a complex government permitting process and resolving environmental issues, such as how to safely dispose of dredge material. On Tuesday, the developers of Tradepoint Atlantic, a logistics hub on the former site of Bethlehem Steel in Sparrows Point, discussed their vision with federal officials from an agency that works to keep major infrastructure projects from getting tangled in red tape.

 

If you filed your taxes early (good for you!) and have been wondering where your Maryland tax refund is, you’re not alone. The Maryland Office of the Comptroller stopped processing tax returns from Jan. 30 through Feb. 9 while it made software updates. The comptroller’s office didn’t make the upgrades as a surprise — it was announced ahead of time — but it still caused a delay. The state comptroller’s office on Wednesday said it had received about 530,000 returns so far, processed about 260,000 and initiated about 209,000 refunds. The office is expecting about 3.1 million returns total this year.

The Orioles and Washington Nationals have feuded for nearly two decades over the 2005 television rights agreement that created the Mid-Atlantic Sports Network, and, according to language in the agreement itself, it is designed to continue indefinitely. Even in the event of a sale — which the Orioles are in the midst of — parties are “unconditionally bound” to the deal, it states.

Over the past 10 years, Tradepoint Atlantic has worked to clean up the infamous remnants of the Bethlehem Steel Days to bring back new reimagined glory days to the Port of Baltimore. “This is the next major phase of redevelopment and clean up at Sparrows Point,” said Aaron Tomarchio, Executive Vice President of Tradepoint Atlantic.