Bria Overs

1 week ago | thebaltimorebanner.com | Bria Overs

Five new Black-owned businesses were welcomed into Baltimore’s downtown on Friday, the latest group in an initiative by the Downtown Partnership of Baltimoreto reinvigorate the city’s strugglingcentral business district. The announcement comes as some fear that such programs could cease to exist as the Trump Administration seeks to stomp out diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) efforts.

2 weeks ago | thebaltimorebanner.com | Bria Overs

The utility regulation legislation that state lawmakers passed on the final day of the General Assembly session is “a massive victory” for Marylanders, consumer advocates said. Amid months of outrage over unexpectedly high natural gas and electric bills stemming from increases in supply and delivery rates and colder winter weather, utility customers and elected officials called for legislative action. The Next Generation Energy Act tackles some of those issues. If signed by Gov.

3 weeks ago | thebaltimorebanner.com | Julie Scharper |Bria Overs

Joyce Evans received an alarming letter two days before Christmas 2023. The Social Security Administration had declared her dead. The letter touched off a bureaucratic nightmare for Evans, then 88, a retired federal worker from Anne Arundel County. Her pension was terminated. Her health insurance benefits were cut off. Her home was listed for short sale. Even her water was turned off. Seven months after she descended into this Kafkaesque situation, Evans was dead.

3 weeks ago | thebaltimorebanner.com | Bria Overs

It’s about to become tougher to sell new cars, auto dealers say, as buyers confront sticker shock. The U.S. is set to add 25% tariffs on all imported cars, light trucks and crucial auto parts starting Wednesday, keeping with President Donald Trump’s promise to reshape U.S. trade policy. Baltimore area auto dealers are anticipating higher retail prices — regardless of whether a vehicle is considered foreign or domestic.

1 month ago | thebaltimorebanner.com | Bria Overs

Did opening your $300 Baltimore Gas and Electric bill briefly make your heart stop? What if it was $10,404.66? That’s the kind of bill some small businesses are facing. Unexpectedly high natural gas and electric costs this winter have Baltimore residents’ heads spinning. Laundromats are getting hit especially hard, and many of them areweighing how to pay their utility bills without impacting their customers. Laundromats use a significant amount of water, electricity and natural gas.