Saturday, May 25, 2013
Top stories from around Prince George's County the week of May 20, 2013.
Here are the most-read news stories from around Prince George's County this week: University Park Council Disapproves Cafritz Detailed Site Plan The council also looks to postpone Thursday's county planning board hearing on the plan. $280M Pledged for Purple Line Construction, Private Dollars Still Needed Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown said government funding probably won't cover the more than $2 billion price tag. Realtor: Maryland Homes Selling at 'Rapid Pace' According to Long and Foster, the market is seeing 'positive trends.' Landover-based Businesses Face $60,000 in OSHA Fines The fines come after three employees were hospitalized with burns. Prince George's Woos Retailers at Vegas Convention For the first time, the county hosted its own …
Thursday, May 23, 2013
For the first time, the county hosted its own reception at the Global Retail Real Estate Convention.
From Freakanomics to Zuckerbergs, Prince George's County officials rubbed elbows with bigwigs in the retail real estate, business and marketing industries at the Global Retail Real Estate Convention in Las Vegas. For the first time, Prince George’s boosters hosted a nighttime reception for developers and retailers, according to BizJournals.com. And, according to a county spokesperson, things went well. “We had a very successful event,” David Iannucci told BizJournals. Iannucci, the assistant deputy chief administrative officer for County Executive Rushern Baker, wouldn’t identify any specific prospects but he reportedly said the county had set up more than a dozen official meetings with developers and retailers. Iannucci told BizJournals …
In the market for a house? Check out these recent listings.
- REAL ESTATE
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Thursday, May 23
Monday, May 20, 2013
More increases may be in store at BWI, National, and Dulles.
Airlines raked in more than $6 billion in baggage and change fees in 2012, accounting for a 3.7 percent profit margin, WTOP reports. The practice of collecting additional fees for the once-free baggage began in 2008, when prices for jet fuel rose nearly 50 percent as oil hit an all-time high. Since then, the fees have increased and are typically in the range of $25 for the first checked bag and $35 for the second. These baggage fees added $3.5 billion to airline coffers in 2012, 3.8 percent more than in 2011. While some commercials make light of the anger and frustration caused by the additional fees, a J.D. Power & Associates survey cited by the Los Angeles Times shows that a greater percentage of passengers who pay to check their bags …
Sunday, May 19, 2013
What advice did the first lady give graduates? Will electricity rates go up - again? Get all the Maryland news with one click on Patch.
- GOVERNMENT
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Sunday, May 19
By Patch Staff It was a big news week in Maryland last week, with a visit by the first lady, a commuter nightmare in Montgomery and a heads up for a sixth casino in the state. All the headlines from 48 Patch sites across Maryland: Berliner Calls for Better Electricity Service with 'Utility 2.0' Montgomery County Council Member Roger Berliner asked the Maryland Public Service Commission to require that substantial changes be made to electricity services in the state. Meanwhile, Pepco is asking for permission to raise rates. Michelle Obama to Bowie State Grads: It's Time to Feel Hungry Again In a speech rich with historical references, the first lady reminded the BSU class of 2013 why education is important. Report: Quince Orchard Students…
New locomotives could put $300 million in electricity back on the grid.
Amtrak plans to replace a total of 70 locomotives on its Northeast Regional line, which transports passengers between Newport News, VA, and Boston, MA, according to the dcist website. Trains on the popular route, which often involve long lines of waiting commuters at DC's Union Station, are pulled by locomotives that are more than 25 years old and feature outdated technology, according to the article. In a May 13 news release, Amtrak president and CEO Joseph Boardman said, “The new Amtrak locomotives will help power the economic future of the Northeast region, provide more reliable and efficient service for passengers and support the rebirth of rail manufacturing in America.” The new locomotives, dubbed “Amtrak Cities Sprinters,” will …
Friday, May 17, 2013
The prize is the third largest in American history, according to lottery officials.
The Powerball jackpot for Saturday's drawing has been raised to become what would be the third-largest jackpot prize in American history. Due to strong sales, the jackpot for Saturday was raised from $475 million to $550 million, with a $350.1 million cash option. It is the second largest prize in Powerball's history. No ticket has had the winning numbers for the past 13 drawings—since early April, according to a Maryland Lottery press release. Maryland has had two winning Powerball tickets since the Maryland Lottery joined the game in 2010. One was a Pennsylvania couple who purchased a ticket in Elkton on Christmas Eve in 2011 that won them $128.8 million. That September, an Abingdon couple won $108.8 million, according to the release. …
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
Sports Authority joins the list of businesses for Towne Centre Laurel. Retail construction is due to wrap up in Oct. 2014.
National sporting goods chain Sports Authority has joined the list of businesses for Towne Centre Laurel, the planned $130 million redevelopment of the site where Laurel Mall once stood. Greenberg Gibbons, the developer behind the open-air retail and residential plaza, revealed an updated list of tenants along with an estimated construction schedule at Monday night's Laurel Mayor and City Council meeting. Sports Authority will occupy a 33,458 sqft. space, according to Greenberg Gibbons. The complex is also set to include a 49,002 sqft. Harris Teeter supermarket, a 50,507 sqft. Regal Cinemas movie theater, and an upgraded 64,964 sqft. Burlington Coat Factory store. In all, the developer plans to build 400,000 sqft. of retail, dining, and …
Monday, May 13, 2013
Penn National Gaming and Greenwood Racing will compete against MGM Resorts to operate Maryland's sixth casino.
Three companies have submitted bids to operate Maryland's sixth casino slated to be in Prince George's County, according to reports. After spending nearly $40 million in ads supporting a sixth casino in Maryland, it was not a surprise that MGM Reports proposed an $800 million project at National Harbor Thursday, The Washington Post reported Friday. Penn National Gaming proposed a $700 million Hollywood Casino Resort at Rosecroft Raceway in Fort Washington, the Post reported, after spending almost $40 million in an anti-casino ad campaign run by a special interest group. The third bid came as a surprise, from the owner of Greenwood Racing, which owns a Pennsylvania casino formerly called Philadelphia Park Racetrack and Casino. That company…
Have you changed your opinion toward your nearby J.C. Penney?
J.C. Penney has begun airing a video apologizing to customers for its recent changes in the way it does business—changes that it concedes alienated many of its most loyal customers. The company's ill-advised shift away from discounts and loyal brands could be compared to the New Coke debacle of 1985, a series of security slip-ups by Facebook and the BP Gulf oil spill, according to Bloomberg news. The article details the changes instituted by former CEO Ron Johnson who is blamed for losing the retail titan nearly $1 billion ($985 million) in his one-year tenure. Similar to BP’s CEO Tony Hayward’s plain-speak “I’m deeply sorry” video following the Gulf of Mexico oil spill in 2012, the J.C. Penney spot says: “It’s no secret, recently J.C …
John Floyd II
11:45 pm on Friday, May 17, 2013
I am a 49-year resident of historic Laurel with the marvellous Laurel PD as my next-door neighbours. With LPD's HQ as a "protective bubble" in my immediate neighbourhood (nearly a mile from the Middletowne slums), I have no reason to move. As for the ghetto, how does one go about ridding the 14800-14700 blocks of Section 8 housing, gang-bangers, and the sort of criminally-minded "citizens" whose … more ›