8 things you need to know this morning: Howard County economic development chief resigning; downtown hotel to become apartment tower

Good morning, Baltimore.

Our Editor-in-Chief kept her introduction short on Wednesday's edition of "8 things," so I'm going to follow our conductor's lead and say it's too hot for anything more than a sentence.

I honestly had a much longer opening about walking down Calvert Street and reflecting on the construction project for the new Baltimore City District Court, but it's early June and it's already too hot.

I hope you're inside when you're reading this.

Another Baltimore hotel plans conversion to apartments

The shuttered 12-story Hotel RL Baltimore Inner Harbor was acquired by a group of local developers, who plan to turn the site into a 130-unit apartment tower. The Baltimore Business Journal's Melody Simmons reported that Byrnes & Associates purchased the location and plan to spend $18.5 million on improvements and renovations to the building, which closed in December after eight years in business.

JPMorgan Chase to close 21 First Republic branches

JPMorgan Chase said it will close 21 branches it acquired in its acquisition of First Republic. According to CNN, JPMorgan officials said it will close a quarter of the failed regional bank's 84 locations by the end of the year, saying they were largely redundant with other locations nearby. About 100 employees will be offered a six-month transition assignment, a spokesperson told CNN.

Uber drivers potentially win millions for gig workers

Two Uber drivers in California have potentially won millions of dollars in backpay to gig workers in the state after pressuring the state treasurer over a law that required pay rates to be tied to inflation. A column by Brian Merchant in the Los Angeles Times highlights how Pablo Gomez and Sergio Avedian brought to light how two years of rate increases had not taken place under a relatively new California law governing gig workers. With 1.3 million such employees in the state, it could mean tens, if not hundreds of millions of dollars in backpay.

Supreme Court leaves right to strike intact

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Thursday that truckers who walked out and left their trucks loaded with wet cement were within their right to time when they will strike in an 8-to-1 decision. NPR reports that Glacier Northwest, a cement company in Washington state, had argued that unionized workers who'd walked off the job after loading cement into the company's delivery trucks endangered company equipment and looked to settle the dispute in state court. However, while the case reached the highest court, it ultimately ruled that the complaint should've been filed with the National Labor Relations Board, leaving the issue of the timing of a strike solely within the authority of the agency.

Howard County Economic Development Authority CEO to step down

Lawrence F. Twele will step down as CEO of the Howard County Economic Development Authority at the end of this month. In a release, the authority said Twele will depart on June 30 after serving in the position since March 2013. Twele, who originally joined the organization as its executive vice president in July 2011, facilitated a capital investment of over $1.2 billion and oversaw nearly 25,000 retained and created jobs, the organization said in a news release.

PHOTO Edit Crops Edit Title & Caption Edit Original

Remove

Lawrence Twele

Lawrence Twele is stepping down from Howard County's economic development office.

Applications open for state's Cannabis Business Assistance Fund

Applications are now open for the first round of funding through the Cannabis Business Assistance Fund, the Maryland Department of Commerce announced Thursday. The first round, which will offer grants and loans, will offer eligible processor and grower licensees up to a $50,000 grant and dispensary licensees up to a $25,000 grant. More information can be found here.

McCormick names three new execs to management committee

McCormick & Co. Inc. named Ana Sanchez, Andrew Foust and Kasey Jenkins to positions in the spicemaker's highest leadership team. Sanchez is the company's president of Europe, Middle East and Africa; Foust is the president of the American and Jenkins is its chief growth officer.

Fanatics becomes latest mobile sportsbook operator in Maryland

Fanatics will become the 10th mobile sportsbook operator in the state after the Maryland Lottery and Gaming Control Commission awarded the company a mobile sports wagering license Tuesday. The commission awarded the license to Maryland Stadium Sub, LLC, which does business as Fanatics Sportsbook, after it "successfully completed a controlled demonstration of its mobile sports wagering platform," the commission said in a release.