Howard County invests in homeownership aid; How much Amazon CEO Andy Jassy made last year

Good morning Baltimore!

The Baltimore Orioles are on a roll. The team has won 10 of its last 12 games and swept the Detroit Tigers over the weekend. The O's play at home again today against the Boston Red Sox at 6:35 p.m.

It's going to be a gorgeous evening for a game, too. Today will be partly sunny today with temperatures staying in the low 60s and upper 50s.

Now, onto the news of the day.

Meet the law student who coined the Orioles' new 'dong bong' home run celebration

After his tweet about the Baltimore Orioles ' home run celebration went viral, one fan is trying to turn his 15 minutes of fame into a business. Pikesville native Ben Garzonik has filed a trademark for the 'dong bong' expression he developed after watching first baseman Ryan Mountcastle celebrate hitting a home run by chugging water out of a makeshift beer bong. Now, he's looking to capitalize on the phrase by selling T-shirts and hopefully, advancing his law studies.

Howard County invests in homeownership

Howard County Executive Calvin Ball will invest $16.5 million toward helping to increase affordable homeownership opportunities for moderate-income households. The funds will support the county's Housing Opportunities Trust Fund, homeownership and rehabilitation programs and rental assistance. Ball announced the funding Thursday as part of the county's Fiscal Year 2024 proposed operating budget. This year, Ball has proposed $10 million in funding for the Housing Opportunities Trust Fund, a 50% increase over last year. The announcement was made at the new Roslyn Rise mixed-income development , and comes as housing has become more difficult to secure in Howard County amid a shortage of undeveloped land .

Maryland joins call for theft-prone vehicles to be recalled

A coalition of at least 18 states is calling for a federal recall of certain Hyundai and Kia vehicles amid an alarmingly high rate of theft. The vehicles, manufactured between 2011 and 2022, have an easily bypassed ignition switch and lack engine immobilizers, making them particularly vulnerable to theft, according to a release from Maryland Attorney General Anthony G. Brown. The release says the vehicle manufacturers chose not to include anti-theft devices that were a standard feature in "almost every other new car manufactured during that time period." Brown has joined the coalition, which sent a letter to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration NHTSA requesting a recall of unsafe vehicles.

Bed Bath & Beyond bankruptcy leaves more vacant retail space

After months of upheaval, Bed Bath & Beyond Inc. has filed for bankruptcy . The decision is a low point for a home goods retailer that has been around for more than half a century. As a result, all 360 stores and 120 locations of Buybuy Baby are expected to close. Bed Bath & Beyond 's remaining locations in Greater Baltimore are at Towson Place, Snowden Square in Columbia and Waugh Chapel Towne Centre in Gambrills.

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Baltimore weighing risk with how it spends $641M in ARPA funding

Since Baltimore received $641 million in American Rescue Plan Act funding, the city has slowly deployed the money to agencies, nonprofits and others planning projects that are aimed at addressing some of Baltimore's deepest challenges. But a report by the Baltimore Banner using the city's internal evaluations shows about 38% of the city's assessed grant recipients are listed as "Medium Risk/High Risk" in terms of potentially failing to meet federal compliance standards for how the funds can be used. Baltimore must also use the funding by a specific deadline, meaning if it doesn't look like grant recipients can get their projects together in time, the city could claw back the money.

Patterson Park pool will open this summer, renovations to come

The Patterson Park pool will remain open this summer , and according to Councilman Zeke Cohen , will get some renovations after the season ends. The city will contribute $2 million for the fixes, WBAL reports. Cohen's statements follow concerns that the pool would be closed for the summer amid significant structural issues.

What to look for — and avoid — in startup founders

A startup's founder can make or break its chance of getting investment from venture capital firms. According to the New York Business Journal, VCs often consider founders to be the most important aspect of a startup and help differentiate a business from others. So what are investors looking for exactly? Many told the NYBJ that they're looking for a founder-market fit, meaning that founders must have knowledge and experience working in the industry they are building a startup in — even if they have created a successful business in a different market. Here's what else VCs like to see.

Here's how much Amazon CEO Andy Jassy made last year

Amazon.com Inc. CEO Andy Jassy made a base salary of $317,500 in 2022 , an 81% increase over the $175,000 he made in 2021 after taking over the CEO role from founder Jeff Bezos. But last year, 亚马逊 also contributed over $980,000 to Jassy's 401(k) plan, according to the Washington Business Journal. He wasn't awarded any additional shares of the company in 2022, but in 2021 got a $212 million one-time stock award. Although, that's been cut in half due to Amazon's declining share price.

This newsletter was written by Carley Milligan, Digital Editor at the Baltimore Business Journal. I can be reached at [email protected].?