Morgan State to receive $1.5M for transit research; City begins work on Remington bike lanes

Good morning Baltimore.

In an effort to always be honest (surely the mark of a good journalist) I regret to inform you all that I will be abandoning you — just until next week. While I am lounging in an Adirondack chair up near the Canadian border with a fishing pole in one hand and a glass of [redacted] in the other, my colleagues Jessica Iannetta and Phil Davis will take the reigns of this rip-roaring blog.

Now, some of you may be thinking, "finally, a break from the Jersey guy." Well, not so fast — both Jessica and Phil are native Garden Staters like myself.

Now for the news. I'll see you bright and early Monday morning.

Morgan State joins national research travel tech and safety consortium

Morgan State University announced yesterday it is joining a U.S. Department of Transportation-sponsored research group to develop and share travel safety technology. Dubbed Safety21 and led by Carnegie Mellon University, the University Travel Consortium will receive $20 million over five years and will take a more direct interest in sustainability, according to the press release. Morgan State will receive $1.5 million to research landslides and prevention techniques along highways, per the announcement.

Baltimore nonprofit facilitator raises $1M in 24 hours

Baltimore-based community network CLLCTIVLY raised more than $1 million in just 24 hours on its annual giving day, the organization announced yesterday in a news release. The mark is more than 200 times the amount raised on its first fundraising day in 2019 ($5,000), and the event coincided with Black Philanthropy Month. According to the release, donors were given a list of Black-led initiatives and organizations working to improve their communities. Then, donors chose which causes to donate to. The final sum of $1,125,707 will “provide critical financial support to Black-led organizations,” the organization said in the announcement.

Baltimore Business Journal unveils 2023 CFO Award honorees

From overseeing mergers and acquisitions to helping develop and execute growth plans, the top chief financial officers in Greater Baltimore are doing a whole lot more than just balancing the books, BBJ’s Jessica Iannetta writes. The Baltimore Business Journal is honoring 10 of the area's CFOs who have demonstrated significant financial growth, overcome business challenges, shown team leadership and contributed to their communities in our 2023 Best in Finance: CFO Awards. An event will be held on Oct. 10 to recognize their achievements. Check out the full list.

Baltimore Homecoming awards $5K to five local leaders

Charm City’s nonprofit alumni network, Baltimore Homecoming, announced yesterday the five winners of its Homecoming Hero Awards, which recognize leaders who are making an impact in the city. The honorees each receive a $5,000 cash prize and share their work at Activate 2023, the nonprofit’s yearly conference. This year’s winners, pulled from public nominations and chosen by a panel of past honorees and committee members, include the leaders of Beats Not Bullets, Tendea Family, Break a Difference, Black Girls Vote, and Community Law In Action, according to the press release.

Towson University raises $102M in largest-ever funding campaign

Towson University announced the completion of the largest fundraising campaign in the university's history Tuesday, BBJ's Matt Hooke reports, with much of the money raised earmarked for research and boosting its endowment. The $102 million RISE campaign focused on getting donors to fund programs at Towson that often go unsupported by state money or tuition dollars. The funding is part of a new era for the public school as it tries to boost its national prestige after the recent selection of Mark Ginsberg as president. Continue reading for more on the school's plans for the record-breaking campaign.

Retired Raven Michael Oher sues 'adoptive parents' depicted in "The Blind Side"

A new petition filed by ex-Ravens lineman Michael Oher claims that he was never adopted by the Tuohy family, a central plot point in the movie "The Blind Side" which made the family famous, Sports Illustrated reports. The petition alleges that Oher was tricked by the family into signing documents that made the Tuohys his conservators (rather than his legal family), which later allowed the family to make legal and business decisions in Oher's name. Since then, the petition reads, the family has profited off their association with Oher as his supposed "adoptive parents." Oher seeks to end the conservatorship through the petition and asks that the Tuohys pay him a share of the money they earned through his name, according to SI.

State to review reinsurance program as costs rise

The State Reinsurance Program, which helps control costs for Marylanders purchasing individual insurance, was renewed by federal agencies in July, and now Maryland has to decide what to do about the program’s rising costs. Maryland Matters reports that the Maryland Insurance Administration projects the program to cost as much as $700 million by 2028, roughly double its first year in 2019. Due to various levels of federal funding expiring or set to expire, the state will need to decide what bills it can foot. More on the deliberations here.

City begins work on pedestrian-friendly project in Remington

After years of crashes and complaints, Remington residents are finally seeing changes. Baltimore Fishbowl reports that construction has begun to narrow traffic along 28th Street between Sisson Street and Maryland Avenue. The project, a longtime wish for Remingtonians, will remove one of two traffic lanes on 28th St. and put a buffer between a bike and pedestrian path and road traffic. The Transportation Department is also connecting the Big Jump — a protected bike, scooter and walking lane — with other bike lanes along Maryland Avenue, according to Fishbowl reporting.

This newsletter was written by Joe Ilardi, digital producer for the Baltimore Business Journal. I can be reached at [email protected].