Where are they now? | Topless pot shop | Historic Black newspaper's new owners

Welcome back to the BBJ's LinkedIn Weekly Edition! I'm Digital Editor?Jess Aloe, bringing you the top business stories from this week, plus what's going on in Boston's tech economy.?This week...

Where are they now?

We started this year with a round of calls to Boston-area entrepreneurs to ask a simple question: What are you working on in 2023. Some of the more interesting stories we uncovered were from a Boston founder suing the company that acquired her startup, and the abrupt resignation of the longtime executive director of a local nonprofit tied to the tech community. Here are four local entrepreneurs planning to debut a new project later this year.

Read more here to find out more about what Kendall Hope Tucker , Andrew Therriault , David Delmar Sentíes and Rob May have planned for their next chapters.

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Topless pot shop could be coming to Western Mass.

The owners of the now-shuttered strip club Club Castaway, based in Whately, are looking to turn the space into a topless cannabis dispensary. The vision is to remove the alcohol and the dancing, and transform the building into a retail establishment — only with a sales staff that happens to be topless. Read more about the co-owners' plan to stand out in a sea of dispensaries here.

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On Main Street: Crawford Drug is a neighborhood anchor

Crawford Drug has been a mainstay on Dorchester Avenue for decades. Exactly how long, no one is sure. The independent pharmacy provides a personal touch for the community. This is the second in a series of stories on small-business owners in our local neighborhoods—read it here.

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Historic Black newspaper sold to a local investor group?

The Bay State Banner, one of the nation’s oldest Black news organizations, has been sold by longtime owner and publisher Melvin B. Miller to a local investor group.

Mill Cities Community Investments (MCCI) of Lawrence is the lead investor, with Mitchell-Stark Enterprises (MSE) taking the reins. Mill Cities, which describes itself as the first black-led community development financing institution, or CDFI, provided “significant funding” for the acquisition. Get the details.

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Business leaders sound off on Healey's budget proposal

Gov. Healey released her first budget proposal, which she said seeks to make Mass. more economically competitive. But business groups want her to do more.?Find out more.

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Motherboards and molecules — this week in Boston's tech economy:

General Electric Company plans to invest $31 million in its Lynn plant as part of a larger effort to bolster its existing U.S. manufacturing facilities this year.?Read more.

This week, on Form D Friday: Chroma Medicine , GelSight Inc, Crop One Holdings , and Panorama Education all reported fundraises. Get the totals here.

Danish pharmaceutical giant 诺和诺德 is shifting its U.S. R&D operations to Greater Boston and planning to bring more than 200 jobs to the area. Find out about the company's plans here.

Thymmune Therapeutics , a? new startup out of renowned geneticist George Church's lab, aims to mass-produce cells to help stave off the degradation of a small organ responsible for making T cells, a type of white blood cell that fight off infection. Read more.?

This week on the Petri Dish: 罗氏公司 , Blueprint Medicines end lung cancer collab, Rhythm Pharmaceuticals Inc. buys Dutch biotech Xinvento B.V. , and Atea Pharmaceuticals, Inc scraps dengue drug. Get the details.

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