Bria Overs - The Baltimore Banner
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Bria Overs

Bria

Bria Overs is a business reporter at The Baltimore Banner. She covers small business and consumer and economic trends, with a special interest in minority- and women-owned businesses, technology and labor. She previously worked at Business Insider, Word In Black and contributed to local publications in Los Angeles, her hometown.

The latest from Bria Overs

BGE batteries at their Chesapeake Beach facility. The energy company opened the location in 2023 to offset peak-demand power in southern Maryland.
Clean energy batteries could save Marylanders big money — but projects are stalling
Ultility-size clean energy storage batteries could save Maryland ratepayers big money, but projects have stalled partly because the region’s grid operator has been overwhelmed with project requests.
Baltimore Gas and Electric’s customers are expected to save on their monthly bills next summer.
BGE customers will save $3 on their monthly bills — next summer
Next summer, BGE customers will see a $3 reduction on monthly bills, thanks to the outcome of a capacity market auction, the Maryland Office of People’s Counsel said Thursday.
PSC commissioners question staff witness Roger Austin about a proposed transmission line project during a meeting in May.
The little-known state agency greenlighting utility rate hikes
The Maryland Public Service Commission approves the proposed rate hikes on customers of BGE and other utility companies. Here’s how it works.
MONDAY July 21, 2025 — The Baltimore Public Media (WYPR) headquarters, a public radio station serving the Baltimore metropolitan area as well as Western Maryland and the Eastern Shore.
Maryland’s airwaves lost a federal lifeline, but public media won’t go silent
Congress passed the Recissions Act of 2025, guaranteeing the end of federal funding of public media and putting local stations in a financial predicament.
The now-closed Bark Social location on Boston Street in Baltimore in 2024.
Two Bark Social locations could reopen under new ownership
A Maryland-based company agreed last month to purchase Bark Social's locations in Canton and Columbia.
GBC President and CEO Mark Anthony Thomas, left, and EDA Tech Hubs Program Director Eric Smith.
How Baltimore’s Tech Hub plans to navigate the Trump era — and win $70 million
The Baltimore Tech Hub missed out on two federal funding opportunities. A redo under the Trump administration is opening the door for Baltimore.
Baltimore Gas and Electric Compaby and other utility customers will receive an estimated $80 rebate, which will be applied to two utility bills.
BGE customers could get rebates of $80, starting as soon as August
Maryland legislators earmarked $200 million for rebates to utility customers earlier this year. An estimated $80 per customer could appear on bills as soon as August.
More than 20% of the office space in Baltimore’s central business district is vacant, according to a quarterly report from CBRE.
BGE wants you to turn your thermostat up. Vacant offices aren’t held to the same standard.
About 20% of Baltimore's downtown offices are vacant, but property owners are likely still keeping them air-conditioned.
AmeriCorps denied the Notre Dame Mission Volunteers a $4.6 million grant.
AmeriCorps denies $4.6M grant to Notre Dame Mission Volunteers
Notre Dame Mission Volunteers will cut staff and reduce the number of participants after AmeriCorps denied its request for a $4.6 million grant.
HER Resiliency Center, a nonprofit serving 18- to 25-year-old women in Baltimore and Washington, plans to use the funds to improve the organization’s workforce development program, Triple Crown Academy.
Maryland awards $4 million to boost workforce development in construction
Eight workforce development organizations across Maryland were awarded $500,000 each to bolster their programs addressing apprenticeships in the construction industry.
A JCPenney sign is displayed at one of the company's department store locations. The sign is plain white lettering against a brick wall.
JCPenney will finally close doors at Annapolis Mall store in August
The Texas-based retail company was unable to negotiate a long-term lease or find another suitable location in the area.
Otis Rolley has been named the new CEO of the Baltimore Development Corp.
Otis Rolley selected to lead the Baltimore Development Corp.
The monthslong search for a leader for the Baltimore Development Corp. comes to an end as Mayor Brandon Scott announces Otis Rolley’s selection for the role.
United Way of Central Maryland will distribute the relief program to qualifying BGE customers starting on July 1.
BGE customers could see up to $750 in bill relief under new Maryland program
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore announced a partnership between utility companies and nonprofits in the state that will provide $19 million in grants to utility customers.
Customers work and lounge at Bird in Hand Café and Bookstore in Baltimore.
Who needs Barnes & Noble? The City that Reads is stocked with local bookstores
Barnes & Noble’s Charles Village closure leaves the city without a big-box book retailer, but about two dozen independent bookstores remain.
FILE - As President Barack Obama and former President Bill Clinton mark the 20th anniversary of the AmeriCorps national service program, hundreds of new volunteers are sworn in for duty at a ceremony, Friday, Sept. 12, 2014, on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, file)
AmeriCorps must restore grant funding, members to states that sued over cuts, judge rules
AmeriCorps employs more than 500 full-time federal workers and has an operating budget of roughly $1 billion.
Exterior of Princeton Sports as seen on February 1, 2025 in Baltimore, MD.
Longtime home of Baltimore County’s Princeton Sports gets a new owner
Crosby Jenkins, a Mount Vernon interior design firm, purchased the longtime location of Princeton Sports in Baltimore County.
Frederick Hoover, chairman of the Maryland Public Service Commission, wants BGE to flatten bills ahead of high-usage summer months.
As BGE bills are set to rise, utility commission demands a delay
The Maryland Public Service Commission is ordering Baltimore Gas and Electric to mitigate the effects of an impending supply-side rate increase by shifting cost recovery to less expensive times of year.
The Pikes Studio Cinema will offer new movies along with classic and independent films.
Black-owned Pikesville theater makes a comeback with a new name and owner
Pikes Studio Cinema in Pikesville is replacing the now-defunct Next Act Cinema, which abruptly closed in December 2024.
A Black Bear lifts its nose in the air to get a whiff of fresh spring air.
Tri-county bear nabbed, ending reign of roaming across suburban Maryland
Residents of Baltimore and Howard counties have spotted a young black bear roaming backyards and shopping centers in recent weeks.
The Herbert A. Wagner Generating Station, foreground, and Brandon Shores Generating Station are seen across Cox Creek from homes in the Stoney Beach community.
Maryland lawmakers demand federal regulator stop expected electricity bill spike
Maryland lawmakers joined a call from the Office of People’s Counsel for the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to stop supply costs from surging this summer.
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