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Propane-Fueled Explosion Causes $100K In Damages To St. Mary's Business: State Fire Marshal Propane-Fueled Explosion Causes $100K In Damages To St. Mary's Business: State Fire Marshal
Propane-Fueled Explosion Causes $100K In Damages To St. Mary's Business: State Fire Marshal A small gas explosion brought a dozen firefighters to a Maryland business early Wednesday, Jan. 10, officials said. An alarm company was alerted by a motion detector at Callahan's Gas & Appliance on N. Commerce Street in Centreville around 7:35 a.m., the State Fire Marshal's Office said. Upon arrival, fire department personnel found signs of a small explosion and singed paper within the business. The incident to be isolated and accidental due to complications with the propane at the business, the fire marshal's office said.  An estimated $100,000 in damages was reported. If anyon…

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by Cecilia Levine
Business
Husband Remembers Wife's Birthday, Picks Up $50K Maryland Lottery Prize Husband Remembers Wife's Birthday, Picks Up $50K Maryland Lottery Prize
Husband Remembers Wife's Birthday, Picks Up $50K Maryland Lottery Prize A Maryland husband won big when he chose the numbers in his wife’s birthday for a Pick 5 lottery ticket. The Prince George’s County couple won $50,000 when the husband stopped to grab a ticket at Valero on Old Alexandria Ferry Road in Clinton after an appointment on Wednesday, Oct. 25. “Before I left, my wife told me that she was going shopping and would pick up our tickets,” he told lottery officials. When he couldn’t reach his wife afterward, he stopped and purchased the tickets, just to be safe, using a number combination he wouldn’t dare forget. “It was her birthday that won for us,” …

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by Valerie Musson
Business
'Gold Rush Couple' Claims Second Massive Maryland Lottery Prize On $30 Scratcher 'Gold Rush Couple' Claims Second Massive Maryland Lottery Prize On $30 Scratcher
'Gold Rush Couple' Claims Second Massive Maryland Lottery Prize On $30 Scratcher Go big or go home, they say. That's a tactic one Baltimore man has taken playing Maryland Lottery scratchers that has now paid off in a massive way twice after he turned $30 into a $50,000 prize playing the "$2,000,000 Gold Rush" instant game. “I buy a scratch ticket every week or so,” the bakery employee told Lottery officials this week. “And, whichever I choose, it’ll always be a $30 game.” He cited those games’ larger prizes and better odds among his reasons for going big, which proved fortuitous a few years ago when he won $100,000 on a different $30 ticket. “It’s the only way I pl…

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by Zak Failla
Business
Nearly 50K Massage Guns Sold Nationwide Recalled Due To Fire, Burn Hazards Nearly 50K Massage Guns Sold Nationwide Recalled Due To Fire, Burn Hazards
Nearly 50K Massage Guns Sold Nationwide Recalled Due To Fire, Burn Hazards Nearly 50,000 massage guns sold at major retailers across the country are being recalled due to more than a dozen reports of overheating and a burn injury. The US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) announced this week that Homedics is recalling tens of thousands of personal massagers that ca overheat while charging, leading to a report of fire or burn risk.  In total, approximately 46,000 are being recalled in the US, and another 41,000 in Canada, according to federal officials. The recall includes "HoMedics Therapist Select Massagers" with model number HHP-715 and a 120 VAC, 6…

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by Zak Failla
Business
Maryland Animal Shelter Closing Temporarily Due To Dog Illness Spreading In Facility Maryland Animal Shelter Closing Temporarily Due To Dog Illness Spreading In Facility
Maryland Animal Shelter Closing Temporarily Due To Dog Illness Spreading In Facility An animal shelter will temporarily be closing due to a canine illness that has broken out and forced staff to quarantine some animals as a precaution. The Prince George's County Animal Services Facility and Adoption Center in Upper Marlboro announced on Friday that it will temporarily be closed to the public and there will be no dog adoptions due to an undetermined illness that has been spreading inside the building. "The temporary closure will allow staff to initiate quarantine protocols to stop the spread of the disease and to treat dogs who are ill," health officials said. "At this time,…

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by Zak Failla
Business
TGI Fridays Closing Columbia Restaurant, 30 Total Locations Across Northeast TGI Fridays Closing Columbia Restaurant, 30 Total Locations Across Northeast
TGI Fridays Closing Columbia Restaurant, 30 Total Locations Across Northeast TGI Fridays is closing nearly 30 "underperforming" locations across the northeast and will sell eight restaurants to the chain's former CEO, the chain said in a news release. The 27 closures include restaurants in Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. In total, 36 TGI Fridays locations are shutting down nationwide. The company says about 1,000 employees, which represent more than 80% of those impacted, will be offered transfer opportunities. "As we continue along our path of transformation to revitalize the Fridays brand and …

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by Chris Spiker
Business
Neighbors Rallying Around Beloved Costume Shop Owner After Devastating MD Fire Neighbors Rallying Around Beloved Costume Shop Owner After Devastating MD Fire
Neighbors Rallying Around Beloved Costume Shop Owner After Devastating MD Fire Neighbors of an iconic Maryland costume shop are rallying for its owner after a devastating fire ripped through the building and caused an estimated $100,000 in damages. The electrical fire started in the basement and ripped through Gene’s Costumes on Connecticut Avenue in Kensington on Tuesday afternoon, Jan. 2, Montgomery County Fire & Rescue Service Chief Spokesperson Pete Piringer said. Update - Gene’s Costumes, Connecticut Avenue, Kensington; 2-sty commercial occupancy; Origin/Cause, fire in basement, electrical in nature, light ballast; Damage estimate ~$100K; no injury pic.twi…

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by Valerie Musson
Business
Power Play Leads To $200K Powerball Prize For Maryland Lottery Player Power Play Leads To $200K Powerball Prize For Maryland Lottery Player
Power Play Leads To $200K Powerball Prize For Maryland Lottery Player A Power Play ticket led a lucky Maryland lottery player to a whopping $200,000 prize. The retired tech worker from Bowie bought the ticket at E&C Mid-Atlantic on Annapolis Road in Glenn Dale in Prince George’s County after overhearing from someone inside the store that it was ‘Powerball night.’ “I heard one of the guys in the store say ‘It’s Powerball night’ so I thought that I should buy a ticket,” said the man told lottery officials. The loyal Pick 3 player added the Power Play multiplier option for $1 and ended up with the third-tier prize of $200,000. He discov…

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by Valerie Musson
Business
Plastic Bag Ban Takes Effect In Anne Arundel County Plastic Bag Ban Takes Effect In Anne Arundel County
Plastic Bag Ban Takes Effect In Anne Arundel County Anne Arundel’s plastic bag ban has officially taken effect. The “Bring Your Own Bag” Plastic Reduction Act, which requires shoppers to bring their own reusable bags to the store or pay for paper, went into effect on New Year’s Day, joining Baltimore County, Howard County, and Baltimore City, which have similar laws. But what, exactly, does this mean for Anne Arundel retailers? They’ll have to charge a fee — which will be set to a minimum of 10 cents starting in February — for each bag purchased by customers at the checkout counter. Pharmacies and restaurants are exempt from charging for pa…

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by Valerie Musson
Business
Winning $1M, $50K Powerball Tickets Sold In Same Maryland County Winning $1M, $50K Powerball Tickets Sold In Same Maryland County
Winning $1M, $50K Powerball Tickets Sold In Same Maryland County A pair of winning Powerball tickets worth $1 million and $50,000 were sold in the same county in Maryland. The million dollar second-tier prizewinning ticket was sold at Green Meadows Exxon at 6762 Riggs Road in Hyattsville, while a third-tier $50,000 Double Play ticket was sold at 7-Eleven at 9500 Ruby Lockhart Blvd. in Bowie — both in Prince George’s County, lottery officials said. The winning numbers for the Monday, Jan. 1 Powerball drawing were: 12, 21, 42, 44, and 49. The Powerball was 1. The winning numbers for the Powerball Double Play dra…

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by Valerie Musson
Business
BlandJet Recalling 4.8M Portable Blenders Nationwide For Fire, Laceration Hazards BlandJet Recalling 4.8M Portable Blenders Nationwide For Fire, Laceration Hazards
BlandJet Recalling 4.8M Portable Blenders Nationwide For Fire, Laceration Hazards Nearly five million portable blenders sold nationwide are being recalled due to fire and laceration risks. The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) announced that a total of around 4.8 million BlendJet 2 Portable Blenders that can overheat or catch fire. If the blender were to get too hot, the blender blades can break off, creating the hazard. The recall includes blenders sold in a variety of colors and designs, federal authorities noted Recalled items have the serial numbers printed on the bottom of the base along with “blendjet2” and “The Original Portable Blender.”  The…

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by Zak Failla
Business
Here Comes The Money: Maryland Minimum Wage Hike Takes Effect Monday Here Comes The Money: Maryland Minimum Wage Hike Takes Effect Monday
Here Comes The Money: Maryland Minimum Wage Hike Takes Effect Monday With the year coming to a close, many Maryland employees are eager to get to 2024, when the minimum wage will be boosted for workers across the state. Beginning on Monday, Jan. 1, businesses will be required to pay a $15 minimum wage under the Fair Wage Law, which was signed by Gov. Wes Moore in April. The new law does have an exception, however, as tipped workers' pay will hold steady at $3.63 hourly if they earn more than $30 a month in tips. "I entered office saying that this administration would launch the most aggressive, the most strategic, bipartisan, all-out assault on child povert…

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by Zak Failla