A couple interesting uses of Twitter I’ve heard about the last two days:

First, we’re on the cusp of movie award season, when distinguished film critics bestow prizes on films 94 percent of the country has not seen. The New York Film Critics Circle announced their awards via its Twitter feed yesterday. The results were tweeted out soon after the critics voted. (Ironically, they were sitting at a square table.)

Moving on to the world of fruit. While we went about our daily lives the last few months, a high-stakes battle to become headquarters of banana company Chiquita was being waged between longtime home Cincinnati and Charlotte. In the battle of Queen cities, Charlotte won out. (Miss Chiquita could not be reached for comment.)

As the official wooing was going on, people in both cities took to Twitter to try to persuade the company. Cincinnatians created the hashtag #NoCincyBananaSplit, while Charlotte countered with #BananasForCLT. Elizabeth Flock of The Washington Post provided an excellent summary of the Twitter chatter.

What’s most notable to me is how active and involved Chiquita CEO Fernando Aguirre was on Twitter both during the decision-making process. If you check out his Twitter feed today, you can see how cordial all sides have been since the move to Charlotte was announced.

Just goes to show Twitter has appeal.

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Since we have an abbreviated week, we’ve also got an abbreviated top 5 (we’re calling it a “top 3″). Units at the Ritz-Carlton Residences are selling, and the Maryland Transit Administration isn’t saying who’s getting the bid for two MARC lines.

1. Prices lower, Ritz units are selling – by Melody Simmons

Ownership of the $220 million Ritz-Carlton Residences is back in the hands of its Long Island-based developers nearly two years after the luxury development underwent a massive refinancing amid problems stemming from construction lawsuits and the recession.

The stately luxury development, perched at the water’s edge on Key Highway, remains one of the city’s most luxurious addresses — and units are beginning to sell faster thanks to new lower pricing, RXR Realty Senior Vice President Joseph Graziose said.

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How sweet it is.

That’s what neighbors in Parkville are saying now that the new Wockenfuss Homemade Candies has opened in an abandoned discount outlet near Northern Parkway and Chesley Avenue. A small U.S. Post Office is also stationed in the back of the store.

“We have had customers coming in the whole time from the neighborhood,” said owner Paul Wockenfuss on Wednesday, reporting on business in the first week. “I think the neighborhood was in great fear that this was going to be a nightclub.

“When they found out it was a candy story, they were just thrilled.”

Paul Wockenfuss

Walking in, patrons are greeted by the trays of foil-covered Santas, and snowmen are stacked neatly next to chocolate covered nuts, cherries and maple crèmes. Truffles with decorative tops line the counter, alongside candy canes, gummy bears and jelly beans.

The 24,000-square-foot brick building is double the size of the old Wockenfuss Candies store on Belair Road, about a mile away. The truffles, assorted chocolates, dipped nuts, and other delights will continue to be made at the Belair Road plant through Christmas, he said, because of the holiday crush.

Early next year, though, the yummy chocolates will be made in the new plant, located in ample space behind the storefront.

Wockenfuss makes about 160,000 pounds of candy each year. The confectioner also has stores in Bel Air, White Marsh, Columbia and Ocean City.

The store started in 1915 when Charles Herman Wockenfuss first made candies in a small kitchen in Baltimore. His son, Herman, sold candies from a rowhouse at 5420 Belair Rd. beginning in 1946. He made the sweets in the basement, Wockenfuss said. A storefront was opened there in 1956.

Now comes the big expansion. Wockenfuss, who took over the business 12 years ago, has three daughters who are all involved as well, making the business a charming four-generation legacy.

He said Wednesday that he had searched for a bigger space for a decade and was delighted to find an available, vacant building close to the current shop, which is closed.

He expressed his loyalty to his Baltimore roots.

“I wanted to stay in the city,” he explained. “The city has about 600,000 people — a tremendous market. And the city’s been good to us.”

The doors open each weekday at 8 a.m. – and, yes, that includes the post office – a novelty these days when other branches open at 11 a.m.

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A new Wegmans was announced for Owings Mills and a federal agency might hold up the Constellation/Exelon merger. Meanwhile, a legendary Baltimore Sun photographer’s prints are going to auction — much to his daughter’s chagrin — and plans for a downtown Baltimore casino are finally revealed. Here are the Top 5 business stories of the week:

1. FERC could delay Constellaton-Exelon decision until April — by Ben Mook

Constellation Energy Group Inc. and Exelon Corp. are calling on the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to make a decision about the companies’ proposed merger by Jan. 5 after learning the regulatory agency could delay the deal until April.

On Oct. 13, the companies submitted to FERC an agreement they had come to with the independent market monitor for PJM, the regional power grid. The agreement resolved some possible issues the market monitor had. However, FERC said that the agreement effectively reset the clock on its approval process and it could have up to 180 days more to make a decision.

2. Caesars proposes ‘dramatic’ gateway for Baltimore casino — by Nicholas Sohr

The development group led by Caesars Entertainment Corp. touted its proposed 260,000-square foot casino on Russell Street as a “dramatic new gateway to downtown” Baltimore.

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This week, the Arbors at Baltimore Crossroads held its grand opening.

The ribbon was cut on the 365-unit luxury market-rate rental apartment home community contained within the 1,000-acre Baltimore Crossroads@95 development near White Marsh.

Present at the celebration were Del. Pat McDonogh, Baltimore County Executive Kevin Kamenetz, Somerset Construction Co., official Mike Caruthers and former Congressman and House Majority Leader Dick Gephardt.

*****

The Citizens Planning and Housing Association’s 70th Annual Meeting will be held on Nov. 29 in the Schaefer Room of the Fifth Regiment Armory at Howard and Preston Streets.

Urban affairs expert Paul Brophy will be a presenter. Brophy is co-author of a recent report called Reinventing America’s Legacy Cities: Strategies for Cities Losing Population. His presentation will be followed by a panel discussion.

*****

Rouse Properties Inc., the newly formed company that contains malls once held by the restructured General Growth Properties Inc., announced Friday that Andrew Silberfein will be its the first president and chief executive officer.

The 47-year-old is executive vice president of retail and finance for Forest City Ratner Companies. There, he oversees the company’s more than five million square feet of retail, a portfolio that totals $2.2 billion.

The newly formed Rouse Properties portfolio holds 30 regional malls in 19 states that total more than 21 million square feet. Some of those properties include Lakeland Square in Lakeland, Fla., The Boulevard Mall in Las Vegas and the North Plains Mall in Clovis, N.M.

Silberfein has more than 20 years of retail real estate experience, with extensive experience in leasing, financing, development and asset management.

*****

If you’re looking for a real estate-related gift this season, check out the city skyline ornament at Zelda Zen in Federal Hill.

This miniature version of some of Charm City’s best developments, the National Aquarium, the Power Plant and the Domino Sugar plant, is offset by a jolly crab.

It could become the “it” gift of the season. And it’s just $20.

*****

More scoop on retail: If you’re too bleary-eyed to navigate midnight at the mall on Black Friday, check your email, Twitter or Facebook page.

The Towson Town Center is now wired.

Rebecca Klein

This week, Rebecca Klein became the Towson Town Center’s shopping GURU — a modern-day retail social media guinea pig.

This 39-year-old mother of two lives near the mall and is a freelance writer in her real life. She just signed on for the experimental program being rolled out by General Growth Properties, owners of the  mall.

As GURU, which stands for get ultimate retail updates, Klein will regularly cruise all shops in the mall and blast specials and cute finds via social media on platforms small and large.

For her efforts, the mall has given her an iPad and a flip camera. The gig will last at least two months.

“It’s my job to go out there and give people ideas of what they can find,” she said this week, her first on the job. “I see myself as a problem solver for people.”

Getting started has been a bit slow. This week, she tweeted an area of the mall where she was stationed and advised shoppers to stop by between 1 and 2:30 p.m. for a free appetizer coupon at P.F. Chang’s.

Nobody showed, she reported.

Nevertheless, she remains upbeat that her GURU mission will take hold.

Friday, the mall is hosting a meet and greet where she will talk about her shopping assignment. And she will be on hand when Santa arrives on Nov. 25.

As for Black Friday, Klein admitted it will be the first time ever that she will partake in the annual retail madness, which kicks off this year in many stores at 10 p.m. or midnight.

“I don’t know what time I’ll be there, but I will definitely be there early,” she said.

Check out her blog at www.towsontowncenterguru.com.

*****

TIDBITS: Towson University won five awards this month at the Building Congress and Exchange of Metropolitan Baltimore event. The awards included projects that highlighted woodworking, tile and metals. .. Baltimore County Executive Kevin Kamenetz announced this week that the county has once again earned a Triple A bond rating from the three major rating agencies, Fitch, Standard and Poor’s, and Moody’s Investment Service. … The exclusive, staid Elkridge Club on North Charles Street is embarking on an upgrade of its facilities, Citybizlist reported this week. Each of the 1,200 members could be asked to pony up $1,300 to help with the renovations that include new locker rooms, a gussied-up ballroom and new outdoor deck. … The Four Seasons Hotel officially opened this week with a pre-holiday celebration. The $200 million development is the city’s latest luxury digs. Chefs in the restaurant, Wit and Wisdom, report they are perfecting the art of comfort food, among other offerings on the menu. They have focused on a simple but elegant roasted chicken entrée, for which they want to be best known. … Across the Inner Harbor, another kind of comfort food will be offered at the new location of the local Grilled Cheese & Co. restaurant, to open this week near the Cross Street Market on South Charles Street. The menu includes an original “grilled to perfection” cheese sandwich for $4.99, a Kick’n BBQ Chicken sandwich for $6.99 and a Crabby Melt grilled cheese with crab claw meat for $7.49.

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The city of Annapolis found its way onto a Top 10 list recently, and it wasn’t for anything dealing with history or sailing.

Instead, as home to the U.S. Naval Academy, the city was deemed the tenth-most expensive college town in the United States. The designation came via Coldwell Banker’s 2011 College Home Listing Report.

“Annapolis (United States Naval Academy) ranks as the #10 most expensive college town in the nation, where an average three-bedroom, two-bathroom home costs $522,420,” the report states. “Comparably, the same size home in College Park (#26 most expensive, University of Maryland) averages at $257,107.”

Pricier abodes can be found in the hometowns of Boston College, University of Washington (Seattle) and the University of Hawaii (Honolulu). The most expensive college town in the U.S.? Westwood/Los Angeles, where the average three-bedroom home runs $1.27 million.

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Freeman Hrabowski’s innovative approach to education is what brought him in to The Daily Record for a Newsmakers interview in April.

But the University of Maryland, Baltimore County president grabbed a bit of a bigger spotlight Sunday evening, as he was interviewed by Byron Pitts on “60 Minutes.”

Pitts opened with a question that The Daily Record did not ask, but one that many may wonder: “How does a black man get a name ‘Hrabowski’?”

(Short answer: His grandfather’s grandfather was a Polish slavemaster in rural Alabama.)

The question wasn’t even finished by the time it was met with Hrabowski’s affable, hearty laugh.

Hrabowski and some UMBC students interviewed on the program affirmed his “It’s cool to be smart” mantra, which he also emphasized in The Daily Record’s office. He added, in both interviews, that he gets “goosebumps” from doing math.

But despite the slightly larger audience, Hrabowski’s message about education, and getting students interested in careers in science and math remained the same.

Watch the piece on “60 Minutes” below:

And below you can see Hrabowski’s Newsmakers interview from April:

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More troubles for the organizer of the Baltimore Grand Prix, another round of terminal shuffling at BWI and a drop in casino revenue were among the most-read business stories of the week. Baltimore’s newest hotel and a contentious hearing over a controversial East Baltimore redevelopment round out the Top 5:

1. Baltimore threatens to cut ties with Grand Prix organizer — by Nicholas Sohr

City officials to sever ties with the organizer of the Baltimore Grand Prix unless the company pays its bills and climbs out of the red and into profitability.

Baltimore Racing Development owes the city more than $1.5 million, according to city figures, and has been beset by lawsuits from unpaid vendors since the inaugural race over Labor Day weekend.

The threat from Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake to end the five-year contract four years early throws the future of the race into doubt even after Baltimore leaders continue to hail the event as a success.

2. AirTran moving terminals at BWI — by Nicholas Sohr

Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport will shuffle the locations of some of its air carriers next week and again in December to prepare for a $100 million expansion project slated to begin in the spring, officials announced Wednesday.

The changes at BWI will allow for the continued growth of Southwest Airlines Co. The low-fare carrier is already the dominant airline at Maryland’s airport and will take a 70 percent share of the market when it completes its acquisition of AirTran Airways next year.

3. EBDI leaders hit on job creation at hearing — by Melody Simmons

Former residents and job seekers from East Baltimore hammered at officials of East Baltimore Development Inc. on Wednesday about missed employment opportunities and delayed housing during a packed hearing in the City Council chamber on the controversial $1.8 billion redevelopment project, now in its second decade.

The two-hour investigative hearing, a continuation from a March 30 hearing called by Councilman Carl Stokes, drew a crowd of about 120 and was at times informative and contentious.

4. Four Seasons to add luster to Baltimore — by Melody Simmons

Inside the city’s newest luxury development, the Four Seasons Hotel Baltimore, many of the walls and chandeliers shine with an elegant gold luster. The floors are Turkish marble, hickory and black walnut. Modern art makes a bold statement and a stately grand staircase greets visitors near the front doors.

The $200 million Harbor East property is set to officially open Nov. 14, and teams of workers are busy preparing the site and putting up finishing touches on project where rooms and suites cost between $279 and $1,500 per night.

5. Casino revenue drops in October — by Nicholas Sohr

Maryland’s casinos brought in $12.9 million in October, a decrease of $1 million from the month before, according to figures released Monday by the Maryland State Lottery Agency.

Hollywood Casino Perryville accounted for $9.1 million, a 20 percent decline from October 2010. Casino officials have attributed that strong showing one year ago to the buzz surrounding the slots parlor in its first full month of operation.

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This week, the Greater Baltimore Board of Realtors announced that Dwayne Carte was hired as the new executive vice president of the 3,400-member nonprofit.

Carte, 47, is a Realtor and a national motivational speaker and business coach from Minneapolis. He will officially join the Lutherville office on Nov. 21, replacing Joseph T. “Jody” Landers III, who resigned in June to launch an unsuccessful bid for the Democratic nomination for Baltimore mayor.

This week, Carte called The Daily Record from the annual meeting of the National Association of Realtors in Anaheim, Calif., to talk about the new mission at GBBR.

Q: How do we help the Realtors take advantage of all opportunities out there?

A: We’re getting more signs of some economic recovery and buyer activity. And there are always new evolutions of technology that can serve the client better. We have to focus on how we can we get them in front of the Realtors faster, so they can better serve buyers and sellers. How do we take the trade association to help their business needs in a more timely fashion?

Q: What is your background?

Dwayne Carte

A: I’m from Minneapolis and have been a Realtor there for 10 years where I have also been a national trainer on real estate topics. I have been giving classes somewhere on real estate for 100 days a year [for Encore Seminars, his company] for many years. I’ve been teaching classes as well as consulting with business associations on how to improve the education of their organizations. Before that, I was in information technology for 15 years. I have never lived in Baltimore before, but I’ve been through Baltimore several times on business. I can tell you one of the most exciting things about Baltimore is the seafood and the water. I was born and raised in New Orleans, and it is wonderful that I can now live near water and have seafood, and be closer to more of a coastal climate. (For the record, Carte is a Saints fan).

Q: How will you help Realtors here weather the storm of the recession?

A: We have to. I remind folks that while it is larger than we can probably remember, it’s not our first time at this rodeo. We have been through foreclosure and short sale markets before, and the reality is the real estate will still balance out in a more favorable fashion than the stock market. This recession provides an opportunity for first-time homeowners and investors to buy at interest rates where they have never been before. Our job as a Realtors association is to make sure we know where all the hundreds of different programs — federal and private — are out there and help find solutions.

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If it’s the end of daylight-saving time, it’s budget time in Baltimore.

And with a projected $50 million budget shortfall for 2012, many in city government are already singing the blues.

That’s expected to be the case during two budget workshops scheduled for December and January with Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake announced Friday by City Hall officials.

(Rawlings-Blake, a Democrat, is expected to easily win her first, full term Tuesday when she faces Republican challenger Alfred V. Griffin III and write-in Republican candidate Steven H. Smith in the general election.)

The first workshop will be held on Dec. 14 at the American Brewery Building, 1701 N. Gay St., from 6-8 p.m. The second one will be Jan. 21 at Cylburn Arboretum’s Vollmer Center, 4915 Greenspring Ave., from 10 a.m until noon.

The workshops are described as hands-on — and likely will require the use of a red marking pen.

“The Mayor’s Budget Workshops provide an opportunity for citizens to roll up their sleeves,” a release from Rawlings-Blake’s office said. “The workshop will begin with a short presentation and Q&A about the City’s fiscal situation.  Participants will then complete a realistic budget balancing exercise: deciding which services to cut, and which ones to protect.”

After the cost-cutting exercises, the mayor will open up the floor to recommendations on how to craft her budget “at a time of unprecedented fiscal stress.”

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