Daily Record (Baltimore, MD) articles from April 2003

Daily Record (Baltimore, MD) archives from April 2003

Injured couple gets second chance to recover from insurance company.
April 1, 2003... Byline: Alisa Bralove A trial judge's failure to explain to a jury that recovering from an underinsured motorist's policy is not "double-dipping" gives a Baltimore County couple another chance to recover from their insurance company, the...

Court of Special Appeals reverses conviction in concealed weapon case.
April 1, 2003... Byline: Carolyn Magnuson A man who wore his Civil War-era pistol when he went to do a little banking in Elkton was improperly convicted of carrying a concealed deadly weapon, the Court of Special Appeals held yesterday. Although the...

Medicalliance splits to put focus on targeted groups.
April 1, 2003... Byline: Patrice Dickens The health care and pharmaceutical industries have been calling for separation of educational and promotional products. Columbia-based Medicalliance believes it has responded. Medicalliance President Susan E....

Technology coordinator for Maryland appointed.
April 1, 2003... Byline: Bobby White His job doesn't sound like it would be difficult, considering everyone involved believes in the same ideal. It's just that the state has not had a man in his position for some time. Christopher Foster has been...

MD may require 7.5% total electricity to come from renewable energy resources.
April 1, 2003... Byline: Andréa Cecil Maryland could require 7.5 percent of the total electricity generation in 2013 to come from renewable energy resources at little or no cost to consumers, according to an energy costs study. The analysis,...

Sweetheart Cup Co. hoping exchange offer successful.
April 1, 2003... Byline: Heather Coppley Owings Mills-based Sweetheart Cup Co., the 13th largest employer in Baltimore County, was uncertain as business drew to a close yesterday whether it had the right sort of luck as it watched the window on an extended...

Beltway Fine Wine and Spirits' antitrust challenge revived.
April 1, 2003... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports This news out of the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals should lift the spirits of TFWS Inc., better known as Beltway Fine Wine and Spirits: By a 3-0 decision, the appeals court revived Beltway's antitrust...

MD utilities insist power's in place for summer surge.
April 1, 2003... Byline: Zenitha Prince Marylanders need not worry about using their air conditioners this summer. Baltimore Gas and Electric Co., the state's largest energy provider, is promising a sufficient supply of electricity for its 1.1 million...

Court of Appeals remands case on 'synergy' between cigarette smoke, asbestos.
April 1, 2003... Byline: Peter Geier A series of cases filed by those who claim injury from the combined ill effects of cigarette smoke and exposure to asbestos products will go back to the trial court to explore that alleged "synergy," the Court of...

Environmental Elements mum as stock price surges.
April 1, 2003... Byline: Kathleen Johnston Jarboe Its stock had plunged 47 percent during the year and contracts were evaporating for Environmental Elements Corp., the Baltimore-based maker of air pollution control systems. It was during those last...

MD lawmakers still debating budget issues.
April 1, 2003... Byline: John O'Connor Squeezed around four eight-foot tables in a stuffy second-floor conference room, House and Senate conference committee members yesterday continued debating more than 110 differences in the two bodies' budget...

Iomai Corp. receives $2M in capital from American International Group.
April 1, 2003... Byline: Robyn Lamb Iomai Corp. received another $2 million in capital, making the vaccine-delivery technology developer one of the most well-funded young biotech companies in the state. The most recent chunk of money -- from...

Penn. firm's new window manufacturing facility uses MD facility's vinyl components.
April 1, 2003... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports A new vinyl window manufacturing facility in Lebanon, Indiana opened by CertainTeed Corp., of Valley Forge, Pa., a building products manufacturer, has a Maryland connection. The vinyl components of the...

BroadSoft Inc. signs cooperative agreement with Science Applications International.
April 1, 2003... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports BroadSoft Inc., a Gaithersburg-based provider of hosted communications platforms, signed a cooperative agreement with Science Applications International Corp., of San Diego, a provider of telecommunications...

MD Bankers Assn. seeking nominations for Financial Teacher of the Year award.
April 1, 2003... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports The Maryland Bankers Association is seeking nominations for its "Financial Teacher of the Year" award, honoring a Maryland teacher, from a public, private or parochial school in the state, who emphasizes the...

Safeway stores to make donation to Maryland Food Bank.
April 1, 2003... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports To combat the effects of hardship in the local economy, throughout April all Safeway food and drug stores are offering customers an opportunity to round out their grocery orders to the nearest dollar, with...

Premier Development & Investment announces 50-for-1 stock split.
April 1, 2003... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Premier Development & Investment Inc., a Frederick-based, publicly traded developer and operator of theme-based restaurant and bar concepts, announced a 50-for-1 forward stock split, payable on April 10 to...

Duratek Inc. lands contracts for nuclear utility on-site liquid waste processing.
April 1, 2003... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Duratek Inc., a Columbia-based company that treats hazardous, radioactive and other waste, said it has been awarded a number of new contracts for nuclear utility on-site liquid waste processing, as well as...

U.S. Census Bureau testing Internet, phone-in options.
April 1, 2003... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports The U.S. Census Bureau, which is testing Internet and phone-in options as alternative means of responding to the national census, is using systems developed by a team headed by Z-Tech Corp., a Rockville-based...

Florida-based investment trust buys nine senior living properties from Marriott.
April 1, 2003... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports In a related transaction, Sunrise Assisted Living's co-bidder, CNL Retirement Properties Inc., a real estate investment trust based in Orlando, Fla., acquired Marriott International Inc.'s nine remaining...

Anne Arundel Community College's info. security, cybercrime curricula to be certified.
April 1, 2003... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Anne Arundel Community College this month will become the first U.S. community college to have its curricula in information security and cybercrime certified as meeting National Training Standard for INFOSEC...

Chindex International reports 2002 net income of $259K.
April 1, 2003... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Chindex International Inc., a Bethesda-based company that sells health care products and services in China, reported 2002 net income of $259,000, or 30 cents per diluted share, on revenue of $70.6 million,...

Sunrise Assisted Living buys all outstanding stock of Marriott Senior Living Services.
April 1, 2003... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Sunrise Assisted Living Inc., of McLean, Va., the nation's largest provider of senior living services, completed the acquisition of all of the outstanding stock of Bethesda-based Marriott International Inc.'s...

Commentary: Invest with war, baby boomers, college in plans.
April 2, 2003... Byline: Julius Westheimer "As the single largest segment of the U.S. population, baby boomers wield enormous economic power," says Thomas Laning, chief stock strategist, Buffalo Fund family. "Companies that provide goods and services that...

Allfirst Financial becomes M&T Bank Corp., 204 laid off.
April 2, 2003... Byline: Kathleen Johnston Jarboe The signs at the banks will still read Allfirst. So will the monthly statements to customers. Allfirst checks and ATM cards will still work. But a less noticeable change for customers and outsiders...

Largest office lease this year goes to NSA contractor.
April 2, 2003... Byline: Ezra Fieser Underscoring the economic effect of the upsurge in government defense spending, San Diego-based Titan Corp. has signed the year's largest office deal in Central Maryland. Months after winning a seven-year, $533...

Union challenges U of MD College Park's possible layoffs.
April 2, 2003... Byline: Andréa Cecil University of Maryland College Park officials have not provided evidence to support claims that layoffs may become necessary due to fiscal belt tightening, according to the union representing some university...

Insurer off hook for worker's mistaken raise.
April 2, 2003... Byline: Peter Geier An insurer was under no obligation to reimburse an employer whose clerical error resulted in a $558-a-week assistant manager being overpaid more than $52,000 during the six short weeks he worked for the company, the...

House legislators pass bill allowing aggregation of home energy customers.
April 2, 2003... Byline: John O'Connor House legislators approved a bill yesterday that would allow counties and municipalities to pool residential power customers to negotiate for better utility rates. HB 24, which passed 93-42, would create a...

Baltimore County's efficiency project eyed on Capitol Hill.
April 2, 2003... Byline: Heather Coppley Rep. Dutch Ruppersberger, D-Md., yesterday donned his old county executive's hat to give testimony at a congressional hearing on one of his administration's most successful programs. In looking for ways to...

Teen wins chance to use Battered Child defense.
April 2, 2003... Byline: Carolyn Magnuson In an unreported decision, the Court of Special Appeals yesterday recognized Battered Child Syndrome as a legal defense and vacated the murder convictions of a Salisbury teen-ager who stabbed his father 22 times....

Court of Appeals overturns judgment on liquor pricing regulations, remands case for trial.
April 2, 2003... Byline: Lawrence Hurley It may have lost the latest round this week, but the State of Maryland is confident that a federal judge will find that its liquor pricing regulations are protected by the 21st Amendment when the antitrust case goes...

$50K grant awarded to aid victims of identity theft.
April 2, 2003... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports The Baltimore City state's attorney's office has been awarded a $50,000 grant by the Governor's Office of Crime Control and Prevention to aid victims of identity theft who seek to clear their name. The...

Gaithersburg-based BroadSoft working to revive telecom industry.
April 2, 2003... Byline: Bobby White The slow demise of the telecommunications industry has been widely noted. Taking a lesson from past bankruptcies and closures, along with expert analysis, it's understandable for one to reach the conclusion that rigor...

Federal Realty Investment Trust buys South Valley Shopping Center, Mt. Vernon Plaza.
April 2, 2003... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Federal Realty Investment Trust, a Rockville-based real estate investment trust, bought South Valley Shopping Center and Mount Vernon Plaza, adjacent shopping centers in Fairfax County, Va. South Valley was...

RegeneRx Biopharmaceuticals reports net loss for 2002 of $1.4M.
April 2, 2003... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Bethesda-based RegeneRx Biopharmaceuticals Inc. reported a net loss for 2002 of $1.4 million, or 5 cents per diluted share, versus a net loss of $150,600, or 1 cent per diluted share, in the prior year. The...

American Capital Strategies invests $50M in Vigo Remittance Corp.
April 2, 2003... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports American Capital Strategies Ltd., of Bethesda, a publicly traded specialty finance firm, said it invested $50 million in Vigo Remittance Corp., a worldwide electronic funds transfer service firm based in...

Nat'l Institute of Mental Health launches media campaign on depression among men.
April 2, 2003... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports The National Institute of Mental Health, part of the Bethesda-based National Institutes of Health, launched the first national media campaign to raise awareness that depression among men is a major public...

American Community Properties reports net income of 2002 of $3.7M.
April 2, 2003... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports American Community Properties Trust, a St. Charles-based diversified real estate organization, reported net income in 2002 of $3.7 million, or 71 cents per diluted share, on revenue of $39.3 million, compared...

Magellan Behavioral Health makes revised guidelines available to health care industry.
April 2, 2003... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Columbia-based Magellan Behavioral Health is making its newly revised "Clinical Practice Guideline for Assessing and Managing the Suicidal Patient" available to all health care practitioners via its provider...

WorldTeq Group International unveils new financial services product.
April 2, 2003... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports WorldTeq Group International Inc., a Rockville-based company that provides telecommunications and Internet services, unveiled its "Stored Value" MonEcard, a financial services product targeted at people who...

IntelliTrack Inc. acquires Baltimore-based RioScan Inc.
April 2, 2003... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports IntelliTrack Inc., of Hunt Valley, a manufacturer of barcode-based data collection software, acquired Baltimore-based RioScan Inc., a prepackaged software manufacturer, for an undisclosed price. RioScan's...

AmeriDream launches interactive online home buying course.
April 2, 2003... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports AmeriDream Inc., a Gaithersburg-based nonprofit that works to expand home ownership opportunities for underserved groups, launched an interactive online home buying course, available at its Web site...

Researchers announce progress in search for drugs to fight HIV virus.
April 2, 2003... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Researchers from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute lab at the University of Maryland Baltimore County and New Haven, Conn.-based Achillion Pharmaceuticals announced the discovery of a new target on the HIV...

Washington Gas Light Co. applies to increase rates in MD.
April 2, 2003... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Washington Gas Light Co. has filed an application with the Maryland Public Service Commission to increase rates in Maryland. If approved, the average Maryland customer's overall natural gas bill would rise by...

Cirque du Soleil performs Dralion show in Baltimore.
April 3, 2003... Byline: Nancy Kercheval Sylvie Galarneau kids around while the photographer decides on the perfect pose. She kicks her leg up over a railing, creating an angle greater than 90 degrees with her leg still planted on the ground. She's in...

U of Md. Biotech Institute lands state grant.
April 3, 2003... Byline: Bobby White When compared to better-known research institutions in the state, the University of Maryland Biotechnology Institute is comparable to a background singer, adding texture and range to a song, but far less well known than...

Minority business gains is focus of group, grant.
April 3, 2003... Byline: Robyn Lamb A $600,000 federal grant to the Prince George's Economic Development Corp. will fund the formation of a Washington area committee to help minority entrepreneurs thrive. The three-year grant from the U.S. Department...

Renovation turns former Sam's Club into Social Security Admin. building.
April 3, 2003... Byline: Heather Coppley A former Sam's Club in Woodlawn has begun a new life as a Class A office building for the Social Security Administration. Towson-based NAI KLNB oversaw the $8.5 million project and Glen Arm Construction Co.,...

Baltimore's first tax increment financing to go to Inner Harbor developer.
April 3, 2003... Byline: Ezra Fieser A developer planning to erect 88 upscale townhouses on the south shore of Baltimore's Inner Harbor will be the first recipient of tax increment financing from the city, under an agreement approved yesterday by the Board...

Maryland to aid Bethlehem Steel pensioners.
April 3, 2003... Byline: John O'Connor The General Assembly will likely approve new health care coverage that Bethlehem Steel Corp.'s employees and pensioners lost after the company declared bankruptcy. "You can walk away from here fairly...

Workers' comp lawyers see first pay raise in 15 years.
April 3, 2003... Byline: Carolyn Magnuson For the first time since 1988, lawyers who handle workers' compensation cases in Maryland have gotten a pay raise. "I think it's fair," said Rockville lawyer Bruce Bender, who represents injured workers. "It's...

UMBC faculty-student team claims breakthrough in HIV research.
April 3, 2003... Byline: Patrice Dickens The University of Maryland Baltimore County is celebrating the discovery of a new target on the HIV molecule, but university officials say there is more success where that came from. "We anticipate more to come...

New software aims to halt corporate crooks.
April 3, 2003... Byline: Bobby White The seemingly continuous executive malfeasance brought a wave of public outcry for federal regulators to address white-collar crime. No greater example could be found locally than that of John M. Rusnak, the rogue...

Monroe County will get another chance to defend gun show law.
April 3, 2003... Byline: Peter Geier Montgomery County will get another chance to defend a law that keeps county-funded facilities from hosting gun shows, thanks to the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. A federal judge in Baltimore should not have...

Baltimore-based Spur Design lands six new accounts.
April 3, 2003... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Baltimore-based Spur Design, a graphic, design and illustration company, picked up six new accounts. They are the National Academy of Sciences, based in Washington; Ripken Baseball, of Lutherville; Baltimore...

Board of Estimates approves $300K loan to Santoni's Supermarket.
April 3, 2003... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports The Board of Estimates approved a $300,000 loan to Santoni's Supermarket through the Baltimore Development Corp. to aid the $2.4 million expansion of its store at 3800 E. Lombard St. in Highlandtown....

Jos. A. Bank Clothiers opens 10 new stores.
April 3, 2003... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Fast-growing menswear retailer Jos. A. Bank Clothiers Inc., of Hampstead, said it opened 10 new stores in the first quarter of 2003 as part of its plan to open approximately 50 new stores in 2003, and to grow...

NFR Security unveils new version of flagship network intrusion detection system.
April 3, 2003... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Rockville-based NFR Security Inc., which develops and markets information security products that protect IT assets from external and internal attacks, unveiled NFR NID v3.2, the latest version of its flagship...

Ace*Comm Corp. to list stock on Nasdaq SmallCap Market.
April 3, 2003... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Ace*Comm Corp., a Gaithersburg-based telecommunications and Internet service company, is listing its stock on the Nasdaq SmallCap Market, a step down from the listing on the Nasdaq National Market where the...

Acrodyne Industries reports net income in 2002 of $389, 628.
April 3, 2003... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Acrodyne Industries Inc., of Cockeysville, which manufactures TV broadcast transmitters, reported net income in 2002 of $389,628, or 5 cents per share, on revenue of $26 million, compared to a net loss of...

Visual Networks doesn't expect to meet analysts' levels of revenue.
April 3, 2003... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Rockville-based Visual Networks Inc., a provider of wide area network management systems, said it will not meet analysts' consensus levels of revenue or earnings for the first quarter of 2003. Analysts...

W.R. Grace & Co. completes renewal, extension of credit facility.
April 3, 2003... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports W.R. Grace & Co., of Columbia, a specialty chemicals company that is presently in bankruptcy, said it completed the renewal and extension of its $250 million debtor-in-possession credit facility with a...

Humphrey Hospitality Trust reports financial results for 2002.
April 3, 2003... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Humphrey Hospitality Trust Inc., of Columbia, a real estate investment trust that owns 81 limited-service hotels, reported its financial results for 2002. Funds from operations, a key measure of a REIT's...

GeneLogic Inc. completes acquisition of TherImmune Research Corp.
April 3, 2003... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Gaithersburg-based GeneLogic Inc., a provider of biological information related to gene activity in human disease and toxicity, completed its acquisition of TherImmune Research Corp., also of Gaithersburg, a...

NexTone Communications partnering with Spanish technology holding company.
April 3, 2003... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports NexTone Communications Inc., a Rockville-based provider of advanced telecommunications network systems, is partnering with SATEC, a Spanish technology holding company, to distribute NexTone's products in...

Historic Preservation Tax Credits for commercial property may be eliminated.
April 4, 2003... Byline: Ezra Fieser Derick and Kendra Ausby about emptied their savings account to buy and renovate two aging Baltimore City buildings. In 1999, after paying for three years of work out of their pockets, the Ausbys moved into the Park...

Sweetheart gets another year to repay or refinance debt; unit sale considered.
April 4, 2003... Byline: Heather Coppley The implication of jumping out of the fire and into the pan is clear but is the landing any kinder when in a paper cup? It seemed to be so for Owings Mills-based Sweetheart Cup Co. when it announced the successful...

Gene, protein analysis company Marligen Biosciences growing up.
April 4, 2003... Byline: Patrice Dickens Sherry S. Challberg is making her mark on the bioscience industry. In a field were there are very few women in top-ranking positions, she is founder, president and chief executive officer of Ijamsville-based...

Proposed Montgomery County community gets boost from County Council.
April 4, 2003... Byline: Robyn Lamb The recently approved creation of a special tax district for a new Clarksburg community means $17 million worth of infrastructure may get built sooner rather than later. Last month, the Montgomery County Council...

Life after death of slots bill.
April 4, 2003... Byline: John O'Connor With the approach of Monday's deadline for the General Assembly to complete its session with a balanced budget, legislative leaders and Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich yesterday said they have no plans to hold the budget...

Top court hears death penalty case.
April 4, 2003... Byline: Lawrence Hurley Maryland's death penalty is unconstitutional in the light of a recent Supreme Court decision, lawyers for death row inmate John Albert Miller IV told the Court of Appeals yesterday. Assistant Public Defender...

MD atty. general to Philip Morris: Pay on time, or we'll sue.
April 4, 2003... Byline: Carolyn Magnuson Maryland Attorney General J. Joseph Curran Jr. and his counterparts throughout the country are preparing to deliver notice to cigarette manufacturer Philip Morris USA: Pay on time, or suffer the consequences. ...

Bank of America seeks fees in FCRA suit.
April 4, 2003... Byline: Peter Geier Bank of America is asking a federal judge in Baltimore to award up to $70,000 in fees incurred as a result of "the bad faith acts" of counsel for plaintiffs who accused the bank and its codefendants of improperly...

Baltimore jury awards $2.6M to widow in mesothelioma suit.
April 4, 2003... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports A Baltimore City Circuit Court jury yesterday awarded $2.6 million to the widow and estate of Harry Hunter at the conclusion of a four-week trial against Owens-Illinois Inc. Hunter, a former summer employee...

Rockville firm introduces Computerized Physician Order Entry application.
April 4, 2003... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Rockville-based DrFirst Inc. introduced the Computerized Physician Order Entry application, giving physicians an inpatient medication-ordering tool in the hospital, combined with outpatient e-prescribing...

Gov. Ehrlich makes appointment to tech. development commission.
April 4, 2003... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Frank A. Adams, managing general partner and founding partner of Grotech Capital Group, a Timonium-based venture capital fund, has been named to the Governor's Commission on the Development of Advanced...

Bid4Assets Inc. to auction 165 tax-defaulted properties April 7-11.
April 4, 2003... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Bid4Assets Inc., a Silver Spring-based online auction site, will auction 165 tax-defaulted properties for Elko County, Nev., April 7-11 on its Web site, www.bid4assets.com. The properties offered for sale are...

U.S. News & World Report ranks Johns Hopkins is best grad schools list.
April 4, 2003... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports U.S. News & World Report's annual ranking of the nation's best graduate schools placed the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine at number two in its field for the 13th straight year, tied with...

Alabanza Corp. to hold grand opening for new headquarters.
April 4, 2003... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Alabanza Corp., a Baltimore-based provider of Web hosting automation software and services, is holding grand opening ceremonies today for its new headquarters and data center at 10 E. Baltimore St. in...

Biotech showcase planned for April 15.
April 4, 2003... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports "Bioscience for Today and Beyond: Innovative Technologies for a Growing World," a full-day showcase of cutting-edge technologies that are ready for commercialization by businesses and entrepreneurs, will be...

Tech. Council of MD assisting Global Innovation Competition.
April 4, 2003... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports The Technology Council of Maryland is assisting the Global Innovation Competition sponsored by the World Bank's Development Marketplace, which in 2003 will award some $4 million in grants, ranging from...

Sinclair Broadcast Group revises estimated net broadcast revenue.
April 4, 2003... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Sinclair Broadcast Group Inc., of Baltimore, revised downward its estimated net broadcast revenue for the first quarter to approximately $152 million to $152.3 million, a 5.1 percent to 5.4 percent increase...

USEC Inc. ranks among best publicly traded cos. in corp. governance practices.
April 4, 2003... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports USEC Inc., a Bethesda-based global energy company, ranks among the best of America's publicly traded companies in its corporate governance practices, according to Rockville-based Institutional Shareholder...