Daily Record (Baltimore, MD) articles from April 2008

Daily Record (Baltimore, MD) archives from April 2008

Senate defeats Md. Gov. O'Malley's energy bill.
April 1, 2008... Byline: Andy Rosen A major piece of Gov. Martin O'Malley's energy reform package has failed in the Senate. The measure, (SB 268) which would have directed money from the sale of greenhouse gas emissions credits to energy efficiency...

Commentary: The Council protects children.
April 1, 2008... Byline: Editorial Advisory Board Note this date, for the Baltimore City Council has again earned approbation for its latest triumph: the Comprehensive Compassionate Child Protection ordinance. This first-in-the-nation ordinance combines...

Maryland Court of Special Appeals: Fired employees can sue prosecutor.
April 1, 2008... Byline: Christina Doran The Court of Special Appeals has revived a lawsuit brought by two former employees of the Caroline County State's Attorney's office who claimed they were fired for backing the losing candidate for state's attorney....

Maryland lawmakers narrow differences.
April 1, 2008... Byline: The Daily Record Staff Legislative negotiators decided Monday to cut $25 million from the state's Chesapeake Bay Fund for one year -- instead of two -- as Senate and House arbitrators inched toward resolving key differences in...

Giant, Safeway's Baltimore/D.C. workers to vote Tuesday on new contract.
April 1, 2008... Byline: Liz Farmer With the threat of a strike looming, the United Food and Commercial Workers union has reached a tentative contract agreement with Giant Food and Safeway, the region's largest supermarket chains, to be voted on Tuesday at...

As U of Md., Baltimore opens doors to BioPark Building Two, work already begun on Building Three.
April 1, 2008... Byline: Robbie Whelan The second research facility at the University of Maryland, Baltimore's BioPark opened its doors Monday to a diverse group of tenants, ranging from large biotech firms to community-oriented job training programs. ...

Maryland PSC probe found no improprieties between BGE, Constellation.
April 1, 2008... Byline: Andy Rosen A Public Service Commission investigation into the relationship between Constellation Energy Group Inc. and subsidiary Baltimore Gas & Electric Co. found nothing improper, the state's top power regulator told lawmakers...

Catonsville-based Erickson to aid move from house to community.
April 1, 2008... Byline: Robbie Whelan For some retired homeowners, the choice between maintaining one's house and moving to a retirement community or a continuing care facility depends on the messy details: selling the property, packing up, moving out....

17 sue Baltimore police over 'rogue' tactics.
April 1, 2008... Byline: Brendan Kearney Seventeen plaintiffs in a federal civil rights lawsuit filed Friday claim they were the victims of a special plainclothes unit of the Baltimore Police Department that repeatedly made arrests without good cause,...

Law students joust with record industry.
April 1, 2008... Byline: The Daily Record Staff A group of law students have set out to help other students accused of illegally downloading music. A new legal clinic at the University of San Francisco is matching tech-savvy law students with undergrads who...

Student honor code cribbed.
April 1, 2008... Byline: The Daily Record Staff Their goal was an honor code that discouraged cheating and plagiarizing. However, the wording in a draft by students at the University of Texas at San Antonio appears to match another school's code -- without...

Maryland correctional officials to plant trees.
April 1, 2008... Byline: The Daily Record Staff Employees from the state prison agency are scheduled Wednesday to plant more than 4,000 trees statewide. The Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services says the Arbor Day observance will launch a...

Tecore Networks selected for Alaska service.
April 1, 2008... Byline: The Daily Record Staff Tecore Networks Inc., of Columbia, a provider of turnkey wireless mobility networks, said Alaska Wireless, a wireless communications service provider serving the Dutch Harbor and Unalaska regions, has...

Chesapeake Bay islands to be restored.
April 1, 2008... Byline: The Daily Record Staff State and federal officials plan to use dredge material from the Chesapeake Bay's shipping channels to restore two more islands. The project is similar to ongoing work to restore Poplar Island in Talbot...

Edgewood-based Smiths Detection awarded contract by Dept. of Defense.
April 1, 2008... Byline: The Daily Record Staff Smiths Detection, of Edgewood, a maker of antiterrorism and security systems, said its military unit has been awarded a contract by the Department of Defense with potential total value of $75 million to...

Belcamp-based SafeNet Inc. names accounting exec.
April 1, 2008... Byline: The Daily Record Staff SafeNet Inc., of Belcamp, a provider of Internet security technology, said it named Mark C. Monroe as vice president, worldwide controller. In the post, Monroe will be responsible for managing SafeNet's...

Bethesda-based Kajeet Inc. unveils new GPS Phone.
April 1, 2008... Byline: The Daily Record Staff Kajeet Inc., of Bethesda, which offers pay-as-you-go cell phone service aimed at the "tween," or pre-teen, market, unveiled a new GPS Phone Locator service to help both children and parents find the kajeet...

Hackers attack Landover-based Epilepsy Foundation's online forum.
April 1, 2008... Byline: The Daily Record Staff The Epilepsy Foundation, based in Landover, said it experienced an attack by hackers on one of its online forums over the weekend of March 21-23. According to the foundation, an unknown person or persons...

Hanover-based Conmed Healthcare Management's net loss grows.(Financial report)
April 1, 2008... Byline: The Daily Record Staff Conmed Healthcare Management Inc., of Hanover, a provider of health care services for correctional institutions, reported a fourth-quarter net loss of $392,998 on revenue of $1.8 million, versus a net loss of...

Report hurts Maryland-based Jos. A. Bank's stock.
April 1, 2008... Byline: The Daily Record Staff Shares of Jos. A. Bank Clothiers Inc., of Hampstead, a maker of men's clothing, plummeted Monday as much as 14 percent in Nasdaq Stock Market trading after the financial publication Barron's said the...

Baltimore-based Vertis Communications sees profit vanish.(Financial report)
April 1, 2008... Byline: The Daily Record Staff Vertis Communications Inc., of Baltimore, a provider of targeted advertising, media and marketing services, reported that its fourth-quarter net loss was $257 million in 2007 compared to net income of $18.5...

News Summary - 4/02.
April 2, 2008... Byline: Staff and wire reports PharmAthene narrows loss PharmAthene Inc., of Annapolis, a biotechnology company developing a comprehensive array of countermeasures to bioterrorism, reported a net loss for the year ended Dec. 31, 2007,...

Giant and Safeway workers in Maryland and Washington metro area approve new 4-year contract.
April 2, 2008... Byline: Liz Farmer The threat of a strike is off the table for Giant Food and Safeway employees in the Maryland and Washington metro area after union members approved a new, four-year contract Tuesday that includes a moderate pay raise and...

Racial profiling case in Maryland awaits settlement approval.
April 2, 2008... Byline: Christina Doran The Board of Public Works will consider Wednesday whether to approve a settlement in a case alleging racial profiling by Maryland State Police officers. On the board's agenda is the approval of a settlement not...

Ex-wife who tried to have husband killed contests fees in Md. Court of Special Appeals.
April 2, 2008... Byline: Steve Lash The Court of Special Appeals heard arguments Tuesday that a woman who tried to have her then-estranged husband killed should not have to pay his attorneys' fees in the couple's child-custody case. Judge Joseph F....

Foreclosure reforms in Maryland near final passage.
April 2, 2008... Byline: Andy Rosen A wide-ranging package of mortgage foreclosure and financing reform bills is likely to make its way to Gov. Martin O'Malley's desk this week. The House and Senate are each adjusting new requirements related to the...

Annapolis-based PharmAthene narrows loss.(Financial report)
April 2, 2008... Byline: Daily Record Staff PharmAthene Inc., of Annapolis, a biotechnology company developing a comprehensive array of countermeasures to bioterrorism, reported a net loss for the year ended Dec. 31, 2007, of $13.6 million, or $1.88 per...

Silver Spring property sold.
April 2, 2008... Byline: Daily Record Staff Grubb & Ellis Realty Investors LLC announced the acquisition of TecHill I & II in Silver Spring on behalf of a private investor participating in the Grubb & Ellis Wealth Management program. ING Clarion Partners...

Mobile mortuaries ordered from Glenn Dale-based TVI Corp.
April 2, 2008... Byline: Daily Record Staff TVI Corp., of Glenn Dale, a maker of portable shelters for the military and first responders, said it received a $700,000 order to deliver two Human Remains Affairs systems to the U.S Army. TVI expects to fulfill...

Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center in Oxon Hill opens.
April 2, 2008... Byline: Maximilian Franz The 18-story atrium at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center in Oxon Hill, which opened for business Tuesday. The $870 million resort, the centerpiece of National Harbor, has 2,000 rooms and is being...

Bethesda-based USEC acquires Tenn. plant.
April 2, 2008... Byline: Daily Record Staff USEC Inc., of Bethesda, a global energy company that supplies enriched uranium fuel for commercial nuclear power plants, said it bought a uranium enrichment facility formerly operating by Boeing Co. in Oak Ridge,...

Help Food Bank in Maryland, eat for free.
April 2, 2008... Byline: Daily Record Staff Dunkin' Donuts and the Maryland Transit Administration have teamed up to help out the Maryland Food Bank. They are offering free Dunkin' Donuts' oven-toasted breakfast sandwiches and hash browns to people who...

University of Maryland's BioPark drawing home buyers west.
April 2, 2008... Byline: Robbie Whelan At the ceremony for the opening and groundbreaking for the University of Maryland, Baltimore's two new BioPark buildings, U.S. Rep. Elijah Cummings recalled serving on the association board of the nearby Poppleton...

Four Frederick County-based companies honored with tech achievement awards.
April 2, 2008... Byline: Daily Record Staff Four Frederick County-based companies have been recognized with awards by the Frederick County Network of the Technology Council of Maryland. They are: Akonni Biosystems, Small Business of the Year; Regent...

Population growth slows in Hagerstown metropolitan area.
April 2, 2008... Byline: Daily Record Staff The Hagerstown metropolitan area is Maryland's fastest growing, according to new data from the U.S. Census Bureau, despite a slowdown prompted in part by the sputtering national economy. The...

Commission sues unregistered trader from Lanham who lost $1.4M.
April 2, 2008... Byline: Brendan Kearney The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission has filed suit against a former drug dealer turned financial forecaster, alleging the Prince George's County man illegally solicited more than $1.4 million from...

Anne Arundel County, Annapolis Chamber of Commerce cancels seafood.
April 2, 2008... Byline: Daily Record Staff The Anne Arundel County and Annapolis Chamber of Commerce has canceled this year's Maryland Seafood Festival, saying the troubled economy would have reduced attendance and revenue more than 20 percent. Parking...

Hotel lobby upgrades planned in Bethesda.
April 2, 2008... Byline: Daily Record Staff Marriott International Inc., of Bethesda, a worldwide operator and franchisor of hotels and related lodging facilities, announced a plan to upgrade the lobbies of its Courtyard by Marriott hotel brand, unveiling...

Computer tax repeal in Maryland may pass.
April 2, 2008... Byline: Andy Rosen As Senate leaders worked late Tuesday to find a way to repeal the unpopular computer services tax, it became more apparent that the tax's projected revenue may be replaced with transportation spending cuts. In his...

Silver Spring-based Choice's mobile Web site.(Website overview)
April 2, 2008... Byline: Daily Record Staff Worldwide lodging franchisor Choice Hotels International, of Silver Spring, announced the launch of a mobile Web-enabled Choice Hotels Web site. Travelers can now access Choicehotels.com on any Web-enabled mobile...

Baltimore judge says no bail for father charged with drowning children.
April 2, 2008... Byline: Daily Record Staff A Baltimore judge has ordered a man held without bail after he told police he drowned his children in a hotel bathtub. Prosecutors say Judge Nathan Braverman also ordered Mark Castillo to be evaluated as suicide...

Decker named Maryland Court of Appeals clerk.
April 2, 2008... Byline: Daily Record Staff Bessie M. Decker, who since May 2007 has served as acting Clerk of the Maryland Court of Appeals, has been appointed as the permanent clerk. She succeeds Alexander L. Cummings, who retired after serving in the...

Former Md. educator to head law school group.
April 2, 2008... Byline: Daily Record Staff Former UCLA Law School Dean Susan Westerberg Prager has been named executive director and CEO of the Association of American Law Schools, the nation's principal representative of America's law schools and the...

News Summary - 4/03.
April 3, 2008... Byline: Staff and wire reports Under Armour's new partnership Under Armour Inc., of Baltimore, a manufacturer of athletic performance apparel, footwear and accessories, announced a five-year relationship with the Intercollegiate...

Tech tax killed by Md. Senate committee, replaced by a hike on wealthy and cuts.
April 3, 2008... Byline: Andy Rosen A measure is headed to the Senate floor that would replace a sales tax on computer services with a temporary personal income tax hike and a package of budget cuts. The Senate Budget and Taxation Committee voted 10-5...

2 steps forward, 1 step back; energy bills make slow progress in Md. Legislature.
April 3, 2008... Byline: Andy Rosen An energy package proposed by Gov. Martin O'Malley appeared back on track Wednesday after the Senate voted to reconsider a key part of the plan. A bill (SB 268) that determines how the state would spend the money it...

Franchisee sues Islamic investment bank for racial discrimination.
April 3, 2008... Byline: Brendan Kearney A Baltimore couple has filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against the Islamic investment bank that owns the Church's Chicken fast-food chain, alleging their franchise failed because the bank's strict adherence to...

4th Circuit revives workplace discrimination lawsuit.
April 3, 2008... Byline: Steve Lash The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has revived the workplace discrimination claim of a Muslim man who says he endured harassing taunts, such as being called "Taliban" and "towel head," while working at Sunbelt Rentals...

Rating agency keeping its eye on First Mariner Bancorp.
April 3, 2008... Byline: Danielle Ulman First Mariner Bancorp's risky loan portfolio and negative earnings could cause it to be among the financial institutions that collapse this year, according to a Frederick-based credit rating firm. First Mariner...

State of Maryland settles decade-old 'driving while black' lawsuit.
April 3, 2008... Byline: Danny Jacobs The Board of Public Works has approved a $400,000 settlement in a case of alleged racial profiling by the Maryland State Police, ending a lengthy legal battle that began almost 10 years ago. The state agreed to pay...

Baltimore-based Under Armour announces new partnership.
April 3, 2008... Byline: Daily Record Staff & Wire Reports Under Armour Inc., of Baltimore, a manufacturer of athletic performance apparel, footwear and accessories, announced a five-year relationship with the Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches...

EntreMed Inc. of Rockville to test new cancer drug.
April 3, 2008... Byline: Daily Record Staff & Wire Reports EntreMed Inc., of Rockville, a developer of treatments for cancer and inflammation, announced it has begun a Phase 1 continuous dosing study with its candidate drug MKC-1 in patients with advanced...

University of Maryland participates in survey about how U.S. is viewed abroad.
April 3, 2008... Byline: Daily Record Staff & Wire Reports A program at the University of Maryland participated in a survey of how people in other countries view the United States. According to the BBC World Service Poll, after years of becoming...

CoStar Group of Bethesda acquires Atlanta firm.
April 3, 2008... Byline: Daily Record Staff & Wire Reports CoStar Group, of Bethesda, a provider of information services to the commercial real estate industry, announced it has acquired the online commercial real estate information assets of First CLS Inc....

Sales rise for France-based Sodexho.(Financial report)
April 3, 2008... Byline: Daily Record Staff & Wire Reports Sodexho, the world's second-largest catering company, said first-half sales rose 3.8 percent after rugby fans bought travel packages for the sport's World Cup. Sales climbed to 7.08 billion euros...

Lockheed Martin Corp. of Bethesda gets U.K. contract.
April 3, 2008... Byline: Daily Record Staff & Wire Reports Lockheed Martin Corp., of Bethesda, the world's largest defense company, won a contract valued at 100 million pounds ($198.2 million) from the U.K. Ministry of Defence for a data system used to...

Loyola Blakefield in Towson names new principal.
April 3, 2008... Byline: Daily Record Staff & Wire Reports Loyola Blakefield, a Catholic college preparatory school in Towson, announced the appointment of Anthony I. Day as the new principal of the Upper School. Day is currently the assistant principal of...

Danish firm picks Crosby Marketing Communications of Annapolis.
April 3, 2008... Byline: Daily Record Staff & Wire Reports Crosby Marketing Communications, of Annapolis, announced that it has been selected by Denmark-based Pandora Jewelry to help build brand awareness and market share in the United States and Canada....

Montgomery County Council approves Sudan action.
April 3, 2008... Byline: Daily Record Staff & Wire Reports The Montgomery County Council unanimously adopted a measure to prohibit the Montgomery County Employees' Retirement System from investing in certain businesses conducting operations in the Republic...

Frostburg State University alumnus aids school.
April 3, 2008... Byline: Daily Record Staff & Wire Reports Frostburg State University said Barry Phillips, a 1969 graduate who is now a senior vice president with Bayer MaterialScience, helped arrange the donation of $225,000 in equipment and supplies to a...

Queen Anne's County deputy cleared in probe of Taser use.
April 3, 2008... Byline: Daily Record Staff & Wire Reports Queen Anne's County Sheriff R.G. Hofmann says an internal investigation has cleared Deputy Anthony Lenzi of any wrongdoing in the use of a Taser against a Kent Island High School student. In a...

Worcester County grand jury indicts man in murder of senior citizen.
April 3, 2008... Byline: Daily Record Staff & Wire Reports A Worcester County grand jury has indicted the suspect in the murder of an elderly Pocomoke City man. County State's Attorney Joel J. Todd announced the grand jury on Tuesday indicted 28-year-old...

Ocean City woman admits to felony theft charges.
April 3, 2008... Byline: Daily Record Staff & Wire Reports An Ocean City woman has pleaded guilty to stealing more than $19,000 from a homeowner's association she was hired to manage. Marsha Renfrow was the manager and treasurer of the Sundowner Park...

Commentary: The surest route to rate relief: Turn your switches off.
April 4, 2008... Byline: Karen Hosler Relief was the rallying cry in Annapolis this week as state officials sought to close the book on Maryland's ill-fated attempt at electricity deregulation. A $187 million settlement reached between Gov. Martin...

On the Move.
April 4, 2008... AWARDS Two Anne Arundel Community College faculty members have received top honors from the Maryland Distance Learning Association. Deborah V. Collins, associate professor and faculty coordinator of business management, received the...

Commentary: The pursuit of justice.
April 4, 2008... Byline: Steven I. Platt What are the differences in how the three candidates who have survived their respective political parties' nominating processes to this date would govern? That question is not as easily answered as we would think or...

Week in Review.
April 4, 2008... Byline: Staff and wire reports First Mariner rated low First Mariner Bancorp's risky loan portfolio and negative earnings could cause it to be among the financial institutions that collapse this year, according to a Frederick-based...

'Convenient care clinics' growing, but not all Maryland doctors like them.
April 4, 2008... Byline: Karen Buckelew At the end of the cat food aisle in Target Corp.'s Towson store, Miranda Collins toils away, evaluating sinus infections, dispensing vaccinations and measuring blood pressure. She's providing a new kind of...

Rising operating costs worry Maryland business owners.
April 4, 2008... Byline: Danielle Ulman The weekly cost of operating Mike Kostinsky's pizza shop, Sorrento of Arbutus, has increased by $1,000 since December. Kostinsky said inflation has caused the price of flour to double. Business is better than...

News Summary - 4/04.
April 4, 2008... Byline: Staff and wire reports Agreement bolsters Lentigen Lentigen Corp., of Baltimore, announced an exclusive licensing agreement with Cambridge Enterprise, the organization responsible for licensing technologies from the University...

Mortgage reform bill to require credit advice passes Maryalnd House.
April 4, 2008... Byline: Andy Rosen A mortgage reform bill passed by the House Thursday would require borrowers to get advice from a counselor or government agency before completing certain types of mortgages seen as especially risky. HB 944 directs...

Federal judge orders lien, bonds in Topeka, Kan.-based Westboro Baptist Church case.
April 4, 2008... Byline: Brendan Kearney In response to a motion to stay last November's multimillion dollar jury verdict against the Westboro Baptist Church pending appeal, a federal judge has placed a lien on the properties of the church and its founder,...

Maryland's top court debates victim notice requirement.
April 4, 2008... Byline: Caryn Tamber Hearing a key victims' rights case Thursday, the Court of Appeals seemed reluctant to endorse a trial judge's decision to vacate a sentence modification because the victim had not been notified of the modification...

New provisions could scuttle Maryland's deal with Constellation.
April 4, 2008... Byline: Andy Rosen The Senate Thursday evening attached new provisions to a bill to finalize the settlement of dueling lawsuits between Constellation Energy Group Inc. and the state of Maryland that could derail the $187 million deal. ...

Agreement bolsters Baltimore-based Lentigen Corp.
April 4, 2008... Byline: Daily Record Staff Lentigen Corp., of Baltimore, announced an exclusive licensing agreement with Cambridge Enterprise, the organization responsible for licensing technologies from the University of Cambridge (U.K.), for a...

Germantown-based WeatherBug announces Canadian partner.
April 4, 2008... Byline: Daily Record Staff WeatherBug, of Germantown, which operates the country's largest weather network, announced a partnership with Bayer CropScience Inc. Canada, to greatly expand the WeatherBug Canadian network of weather-monitoring...

Retirement offer in Frederick.
April 4, 2008... Byline: Daily Record Staff Elected officials in Frederick have decided to go forward with plans to offer early retirement to 70 city employees. City Budget Director Jon Angel expects more than half of the workers will accept the buyout...

Gaithersburg-based Iomai Corp and drug maker Merck work together.
April 4, 2008... Byline: Daily Record Staff Iomai Corp., of Gaithersburg, which develops vaccines and immune system stimulants that don't use needles, said it signed an agreement with drug maker Merck & Co. to conduct proof-of-principle preclinical studies...

Annapolis-based PharmAthene closes purchase.
April 4, 2008... Byline: Daily Record Staff PharmAthene Inc., of Annapolis, a biotechnology company developing a comprehensive array of countermeasures to bioterrorism, said it completed its previously announced purchase of the assets and intellectual...

Glenn Dale-based TVI gets Army order.
April 4, 2008... Byline: Daily Record Staff TVI Corp., of Glenn Dale, an international supplier of military and civilian emergency first-responder and first-receiver products, personal protection products, quick-erect shelter systems and event shelter and...

NIH grant for Gaithersburg-based GenVec.
April 4, 2008... Byline: Daily Record Staff GenVec Inc., of Gaithersburg, a biopharmaceutical company developing novel therapeutic drugs and vaccines, said it received a Small Business Innovation and Research grant from the National Institute of Allergy...

DRS Technologies' Gaithersburg unit tapped for Jordan work.
April 4, 2008... Byline: Daily Record Staff DRS Technologies Inc., of Parsippany, N.J., said it received an order from the U.S. Army to provide the Jordanian armed forces with a border security system for a section of Jordan's border. Details of the order,...

Most Maryland members practice pork politics in Congress.
April 4, 2008... Byline: Daily Record Staff All but one of Maryland's members of Congress rank in the top half of congressional earmark spenders, with Rep. Steny Hoyer coming in fifth in the House, a consumer watchdog group reported. Citizens Against...

Maryland bridge users get a break.
April 4, 2008... Byline: Daily Record Staff Regular users of the Thomas J. Hatem Bridge, which carries U.S. Route 40 over the Susquehanna River, will get a price break once work begins on a 3 1/2 year redecking project. Commuters traveling between Cecil...