Daily Record (Baltimore, MD) articles from August 2003

Daily Record (Baltimore, MD) archives from August 2003

Md. Leading Index registers third consecutive monthly increase; housing up, employment down.
August 1, 2003... Byline: John Hopkins The RESI Maryland Leading Index registered its third consecutive monthly increase in May, rising to 152.52 from April's revised level of 151.57 and posting a 0.6 percent increase. May's performance follows an...

Commentary: Honda introduces robot capable of human motion.
August 1, 2003... Byline: Larry Fiorino After 16 years of development, Honda Corp. is introducing ASIMO to school children around the United States this year. ASIMO is the product of Honda's desire to create a humanoid robot that can reproduce the...

Commentary: MoneyWi$e - Why does this downturn feel so horrible?
August 1, 2003... Byline: Julius Westheimer Financial food for thought as we enter a new month "The dividend floodgates are open," says Money magazine. "May's tax cuts will push dividends much higher. Indeed, June's first 10 dividend increases alone boost...

Constellation Energy takes over sponsorship of PGA Champions Tour.
August 1, 2003... Byline: Daily Record Staff Business Writer Professional golf will return to Maryland this September, but not much will be the same besides the standard 18 holes. Constellation Energy has saved an annual PGA Champions Tour event from leaving...

Hispanic 'work in progress' sets inauguration date.
August 1, 2003... Byline: Robyn Lamb After a period of fits and starts, a chamber of commerce for Prince George's County's growing Hispanic business community is on the horizon.A board has been chosen, 10 members recruited and an inaugural reception planned...

BWI concession 'vision' sees some unfriendly skies.
August 1, 2003... Byline: Andrea Cecil A group of Maryland Aviation Administration officials had a vision a dream to transform concessions and retail at Baltimore/Washington International Airport into an attraction of sorts where there would be a variety of...

Viewing a Hollywood film through the eyes of IMAX.
August 1, 2003... Byline: Daily Record Staff Business Writer As Hollywood blockbusters sweep up audiences and rake in dollars, institutional IMAX theater directors are forced to decide whether or not to join in the mainstream film fun."We have a certain...

Balto. County bill corrects gap between letter and intent of law.
August 1, 2003... Byline: Heather Coppley It is the sort of debate for seminaries, mosques and yeshivas: the spirit versus the letter of the law. It is not the sort of debate Baltimore County Councilman Vincent J. Gardina expected to have over his Honeygo...

New bells and whistles for navigating the seas.
August 1, 2003... Byline: Kathleen Johnston Jarboe Like many of the boat rides aboard the brand new, four-level Sperry Star III, the attention isn't on the passing landmarks huddling on Baltimore's shores. Instead a throng of reporters cluster inside a...

Commentary: Book offers attorneys tips on dealing with the media.
August 1, 2003... Byline: Paul Mark Sandler According to the 19th century British historian Thomas Carlyle, it was the statesman Edmund Burke who coined the term "the Fourth Estate." Addressing the House of Commons, "Burke said that there were three Estates...

Commentary: Manners and etiquette are important skills.
August 1, 2003... Byline: Neil R. G. Young, CLU, ChFC Mark Euga owns a company called Mark's Doghouse Training. People who have worked with him have told me that he has had phenomenal success working with high-strung dogs you know the kind, they're the...

Commentary: Co-management comes under scrutiny.
August 1, 2003... Byline: Robin J. Siegel, Esq. Co-management of patient care has been targeted by the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (OIG), as a potential illegal kickback. Co-management occurs when a surgical...

Dawson family murders make it more difficult to get activists involved.
August 1, 2003... Byline: Lawrence Hurley Far away from the frontline of the war on drugs, off the radar and TV screens, a cadre of lawyers who battle drug dealers via low-profile civil complaints in state district court are desperate to hang on to the...

'Whoa That's Lo!' caters to low-carb shoppers.
August 1, 2003... Byline: Robyn Lamb Curtis Price can make a bagel with jelly that packs a paltry eight grams of carbohydrates. To most people that means nothing, but to a growing number of carb counters following countless diets that rebuff carbohydrates...

Gahagan, court reporting expert, dies at 47.
August 1, 2003... Byline: Daily Record Staff Legal Affairs Writer Bonnie De Carlo Gahagan, an expert in the field of court reporting, will be laid to rest this morning following her death from cancer on Monday. The Parkton resident was 47 years old.Employed...

Entrepreneur wants a perception of 'down and dirty' bargain.
August 1, 2003... Byline: John O'Connor Richard Forman noticed an immediate problem as he surveyed his gleaming new store for the first time."We've got to dirty this place up," he said only half-kidding. "This is not a Forman Mills."A former Kmart, the...

Billing insert not sufficient notice of change, state's top court affirms.
August 1, 2003... Byline: Lawrence Hurley Satellite television provider DirecTV has failed to persuade the state's highest court that a billing insert was adequate written notice that it was adding an arbitration clause to its agreement with customers. The...

Baltimore atty. elected to term on Nat'l Assn. of Criminal Defense Lawyers.
August 1, 2003... Byline: Lawrence Hurley Prominent Baltimore attorney and former circuit court judge William H. "Billy" Murphy Jr. has been elected to serve a three-year term on the board of directors of the National Association of Criminal Defense...

Hearing scheduled on conditions in Baltimore's Women's Detention Center.
August 1, 2003... Byline: Peter Geier A federal judge in Baltimore has scheduled a hearing on enforcement of last August's consent order concerning temperature and humidity conditions in Baltimore's Women's Detention Center.Elizabeth Alexander, director of...

Massive vacancies vexing for shopping center landlords.
August 1, 2003... Byline: Ezra Fieser When the Lord & Taylor department store closes its doors in White Marsh, the shopping center will be the third Baltimore County mall with a vacant anchor site. Anchor stores, usually department stores, are the largest...

The Daily Record announces 'Innovator of the Year Award' winners.
August 1, 2003... Byline: Daily Record Staff Business Writer The Daily Record today announced the finalists in the second annual "Innovator of the Year Awards" competition, which seeks out and recognizes Maryland residents and companies who have introduced...

Injury suit against The Upper Deck settled.
August 1, 2003... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Eugene Balbierz, who claimed that a television set on a shelf over the door in The Upper Deck on South Eutaw Street in Baltimore fell, knocked him to the ground and severely gashed his head in February 2000,...

Castle to be centerpiece of Baltimore Co. project.
August 1, 2003... Byline: Heather Coppley The 1876 Castle Calder in rural North Baltimore County is to become the centerpiece in a 15-home development.Owings Mills-based Ellwood Building Corp.'s plans yesterday passed the scrutiny of numerous county...

The White House Inc. merges with Chico's FAS Inc.
August 1, 2003... Byline: Patrice Dickens A young black and white married a middle-aged color yesterday and walked away with a dowry of $90 million in cash and stock and executive positions in the new union.The White House Inc., a privately held Glen...

Are all women equal?
August 1, 2003... Byline: Andrea Cecil Barbara King can offer you everything from Web site hosting, to business and technology assessment to database design and maintenance through her computer network and consulting services company.But as a female...

Avatech Solutions signs distribution agreement with Dassault Systemes.
August 1, 2003... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Owings Mills-based Avatech Solutions Inc., a supplier of design automation tools, signed a distribution agreement with Paris-based Dassault Systemes, enabling Avatech to expand its North American operations.

CB Richard Ellis handles sale of bulk/distribution building.
August 1, 2003... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports CB Richard Ellis' Institutional Group, Private Client Group and Baltimore Brokerage Services Group handled the sale of a 150,500-square-foot bulk/distribution building in the Baltimore Commons Business Park,...

Glen Burnie Bancorp reports net income.
August 1, 2003... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Glen Burnie Bancorp, parent company of The Bank of Glen Burnie, reported second-quarter net income of $733,000, or 44 cents per share, compared to net income of $587,000, or 35 cents per share, for the same...

Gov. Ehrlich names new regent of Univ. System of MD.
August 1, 2003... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. named Baltimore attorney A. Dwight Pettit, 57, as a regent of the University System of Maryland until July 2005, replacing Nathan A. Chapman Jr., the former board chairman who...

GenVec Inc. cuts loss.
August 1, 2003... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports GenVec Inc., a Gaithersburg-based biopharmaceutical company that develops gene-based medicines, reported a second-quarter net loss of $6 million, or 26 cents per diluted share, on revenue of $2.5 million,...

Allegheny Energy to sell land.
August 1, 2003... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports A subsidiary of Hagerstown-based Allegheny Energy Inc., agreed to sell to West Virginia about 1,100 acres of land located along the Cheat River in Monongalia County, W.Va. The property will be sold to The...

Constellation Energy reports net income of $96.8M.
August 1, 2003... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Constellation Energy Group, of Baltimore, reported second-quarter net income of $96.8 million, or 58 cents per diluted share, on revenue of $2.3 billion, versus net income of $81.3 million, or 50 cents per...

Commentary: Future LPGA stars come to the area.
August 2, 2003... Byline: Jane Conover Regents' Glen Country Club in York, Pa., will host the 17th annual York Newspaper Co. (YNC) FUTURES Classic from Aug. 15-17. The purse is expected to stand at $75,000, the second largest on the FUTURES Golf Tour this...

Md. Technology Development Corp. to hold briefing about use of TEDCO's capital programs.
August 2, 2003... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports The Maryland Technology Development Corp. will hold a 11/2-hour informational briefing on Aug. 8 at 2 p.m. at its Columbia headquarters to teach businesses how to use one of TEDCO's capital programs in order...

Md. homeowners asked to nominate their contractor for 2003 Remodeler of the Year Award.
August 2, 2003... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Maryland home owners who hired a state-licensed contractor for a home improvement project in 2003 are being asked to nominate their contractor for a 2003 Remodeler of the Year Award given by the Maryland...

Atlanta-based The Music Network to close 36 stores nationwide.
August 2, 2003... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports The Music Network, an Atlanta-based company that is in bankruptcy proceedings, announced it will close 36 stores nationwide, including three in Maryland, liquidating their contents of music CDs, DVDs,...

Baltimore Museum of Industry to receive $25,000 donation from Bank of America Foundation.
August 2, 2003... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports The Baltimore Museum of Industry will receive a $25,000 donation from the Bank of America Foundation. The grant will be used to support a program on Saturday Family Fun Days that allows children to be admitted...

Reisterstown-Owings Mills-Glyndon Chamber of Commerce to hold networking session.
August 2, 2003... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports The Reisterstown-Owings Mills-Glyndon Chamber of Commerce is holding a Brown Bag Lunch Club networking session on Aug. 19 from noon to 1 p.m. at the office of the Arthritis Foundation of Maryland, 9505...

MD.-based Perdue Farms, a three-generation, family-owned business, excels in poultry production.
August 4, 2003... Byline: Daily Record Staff Business Writer "It takes a tough man to make a tender chicken." That simple phrase helped immortalize Frank Perdue and made the Perdue brand name a culinary icon in every American home. He may have had all the...

4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to hear dispute over waiver of Rule 11 sanctions.
August 4, 2003... Byline: Barbara Grzincic Vacating a panel decision entered just three weeks earlier, the full 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has decided to hear a dispute over waiver of Rule 11 sanctions and, perhaps, to resolve the contradiction...

Baltimore Zoo president and former Piper Rudnick partner puts the zoo on stronger financial footing.
August 4, 2003... Byline: Daily Record Staff Business Writer Law school didn't teach Billie Grieb how to feed a slobbering giraffe. But that's one of the things the Baltimore Zoo president and former Piper Rudnick partner does when she finds the time to...

Md. Court of Appeals rules owner of unrestricted lot can seek to enforce covenants against neighbor.
August 4, 2003... Byline: Peter Geier Good fences may make good neighbors, but in upper Montgomery County some neighborly "fencing" led to a legal duel that invoked a recondite doctrine of real estate law in a novel way in Maryland.The doctrine of implied...

Commentary: How to get better yields on cash holdings.
August 4, 2003... Byline: Dena Shapiro Frenkel Have you checked your bank statement lately? If so, you may have noticed that your savings account probably isn't providing a very good return on your investment these days. With the Federal Reserve Bank...

Md. Legal Briefs: August 4, 2003.
August 4, 2003... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Insurance charge filedCharges of insurance fraud have been lodged against Keith Lowe, 29, of Catonsville, according to the Maryland Attorney General's office. Lowe was charged in a one-count criminal...

Md. Court of Appeals rules partnership can claim losses incurred on Circuit City lease default.
August 4, 2003... Byline: Lawrence Hurley Rockville Pike Joint Venture LP in Montgomery County is entitled to claim losses incurred when Circuit City defaulted on a lease, but it also has an obligation to mitigate the damages, the Court of Appeals has...

M&T Bank pays $75 million for naming rights to Baltimore Ravens stadium.
August 4, 2003... Byline: Nancy Kercheval When the Baltimore Ravens open the preseason Saturday against the Buffalo Bills, the home team will be playing under a new M&T Bank Stadium shield ironically representing the opponent's hometown bank, which paid...

Two Md. filmmakers have plans to make three pictures, all of which will be shot in state.
August 4, 2003... Byline: Robyn Lamb Two Maryland filmmakers have plans to make Baltimore the backdrop of their upcoming film, but funding for the movie, which could cost $60 million to make, is not yet secure. Producer Gary DeMoss of Silver Spring-based...

Md.'s Angels and Eggs forum connects startup companies in incubators with investors.
August 4, 2003... Byline: Patrice Dickens With the downturn in the economy, finding funding sources for the state's more than 130 incubator companies remains a challenge. But state officials are ramping up efforts to get more investors at this year's Angels...

Columbia-based Corporate Office Properties Trust's stock downgraded,.
August 4, 2003... Byline: Ezra Fieser Citing a low dividend yield, Corporate Office Properties Trust's stock was downgraded Friday, a day after the real estate owner said its earnings beat analysts' expectations.Pointing to the Columbia-based real estate...

Martha Connolly to head Maryland Industrial Partnerships program.
August 4, 2003... Byline: Bobby White Martha Connolly has been named the new director of the Maryland Industrial Partnerships (MIPS) program. The program facilitates commercialization of technology in the state by offering funds for collaborative research...

Bethesda-based Lockheed Martin and Dallas-based ACS Inc. agree to cross-purchase business segments.
August 4, 2003... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Bethesda-based defense giant Lockheed Martin Corp. and Dallas-based ACS Inc., a provider of business and technology outsourcing services, have agreed to cross-purchase business segments. Lockheed Martin will...

Baltimore-based 1st Mariner Bank announces promotions of three employees.
August 4, 2003... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Baltimore-based 1st Mariner Bank promoted employees Chris A. Hopkins, Jennifer F. Dennison and Kathy Szeliga to assistant vice president positions. Hopkins will serve in the bank's commercial handling...

Frederick-based Aircraft Owners and Pilots Assn. signs up member number 400,000.
August 4, 2003... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, of Frederick, the world's largest civil aviation organization, has signed up member number 400,000, a milestone hailed by President Phil Boyer. "[T]he regulators...

The Md. Technology Development Corp. awards three grants.
August 4, 2003... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports The Maryland Technology Development Corp. awarded three Maryland companies $50,000 grants from its Maryland Technology Transfer Fund to develop technology from Maryland-based federal laboratories. The...

Germantown-based Microlog Corp. opens new offices in New Jersey, Atlanta, and Dallas.
August 4, 2003... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Microlog Corp., of Germantown, which designs interactive communications software, opened three new sales and service offices in New Jersey, Atlanta and Dallas.

New Residence Inn Baltimore White Marsh by Marriott scheduled to open in Sept.
August 4, 2003... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports The 131-suite Residence Inn by Marriott in White Marsh is scheduled to open on Sept. 15. The Residence Inn Baltimore White Marsh will operate as a Marriott franchise, owned and managed by Skye Hospitality...

Parent-child immunity won't bar tort claim.
August 5, 2003... Byline: Ann Parks Allstate Insurance Company must pay a father's claim for liability coverage for injuries sustained by his child in an automobile-related incident, the Court of Appeals has held.The top court held that an October 2001 law...

Credit index sees storm clouds on economic horizon.
August 5, 2003... Byline: Daily Record Staff Business Writer Despite growing signs of economic improvement, a relatively new Columbia-based forecasting index continues to suggest potential trouble on the horizon. The National Association of Credit Management...

Court clarifies murderer's sentence.
August 5, 2003... Byline: Ann Parks A 1973 sentence for first-degree murder was for 50 years, not for life with all but 50 years suspended, the Court of Appeals held yesterday."I'm obviously disappointed," said Andrew Baida, who argued the case as a member...

No excuse for no-show defendant.
August 5, 2003... Byline: Lawrence Hurley A convicted drug dealer who failed to appear at his trial and offered no reason for his absence, despite knowing when and where it was taking place, has failed to convince the state's highest court that the...

Five Cumberland residents charged in beating death.
August 5, 2003... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Five Cumberland residents are charged with beating a man to death in Cumberland's first homicide since 2001. William M. Bodes, 35, of Cumberland died Saturday of severe head trauma at Cumberland Memorial...

Journal Newspapers settles with union over fired workers.
August 5, 2003... Byline: Daily Record Staff Business Writer Instead of going to court and facing a costly trial, Journal Newspapers Inc. Publisher Ryan Phillips has agreed to pay $71,500 in lost pay and benefits to eight former employees of he Prince...

Fast growth suits Jos. A. Bank Clothiers.
August 5, 2003... Byline: Andrea Cecil JoS. A. Bank Clothiers Inc.'s plan to open 500 stores during the next four years is aggressive, but analysts say by making good real estate deals the retailer's shops will likely turn profits almost as soon as they...

Exec. director of MIDAS, nonprofit organization, resigns.
August 5, 2003... Byline: Bobby White Mike Lofton has stepped down after four years as executive director of MIDAS, a nonprofit organization of Maryland economic development professionals. He will be replaced by Pam Ruff, an associate executive director who...

Employee gets second chance for wrongful discharge claim.
August 5, 2003... Byline: Peter Geier A former Marriott International Inc. employee will get another crack at pursuing her state wrongful discharge claim against the worldwide innkeeper, the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has held.Although Karen B. King...

Montgomery County home aid grows as market soars.
August 5, 2003... Byline: Robyn Lamb After seeing their client base cut nearly in half by soaring home prices, Montgomery County public housing officials slashed interest rates and upped the size of loans they give to first time homebuyers. In a county...

Rosecroft horsemen chafe as sale nears.
August 5, 2003... Byline: John O'Connor Dissatisfaction is rising among the horsemen at Rosecroft Raceway as legal squabbles, a worsening financial situation and a looming deadline are forcing some to question whether the track's sale will ever be...

Md. docs begin exporting expertise.
August 5, 2003... Byline: Patrice Dickens A volunteer team from Mid-Atlantic Neurosurgical Associates is taking the first step toward what the group hopes will be an annual or bi-annual trip to impoverished countries to train other neurosurgeons on more...

Group demands Nat'l Oceanic and Atmospheric Admin. Fisheries unit boost marine management.
August 5, 2003... Byline: Heather Coppley Conservationists have been preparing for an appearance today by William P. Hogarth, director of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries unit in Baltimore. Hogarth is appearing in conjunction with...

American Podiatric Medical Assn. to hold annual meeting in D.C.
August 5, 2003... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports The American Podiatric Medical Association will hold its 91st annual scientific meeting on August 7-10, 2003 in Washington. Doctors of podiatric medicine from across the nation will assemble at the Marriott...

US Airways Shuttle to introduce first-class seating.
August 5, 2003... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports US Airways Shuttle will introduce first-class seating for customers flying into and out of New York's LaGuardia airport, beginning Oct. 6, the company announced yesterday. Also, on Sept. 8, an additional...

Comcast to sponsor James McBride's 2003 fall concert tour.
August 5, 2003... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Cable provider Comcast yesterday announced that it will sponsor James McBride's 2003 fall concert tour, bringing the best-selling author and musician to local community events. McBride is author of the book,...

Avilar Technologies names new CEO.
August 5, 2003... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Laurel-based Avilar Technologies Inc., which develops software to foster online learning, named John Skowlund to the position of chief executive officer. Skowlund was founder and COO of Re-route Corp., of...

Acrodyne Industries names new CFO.
August 5, 2003... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Acrodyne Industries Inc., a Cockeysville-based company that manufactures TV broadcast transmitters, named Richard W. Murray as chief financial officer. He was CFO and general manager of Baltimore-based Fascan...

New CEO at Delmarva Foundation.
August 5, 2003... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Easton-based Delmarva Foundation, a national nonprofit health information organization, named Maulik S. Joshi as its chief executive officer. He comes from the Boston-based Institute for Healthcare...

ServicePower to manage Benco Dental's scheduling needs.
August 5, 2003... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports ServicePower, an Annapolis-based company that develops and markets field service scheduling software, was selected by Benco Dental Co., of Wilkes-Barre, Pa., the nation's largest independent dental supply...

Allegheny Energy receives praise from OSHA.
August 5, 2003... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Employees of Allegheny Energy Supply Co., a subsidiary of Hagerstown-based Allegheny Energy Inc., at its Fort Martin Power Station, located near Morgantown, W.Va., received Voluntary Protection Program Star...

Friedman, Billings, Ramsey Group subsidiary closes on secondary offering.
August 5, 2003... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Friedman, Billings, Ramsey Group Inc. of Arlington, Va., yesterday announced that its subsidiary, Friedman, Billings, Ramsey & Co. Inc., has closed a $39.9 million secondary offering for Agree Realty Corp.,...

Merkle Direct Marketing creates Professional Services Group.
August 5, 2003... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Merkle Direct Marketing Inc., of Lanham, a provider of information-based database marketing services, announced the creation of its Professional Services Group, a team of professionals with database,...

CountyNational Bank names new VP of commercial lending.
August 5, 2003... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Glen Burnie-based CountyNational Bank named Douglas W. DeVaughn vice president of commercial lending and new business development. He has worked for more than 25 years at both regional and community banking...

Regional chairperson of 2004 Bush-Cheney re-election campaign named.
August 5, 2003... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Leslie Gromis, a Southwestern Pennsylvania businesswoman, has been named mid-Atlantic regional chairperson of the 2004 Bush-Cheney re-election campaign. Her territory covers the District of Columbia,...

Assisted living properties struggle during first quarter.
August 5, 2003... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Many assisted living properties struggled during the first quarter of 2003 with their occupancy levels, according to Key Financial Indicators released by the National Investment Center for the Seniors Housing...

Baltimore to host 19th annual Nat'l Biz Incubation Assn. conference.
August 5, 2003... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Baltimore will be the site of the 19th annual National Business Incubation Association's international conference in May 2005, thanks to the efforts of the Maryland Business Incubation Association, an...

Commentary: MoneyWi$e - Trying the third way of investing.
August 6, 2003... Byline: Julius Westheimer Have you heard of "Income's Third Way"?Personal Finance newsletter says, "If you have built up your dividend-paying stocks and bonds, it's time to look to income investing's Third Way selected preferred...