Daily Record (Baltimore, MD) articles from February 2004

Daily Record (Baltimore, MD) archives from February 2004

Lanham-based Vocus Inc. opens office in Prague to support European expansion.
February 2, 2004... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Vocus Inc., of Lanham, a maker of public relations automation software, has opened an office in Prague to support its Central and Eastern European expansion. Heading the office is Managing Director David...

St. Charles-based American Community Properties Trust to pay cash dividend.
February 2, 2004... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports American Community Properties Trust, of St. Charles, said it will pay a cash dividend of 10 cents per share on its stock, payable on Feb. 25 to shareholders of record as of Feb. 11. ACPT is a diversified real...

Baltimore-based T. Rowe Price Price reports increased fourth-quarter revenue.
February 2, 2004... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports T. Rowe Price Group Inc., of Baltimore, reported 2003 fourth-quarter net revenue of $281.1 million, net income of $68.6 million and diluted earnings per share of 53 cents, an increase of 43 percent from the...

Baltimore-based Constellation Energy Group reports fourth-quarter income.
February 2, 2004... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Constellation Energy Group, of Baltimore, reported fourth-quarter net income of $119 million, or 71 cents per diluted share, on $2.5 billion in revenue, versus $65 million, or 39 cents per diluted share, on...

Court of Special Appeals rejects coverage for 'second permittee' in auto insurance case.
February 2, 2004... Byline: Ann Parks A policy issued by the Maryland Automobile Insurance Fund does not cover an accident that occurred when the insured's son let a friend drive, contrary to the policy holder's instructions, the Court of Special Appeals held...

Bethesda-based HMSHost appeal denied by state board.
February 2, 2004... Byline: Andrea Cecil The company that has run concessions at Baltimore/Washington International Airport for 30 years is evaluating its options after losing to the Maryland Aviation Administration in a dispute over state procurement law....

MD Legal Briefs February 2, 2004.
February 2, 2004... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Martek files patent suit Martek Biosciences Corp., of Columbia, whose products include nutritional fatty acids derived from microalgae, announced Friday that it has filed a patent infringement suit in...

Linthicum-based nonprofit sues ex-director for $1.4M.
February 2, 2004... Byline: Peter Geier A Linthicum nonprofit that helps debtors manage their personal finances filed a $1.4 million civil fraud action against a former executive director. Debtscape Inc. claims that William Sargent of Baltimore used more...

Commentary: Yearning to breathe free: The new guest worker proposal.
February 2, 2004... Byline: The Daily Record Editorial Advisory Board Two forces have always contended for mastery in our nation's immigration laws: The search for new neighbors and new workers in conflict with fear in various guises. The fear may be of...

Baltimore's West Side gets extra attention as curtain rises.
February 2, 2004... Byline: Ezra Fieser With the opening of the France-Merrick Performing Arts Center on downtown Baltimore's west wide, the Downtown Partnership of Baltimore is beefing up its crime and grime initiatives. The nonprofit downtown advocacy...

Maryland House Bill 307 would let theaters join anti-piracy action.
February 2, 2004... Byline: Chet Dembeck When an usher at the Senator Theatre in Baltimore shined his flashlight down an aisle he found more than spilled soda and popcorn. He caught a man illegally videotaping a just-released movie. After telling him to...

Federal judge takes HUD to task for 'extraordinary failure'.
February 2, 2004... Byline: Lawrence Hurley The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development is still bound by an expired partial consent decree that requires it to help desegregate Baltimore by building public housing in affluent areas with fewer black...

Columbia-based Duratek heads team on $128 million Dept. of Energy contract.
February 2, 2004... Byline: Sofia Kosmetatos Columbia-based Duratek Inc. will manage a $128 million project to treat and extract isotopes from enriched uranium produced at former defense nuclear materials plants. The contract was awarded to Duratek and...

BankAnnapolis announces three new members of its board.
February 3, 2004... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports E. Culp III, founder of Davco Food Inc.; Nancy Lowell, president of Lallie Inc., a custom stationery design firm; and Anne Arundel Medical Center neurosurgeon Clifford T. Solomon will join the board of...

Lanham-based Merkle Inc. launches new creative services group, names Maffett as its head.
February 3, 2004... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Merkle Inc., of Lanham, a provider of information-based database marketing services, launched a creative services group to augment its creative aspects, and named Fletcher Maffett, a former advertising...

Lanham-based Integral Systems receives contract from Lockheed Martin Commercial Space Systems.
February 3, 2004... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Integral Systems Inc., of Lanham, which makes and operates satellite ground control systems, received a contract from Lockheed Martin Commercial Space Systems to provide an EPOCH satellite control system for...

Rockville-based Rydex Funds names Mancini as executive vice president.
February 3, 2004... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Jane M. Mancini, a mutual fund industry veteran, was named by Rydex Funds, of Rockville, as executive vice president, responsible for building Rydex's financial intermediary business, including its broker...

Towson-based ViPS names Walt Ellenberger general manager of its HealthPayer Solutions Group.
February 3, 2004... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports ViPS, of Towson, a provider of software for the health care and life sciences industries, named Walt Ellenberger as general manager of its HealthPayer Solutions Group, responsible for managing business...

Gaithersburg-based Ace*Comm Corp. provides data collection system for service provider in China.
February 3, 2004... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Ace*Comm Corp., of Gaithersburg, a telecommunications and Internet service company, is providing a data collection mediation system for Kunming Tel, a service provider in Yunan Province, China, to capture,...

Chevy Chase-based FDC Reports introduces news service about pharmaceutical industry.
February 3, 2004... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports FDC Reports, of Chevy Chase, a publishing company whose weekly Pink Sheet contains information on the prescription pharmaceutical industry, introduced a new, comprehensive, up-to-the-minute news service for...

Lanham-based Group 1 Software donates software to Clemson University.
February 3, 2004... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Group 1 Software, of Lanham, a manufacturer of customer relationship management software, donated copies of its core data quality and customer communications management solutions to Clemson University's...

Owings Mills-based Sweetheart Holdings reports sales up, profits down.
February 3, 2004... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Sweetheart Holdings Inc., parent of Sweetheart Cup Co., of Owings Mills, which makes single-use disposable products for the food and beverage industry, reported that, for its fiscal first quarter ended Dec....

Millersville-based Bartech Systems installs wireless minibar network at Washington hotel.
February 3, 2004... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Bartech Systems International, of Millersville, a manufacturer of automated hotel minibars, installed the world's first wireless minibar network at the Willard Hotel in downtown Washington. Bartech said its...

Columbia-based Tecore Wireless Systems deploys wireless network for East African company.
February 3, 2004... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Tecore Wireless Systems, of Columbia, a provider of new-generation wireless systems, deployed a wireless network for EriTel, a wireless communication company in the East African nation of Eritrea, providing...

Director of T. Rowe Price Associates' Fixed Income Division to retire.
February 3, 2004... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports T. Rowe Price Associates, of Baltimore, announced that William T. Reynolds, 55, director of the Fixed Income Division, will retire in April after 22 years with the financial services firm. He will be...

Commentary: Planning Ahead - Prepare to owe more in 2004.
February 3, 2004... Byline: Dena Shapiro Frenkel The economy may be on a path toward recovery, but price hikes are looming for 2004 in areas such as insurance, heating costs, interest rates, college costs, state and local taxes and more. When you add to this...

Owings Mills-based Medifast shares lose 25 percent of their value.
February 3, 2004... Byline: Chet Dembeck In three days, an Owings Mills maker of weight-loss products has seen its stock lose 25 percent of its value. The sudden fall in Medifast Inc.'s share value comes after Seidler Cos., a Los Angeles-based investment...

Court of Special Appeals affirms award against Annapolis sail shop.
February 3, 2004... Byline: Peter Geier A 30-year-old marine consignment arrangement gone awry led the Court of Special Appeals to clarify that the discovery rule applies to breach of contract claims as well as torts. The intermediate appellate court...

Baltimore resident files class action suit against Home Depot.
February 3, 2004... Byline: Sofia Kosmetatos Baltimore resident Joseph King signed up for a Home Depot Inc. credit card thinking he would not have to pay off or pay interest on purchases for the length of the card's promotional period. But the terms of...

Court finds children not bound by mother's arbitration agreement.
February 3, 2004... Byline: Lawrence Hurley Wachovia Bank cannot bind four children to an arbitration agreement signed by their mother when she opened a personal account with life insurance proceeds that were supposed to go to them, a federal judge in...

Wearable diagnostics maker picks Maryland.
February 3, 2004... Byline: Robyn Lamb The makers of SmartShirt, a T-shirt-like garment that tracks its wearer's vital signs, are moving to Maryland and tweaking their signature product for military and public safety use. With a contract from the U.S....

Venture capital spending climbs in Washington region; investors say industry slump is over.
February 3, 2004... Byline: Kathleen Johnston Jarboe Venture capital spending climbed to $209 million in the Washington region during the fourth quarter, leading local investors to call the industry's slump over. The findings were presented in the...

Md. Legal Briefs: February 3, 2004.
February 3, 2004... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Three years suspended A Baltimore County Circuit Court judge yesterday sentenced Michelle Lyons Baker, 37, former partner and minority owner of Towson-based National Insurance Services, to three years in...

U.K. industry giant may get contract for concession/retail operations at BWI.
February 3, 2004... Byline: Andrea Cecil The world's largest airport operator could soon be running concessions and retail at Baltimore/Washington International Airport. The Maryland Aviation Administration submitted its request to approve a contract with...

USPS can keep contract details a secret.
February 3, 2004... Byline: Ann Parks The United States Postal Service properly denied a Freedom of Information Act request to release information related to its contract with the Kansas Citybased Hallmark Cards Inc. for the supply of packaging materials, the...

Prince Frederick college gets help from Verizon.
February 4, 2004... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Students and faculty at the College of Southern Maryland's Prince Frederick Campus will have access to the latest computer hardware and software, with the help of a $50,000 grant from Verizon Foundation, the...

Johns Hopkins surgical team going to Cuba.
February 4, 2004... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports A Johns Hopkins Children's Center surgical team is leaving for Cuba on Saturday to perform heart surgery on several children at the William Soler Children's Hospital in Havana. This mission to Cuba is part of...

Celsion expands study for treatment of prostate cancer.
February 4, 2004... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Columbia-based Celsion Corp. reports the FDA has allowed two amendments to enhance enrollment in its Phase I Dose Escalation study of ThermoDox for the treatment of prostate cancer. The original protocol...

Human Genome Sciences report disappointing research results.
February 4, 2004... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Human Genome Sciences reports its Phase 2 clinical trial of systematically administered repifermin for the treatment of cancer-therapy induced mucositis did not meet its goal. The company says the difference...

State telecommuting center offers free test period to federal agencies.
February 4, 2004... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Southern Maryland's Telecommuting Centers will be available to federal agencies free for 60 days as part of a test period running through May 31 to introduce managers and employees to the advantages of...

Bethesda health care company 's profits rose in 4th quarter.
February 4, 2004... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Coventry Health Care Inc.'s fourth-quarter profits rose 73 percent from year-ago levels due to higher rates and membership gains for the health-insurance company. The Bethesda company reported net income of...

Gadzooks clothing stores file for bankruptcy.
February 4, 2004... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Clothing chain Gadzooks Inc., with stores in 41 states including Maryland, filed for bankruptcy protection yesterday and sought approval from the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Dallas to close about 156 stores as it...

iJet advises caution for travelers to Asia because of bird flu.
February 4, 2004... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports iJET Travel Risk Management is advising travelers to 11 Asian countries of the dangers posed by avian influenza, which has killed at least 12 people in Vietnam and Thailand. iJET categorizes the risk to...

Marriott signs on with Expedia.com, Hotels.com.
February 4, 2004... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Marriott International Inc. has signed an agreement to make reservations available through Expedia.com and Hotels.com. Washington-based Marriott said it will make its rooms at more than 2,000 hotels available...

Maryland tobacco auction begins March 23.
February 4, 2004... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports The 2004 Maryland tobacco auction begins a two-week run on March 23. Due to the declining volume of tobacco being grown in Maryland as a result of the Maryland Tobacco Buyout Program, the auction will be only...

Gaithersburg-based Digene Corp. has fourth profitable quarter, misses outlook.
February 4, 2004... Byline: Robyn Lamb With sales of its cervical cancer test up nearly 50 percent last quarter, Digene Corp. said it expects to post four consecutive profitable quarters for the first time. For the fourth quarter, the Gaithersburg-based...

Virus rides eBay to users.
February 4, 2004... Byline: Kathleen Johnston Jarboe A new variation of an e-mail virus purporting to be from eBay Inc. is circulating on the Internet. The e-mail tells computer users they need to add shipping fees to an item purchased from the online...

Radio One buys Philly station for $35M.
February 4, 2004... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Radio One Inc. acquired the assets of Philadelphia's WSNJ-FM for approximately $35 million. The company is moving the station closer to the Philadelphia metropolitan area and constructing a new tower...

Doctor dearth disputed in Johns Hopkins professor's book.
February 4, 2004... Byline: Sofia Kosmetatos Physician groups and medical schools concerned about an impending shortage of doctors have nothing to fear, a new study shows. There are more than enough doctors to meet patients' needs, according to the study...

Catonville-based Steele Software Systems, Wachovia Corp. seek high court review of CSA ruling.
February 4, 2004... Byline: Peter Geier Both sides have asked the state's high court to review a Court of Special Appeals opinion slashing a Catonsville software firm's record $276 million award against Wachovia Corp. to $37 million. Steele Software...

MD Legal Briefs February 4, 2004.
February 4, 2004... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Ecstatic charges A Baltimore grand jury returned indictments yesterday charging Robert M. Keenan, 44, Steven Devito, 39, Gerard Galvez, 36, and Ricky Bradley, 44, with possession with intent to distribute...

Patient safety gets officials' attention.
February 4, 2004... Byline: Debra Siedt Several state initiatives seek to reduce the number of medical errors and hold hospitals more accountable for patient safety. State health agencies presented their plans before members of the General Assembly...

Baltimore jury hears statements in death penalty case.
February 4, 2004... Byline: Lawrence Hurley Baltimore's first death penalty case in six years began in earnest yesterday as opening statements were delivered for and against a man accused of gunning down a city detective. Jovon J. House is the first...

Court rules that biological father's quest for genetic test is not what's best for child.
February 4, 2004... Byline: Ann Parks A married woman's lover is not entitled to court-ordered blood and genetic testing to establish that he is the father of the woman's child, the Court of Special Appeals has held. The decision affirms the Circuit Court...

Commentary: MoneyWi$e - Buyer beware in bond market.
February 4, 2004... Byline: Julius Westheimer One of the first things I learned at Park School (Class of 1934) was that just because something is in print doesn't mean it's necessarily true. Take this article headline in the latest Business Week (Feb. 2)...

Howard Community College looks to launch entrepreneur program.
February 4, 2004... Byline: Andrea Cecil Howard Community College is pitching a plan for an entrepreneurial center that would serve both students and the community as early as the fall. Although the plan is still at the "beginning stages," the two-year...

Rhode Island beckons Columbia-based The Rouse Co. for mall haul.
February 4, 2004... Byline: Ezra Fieser The Rouse Co. continued repositioning its retail portfolio yesterday, saying it will pay more than half a billion dollars for an upscale Rhode Island shopping mall. The Columbia-based real estate developer and owner...

Md. Court of Special Appeals applies landmark lead paint decision to pending case.
February 5, 2004... Byline: Ann Parks A landmark decision on lead paint liability applies to another case that was pending when the Court of Appeals decided it last November, the Court of Special Appeals has held. This week's decision affirms that...

Md. Court of Special Appeals vacates murder convictions because of delay in presentment.
February 5, 2004... Byline: Lawrence Hurley A double-murder conviction in the slaying of a Bladensburg veterinarian and his wife has been vacated by the Court of Special Appeals over concerns that procedures used by Prince George's County police officers may...

Clorox Sales Co. to fire bankrupt distribution firm if court approves settlement between the two.
February 5, 2004... Byline: Kathleen Johnston Jarboe The Clorox Sales Co. plans to fire Michel Distribution Services Inc. from running its Northeast distribution operations in Maryland if a settlement between the two is approved in court, a Clorox spokesman...

Md. Legal Briefs: February 5, 2004.
February 5, 2004... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Prosecutors' pay raise The Wicomico County Council has approved pay raises for county prosecutors. State's Attorney Davis Ruark had sought the raise after losing two of his top prosecutors to the county...

Biotech companies urge Maryland Senate committee to grant tax credits to their investors.
February 5, 2004... Byline: Debra Siedt During Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr.'s 2002 campaign, he released a tract entitled "101 Outstanding Ideas for Maryland." No. 63 was "Make Maryland the Biotech Capitol of the World." In an effort to force Ehrlich to...

Developers submit proposals for Hollander Ridge development project in East Baltimore.
February 5, 2004... Byline: Ezra Fieser Twenty years ago, nobody wanted to be near Hollander Ridge. The public housing project was so problematic it was torn down less than three decades after it was constructed. Now developers are lining up for a...

Md. Court of Special Appeals rule mechanic's lien is flawed because of no dates.
February 5, 2004... Byline: Barbara Grzincic A notice of intent to file a mechanic's lien is fatally flawed if it fails to state when work was performed or material supplied, the Court of Special Appeals has held. The decision is a loss for Benjamin J....

Maryland Legal Services seeks filing fee surcharge.
February 5, 2004... Byline: Lawrence Hurley Maryland Legal Services Corp. is asking members of the General Assembly to authorize a surcharge to court filing fees in an effort to provide much needed financial security for its operations. In a bill...

Former Md. Insurance Commissioner wants state to regulate companies selling flood policies.
February 5, 2004... Byline: Chet Dembeck A report investigating complaints of Baltimore County victims of Hurricane Isabel urges the Maryland Insurance Administration to regulate companies selling federal flood insurance policies. The agency has taken the...

Baltimore's Penn Station to offer wireless Internet service to passengers.
February 6, 2004... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Amtrak and AT&T Wireless announced an agreement to launch wireless Internet (WiFi) service this summer at Baltimore's Penn Station and five other passenger train stations along the Northeast corridor:...

Gaithersburg-based Ace*Comm Corp. to provide telecom system and service for FAA.
February 6, 2004... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Ace*Comm Corp., of Gaithersburg, a telecommunications and Internet service company, was selected by RS Information Systems Inc., of McLean, Va., a systems integration firm, to provide the telecommunications...

Hagerstown-based Allegheny Energy names Michael H. Sutton to board of directors.
February 6, 2004... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Allegheny Energy Inc., of Hagerstown, named Michael H. Sutton, a former chief accountant of the Securities and Exchange Commission, to its board of directors, filling the remaining term until 2005 of Frank A....

Baltimore Sun changes its Web site address.
February 6, 2004... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports After designating its Web page for seven and a half years as www.sunspot.net, the Baltimore Sun has changed its Web site address to what everyone always thought it should be: www.baltimoresun.com. The...

Mid Atlantic Medical Services Inc. merger gets blessing of Md. insurance commissioner.
February 6, 2004... Byline: Daily Record Staff Business Writer The $2.95 billion union of Mid Atlantic Medical Services Inc., commonly known as MAMSI, and UnitedHealth Group Inc. yesterday was given the blessing of Maryland Insurance Commissioner Alfred W....

Baltimore Gas and Electric Co. completes sale of its West Tower headquarters.
February 6, 2004... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Baltimore Gas and Electric Co. said it completed the sale of its historic West Tower headquarters building at 39 W. Lexington St. to Virginia-based Southern Management Corp., which plans to convert the...

Md. grocery chains to offer demonstrations of state's new electronic voting machines.
February 6, 2004... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Giant Food, Food Lion, Safeway, Super Fresh, Acme, Kmart and Wal-Mart are among companies in Maryland whose stores will be sites tomorrow from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. for demonstrations of the state's new,...

Baltimore County Executive James Smith sends out RFP to study status of minority contracting.
February 6, 2004... Byline: Chet Dembeck Baltimore County Executive James T. Smith Jr. is keeping his promise by ordering a study to determine whether the county is underutilizing minority and women contractors. As a result, the county's purchasing bureau...

Landover-based Giant Food Inc. and Mass.-based Stop & Shop supermarkets get a new executive team.
February 6, 2004... Byline: Sofia Kosmetatos Ahold USA has taken the next step in the integration of Landover-based Giant Food Inc. and Massachusetts-based Stop & Shop supermarkets by appointing an executive team for the new organization. Some Maryland...

Maryland stocks lose ground for a second week in a row.
February 6, 2004... Byline: Kathleen Johnston Jarboe Maryland stocks lost ground for a second week in a row. Stocks in the Bloomberg Maryland Index dropped 1.7 percent since Friday's closing bell after losing at a similar pace the previous week. The...

MIE Properties' needs space on Baltimore's east side for tenants.
February 6, 2004... Byline: Ezra Fieser MIE Properties Inc. owns 9 million square feet of commercial real estate, most of which speckles the Interstate 97 corridor or the Baltimore Beltway. But occasionally a prospective tenant wants to move to the east...

Overview of the Maryland General Assembly.
February 6, 2004... Byline: Debra Siedt At a meeting of the Special Committee on Higher Education Affordability and Access, Democrats had Republicans waiting nearly 45 minutes to begin the 3 p.m. meeting. "I have no idea where my peeps are," said Del. Jon...

Md. Legal Briefs: February 6, 2004.
February 6, 2004... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Off death row A Somerset County Circuit Court judge yesterday took convicted murderer Kenneth Collins off death row based on his claims of ineffective assistance of counsel at trial. Prosecutors did not...

Rollins-Luetkemeyer Foundation gives $20M to McDonogh School.
February 6, 2004... Byline: Nancy Kercheval The late H. Beale Rollins, a scholarship kid and the 1915 valedictorian at McDonogh School, has extended the chance for other students to attend the private Baltimore County school through a $20 million gift from...

Baltimore police officers to implement a civil citation ordinance for two years.
February 6, 2004... Byline: Peter Geier At first glance, the Early Resolution area in the basement of the Eastside Courthouse on North Avenue looks more like a third-world souk than a place where justice is administered. It is Monday, traditionally the...

Trial delays were defendant's fault, Md. Court of Special Appeals holds; revives robbery charges.
February 6, 2004... Byline: Ann Parks A prosecutor's decision to nolle pros robbery and conspiracy charges against a defendant at an October 2002 trial because the state's witnesses were busy investigating the sniper shootings did not have the purpose or...

Commentary: Legal ADvice - I'm a Barbie girl.
February 6, 2004... Byline: James B. Astrachan When the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals decided Mattel v. Universal Music International in 2002, the opinion became instantly famous for the way Judge Alex Kozinski ribbed Mattel's attempt to prevent parodic...

When Baltimore burned.
February 6, 2004... Byline: Ezra Fieser In front of the Wyndham Hotel in downtown Baltimore, Fayette Street splits. These days, it's more of an annoyance to drivers than anything else. But 100 years ago, it was the line of demarcation for the Great...