Daily Record (Baltimore, MD) articles from February 2006

Daily Record (Baltimore, MD) archives from February 2006

Parent company of Baltimore Gas & Electric Co.swinging a bigger club.
February 1, 2006... Byline: James Mosher With a pending $28 billion merger slated to make it part of one of the world's largest energy companies, Constellation Energy Group is reaching for a bigger club to get its name onto the national stage.The parent of...

Roadway Express Inc. planned job cuts to affect Hagerstown.
February 1, 2006... Byline: Kathleen Johnston Jarboe Hoping to tighten its trucking network, Roadway Express Inc. plans to reposition close to 955 jobs nationwide, potentially causing job losses for workers not willing to move, company and union officials said...

X-ray startup sees future at University of Maryland College Park's research building.
February 1, 2006... Byline: Joe Bacchus The University of Maryland, College Park's Technology Ventures Building has its first tenant in MXF Technologies Inc., whose X-ray technology allows earlier and more precise disease detection.Regular X-rays can see down...

Skeptical of Evans' APA claim, Baltimore City Circuit Court judge denies stay.
February 1, 2006... Byline: CarynTamber A Baltimore City Circuit Court judge has declined to stop death row inmate Vernon Evans' execution, meaning his lawyers will now take the case to the Court of Special Appeals.Evans, who is set to be put to death during...

Downtown Baltimore's hotels, restaurants expect satisfaction with Rolling Stones concert.
February 1, 2006... Byline: Kara Kridler Downtown Baltimore's hotels and restaurants will get much satisfaction today when The Rolling Stones and their Maryland fans spend the night together for the first time in nearly 40 years.As the Stones prepare for stop...

MD General Assembly hears bill on banning gay marriage.
February 1, 2006... Byline: Ann W. Parks Displeased with the Jan. 20 Baltimore City Circuit Court ruling that struck down the state's one-man, one-woman definition of marriage, supporters of Maryland's Marriage Protection Act turned out in force in Annapolis...

State funding helps 14 Maryland firms get research partners.
February 1, 2006... Byline: Karen Buckelew The latest round of funding from the Maryland Industrial Partnerships program at the University of Maryland, College Park is bringing $2.4 million to researchers at the state university system's 13 campuses.The...

Deal close for $300M project along Baltimore's waterfront.
February 1, 2006... Byline: Jen Degregorio A Philadelphia developer is close to buying one of the Inner Harbor's last undeveloped properties and building a $300 million luxury condominium, hotel and retail project, The Daily Record has learned.In negotiations...

MD Court of Special Appeals rules no cross-racial ID instruction needed.
February 1, 2006... Byline: Daniel Ostrovsky Last summer's Court of Appeals' decision that allows defense lawyers to mention, in closing arguments, possible difficulties with cross-racial identification does not require judges to instruct the jury on that...

MD Legal Briefs: February 1, 2006.
February 1, 2006... Byline: Daily Record Staff Aldo's agrees to settleThe owner of Aldo's Ristorante Italiano in Baltimore's Little Italy has agreed to pay $20,000 and furnish other relief to settle a suit brought by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity...

U.S. Department of Commerce approves expansion of Baltimore's Foreign-Trade Zone #74.
February 1, 2006... Byline: Daily Record Staff & Wire Reports The U.S. Department of Commerce's Foreign-Trade Zones Board approved the expansion of Baltimore's Foreign-Trade Zone #74, the Baltimore Development Corp. announced. The zone, which offers...

MD Transportation Authority begins $830M project to add two Express Toll Lanes to I-95.
February 1, 2006... Byline: Daily Record Staff & Wire Reports The Maryland Transportation Authority began yesterday an $830 million, five-year construction project to add two Express Toll Lanes in each direction along a 10-mile stretch of Interstate 95, from...

Baltimore's Carrollton Bancorp reports boost in profit for fourth quarter.
February 1, 2006... Byline: Daily Record Staff & Wire Reports Baltimore's Carrollton Bancorp, the parent company of Carrollton Bank, reported fourth-quarter net income of $376,000, or 13 cents per diluted share, versus $77,000, or 2 cents per diluted share,...

Annapolis-based Petrie Ross Ventures along with Weiser Companies acquires land in Hawaii.
February 1, 2006... Byline: Daily Record Staff & Wire Reports Petrie Ross Ventures, an Annapolis-based real estate development company, said a joint venture it formed with the Weiser Companies, of Charleston, S.C., completed the purchase of 16.4 acres of land...

Bethesda-based Lockheed Martin Corp. awarded $491M U.S. Air Force contract.
February 1, 2006... Byline: Daily Record Staff & Wire Reports Lockheed Martin Corp., of Bethesda, the world's largest defense company, said it was awarded a $491 million U.S. Air Force contract to build a third space satellite for advanced military...

CapitalSource Inc. subsidiary completes purchase of nursing and assisted living facilities.
February 1, 2006... Byline: Daily Record Staff & Wire Reports CapitalSource Inc., of Chevy Chase, a commercial finance firm, said a newly created subsidiary, CSE SNF Holdings LLC, completed the purchase of 37 skilled nursing facilities and one assisted living...

American Electric Power Co. seeks federal approval to build transmission line from WV to NJ.
February 1, 2006... Byline: Daily Record Staff & Wire Reports American Electric Power Co., of Columbus, Ohio, the largest U.S. electricity producer, said it is seeking federal approval to build a $3 billion transmission line from West Virginia to New Jersey to...

Vertis Inc. of Baltimore unveils new product, the Interactive Promotional Tool.
February 1, 2006... Byline: Daily Record Staff & Wire Reports Vertis Inc., of Baltimore, a provider of targeted advertising, media and marketing services, unveiled a new product, the Interactive Promotional Tool, which it said will enable retailers to more...

Ronald A. Guns named second in command of MD Department of Natural Resources.
February 1, 2006... Byline: Daily Record Staff & Wire Reports Ronald A. Guns, a former state delegate from Cecil County, became second in command of the Department of Natural Resources yesterday. Guns, a Democrat, served on the Maryland Public Service...

Army Corps of Engineers and MD State Highway Admin. to remove dam on small creek.
February 1, 2006... Byline: Daily Record Staff & Wire Reports A small Worcester creek is about to get eight miles bigger, a move which environmentalists hope will provide an aquatic paradise for the fish living there. The Army Corps of Engineers and the...

Baltimore-based Target Logistics boosts profit.
February 2, 2006... Byline: The Daily Record Staff Target Logistics Inc., of Baltimore, a freight forwarding and logistics services company, reported net income for its fiscal second quarter ended Dec. 31 of $976,314, or 5 cents per diluted share, on revenue...

CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield announces new consumer product.
February 2, 2006... Byline: The Daily Record Staff CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield, of Owings Mills, the largest health insurer in the mid-Atlantic region, announced the start yesterday of a new consumer product, called BluePreferred HSA, targeted to...

Murder conviction reversed by Court of Special Appeals.
February 2, 2006... Byline: BARBARA GRZINCIC An appeals court yesterday threw out the first-degree murder conviction of Jack Lewis Hammersla Jr., saying a trial judge erred in allowing evidence that Hammersla had pawned the victim's jewelry right after her...

Property sale helps MeriStar Hospitality Corp. pay debt.
February 2, 2006... Byline: JOE BACCHUS The sale of approximately $367 million of property brings MeriStar Hospitality Corp. nearer its goal of reducing debt and putting money in its shareholders' pockets.The Blackstone Group, a New York-based investment...

State's domain could be legal patchwork.
February 2, 2006... Byline: DORI BERMAN Different views on eminent domain could mean Maryland ends up with a patchwork of different laws.Last summer the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in a Connecticut case that it is constitutional to use condemnation powers for...

General Motors to build hybrid transmissions at White Marsh plant.
February 2, 2006... Byline: JEN DEGREGORIO General Motors Corp.'s decision to build hybrid transmissions at a White Marsh plant could bring 240 jobs or more to Baltimore County, according to one estimate. It could also be a springboard for even more...

Lawsuit seeks $10.6 million for arrest by Baltimore flex squad officers.
February 2, 2006... Byline: DANIEL OSTROVSKY Two Southwestern District flex squad officers who stand accused of raping a woman inside a police are being sued in Baltimore City Circuit Court for $10.6 million.Jemini Jones and Steven P. Hatley are named as...

M&T buys Chevy Chase firm to expand its insurance line.
February 2, 2006... Byline: KATHLEEN JOHNSTON JARBOE In a move to sell more insurance lines to regional customers, M&T Bank Corp. has bought Chevy Chase firm Hess Egan Hagerty & L'Hommedieu Inc., the bank said yesterday.The newly acquired insurance brokerage...

Little Italy eatery sued for allegedly serving up typhoid at Schaefer party.
February 2, 2006... Byline: KARA KRIDLER A Baltimore man is suing D'Alesio's of Little Italy LLC and its owners, claiming that he contracted typhoid fever from food the restaurant served during a birthday celebration for state Comptroller William Donald...

Court of Appeals says statements can't be used if state revokes deal.
February 2, 2006... Byline: ANN W. PARKS In a decision recognizing the importance of plea bargains to the court system, the state's highest court held yesterday that a defendant's incriminating statements, obtained pursuant to a plea agreement, are...

Corporate tenants fill Johns Hopkins University's Montgomery center; expansion ahead.
February 2, 2006... Byline: KAREN BUCKELEW The Johns Hopkins University's Montgomery County campus has signed yet another corporate tenant to its newest facility.The move comes on the eve of a major expansion of the campus.Rockville-based Vanda...

Rape trial begins in case at center of Florida fight.
February 2, 2006... Byline: CYNTHIA DI PASQUALE The jury trial began yesterday for a Prince George's County man accused of assaulting and raping his live-in girlfriend's mentally disabled daughter three years ago. Earl C. Dyer allegedly impregnated the adult...

Maryland's minimum wage hike creates government jobs.
February 2, 2006... Byline: BEN MOOK To ensure that workers affected by the $1 minimum wage hike receive their due, the state will spend about $200,000 a year, on average, to fund and staff a new watchdog unit in the Department of Labor, Licensing and...

Court of Special Appeals says undisclosed schizophrenia not a reason for new trial.
February 2, 2006... Byline: CYNTHIA DI PASQUALE A man who claims voices in his head directed him to shoot his friend after losing money in a drug deal is not entitled to a new trial since he deliberately withheld information about his mental illness until...

Maryland Board of Public Works approves Howard Community College parking garage grant.
February 2, 2006... Byline: The Daily Record Staff The Board of Public Works approved yesterday a $450,000 state grant for construction management services for a new $7.7 million parking garage at the Columbia campus of Howard Community College. Over the last...

Columbia-based Broadwing Corp. founder steps downs as CEO.
February 2, 2006... Byline: The Daily Record Staff Broadwing Corp., of Columbia, a provider of voice, data and media technology and products, said its founder, David Huber, has given up his job as the company's chief executive officer but will continue as...

iBiquity Digital Corp. says 700 radio stations using HD Radio technology.
February 2, 2006... Byline: The Daily Record Staff iBiquity Digital Corp., of Columbia, sole developer of digital AM and FM broadcast technology, said 700 radio stations in the United States were using HD Radio technology as of Jan. 26. They are among 2,500...

Lockheed Martin Intergrated Systems and Solutions to take over Army Knowledge Online program.
February 2, 2006... Byline: The Daily Record Staff Lockheed Martin Integrated Systems and Solutions, headquartered in Gaithersburg, said it received official instructions from the Army to take over the development, integration and maintenance of the $152...

Maryland Board of Public Works approves marketing contract.
February 2, 2006... Byline: The Daily Record Staff The state Board of Public Works approved yesterday a nearly $3.7 million contract to Baltimore-based Profiles Inc. to handle marketing and advertising for the University of Baltimore. The contract is for one...

MD-based Iomai Corp. announces $7 per share price of IPO.
February 2, 2006... Byline: The Daily Record Staff Iomai Corp., of Gaithersburg, a developer of vaccines, announced a $7 per share price of its initial public offering. Iomai is the source of the shares. In addition, Iomai granted the underwriters an option to...

NASA selects Science Applications International Corp. to support Laboratory for Atmospheres.
February 2, 2006... Byline: The Daily Record Staff The National Aeronautics and Space Administration said it selected Science Applications International Corp., of Beltsville, to support NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center Laboratory for Atmospheres in...

OPNET Technologies Inc. reports net income for third fiscal quarter.
February 2, 2006... Byline: The Daily Record Staff OPNET Technologies Inc., of Bethesda, which manufactures network management software, reported net income for its fiscal third quarter ended Dec. 31 of $1.2 million, or 6 cents per diluted share, on revenue...

MD-based Bay National Corp. reports fourth-quarter net income.
February 2, 2006... Byline: The Daily Record Staff Bay National Corp., of Baltimore, the holding company for Bay National Bank, reported fourth-quarter net income of $1.1 million, or 56 cents per diluted share, versus $324,000, or 16 cents per diluted share,...

Commentary: Leading the listener.
February 3, 2006... Byline: PAUL MARK SANDLER Anyone who has ever raised children knows that you prefer they adopt your rule rather than simply follow it because then they will be more likely to adhere to it when you are not watching.Ordering a child to...

U of MD, Baltimore County center makes sure women have a place at IT table.
February 3, 2006... Byline: JOE BACCHUS Stereotypes are standing in the way of progress in computer sciences.Outdated ideas of what women can, should and even want to do mean fewer and fewer women are entering the area of expertise."Women don't feel welcome...

Commentary: Ways to leverage your contributions.
February 3, 2006... Byline: Betsy Nelson In business, we hear a great deal about "leveraging dollars" and "return on investment." If these concepts appeal to you, then you are really going to like charitable matching-gifts programs.Many corporations match...

Commentary: What's your decision, never mind the facts?
February 3, 2006... Byline: Judge Steven I. Platt "A judge cannot have any agenda," Judge Samuel Alito said during opening remarks at his confirmation hearing.But do they?We have explored in prior columns the legal process school of jurisprudence, also known...

Hotels tearing down walls, creating communal space.
February 3, 2006... Byline: KARA KRIDLER Looking to capitalize on expected growth in the travel industry this year, hoteliers have come up with one more way to make guests feel at home away from home.Many hotel companies have already taken steps to offer...

Commentary: MySpace.com: personal space, with risk.
February 3, 2006... Byline: Larry Fiorino With approximately 43 million users, MySpace.com represents one of the fastest growing online communities on the Web today.According to BusinessWeek magazine, MySpace picks up an average of 150,000 profiles per...

Woodlawn-based St. John Properties to diversify into "Class A" buildings.
February 3, 2006... Byline: JAMES MOSHER A developer is using land-acquisition difficulties as a springboard to creating taller office buildings.Known widely for low-slung buildings in the central Baltimore corridor, Woodlawn-based St. John Properties Inc....

Bucking consolidation, Supernus Pharmaceuticals management finds a way.(Company Profile)
February 3, 2006... Byline: BEN MOOK Until Dec. 13, 2003, the 130 employees of Shire Laboratories Inc. in Rockville were focused on the upcoming Christmas party and plans to possibly move the successful company into larger facilities. For two years after that...

When the company Web site offends customers on its own.
February 3, 2006... Byline: JOE BACCHUS Something very curious was happening on Wal-Mart's Web site.Customers browsing the pages for the DVDs of "Planet of the Apes: The Television Series" and "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" were directed toward a strange...

Interview with new dean of graduate studies at the College of Notre Dame.
February 3, 2006... Byline: MARK R. CHESHIRE Carolyn Boulger Karlson has a lot going on.I know, you're thinking, "Oh, yeah? You should see my schedule."How's this: Only seven months ago, Karlson moved to Baltimore from Indiana, where she was a professor of...

Realtors fearful as banks move into real estate development.
February 3, 2006... Byline: JEN DEGREGORIO Some real estate professionals have been raising eyebrows over recent federal decisions permitting banks to develop major real estate projects.Bank of America last year requested approval from the federal government...

Gov. Ehrlich wants Md. estate-tax law to keep pace with U.S. act.
February 3, 2006... Byline: DORI BERMAN If you spend your life paying taxes, why should your death mean even more taxes? That question has long been asked by opponents of the estate tax, or "death tax," which requires beneficiaries of people who pass away...

Maryland's Ellin & Tucker Chartered adds three new associates.
February 3, 2006... Byline: Daily Record Staff and Wire Reports Ellin & Tucker Chartered added three new associates to its Business Valuation/Forensic and Litigation Services Group:Lawrence M. Pullen joined the firm as a manager. He has more than 12 years...

Ellin & Tucker accountants elected to two Baltimore-area boards.
February 3, 2006... Byline: Daily Record Staff and Wire Reports Jason R. Marlow, an Ellin & Tucker accountant, was elected treasurer of the Dyslexia Tutoring Program, a nonprofit that provides evaluations and tutoring for low-income adults and their children...

Hannah More School hires new director of Development.
February 3, 2006... Byline: Daily Record Staff and Wire Reports Hannah More School, a private special-education program for students with emotional disabilities or autism, hired Joan D. Drebing as its new director of Development. Drebing has more than 10 years...

Schnabel Engineering Inc. names new associate.
February 3, 2006... Byline: Daily Record Staff and Wire Reports Schnabel Engineering Inc. promoted Benjamin Like to associate. Like has more than 19 years of experience in engineering geology. His professional experience has involved subsurface exploration,...

Maryland medical facilities announce staffing changes: February 3, 2006.
February 3, 2006... Byline: Daily Record Staff and Wire Reports The Anne Arundel Medical Center Foundation, a nonprofit charitable regional health care provider, appointed three to its Board of Directors: Hunter F. Calloway, of BB&T; Ken Gill, of the Gill...

CollabraSpace appoints new business director, law enforcement and homeland security.
February 3, 2006... Byline: Daily Record Staff and Wire Reports CollabraSpace appointed former FBI executive Mark Tanner to the new position of business director, law enforcement and homeland security. Tanner will help CollabraSpace further develop and...

Maryland law firms announce staffing changes: February 3, 2006.
February 3, 2006... Byline: Daily Record Staff and Wire Reports Ober|Kaler elected attorneys Elissa F. Borges and Eric D. Gazin to principals of the firm. Both practice in the firm's Baltimore office.Borges represents clients in disputes involving business,...

Maryland marketing firms announce staffing changes: February 3, 2006.
February 3, 2006... Byline: Daily Record Staff and Wire Reports The Advertising Association of Baltimore named Valerie Shinnamon executive director. Shinnamon has been a dedicated volunteer for the AAB since 2001. Her job experience includes work at three...

Maryland nonprofits announce staffing changes: February 3, 2006.
February 3, 2006... Byline: Daily Record Staff and Wire Reports The Discovery Station at Hagerstown Inc. elected the 2006 officers of its Board of Directors: B. Marie Byers, president and museum interim director; Grayson Oldfather, vice-president; Stephanie...

Maryland real estate firms announce staffing changes: February 3, 2006.
February 3, 2006... Byline: Daily Record Staff and Wire Reports Beazer Homes hired J. Michael Breen as director of Land Acquisition for the Maryland division. He is responsible for identifying and purchasing land for home-building opportunities. Breen has 20...

After run at for-profit model, all eyes on CareFirst Commitment.
February 3, 2006... Byline: KAREN BUCKELEW It was not so long ago that talk of Maryland's nonprofit insurer CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield often featured the words "greed" and "excess."It has been less than three years since the state's insurance commissioner...

Neutron Products loses challenge to MDE fines, Maryland Radiation Act.
February 3, 2006... Byline: BARBARA GRZINCIC Montgomery County-based Neutron Products Inc. got more bad news on the legal front last week, as the Court of Special Appeals declined to set aside a fine of more than $40,000 or declare the law that authorized the...

Sen. Pipkin: Return surplus to Marylanders.
February 3, 2006... Byline: DORI BERMAN A Republican senator's proposal to enact sweeping tax cuts aimed at returning the state's revenue surplus to citizens drew little immediate support from leaders of either political party this week.Sen. E.J. Pipkin, an...

Commentary: Watch out, don't 'max out' on campaign contributions.
February 3, 2006... Byline: Andrea Leahy-Fuchek It's another big election year in Maryland. Highly contested, high-priced campaigns are underway for county, state, and federal offices. In the gubernatorial election alone the announced candidates have already...

Commentary: Authors or heirs may be able to terminate transfer of copyright ownership.
February 3, 2006... Byline: JIM ASTRACHAN This column is not sexy or funny, but it's really important if you represent older authors or the families of deceased authors. And even if you don't now, you may one day and when you do, you will need to know that...

FluMist sales blamed for MedImmune's '05 loss.
February 3, 2006... Byline: KAREN BUCKELEW MedImmune Inc.'s $22.4 million fourth-quarter loss and $16.6 million loss for the year disappointed investors yesterday and failed to meet the company's own expectations.The Gaithersburg biotech last year predicted...

Power bills shock pols into action.
February 3, 2006... Byline: KATHLEEN JOHNSTON JARBOE Distrusting electricity deregulation and fearing constituents who face 81 percent higher power bills in an election year several state lawmakers are preparing legislation to cap annual increases in...

High court's orders leave lawyers scrambling.
February 3, 2006... Byline: CARYN TAMBER As Clarence Hill lay strapped to a gurney in Florida last week, intravenous lines connected and fatal chemicals ready to flow, the nation's highest court agreed to hear his case on how inmates may challenge lethal...

Baltimore jury awards $1M against officer.
February 3, 2006... Byline: DANIEL OSTROVSKY A Baltimore jury has awarded $1 million to a 70-year-old widower who was arrested and held at the Central Booking and Intake Facility for 28 hours after reporting his van stolen in 2004.When Officer Yoo Won Kim...

Duke Realty Co. plans $150 million industrial park at former GM site.
February 3, 2006... Byline: JEN DEGREGORIO Duke Realty Inc. is planning to build one of the largest developments in Baltimore a $150 million, 2.8-million-square-foot office and industrial park along Broening Highway where General Motors Corp. ran an assembly...

Judge lets jury see questioning of mentally disabled woman.
February 3, 2006... Byline: CYNTHIA DI PASQUALE The alleged victim didn't know how old she was. She didn't know her birthday or where she lived.The prosecutor didn't even bother to ask through two interpreters if the deaf and mentally disabled woman...

Govt. loses $553K in med-mal suit.
February 4, 2006... Byline: Cynthia Di Pasquale The family of a Baltimore woman who died of an allergic reaction to the antibiotic Keflex won a $553,739 judgment against the federal government last week. A registered nurse at Baltimore Medical Systems'...

Commentary: Crossing the line.
February 6, 2006... Byline: Daily Record Editorial Advisory Board As lawyers, our instinct is to defend Lynne Stewart; but we should not. The representation of a hated and reviled accused is among the highest callings that a lawyer can answer. But Stewart has...

Commentary: Lawyer Lynne Stewart's conviction on terrorism charges: Anomoly or portend?
February 6, 2006... Byline: Dailly Record Staff Editorial On March 10, New York lawyer Lynne Stewart is scheduled to be sentenced following convictions on Feb. 10, 2005, by a jury in a federal court in New York (Southern District of Manhattan) on five counts,...

Two leading contenders for Baltimore County executive put off declaring their candidacies.
February 6, 2006... Byline: James Mosher The two leading contenders for the office of Baltimore County executive are putting off declaring their candidacies through the winter. Incumbent James T. Smith Jr., a Democrat, is expected to announce his decision to...

MD Legal Briefs: February 6, 2006.
February 6, 2006... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Feeling squeezedAn Ellicott City woman is suing a man she claims drunkenly embraced her at a party last spring, rupturing one of her breast implants. Personal trainer Kimberly Koelbel says Martin Fields of...

English firm nearly triples the size of its lease in Baltimore.
February 6, 2006... Byline: Jen Degregorio Worldwide metal storage and shipment company Henry Bath Inc. will nearly triple the size of its lease in a Broening Highway distribution warehouse, bringing the company's presence in Baltimore to almost 1 million...

Court of Special Appeals: Safe-driving order was admissible at trial.
February 6, 2006... Byline: CARYN TAMBER The Baltimore City Police Commissioner's instructions to officers on safe driving practices were properly admitted as evidence in a lawsuit by a man whose car was hit by a cruiser, the state's second-highest court has...

Maryland state senators force showdown on horse race simulcasting.
February 6, 2006... Byline: James Mosher The chairman of the state Senate Finance Committee has a simple message for horse racing's chief regulatory agency regarding simulcasting."This basically tells them to solve this or we will," said Sen. George W. Della...