Daily Record (Baltimore, MD) articles from February 2007

Daily Record (Baltimore, MD) archives from February 2007

Is Legg Mason Inc. staying or leaving Baltimore?
February 1, 2007... Byline: Jen Degregorio Legg Mason Inc. is considering moving its company headquarters outside of Baltimore, according to business leaders who fear such a step would deal a significant blow to the city. The financial firm denies that it is...

Swinging in to Baltimore.
February 1, 2007... Byline: Louis Llovio Baltimore is banking on the sweet sounds of jazz to pump $10 million into the local economy this summer. The city that gave birth to Billie Holiday and Cab Calloway hopes jazz aficionados from throughout the country...

Repeat-offender law is ambiguous, Maryland Court of Special Appeals holds.
February 1, 2007... Byline: Caryn Tamber Maryland's repeat offender law is unclear on whether a court can impose enhanced sentences for multiple charges stemming from the same incident, the Court of Special Appeals has held. The holding vacates Lawrence Price...

Baltimore-based Constellation Energy sees profits rise for 2006.(Financial report)
February 1, 2007... Byline: Andy Rosen Constellation Energy Group Inc. reported increased profits for 2006, beating company predictions on the gains from wholesale power production and sales but falling short of some analysts' estimates for the year. The...

Md. CSA revives suit against sheriff's deputy.
February 1, 2007... Byline: Barbara Grzincic A man who was shot following a traffic stop can pursue his lawsuit against the Queen Anne's County deputy sheriff who shot him, the Court of Special Appeals has held. Andrew Pope III, 38, was left paralyzed from...

Recreational drinking of hand sanitizer a concern.
February 1, 2007... Byline: Karen Buckelew When a normally docile 49-year old inmate at a Maryland prison showed signs of being intoxicated -- becoming belligerent, combative and even prone to lecturing fellow inmates about the meaning of life -- prison...

Baltimore awards $1.5M in birth-injury lawsuit.
February 1, 2007... Byline: Ann W. Parks A Baltimore jury has awarded nearly $1.5 million in a malpractice action brought by a woman whose child was injured during delivery, according to her attorneys. The six-person jury deliberated over a five-day span...

News Summary.
February 1, 2007... Byline: Staff and wire reports CommerceFirst improves profit CommerceFirst Bancorp Inc., of Annapolis, the holding company for CommerceFirst Bank, reported a fourth-quarter consolidated net profit of $343,000, versus a consolidated net...

Annapolis-based CommerceFirst Inc. improves profit.(Financial report)
February 1, 2007... Byline: Daily Record Staff CommerceFirst Bancorp Inc., of Annapolis, the holding company for CommerceFirst Bank, reported a fourth-quarter consolidated net profit of $343,000, versus a consolidated net profit of $296,000 for 2005's fourth...

Industrial building in Hanover sold.
February 1, 2007... Byline: Daily Record Staff CB Richard Ellis, of Baltimore, a commercial real estate brokerage company, announced the sale of 7453 Candlewood Road, a 128,800-square-foot industrial building in Hanover, for $9 million. CBRE's Investment...

Baltimore-based Constellation Energy Group Inc. offline.
February 1, 2007... Byline: Daily Record Staff Constellation Energy Group Inc. stopped sending power to the grid this morning from the Calvert Cliffs 1 nuclear unit in Maryland. The turbine was taken offline to repair a steam leak in the high-pressure turbine...

Maryland colleges agree on transfers.
February 1, 2007... Byline: Daily Record Staff The College of Notre Dame of Maryland and the Community College of Baltimore County said they have signed an articulation agreement to enable students to transfer credits from CCBC toward a bachelor's degree at...

Easton-based For All Seasons Inc. acquisition.
February 1, 2007... Byline: Daily Record Staff For All Seasons Inc. has bought the Talbot Business Center with a plan of creating a site at which a number of providers of mental health services can treat patients. For All Seasons, a community mental health...

Baltimore-based Ripken Baseball Inc. in the running.
February 1, 2007... Byline: Daily Record Staff A company headed by former Baltimore Orioles shortstop Cal Ripken Jr. is among four bidders Harrisburg, Pa.'s minor-league baseball team, a newspaper reported Wednesday. Although confidentiality agreements...

Senators urge arbitration for Hunt Valley-based Sinclair Broadcast Group Inc.
February 1, 2007... Byline: Daily Record Staff U.S. Sens. Daniel Inouye and Ted Stevens have urged the Federal Communications Commission to end an impasse that is blocking Hunt Valley-based Sinclair Broadcast Group Inc.'s television stations from reaching 2...

Cold climate for change.
February 1, 2007... Byline: Daily Record Staff A report released Wednesday found more than half of the nation's 500 largest publicly traded companies are doing a poor job of disclosing climate change risks to their investors. The first-ever report by David...

Verizon Maryland offering FiOS to Prince George's County.
February 1, 2007... Byline: Daily Record Staff Verizon Maryland, a subsidiary of New York-based Verizon Communications Inc., said it is offering its all digital FiOS fiber-optic TV service to nearly 56,000 households in Prince George's County. Verizon FiOS...

Baltimore-based MidAtlantic Broadband broadens.
February 1, 2007... Byline: Daily Record Staff MidAtlantic Broadband, of Baltimore, a telecommunications company that manages the network facilities of hotels on military bases in 26 states, said it created a new commercial telecommunications division, ATS...

Bill introduced to allow cameras in the courtroom during criminal sentencing proceedings.
February 1, 2007... Byline: Daily Record Staff Del. Michael D. Smigiel Sr., R-Upper Shore, has introduced a bill that would allow cameras in the courtroom during criminal sentencing proceedings. Smigiel, whose bill last year to open all court proceedings to...

Top Maryland court weighs fate of ex-commissioner's lawsuit.
February 1, 2007... Byline: Ann W. Parks Kevin P. Clark, apparently, still wants his job back. Though he declined to comment on the proceedings, the former Baltimore City Police Commissioner was in Annapolis Thursday as the Court of Appeals considered whether...

Baltimore to host inaugural jazz festival.
February 1, 2007... Byline: Maryland Daily Record Staff Baltimore is banking on the sweet sounds of jazz to pump $10 million into the local economy this summer. The city that gave birth to Billie Holiday and Cab Calloway hopes jazz aficionados from throughout...

Maryland Public Service chairman submitts resignation.
February 1, 2007... Byline: Maryland Daily Record Staff Kenneth Schisler, embattled chairman of the Maryland Public Service Commission, submitted his resignation Monday. The resignation, effective today, ends months of speculation over Schisler's future with...

Baltimore's historic Brexton building rehabilitation plans fall through.
February 1, 2007... Byline: Maryland Daily Record Staff Plans to rehabilitate Baltimore's historic Brexton building have fallen through, putting the 19th-century former hotel back on the real estate market. Owner and developer Park Avenue LLC failed to...

Legg Mason Inc. considers moving company headquarters outside Baltimore.
February 1, 2007... Byline: Maryland Daily Record Staff Legg Mason Inc. is considering moving its company headquarters outside of Baltimore, according to business leaders, who fear such a step would deal a significant blow to the city. The financial firm...

No funds available for East-West transit line in the Washington suburbs.
February 1, 2007... Byline: Maryland Daily Record Staff Just hours after advocates rallied Tuesday for political support of an East-West transit line in the Washington suburbs, transportation officials told lawmakers that the state has no funds for new transit...

Maryland's demand for power increases faster than production.
February 1, 2007... Byline: Maryland Daily Record Staff Maryland's demand for power is increasing faster than the ability to produce and distribute it, according to a report by the Maryland Public Service Commission. Although the energy industry is looking at...

Supercenter Wal-Mart moves in to Cockeysville, Md.
February 1, 2007... Byline: Maryland Daily Record Staff An empty 29.5-acre lot on York Road next to Chesapeake Cadillac Jaguar in Cockeysville will be home to a long-rumored 225,000-square-foot Wal-Mart Supercenter. An official announcement ceremony from the...

Environmentally friendly building can help cut energy costs in the home.
February 1, 2007... Byline: Karen Nitkin Inspired by a speech from famed green architect William McDonough, Julie E. Gabrielli of Baltimore-based Gabrielli Design Studio began adding environmentally aware elements like better insulation and more recycling to...

More homeowners installing surround-sound home audio systems throughout their homes.
February 1, 2007... Byline: Carrie Oleynik Are you weary of handling stacks of CDs while entertaining guests at a dinner party? Tired of having to blast your stereo while gardening or relaxing by your pool? Since the advent of MP3 technology and wireless...

Bringing the garden indoors.
February 1, 2007... Byline: Christine Hansen Winter brings with it barren landscapes, but those nostalgic for their spring gardens need not wait months to utilize their green thumbs indoors while also enhancing home decor. Most houseplants are native to...

Winter is best time to buy second homes in Maryland.
February 1, 2007... Byline: Alan Dessoff With interest rates low and housing inventory high, it's a buyer's market now for second homes in Maryland, whether solely for investment or for weekend and vacation living. From the Atlantic beaches and the Eastern...

Information about fire prevention during the winter season.
February 1, 2007... Byline: Darren Rudham During this festive time of the year, ensure that the only warmth around the house is coming from the Yule log and the cheer of friends and family. Winter brings its own host of fire hazards to the homestead, from...

Suitable lighting will allow your home to truly shine.
February 1, 2007... Byline: Mary Medland You've refurbished, renovated, painted and decorated, and still your house does not feel complete. The missing component is often appropriate interior lighting, and while it may seem a small detail, it is only suitable...

Baltimore radio hosts are back on the air after three months of contract-enforced silence.
February 2, 2007... Byline: Louis Llovio After three months of contract-enforced silence, Baltimore radio hosts Kirk McEwen and Mark Ondayko were back on the air Thursday morning on WHFS-105.7, prompting CBS executives to predict a doubling of ad revenue. ...

Growing number of office tenants have landlords who require power usage to be metered.
February 2, 2007... Byline: Jen Degregorio When Peter Notari pays utility bills for his architectural firm, Notari Associates, he writes his checks directly to Baltimore Gas & Electric Co., not his landlord. The company, headquartered on West Ostend Street in...

Wellness programs gain stength in the workplace.
February 2, 2007... Byline: Dori Berman Kelly Openshaw tried chiropractors and cortisone shots to alleviate the chronic pain in her knee and hip, but to no avail. Then last year, her employer, Kelly and Associates Insurance Group, sponsored a program to help...

University of Maryland Associate Law Professor's book addresses racial tensions.
February 2, 2007... Byline: Cynthia Dipasquale Few would disagree that racial tensions exist in the United States. What scholars tend to debate are the roots of that tension and why it lingers roughly a half-century after Jim Crow laws were abolished and...

Maryland-based Bradford Bancorp Inc. merges with Senator Bank of Cockeysville.
February 2, 2007... Byline: Andy Rosen This week, Bradford Bancorp Inc. made the latest in a five-month series of acquisitions, growing both its branch network and its assets by agreeing to merge with Senator Bank of Cockeysville. It was the second deal of...

Week in Review.
February 2, 2007... Byline: Staff and wire reports Jazz fest to Baltimore Baltimore is banking on the sweet sounds of jazz to pump $10 million into the local economy this summer. The city that gave birth to Billie Holiday and Cab Calloway hopes jazz...

Md. lawmakers resurrect legislation to counteract the impediment to remarry among Orthodox Jews.
February 2, 2007... Byline: Caryn Tamber In the wake of publicity about Orthodox Jewish "chained wives" whose husbands refuse to grant them a religious divorce, state lawmakers are resurrecting legislation to counteract that impediment to remarriage. For the...

Virginia General Assembly committee may endorse a resolution to express regret for slavery.
February 2, 2007... Byline: Cynthia Dipasquale A committee in the Virginia General Assembly endorsed a resolution Wednesday that would express regret for the state's role in slavery. The bill passed unanimously in the House of Delegates' rules committee. A...

Maryland Retail Briefs: February 2, 2007.
February 2, 2007... Byline: Maryland Daily Record Staff Target's profit declines Target Logistics Inc., of Baltimore, a freight forwarding and logistics services company, reported net income of $589,504, or 3 cents per diluted share, for its fiscal second...

Md. Dept. of Natural Resources participating in International Environmental Poetry & Art contest.
February 3, 2007... Byline: Daily Record Staff The Maryland Department of Natural Resources is participating in the International Environmental Poetry & Art contest, also known as the River of Words. Affiliated with the Library of Congress Center for the...

Enoch Pratt Free Library launches rebranding campaign.
February 3, 2007... Byline: Louis Llovio It's been 125 years since Enoch Pratt first gave the city of Baltimore $1,058,333 to start a citywide library system with a central library and four branches. "My library," Pratt said at the time "shall be for all,...

CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield aids Easter Seals.
February 3, 2007... Byline: Daily Record Staff Easter Seals Greater Washington-Baltimore Region announced a $25,000 contribution from CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield to support the Easter Seals Adult and Senior Services Center in Baltimore. The Easter Seals...

Howard County-based Trinity Homes completes project in the Dominican Republic.
February 3, 2007... Byline: Daily Record Staff Howard County-based custom home builder Trinity Homes, as part of a philanthropic partnership with Food for the Poor, an international Christian humanitarian aid organization, said it completed a project in the...

Baltimore nonprofits honored.
February 3, 2007... Byline: Daily Record Staff The Baltimore Mayor's Office of Employment Development, together with the nonprofit organizations it funds, were recognized by the U.S. Department of Labor's Center for Faith-Based and Community Initiatives as...

No agreement yet on Allegheny Energy's rate proposal.
February 5, 2007... Byline: Andy Rosen Allegheny Energy Inc. has not been able to reach an agreement with state officials on a plan to ease the company's electric customers into a rate increase expected for 2009. Allegheny had hoped to find common ground with...

Jurors' note leads to reversal of murder conviction.
February 5, 2007... Byline: Ann W. Parks Two men convicted of murder and conspiracy for their alleged roles in a 2003 shooting are entitled to a new trial, the Court of Special Appeals held. Clayton Damon Colkley was sentenced to life in prison plus 50 years...

Q&A with Baltimore Area Convention and Visitors Assn. CEO Thomas Noonan.(Interview)
February 5, 2007... Byline: The Daily Record Nearing the end of his first month on the job as president and CEO of the Baltimore Area Convention and Visitors Association, Thomas J. Noonan took time out of his schedule Jan. 30 to talk with reporters at The...

Demand high for 'safety net' health program funding.
February 5, 2007... Byline: Karen Buckelew When the Maryland Community Health Resources Commission solicited proposals for its first round of grants last September, the response far outstripped its budget. Community health programs across the state requested...

Baltimore's Office of Youth Violence Prevention has funding for community programs.
February 5, 2007... Byline: Daily Record Staff Federal funds are available through Baltimore's Office of Youth Violence Prevention for community-based violence programs, the city's health department announced. Community organizations in areas with high rates...

Scott L. Rolle acts as defense atty. in case against man accused in baby's death.
February 5, 2007... Byline: Daily Record Staff Scott L. Rolle, former Frederick County state's attorney and unsuccessful Republican attorney general candidate, last week came to the defense of a Hagerstown man accused of beating and shaking his girlfriend's...

Maryland chapter of American Civil Liberties Union files suit over Baltimore County law.
February 5, 2007... Byline: Daily Record Staff The Maryland chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union said Friday it filed suit seeking to overturn a new Baltimore County law that it said "unconstitutionally limits when individuals can place political...

GXS Inc.s' Pepsi connection.
February 5, 2007... Byline: Daily Record Staff GXS Inc., of Gaithersburg, which operates one of the world's largest business-to-business e-commerce services, said PepsiAmericas Inc., of Minneapolis, the second-largest Pepsi bottler in the world, selected GXS...

Constellation Energy Group's nuclear unit up and running.
February 5, 2007... Byline: Daily Record Staff Constellation Energy Group Inc. returned the Calvert Cliffs 1 nuclear unit to full power in Maryland after performing maintenance last week. The reactor was listed at 100 percent of capacity in a report Friday...

Sunny's Great Outdoors Inc. files for bankruptcy.
February 5, 2007... Byline: Daily Record Staff Sunny's Great Outdoors Inc., a local retailer that got its start selling military leftovers in the aftermath of World War II, has filed for bankruptcy. The Elkridge-based company must hold liquidation sales and...

Record companies sue three in Maryland.
February 5, 2007... Byline: Cynthia Di Pasquale A group of recording companies has collectively sued three Maryland residents for illegal file-sharing. The three nearly identical complaints, filed in U.S. District Court in Greenbelt, claim Brendan Cullinane,...

End comes to Maryland's annual tobacco auction.
February 5, 2007... Byline: Jen DeGregorio Every spring since 1939, Maryland tobacco farmers have hauled their leaf-filled loads to warehouses where fast-talking auctioneers dealt their crops to cigarette makers and other buyers. But not this year. The number...

State weighs health care options.
February 5, 2007... Byline: Dori Berman Gov. Martin O'Malley has sponsored a bill aimed at enabling more people to acquire health insurance, but lawmakers appear poised to go well beyond the governor's proposed reforms. O'Malley and legislative leaders have...

Telkonet stock sale completed.
February 5, 2007... Byline: Staff and wire reports Telkonet Inc., of Germantown, a developer of products for high-speed Internet access over electrical power lines, said it completed a private placement of 4 million shares of common stock to two institutional...

What should lawyers learn in law school?
February 5, 2007... Byline: Cynthia Di Pasquale The University of Baltimore School of Law is asking Maryland lawyers just what they do at work. No, Web surfing is not an option on the "bench and bar" survey, but problem-solving, negotiating and discovery are....

Telkonet to acquires two companies.
February 5, 2007... Byline: Daily Record Staff In a separate announcement, Telkonet said it has entered into letters of intent to acquire two companies, one a technology developer of energy management systems, the other a U.S. wireless hospitality company....

Discount card regulations sought by Maryland lawmaker.
February 6, 2007... Byline: Louis Llovio The use of personal information gathered through the use of discount cards at grocery stores and other retailers could be seriously curtailed if freshman Del. Saqib Ali, D-Montgomery, gets his way. Ali said he...

Broadway Market in Baltimore's Fells Point may get update.
February 6, 2007... Byline: Jen DeGregorio An ambitious plan to overhaul a swath of land along Broadway in Baltimore's Fells Point neighborhood has moved closer to reality, securing approval from a city design panel and neighborhood groups. The...

Mike Rowe no longer host of Sunday morning infomercial "Your New Home".
February 6, 2007... Byline: Karen Buckelew For Discovery Channel fans, Mike Rowe probably is most recognizable for being knee-deep in cow patties, covered in bat guano or crouched in the innards of a sewage treatment plant. But among Baltimoreans, the...

Full back pay includes state-offered benefits, rules Md. Court of Appeals.
February 6, 2007... Byline: Ann W. Parks A state property assessor who lost his job more than 10 years ago for allegedly storing building permits haphazardly is entitled to reinstatement and back pay -- including state-offered benefits, the Court of Appeals...

Teen's waiver of counsel wasn't binding, Md. Court of Special Appeals says.
February 6, 2007... Byline: Cynthia Di Pasquale A Western Maryland teen did not waive his right to a lawyer despite failing to bring one along to an assault hearing. The juvenile, referred to as Shawn P., could not waive his right unless he first...

Baltimore County judge vacates $13M award against doctor.
February 6, 2007... Byline: Barbara Grzincic A Baltimore County judge has vacated a jury's $13 million verdict against a doctor in an informed consent case. Once Dr. Donald Spangler decided it was too risky to perform a Cesarean section on Peggy McQuitty...

PJM Interconnection predicts Monday's cold weather would break record for electricity demand.
February 6, 2007... Byline: Daily Record Staff PJM Interconnection, which operates the mid-Atlantic region's electricity grid, said Monday's cold weather would break its record winter peak demand for electricity. As of Monday morning, electricity use in the...

Vocus Inc. of Lanham reports fourth-quarter net income.(Financial report)
February 6, 2007... Byline: Daily Record Staff Vocus Inc., of Lanham, which makes Web-based software for the corporate communications and public relations markets, reported fourth-quarter net income of $476,000, or 3 cents per diluted share, on revenue of...

Dodge plant in Delaware faces closure.
February 6, 2007... Byline: Daily Record Staff DaimlerChrysler AG's Chrysler arm plans to slash at least 10,000 hourly jobs and close plants in Newark, Del., and Detroit, according to a report Monday in The Detroit News. The newspaper said the cuts will be...

Glen Burnie Bank earns less.
February 6, 2007... Byline: Daily Record Staff Glen Burnie Bancorp, parent company of The Bank of Glen Burnie, reported fourth-quarter net income of $609,000, or 25 cents per diluted share, versus net income of $671,000, or 27 cents per diluted share, for the...

Earnings dip for Shore Bancshares Inc. of Easton.
February 6, 2007... Byline: Daily Record Staff Shore Bancshares Inc., of Easton, the parent of Talbot Bank of Easton, The Centreville National Bank of Maryland, The Felton Bank and other financial institutions, reported fourth-quarter net income of $3...

AAI Services Corp. picked by Boeing.
February 6, 2007... Byline: Daily Record United Industrial Corp., of Hunt Valley, said its AAI Services Corp. unit received a $6.7 million contract from Boeing Co. to provide an additional maintenance training system for U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptor fighter...

General Physics awarded new contract with Boeing.
February 6, 2007... Byline: Daily Record Staff General Physics Corp., of Elkridge, a provider of training, e-learning, management consulting and engineering services, said it was awarded a contract with The Boeing Co. to provide technical support services for...

ABC television station in Baltimore to begin simulcasting morning news show on the radio.
February 6, 2007... Byline: Daily Record Staff WMAR-TV Channel 2, the ABC-affiliated television station in Baltimore, was to begin simulcasting its morning news show, Good Morning Maryland, on ABC-affiliated radio stations WCBM-AM 680 and WVIE-AM 1370...

Avatech Solutions Inc. of Owings Mills closes on private placement, raises $1.65 million.
February 6, 2007... Byline: Daily Record Staff Avatech Solutions Inc., of Owings Mills, a provider of design automation software and technical support for the manufacturing, building design and engineering markets said it closed on a private placement of...

Avatech Solutions board member Thom Waye named as its chairman.
February 6, 2007... Byline: Daily Record Staff Avatech Solutions also announced that board member Thom Waye, managing partner and founder of the New York-based Sigma Opportunity Fund, has been named as its chairman, succeeding W. James Hindman, who remains a...

SC&H Group of Sparks hires Ann Quinn.
February 6, 2007... Byline: Daily Record Staff SC&H Group LLC, of Sparks, an accounting and management consulting firm, announced the hiring of Ann Quinn as a vice president in SC&H Capital, the firm's mergers and acquisitions practice. Quinn was managing...

Reid Miller, son of agency founder Jack Miller, named new president for Towson-based Miller Group.
February 6, 2007... Byline: Daily Record Staff The Miller Group, a Towson-based advertising and public relations company, said Reid Miller, son of agency founder Jack Miller, has been named the agency's new president, succeeding his father, who becomes chief...

VelvetRevolution.us files suit against Zogby International Inc.
February 6, 2007... Byline: Daily Record Staff VelvetRevolution.us, a nonprofit election reform organization, said it filed suit Monday in Superior Court for the District of Columbia against Zogby International Inc., a market research company based in Utica,...

Morgan State University coach charged with misdemeanor assault.
February 6, 2007... Byline: Daily Record Staff Morgan State University's men's basketball coach Todd Bozeman was charged with misdemeanor assault after an argument with a restaurant employee following a 75-73 loss to Virginia's Longwood University over the...

Eastern Shore prison rethinking its policy of requiring inmates to close and lock their cell doors.
February 6, 2007... Byline: Daily Record Staff A medium-security Eastern Shore prison is rethinking its policy after a convicted murderer complained that inmates should not be required to close and lock their cell doors when they enter and leave. Alonzo...