Daily Record (Baltimore, MD) articles from January 2002

Daily Record (Baltimore, MD) archives from January 2002

Md. Court of Special Appeals rules post-arrest silence can't be mentioned at trial.
January 3, 2002... Byline: Joe Surkiewicz A Baltimore man is entitled to a new trial on an attempted first-degree murder charge, the Court of Special Appeals ruled yesterday. The trial judge erred in allowing a prosecutor to attempt to use the defendants...

Maryland about to close book on S&L scandal.
January 3, 2002... Byline: Todd Karpovich The state of Maryland is getting ready to close the book on the Old Court Savings & Loan Inc. scandal after almost 20 years of following an international paper trail in search of millions of dollars. Mary Louise...

Baltimore County planners, developers to square off.
January 3, 2002... Byline: Amy Bernstein As Baltimore County planners conduct their annual review today of properties eligible for commercial development, they may be at odds with some local and national businesses eager to control the fate of several choice...

Md. Court of Special Appeals rules 15-year old should've been tried in juvenile court.
January 3, 2002... Byline: Peter Geier A 15-year-old who went on a 1999 crime spree had several of his convictions reversed Monday because they should have been tried in juvenile court. The Court of Special Appeals, however, affirmed Lamont Hamwrights...

Kensington business owners caught in Buffalo snowstorm.
January 3, 2002... Byline: Laura Fick On Christmas Eve, Roger Lund called his sister to see what the weather was like in Buffalo, N.Y. He and Bill Patterson, co-owners of Kensington-based retailer Aunt Bettys General Store, hoped to fly up to celebrate the...

Md. Court of Special Appeals affirms MD Board of Ed.'s salary decision.
January 3, 2002... Byline: Peter Geier A trial judge should have affirmed a Maryland State Board of Education decision to reduce the salaries of eight reassigned Baltimore City Public School principals, rather than sending the case back for a new hearing,...

Battle against Baltimore County pond pollution back in court.
January 3, 2002... Byline: Earl Kelly Local environmentalists won a major victory in the Court of Special Appeals and will be able to resume their battle against a developer and homeowners they say are polluting Dipping Pond Run, one of the few remaining...

Md. CSA rules fence-hopping worker not entitled to comp benefits for broken leg.
January 3, 2002... Byline: Barbara Grzincic A Southwest Airlines employee who fell while trying to scale a four-foot fence surrounding a parking lot is not entitled to workers compensation benefits, the Court of Special Appeals has affirmed. By having a...

Painter opens gallery in city's new arts district.
January 3, 2002... Byline: Laura Fick Sometimes things just fall into place. Alexander Foley is a case in point. Although he has been an avid painter since age seven, he never considered getting into the gallery business. Instead, he joined Long and Foster...

Baltimore-based firm lands US Airways domestic ad account.
January 3, 2002... Byline: Bruce Miller Eisner Communications is soaring into the new year, having landing US Airways domestic advertising account worth an estimated $20 million annually. The Baltimore-based agency received a letter of intent this week from...

Reports: GM to launch $2,002 rebate on 2002 models.
January 3, 2002... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports General Motors Corp., which just ended its zero percent financing program, will offer a $2,002 rebate on 2002 models in its place, according to published reports. The new incentive program is expected to cost...

Airline passengers to begin paying security fee.
January 3, 2002... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports The cost of a round trip ticket will rise as much as $10 next month as airline passengers begin paying for security improvements. The Transportation Department said the new security fee of $2.50 per flight,...

New jobless benefits claims again increase sharply.
January 3, 2002... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports New claims for unemployment insurance shot up for the second week in a row, suggesting many U.S. workers are still suffering from an economy that is trying to claw its way out of a recession. For the work...

Rockville-based Panacea Pharmaceuticals names former FDA Commissioner to its board.
January 3, 2002... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Rockville-based Panacea Pharmaceuticals Inc. has named former FDA Commissioner Frank E. Young to its board of directors. Young has an extensive background in genetics, biotechnology, FDA regulatory matters,...

Lanham-based Digex to introduce new high-speed firewall appliance.
January 3, 2002... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Digex Inc., of Lanham, a leading managed hosting provider for business on the Internet, said it is expanding its managed security offerings by introducing a new high-speed firewall. This new firewall...

Bank of American donated $1.4M to nonprofits throughout Maryland in 2001.
January 3, 2002... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Bank of America has donated more than $1.4 million to support nonprofit organizations throughout the state of Maryland in 2001. In addition to the grants, Bank of America has also donated $175,000 to the...

Columbia-based HIPAAdocs Corp. provides free application for healthcare industry on Web site.
January 3, 2002... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Columbia-based HIPAAdocs Corp. is providing on its Web site (www.hipadocs.com) free application for the healthcare industry to comply with federal regulations which require virtually all entities covered by...

Koffel Associates announces certification of senior fire protection engineer.
January 3, 2002... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Koffel Associates Inc., based in Ellicott City, said Clay P. Aler, a company senior fire protection engineer, has been certified by the Building Officials Code Administration as a Building Plans Examiner. KAI...

Sinclair Broadcast Group shuts down news operation on WXLV-TV in Greensboro, N.C.
January 3, 2002... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Baltimore-based Sinclair Broadcast Group Inc. is shutting down the news operation on WXLV-TV (ABC 45) in Greensboro, N.C., following the 11:00 p.m., Jan. 11, newscast. "With news advertising revenues being...

Md. officials celebrate completion of $60M Smart Growth commuter rail project.
January 3, 2002... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Be at the downtown Frederick MARC Station Platform, 100 S. East St., tomorrow at 10:30 a.m. and you and Gov. Parris N. Glendening and a host of others can celebrate the completion of the $60 million Smart...

Bethesda-based OPNET Technologies begins operations in Sydney, Australia.
January 3, 2002... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Bethesda-based OPNET Technologies Inc., a leading provider of intelligent network management software, has begun operations in Sydney, Australia, to offer customers in Australia, New Zealand and Southeast...

Baltimore-based Guilford Pharmaceuticals licenses its DOPASCAN Injection to Finland-based MAP.
January 3, 2002... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Guilford Pharmaceuticals Inc., of Baltimore, has licensed exclusive European development and commercialization rights for DOPASCAN Injection, its proprietary diagnostic imaging agent for Parkinson's disease,...

Manugistics Group's promotions management solutions chosen by Staples Inc.
January 3, 2002... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Rockville-based Manugistics Group Inc., a leading global provider of Enterprise Profit Optimization solutions that help companies enhance margins by lowering costs and improving revenues across their...

Suburban Uniform offers new e-business setup, changes name to reflect new positioning.
January 3, 2002... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Suburban Uniform Co., a Westminster-based uniform distribution company, has a new Internet-based program to allow apparel administrators to outsource a company's entire uniform program online. And with its...

Integrated Spatial Information Solutions narrows net loss for 2001.
January 3, 2002... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Integrated Spatial Information Solutions Inc., based in Colorado and with offices in Maryland Kentucky, New York, New Jersey, Rhode Island and California, has sharply narrowed its net loss for the fiscal year...

Md. comptroller dispenses $37M as part of windfall from tax amnesty program.
January 3, 2002... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports As part of the windfall from the state's Tax Amnesty program, the state's comptroller's office has dispensed about $37 million to Maryland's 23 counties and Baltimore City.

Johns Hopkins engineers devise way to speed up microchip processing.
January 3, 2002... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports By using light beams in place of metal wires, a team of engineers in the department of electrical and computer engineering at The Johns Hopkins University has devised a cost-effective way to speed up the way...

Md. Legal Briefs: January 3, 2002.
January 3, 2002... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Visa violation A federal immigration judge in Detroit yesterday ordered the founder of a charity accused of funding terrorist activities held indefinitely on a visa violation charge, the man's lawyer...

TeleCommunication Systems deploys wireless 911 service to a million new customers.
January 4, 2002... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Annapolis-based TeleCommunication Systems Inc., a provider of wireless location and messaging software and services, said it has deployed wireless E9-1-1 location service to a million additional subscribers...

MD announces Technology Transfer Fund.
January 4, 2002... Byline: Bob Keaveney Calling it the last piece of a patchwork of funding programs aimed at driving technology from government institutions into homes and businesses, Maryland officials this week announced the availability of new money to...

Baltimore City housing authority not immune from lead-paint suits.
January 4, 2002... Byline: Peter Geier The Housing Authority for Baltimore City is not immune from tort liability arising from lead paint actions simply because it has no insurance to pay any judgment, the Court of Special Appeals held yesterday. The...

Task force studies Inner Harbor mgmt. issues.
January 4, 2002... Byline: Rachel Mansour Needless to say, theres a lot going on in and around Baltimores Inner Harbor. It began with Harborplace, a few marina slips, cruise ships and paddleboats. Now there are kayaks, water taxis, bigger cruise ships and...

Md. Court of Appeals hears adult book store zoning case.
January 4, 2002... Byline: Earl Kelly An attorney for an Ellicott City adult book store invoked both nudity and literature in arguing to the states highest court that Howard County passed a zoning law specifically to drive the countys only two adult book...

Bills proposed to reform Maryland's regulatory commission and its process.
January 4, 2002... Byline: Amy Bernstein A package of proposed legislation aimed at monitoring Marylands telecommunications industry may also, by extension, introduce reforms to the Maryland Public Service Commission, which some lawmakers and regulated...

MD's minority women-owned firms continue to grow.
January 4, 2002... Byline: Laura Fick Nationally, the number of minority women-owned firms is expected to exceed 1.2 million this year, growing faster than all other segments of business, according to a recently released report by the Washington-based Center...

Maryland's legislative session boosts Annapolis restaurants.
January 4, 2002... Byline: Tyisha Manigo With the Maryland General Assembly set to begin its 416th session next week, politicians and lobbyists are about to descend, as usual, on Annapolis. When they arrive, nobody will be happier to see them particularly...

Md. Court of Special Appeals holds real estate agents not liable for lead poisoning.
January 4, 2002... Byline: Peter Geier A real estate agent or broker who lists and promotes residential property for rental is not an owner within the meaning of the Lead Paint Act, the Court of Special Appeals held yesterday. The intermediate appellate...

Md. Court of Special Appeals holds woman fired for talking to lawyer can't sue.
January 4, 2002... Byline: Joe Surkiewicz A woman who consulted a lawyer after getting a written warning of poor job performance and, as a result, was fired has no cause of action for wrongful discharge, the Court of Special Appeals held yesterday. [W]hile...

Md. mergers and acquisitions down 39 percent in 2001, reflecting national data.
January 4, 2002... Byline: Keeley Webster The number of mergers and acquisitions in Maryland dropped 39 percent in 2001, declining to 189 from 304, according to a report issued yesterday by Mergerstat LP, a Los Angeles-based company that tracks M&As. ...

Looking to save time, money, state urges Marylanders to e-file taxes.
January 4, 2002... Byline: Todd Karpovich The comptroller of Maryland is jumping aboard a federal campaign to get more people to file their taxes electronically to save time and money. To help meet that goal, the state is launching several initiatives that...

Unemployment rate climbs to 5.8 percent in December.
January 4, 2002... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports The nation's unemployment rate climbed to 5.8 percent in December, highest in more than six years, as businesses cut 124,000 jobs and the year ended with the job market in the depths of recession. The...

Maryland names its first Arts and Entertainment Districts.
January 4, 2002... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Four areas, including one just north of Penn Station in Baltimore City, were named Maryland's first Arts and Entertainment Districts. Besides Baltimore's Station North district, the other winners were the...

Md. Legal Briefs: January 4, 2002.
January 4, 2002... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Guilty plea Murrell Dobbins Webb, 20, pleaded guilty to one count of violation of housing rights in federal court in Baltimore yesterday. Webb and Christopher Cimerose, 33, of Elkton were indicted in...

Baltimore Ravens tackle Tony Siragusa to announce his retirement.
January 4, 2002... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Sports Illustrated reported on its Web site yesterday that Baltimore Ravens defensive tackle Tony Siragusa would announce his retirement, effective at the end of this season. "Goose," known for his comfort in...

Columbia-based Hemagen Diagnostics reports operating results for 2001.
January 4, 2002... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Columbia-based Hemagen Diagnostics Inc., a biotechnology company that develops, manufactures and markets proprietary medical diagnostic test kits, reported operating results for its fiscal year ended...

OPNET Technologies acquires Belgium-based WDM NetDesign.
January 4, 2002... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports OPNET Technologies Inc., a Bethesda-based provider of intelligent network management software, said it has fully acquired its partially owned subsidiary WDM NetDesign B.V.B.A., a Belgium-based software...

Human Genome Sciences to webcast its healthcare conference presentation.
January 4, 2002... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Rockville-based Human Genome Sciences Inc. said its presentation to the JPMorgan H&Q 20th Annual Healthcare Conference will be webcast and may be accessed at www.hgsi.com. The pharmaceutical company's senior...

United Therapeutics acquires worldwide rights to ADMA heart disease marker.
January 4, 2002... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports United Therapeutics Corp. of Silver Spring said it acquired exclusive worldwide rights to manufacture, sell and use diagnostic tests for asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA), a marker of heart disease risk that...

Houston-based Technology & Financial Consulting joins Annapolis-based FTI Consulting.
January 4, 2002... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Annapolis-based FTI Consulting, a national provider of strategic and litigation-related consulting services, said intellectual property and financial consulting firm Technology & Financial Consulting Inc., of...

Baltimore's SafeNet completes acquisition of The Netherlands-based Securealink.
January 4, 2002... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Baltimore's SafeNet, a provider of Internet security technology, said it completed its acquisition of The Netherlands-based Securealink Inc., a European manufacturer of security chips for e-commerce...

Johns Hopkins publishes study on effects of weather extremes on public health.
January 4, 2002... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Excessive heat is more likely to kill Northerners, while excessive cold weather is more likely to increase mortality risk among Southerners, according to a just-published study by Johns Hopkins Bloomberg...

Dr. Yonas Sissay joins medical staff of Chase Brexton Health Services.
January 4, 2002... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Dr. Yonas Sissay, a specialist in internal medicine and HIV/AIDS care, has joined the medical staff of Chase Brexton Health Services in Mount Vernon and Pikesville. Sissay studied in Africa, where the disease...

Baltimore-based ImageLine On Hold signs Bethesda-based Society of American Foresters.
January 4, 2002... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports ImageLine On Hold, a Baltimore-based firm specializing in voice-related products and services, has signed the Society of American Foresters to provide the Bethesda-based forestry group its on-hold messaging...

Hood College to host session on its master's and certification programs.
January 4, 2002... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Hood College will host an information session on its 10 master's degree programs and eight certification programs. The session is set for Jan. 13 at 3 p.m. in the Campus Commons Room of the Whitaker Campus...

The Stoeher Companies to perform renovations on Westminster Shopping Center.
January 4, 2002... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports The Stoehr Companies, a general contracting firm in Carroll County, will perform exterior renovations to the 120,000-square-foot Westminster Shopping Center. Work is expected to begin immediately and last...

Baltimore-based software development firm making progress in the recreational boating industry.
January 5, 2002... Byline: Daily Record Staff Business Writer Like trying to teach grandpa how to program the VCR, persuading the nation's marina operators to incorporate Web-based technologies into their low-tech businesses can be a frustrating task. ...

How far should the federal government go to help struggling industries and companies?
January 5, 2002... Byline: Daily Record Staff Business Writer With three of America's most important industries in shambles, just how involved should the American government be in private enterprise? More than 100,000 workers have been laid off in the...

Maryland Legal Briefs: January 5, 2002.
January 5, 2002... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Corporate lawyer John B. Frisch has been elected vice chairman of Miles & Stockbridge effective Jan. 1, and is expected to succeed Lowell R. Bowen as chairman next year. Frisch began his career with M&S in...

Tips for getting difficult stains out of clothing from Gage Menswear.
January 5, 2002... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Even business executives can get a little messy during the holidays. So Gage Menswear is offering some tips to those who don't want their loved ones to find out they spilled red wine on a new silk tie. ...

Port Deposit considers a controlled hunt at Bainbridge to lower deer population.
January 5, 2002... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports In Port Deposit, where deer outnumber people 3-to-1, the site of buck roaming downtown streets is not unusual. The 2,000 deer that roam the 1,200 acres of the former Bainbridge Naval Training Center...

Lawsuit stalls Md.'s purchase of land in downtown Cumberland for Canal Place project.
January 5, 2002... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports A lawsuit has stalled the state's purchase of 3.25 acres in downtown Cumberland for the Canal Place project. Investors in the former Cumberland Electric Co. property say the state-sponsored Canal Place...

Commentary: Baltimore attorney advises against infringement of buildings and plans.
January 5, 2002... Byline: James B. Astrachan Real estate developers, builders and architects who copy buildings or plans can wind up paying a fortune for their infringement. This is because the United States copyright law protects building plans, and in...

Commentary: Stephen M. Thaler on the state of health insurance.
January 5, 2002... Byline: Nancy Kercheval Stephen M. Thaler merged his company, Thaler Enterprises Inc., with Hilb, Rogal and Hamilton Co. Among his specialties is benefits an issue of importance to both management and employees. As the economy headed into...

Lisa Nichols thrives as senior technician for Baltimore-based pest control company.
January 5, 2002... Byline: Daily Record Staff Business Writer Lisa Nichols never liked bugs. She remembers as a little girl going to the bathroom only to find a waterbug, otherwise known as an Oriental cockroach, scuttling across the floor. Terrified, she...

At midlife, Baltimore County enterprise zones not in crisis.
January 5, 2002... Byline: Daily Record Staff Business Writer The collapse of Bethlehem Steel in Baltimore County may seem like the last nail in the coffin for the county's industrial and manufacturing economy, which has been in decline since the end of World...

Maryland's General Assembly session predicted to be contentious.
January 5, 2002... Byline: Daily Record Staff Legal Affairs Writer Like previous sessions of the General Assembly, this one will start out with lawmakers doing a lot of backslapping, glad-handing and shop-talking. They will do this in small groups...

Looking for superstardom, comics come to Baltimore's Improv Comedy Club.
January 5, 2002... Byline: Daily Record Staff Business Writer With the recent addition of Power Plant Live to Baltimore's nightlife scene, the city's status as an after-dark location continues to increase. It is no surprise then that a comedy club chain,...

2002: A partisan odyssey of issues for the Maryland General Assembly.
January 5, 2002... Byline: Daily Record Staff Business Writer The events of the past year have set up the 2002 Maryland General Assembly session to be an interesting one as legislators anticipate heated debate on several fronts with party loyalties running...

Commentary: Make a New Year's resolution to get involved with a local college.
January 5, 2002... Byline: Craig Weidemann Each year at this time, there is a long wait to get on the exercise equipment at my athletic club. January brings out many, many old members committed to New Year's resolutions to lose weight or improve health. ...

Commentary: EYE ON THE ENTREPRENEUR - Know thyself (and all the others in your business).
January 5, 2002... Byline: Neil R.G. Young, CLU, ChFC Lynne Kirsner, CEO of The Fitch Co., wasn't satisfied. The Fitch Co., a 103-year-old family-owned janitorial distribution company, prides itself on providing solutions for a cleaner, healthier and...

Commentary: MUTUAL PERSPECTIVES - Wealth replacement trusts.
January 7, 2002... Byline: Barry Strudwick In my job I hear constant fretting over the dilemma of paying estate taxes and transferring wealth to the next generation. Most don't realize that Uncle Sam has already provided for a very simple solution that meets...

Md. Legal Briefs: January 7, 2002.
January 7, 2002... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports The Committee on Access to Court Records will meet today at 5:30 p.m. at the Judiciary Training Center in Annapolis to review a draft of the report that will be sent to Chief Judge Robert M. Bell. This is a...

Commentary: FINANCIAL ADVICE - Financial fitness in the New Year.
January 7, 2002... Byline: Dena Shapiro Frenkel How long has it been since you updated your will, balanced your portfolio or even balanced your checkbook? Is your debt piling up despite your best efforts to make ends meet? One of the most important New...

BWI Airport's parked-car tally for Christmas Day, 2001, declines 10 percent.
January 7, 2002... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports BWI Airport's overnight parked-car tally for Christmas Day, 2001, was its fifth highest in history. Yet the crowds still were fewer than a year earlier. Airport officials said 19,611 of their 25,400 available...

Gaithersburg-based MedImmune Inc. enters into merger agreement with Aviron.
January 7, 2002... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports MedImmune Inc. of Gaithersburg said the waiting period regarding its acquisition of Aviron under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act has expired. MedImmune and Aviron have entered into a...

Legg Mason Wood Walker Inc. rates AT&T Wireless shares.
January 7, 2002... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Legg Mason Wood Walker Inc. has initiated coverage of AT&T Wireless Services Inc., the third- largest U.S. wireless carrier, with a "market performance" rating on the shares. That is less bullish than most...

Baltimore's Remington Avenue Bridge closed temporarily.
January 7, 2002... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports The Remington Avenue Bridge, between 33rd Street and Wyman Park Drive, will be closed from today through May 6 so that the city's contractor, Monumental Paving and Excavating Inc., can replace a 20-inch water...

Columbia-based Maxim Health Systems providing flu shots to low-income people.
January 7, 2002... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Columbia-based Maxim Health Systems, a nationwide flu shot provider, said it is providing flu shots at below cost in an effort to vaccinate low-income people. Like many other flu shot administers, Maxim...

Great American Green Transportation Festival's Tour de Sol to stop in Annapolis.
January 7, 2002... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Annapolis will be a stop on the Tour de Sol: The Great American Green Transportation Festival during National Transportation Week, May 12-18. The tour will showcase vehicles and technologies that offer new...

Orbital Sciences Corp. selected to design and build first spacecraft to orbit asteroids.
January 7, 2002... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Orbital Sciences Corp. has been selected for an $80 million contract to develop and build the first spacecraft designed to orbit main-belt asteroids. The Dawn mission is scheduled for launch in 2006 to orbit...

Columbia-based Igene Biotechnology concludes purchase of Norway-based ProBio Nutraceuticals.
January 7, 2002... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Igene Biotechnology Inc. of Columbia said it has concluded a purchase agreement of its exclusive sales agent ProBio Nutraceuticals A.S., of Tromso, Norway, for $2.2 million. The purchase of ProBio...

GMC Holding Corp. signs letter of intent with Annapolis-based LiveCapsule Inc.
January 7, 2002... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports GMC Holding Corp. said it has entered into a letter of intent with Annapolis-based LiveCapsule Inc. to acquire up to a fifty percent interest in the company for $7,000,000 plus 500,000 shares of GMC....

CEO of Vansant Creations elected to board of directors of Annapolis/Anne Arundel Chamber of Commerce.
January 7, 2002... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Amy Vansant, CEO of multimedia development firm Vansant Creations, was recently elected to the board of directors of the Annapolis and Anne Arundel Chamber of Commerce.

US Airways resumes daily nonstop service from Wash.'s Reagan Nat. Airport to six cities.
January 7, 2002... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports US Airways is resuming daily nonstop service from Washington's Reagan National Airport to six more cities Hartford, Huntsville, New Orleans, Providence, Tampa and West Palm Beach. The carrier is currently...