Daily Record (Baltimore, MD) articles from January 2004

Daily Record (Baltimore, MD) archives from January 2004

Citizen's advisory panel to review zoning regulations around Deep Creek Lake in Garrett County.
January 2, 2004... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports A citizen's advisory panel has been named to review zoning regulations around Deep Creek Lake. Garrett County Commissioner Fred Holliday recommended the study of overall lake zoning last summer when the...

Bethesda-based First Potomac Realty Trust acquires Alexandria Corporate Park.
January 2, 2004... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Bethesda-based First Potomac Realty Trust acquired Alexandria Corporate Park, a 278,000-square-foot industrial and flex property in Virginia, for $40 million. The Alexandria property is 68 percent leased...

Gaithersburg pilot attempts to become first to circle globe over the poles in single-engine plane.
January 2, 2004... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Gaithersburg pilot Gus McLeod took off Monday from the College Park Airport in his attempt to become the first person to circle the globe over the poles in a single-engine plane. Three years ago McLeod...

Southern Md. Electric Cooperative employees help needy families during the holiday season.
January 2, 2004... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Southern Maryland Electric Cooperative employees "adopted" 11 needy families in the company's service area for the holiday season. Working with charities the Christmas Connection in Charles County, Tree...

Md. Dept. of Education's report shows teacher salaries in three counties among lowest statewide.
January 2, 2004... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports The Maryland State Department of Education's annual report for the 2003-2004 school year reveals teachers in Wicomico, Worcester and Somerset counties rank among the lowest paid statewide 21st, 18th and...

Unknown donor puts $415 gold coin into Salvation Army charity kettle in Frederick.
January 2, 2004... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports For the third straight year, someone has dropped a gold coin worth $415 into a Salvation Army charity kettle in Frederick, the organization's local director said. The 1999 American Eagle, wrapped in a $20...

Harford County to offer Christmas tree recycling program.
January 2, 2004... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports The Harford County Office of Recycling will hold a Christmas tree recycling program tomorrow, Jan. 10 and Jan. 17 from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Residents can bring trees to the county's Waste Disposal and...

MD Legal Briefs January 2, 2004.
January 2, 2004... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Doc loses appeal Dr. Ann C. Morrill, whose pro se $75,000 jury verdict against Johns Hopkins Bayview Physicians over her alleged termination without 30 days' notice was reversed on a post trial defense...

Anne Arundel Community College recruits students for its construction training program.
January 2, 2004... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports The city of Annapolis, OIC Job Readiness Center and the Anne Arundel Community College Basic Construction Training Program are recruiting out-of-school 18- to 24-year-olds to enter a pilot job-training...

Carroll County Chamber of Commerce names Eyler as chairman of its board of directors.
January 2, 2004... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports The Carroll County Chamber of Commerce has named H. Eugene "Gene" Eyler, vice president of commercial lending at Westminster Union Bank, as the 2004 chairman of its board of directors. Eyler has been a...

Taking over; longtime employee assumes the helm at The Paper Shop.
January 2, 2004... Byline: Neil R. G. Young Monica Bloodsworth had worked 10 years for Sharen Thomas, owner of The Paper Shop, as the office manager for the popular Timonium gift and stationery shop. She started out working part time, but eventually she went...

Retailers battle shoplifters during holiday season.
January 2, 2004... Byline: Andrea Cecil It's noon on Wednesday and Towson Town Center's parking garage is packed with cars. The number of shoppers inside Hecht's makes it seem more like a bustling Saturday at the mall than a weekday. But gold and...

The unintended biotech company.
January 2, 2004... Byline: Robyn Lamb When Edward M. Rudnic left Shire Laboratories five years to scratch his entrepreneurial itch, he had no intention of doing so in the field of antibiotics. He looked around. He considered doing cardiovascular,...

Lawyers give advice about how to deal with the Attorney Grievance Commission.
January 2, 2004... Byline: Peter Geier A state senator on the horn with appellate judges about a pending redistricting case; a prosecutor a tad too chummy with the media; a lawyer who spirits a son in trouble with the law out of the country all are the...

Conklin, N.Y.-based Maines Paper and Food Service to triple its workforce in Maryland.
January 2, 2004... Byline: Kara Kridler With so many Maryland restaurants to feed, Maines Paper and Food Service Inc. expects to more than triple the size of its staff in the state in the coming years, a company representative said. Headquartered in...

Commentary: MoneyWi$e: Getting off to fresh start.
January 2, 2004... Byline: Julius Westheimer How do you get off to a fresh financial start for 2004? In addition to organizing your tax files and expense receipts (now, instead of April 14), balancing your portfolios, and making automatic IRA contributions,...

Grants available for community arts projects.
January 3, 2004... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Grants of as much as $3,000 for community arts projects and small arts organizations are now available from Baltimore City's CityArts 2004 grant program. A panel of artists and administrators evaluate...

Gov. Ehrlich to keynote Martin Luther King Jr. tribute dinner.
January 3, 2004... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. will keynote the Jan. 15 Martin Luther King Jr. tribute dinner. Previous speakers have included South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Illyasa Shabazz, daughter of Malcolm X. For...

Gov. Ehrlich to take bus tour of proposed Intercounty Connector routes.
January 3, 2004... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. on Tuesday will take a bus tour of proposed routes for the Intercounty Connector. The highway is intended to connect I-270 and I-95, which would alleviate traffic on the north side...

Commentary: A stroke saving shot.
January 3, 2004... Byline: Joe Rahnis There's nothing more disappointing than thinking you've hit a terrific drive off the tee only to walk up to your ball and find it just trickled off the fairway and behind a tree. Sometimes you catch a break and the tree...

Central Scholarship Bureau receives $25K from Baltimore Life Underwriters Charitable Foundation.
January 3, 2004... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports With a $25,000 gift from the Baltimore Life Underwriters Charitable Foundation, The Central Scholarship Bureau is providing interest-free loans for college tuition to students in Baltimore area. Opened in...

Columbia's ambassador to U.S. to speak at WTC in Baltimore.
January 3, 2004... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Luis Alberto Moreno, Columbia's ambassador to the United States, will discuss U.S.-Colombia relations Jan. 22 6 p.m. at the World Trade Center in Baltimore. Among other things, Moreno will discuss the war on...

Drive-by drug dealer finds no way out.
January 5, 2004... Byline: Ann Parks The 10-minute detention of a drug dealer immediately prior to his arrest was a lawful investigatory stop based on the reasonable suspicions of police, the Court of Special Appeals has held. The court affirmed the...

Breaking and entering conviction reversed.
January 5, 2004... Byline: Peter Geier Less onerous than Poe's raven, an attempted robber rapping, rapping at an octogenarian's door did not burgle the premises because there was no evidence of his actual or constructive breaking, the Court of Special...

Commentary: Five critical tools to building a portfolio.
January 5, 2004... Byline: Dena Shapiro Frenkel Although you may be slowly recouping your losses in your portfolio, keep the following tips in mind to help speed your portfolio's recovery and avoid some common traps. 1. Practice dollar-cost averaging....

4th Circuit says union representation was fair.
January 5, 2004... Byline: Peter Geier Despite the unfortunate circumstances faced by furloughed US Airways Inc. employee members of the Communications Workers of America AFL-CIO in the aftermath of Sept. 11, 2001, they were fairly represented by their...

Montgomery Co. Board of Ed liable for teacher's defense.
January 5, 2004... Byline: Lawrence Hurley A Montgomery County public school teacher accused of sexually abusing a student she was mentoring should have been indemnified under the school board's insurance policy, the Court of Special Appeals has held. ...

Baltimore County leaders say slots legislation DOA.
January 5, 2004... Byline: Chet Dembeck Any slot machine legislation could be dead on arrival. Even before this year's session of the Maryland General Assembly kicks off, leaders of Baltimore County's delegation to Maryland's Senate and House of...

MD Legal Briefs January 5, 2004.
January 5, 2004... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Baltimore's accessible circuit court Though chronically delayed, Baltimore City Circuit Court's facilities should be fully compliant with the federal district court-imposed Americans with Disabilities Act...

Baltimore-based Charm City Concierge has success with its virtual service for corporate clients.
January 5, 2004... Byline: Andrea Cecil Charm City Concierge boasts of arranging for 253,972 Baltimore Orioles tickets; 213,975 floral arrangements; 192,392 catered affairs; 173,279 laundered shirts; 97 Elvis impersonators; and one kangaroo costume. Now...

Montgomery County-based startup to launch software package for free long-distance via Internet.
January 5, 2004... Byline: Robyn Lamb How valuable would it be to make a long-distance call, for free, via the Internet? It is a technology that swarms of companies are lining up to offer. With billions of dollars in market potential, a Montgomery...

Baltimore-based Legg Mason acquires Singapore-based Rothschild Asset Management.
January 5, 2004... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Legg Mason Inc., a Baltimore-based money management and brokerage firm that's been looking to expand outside the United States, bought the Singapore business of Rothschild Asset Management, which oversees...

Bethesda-based Lockheed Martin Corp. posts first annual share price decline since 1999.
January 5, 2004... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Lockheed Martin Corp., the biggest U.S. defense company, posted its first annual share price decline since 1999 amid concern military spending will fall and pension costs rise. The Bethesda company's shares...

Baltimore-based Environmental Elements Corp. restructures its current debt agreement.
January 5, 2004... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Baltimore-based Environmental Elements Corp. announced yesterday that it has restructured its current debt agreement. The deal provides for a $5 million reduction of EEC's outstanding line of credit balance,...

Value of U.S. equity offerings falls 10% in 2003.
January 5, 2004... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports The value of U.S. equity offerings fell 10 percent to $79.4 billion in 2003 from $88.4 billion in 2002. The number of issues increased to 521 from 447 in the year-ago period. The value of equity offerings...

Baltimore-based T. Rowe Price launches Diversified Mid-Cap Growth Fund.
January 5, 2004... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports T. Rowe Price of Baltimore has launched Diversified Mid-Cap Growth Fund, its third mid-cap growth fund. The fund invests in medium-sized companies with attractive growth prospects. The new fund opening comes...

Securities Industry Assn. reports 2003 as third most profitable year ever for Wall Street firms.
January 5, 2004... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Wall Street firms probably earned $15 billion before taxes in 2003, their third most profitable year ever, the Securities Industry Association said in a report. The forecast is 8 percent less than its...

Economists estimate December auto sales the second highest in 2003, despite cuts in incentives.
January 5, 2004... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports U.S. auto sales probably fell in December from the same month of 2002, as General Motors Corp. and Ford Motor Co. cut incentive spending from November. The December sales pace still was the second highest in...

Omega Healthcare Investors closes on four-year, $50M acquisition line of credit.
January 6, 2004... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Omega Healthcare Investors Inc., the Timonium real estate investment trust specializing in health care facilities, yesterday announced that it has closed on a new four-year, $50 million acquisition line of...

Legg Mason Value Trust mutual fund outperforms S&P 500 Index in 2003.
January 6, 2004... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Legg Mason Inc. yesterday announced that its Legg Mason Value Trust mutual fund outperformed the S&P 500 index for the 13th consecutive year in 2003. The Baltimore firm said the Bill Miller-managed fund is...

MD-National Capital Park and Planning Commission launches automated tee time system.
January 6, 2004... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission has launched an automated tee time reservation system for eight golf D.C.-area courses, including White Oak in Montgomery County and and Paint Branch...

Associated Engineering Sciences to provide support for new Library of Congress facility.
January 6, 2004... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Hagerstown-based Associated Engineering Sciences Inc. yesterday announced it will provide structural engineering design support for the new Library of Congress facility in Fort Meade. The building will be...

Federal Realty Investment Trust announces sale of four retail properties.
January 6, 2004... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Federal Realty Investment Trust yesterday announced the sale of four retail properties in West Hartford,Conn., for $15.7 million. The Rockville-based real estate investment trust will book a one time gain of...

Inmates have longer road to access public records.
January 6, 2004... Byline: Ann Parks Prison inmates' rights under the Maryland Public Information Act are circumscribed by the administrative procedures for grievances set forth in the state's Prisoner Litigation Act, the Court of Special Appeals has held....

Number of 'dollar stores' growing regionally, nationally.
January 6, 2004... Byline: Debra Siedt The number of dollar stores is growing regionally and nationally, expanding into rural and urban areas where major retailers often have difficulty. "Dollar stores have been on a real tear," said Tom Saquella,...

Delaware tax break appeals to Provident Bankshares.
January 6, 2004... Byline: Kathleen Johnston Jarboe Provident Bankshares Corp. has applied to state banking regulators to create a subsidiary in Delaware which would hold portions of its real estate assets and lower its Maryland tax bill. The move, if...

Organizers of Baltimore food cooperative plan fundraiser.
January 6, 2004... Byline: Andrea Cecil Organizers of a Baltimore food cooperative are hoping for 150,000 people at a weekend fundraiser to drum up enough money to get their project off the ground. Dozens of people are involved in the establishment of...

Jury verdict against insurer of stolen BMW reversed.
January 6, 2004... Byline: Peter Geier A jury's verdict of $22,750 against an insurance company that balked at paying a claim for a purportedly stolen BMW has been reversed on appeal. The trial judge should not have allowed plaintiff Damon A. Carter to...

Transportation projects and priorities focus of gathering.
January 6, 2004... Byline: Kara Kridler New state transportation construction could be halted through 2010. Even before the Maryland General Assembly goes into session next week, there is talk that transportation projects may be on the back burner. ...

Rockville man sentenced for hit-and-run accident.
January 6, 2004... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Keith L. Lee, 36, of Rockville, was sentenced yesterday to eight years in prison for a Christmas Eve 2002 hit-and-run accident that killed a 49-year-old woman. Montgomery County State's Attorney Douglas F....

Road to retail's big-box bonanza includes obstacles.
January 6, 2004... Byline: Chet Dembeck Older areas of Baltimore City and Baltimore County are on the radar screens of big-box retailers. The saturation of newer suburban markets will drive big-box retailers into Baltimore City and the older commercial...

Moped accident does not trigger uninsured motorist coverage, CSA holds.
January 6, 2004... Byline: Bethany Broida A lightweight motorized bicycle, commonly known as a moped, is not a motor vehicle for purposes of uninsured motorist coverage, the Court of Special Appeals has held. The intermediate appeals court found that a...

New Enterprise Associates invests $4M in Hillcrest Communications.
January 7, 2004... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports New Enterprise Associates of Baltimore has invested $4 million in Rockville-based Hillcrest Communications, leading $10 million in financing. Hillcrest develops software and hardware products designed to...

iJET Travel Risk Mgmt. adds one-button mobile access to emergency response center.
January 7, 2004... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Customers of Annapolis-based iJET Travel Risk Management, which delivers travel risk management services, now have one-button mobile access to the company's emergency response center through an enhancement of...

ConAgra Foods to close Queenstown plant.
January 7, 2004... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports ConAgra Foods will close a Queenstown plant that produces hot dogs and other foods, leaving 100 workers jobless. The Queen Anne's County plant, which is expected to close in the third quarter, is being...

American Capital Strategies acquires majority shares of 3SI Security Systems.
January 7, 2004... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports American Capital Strategies Ltd. of Bethesda has acquired the majority of the outstanding shares of 3SI Security Systems Inc., an Exton, Pa.-based manufacturer and marketer of electronic security systems for...

MD secures additional $6M from Bethlehem Steel bankruptcy proceedings.
January 7, 2004... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. has led Maryland in securing an additional $6 million from the Bethlehem Steel Corp. bankruptcy proceeding in the Southern District of New York. The state has secured a total of...

Corporate Office Properties Trust announces promotions.
January 7, 2004... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Corporate Office Properties Trust has announced the following promotions, effective immediately: Roger A. Waesche Jr. to executive vice president and chief financial officer; Catherine M. Ward to senior vice...

Magna International, Baltimore begin renovations on Magna Baltimore Technical Training Center.
January 7, 2004... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Magna International, a Canadian auto parts-maker that owns Pimlico Race Course and Laurel Park, and the City of Baltimore today will mark the official beginning of renovations for the Magna Baltimore Technical...

Advancis Pharmaceutical has additional five patents issued.
January 7, 2004... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Advancis Pharmaceutical Corp., a Germantown company that develops and commercializes novel anti-infective products, has had an additional five patents issued, bringing its total patent estate to 21 issued and...

Mirant Corp. clings to efforts to cancel high-priced contracts with Pepco.
January 7, 2004... Byline: Kathleen Johnston Jarboe Mirant Corp. has appealed a U.S. District Court of Texas decision denying its efforts to use the bankruptcy process to cancel pricey power purchasing contracts from Potomac Electric Power Co. Mirant...

Trial opens in civil suit over murder by police officer.
January 7, 2004... Byline: Peter Geier Trial opened yesterday in the $35 million wrongful death/survivor action against a former Baltimore City police officer, filed by the family of the man he gunned down outside the victim's Northeast Baltimore home in...

Support guidelines apply to adult child.
January 7, 2004... Byline: Ann Parks For the second time in two weeks, the Court of Special Appeals has confirmed that Maryland's child support guidelines apply to the calculation of support for a destitute adult child. The court vacated and remanded a...

Region's blood supply at record low.
January 7, 2004... Byline: Kara Kridler The region's blood supply is at a record low. Donations typically recover after the holiday season, but so far this year, there is still a critical shortage. Supplies of type O-negative blood, considered universal...

Rockville startup aims to keep couch potatoes firmly planted.
January 7, 2004... Byline: Robyn Lamb Imagine being able to control everything your television, cable box, VCR, DVD, CD player, digital camera and camcorder with a touch of a button on one remote control. Hillcrest Communications of Rockville is...

Lockheed Martin not liable for bias.
January 7, 2004... Byline: Lawrence Hurley A sheet metal mechanic with Lockheed Martin Logistics Management Inc. cannot pursue discrimination claims against her former employer because the co-worker allegedly responsible for committing the acts was not a...

MD marine industries hope for bigger sales.
January 7, 2004... Byline: Andrea Cecil Maryland's marine industries hope an improving economy translates into bigger sales this year, and a lot of that spending will start at the 50th annual Chesapeake Bay Boat Show later this month. Although Baltimore...

Staff shocked as The Sun editor replaced.
January 7, 2004... Byline: Ezra Fieser Reaction to the sudden departure yesterday of The Sun Editor William K. Marimow was described in one word by a newspaper employee: devastation. In his 11 years at the Baltimore newspaper, employees said Marimow...

Gov. Ehrlich to name top court pick.
January 7, 2004... Byline: Lawrence Hurley Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. will announce today his choice to replace retired Judge John C. Eldridge on the Court of Appeals. Despite the fact that it's a Republican governor's first appointment to the state's...

Colliers Pinkard completes acquisition of Sterling Realty Services.
January 8, 2004... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Colliers Pinkard has completed the acquisition of Raleigh, N.C.-based Sterling Realty Services Inc., which the Baltimore firm undertook to expand its property management operations in Raleigh. The Sterling...

CitiMortgage to close Frederick office, eliminate 180 jobs.
January 8, 2004... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports CitiMortgage Inc., the nationwide home mortgage company, plans to close its Frederick office and eliminate the 180 jobs there around Feb. 13. The company intends to move its Frederick operation to its St....

Lockheed Martin wins $8.5M contract to install screening equipment at Dallas airport.
January 8, 2004... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Lockheed Martin Corp., the Bethesda-based defense contractor, has won an $8.5 million contract to install automated baggage-screening equipment at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport to improve passenger...

Lowe's Companies announces plans to expand Hagerstown operations.
January 8, 2004... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Home improvement retailer Lowe's Companies Inc. yesterday announced that it will expand its operations in Hagerstown with the construction of a new flatbed distribution center in the CSX Valley Park, an...

Digex Inc. lays off 40 employees.
January 8, 2004... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Digex Inc. of Laurel, laid off 40 employees this week. The Internet service company, now part of MCI, said it had to cut jobs after losing several customers this year from the bankruptcy of its parent company...

Medifast launches TV ad campaign.
January 8, 2004... Byline: Kara Kridler With the nation seemingly starved for dieting help, Medifast Inc., the Owings Mills weight management company, yesterday launched a nationwide television advertising campaign, the first in its more than 20 years in...

Baltimore City police officer could face punitive damages.
January 8, 2004... Byline: Peter Geier Testimony ended early yesterday afternoon in the $35 million wrongful death/survivor action against a former Baltimore City police officer who shot a man 21 times, killing him outside his Northeast Baltimore home in...

4th Circuit affirms IRS win in Judicial Watch Freedom of Information Act action.
January 8, 2004... Byline: Bethany Broida Judicial Watch, a non-partisan political watchdog group, lost its latest battle against the Internal Revenue Service in an attempt to receive documents under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) that the group...

Board of Public Works disputes contractor ranking.
January 8, 2004... Byline: Debra Siedt Maryland might reconsider its system for ranking and awarding private contracts. The state's Board of Public Works approved contracts with five companies for the removal of asbestos, lead and other hazardous...

Burying power lines may snag on taxes.
January 8, 2004... Byline: Kathleen Johnston Jarboe A task force studying how to more cheaply bury power lines in Maryland said the state should look for tax savings and coordination among counties and road construction projects to help such efforts. The...

It's official: Governor nominates Judge Robert M. Greene for Md. Court of Appeals.
January 8, 2004... Byline: Bethany Broida Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. nominated Judge Clayton Greene Jr. to the state's highest court at a news conference in Annapolis yesterday, filling the vacancy created by the retirement of John C. Eldridge last year. ...

Commentary: Using technology, brain power to beat paralysis.
January 8, 2004... Byline: Robert S. Coplan In the U.S. approximately 11,000 new cases of spinal cord injuries lead to permanent paralysis annually. These expand an existing base of approximately 200,000 partially paralyzed (paraplegic) and almost totally...

Baltimore County Chamber of Commerce to push slot machines in Timonium.
January 8, 2004... Byline: Chet Dembeck The Baltimore County Chamber of Commerce will unveil a legislative agenda tomorrow that asks state lawmakers to consider placing slot machines at Timonium Fair Grounds. Cliff Ishmael, the chairman of the Chamber's...

$2.8M tourism ad contract postponed by MD Board of Public Works.
January 8, 2004... Byline: Debra Siedt Funding for a $2.8 million advertising contract was postponed by the Maryland Board of Public Works yesterday. The board pulled the item from its agenda until several questions can be answered, according to the...

Jos. A. Bank Clothiers predicts $15.5M net income for fiscal year 2003.
January 9, 2004... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Hampstead-based Jos. A. Bank Clothiers Inc. now predicts $15.1 million in net income for fiscal year 2003, which ends Jan. 31. This would represent an increase of at least 39 percent over the $10.9 million in...