Daily Record (Baltimore, MD) articles from March 2004

Daily Record (Baltimore, MD) archives from March 2004

Commentary: Kramer vs... Separate and unequal schools.
March 1, 2004... Byline: Irwin R. Kramer Fifty years ago, a graduate of Baltimore City Public Schools won a landmark Supreme Court case providing equal educational opportunities for students of all races. Fifty years later, more than 90 percent of the...

Pact between Md. Crime Resources Center and state attorney seeks to protect victim/witness rights.
March 1, 2004... Byline: Lawrence Hurley Clara Strickland was dumbfounded when a Baltimore City Circuit Court judge told her she would not be able to sit in on the trial of the man accused of murdering her 20-year-old daughter, Michelle. The...

Bill introduced in Md. Legislature forces issue of whether state can regulate flood insurance.
March 1, 2004... Byline: Chet Dembeck Can the state help victims of Hurricane Isabel by regulating flood insurance? That's a question a bill introduced by Sen. Norman Stone of Baltimore County aims to answer. If passed, the bill would allow the...

Gaithersburg-based MedImmune Inc. to offer long-term financial guidance to analysts.
March 1, 2004... Byline: Andrea Cecil Analysts from California to New York will listen closely today when financially troubled MedImmune Inc. offers long-term financial guidance. The Gaithersburg-based biotechnology company has been beleaguered by high...

Florida-based retailer, The Palace, to open its first store in Ocean City, Maryland.
March 1, 2004... Byline: Kara Kridler Undaunted by the number of competitors crowding the boardwalk and the beach community's main highway, The Palace, a Florida-based retailer, will open its first Maryland store in Ocean City in time for the summer...

Anthropologie to open store in Towson Town Center, its second store in Maryland.
March 1, 2004... Byline: Robyn Lamb Fashion hungry 30-somethings in the market for bohemian chic will soon have a new place to shop. Anthropologie, the younger sister of Philadelphia-based Urban Outfitters Inc., is slated to open a store in Towson Town...

Md. Court of Appeals rules easement binds burdened land despite absence from chain of title.
March 1, 2004... Byline: Alisa Bralove An easement recorded in the direct chain of title of a benefited property is binding on the owners of the burdened property even if it isn't recorded in that direct chain of title, the Court of Special Appeals has...

Md. Legal Briefs: March 1, 2004.
March 1, 2004... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Judgment rendered Two former employees were convicted of the holdup of a fast food restaurant in Chester last summer. Emmanuel Smith, 31, was found guilty by Queen Anne's County Circuit Court Judge Thomas...

Md. Court of Special Appeals ruling gives flipping victims chance at more punitive damages.
March 1, 2004... Byline: Peter Geier Already awarded more than $3.2 million, a group of Baltimore flipping victims will have a chance to seek additional punitive damages against three defendants in a landmark lawsuit, the Court of Special Appeals has held....

Md. governor promotes bills that support state's minority-owned business program.
March 1, 2004... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. said he will have two bills introduced in the General Assembly to create greater opportunities for state contract awards to small and minority-owned businesses, following...

Md.-based CareFirst will not increase premium for 2004 Medicare supplemental care.
March 1, 2004... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield, Maryland's largest health insurer, said because of a drop in health care usage in 2003, combined with more effective management of care, premiums for 67,000 members of Medicare...

Legg Mason Funds Management names Mauboussin as sr. vp and chief investment strategist.
March 1, 2004... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Legg Mason Funds Management Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Baltimore-based financial services firm Legg Mason Inc., named Michael Mauboussin as senior vice president and chief investment strategist....

Frederick-based Snow White Grill to be auctioned to highest bidder.
March 1, 2004... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports The Snow White Grill, a storefront hamburger joint whose sign advertising "5 cent hamburgers" has been a fixture in downtown Frederick since the restaurant opened in 1939, will be auctioned to the highest...

Salisbury nonprofit to receive $1M federal grant to build housing.
March 1, 2004... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports A nonprofit agency that helps elderly and disabled people in Salisbury is getting a $1 million federal grant to build new housing. The Go-Getters agency plans to build 10 apartments in Salisbury in the next...

Columbia-based W.R. Grace to sell shares of common stock.
March 1, 2004... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports W.R. Grace & Co., of Columbia, a specialty chemical company, said the investment manager of the Grace stock fund for its employee pension plan has determined it must sell shares of Grace common stock in order...

Demand for office space in Baltimore expected to rise in 2004.
March 1, 2004... Byline: Shelly Schwartz If you listen to industry forecasts, the dark cloud hovering over Baltimore's office market finally may be lifting. According to commercial real estate firm CB Richard Ellis' latest quarterly report, demand for...

Maryland's D.C. suburbs the hotspot for office transactions.
March 1, 2004... Byline: Liz Skinner Being near the deep pockets of Uncle Sam has been a big boon for Maryland's real estate professionals. The industry's superstars those who brokered the largest transactions in 2003 are optimistic this proximity...

New-development wave breaks on Baltimore-Washington corridor.
March 1, 2004... Byline: Mark R. Smith After two mostly rotten years, Maryland's industrial real estate market finally is seeing some real, sustainable growth. This doesn't mean the market is fully recovered, by any stretch, but "there has been a...

D.C. suburb benefits from tax incentives, big-name tenants.
March 1, 2004... Byline: Shelly Schwartz It's just outside the nation's capital. It offers some of the richest tax incentives around. And it's fast becoming one of the premier office markets in the Greater Washington region. Silver Spring finally is...

Small biz improves post-recession; flex.
March 1, 2004... Byline: Mark R. Smith What a difference a year can make. Especially when it's coupled with some uplifting economic news. In early 2003, the commercial real estate market generally wasn't absorbing any space. Twelve months later,...

MD's new administration forges its own version of predecessor's legacy.
March 1, 2004... Byline: Laslo Boyd "Smart Growth" was the signature program of former Gov. Parris N. Glendening's administration. This package of five laws enacted in 1997 brought a more managed approach to development within Maryland, including a focus...

Fourth year strong Improving economy, low interest rates fortify residential.
March 1, 2004... Byline: Alan Dessoff This year like the last three should be strong for residential real estate in Maryland, according to industry leaders. The improving economy will keep demand for residential properties high in 2004, while...

Md. Legal Briefs: March 3, 2004.
March 2, 2004... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Stiff sentence Jacques Walker, 34, of Baltimore, was sentenced Friday in U.S. District Court in Baltimore to 30 years in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for possession with intent...

Baltimore-based MuniMae reports 2003 net income.
March 2, 2004... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Municipal Mortgage & Equity LLC, known as MuniMae, a Baltimore company that originates, invests in and services tax-exempt housing bonds, reported 2003 net income of $72.5 million compared to $28.8 million in...

Baltimore-based Legg Mason launches new domestic bond fund.
March 2, 2004... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Legg Mason Wood Walker Inc., of Baltimore, the principal securities brokerage subsidiary of financial services company Legg Mason Inc., launched the Legg Mason Core Bond Fund (LMCBZ), a taxable domestic bond...

Owings Mills-based Universal Security Instruments plans 4-for-3 stock split.
March 2, 2004... Byline: Chet Dembeck Just two weeks after reporting disappointing quarterly earnings, Universal Security Instruments Inc. is initiating a 4-for-3 stock split. The Owings Mills-based designer and distributor of circuit breakers said the...

Hunt Valley's AAI Corp. lands orders worth $97 million.
March 2, 2004... Byline: Andrea Cecil A Hunt Valley company that designs and produces defense and training systems stands poised to profit from the U.S. Army. The Army placed two additional orders with AAI Corp., the defense subsidiary of New...

Columbia-based Magellan Health Services wins new contract with Iowa.
March 2, 2004... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Magellan Health Services Inc., of Columbia, a behavioral managed health care insurer, was awarded a contract to manage mental health and substance abuse treatment for 250,000 Iowa Medicaid recipients and about...

Baltimore-based Wills & Associates selected as agency of record for Va.-based Ztango Inc.
March 2, 2004... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Wills & Associates Inc., a Baltimore public relations firm, has been selected by Reston, Va.-based Ztango Inc., a provider of wireless services and infrastructure, as its agency of record, to develop Ztango's...

OpWatch forms alliance to deliver integrated services.
March 2, 2004... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports OpWatch, the business continuity services division of Paradigm Solutions Corp., of Rockville, and Bedford, Mass.-based EnvoyWorldWide, a provider of interactive notification services, formed an alliance to...

San Jose, Calif.-based Immersion Corp. names Vogel as senior vp of its medical subsidiary.
March 2, 2004... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Immersion Corp., of San Jose, Calif., named Richard Vogel as senior vice president and general manager of its wholly owned subsidiary, Immersion Medical, of Gaithersburg, which develops, manufactures and...

Rockville-based Celera Genomics names Paulette Dillon as chief business officer.
March 2, 2004... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Celera Genomics Group, of Rockville, named Paulette A. Dillon as chief business officer, responsible for strategic business and portfolio planning for the company, as well as business development activities...

College Park-based BTSLogic acquires Denmark-based BTS Solutions and its affiliate.
March 2, 2004... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports BTSLogic, of College Park, a subsidiary of Logic Tree Corp., a provider of multimodal automated directory assistance systems, acquired BTS Solutions, of Arhus, Denmark, a developer of software-based directory...

Md. legislators unhappy about governor's proposed budget.
March 2, 2004... Byline: Debra Siedt Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. has pledged not to raise taxes this year, but some legislators are not happy about his plans to ask Marylanders to pay more in fees for everything from termite inspections to ice cream. ...

Replacement for Harry W. Kelley Memorial Bridge not expected until 2019.
March 2, 2004... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports While replacement plans are being discussed for the Harry W. Kelley Memorial Bridge in Ocean City, state officials expect it to remain serviceable until 2019. Town officials have told the State Highway...

Visitor restrictions at Memorial Hospital in Easton to continue.
March 2, 2004... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Visitor restrictions imposed last week at Memorial Hospital in Easton because of gastrointestinal and respiratory illnesses in the community will continue until at least the end of next week, a hospital...

WeatherBug launches expanded weather news coverage for PC users.
March 2, 2004... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports WeatherBug, an online weather service that provides live neighborhood conditions to more than 30 million registered PC users, launched expanded local weather news coverage that incorporates photos submitted...

Baltimore-based RWD Technologies unveils new components for Info Pak product.
March 2, 2004... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports RWD Technologies Inc., of Baltimore, which develops, implements and supports products and services in areas of training, consulting and organizational performance, unveiled two new components for its Info Pak...

Ten retailers submit renovation plans to Baltimore Development Corp.
March 2, 2004... Byline: Kara Kridler Several longtime Baltimore retailers who once feared they would be excluded from the renaissance on the city's West Side have submitted proposals to participate in a so-called "superblock" of stores. In a bid to...

Construction on Potomac project to begin.
March 2, 2004... Byline: Sofia Kosmetatos Potomac's second-largest development, a 55-acre-site at the northwest intersection of Interstate 270 and Montrose Road called Fortune Parc, is gaining important victories on its way to construction. Montgomery...

Report predicts rise of "creative class" in Baltimore area will create thousands of jobs.
March 2, 2004... Byline: Robyn Lamb If properly fostered, the rise of the "creative class" in the Baltimore area could create thousands of jobs in coming years. The region ranked 17th, just ahead of San Diego, on Business 2.0 magazine's list of the...

Lawyers for fired Hickey School staffers call for video cameras for protection.
March 2, 2004... Byline: Alisa Bralove Lawyers for the two staff members fired from the Charles H. Hickey Jr. School in Parkville last week spoke out yesterday, saying the juvenile justice system needs to install video cameras in its facilities for the...

Just two companies suspected of avoiding taxes take advantage of Md.'s amnesty offer.
March 2, 2004... Byline: Kathleen Johnston Jarboe Just two of the roughly 240 business suspected of avoiding certain Maryland taxes by using Delaware shell companies cut checks to the state in advance of yesterday's partial amnesty deadline. ...

Md. Court of Special Appeals rules reimposition of sentence triggers right to seek modification.
March 2, 2004... Byline: Ann Parks A jail term that was reimposed on a drug offender following his escape from an in-patient treatment facility was a new sentencing event triggering a 90-day period in which the offender could file a motion for...

Md. Court of Special Appeals affirms cocaine kingpin's convictions.
March 2, 2004... Byline: Peter Geier Convictions obtained against a drug kingpin and four of his henchmen have been affirmed by the Court of Special Appeals, which rejected nearly all the appellants' claims of error. Kingpin Raul Varela and...

Md. Court of Special Appeals orders new trial for father accused of suffocating baby.
March 3, 2004... Byline: Daily Record Staff Legal Affairs Writer A Harford County man is entitled to a new trial on charges that he suffocated his 12-week-old son to death, the Court of Special Appeals held yesterday. Prosecutors in Robert Paul Burris'...

Maryland's General Assembly considers medical malpractice bills.
March 3, 2004... Byline: Debra Siedt The General Assembly is considering cutting the rising number of uninsured patients and reining in medical malpractice insurance costs, initiatives state officials said are necessary to keep the health care system...

Commentary: MoneyWi$e - Reviewing the Top 101 tips.
March 3, 2004... Byline: Julius Westheimer I doubt if many magazine publishers or editors could dream up a cover more tempting than Money magazine's March cover, "101 Things Every Investor Should Know." And because the issue's contents fulfill the...

U.S. Senate purchases Md. company's facial recognition technology.
March 3, 2004... Byline: Sofia Kosmetatos A Maryland company is making waves in the cyber-security industry with technology that relies on facial recognition not numbers and letters to grant access to secure computer networks. The United States...

Silver Spring's commercial revitalization prompts firm to stay and grow.
March 3, 2004... Byline: Andrea Cecil A humanitarian and development organization in Montgomery County is more than doubling the size of its headquarters in downtown Silver Spring, and contributing to the area's revitalization efforts. CHF...

Germantown's Current Communications makes deal with Cincinnati-based Cinergy for Internet access.
March 3, 2004... Byline: Robyn Lamb Screeching modems and cable lines need not apply. Current Communications Group wants high-speed Internet access to be as easy as plugging in a toaster. The Germantown-based company has struck a deal with...

Md. Legal Briefs: March 3, 2004.
March 3, 2004... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Bookie pleads guilty Gary Richardson, 58, of Huntingtown in Calvert County, pleaded guilty Monday in U.S. District court in Baltimore to conducting an illegal gambling business and money laundering, U.S....

Maryland governor pardons seven.
March 3, 2004... Byline: Ann Parks Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. has granted pardons to seven Marylanders convicted of various crimes, the governor's office announced yesterday. The governor intends to pardon three additional offenders as well. Mark...

Class action representative for blind voters calls Maryland's new voting system flawed.
March 3, 2004... Byline: Alisa Bralove He's been fighting for a voting system that allows the blind to vote independently since 1996, but when it came time to cast his ballot on the new Diebold AccuVote Touch Screen Voting System yesterday, William C....

Maryland's Senate Finance Committee considers changes to workers compensation.
March 3, 2004... Byline: Kathleen Johnston Jarboe Maryland's Senate Finance Committee yesterday considered changes to how compensation is given to workers who are injured on the job. Everything from altering how workers compensation fraud is...

Baltimore City judge rules Norris pressure no excuse for not responding to due process lawsuit.
March 3, 2004... Byline: Peter Geier A Baltimore police officer's $4 million due process lawsuit that purportedly slipped through the cracks while the department's lawyers were occupied with the Norris matter last fall may have the city on the hook for a...

Germantown-based Optelecom reports 2003 net income.
March 3, 2004... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Optelecom Inc., of Germantown, a fiber optics system designer and developer, reported 2003 net income of $3.6 million, or $1.11 per diluted share, on revenue of $17.1 million, versus net income of $1.6...

Hunt Valley-based Acrodyne Communications reports 2003 net earnings.
March 3, 2004... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Acrodyne Communications Inc., of Hunt Valley, a manufacturer of television transmission systems and equipment, reported 2003 net earnings of $811,800, or 3 cents per share, on revenue of $19.2 million, versus...

Rochester-based Monro Muffler Brake Inc. acquires 36 Mr. Tire locations.
March 3, 2004... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Monro Muffler Brake Inc., of Rochester, N.Y., said it completed its previously announced acquisition of 36 leased Mr. Tire locations from Pikesville-based Mile One Automotive. The transaction was valued at...

Commerce Dept. investigates satellite damaged while under construction by Lockheed Martin.
March 3, 2004... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports The U.S. Commerce Department said it is investigating whether Lockheed Martin Corp., of Bethesda, is liable for hundreds of millions of dollars in damage to a U.S. weather satellite that was dropped during...

Gaithersburg-based MedImmune expects reduced earnings to lower stock rating.
March 3, 2004... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports In the wake of Gaithersburg drug developer MedImmune Inc.'s warning that it expects reduced earnings due to problems with its FluMist nasal spray for flu, financial analysts at Lehman Brothers, Schwab...

Elkridge-based General Physics Corp. selected by Houston-based United Space Alliance.
March 3, 2004... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports General Physics Corp., of Elkridge, a provider of training, e-learning, management consulting and engineering services, has been selected by United Space Alliance, of Houston, a space operations company and...

National Investment Center of Annapolis announces first database of seniors' housing statistics.
March 3, 2004... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports The National Investment Center for the Seniors Housing & Care Industries, of Annapolis, announced its NIC Market Area Profiles data and analytical service, the industry's first comprehensive database of...

Germantown-based V-One Corp. completes $1.2M private placement.
March 3, 2004... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports V-One Corp., of Germantown, a provider of network-based security products, announced the successful completion of an approximately $1.2 million private placement with institutions and accredited investors....

Beltsville-based Spherix acquires reservation business of Daksoft.
March 3, 2004... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Spherix Inc., of Beltsville, a diversified company that offers biotechnology, knowledge management and information technology services, purchased the reservation business of Daksoft, a wholly owned subsidiary...

Baltimore's Small Business Admin. experiencing telephone problems.
March 3, 2004... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports The Baltimore district office of the U.S. Small Business Administration said it is experiencing telephone problems and doesn't expect its phones to be working for several days. SBA officials can still be...

McDaniel College in Westminster names new provost.
March 3, 2004... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Thomas Falkner, a professor of classical studies at The College of Wooster, a liberal arts college in Wooster, Ohio, has been named provost and dean of the faculty of McDaniel College (formerly Western...

Bills in Md. House could place fewer state contracts under wage requirements.
March 4, 2004... Byline: Debra Siedt The House Economic Matters Committee heard several bills yesterday that would place fewer state contracts under wage requirements, which could save the state money but hurt construction workers. HB 396, sponsored by...

Erika Sifrit challenges murder convictions in Md. Court of Special Appeals.
March 4, 2004... Byline: Barbara Grzincic In an undeniably sensational trial last summer, Erika Elaine Sifrit was portrayed as the corpse-hacking, thrill-seeking murderer of Ocean City tourists Joshua Ford and Martha Crutchley. But in a brief filed...

Association of Maryland Wineries has success with its first-ever promotional campaign.
March 4, 2004... Byline: Andrea Cecil The Association of Maryland Wineries is still reaping the rewards of its first-ever promotional campaign, which it launched a year and a half ago this time in the form of a handful of new wineries. Five...

Baltimore-based Sierra Military Health Services Inc. has begun selling assets to its chief rival.
March 4, 2004... Byline: Chet Dembeck Two weeks after announcing plans to close down, Baltimore-based Sierra Military Health Services Inc. has begun selling assets to its chief rival. The decision to shutter its downtown operations was prompted by the...

Commentary: Planning Ahead - Are you prepared for higher rates?
March 4, 2004... Byline: Dena Shapiro Frenkel Although interest rates remain near their lowest levels ever, eventually the Federal Reserve Bank will start inching rates back upward. Many experts agree that an environment of rising rates could likely begin...

Univ. of Md. law school hosts armed services appeals session.
March 4, 2004... Byline: Alisa Bralove The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Services stepped out of its courthouse in Washington and into the ceremonial courtroom of the University of Maryland School of Law yesterday as the five-judge panel heard a...

Philadelphia-based discount retailer to open a store in Northeast Baltimore.
March 4, 2004... Byline: Kara Kridler Seeking to fill a need in an underserved neighborhood, Forman Mills, the Philadelphia-based discount retailer, will open a store in Northeast Baltimore this spring. Offering designer and name-brand clothing, the...

Linthicum-based Ciena Corp. to supply Verizon with its multiservice switches.
March 4, 2004... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Ciena Corp., of Linthicum, a fiber optic telecommunications equipment manufacturer, is supplying Verizon Communications Inc. with its DN 7100 and DN 7200 multiservice switches to support Verizon's Enterprise...

Univ. of Md. study finds county housing programs setting assistance goals below the area's need.
March 4, 2004... Byline: Kathleen Johnston Jarboe About 28 percent of Maryland's metropolitan residents go without affordable housing, according to a study by public policy graduate students at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. Part of the...

Baltimore-based Catholic Relief Services receives cash grant for Haiti humanitarian relief work.
March 4, 2004... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Catholic Relief Services, of Baltimore, the official international humanitarian agency of the U.S. Catholic community, received $412,287 for emergency cash grants for Haiti, as part of a larger USAID/Office of...

Kyocera Mita America and Notable Solutions to jointly develop portfolio of document products.
March 4, 2004... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Kyocera Mita America, the U.S. representative of a Japanese document imaging company, and Gaithersburg-based Notable Solutions Inc., a content capture technology company, have agreed to jointly develop a...

CEO of Baltimore-based Mercantile Bankshares resigns from boards of two investment companies.
March 4, 2004... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Edward J. Kelly, president and chief executive officer of Baltimore-based Mercantile Bankshares Corp., notified Petroleum & Resources Corp. and the Adams Express Co., two Baltimore-based, closed-end...

Md. Court of Special Appeals revives claim against Baltimore school board.
March 4, 2004... Byline: Peter Geier A $284,750 lawsuit against the Baltimore City school board over payment for a private educational contractor's "Drop-Back-In" program is going to drop right back in the city circuit court. The Court of Special...

Human resources outsourcing company signs agreement with Downtown Partership of Baltimore.
March 4, 2004... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Baltimore-based getintegrated Inc., a human resources outsourcing company, and the Downtown Partnership of Baltimore Inc., signed a one-year agreement, under which getintegrated will manage multiple facets of...

Md. Legal Briefs: March 4, 2004.
March 4, 2004... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Chapman indicted again A federal grand jury in Baltimore returned a superseding indictment yesterday against Nathan A. Chapman Jr., 46, of Columbia. Among the new charges, Chapman, who was an investment...

Federal Realty Investment Trust to pay quarterly cash dividend.
March 4, 2004... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Federal Realty Investment Trust, of Rockville, said it will pay holders of its common stock a regular quarterly cash dividend of 49 cents per share, payable on April 15 to common shareholders of record as of...

Columbia Bank contributes $12,000 to Howard County Chamber of Commerce.
March 4, 2004... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports The Columbia Bank announced the contribution of $12,000 to the Howard County Chamber of Commerce, earmarked toward the development and continuation of training and educational programs to support businesses...