Daily Record (Baltimore, MD) articles from March 2005

Daily Record (Baltimore, MD) archives from March 2005

Retail condos planned for Howard Co. property.
March 1, 2005... Byline: Sofia Kosmetatos The site of a former Burlington Coat Factory warehouse on Howard County's Route 1 an area targeted for revitalization will become retail condominiums in a $9 million overhaul. Real estate firm Atlantic Realty...

MD Legal Briefs: March 1, 2005.
March 1, 2005... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports House arrest for attorney Joe Carl Ashworth, a disbarred attorney from St. Mary's County, was sentenced by an Anne Arundel County Circuit Court judge yesterday to two years' imprisonment, with all but...

New deals to help MD-based Bluefire Security Tech. expand government work.
March 1, 2005... Byline: Joe Bacchus Bluefire Security Technologies Inc. continues to make moves to strengthen its foothold in the government sector. The Baltimore-based company announced yesterday it will partner with CDW Logistics, GTSI, immixGroup...

Kennedy Krieger Institute expanding in East Baltimore.
March 1, 2005... Byline: Jen DeGregorio Baltimore's Kennedy Krieger Institute, the organization that cares for developmentally challenged children, plans to open an outpatient facility on the 800 block of Broadway. Kennedy Krieger hopes to eventually...

Commentary: Finance - Insurance needs of early retirees.
March 1, 2005... Byline: Gary Williams Workers retiring early typically worry about how much they'll have to stretch their limited retirement dollars so as not to run out of money. That's certainly an important concern. But many early retirees overlook...

Borders closing the book on Towson.
March 1, 2005... Byline: James Mosher The departure of an anchor bookstore in two months could be the start of major changes at the Towson Commons shopping center. Borders Books & Music plans to move to a comparably sized 21,000-square-foot store in...

'Life-threatening injuries' clear enough, Court of Special Appeals holds.
March 1, 2005... Byline: Ann Parks A driver who caused a head-on collision that cracked the skull of a 12-year-old girl was properly found guilty of causing "life-threatening injuries" by motor vehicle while intoxicated, the Court of Special Appeals has...

U.S. Court of Appeals says Merry-Go-Round Enterprises trustee entitled to interest on loans.
March 1, 2005... Byline: Alisa Bralove An insurance company must pay more than $214,000 to the bankruptcy estate of Merry-Go-Round Enterprises Inc. for interest on unauthorized loans it made to the now-defunct retail clothing chain, the 4th U.S. Circuit...

Hecht's and Lord & Taylor's 24 MD stores to either get facelift or close.
March 1, 2005... Byline: Kathleen Johnston Jarboe Hecht's and Lord & Taylor's 24 Maryland stores could get a facelift or close down under an $11 billion bid to buy the stores' parent company. If the deal is approved, purchaser Federated Department...

MD-based Chesapeake Telephone Systems acquires Third Generation of MD.
March 1, 2005... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Chesapeake Telephone Systems Inc., a Millersville-based telecommunications firm offering strategic planning, sales, installation and service, acquired Third Generation of Maryland, a Toshiba phone systems...

Towson-based Neustadt Creative Marketing hired by Tufts University.
March 1, 2005... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Neustadt Creative Marketing, of Towson, a marketing and communications firm specializing in educational institutions and museums, has been selected by Massachusetts-based Tufts University to produce a...

Frederick-based Patriot Technologies opens regional office in California.
March 1, 2005... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Patriot Technologies Inc., of Frederick, which develops information security systems for private- and public-sector clients, opened a regional sales and support services office in Scotts Valley, Calif, to...

Baltimore-based Sawmill Marketing is agency of record for Ziger/Snead Architects.
March 1, 2005... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Sawmill Marketing Public Relations, of Baltimore, has been selected as public relations agency of record by Baltimore-based Ziger/Snead Architects. The agency is designing and executing a national publicity...

Johns Hopkins Hospital and Health System to participate in AARP's new work force program.
March 1, 2005... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports The Johns Hopkins Hospital and Health System, including the Bayview Medical Center, of Baltimore, said it will participate in a new program developed by the American Association of Retired Persons Foundation...

Laureate Education reports net income of $33.3M.
March 1, 2005... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Laureate Education Inc., formerly Sylvan Learning Systems Inc., of Baltimore, a provider of higher education services, reported fourth-quarter net income of $33.3 million, or 65 cents per diluted share, on...

Winner of the first 'Apprentice' TV show to speak at Towson University.
March 2, 2005... Byline: James Mosher He's the one Donald Trump didn't fire. And he's coming to Towson University tonight to talk about his experiences and sell copies of his book about business and life. Bill Rancic, 33, winner of the first season of...

Water's Edge Corp. Campus drawing a high-tech crowd to Harford County.
March 2, 2005... Byline: Jen DeGregorio In a matter of six years, the blight of Belcamp's former Bata Shoe factory, rusted and abandoned, has changed to one of Harford County's valuable assets. Office space in the new Water's Edge Corporate Campus has...

Low-cal restaurant debuts in Bethesda.
March 2, 2005... Byline: Kara Kridler Offering four-course meals with the same number of calories as a McDonald's Big Mac (without cheese), it's hard to imagine what Rock Creek Restaurant in Bethesda is serving. But the mystery was solved last night...

Columbia-based Essex Corp. buys The Windermere Group.
March 2, 2005... Byline: Joe Bacchus With its $69.4 million acquisition of The Windermere Group LLC complete, Essex Corp., of Columbia, has become one of the nation's largest technology companies focusing on the government intelligence industry. Essex...

Indianapolis-based lab animal supplier agrees to $7.2M settlement with government.
March 2, 2005... Byline: Peter Geier An Indianapolis-based supplier of laboratory animals has agreed to pay the government $7.2 million to settle a False Claims Act case alleging that it supplied National Institute of Aging-funded researchers with variant...

MD emissions bill collects powerful opposition.
March 2, 2005... Byline: Dori Berman Opponents of legislation to restrict pollution from some of Maryland's power plants clashed at a hearing yesterday with the bill's key sponsor and other Democratic senators. SB 744, known as the Four Pollutants or...

Snake salesman didn't lose right to fight seizure of animals, CSA rules.
March 2, 2005... Byline: Ann Parks A Montgomery County business owner who kept 1,500 neglected, dead or dying reptiles in a Silver Spring warehouse did not waive his right to protest their seizure by the county's Animal Services Division, the Court of...

Hispanic workers more likely to be hurt at job.
March 2, 2005... Byline: Kathleen Johnston Jarboe With a growing awareness that Hispanic workers bear a disproportionate share of workplace accidents, federal and state regulators yesterday met with businesses to discuss how improve safety. The meeting...

Economy booming, Frederick County to weigh possible tax cut.
March 2, 2005... Byline: Sofia Kosmetatos With more than half of Maryland's 24 counties raising taxes in recent years, Frederick County is something of an anomaly. Next week, Frederick Commissioner Michael L. Cady will propose a 4 percent property tax...

MD Legal Briefs: March 2, 2005.
March 2, 2005... Byline: Staff Reports Ex-state worker charged Vivian McLean Odom, a former employee of the state Division of Corrections, was charged in a criminal information yesterday by the Maryland attorney general's office with accepting bribes...

CSA revives case of mistaken identity against state of Maryland.
March 2, 2005... Byline: Peter Geier A Baltimore woman mistaken for the subject of a bench warrant and detained for four days will get another shot at suing the state, the Court of Special Appeals held yesterday. The decision reversed a judge's grant...

MD-based Bid4Assets to auction seven vehicles confiscated by U.S. Marshals Service.
March 2, 2005... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Bid4Assets Inc., of Silver Spring, an online auction company, announced it will auction seven luxury/specialty vehicles confiscated by the U.S. Marshals Service on its Web site, www.bid4assets.com. The...

Columbia-based Sourcefire Inc. named most innovative co. at RSA Security Conference.
March 2, 2005... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Sourcefire Inc., of Columbia, a developer of Internet security technology, said it was named the most innovative company at the annual RSA Security Conference last month in San Francisco, by a panel of...

MD-based Telkonet Inc. receives certification from European Commission.
March 2, 2005... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Telkonet Inc., of Germantown, which develops products for high-speed Internet access over electrical power lines, said it received the necessary certification from European Commission authorities for its...

MD Dept. of Environment lifts building ban in Centreville.
March 2, 2005... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Officials of the Maryland Department of the Environment lifted a building ban in Centreville, saying they were satisfied the town had increased capacity of its wastewater treatment plant and improved...

MD-based Hanger Orthopedic Group reports net income of $4M.
March 2, 2005... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Hanger Orthopedic Group Inc., of Bethesda, which owns orthotic and prosthetic rehabilitation centers, reported fourth-quarter net income of $4 million, or 12 cents per diluted share, on revenue of $145.9...

MD-based Global eXchange Services selected by coffee producer for order processing.
March 2, 2005... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Global eXchange Services, of Gaithersburg, a provider of business-to-business e-commerce technology, said coffee producer Eight O'Clock Coffee selected GXS Managed Services to enable it to rapidly comply with...

MD-based Visual Mining supplying Fogbreak Software with software.
March 2, 2005... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Visual Mining Inc., of Rockville, a developer of data-visualization software tools, said it is supplying Fogbreak Software Inc., of San Ramon, Calif., a provider of enterprise compliance management...

MD-based Lockheed Martin facing strike at Georgia plant.
March 2, 2005... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Lockheed Martin Corp., the largest U.S. defense contractor, is facing a strike at its plant in Marietta, Ga., where it builds the F/A-22 fighter jet and C-130J transport, after a contract with union workers...

MD-based W.R. Grace acquires certain assets of Midland Dexter Venezuela S.A.
March 2, 2005... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports W.R. Grace & Co., of Columbia, a specialty chemical company that is operating under Chapter 11 bankruptcy, announced it has acquired certain assets of Midland Dexter Venezuela S.A. Terms of the acquisition...

MD-based Guilford Pharmaceuticals reports net loss of $87.9M.
March 2, 2005... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Guilford Pharmaceuticals Inc., of Baltimore, a drug discovery and development company, reported a net loss of $87.9 million, or $2.25 per diluted share, on revenue of $47.9 million in 2004, versus a net loss...

MD-based MedImmune says Chiron's flu vaccine won't affect projected sales.
March 3, 2005... Byline: Kathleen Johnston Jarboe Drugmaker Chiron Corp. yesterday won regulatory approval to restart its suspended flu-vaccine line. But the move won't affect the projected sales of rival MedImmune Inc.'s flu vaccine, according to company...

Bill to expand MD's drug nuisance law makes a comeback.
March 3, 2005... Byline: Lawrence Hurley Supporters of a bill that would toughen up Maryland's drug-nuisance abatement law gathered in force in Annapolis yesterday, confident that the measure will pass the second time around. If passed, Senate Bill 674...

MD health insurance bill unites opponents, splits businesses.
March 3, 2005... Byline: Dori Berman Baltimore Mayor Martin O'Malley and Montgomery County Executive Douglas M. Duncan, presumed opponents for the 2006 Democratic gubernatorial nomination, were on the same side yesterday of a controversial health insurance...

Court of Special Appeals finds prejudice presumed from failure to file.
March 3, 2005... Byline: Alisa Bralove A lawyer's failure to follow his client's instructions to seek a sentence modification entitles the defendant to file a belated motion, without any evidence that he would have prevailed initially, the Court of Special...

Construction to begin on new family services center in East Baltimore.
March 3, 2005... Byline: Jen DeGregorio Construction will begin by early April on the Dawson Safe Haven for Children, Youth and Families, a services center in East Baltimore's Oliver neighborhood, where two parents and five children died in a 2002...

Amended stem cell bill still polarizing politicians in Maryland.
March 3, 2005... Byline: Robyn Lamb Legislation that would give state funding to stem cell research drew opposition yesterday even after it was amended to appease critics. For the first three hours of testimony, the House Education, Health and...

Court of Special Appeals says Baltimore City not bound by arbitration clause in building contract.
March 3, 2005... Byline: Peter Geier The mandatory arbitration clause in a $4.4 million city contract to build Baltimore's Northern District Police Station is not enforceable because it conflicts with the city charter, the Court of Special Appeals has...

Insurance brokerage relocates to Hunt Valley office building.
March 3, 2005... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Richard J. Princinsky & Associates Inc., an insurance brokerage, has relocated to a refurbished 15,000-square-foot office building in Hunt Valley. The company moved from White Marsh to the former Unisys Corp....

MD-based Avatech Solutions supplies Black & Decker.
March 3, 2005... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Avatech Solutions Inc., of Owings Mills, a provider of design automation tools and technical support for the manufacturing, building design and engineering markets, said it supplied power tool maker Black &...

Pocomoke City listed on National Register of Historic Places.
March 3, 2005... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Pocomoke City, a pleasant Eastern Shore town that traces its origin to the 17th century, has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places, making property owners eligible for state and federal tax...

MD State Arts Council selects 87 artists to receive Individual Artist Awards.
March 3, 2005... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports The Maryland State Arts Council, a unit of the Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development, announced that 87 Maryland artists, representing seven artistic disciplines, have been selected to...

MD-based MobilePro lands five-year contract with General Services Administration.
March 3, 2005... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports MobilePro Corp., of Bethesda, a provider of wireless technology and broadband telecommunications services, said it has been awarded a five-year contract with the General Services Administration to sell...

MD-based Manugistics Group creates new organizational structure.
March 3, 2005... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Manugistics Group Inc., of Rockville, which makes software to help companies manage their buying and inventory systems, said it has created a new organizational structure, with dedicated business units focused...

MD-based TrainingPro extends relationship with Penn. Assn. of Mortgage Brokers.
March 3, 2005... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports TrainingPro, of Hunt Valley, a national provider of comprehensive continuing education in the mortgage industry, said it extended its current education relationship with the Pennsylvania Association of...

NY supplier of wood fiber fuels works purchasing deal with Baltimore City.
March 3, 2005... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Green Energy Resources, of Huntington, N.Y., a supplier of wood fiber fuels, said it has worked out a deal with Baltimore City, whereby it will purchase the wood that is cut down as a result of storm damage,...

Commentary: Legal ADvice - Microsoft using copyright lawsuits to protect market share.
March 4, 2005... Byline: Jim Astrachan Wasn't it Bill Gates who quipped, "What's good for Microsoft is good for the country?" If not, he might as well, for its software is more a part of our lives than ever were the cars and trucks of General Motors. ...

Commentary: Web Sightings - Paris Hilton's address book goes public.
March 4, 2005... Byline: Larry Fiorino In January, a California hacker named Nicholas Jacobsen compromised T-Mobile's internal computer systems and obtained information about 400 customers their cell numbers, the numbers of people that were called and...

Few take advantage of MD's tax credit promoting 'green' development.
March 4, 2005... Byline: Sofia Kosmetatos In the four years since Maryland created a tax credit to promote the development of environmentally friendly real estate, only a handful of so-called green buildings have been constructed with state help. It's...

Economic Analysis - Maryland economic index up 0.9%, as manufacturing, spending pick up.
March 4, 2005... Byline: John Hopkins The RESI Maryland Leading Index increased 0.9 percent in December and was up 2.9 percent from a year ago indicating that economic conditions should continue to improve through 2005. The increase can be attributed...

Baltimore developer in demand due to ability to revive abandoned buildings, blighted neighborhoods.
March 4, 2005... Byline: Jen DeGregorio Struever Bros., Eccles & Rouse Inc. may be Baltimore's quintessential developer: The company has taken abandoned blights, from The Can Company in Canton to the National Bohemian brewery near Patterson Park, and...

Commentary: Of Service - Pro bono lawyers stepping up to the plate at law clinics.
March 4, 2005... Byline: Joe Surkiewicz When funding cuts forced a law clinic and pro se assistance project to announce it was closing shop, a curious thing happened. The private bar stepped up to the plate and, as a result, the formerly doomed...

Commentary: From the Governor - African delegation gets Baltimore preview.
March 4, 2005... Byline: Office of the Governor Many of the African ambassadors and officials who made the trek from Washington to Baltimore for last week's Corporate Council on Africa Welcome Luncheon weren't expecting anything out of the ordinary just a...

Commentary: Educated Investor - Wrong answers could lead to much more than just a bad grade.
March 4, 2005... Byline: David Clogg Okay, so you think you are knowledgeable when it comes to investing your hard earned dollars. After all, you read the Wall Street Journal faithfully every day and on Sundays you review Barron's to get a leg up on your...

Commentary: UB Viewpoint - The consequences of a few words.
March 4, 2005... Byline: Michele Gilligan The legislature is in session in Annapolis, which prompts me to think of the consequences of language. I have nothing but admiration for the work of our citizen legislators. Indeed I am proud of my former students...

MD woman falls victim to growing real estate scam.
March 4, 2005... Byline: Kathleen Johnston Jarboe Editor's note: This part one of a two-part series. Part two, which explores the laws being exploited and the legislative effort to change them, will appear next Friday. Helen Cheeks' determination...

Education laws boost MD-based Williams Scotsman sales.
March 4, 2005... Byline: James Mosher With federal education laws and state mandates forcing school districts to add classroom space, Williams Scotsman Inc. is seeing demand for its portable classrooms surge. The White Marsh-based company attributed...

MD Legal Services Corp. launches program to help parents in custody cases.
March 4, 2005... Byline: Lawrence Hurley When Caren Price walked out on her abusive boyfriend of 15 years, she had nothing. "I had $40 in my pocket and a broken-down old car," the 48-year-old school support worker from Edgewater said this week, looking...

Baltimore-based Ernst & Young to argue against fraud suit in Baltimore County Circuit Court.
March 4, 2005... Byline: James Mosher Accounting giant Ernst & Young LLP will argue today in Baltimore County Circuit Court that it should not have to stand trial in a $412 million fraud suit filed by the trustee for a bankrupt airline. The trustee for...

Foster mother not entitled to contested case hearing on child abuse matter, CSA holds.
March 4, 2005... Byline: Ann Parks A woman who was found by the Howard County Department of Social Services to be responsible for indicated child abuse for striking her foster daughter with a belt was not entitled to a contested case hearing on the matter,...

MD Legal Briefs: March 4, 2005.
March 4, 2005... Byline: Staff Reports Jailed witness seeks pay Kenyatta Costes, the 19-year-old witness who languished in Baltimore's lock up from last August to January 163 days without bail, petitioned Baltimore City Circuit Judge John M. Glynn to...

Public campaign funding pushed in Maryland legislature.
March 4, 2005... Byline: Dori Berman Maryland could become the third state to offer complete public campaign funding to candidates for state legislative positions. SB 725 and its cross-filed companion HB 1030 would implement an optional program that...

U of Baltimore, Office of the Provost adds two to staff.
March 4, 2005... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports The University of Baltimore, Office of the Provost, said it has hired Linda Randall as associate provost, and Robert Hradsky as vice provost for enrollment management and student affairs. Randall was chair of...

Northrop Grumman's MD-based Electronic Systems sector delivers fire-control radar for F-35 fighter.
March 4, 2005... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Northrop Grumman Corp., of Los Angeles, said its Electronic Systems sector, based in Linthicum, has delivered to prime contractor Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co. the first fire-control radar for the F-35 Joint...

MD-based Jos. A. Bank Clothiers reports sales increase of 19.2%.
March 4, 2005... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Jos. A. Bank Clothiers Inc., of Hampstead, a manufacturer and retailer of upscale menswear, said its total sales for the fiscal month ended Feb. 26 (fiscal February 2005) increased 19.2 percent to $28.6...

MD-based Celsion Corp. reports net loss of $3.1M.
March 4, 2005... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Celsion Corp., of Columbia, a biotechnology company that is developing treatment systems for cancer and other diseases using focused heat technology, reported a fourth-quarter net loss of $3.1 million, or 2...

MD-based Sinclair Broadcasting files with Supreme Court for review of ownership rules.
March 4, 2005... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Sinclair Broadcasting Group Inc., of Hunt Valley, which owns or supplies programming for more than 60 TV stations nationwide, said it filed a petition with the U.S. Supreme Court, asking the high court to...

Commentary: Raising the Bar - Inns of Court - from England to the U.S.
March 4, 2005... Byline: Paul Sandler Shrouded in the mystery of medieval times and woven into the fabric of the common law are the English Inns of Court. These Inns serve as they have since at least the 14th century, as small, local universities of law....

With deft touch, Maryland surgeon spins hands from sinew.
March 4, 2005... Byline: Robyn Lamb Nobody wanted to touch infant Brittany Apgar's deformed hand. The best option doctors gave her parents, Thomas and Tommie, was creating a slit between where her thumb and pointer finger should have been to give her...

Baltimore's WBAL, WJZ continue two-horse race for ratings supremacy.
March 4, 2005... Byline: Kara Kridler It was big news for Baltimore's WBAL-TV Channel 11 when it knocked WJZ-TV Channel 13 out of first place in local morning news earlier this year. The ratings victory in January was significant for WBAL because it...

Commentary: Wanted: Daily Record readers to work as Daily Record writers.
March 5, 2005... Byline: Mark Cheshire Wanted: Book reviews and reviewers. Pay: $0. OK, so the pay's not so good. Now you know what it's truly like to be a journalist. But based on conversations I've had with people throughout Maryland, I believe there...

Commentary: It's a Gimme - Carpet putting sharpens short game.
March 5, 2005... Byline: Joe Rahnis With only a few weeks of winter weather left, it's time to start gearing up for spring and the golf season. Now's the perfect time to clean your clubs, replace your spikes, round up your regular foursome and start...

Baltimore-based Constellation Energy Group on Fortune magazine's list of most admired companies.
March 5, 2005... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Constellation Energy Group, of Baltimore, a diversified energy company, was selected by Fortune magazine as the most admired energy company on the magazine's 2005 list of "America's Most Admired Companies."...

Fans can use MBNA Ravens Extra Points credit card to purchase souvenirs/refreshments at stadium.
March 5, 2005... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Beginning this fall, Baltimore Ravens fans will be able to use their MBNA Ravens Extra Points credit card on specially equipped merchant terminals throughout the M&T Bank Stadium when purchasing refreshments...

Gotham Books signs Cal Ripken Jr. to author three books.
March 5, 2005... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Gotham Books, part of the Penguin Group (USA), said it has signed Cal Ripken Jr., the Baltimore Orioles' retired shortstop and future Hall-of-Famer, to author three books. Gotham will publish two books for...

Baltimore Architecture Foundation's free Spring Forum features plan for the Fallsway.
March 5, 2005... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports The Baltimore Architecture Foundation's free Spring Forum series gets underway on March 9 with Al Barry of Baltimore-based AB Associates and Matt Bell, a principal with Ehrenkrantz Eckstut & Kuhn, speaking on...

Frederick-based BioElectronics enters into distribution agreement with Medical Sales Professionals.
March 5, 2005... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports BioElectronics Corp., of Frederick, which develops portable and disposable electro-medical devices designed to use the body's own bioelectrical energy to accelerate healing, announced it has entered into an...

Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay seeks participants for its Project Clean Stream.
March 5, 2005... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports The Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay is seeking participants for its Project Clean Stream, slated for April 2 at more than 100 stream sites statewide. To volunteer, contact Kate Dowling at 410-377-6270 or...

Bonefish Grill will help to fill demand for full-service restaurants in Anne Arundel County.
March 7, 2005... Byline: Joe Bacchus It's just one restaurant, but a soon-to-open Bonefish Grill will go a long way towards filling demand for full-service restaurants in Anne Arundel County. The restaurant, set to open in late March, is one of the...