Daily Record (Baltimore, MD) articles from March 2007

Daily Record (Baltimore, MD) archives from March 2007

Magellan Health's profit slumps.(Financial report)
March 1, 2007... Byline: Daily Record Staff Magellan Health Services Inc., of Avon, Conn., a behavioral health disease management company, said its fiscal fourth-quarter profit slumped 57 percent, compared with the year-ago period. Quarterly earnings...

Baltimore City Circuit Court plea deal angers twice-defrauded lawyer.
March 1, 2007... Byline: Cynthia Di Pasquale A Baltimore lawyer already burned once by a corrupt paralegal says he's now lost his practice over a second one he hired to clean up the financial mess his office suffered. The second paralegal pleaded guilty...

Louis J. Ulman's off to Offit Kurman.
March 1, 2007... Byline: Caryn Tamber In a rare defection by a name partner, Louis J. Ulman is leaving the firm formerly called Hodes, Ulman, Pessin & Katz. Effective Friday, Ulman will be a senior partner at Maple Lawn-based Offit Kurman. "We are just...

Baltimore's trash cans go high-tech - at $3,795.
March 1, 2007... Byline: Karen Buckelew Those sleek green boxes perched along the Inner Harbor promenade are just as state-of-the-art as they look -- the latest in garbage technology. They're called BigBelly Cordless Compactors, and they use solar energy...

Social Security Administration is looking to move from N. Greene St. in Baltimore.
March 1, 2007... Byline: Jen DeGregorio The Social Security Administration is looking to relocate its downtown Baltimore operations from its 27-year-old home in the Metro West building, opening development opportunities on the city's West Side. The...

PNC Financial enters Baltimore market with donation blitz.
March 1, 2007... Byline: Andy Rosen Baltimore's newest banking institution is moving quickly to build strong community ties, a proven strategy for companies entering a market. Mere hours after stockholders approved the $6 billion merger of PNC Financial...

Supreme Court setback no bar to attorneys' fees.
March 1, 2007... Byline: Brendan Kearney No one could have anticipated a used 1997 Chevy Blazer would rack up this much judicial mileage, but the SUV's legal journey just might be over. First filed in 2000, Bradley Nigh's Truth in Lending Act suit against...

Maryland Dept. of Business and Economic Development seeks to fine-tune film rebates.
March 1, 2007... Byline: Louis Llovio In an effort to pump up Maryland's film industry, the Department of Business and Economic Development has introduced legislation that will fine-tune the state's Film Wage Rebate program. If approved, the program would...

Dorchester state's attorney to join AG's team.
March 1, 2007... Byline: Brendan Kearney In the latest of a series of hirings targeting his featured campaign issues, Attorney General Douglas F. Gansler has convinced the Dorchester County state's attorney to lead his office's Environmental Crimes Unit....

Baltimore man pleads guilty to felony credit card fraud.
March 1, 2007... Byline: Daily Record Staff Glenard C. Blount, 35, of Baltimore, pleaded guilty to felony credit card fraud in Baltimore City Circuit Court, the Maryland attorney general's office said Wednesday. Prosecutors said Blount admitted to using...

Three given suspended sentences for scheme to cheat MD Dept. of Economic Development.
March 1, 2007... Byline: Daily Record Staff Stephen Ross, 38, Diana O'Connor, 43, and Tinikia Rice, 23, all of Baltimore, were given three-year suspended sentences and probation in Baltimore City Circuit Court for participating in a scheme that cheated the...

Easton Airport tower underway.
March 1, 2007... Byline: Daily Record Staff An air traffic control tower at Easton Airport should be operational in the fall, according to airport Manager Mike Henry, who attended a groundbreaking Tuesday. The 77-foot tower is estimated to cost $3.1...

Johns Hopkins-built probe is Pluto-bound.
March 1, 2007... Byline: Daily Record Staff A spacecraft designed and built at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel and tested at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, headed to Pluto and the frozen, sunless reaches...

Towson-based Cavanaugh Capital Management boosts assets.
March 1, 2007... Byline: Daily Record Staff Cavanaugh Capital Management Inc., a Towson-based investment management firm, reported its assets under management exceeded $1 billion as of Dec. 31, 2006, with approximately 88 percent invested in fixed-income...

Bel Air-based RKS Realty ownership changes.
March 1, 2007... Byline: Daily Record Staff RKS Realty Inc., of Bel Air, a commercial real estate company, announced a change of ownership. Donnell "Beetle" Smith and Tom Mottley have purchased the company from Fred Kern. The announcement came shortly...

I4 Commerce gets Sharper Image.
March 1, 2007... Byline: Daily Record Staff I4 Commerce Inc., which develops and offers payment services to e-commerce, catalog and multi-channel retail merchants, announced that San Francisco-based Sharper Image Corp., a national retailer of unusual...

Maryland-based AAI Services awarded $14.9 million contract modification.
March 1, 2007... Byline: Daily Record Staff AAI Services Corp., a subsidiary of Hunt Valley-based United Industrial Corp., said it was awarded a $14.9 million contract modification by the U.S. Air Force to produce an additional maintenance trainer in...

Germantown-based Advancis Pharmaceutical responds to FDA.
March 1, 2007... Byline: Daily Record Staff Advancis Pharmaceutical Corp., of Germantown, a specialty pharmaceutical company that is developing novel anti-infective products, said it reached agreement with the Food and Drug Administration about its new...

Federal Home Loan Bank of Atlants awards $829K in grants in Maryland.
March 1, 2007... Byline: Daily Record Staff The Federal Home Loan Bank of Atlanta announced the award of $829,000 in grants to help developers fund 133 affordable housing units in D.C. and Maryland. The funding is part of more than $20.9 million that...

Towson-based Spectrum K12 School software adopted by Folsom Cordova Unified School District.
March 1, 2007... Byline: Daily Record Staff Spectrum K12 School Solutions Inc., of Towson, a provider of comprehensive, special education management services to school districts, said its Individualized Education Program software product, ENCORE!, has been...

Maryland-based EarthData International fast-tracking delivery of aerial data.
March 1, 2007... Byline: Daily Record Staff EarthData International Inc., of Frederick, a provider of aerial mapping services, said it is fast-tracking delivery of high-resolution aerial data that it collected over a six-county area in Southern Mississippi...

Baltimore-based TVI Corp. reports loss.(Financial report)
March 1, 2007... Byline: Maryland Daily Record Staff TVI Corp., of Glenn Dale, a global supplier of rapidly deployable first-responder systems and event shelter and equipment rentals, reported a fourth-quarter net loss of $470,000, or 1 cent per diluted...

Baltimore-based Ayers Saint Gross selected to redesign Pratt Street in downtown Baltimore.
March 1, 2007... Byline: Maryland Daily Record Staff A team led by Baltimore-based Ayers Saint Gross and Olin Partnership of Philadelphia was selected by a panel of professionals from among four competitors to redesign a 16-block area of Pratt Street in...

Remodulin linked to high rate of bloodstream infections.
March 1, 2007... Byline: Maryland Daily Record Staff Remodulin, a lung disorder drug manufactured by Silver Spring-based United Therapeutics Corp., has been linked to a higher rate of bloodstream infections than Flolan, a similar therapy made by...

Third Wave Technologies Inc. accuses Digene Corp. of violating antitrust laws.
March 1, 2007... Byline: Maryland Daily Record Staff Digene feud heats up Third Wave Technologies Inc. accused Digene Corp. of violating antitrust laws by trying to monopolize testing for human papillomavirus, a cause of genital infections that may lead to...

Postal service awards California-based Northrop Grumman Corp. $874.6M contract.
March 1, 2007... Byline: Maryland Daily Record Staff Northrop Grumman Corp., a California-based defense and technology company, said the United States Postal Service awarded its Gaithersburg-based Government Systems division a $874.6 million fixed-price...

Florida-based XStream Beverage Network Inc. completes sale of its subsidiary.
March 1, 2007... Byline: Maryland Daily Record Staff XStream Beverage Network Inc., of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., an emerging developer, marketer and distributor of new age beverages, said it completed the sale of its wholly owned subsidiary, Jessup-based...

HIV drugs to be evaluated.
March 1, 2007... Byline: Maryland Daily Record Staff ImQuest Pharmaceuticals Inc., of Frederick, which develops novel drugs to treat infectious diseases and cancer, announced it was awarded a grant by the International Partnership for Microbicides to...

The Athlete's Foot chain hires Baltimore-based public relations firm Warschawski.
March 1, 2007... Byline: Maryland Daily Record Staff Baltimore public relations, branding and marketing firm Warschawski has been hired as the agency of record for The Athlete's Foot chain, the firm announced. Warschawski will handle public relations,...

Baltimore-based SunEdison LLC activates solar energy system with city of San Diego.
March 1, 2007... Byline: Maryland Daily Record Staff Baltimore-based SunEdison LLC activated a solar energy system in partnership with the city of San Diego. The company will own and operate the 1.1 megawatt system, which will provide enough electricity for...

State and federal regulators approve merger between BUCS Financial Corp. and Community Banks Inc.
March 1, 2007... Byline: Maryland Daily Record Staff State and federal regulators have approved a merger between Owings Mills-based BUCS Financial Corp. and Harrisburg, Pa.-based Community Banks Inc. Community Banks announced last September that it would...

New York-based NexCen Brands Inc. acquires MaggieMoo's International LLC and Marble Slab Creamery.
March 1, 2007... Byline: Maryland Daily Record Staff NexCen Brands Inc., a New York-based company that began life as Baltimore-based telecom firm Aether Systems Inc., announced it has closed the acquisitions of premium ice cream brands MaggieMoo's...

Legislative approval on Maryland statewide smoking ban faces obstacles.
March 2, 2007... Byline: Dori Berman Despite local smoking bans now approved in the state's most populous subdivisions and a poll showing that 70 percent of Maryland voters support a statewide ban, legislative approval of such a ban still faces obstacles...

Maryland-based non-profit raises $750K to help companies offset their contribution to climate change.(Company overview)
March 2, 2007... Byline: Andy Rosen Eric M. Carlson started the Carbonfund.org Foundation on a shoestring, as a side project while he worked on Eastern European energy policy from Serbia. The Silver Spring-based nonprofit -- which uses a Web site to help...

There was a long wait for a landmark ruling in Maryland Court of Appeals.
March 2, 2007... Byline: Caryn Tamber Lloyd v. GM plaintiffs' lawyer Bill Askinazi said he believes the court took longer to decide Lloyd v. GM than any other case in its history. Lloyd said someone in the Court of Appeals clerk's office told him the case...

Group of property owners file suit against Baltimore.
March 2, 2007... Byline: Maryland Daily Record Staff Superblock lawsuit A group of property owners has filed suit against Baltimore and its quasi-public development arm, claiming the process for selecting a West Side superblock developer was illegal. The...

News Summary.
March 2, 2007... Byline: Staff and wire reports TVI reports loss TVI Corp., of Glenn Dale, a global supplier of rapidly deployable first-responder systems and event shelter and equipment rentals, reported a fourth-quarter net loss of $470,000, or 1 cent...

Virginia-based AES Corp. challenges Baltimore County zoning law.
March 2, 2007... Byline: Andy Rosen In challenging a Baltimore County zoning law that would block its proposed liquefied natural gas terminal, AES Corp. is taking a similar approach to the one it used to overturn a previous attempt to stop the project....

Maryland Court of Appeals opinion reinstates suit against automakers.
March 2, 2007... Byline: Caryn Tamber Depending on which side you ask, a recent Court of Appeals opinion either ushered in a new era of consumer protection, or plumbed a new low in frivolous litigation. The opinion in Lloyd v. GM et al. reinstated a suit...

Maryland-based H&S Properties Development Corp. begins construction before gaining city's approvals.
March 2, 2007... Byline: Jen Degregorio Before gaining approvals from the city Planning Commission, H&S Properties Development Corp. has already begun tearing up the ground where it intends to build a Four Seasons Hotel and Legg Mason Inc.'s new office...

Baltimore man bilked more than 900 investors out of $8M in a Ponzi scheme.
March 2, 2007... Byline: Maryland Daily Record Staff On Capital Punishment Senate should reject measure to exempt lethal injection protocols from the Administrative Procedures Act, law professor Arnold Rochvarg writes. Page 3B Legal Advice Jim...

Former Baltimore community development nonprofit executive director sues for wrongful discharge.
March 2, 2007... Byline: Brendan Kearney The former executive director and a former program director of a longstanding Southwest Baltimore community development nonprofit are suing their erstwhile employer for wrongful discharge. Judith R. Bennick, 62, and...

Maryland business advocates fight to exempt more people from the estate tax.
March 2, 2007... Byline: Dori Berman Maryland lawmakers are not likely to take any actions this year that will reduce state revenues, but some business advocates are pushing on in the fight to exempt more people from the estate tax. Del. Susan Krebs,...

Maryland-based WMAR-TV Channel 2 to turn itself around under new news director and president.
March 2, 2007... Byline: Louis Llovio Long at the bottom of Baltimore news' food chain, WMAR-TV Channel 2 is trying to turn itself around under the direction of a new news director and president. The first sign of whether the relationship between David...

Potomac pharmacist develops process for flavoring children's medicine.
March 3, 2007... Byline: Karen Buckelew Hadley Kramm preferred banana. For Hadley, who suffers from cerebral palsy and a seizure disorder, her preference for this particular flavor was a matter of life or death. As an infant in 1992, Hadley refused to...

Maryland-based Host Hotels & Resorts sells three Marriott-brand hotels.
March 3, 2007... Byline: Daily Record Staff Host sells hotels Host Hotels & Resorts Inc., of Bethesda, a lodging real estate investment trust that owns 121 upscale and luxury full-service hotel properties, said it completed the sales of three...

Baltimore area prepares for annual St. Patrick's Day festivities.
March 3, 2007... Byline: Ben Mook With St. Patrick's Day just a few weeks away, the annual celebrations of all things Irish are set to kick off, starting with the St. Patrick Parade on Sunday, March 11 in Baltimore. St. Patrick's Day was created to honor...

Towson-based St. Joseph Medical Center unveils campaign called Powered by ME!
March 3, 2007... Byline: Daily Record Staff St. Joseph Medical Center, of Towson, the Maryland State Department of Education and U.S. Rep. Elijah E. Cummings, D-Md., unveiled a campaign called Powered by ME!, to educate the public about anabolic steroids...

Assn. of Specialists in Cleaning & Restoration, of Columbia, changes name.
March 3, 2007... Byline: Daily Record Staff The Association of Specialists in Cleaning & Restoration, of Columbia, representing 1,200 member businesses in the cleaning and restoration industry worldwide, said it changed its name to the Restoration Industry...

Federal water act impacts Maryland.
March 3, 2007... Byline: Daily Record Staff After touring hurricane-decimated areas of New Orleans on Monday with fellow members of the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, Maryland Democratic Senator Benjamin L. Cardin said he's...

Md. Court of Special Appeals avoids constitutional issue in plea challenge.
March 5, 2007... Byline: Caryn Tamber The Court of Special Appeals has remanded a case in which a defendant claimed to have discovered after his Alford plea, but before sentencing, that he would have to register as a sex offender. However, the court...

Maryland med school readying bid for cancer center.
March 5, 2007... Byline: Karen Buckelew The University of Maryland Medical Center and School of Medicine are close to culminating eight years of planning with the final submission of their bid for a federally designated Comprehensive Cancer Center. Winning...

Baltimore Gas & Electric officials think new PSC will leave rate structure intact.
March 5, 2007... Byline: Andy Rosen Officials at Baltimore Gas & Electric Co. are confident that the company's planned residential electric rate increase will stand up to new regulatory scrutiny before a reconstituted Maryland Public Service Commission....

Columbia-based Sourcefire could net $72.3M in Monday's IPO.
March 5, 2007... Byline: Ben Mook Almost a year after a proposed buyout by an Israeli firm fell through, Columbia-based Sourcefire Inc. is poised for its initial public offering Monday. Sourcefire said in an amended filing with the Securities and Exchange...

New York-based Cushman & Wakefield names senior managing director of new Baltimore office.
March 5, 2007... Byline: Daily Record Staff New York-based real estate firm Cushman & Wakefield has named David Baird as senior managing director of its new Baltimore office at 300 E. Lombard St. Baird previously worked as a senior vice president and...

Bowie man convicted again of killing veterinarian, wife.
March 5, 2007... Byline: Cynthia Di Pasquale A Bowie man was found guilty for the third time Friday of murdering a veterinarian and his wife at their family-run animal hospital in 1999. Robert Angel Perez was convicted by a jury in Prince George's County...

Cecil County parent files lawsuit against middle school.
March 5, 2007... Byline: Daily Record Staff The mother of a Cecil County student filed a lawsuit against a county middle school and one of its teachers after the teacher allegedly pulled her daughter across the floor this year. Betsy Medina has a daughter...

Three White Marsh massage parlor employees charged for not having a license.
March 5, 2007... Byline: Daily Record Staff Baltimore County officials have charged three employees of a White Marsh massage parlor of performing massage without a license. Police had issued a warning to Meridian Health and Relaxation, located in White...

U of Maryland School of Law symposium sold out.
March 5, 2007... Byline: Daily Record Staff The University of Maryland School of Law will host a three-day community justice symposium Thursday through Saturday that will bring together legal professionals, academics and community activists. Speakers at...

Urban Outfitters to open first Maryland store.
March 5, 2007... Byline: Daily Record Staff Apparel retailer Urban Outfitters Inc., a chain store company that targets young adults ages 18 to 30, said it will open its first store in Maryland in April at the Gallery at Harborplace. In preparation for the...

Washington Real Estate Investment Trust purchases buildings.
March 5, 2007... Byline: Daily Record Staff In what is being called the largest multi-tenant investment sale in Frederick in the last 18 months, Rockville-based Washington Real Estate Investment Trust acquired a portfolio of five single-story office/flex...

Annapolis-based Coastal Brewing Co. to purchase Old Dominion Brewing Co.
March 5, 2007... Byline: Daily Record Staff Coastal Brewing Co., a new joint venture between Fordham Brewing Co., of Annapolis, and minority partner Anheuser-Busch Inc., announced it will purchase Old Dominion Brewing Co., a Virginia-based craft brewer and...

Maryland-based Telkonet Inc. to acquire all of Smart Systems International assets.
March 5, 2007... Byline: Daily Record Staff Telkonet Inc., of Germantown, which makes products for high-speed Internet access over electrical power lines, announced it has executed a definitive agreement with Smart Systems International, a Las Vegas-based...

Interim head named for Baltimore-based NAACP.
March 6, 2007... Byline: Staff and wire reports The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People said it named General Counsel Dennis Hayes as interim president of the civil rights organization, replacing Bruce Gordon. "We will immediately...

Bill requiring deposits on beverage containers provokes strong reactions in Maryland.
March 6, 2007... Byline: Andy Rosen The first effort to add Maryland to the list of 11 states that require deposits on beverage containers since the 1980s is eliciting strong reaction from the groups that believe it will help keep litter out of the state's...

Commentary: Truth and Certainty in the news media.
March 6, 2007... Byline: Editorial Advisory Board Editorial Advisory Board member Jack L.B. Gohn did not participate in this opinion. You have a decision to make. Let's suppose that the Congress is deciding whether to pull out of the war in Iraq. Your...

Md. Retailers Association holds its fire in Assembly and waits for sales tax debate.
March 6, 2007... Byline: Dori Berman The Maryland Retailers Association is sitting out debates on some bills affecting small business this session, hoping to gain credibility with legislators for next year's expected debate over raising the state sales...

Md. Court of Special Appeals gives bank second chance to fix error.
March 6, 2007... Byline: Caryn Tamber A bank's effort to reform the property description on a deed of trust was not barred by the statute of limitations, the Court of Special Appeals has held. Since the reformation action is a request for equitable relief,...

Johns Hopkins leading $8.5M project to aid cardiovascular research.
March 6, 2007... Byline: Karen Buckelew Johns Hopkins University researchers are at the helm of a new $8.5 million, federally funded initiative blending computer science and medicine to link the nation's cardiovascular experts. The project, called the...

Security, defense help Maryland's international exports grow.
March 6, 2007... Byline: Louis Llovio While Maryland has seen international exports grow across the board, exports to Egypt have jumped more than 900 percent since 2000, according to the state's Department of Business and Economic Development. Since 2000,...

Winery legislation before Baltimore County Council could provide boon to Maryland farmers.
March 6, 2007... Byline: Jen Degregorio Two years ago, Kenneth Holt planted 1,000 grapevines on his Mount Peru Farm in Kingsville, hoping a winery business would expand the cattle farm his family has operated there since 1940. But the 170-acre farm on...

San Francisco-based equity firm offers $634M buyout for Belcamp-based SafeNet Inc.
March 6, 2007... Byline: Ben Mook Faced with a possible delisting of its stock, and caught up in an ongoing stock option backdating investigation, Belcamp-based SafeNet Inc. announced a $634 million buyout offer Monday to take the technology company...

Watershed development in northern Baltimore County withstands challenge, rules Md. CSA.
March 6, 2007... Byline: Cynthia Dipasquale Plans for a residential subdivision in northern Baltimore County were properly approved by the county's development regulators even though the regulators didn't articulate why they endorsed them, the Court of...

U.S. Army extends contract with Lockheed Martin Corp. of Bethesda.
March 6, 2007... Byline: Daily Record Staff & Wire Reports Lockheed Martin Corp., of Bethesda, the world's largest defense company, won a contract valued at $311 million to produce additional electronic systems used for piloting Apache combat helicopters....

TXU Corp.'s proposed sale to leveraged-buyout companies may boost Baltimore's Constellation.
March 6, 2007... Byline: Daily Record Staff & Wire Reports TXU Corp.'s proposed sale to leveraged-buyout companies led by Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. and Texas Pacific Group may boost the shares of companies with existing coal and nuclear plants, such as...

Provident Bankshares Corp. of Baltimore gets rating boost.
March 6, 2007... Byline: Daily Record Staff & Wire Reports Provident Bankshares Corp., of Baltimore, the parent company of Provident Bank, said Standard & Poor's raised its counterparty credit rating of Provident Bank from BBB to BBB+ on Feb. 26. The...

Baltimore-based beer and liquor distributor signs 10-year lease at Eastport Industrial Center.
March 6, 2007... Byline: Daily Record Staff & Wire Reports Baltimore-based beer and liquor distributor, Frederick P. Winner Ltd., signed a 10-year, 302,000-square-foot lease at the Eastport Industrial Center, 7001 Quad Ave., in Baltimore. The company will...

D. Myers & Sons Inc. of Baltimore acquires Dolce and Fresco trademark brands.
March 6, 2007... Byline: Daily Record Staff & Wire Reports D. Myers & Sons Inc., of Baltimore, a women's footwear importer and distributor, announced its acquisition of the Dolce and Fresco trademark brands from Pierre Shoe Inc., of Woburn, Mass. Myers...

Rockville-based My Organic Market to open store in Frederick.
March 6, 2007... Byline: Daily Record Staff & Wire Reports Rockville-based My Organic Market, a chain of organic grocery stores, will open a new store in Frederick's Westview Promenade off Route 85, the Frederick County Office of Economic Development...

University of Maryland announces 28 new research projects.
March 6, 2007... Byline: Daily Record Staff & Wire Reports The University of Maryland announced 28 new research projects partnering Maryland companies with university researchers to develop high-tech commercial products. Worth $5.2 million, the projects...

Hughes Network Systems of Germantown selected by Pakistan-based Orocom Limited.
March 6, 2007... Byline: Daily Record Staff & Wire Reports Hughes Network Systems LLC, of Germantown, an international provider of broadband satellite products and services, announced its selection by Pakistan-based Orocom (Pvt) Limited, a data network...

Baltimore Technology Park unveils new corporate Web site.
March 6, 2007... Byline: Daily Record Staff & Wire Reports Baltimore Technology Park, a data center housed in a Southwest Baltimore warehouse, unveiled a new corporate Web site. The company said it revamped its Web site to drive sales leads, make the design...

Subsidiary of Constellation Energy Group of Baltimore donates energy-efficient light bulbs.
March 6, 2007... Byline: Daily Record Staff & Wire Reports Constellation Energy Group, of Baltimore, announced that its subsidiary, Constellation NewEnergy, donated nearly 34,000 energy-efficient light bulbs to housing authority customers throughout New...

Wal-Mart fires systems technician for monitoring/recording phone conversations.
March 6, 2007... Byline: Daily Record Staff & Wire Reports Wal-Mart Stores Inc. said Monday that it has fired a Wal-Mart systems technician for recording phone conversations between the company's public relations office and a New York Times reporter and...