Daily Record (Baltimore, MD) articles from May 2003

Daily Record (Baltimore, MD) archives from May 2003

Group creates a mania to get girls excited about careers in technology.
May 1, 2003... Byline: Bobby White The University of Maryland Baltimore County has chosen to address an often overlooked fact in the technology industry -- the sagging number of young women interested in information technology. UMBC has enlisted the...

Venture capital fund raises $20M for economically distressed areas.
May 1, 2003... Byline: Robyn Lamb A venture capital fund headquartered at the University of Maryland College Park has reached its goal of raising $20 million to invest in fast-growing businesses located in economically distressed sections of Maryland,...

Big software vendors court small clients.
May 1, 2003... Byline: Andrea Cecil American Express and the world's largest provider of business-management software are hoping small- and medium-sized firms in Baltimore will spend on information technology, despite the flagging economy. ...

Fleming Cos. says it can sustain Cecil County warehouse two more years.
May 1, 2003... Byline: Ezra Fieser What a difference 10 months make. Last summer, Fleming Cos. Inc. was flying high. That was before its largest client, Kmart Corp., filed for bankruptcy, before it restated two years worth of earnings and before it...

Mercy Medical Center to air commercials during 'Friends'.
May 1, 2003... Byline: Patrice Dickens If you want to recruit and retain nurses, it apparently helps to have Friends. So, Mercy Medical Center has produced a 60-second commercial that is expected to run tonight, May 8 and May 15 during the season...

Challenge to town's zoning variance dismissed.
May 1, 2003... Byline: Carolyn Magnuson The latest round in a war of words between competing billboard companies ended yesterday with a Court of Special Appeals opinion dismissing the challenger's appeal. The court reasoned that the shareholder of a...

Frederick County Liquor Commission denies license renewal for nightclub.
May 1, 2003... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports The Frederick County Liquor Commission voted not to renew the license for Xhale, a nightclub with a rowdy reputation, after police said it was straining their ability to respond to calls elsewhere. Xhale...

Old Line Bank preps public offering in mixed climate.
May 1, 2003... Byline: Kathleen Johnston Jarboe Old Line Bank of Waldorf said it started the process of offering public shares yesterday. The effort, which includes filing regulatory documents and finding buyers for new shares, could eventually put...

Bethlehem Steel benefits idled.
May 1, 2003... Byline: John O'Connor The state Board of Public Works refused yesterday to take emergency action to prevent disabled Bethlehem Steel workers from temporarily or permanently losing their benefits, but the board may call a special meeting --...

Former Johns Hopkins student files $5M suit over security.
May 1, 2003... Byline: Lawrence Hurley A former Baltimore college student who claims she was repeatedly raped by three men at a Johns Hopkins University dorm is suing the institution for $5 million, alleging that security procedures were not enforced....

Informed consent case goes to jury.
May 1, 2003... Byline: Peter Geier A Baltimore jury yesterday got the case of a Midwest artist who claims that a Johns Hopkins Hospital plastic surgeon operated on him without his fully informed consent as to the material risks of the procedure. In...

Bay National Corp. reports net loss of $206K.
May 1, 2003... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Bay National Corp., parent company of Baltimore-based Bay National Bank, reported a first-quarter net loss of $206,000, or 17 cents per diluted share, compared to a net loss of $291,000, or 23 cents per...

Baltimore Sun, Washington-Baltimore Newspaper Guild begin contract negotiations.
May 1, 2003... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports The Baltimore Sun and the Washington-Baltimore Newspaper Guild, Local 32035, have started negotiations aimed at replacing the current four-year union contract that expires on June 24. The 600-plus member...

Constellation Energy Group reports net loss of $131.4M.
May 1, 2003... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Constellation Energy Group, of Baltimore, reported a first-quarter net loss of $131.4 million, or 80 cents per diluted share, on revenue of $2.6 billion, versus net income of $228.6 million, or $1.40 per...

Sitel Corp. awarded three-year contract by Microsoft Corp.
May 1, 2003... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Baltimore-based Sitel Corp., which provides telemarketing and customer relationship management services for corporations, was awarded a three-year contract by Microsoft Corp., valued at up to $90 million over...

KLNB Retail brokers sale of Woodhaven Park Shopping Center.
May 1, 2003... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports KLNB Retail, of Baltimore, brokered the sale of the Woodhaven Park Shopping Center, an 11,600-square-foot retail center located on East Joppa Road in Baltimore County for $1.3 million. KLNB represented the...

Glen Burnie Bancorp reports quarterly net income of $656K.
May 1, 2003... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Glen Burnie Bancorp, parent company of The Bank of Glen Burnie, reported first-quarter net income of $656,000, or 39 cents per share, versus net income of 988,000, or 59 cents per share, for the same...

HealthExtras Inc. reports net income of $1.9M.
May 1, 2003... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports HealthExtras Inc., of Rockville, a pharmacy benefit management company, reported net income for the first quarter of $1.9 million, or 6 cents per diluted share, on revenue of $91.7 million, versus net income...

Maryland receives $690K federal grant to fund health coverage.
May 1, 2003... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Maryland has received a $690,000 federal grant to help fund health coverage for medically uninsurable individuals. The grant from the Department of Health and Human Services -- the first of its kind in the...

Host Marriott Corp. reports fund from operations of $44M.
May 1, 2003... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Host Marriott Corp., of Bethesda, a hotel real estate investment trust, reported first-quarter comparative funds from operations -- defined as FFO adjusted for significant nonrecurring items -- of $44...

Rydex Funds begins trading first exchange-traded fund.
May 1, 2003... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Rydex Funds, a Rockville-based mutual fund company, has begun trading its first exchange-traded fund (ETF) on the American Stock Exchange under the symbol RSP. The new Rydex S&P Equal Weight ETF -- the first...

State funding for public school construction in MD will be $116.5M.
May 1, 2003... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports The amount of state funding for public school construction for the 2004 fiscal year will be $116.5 million, as the Board of Public Works approved additional funding for school construction projects based on...

Big payoffs for women biz owners who want flexibility.
May 2, 2003... Byline: Christianna McCausland Kathy Freeland knows what discrimination in the workplace feels like. After being passed over for a position within her company for which she was the most qualified applicant - and training the individual who...

Surviving the dot-com bomb.
May 2, 2003... Byline: Bobby White It had been an exhausting day. Billy Twigg had mowed a few acres of grass, raked and bagged bundles more, and trimmed rows of hedges all under an unrepentant sun. When it had finally come to an end and all the...

Attorneys sift through documents to make class action.
May 2, 2003... Byline: Kathleen Johnston Jarboe Attorneys from a St. Ambrose Housing Aid Center this week began combing through documents that might piece together a class action lawsuit against a former Baltimore developer being sued for property...

MD woman's line of clothes says 'go girls' to pre-teens.
May 2, 2003... Byline: Andrea Cecil Laura Furbay sits in the middle of her Go Girl Garbs apparel store in Westminster and begins to list the words printed on many t-shirts that are popular today. "Cutie, hottie, sexy, princess - blah," she says,...

It's wait and see for counties dependent on state.
May 2, 2003... Byline: John O'Connor In the waning days of this year's legislative session, Anne Arundel County Executive Janet S. Owens cornered James C. "Chip" DiPaula Jr., the state's top budget official, in the State House lobby and left him with one...

Workforce literacy investment hard to take.
May 2, 2003... Byline: Heather Coppley Literacy Works Executive Director Helene Waranch doesn't understand why companies won't spend the money to teach their workers about the basic economics of workforce literacy. At $150 a student, she figures the...

Job search in legal field becoming more of a challenge.
May 2, 2003... Byline: Daily Record Staff Legal Affairs Writer The legal market may have slowed during the economic downtown, but that hasn't hurt Nancy V. Alquist's legal practice. That's because Alquist is a bankruptcy lawyer. And when the economy...

Interview with chief of Orthopaedics at St. Joseph Medical Center.
May 2, 2003... Byline: Nancy Kercheval Dr. Kenneth C. Gertsen, chief of Orthopaedics at St. Joseph Medical Center and a member of Orthopaedics Associates, used to be the doctor for the Baltimore Colts. Now his practice, Towson Sports Medicine, provides...

Commentary: Taxpayers must voice opinions to legislators.
May 2, 2003... Byline: David R. Clogg Well, it certainly wasn't the citizens of Maryland. And at this point in time there weren't any winners in the Maryland state legislator or the governor's office. What appeared to have been a legislation...

Commentary: Your rights and duties as a stock owner.
May 2, 2003... Byline: Beth Rosenwald You may have purchased shares of a stock in a company because you felt it was a good investment. Now that you are a shareholder, you have the right to vote on company policies that may affect your investment. In...

Commentary: Founder of lacrosse outfitter has deep love of the game.
May 2, 2003... Byline: Neil R.G. Young If you're a lacrosse parent, chances are you'll never forget the first time your son suited up in his new lacrosse uniform. It was a proud moment for him and for you as well. Chances are he was outfitted by Lax...

Commentary: With war over, is it time to get back to basics?
May 2, 2003... Byline: Julius Westheimer With the war over, don't go on a spending spree too quickly. Why not, you ask? "Investors who expect stocks to surge after the war in Iraq, as they did after the Persian Gulf War of 1991, may be overlooking an...

Commentary: How to guard against choking on spam.
May 2, 2003... Byline: Larry Fiorino America Online recently launched a $10 million lawsuit in an effort to get rid of unwanted e-mail called "spam" that now accounts for almost 40 percent of all e-mail. The suit accuses George Moore Jr. of Linthicum...

Commentary: Marketing of income tax laws: Don't forget about the fine print.
May 2, 2003... Byline: Thomas E. Vermeer Have you ever tried to use a coupon, only to find out that something in the fine print prevents you from doing so? For instance, the coupon is only valid on weekdays, or on a sale or clearance item or vice...

Commentary: FAQs about wireless technology.
May 2, 2003... Byline: Lisa Ihde What are carriers doing to improve coverage? We work constantly to improve network performance. Engineers fine tune networks by adding equipment to handle call volumes at peak times and they locate new antennas to...

Commentary: Use copyright to protect your brand.
May 2, 2003... Byline: James B. Astrachan "How to protect brands through copyright?" I questioned. I had been asked to lecture to a New York Chapter of the American Corporate Counsel Association and this was their interest. "Trademark, yes", I said out...

MD Legal Briefs May 2, 2003.
May 2, 2003... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Empty shell U.S. District Judge J. Frederick Motz approved a consent decree between the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and Jeppi Nut Co. and its owners SCT Corp., Theodore Pavlos and Marina Lillie,...

County Exec. Owens finds silver lining in otherwise 'iffy' budget.
May 2, 2003... Byline: John O'Connor Despite reduced state aid, homeland security expenses and spending restrictions, economic development could be the bright spot in this year's $895 million Anne Arundel County budget, County Executive Janet S. Owens...

Sitel Corp. says goodbye to Baltimore.
May 2, 2003... Byline: Ezra Fieser Five and a half years after moving its corporate headquarters to downtown Baltimore, Sitel Corp. will return to Omaha, Neb. The move, which will likely be completed during coming months, will transplant the last 12...

Informed consent jury awards $550K.
May 2, 2003... Byline: Peter Geier A plastic surgeon at Johns Hopkins Hospital operated on a Midwest artist without his fully informed consent, a Baltimore jury decided, awarding plaintiff Mark S. Mahler $550,000 in damages against the hospital. The...

Boutique law firms falling from fashion?
May 2, 2003... Byline: Carolyn Magnuson A few years ago, the boutique was chic. Now, big may be back. This week, several prominent Baltimore lawyers announced they were leaving their boutiques in favor of large firms. After the 10-lawyer boutique...

M&T Bank Corp. closes three overlapping Md. branches.
May 2, 2003... Byline: Kathleen Johnston Jarboe M&T Bank Corp. will close 29 branches this year as it completes its acquisition of Allfirst Financial Inc., leaving room for others to fill its empty shoes and helping the bank meet or pass consolidation...

Extra federal money propels Intercounty Connector.
May 2, 2003... Byline: Robyn Lamb Transportation officials will soon jumpstart plans to build the controversial Intercounty Connector, thanks to some unexpected federal money. An additional $19.1 million in funding for the proposed suburban Maryland...

Court of Appeals hears death penalty challenge.
May 2, 2003... Byline: Lawrence Hurley In yet another attempt to save convicted murderer Stephen H. Oken from execution, his lawyer argued yesterday before the Court of Appeals that Maryland's death penalty is unconstitutional, stressing a flaw in the...

New look, new tenants give Dulaney Plaza a new life.
May 2, 2003... Byline: Heather Coppley Lawrence Taubman - managing partner of Taubman Properties - describes himself as a small local developer who tries to keep a low profile. But when he was preparing to host a grand reopening ceremony for Dulaney...

Panel takes on issues relating to Baltimore's criminal justice system.
May 2, 2003... Byline: Peter Geier A panel of judges and criminal justice professionals gathered at Baltimore's World Trade Center Wednesday evening to discuss five issues relating to Baltimore City's overburdened courts and criminal justice system. ...

Handicapping state's racing industry a gamble.
May 2, 2003... Byline: John O'Connor There is nearly as much uncertainty and speculation about the future of horseracing at Rosecroft Raceway as there is about who's going to win, place and show in the seventh. From the grandstand to the paddock and...

Jury awards $5.6M for brain injury.
May 2, 2003... Byline: Peter Geier A Baltimore jury awarded $5.6 million to a woman who suffered brain damage from a blocked breathing tube while in a Frederick care facility after undergoing three weeks of intensive care after an automobile accident....

$4M returned from insurance improprieties.
May 2, 2003... Byline: Patrice Dickens Concerns about the poor performance of the stock market in the fall of 2001 led Aubrey "Hogan" Fairgrieve to an agent of Nationwide Life Insurance and Annuity Co. It was in that office, Fairgrieve said, "the...

Wicomico County has highest high school dropout rate on Lower Shore.
May 2, 2003... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Wicomico County has the highest high school dropout rate on the Lower Shore, according to school administrators. Nearly 6 percent of Wicomico high school students dropped out in 2002, up slightly from the...

Ace*Comm reports net loss.
May 2, 2003... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Gaithersburg-based Ace*Comm Corp., a telecommunications and Internet service company, reported a net loss for its fiscal third quarter ended March 31 of $1.9 million, or 19 cents per diluted share, on revenue...

Annapolis Bancorp reports first-quarter net income of $324K.
May 2, 2003... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Annapolis Bancorp Inc., parent company of BankAnnapolis, reported first-quarter net income of $324,000, or 11 cents per diluted share, up 123.4 percent from the $145,000, or 5 cents per diluted share, net...

RTKL Associates names new chairman.
May 2, 2003... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Baltimore-based RTKL Associates Inc., an international architecture, engineering and planning firm, named Vice Chairman Paul F. Jacob III as chairman, succeeding Harold L. Adams. Jacob has been at RTKL for...

Mercantile Bankshares elects two to board of directors.
May 2, 2003... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Mercantile Bankshares Corp., of Baltimore, elected Eddie C. Brown and Anthony Deering to its board of directors. Brown is president of Brown Capital Management, a Baltimore-based investment management firm...

Arla Foods begins producing tagatose for sale in U.S.
May 2, 2003... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Denmark-based Arla Foods said it has begun producing tagatose for sale in the U.S. food and beverage market. Tagatose is a natural, low-calorie sweetener developed by Gaithersburg-based Spherix Corp., which...

Commentary: Tips on how to read putting surfaces.
May 3, 2003... Byline: Joe Rahnis Once you have a firm handle on the basic techniques of putting, properly reading greens is the most important element of consistently making putts. You don't need the green-reading skills of a PGA Tour caddy to...

Baltimorean proposes new measure to deal with city's drug problem.
May 3, 2003... Byline: Andrea Cecil Eric is just a few credits shy of receiving his doctorate degree. But every time the Baltimore resident gets his weekly paycheck, he spends it on "cocaine, heroin, marijuana, LSD, mushrooms, PCP, anything." In...

Oak Contracting chosen for Olney Theater Center Project.
May 3, 2003... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Oak Contracting Corp., of Baltimore, has been selected as construction manager for the new, 440-seat Olney Theater Center for the Arts in Montgomery County. Scheduled to open in the spring of 2004, the...

Living Classroom Foundation awarded $50K grant.
May 3, 2003... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports The Living Classrooms Foundation, of Baltimore, was awarded a $50,000 grant by the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, to provide environmental education programs along the Chesapeake Bay for 96 low-income New...

Celebration planned for Historic Nat'l Road designation.
May 3, 2003... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports The designation of Western Maryland's Historic National Road as an "All-American Road" will be celebrated at a ceremony on May 8 at New Market. The road (U.S. Route 40) will have a higher priority for federal...

Blacksmith Days planned for May 17-18.
May 3, 2003... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports If you are an avid blacksmith, want to learn more about this skill or just like to watch the demonstrations, Blacksmith Days on May 17-18 at the Carroll County Farm Museum in Westminster are your kind of...

Media advocacy advisor for American Cancer Society receives awards.
May 3, 2003... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Michael Schwartzberg, media advocacy manager for the American Cancer Society's Mid-Atlantic Division, headquartered in Baltimore, received two awards in The Communicator Awards 2003 Print Media competition,...

Commentary: Baltimore's baseball team may suffer if D.C. gets team.
May 5, 2003... Byline: Daily Record Staff Business Writer Charm City has a unique way of attracting professional sports teams -- when a team loses too badly elsewhere, it moves to Baltimore. Baltimore is the third city the modern-day Orioles have...

Commentary: Women and Wall Street: A brief history.
May 5, 2003... Byline: Gary S. Williams Almost since our country was formed, women have fought for the right to have the same opportunities as men in politics, education and in the work force. They have encountered similar struggles to find a place in...

Contractor begins site work on downtown hotel.
May 5, 2003... Byline: Ezra Fieser Construction crews have started site work on a downtown Baltimore plot where a Marriott Residence Inn is planned, allowing the developer to narrowly avoid a city order to fill the hole left at the site when historic...

Montgomery County's ban on smoking in bars, restaurants ruled unconstitutional.
May 5, 2003... Byline: Lawrence Hurley Montgomery County's controversial ban on smoking in bars and restaurants, the subject of a four-year-long legal wrangle, is unconstitutional, according to the Court of Appeals. Affirming the Montgomery County...

Son-in-law gained no title by living rent-free on farm.
May 5, 2003... Byline: Barbara Grzincic A Washington County court erred in finding that a half-million-dollar farm belonged to the man who lived on it for more than 30 years, the state's highest court held on Friday. Charles Shafer, son-in-law of...

Docs learn the brass tacks of insurance cos.
May 5, 2003... Byline: Patrice Dickens MedChi, the state medical society, has launched a campaign to help educate and empower physicians to negotiate with insurance carriers. "Physicians need more skill sets than the ability to practice medicine,...

Journalists must testify about officer's remark.
May 5, 2003... Byline: Carolyn Magnuson Reporters can be required to testify at a police disciplinary hearing, the Court of Special Appeals has held in a case stemming from remarks attributed to a Prince George's County police officer outside the trial...

Visicu offers hospitals technology where personnel fall short.
May 5, 2003... Byline: Bobby White In the country's 7,500 intensive care units, it is estimated there are about 6,000 physicians, leaving state health care systems pushing to find viable alternatives to ensure patient care. Baltimore-based Visicu...

MD mass transit riders fume at fee hike.
May 5, 2003... Byline: Andrea Cecil A statewide transit riders' organization intends to protest a Maryland Transit Administration public hearing in Baltimore over the agency's proposed 18.5 percent increase to bus, subway and light rail fares. Last...

Taxicab stop and search held admissible.
May 5, 2003... Byline: Peter Geier Montgomery County police had reasonable suspicion to stop a taxicab suspected of carrying suspects in two robberies which proved to have incriminating evidence on board, the Court of Special Appeals held Friday. ...

Security Square Mall quietly builds successful mix.
May 5, 2003... Byline: Heather Coppley While the North County triumvirate of Towson, White Marsh and Owings Mills tends to dominate discussion of shopping in Baltimore County, Security Square Mall Manager Deirdre Moore is pushing for shoppers to go west....

Johns Hopkins school establishes new Dept. of Behavior and Health.
May 5, 2003... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore established a new Department of Behavior and Health to study human behavior and health, using a $20 million gift from an anonymous donor.

Baltimore-based certified public accounting firm to merge with Philadelphia-based firm.
May 5, 2003... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Baltimore-based Grabush, Newman & Co., a certified public accounting and management consulting firm with 48 professional employees, is merging with suburban Philadelphia-based Smart and Associates LLP, a...

Williams Scotsman reports first-quarter net income of $194K.
May 5, 2003... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Williams Scotsman Inc., of White Marsh, which leases mobile office and storage units, reported first-quarter net income of $194,000, a 94.8 percent drop from the $3.7 million reported in the same quarter of...

Spherix Inc. cuts loss in first quarter.
May 5, 2003... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Beltsville-based Spherix Inc. reported a first-quarter net loss of $686,388, or 6 cents per share, on revenue of $4.42 million, versus a net loss of $1.1 million, or 10 cents per share on revenue of $3 million...

Black & Decker declares quarterly cash dividend.
May 5, 2003... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Towson-based toolmaker Black & Decker's board of directors declared a quarterly cash dividend of 12 cents per share of common stock, payable June 27 to stockholders of record at the close of business on June...

Nat'l Institute of Standards and Technology, DVD Associates plan conference.
May 5, 2003... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports The National Institute of Standards and Technology and the DVD Association are holding "DVD 2003" on June 9-11 at NIST's headquarters in Gaithersburg. Industry professionals will see firsthand how DVD...

Vocus Inc. forms partnership with Delahaye.
May 5, 2003... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Vocus Inc., a Lanham company that makes public relations automation software, and Delahaye, the communications research division of New York-based Medialink Worldwide Inc., formed a partnership, under which...

CSA adopts law of the case in affirming murder sentence.
May 6, 2003... Byline: Daily Record Staff Legal Affairs Writer A convicted murderer whose death sentence was replaced in 1988 by life in prison cannot expect the courts to consider, over and over, repetitive challenges to the legality of his new sentence,...

In post-Sept. 11 world of travel trepidation, Micros moves to diversify.
May 6, 2003... Byline: Bobby White To help shield itself from the volatility in travel in tourism following the Sept. 11 attacks, Columbia-based Micros Systems Inc., a software maker that until now catered exclusively to the hospitality industry, has...