Daily Record (Baltimore, MD) articles from May 2005

Daily Record (Baltimore, MD) archives from May 2005

Baltimore Gas and Electric Co. seeks gas rate hike.
May 2, 2005... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Baltimore Gas and Electric Co. said Friday it filed a request with the Maryland Public Service Commission to increase the rates it charges customers for natural gas. If approved, BGE said a typical residential...

Annapolis-based TeleCommunication Systems reports first-quarter loss.
May 2, 2005... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports TeleCommunication Systems Inc., of Annapolis, a developer of wireless messaging software and data systems, reported a first-quarter net loss of $2.1 million, or 5 cents per share, on revenue of $33.1 million,...

MD Dept. of Transportation to sell World Trade Center at Baltimore's Inner Harbor.
May 2, 2005... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports The Maryland Department of Transportation said it will issue a request for proposals tomorrow for a commercial real estate broker to market the 30-story World Trade Center at Baltimore's Inner Harbor. The...

Negotiations between Washington County public school teachers and school board stall.
May 2, 2005... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Negotiations between Washington County public school teachers and the local Board of Education to replace the teachers' existing contract, which expires on June 30, are at a standstill, according to a...

Md. tall ship, Pride of Baltimore II, to depart for goodwill voyage to Europe.
May 2, 2005... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Maryland will bid a fond farewell today to the Pride of Baltimore II, the state's tall ship, which is slated to depart from Annapolis' City Dock following farewell ceremonies for a goodwill voyage to Europe....

Monitoring for effectiveness is important in Chesapeake Bay watershed restoration.
May 2, 2005... Byline: Robyn Lamb While more than $400 million has been spent since 1990 restoring rivers and streams throughout the Chesapeake Bay watershed, only about 5 percent of the restoration projects are monitored for their effectiveness. ...

Md. to be home to country's largest Wegmans this fall.
May 2, 2005... Byline: James Mosher Wegmans Food Market Inc. is set to open its largest upscale supermarket in the nation Oct. 2 at the Hunt Valley Towne Centre mall in Baltimore County. The 140,000-square-foot location will be the biggest of the...

MD Legal Briefs: May 2, 2005.
May 2, 2005... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports NBLSA honors Holmes Gilbert A. Holmes, dean of the University of Baltimore School of Law, received the first annual Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Black Law Students Association. The NBLSA...

Marylanders Earn honors, Awards and Distinctions: May 2, 2005.
May 2, 2005... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Ethical companies Four local companies were presented with the Better Business Bureau of Greater Maryland Torch Awards for Marketplace Ethics, the most prestigious award the bureau gives to members of the...

Report shows MD-based SafeNet Inc. is the fastest-growing, large networking company in N. America.
May 2, 2005... Byline: Joe Bacchus SafeNet Inc. is the fastest-growing, large networking company in North America, according to a new report. The Belcamp-based company saw $201.6 million in revenue for 2004, a 205 percent improvement from the $66.2...

MD Dept. of Business and Economic Development chief seeks session for slots deal.
May 2, 2005... Byline: James Mosher A top state official is calling for a special session of the General Assembly to reconsider slot machine gambling, which might help address the "crisis" in Maryland's horse industry. "I'm very concerned about...

Commentary: Is the Roth IRA your best choice?
May 2, 2005... Byline: Ben Proctor The Taxpayer Relief Act of 1997 awakened interest in IRAs as a means of saving not only for retirement but also for other long-term goals such as first-time homeownership and a college education. The act also...

MD-based company develops promising treatment for West Nile virus.
May 2, 2005... Byline: Robyn Lamb A Rockville-based startup has developed the first promising treatment for West Nile virus, a relatively new virus in the United States that has infected 16,000 people. Four-year-old MacroGenics Inc., in partnership...

MD-based Ace*Comm gains $20M Dept. of Defense job.
May 2, 2005... Byline: Joe Bacchus Ace*Comm Corp. has won a $20 million contract from the U.S. Department of Defense. The Gaithersburg-based company will provide an as-yet unannounced agency within the Pentagon with its NetPlus system, which helps...

Former death row inmate can sue officer, 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals holds.
May 2, 2005... Byline: Lawrence Hurley A former death row inmate from Virginia who was exonerated by DNA evidence can proceed with a lawsuit against a police officer he accused of fabricating evidence, the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has held. ...

MD woman who killed husbands wins new sentence.
May 2, 2005... Byline: Barbara Grzincic An Upper Marlboro woman who allegedly used voodoo to escape prosecution for the murder of two husbands and one lover is entitled to a new sentence on her federal mail and wire fraud convictions, the 4th U.S....

Taking Stock - Martek's mistakes lead slight decline for Md. stocks.
May 2, 2005... Byline: Kathleen Johnston Jarboe Maryland stocks last week returned to losses as broader indexes saw mixed trading. The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 0.3 percent after dipping oil prices caused traders to rally Friday. But not...

Development plans excite Baltimore's Upper Fells group.
May 2, 2005... Byline: Jen DeGregorio The abandoned shell of a former police station that for years has collected trash and loiterers in Baltimore's Upper Fells Point neighborhood has moved a little closer to salvation. Much to the delight of...

Court of Special Appeals orders new trial for man accused of beating school teacher.
May 2, 2005... Byline: Ann Parks A man convicted of accosting an Upper Marlboro elementary school teacher who was knocked to the ground, kicked in the head and robbed of her purse will get a new trial, following a decision last week by the Court of...

MD Legal Briefs: May 3, 2005.
May 3, 2005... Byline: Staff Reports Lawyer sent to prison Frederick Leffler, 50, an attorney and Howard County resident, was sentenced on April 29 in federal court in Baltimore to three years and one month in prison for his role in a...

MD Court of Special Appeals affirms townboat company's $166K jury award.
May 3, 2005... Byline: Barbara Grzincic An invalid, unenforceable contract was enough to satisfy the statute of frauds' requirement that certain agreements must be in writing, the Court of Special Appeals has held. The decision affirms a Baltimore...

Psychiatric hospital Sheppard Pratt Health System to open new $79M facility.
May 3, 2005... Byline: James Mosher Sheppard Pratt Health System, one of the world's most famous psychiatric hospitals, will open a $79 million building next week, the first major addition to the Towson institution's main hospital facility. The new...

Governor Ehrlich to name new director of MD Port Administration today.
May 3, 2005... Byline: James Mosher The name of the Maryland Port Administration's new executive director will be announced today by Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. The appointment comes as a consultant's report that reviews how the Port of Baltimore is...

MD's first lady kicks off Baltimore County Law Day celebration.
May 3, 2005... Byline: Caryn Tamber Jury service should be considered a treasured right and privilege, not a burden best avoided, attorneys said during yesterday's Law Day celebration in Baltimore County. The theme of the annual bar...

Radnor, Pa.-based Airgas deepens Md. roots with purchase of Cumberland firm.
May 3, 2005... Byline: Kathleen Johnston Jarboe The country's largest distributor of industrial gases, Airgas Inc., yesterday said it would deepen its roots in Maryland by purchasing Cumberland Welding & Supply Co. Inc. The move is one of more than...

Baltimore mayor and lt. gov. testify about witness intimidation at congressional hearing.
May 3, 2005... Byline: Lawrence Hurley Baltimore Mayor Martin O'Malley and Lt. Gov. Michael S. Steele might have sat at the same table yesterday when they testified at a special congressional hearing in the city, but the two men certainly weren't reading...

Solo Cup Distribution Center in Hampstead sells for $37.5M to the Hampshire Cos.
May 3, 2005... Byline: Jen DeGregorio The more than 1 million-square-foot Solo Cup Distribution Center in Hampstead sold last week for $37.5 million to the Hampshire Cos., a private, New Jersey-based real estate investment fund manager. The center...

Stem cell research advocate to head Johns Hopkins Medicine Board of Trustees.
May 3, 2005... Byline: Robyn Lamb Former Comcast Corp. Chairman C. Michael Armstrong, whose endowment helped the Johns Hopkins University take a lead role in stem cell research, has been named to guide the university's clinical and medical research...

Plywood signs heralding arrival of national chains in Baltimore's West Side cannot be authenticated.
May 3, 2005... Byline: Dori Berman Vacant buildings and empty storefronts dominate the 400 block of North Howard Street in Baltimore. Cracked paint flakes from brick facades and wood planks or metal gates cover most of the windows and doors. ...

DirecTV to carry mid-Atlantic Sports Network and Washington Nationals baseball.
May 3, 2005... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports DirecTV Group Inc., the largest U.S. satellite television company, reached an agreement to carry the mid-Atlantic Sports Network on its service and show 135 Washington Nationals baseball games this season 68...

Bethesda-based Binary Consulting awarded $40M purchase agreement by U.S. Army.
May 3, 2005... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Binary Consulting Inc., of Bethesda, an information technology engineering and consulting company, was awarded a five-year blanket purchase agreement valued at $40 million by the U.S. Army to provide...

Baltimore-based Thomson Prometric develops computer format for U.S. Marshals exam.
May 3, 2005... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Thomson Prometric, of Baltimore, which offers educational testing and assessment services, said it developed a new, computer-based format for the traditional paper-and-pencil promotion exam used by the U.S....

Frederick-based BioElectronics Corp. opens sales office in CA for its ActiPatch Therapy.
May 3, 2005... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports BioElectronics Corp., of Frederick, a developer of advanced, disposable, therapeutic medical devices, said it has opened a sales office in Westlake Village, Calif., to market its ActiPatch Therapy. The...

Stratos Global Corp. unveils new broadband wireless access network for Gulf of Mexico.
May 3, 2005... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Stratos Global Corp., of Bethesda, an international telecommunication services provider, unveiled StratosMAX, a new, state-of-the-art, broadband wireless access network that is focused on the Gulf of Mexico,...

Calvert unveils two new asset allocation funds.
May 3, 2005... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Calvert, among the nation's largest families of socially oriented mutual funds, unveiled two new asset allocation funds, the Calvert Conservative Allocation Fund and the Calvert Moderate Allocation Fund. Both...

Clean Air Partners announces start of Air Quality Action Days program for Baltimore/Wash. region.
May 3, 2005... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Clean Air Partners, a regional private-public partnership formed by business groups to improve air quality in the Baltimore and Washington metropolitan region, announced the start of the 2005 Air Quality...

Canada-based Magna Entertainment Corp. reports first-quarter net loss.
May 3, 2005... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Canada-based Magna Entertainment Corp., owner of Baltimore's Pimlico Race Course and Laurel Park, reported a first-quarter net loss of $4.1 million, or 4 cents a share, compared with a profit of $21.1...

MD Port Admin. issues request for proposals for planning and economic consulting services.
May 3, 2005... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports The Maryland Port Administration said it will issue a request for proposals today seeking companies interested in providing planning and economic consulting services. Martin Associates of Lancaster, Pa., holds...

Three more restaurants to lease space at Baltimore Washington International Airport.
May 3, 2005... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports BAA Maryland Inc., the retail management company at Baltimore-Washington International Airport, announced that three additional Maryland restaurant companies have agreed to lease space at BWI, joining other...

4GL School Solutions selected by Cherry Creek School District for Web-based products.
May 3, 2005... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports 4GL School Solutions Inc., of Towson, a provider of comprehensive special education management services to school districts, said it was selected by the Cherry Creek School District, of Greenwood Village,...

Credit Manager's Index shows continued growth for April.
May 3, 2005... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports The Credit Manager's Index for April 2005 continues to show growth after a strong first quarter. The CMI, issued by the Columbia-based National Association of Credit Management, rose for the third straight...

Baltimore-based Constellation Energy extends its lease agreement in Candler Bldg.
May 4, 2005... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Constellation Energy Group, of Baltimore, announced a 10-year extension of its lease in the Candler Building at 111 Market Place in downtown Baltimore, next to its headquarters at 750 E. Pratt St. The lease...

Bethesda-based Coventry Health Care reports first-quarter net income.
May 4, 2005... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Coventry Health Care Inc., of Bethesda, a managed health care company, reported first-quarter net income of $112.7 million, or $1.09 per diluted share, on revenue of $1.6 billion, versus net income of $74.3...

Gaithersburg-based Digene Corp.'s profits drop.
May 4, 2005... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Digene Corp., of Gaithersburg, a biotechnology company that manufactures and markets tests for diseases afflicting primarily women, reported net income for its fiscal third quarter ended March 31 of $1.6...

Glenn Dale-based TVI Corp. reports first-quarter net income.
May 4, 2005... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports TVI Corp., of Glenn Dale, a supplier of rapidly deployable first-responder systems for homeland security, hospitals, police and fire departments, the military and public health agencies, reported...

Corporate Office Properties Trust reports first-quarter adjusted funds from operations.
May 4, 2005... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Corporate Office Properties Trust, of Columbia, a real estate investment trust focused on suburban office properties chiefly in the mid-Atlantic region, reported first-quarter adjusted funds from operations...

Rockville-based EntreMed Inc. reports first-quarter net loss.
May 4, 2005... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports EntreMed Inc., of Rockville, which develops therapeutics for the treatment of cancer and inflammatory diseases, reported a first-quarter net loss of $5.5 million, or 13 cents per diluted share, on revenue of...

Thomson Prometric retained by Genesys Telecommunications to provide certification exams.
May 4, 2005... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Thomson Prometric, of Baltimore, an educational testing and assessment services company, said it has been retained by Genesys Telecommunications Laboratories Inc., of suburban San Francisco, a manufacturer of...

Bethesda-based Lockheed Martin completes initial testing on its Millennium Gun.
May 4, 2005... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Lockheed Martin Corp., of Bethesda, said initial testing has been completed on its Millennium Gun, a rapid-fire cannon it is producing for the U.S. Navy under license from Switzerland-based Oerlikon Contraves....

Silver Spring-based United Therapeutics Corp. reports first-quarter net income.
May 4, 2005... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports United Therapeutics Corp., of Silver Spring, which develops pharmaceuticals to combat chronic and life-threatening cardiovascular, infectious and oncological diseases, reported first-quarter net income of...

RWD Technologies announces strategic relationship with Mexican Institute of Petroleum.
May 4, 2005... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports RWD Technologies Inc., which develops, implements and supports products and services in areas of training, consulting and organizational performance, announced a strategic relationship with the Mexican...

Parsippany, N.J.-based DRS Technologies awarded $50M in new orders from U.S. Navy.
May 4, 2005... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports DRS Technologies Inc., of Parsippany, N.J., a defense technology company, said it was awarded approximately $50 million in new orders to provide production, spares and engineering services for the U.S. Navy's...

Lanham-based Merkle Direct Marketing changes name, reorganizes, creates three new divisions.
May 4, 2005... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Don't look for Merkle Direct Marketing anymore. The Lanham-based company has changed its name to Merkle Inc. and announced an organizational realignment, creating three new divisions: Financial Services,...

Court of Special Appeals agrees that parents may sue hotel where son was killed.
May 4, 2005... Byline: Caryn Tamber The parents of a teenager shot to death at a party in two hotel rooms can pursue their negligence suit against the hotel, the Court of Special Appeals has held. Andre D. Corinaldi, 18, was killed Jan. 13, 2001, at...

Maryland House of Delegates Speaker Busch cool to slot-machine gambling special session.
May 4, 2005... Byline: James Mosher House of Delegates Speaker Michael E. Busch said this week he is not in favor of a special legislative session to reconsider slot-machine gambling and problems faced by Maryland's horse industry. "It doesn't rise...

Maryland Court of Special Appeals upholds verdicts in bus-stop shootings.
May 4, 2005... Byline: Barbara Grzincic A 16-year-old was properly convicted of attempted first-degree murder for a bus-stop shooting that wounded two men, including a young father-to-be who was left paralyzed, the Court of Special Appeals has held. ...

MD Legal Briefs May 3, 2005.
May 4, 2005... Byline: Daily Record Staff and Wire Reports Home builder fined The Consumer Protection Division of the Maryland attorney general's office issued a final order yesterday requiring Donald Corby, a home builder, to pay more than $130,000...

Maryland Court of Special Appeals says officer need not be expert to explain reasons for frisk.
May 4, 2005... Byline: Bryan Hughes A police officer does not have to be an expert to explain his "reasonable articulable suspicion" for conducting a pat-down search, the Court of Special Appeals has held. The opinion, which distinguishes a March...

Fast growing Annapolis-based Severn Bancorp lands top thrift ranking.
May 4, 2005... Byline: Kathleen Johnston Jarboe Severn Bancorp, an Annapolis-based savings bank, was rated the top financial performer in the country among large thrifts, according to an annual ranking by analyst group SNL Financial LC. The...

Pending home sales steady nationally despite interest rate increases.
May 4, 2005... Byline: Jen DeGregorio When it comes to real estate, sometimes no news is good news. The pending home sale index an economic indicator that measures home sales that have not yet closed remained steady nationally from February to...

Maryland's Giant Food Inc. gets a bit smaller because of repositioning plan.
May 4, 2005... Byline: Dori Berman As many as 500 people stand to lose their jobs as Giant Food Inc. prepares to close or relocate out of its headquarters offices and several distribution centers and manufacturing plants in Maryland. As part of a...

University of Maryland snags grant for biotech center.
May 4, 2005... Byline: Robyn Lamb The University of Maryland is going to be at the forefront of research examining the forces driving the competitiveness and complexity of the nation's biotechnology industry. With a $250,000, three-year matching...

Governor Ehrlich lands his man for the Port of Baltimore.
May 4, 2005... Byline: James Mosher On a day in which teamwork was the emphasis, Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. named a veteran maritime manager from Florida as the next executive director of the Port of Baltimore. F. Brooks Royster III, executive...

MD Court of Special Appeals rules deeds outside duties trigger LGTCA notice requirement.
May 5, 2005... Byline: Barbara Grzincic Attention trial lawyers: Before agreeing to take a tort case, you might want to find out what the defendant-to-be does for a living. If he or she works for a municipality or county, the 180-day notice...

Germantown-based Avalon Pharmaceuticals files initial public offering registration with SEC.
May 5, 2005... Byline: Joe Bacchus With its lead drug ready for human testing, Avalon Pharmaceuticals Inc. has filed an initial public offering registration with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The Germantown-based biopharmaceutical company,...

Chicago-based General Growth slates $20M for retail upgrades in downtown Baltimore.
May 5, 2005... Byline: Jen DeGregorio An executive from General Growth Properties Inc., the Chicago-based company that last year bought The Rouse Co., caused a stir Wednesday when he announced the company slated "$90 million" for improvements to...

MD Court of Appeals hears arguments in case about state's anti-spam law.
May 5, 2005... Byline: Lawrence Hurley The complexities of Internet law hit home at Maryland's top court yesterday when a somewhat perplexed bench heard arguments in a case concerning the state's anti-spam law. At least two of the seven judges on the...

Bethesda firm acquires six companies to create one-stop shop for biotechnology industry.
May 5, 2005... Byline: Robyn Lamb United BioSource Corp. has used $153 million in startup money to amass six companies it has packaged together to build a soup-to-nuts service company for the biotechnology industry. Just 18 months after the...

Baltimore nonprofit wins injunction in court allowing it to keep its Inner Harbor kiosk.
May 5, 2005... Byline: Jeffrey Raymond In a hearing that featured tall ships, ice cream, Maryland's highest-ranking Democrat and the ghost of James Rouse, a Baltimore nonprofit yesterday won a preliminary injunction in Baltimore City Circuit Court...

Anne Arundel Health System to build facility on Kent Island.
May 5, 2005... Byline: Dori Berman Anne Arundel Health System Inc.'s expansion strategy is taking it across the Bay Bridge. The hospital company said yesterday it will build a facility on Kent Island, enabling it to better serve people living across...

MD Court of Special Appeals rules family can sue for wrongful death.
May 5, 2005... Byline: Caryn Tamber The family of a man who died of mesothelioma in 1997 may resume their wrongful death action against companies that sold or manufactured asbestos-containing products, the Court of Special Appeals has held. The...

Hunt Valley-based Sinclair Broadcast Group reports first-quarter net income.
May 5, 2005... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Sinclair Broadcast Group Inc., of Hunt Valley, a diversified broadcasting company that owns or programs 61 television stations in 38 markets, reported first-quarter net income of $11.3 million, or 10 cents...

Rockville-based Federal Realty Investment Trust reports first-quarter funds from operations.
May 5, 2005... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Federal Realty Investment Trust, of Rockville, an equity real estate investment trust specializing in prime retail and urban mixed-use properties, reported first-quarter funds from operations of $39.3...

MD arts organizations receive $2.3M in grants from National Endowment for the Arts.
May 5, 2005... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Maryland arts organizations received more than $2.3 million from the National Endowment for the Arts, with the Maryland State Arts Council, an agency of the Maryland Department of Business and Economic...

Two Baltimore real estate companies combine to form WP&M Real Estate Group.
May 5, 2005... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Two mid-sized real estate companies in Baltimore, Metro Property Management and Washington Place Management, said they have combined to form a single entity, WP&M Real Estate Group, one of the largest...

Leading Edge Design and Systems acquires assets of E-Secure Systems of Columbia.
May 5, 2005... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Leading Edge Design and Systems, of Severn, a network systems integration and design company that specializes in intelligence applications for defense customers, announced that it has acquired the assets of...

Towson-based Ajilon Consulting teams up with Comcast Business Service.
May 5, 2005... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Ajilon Consulting, of Towson, an information technology consulting firm, is teaming up with Comcast Business Service to offer telecommuting technology to their clients. The Teleworker Platform is designed to...

McShea & Co. of Gaithersburg arranges lease of Rockville bldg. to National Institutes of Health.
May 5, 2005... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports McShea & Co., of Gaithersburg, a commercial real estate brokerage and management company, announced it has arranged an 84,000-square-foot lease at a building in Rockville to the National Institutes of Health....

Enterprise Social Investment Corp. of Columbia opens office in Minneapolis, MN.
May 5, 2005... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports The Enterprise Social Investment Corp., of Columbia, which provides community development capital for affordable housing and mixed-used and commercial development, has opened an office in Minneapolis, its...

4GL School Solutions selected by Pittsburgh Public Schools to provide software.
May 5, 2005... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports 4GL School Solutions Inc., of Towson, a provider of comprehensive special education management services to school districts, said it has been selected by the Pittsburgh Public Schools system to provide...

Sodexho Foundation awards $75K grant to 'Ending Childhood Hunger in the Nation's Capital' initiative.
May 5, 2005... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports The Sodexho Foundation, the independent charitable arm of Sodexho USA, of Gaithersburg, a provider of food and facilities management services, announced a $75,000 grant to support an initiative, Ending...

Telkonet enters into marketing agreement with San Diego-based Science Applications International.
May 5, 2005... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Telkonet Inc., of Germantown, which develops products for high-speed Internet access over electrical power lines, announced it has entered into a co-marketing agreement with San Diego-based Science...

Salisbury park officials to kill some geese in city park due to overpopulation problems.
May 5, 2005... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports City officials in Salisbury say they have no choice they have to kill some of the geese in Salisbury Park. According to Public Works Director John Jacobs, there are about 500 geese at the park, or 300 more...

Commentary: Raising the Bar - State court criminal defense: Nuts and bolts, part IV.
May 6, 2005... Byline: Paul Sandler Last week, we left your nephew's hypothetical arson trial hanging in the balance. The prosecution just put on a formidable case against your client (the nephew) and his co-defendants, who allegedly conspired to burn...