Daily Record (Baltimore, MD) articles from May 2008

Daily Record (Baltimore, MD) archives from May 2008

News Summary - 5/01.
May 1, 2008... Byline: Staff and wire reports BCSB sees profitable quarter BCSB Bancorp Inc., the holding company for Baltimore County Savings Bank, reported net income for its fiscal second quarter, ended March 31, of $55,000, or 2 cents per...

Baltimore County Circuit Court judge appoints receiver for local Damon's Grill restaurants.
May 1, 2008... Byline: Danny Jacobs The operator of four local Damon's Grill restaurants was placed in receivership Monday and ordered to sell ownership of its subsidiaries for not repaying a $700,000 loan it received from a Timonium investment firm in...

Baltimore Mariners indoor football team working to build a fan base.
May 1, 2008... Byline: Liz Farmer John Morris grew up cheering on the old Baltimore Colts. He's a "football guy" in every sense of the word. But he's also the first to say a love for the game doesn't qualify just anyone to run a football team. ...

Standalone: Pride II returns to Baltimore.
May 1, 2008... Byline: ERIC STOCKLIN Armand Hitchings, top, and Shevawn Innes put the sail awayon top of the mast of the Pride of Baltimore II at the Inner Harbor. The ship, a reproduction of an 1812-era Baltimore Clipper topsail schooner...

CareFirst CEO's pay reviewed by Maryland Insurance Commission.
May 1, 2008... Byline: Danielle Ulman The $18 million severance package for CareFirst Inc.'s former CEO would have increased slightly if his annual bonus were based on the company's performance rather than a target goal, a compensation consultant...

Holding company for Baltimore County Savings Bank sees profitable quarter.
May 1, 2008... Byline: Daily Record Staff & Wire Reports BCSB Bancorp Inc., the holding company for Baltimore County Savings Bank, reported net income for its fiscal second quarter, ended March 31, of $55,000, or 2 cents per diluted share, compared to a...

USEC of Bethesda reports drop in profit.(Financial report)
May 1, 2008... Byline: Daily Record Staff & Wire Reports USEC Inc., of Bethesda, a global energy company that supplies enriched uranium fuel for commercial nuclear power plants, said its first-quarter profit fell because of expected declines in processing...

Tessco Technologies Inc. of Hunt Valley reports profit up slightly.(Financial report)
May 1, 2008... Byline: Daily Record Staff & Wire Reports Tessco Technologies Inc., of Hunt Valley, a supplier of wireless communications equipment, reported net income for its fiscal fourth quarter, ended March 30, of $1.7 million, or 32 cents per diluted...

Breakthrough for Bethesda-based Sucampo Pharmaceuticals' drug.
May 1, 2008... Byline: Daily Record Staff & Wire Reports Sucampo Pharmaceuticals Inc., of Bethesda, and Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. won U.S. clearance to sell the constipation drug Amitiza to women with irritable bowel syndrome. Amitiza, introduced in...

Optelecom-NKF Inc. of Germantown awarded contracts for European work.
May 1, 2008... Byline: Daily Record Staff & Wire Reports Optelecom-NKF Inc., of Germantown, a global supplier of advanced video surveillance products, said it was awarded two contracts valued at more than $1.7 million by Imtech N.V., a European technical...

Virginia-based energy company proposes change in natural gas project.
May 1, 2008... Byline: Daily Record Staff & Wire Reports A Virginia-based energy company said it is moving the location of a planned natural-gas compressor station that ran into resistance in the Middletown area of Frederick County. The Frederick...

Md. Highway Administration seeks input on future Ocean City bridge.
May 1, 2008... Byline: Daily Record Staff & Wire Reports The State Highway Administration wants to hear from citizens about where to build a future Ocean City bridge. The project is still at least 20 years in the future but officials want to decide on the...

DPR Group Inc. of Germantown selected by Owings Mills-based Chesapeake System Solutions Inc.
May 1, 2008... Byline: Daily Record Staff & Wire Reports DPR Group Inc., of Germantown, a full-service public relations and marketing support agency targeting technology companies, announced that it has been selected by Owings Mills-based Chesapeake...

Conmed Healthcare Management Inc. of Hanover signs three-year, full-service agreement with Douglas County, Ore.
May 1, 2008... Byline: Daily Record Staff & Wire Reports Conmed Healthcare Management Inc., of Hanover, a provider of correctional facility health care services, announced it has signed a three-year, full-service agreement with Douglas County, Ore.,...

Baltimore County denies bail for man held on fireworks charges.
May 1, 2008... Byline: Daily Record Staff & Wire Reports A Baltimore County prosecutor says bail was denied for a man charged with creating mysterious middle-of-the-night blasts and flashes of light that puzzled residents for months. Frederick Lee...

Former chairman of Queen Anne's County Fire and EMS Commission sentenced to 18 months in jail.
May 1, 2008... Byline: Daily Record Staff & Wire Reports The former chairman of the Queen Anne's County Fire and EMS Commission has been ordered to serve 18 months in jail for the theft of more than $155,000 in county funds. Ted Jackson, 40, of...

Fired University of Mary Washington president faces DUI charge.
May 1, 2008... Byline: Daily Record Staff & Wire Reports Ousted University of Mary Washington President William Frawley faces new drunken-driving charges after police in Chevy Chase discovered him asleep in his car, which was still running, and found open...

Commentary: The Pursuit of Justice.
May 2, 2008... Byline: Steven I. Platt How would the remaining candidates for president govern if elected? As I have emphasized in previous columns, this is the threshold and clearly the most important question we should answer before we decide who...

On the Move.
May 2, 2008... Byline: The Daily Record ARCHITECTURE  The board of directors of GWWO Inc./Architects has named Paul L. Hume and Mark A. Lapointe AIA principals of the Baltimore-based architectural firm. Both have been with the firm for more than...

Commentary: Tech Talk: Emoticons -- the beginning of a new language or the latest fad?
May 2, 2008... Byline: Laryy Fiorino OMG, I was ROFL! If this statement (Oh my God, I was rolling on the floor laughing) brings a sense of bewilderment, it may be time to update your emoticon vocabulary. Emoticons are commonly associated with the...

Commentary: The Negotiating Table: Why mediators should avoid the temptation to give advice.
May 2, 2008... Byline: Louise Phipps Senft Mediators are to facilitate dialogue and assist with quality decision making. Transformative mediators have, as one of their rules, a strong belief against being directive toward the parties during mediation....

Week in Review.
May 2, 2008... Byline: Staff and wire reports Constellation's net falls Constellation Energy Group Inc., the biggest U.S. power marketer, said first-quarter profit fell 26 percent as sales declined and fuel costs rose. Net income dropped to $145.7...

News Summary - 5/02.
May 2, 2008... Byline: Staff and wire reports $1.28M gift to Friends School The Friends School of Baltimore announced the creation of The Paul Steven and Margaret Hagan Strasburg Scholarship Endowment Fund, established with a $1.28 million donation,...

Ex-CareFirst CEO stood to make more in for-profit world.
May 2, 2008... Byline: Danielle Ulman If CareFirst Inc. had operated as a for-profit insurer, its former CEO could have made as much as $13.6 million instead of $2.4 million in direct compensation, a salary and benefits consultant testified Thursday. ...

Baltimore lawyers help seniors put wishes in writing.
May 2, 2008... Byline: Danny Jacobs Shirley Neale viewed filling out an advance directive yesterday at the Bykota Senior Center in Towson as necessary bookkeeping, despite being of sound mind and body. "I'm trying to get my papers in order," said...

W.P. Carey hopes $50M gift benefits Hopkins and Baltimore.
May 2, 2008... Byline: Robbie Whelan If you ask William Polk Carey, the 77-year-old real estate investor with a Baltimore pedigree that stretches back nearly 300 years, why he gave Johns Hopkins University $50 million to start a stand-alone business...

Baltimore-based GWWO Inc./Architects names two AIA principals.
May 2, 2008... Byline: Maryland Daily Record Staff The board of directors of GWWO Inc./Architects has named Paul L. Hume and Mark A. Lapointe AIA principals of the Baltimore-based architectural firm. Both have been with the firm for more than a decade....

Maryland banks announce staffing changes: May 2, 2008.
May 2, 2008... Byline: Maryland Daily Record Staff The Columbia Bank has announced the hiring of Sharon Cantrell as vice president of its recently formed Community Business Banking Division. Cantrell was formerly associate director of financial services...

Baltimore Reads Inc. appoints chief executive officer.
May 2, 2008... Byline: Maryland Daily Record Staff Baltimore Reads Inc. has appointed Shirley Bigley LaMotte as its chief executive officer. The board also elected: Dennis B. Mather, Chair; Frances Wright, Secretary/Treasurer; and Patrick Schoenwetter,...

Maryland universities announce staffing changes: May 2, 2008.
May 2, 2008... Byline: Maryland Daily Record Staff The University Economic Development Association appointed one and elected three new members to its board of directors. The three new members are: Christi Bell, director of the Center for Economic...

Maryland Department of Natural Resources selects director.
May 2, 2008... Byline: Maryland Daily Record Staff The Maryland Department of Natural Resources announced the selection of Tom O'Connell, a 15-year veteran of the department, to serve as director of the department's Fisheries Service. O'Connell began his...

Sanford J. Ungar to serve three-year term on the Public Interest Declassification Board.
May 2, 2008... Byline: Maryland Daily Record Staff Goucher College President Sanford J. Ungar has been selected by U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nevada, to serve a three-year term on the Public Interest Declassification Board. The board was...

Baltimore health care facilities announce staffing changes: May 2, 2008.
May 2, 2008... Byline: Maryland Daily Record Staff Keswick Multi-Care Center, a long-term care facility in North Baltimore, has named Libby Overly director of adult day services. In this position, Overly is responsible for the oversight and management of...

Maryland marketing firms announce staffing changes: May 2, 2008.
May 2, 2008... Byline: Maryland Daily Record Staff Observation Baltimore announced that Judy Clarke has accepted the position of operations manager. Her responsibilities include managing the entire focus group facility and field services division,...

The Arc of Baltimore names Kimberly Diem as the new director of human resources.
May 2, 2008... Byline: Maryland Daily Record Staff The Arc of Baltimore has named Kimberly Diem, a 20-year HR professional, as the organization's new director of human resources. Diem will handle recruitment, benefits and compensation, administration,...

Chima O. Ugah joins Advance Realty Timonium Inc.
May 2, 2008... Byline: Maryland Daily Record Staff Chima O. Ugah has joined Advance Realty Timonium Inc. Ugah previously worked for Equity Realty. He is a member of the Greater Baltimore Board of REALTORS, the Maryland Association of REALTORS and the...

Maryland technology companies announce staffing changes: May 2, 2008.
May 2, 2008... Byline: Maryland Daily Record Staff Freedom Telecom Services LLC has recently added Michael Christopher Doane as installation and maintenance supervisor. Doane joins the staff after eight years as a technical support engineer III at Fujitsu...

TBB Global Logistics names operations manager for Smokin' Stampede.
May 2, 2008... Byline: Maryland Daily Record Staff TBB Global Logistics has named Vinson Santelmo regional operations manager for Smokin' Stampede, the company's truckload brokerage unit. Santelmo brings more than 20 years of experience providing...

The Friends School of Baltimore creates new scholarship fund with $1.28M donation.
May 2, 2008... Byline: Maryland Daily Record Staff The Friends School of Baltimore announced the creation of The Paul Steven and Margaret Hagan Strasburg Scholarship Endowment Fund, established with a $1.28 million donation, the largest gift in its...

Md.-based Novavax Inc. celebrates opening of its new vaccine production facility.
May 2, 2008... Byline: Maryland Daily Record Staff Novavax Inc., of Rockville, a drug delivery company developing vaccines to protect against H5N1 pandemic influenza, seasonal flu and other viral diseases, celebrated the opening of a new $5 million...

United Therapeutics Corp. announces an increase in its first quarter profits.(Financial report)
May 2, 2008... Byline: Maryland Daily Record Staff United Therapeutics Corp., of Silver Spring, a biopharmaceutical company that is developing drugs to treat cardiovascular, infectious and oncological diseases, reported first-quarter net income increased...

Md.-based Vanda Pharmaceuticals Inc. announces first-quarter net loss.(Financial report)
May 2, 2008... Byline: Maryland Daily Record Staff Vanda Pharmaceuticals Inc., of Rockville, which develops drugs to treat disorders of the central nervous system, reported a first-quarter net loss of $19.2 million, or 72 cents per diluted share, on zero...

Micros Systems Inc.'s stock falls.
May 2, 2008... Byline: Maryland Daily Record Staff Investors punished Micros Systems Inc., pushing its stock down $5.74, or 16.10 percent, after the Columbia-based provider of computer systems to the hospitality and retail industries issued its fiscal...

Canyon-Johnson Urban Fund secures loan for new residential-retail complex in Washington.
May 2, 2008... Byline: Maryland Daily Record Staff Canyon-Johnson Urban Fund, started by former Los Angeles Lakers basketball star Earvin ``Magic' Johnson, secured a $53 million construction loan for a residential-retail complex it is developing in...

Prometric gets contract to make the Blackberry Certification examinations available worldwide.
May 2, 2008... Byline: Maryland Daily Record Staff Prometric, of Baltimore, a provider of computer-based testing and assessment services, said it was selected by Research in Motion Limited, the manufacturer of the Blackberry wireless device, for a new,...

New environmental test lab opens in Frederick, Md.
May 2, 2008... Byline: Maryland Daily Record Staff Washington Laboratories Ltd., in partnership with the Frederick County Office of Economic Development, announced the opening of an environmental testing lab. The facility provides a range of effects...

University of Maryland to house new WiMAX lab.
May 2, 2008... Byline: Maryland Daily Record Staff The University of Maryland, College Park will be the home to North America's first, and the world's second, laboratory dedicated to creating applications for WiMAX, a next-generation technology for Web,...

Baltimore Gas and Electric Co. announces fluorescent light bulbs sales are up.(Financial report)
May 2, 2008... Byline: Maryland Daily Record Staff Baltimore Gas and Electric Co. announced that more than 1 million compact fluorescent light bulbs have been sold at participating retailers as part of BGE's Smart Energy Savers Program. The company is...

The Ocean City Town Council rethinks open-container law.
May 2, 2008... Byline: Maryland Daily Record Staff The Ocean City Town Council is scheduled Monday to consider a proposal to decriminalize open container violations. If the measure becomes law, a violation would no longer be an offense subject to arrest....

Maryland intermediate appellate court upholds hog farmer's conviction.
May 2, 2008... Byline: Maryland Daily Record Staff An intermediate appellate court has upheld the conviction of a Carroll County farmer accused of leaving animal carcasses on his property and neglecting other animals. The Maryland Court of Special...

Maryland fortune teller charged with theft.
May 2, 2008... Byline: Maryland Daily Record Staff Delaware State Police say investigators have charged a licensed fortune teller from Hebron in Wicomico County with the theft of more than $65,000 from an Ocean View, Del., woman. Police say the...

Commentary: It's a Gimme: Controlled fade can save your game.
May 3, 2008... Byline: Joe Rahnis While most golfers strive for a perfectly straight ball flight, the truth is, most golfers have a tendency to hit the ball from left to right. If you are right handed and hit the ball severely left to right, it's...

Place to Be.
May 3, 2008... Ongoing Starting Feb. 2, 200 real human body specimens will unveiled in Gunther von Hagens’ BODY WORLDS 2: The Anatomical Exhibition of Real Human Bodies, and Maryland Science Center visitors will see a newly added component to this...

Office of Attorney General clarifies settlement officer immunity.
May 5, 2008... Byline: Christina Doran The Office of the Attorney General has issued an opinion clarifying that attorneys serving as court-appointed settlement officers are entitled to qualified immunity. The question arose when their title was...

Scaled back study praised by Maryland tax officials, business leaders.
May 5, 2008... Byline: Andy Rosen Business leaders and state tax officials are praising a recent change to the way corporations will have to report income tax information over the next two years. During last year's special session, the General...

Maryland firm helps survivors cope with grief by putting loved one's ashes in artwork.
May 5, 2008... Byline: Liz Farmer On first glance there might not be anything unusual about the assembled clay discs mounted on the wall of Marjorie Hoachlander's Bethesda condominium. After all, the gray flecks toward the bottom look like they could be...

Legal Opinions - Maryland Court of Appeals: May 5, 2008.
May 5, 2008... Byline: The Daily Record Staff Criminal Law Proof of rape BOTTOM LINE: A woman may withdraw consent for intercourse after penetration has occurred and that the continuation of vaginal intercourse by force or threat of force may...

Legal Opinions - U.S. District Court, Maryland: May 5, 2008.
May 5, 2008... Byline: The Daily Record Staff Civil Procedure Personal jurisdiction BOTTOM LINE: Defendants did not purposefully avail themselves of the privilege of doing business in Maryland and therefore lacked the requisite minimum contacts with...

Law Digest.
May 5, 2008... Maryland Court of Appeals Criminal Law: Proof of rape: A woman may withdraw consent for intercourse after penetration has occurred and that the continuation of vaginal intercourse by force or threat of force may constitute rape. State v....

Week in Review - Legal Edition.
May 5, 2008... Byline: Staff and wire reports Doctor sues Hopkins for bias A former professor at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine is suing the school and two of her supervisors, claiming a longstanding pattern of gender-based bullying and...

Interrogatory: In movies and on television courtroom dramas, judges are always pounding their gavels. When was the last time you used yours?
May 5, 2008... “I don’t use it. It came up in discussion with some other judges and I said, ‘If you have control of your courtroom, you don’t need it, do you?’” (The last time Cavanaugh used his gavel was to adjourn the...

Commentary: Of Service: Homeless Persons Representation Project gets a hand.
May 5, 2008... Byline: Joe Surkiewicz Sometimes, all it takes is a helping hand to make a huge difference in a person's life -- for example, documenting a homeless woman's income so that she can qualify for benefits that will get her off the street. ...

Commentary: Legal Advice: Dirty dancing- 4th Circuit revives woman's lawsuit against town.
May 5, 2008... Byline: Jim Astrachan The town of Marshall is a quiet hamlet of 1,000 citizens, nestled in the mountains of western North Carolina. It has a lovely community center, the Marshall Depot, where the town folk gather on Friday nights and dance...

Maryland law firms announce staffing changes: May 5, 2008.
May 5, 2008... Byline: The Daily Record Staff Ober|Kaler announced that Robert B. Hopkins, a principal in the firm's litigation and admiralty practices, has been appointed by Mayor Sheila Dixon to the Baltimore City Planning Commission. Hopkins will...

Profile in Leadership: On the bench or off, neutrality suits former Judge Richard H. Sothoron Jr.
May 5, 2008... Byline: Danny Jacobs Former Prince George's County Circuit Judge Richard H. Sothoron Jr., who has spent much of his nearly 40-year career mentoring new lawyers and judges, says fledgling attorneys should expose themselves to all facets of...

Disciplinary board says it must have access to patient records.
May 5, 2008... Byline: Steve Lash The clash between a doctor's ethical responsibility not to disclose patient confidences and the state's strong interest in investigating allegations of physician misconduct will be argued Tuesday before the Court of...

Maryland Court of Appeals weighs duration of Miranda invocation.
May 5, 2008... Byline: Steve Lash Once a criminal suspect requests an attorney, police interrogators must stop their questioning and may not resume it -- even years later -- unless and until the person has counsel or voluntarily decides to speak, a...

Maryland Court of Special Appeals says firm must pay default penalty.
May 5, 2008... Byline: Danny Jacobs A unanimous Court of Special Appeals validated a settlement agreement Wednesday involving two Baltimore law firms, holding that one owes the other the balance of the penalty for defaulting on the agreement. The...

Law firm can keep proceeds of sale, Maryland Court of Special Appeals holds.
May 5, 2008... Byline: Christina Doran Calling the case an example of no good deed goes unpunished, the Court of Special Appeals has held that a law firm is entitled to the keep proceeds from the sale of a couple's marital home because its liens on the...

Without a license from BMI or ASCAP, a little dinner music could be lead to a lawsuit.
May 5, 2008... Byline: Brendan Kearney Just off Route 1 in Harford County, amid the big-box stores and retail strips, sits Freddies Bel Air, a maritime-themed bar and restaurant that takes pride in its local appeal. "There's a big difference between...

Both sides claim victory in Anne Arundel Circuit Court suit over car repairs.
May 5, 2008... Byline: Danny Jacobs An Anne Arundel Circuit Court jury has awarded $3,800 to a Severna Park woman in a lemon-law suit over her 2005 Hyundai, but did not find her car to be a lemon. The jury took approximately 90 minutes to find...

Maryland, Virginia governors ask aid for watermen.
May 5, 2008... Byline: The Daily Record Staff The governors of Maryland and Virginia are seeking federal disaster assistance for watermen who are expected to take a financial hit because of recently imposed limits on blue crab harvests in the Chesapeake...

The Regus Group opens Pratt St. center.
May 5, 2008... Byline: The Daily Record Staff The Regus Group, a U.K.-based company that calls itself the world's largest provider of fully furnished and equipped offices, said its first Baltimore-area business center opened at 400 E. Pratt St. The...

Columbia Bank opens branch.
May 5, 2008... Byline: The Daily Record Staff The Columbia Bank is having a ribbon-cutting on Tuesday to mark the opening of its first full-service branch banking office in Anne Arundel County. The event will be held at 7692 Dorchester Blvd., the site of...

St. Mary's College of Maryland newspaper earns honor.
May 5, 2008... Byline: The Daily Record Staff St. Mary's College of Maryland, of St. Mary's City, said its student newspaper, The Point News, has been named the Best College Newspaper for 2007-2008 by the American Scholastic Press Association. The Point...

Maryland Public Television to receive $1M gift.
May 5, 2008... Byline: The Daily Record Staff Maryland Public Television announced that the MPT Foundation received a $1 million commitment from Maryland Public Broadcasting Commission Chair Edward H. Kaplan and his wife Irene, to provide seed capital...

Rockville-based EntreMed's loss grows.
May 5, 2008... Byline: The Daily Record Staff EntreMed Inc., of Rockville, a pharmaceutical company developing therapeutics for the treatment of cancer and inflammatory diseases, reported a first-quarter net loss of $8.3 million, or 10 cents per diluted...

News Summary - 5/06.
May 6, 2008... Byline: Staff and wire reports More bad news for MuniMae Municipal Mortgage and Equity LLC, of Baltimore, also known as MuniMae, a company that arranges financing for real estate and clean-energy projects, said it will not pay its...

Even as gasoline prices approach $4, no 'political traction' for lower limit.
May 6, 2008... Byline: Andy Rosen Experts agree: Drivers can save money if they slow down when they're driving on the highway. Though highway gas mileage is almost always higher than city mileage, that difference largely comes from the stop-and-go pace...

Baltimore consulting firm sold to Boston company for $4.75M.
May 6, 2008... Byline: Danielle Ulman A New England energy solutions firm announced it acquired Baltimore-based South River Consulting LLC Monday for $4.75 million. South River helps its clients find the lowest prices for power, an attractive feature...

Md. Court of Appeals hears death penalty case.
May 6, 2008... Byline: Steve Lash With the fate of a death row inmate at stake, defense attorneys battled a prosecutor Monday in the Court of Appeals over the standard that jurors should use in deciding whether capital punishment is warranted. Under...

$2.9M project to make it easier to gather traffic information in Baltimore.
May 6, 2008... Byline: Andy Rosen Downtown drivers and light rail riders can expect to see shorter commutes after an effort to better control the timing for traffic lights around central Baltimore. The city has reworked its system for adjusting...

Members of Westboro church fail to post bonds in Md.
May 6, 2008... Byline: Brendan Kearney Two members of the Westboro Baptist Church ordered to pay $5 million for protesting a U.S. Marine's funeral have not posted the bonds necessary to stay collection of the jury award against them pending appeal. ...

Reports show disparity in drug arrests in Baltimore.
May 6, 2008... Byline: Danny Jacobs Baltimore had the most drug arrests per 100,000 residents -- as well as drug arrests of blacks per 100,000 black residents -- among 43 American cities in 2003, while Maryland had the fourth-highest rate of black drug...