Daily Record (Baltimore, MD) articles from May 2009

Daily Record (Baltimore, MD) archives from May 2009

The Daily Record Business Briefs: May 1, 2009.
May 1, 2009... Byline: Daily Record Staff HoCo lifts water restrictions Howard County officials announced the lifting of water use restrictions that were imposed Wednesday on county residents. The restrictions were ordered after a major water main break...

Commentary: Wisconsin researchers 'Tweeting' with their minds.
May 1, 2009... Byline: Larry Fiorino For many of us, keeping up with the latest technology can be challenging enough. In fact, some of us are just learning how to Tweet on Twitter. Say that 10 times as fast as you can! Now imagine not only...

Four Baltimore tourism groups form partnership.
May 1, 2009... Byline: Liz Farmer In one of the largest summer promotion collaborations to ever hit Baltimore's waterfront, four tourism agencies have formed a marketing partnership to promote the Inner Harbor this year. Dubbed the Baltimore...

More shared content likely at The Baltimore Sun.
May 1, 2009... Byline: Danielle Ulman Readers of The Baltimore Sun will likely see a reorganized newspaper soon that will include big chunks of shared content from sister publications nationwide, after management excised 27 percent of newsroom staff this...

At Stevenson, Forbes criticizes Obama policies but praises president's vision.
May 1, 2009... Byline: Robbie Whelan Steve Forbes, the former Republican presidential candidate, CEO of Forbes Inc. and editor-in-chief of Forbes magazine, praised local business leaders but took national economic figures to task during a visit to...

Baltimore Port's largest shipper extends its deal.
May 1, 2009... Byline: Andy Rosen The Maryland Port Administration on Thursday signed a six-year extension with the largest shipper at the state's public marine terminal, doubling the guaranteed amount of container cargo the company will ship each year....

Private clubs in Md. are changing along with the firms that they serve.
May 1, 2009... Byline: Liz Farmer Mark Amtower spends at least two hours a week driving to a networking event at a business club in another state, but it isn't because he doesn't know how to use social networking. Every Wednesday before the break of...

Marylanders on the Move: May 1, 2009.
May 1, 2009... Byline: Daily Record Staff ADVERTISING Arista Advertising has promoted Sandy Boesenberg to vice president. Boesenberg was previously director of account services for the company. She has over 20 years experience in the advertising...

Commentary: The past is prologue: Check it out.
May 1, 2009... Byline: C. Fraser Smith I spent an uplifting Saturday recently at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, helping to judge entries in a history contest organized by the Maryland Humanities Council. I was one of more than 100...

Commentary: Entrepreneurship: It's not about the Big Idea.
May 1, 2009... Byline: J. Howard (Jim) Kucher The Roman philosopher Seneca once said, Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity. Once a month in this space, we'll take a look at the intersection of those two points -- the who, what, where,...

Commentary: 100Days/100Voices Campaign.
May 1, 2009... Byline: Betsy Nelson Who wants to hear from youth, parents, advocates and policymakers about what the Obama administration has done to support kids and families during his first 100 days? The Annie E. Casey Foundation, that's who! The...

Regional Perspectives: Impact of stimulus spending on transportation projects.
May 1, 2009... Byline: Joe Nathanson Another multibillion, multiyear spending bill will soon be up for consideration by the 111th Congress. Surface transportation legislation will be up for renewal before September when the current law and funding...

Week in review - Business edition.
May 1, 2009... Byline: Daily Record staff Job cuts at The Sun The Baltimore Sun laid off 61 newsroom employees this week in a round of job cuts that has claimed some of the longest tenured journalists at the paper. Officials with the Baltimore-Washington...

Lessons in law found in history.
May 2, 2009... Byline: Mary Medland It all began in 1957 when the president of the American Bar Association -- Washington, D.C. attorney Charles Rhyne -- approached the White House to establish May 1 as Law Day, a time when attorneys across the country...

Maryland Legal Briefs: May 4, 2009.
May 4, 2009... Byline: The Daily Record Staff No appeal of dismissal of legal malpractice suit An appeal of the dismissal of a legal malpractice lawsuit was untimely filed, the Court of Special Appeals has held. Eloise Wilds failed to appeal the...

U.S. District Court, Maryland: Hall v. St. Mary's Seminary & Univ.
May 4, 2009... Byline: Daily Record Staff Civil Procedure Res judicata BOTTOM LINE: Plaintiff was precluded by res judicata from pursuing her claims in federal court after the state court dismissed her suit based upon the same facts and involving the...

U.S. District Court, Maryland: Perez v. Mountaire Farms, Inc.
May 4, 2009... Byline: Daily Record Staff Labor & Employment 'Donning and doffing' compensation under FLSA BOTTOM LINE: Under the Fair Labor Standards Act, as amended by the Portal-to-Portal Act, plaintiff class was entitled to compensation for the...

The Daily Record News Briefs: May 4, 2009.
May 4, 2009... Byline: Staff and wire reports 1st Mariner narrows loss 1st Mariner Bancorp, of Baltimore, parent company of 1st Mariner Bank and Mariner Finance LLC, reported a first-quarter loss of $3.1 million, or 48 cents per diluted share, versus...

Md. Court of Appeals: Mitchell v. State.
May 4, 2009... Byline: Daily Record Staff Criminal Procedure Opening the door BOTTOM LINE: Prosecutor was entitled to respond, in closing argument, to remarks made by defense counsel's comments on summation that the State failed to call certain...

Md. Court of Appeals: State v. Williamson.
May 4, 2009... Byline: Daily Record Staff Criminal Procedure Statute of limitations for post-conviction relief BOTTOM LINE: Ten-year statute of limitations did not bar petition for post-conviction relief since the limitations period does not apply...

Md. Court of Appeals: People's Insurance Counsel Division v. Allstate Insurance Company.
May 4, 2009... Byline: Daily Record staff Insurance People's Insurance Counsel Division BOTTOM LINE: The People's Insurance Counsel Division was a party in the matter pending before the Insurance Commissioner, and therefore had standing to seek...

Md. Court of Appeals: Attorney Grievance Commission v. Byrd.
May 4, 2009... Byline: Daily Record Staff Professional Responsibility Disbarment BOTTOM LINE: Disbarment was the appropriate sanction where attorney filed false business reports under oath in bankruptcy court, flagrantly disobeyed the court's orders...

Md. Court of Appeals: Attorney Grievance Commission of Maryland v. Hall.
May 4, 2009... Byline: Daily Record Staff Professional Responsibility Indefinite suspension BOTTOM LINE: Indefinite suspension was the appropriate sanction for attorney who engaged in a sexual relationship with a client he was representing in an...

Md. Court of Appeals: Attorney Grievance Commission v. Pawlak.
May 4, 2009... Byline: Daily Record Staff Professional Responsibility Indefinite suspension BOTTOM LINE: Indefinite suspension was the appropriate sanction for attorney's inadequate representation in connection with an estate matter, and his failure...

U.S. Supreme Court: Arizona v. Gant.
May 4, 2009... Byline: Daily Record Staff Criminal Procedure Search and seizure BOTTOM LINE: Police may search the passenger compartment of a vehicle incident to a recent occupant's arrest only if it is reasonable to believe that the arrestee might...

U.S. Supreme Court: Ministry of Defense & Support for Armed Forces of Islamic Rep. of Iran v. Elahi.
May 4, 2009... Byline: Daily Record Staff International Law Claims collection BOTTOM LINE: Where, after default judgment against Iran, claimant sought to collect damages through attachment of certain property interests, recovery was barred because...

U.S. 4th Circuit: United States of America ex rel., et al. v. Custer Battles, LLC, et al.
May 4, 2009... Byline: Daily Record Staff Civil Procedure False Claims Act BOTTOM LINE: Substantial evidence of fraud existed in security contract between company and the Coalition Provisional Authority to allow claim under the False Claims Act. ...

U.S. 4th Circuit: In Re: Price.
May 4, 2009... Byline: Daily Record Staff Consumer Protection Purchase money security interest BOTTOM LINE: A creditor does have a purchase money security interest for the portion of its claim relating to negative equity. CASE: In Re: Price,...

U.S. 4th Circuit: Powell v. Kelly.
May 4, 2009... Byline: Daily Record Staff Criminal Procedure Double jeopardy BOTTOM LINE: District court properly denied habeas corpus relief to capital defendant where double jeopardy did not preclude state from re-indicting and re-trying defendant...

U.S. 4th Circuit: Wahi v. Charleston Area Medical Center, Inc.
May 4, 2009... Byline: Daily Record Staff Health Care Immunity under Health Care Quality Improvement Act BOTTOM LINE: Physician whose privileges were suspended by a hospital failed to rebut presumption that the hospital qualified for immunity under...

U.S. 4th Circuit: Zheng v. Holder.
May 4, 2009... Byline: Daily Record Staff Immigration Successive asylum application BOTTOM LINE: Board of Immigration Appeals properly denied alien's motion for successive asylum application as untimely, regardless of whether alien's circumstances...

U.S. 4th Circuit: A.V. v. iParadigms.
May 4, 2009... Byline: Daily Record Staff Intellectual Property Copyright infringement BOTTOM LINE: Based on the fair-use doctrine, an online technology company that evaluated the originality of written works by students in order to prevent...

U.S. District Court, Maryland: Proa, et al. v. NRT Mid Atlantic Inc.
May 4, 2009... Byline: Daily Record Staff U.S. DISTRICT COURT, MARYLAND Civil Procedure Assignment to magistrate judge BOTTOM LINE: Plaintiffs' motion to vacate discovery rulings of magistrate judge on the ground that she lacked jurisdiction...

U.S. District Court, Maryland: Bulmash v. The Travelers Indemnity Co.
May 4, 2009... Byline: Daily Record Staff Civil Procedure Class certification BOTTOM LINE: Petition for class certification was properly granted in suit against insurer for failure to pay statutory interest on Personal Injury Protection claims that...

Magna removes Maryland's thoroughbred racetracks and Preakness Stakes from auction list.
May 4, 2009... Byline: Liz Farmer In a last-minute move, Magna Entertainment Corp. has taken Maryland's thoroughbred racetracks and the Preakness Stakes off the auction block, but city and state officials remain cautious about the future of those...

Pink slip parties a non-traditional way to find work.
May 4, 2009... Byline: Richard Simon This was no ordinary cocktail party. Guests walked into one of McCormick & Schmick's small private party rooms at the National Harbor to hors d'oeuvres and a cash bar, with smooth jazz being played by a lively...

Love of competition leads Annapolis lawyer to run marathons.
May 4, 2009... Byline: Brendan Kearney Mark Rosasco has run so many marathons he's lost count. Near and far, in the heat and in the snow, through metropolis and desert, the Annapolis lawyer craves competitive road races the way others might crave...

Maryland Lawyers on the Move: May 4, 2009.
May 4, 2009... Byline: Daily Record Staff The Law Office of Nomiki Bouloubassis Weitzel & Associates LLC has hired Roger L. Wolfe Jr. as their newest associate. Wolfe is a JAG attorney in the Maryland Army National Guard. He is a former assistant county...

Week in review - Legal edition.
May 4, 2009... Byline: Daily Record staff Murderer’s IQ test could decide fate Commenting on anyone’s intelligence is a sensitive matter. But when the person’s life is hanging in the balance, with his mental capacity as a weight on the...

Maryland Court of Appeals weighs sanction against Michael U. Gisriel.
May 4, 2009... Byline: Danny Jacobs What is undisputed in the Attorney Grievance Commission's case against Michael U. Gisriel is that he signed a $1,000 check made out to his former clients in 2004. So the question last week at the Court of Appeals was...

Maryland task force looks at taming the Taser.
May 4, 2009... Byline: Steve Lash The sheriff's deputy had just broken up a fight among several young men in Frederick on Nov. 18, 2007. When 20-year-old Jarrel Gray refused to comply with his request to yield, Deputy Rudy Torres used a Taser to...

Anne Arundel County judge finds panel attorneys' low pay is no bar to death penalty.
May 4, 2009... Byline: Caryn Tamber Maryland pays private defense lawyers assigned to capital cases far too little, but that's no reason to prevent prosecutors from seeking the death penalty, an Anne Arundel County judge has ruled. Two lawyers...

Parkton woman's suit over '68 GTO settles for $2K.
May 4, 2009... Byline: Danny Jacobs A Parkton woman has reached a settlement with a local automotive repairman she alleged failed to complete restoration work on her first car, a 1968 Pontiac GTO. Peggy Heath's case against Gary R. Webster Sr. went...

Baltimore witness murder case moving to trial.
May 4, 2009... Byline: Ben Mook Jury selection is scheduled to begin on Monday in the drug and witness murder cases against alleged members of the Special drug gang that operated in Baltimore. The United States Attorney's Office is prosecuting Melvin...

Cumberland's Allegany High School: Mock-trial machine.
May 4, 2009... Byline: Danny Jacobs Robert A. Alderson experienced deja vu while attending the state finals of the Maryland State Bar Association's mock trial competition. Alderson's son, Ryan, wore a red-and-blue patterned tie and a gavel lapel pin...

At hearing, Maryland police chiefs warn of civilian use of Tasers.
May 4, 2009... Byline: Steve Lash Police chiefs last week praised the Taser for enabling them to subdue unruly suspects without having to use deadly force, but said the device, though non-lethal, should be kept out of the hands of civilians, including...

Maryland Court of Special Appeals says dog-bite victim waited too long to amend complaint.
May 4, 2009... Byline: Christina Doran A graphic artist who was bit by her neighbor's dog is not entitled to anything above the $250,000 she asked for in her original complaint, the Court of Special Appeals has held. Although the jury awarded...

Sparrows Point LNG terminal is dealt another delay by state.
May 5, 2009... Byline: Danielle Ulman Maryland has put up another roadblock for a proposed liquefied natural gas terminal at Sparrows Point, this one because of insufficient information about the project's affect on wetlands, waterways and water quality....

Maryland's thoroughbred racetracks, Preakness Stakes out of auction, but not off the block.
May 5, 2009... Byline: Liz Farmer Although Maryland's thoroughbred racetracks and the Preakness Stakes have been scratched from the auction block, the tracks' bankrupt owner and its creditors would still entertain bids for the properties, their attorneys...

Canton Crossing development in Baltimore is in question.
May 5, 2009... Byline: Robbie Whelan The future of Canton Crossing, a massive real estate development that was set to transform a trendy East Baltimore neighborhood, is in question after the failure of the Atlanta-based bank that invested $10 million in...

Baltimore law partner loses battle with cancer.
May 5, 2009... Byline: Caryn Tamber Anne Talbot Brennan, a partner at Whiteford, Taylor & Preston, died Saturday after a four-year battle with cancer. The day before her death, the Baltimore County Bar Association honored Brennan with its annual...

U.S. Supreme Court rules fake ID wasn't ID theft.
May 5, 2009... Byline: Steve Lash Groups representing illegal immigrants and crime victims are divided over Monday's Supreme Court decision that undocumented workers who use phony IDs cannot be considered identity thieves without proof they knew they...

Commentary: Opening doors to entrepreneurship so when jobs become scarce, become your own boss.
May 5, 2009... Byline: Dena S. Frenkel As our economy falters, more Americans are finding themselves among the growing ranks of the unemployed. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that 10 million people were out of work in October, with more than...

The Daily Record News Briefs: May 5, 2009.
May 5, 2009... Byline: The Daily Record Staff Profit soars at Discovery Discovery Communications Inc., of Silver Spring, a media and entertainment company, reported first-quarter profit more than tripled on improved distribution and advertising revenue at...

Maryland Legal Briefs: May 5, 2009.
May 5, 2009... Byline: The Daily Record Staff BBB warns on H1N1 flu scams The Better Business Bureau of Greater Maryland is warning consumers to be on the lookout for fraudulent e-mails and Web sites trying to take advantage of the current H1N1 flu...

After loss, Baltimore-based Legg Mason slashes dividend.
May 6, 2009... Byline: Danille Ulman Legg Mason Inc. marked its first fiscal year under the leadership of Mark R. Fetting by slashing its dividend and reporting its fifth consecutive quarterly loss Tuesday. Baltimore-based Legg's loss widened in its...

Home sales are up again, Md. still sluggish.
May 6, 2009... Byline: Robbie Whelan For the second month in a row, home sales contracts are up nationwide, according to research by a large industry trade group, but other data show Maryland's pending home sales still sluggish compared to last year. ...

The Daily Record News Briefs: May 6, 2009.
May 6, 2009... Byline: The Daily Record Staff Big boost for Ciena Networking specialist Ciena Corp., of Linthicum, announced it is partnering with NYSE Euronext, one of the world's largest exchange groups, to deploy by 2010 the first...

Baltimore financial newsletter suing two former employees and Towson competitor.
May 6, 2009... Byline: Brendan Kearney A Baltimore financial newsletter publisher is suing two of its former employees and a Towson competitor, accusing them of offering knock offs of its business and brands. Oxford Club LLC, a subsidiary of...

Maryland Legal Briefs: May 6, 2009.
May 6, 2009... Byline: The Daily Record Staff Defense rests in Grace trial Defense lawyers for W.R. Grace & Co. and three former executives rested their case Tuesday in Missoula, Mont. The government's lead prosecutor, Assistant U.S. Attorney Kris McLean...

Maryland-based Constellation Energy posts 1Q loss.(Financial report)
May 6, 2009... Byline: Andy Rosen Constellation Energy Group Inc. said Tuesday it lost $123.5 million during the year's first quarter, which the company blamed on costs related to a canceled merger and the divestment of several businesses. The...

Minneapolis-based Dolan Media revenue jumps for 1st quarter.(Financial report)
May 6, 2009... Byline: Ben Mook Despite the red ink from its business information division, Dolan Media Co. managed to post a profit for the first quarter of 2009. Minneapolis-based Dolan, parent company of The Daily Record, said Tuesday that total...

Judge urges Md. Board of Chiropractic & Massage Therapy Examiners to rescind cease and desist order.
May 6, 2009... Byline: Steve Lash A certified massage therapist may soon get to resume her side business of massaging horses after a judge on Tuesday urged a state board to rescind its order that would force her to choose between her human and equine...

Baltimore Gas & Electric's thermostats prove popular.
May 6, 2009... Byline: Danielle Ulman Baltimore Gas & Electric Co. customers looking to join the company's energy saving program could find themselves waiting until July for a new programmable thermostat. The popularity of BGE's PeakRewards program...

Byline strike at The Baltimore Sun a show of support for laid-off colleagues.
May 7, 2009... Byline: Liz Farmer Drawing upon one of the last plays they have left against their employer, Baltimore Sun reporters are staging a byline strike for Thursday's paper in protest of last week's mass layoffs. The move, a tactical option...

Baltimore severs Olmsted project ties.
May 7, 2009... Byline: Robbie Whelan City officials have severed their ties to the Olmsted, a condominium project in Charles Village that was stymied by the recession and by its developer's financial problems. On Wednesday the Board of Estimates, the...

Maryland starting preparations for slots.
May 7, 2009... Byline: Andy Rosen A state spending panel approved two contracts Wednesday that will pave the way for the installation of slot machines in Maryland. The Board of Public Works unanimously approved a deal worth up to $5 million with...

Md. Gov. O'Malley expected to sign worker classification bill.
May 7, 2009... Byline: Andy Rosen Gov. Martin O'Malley is expected to sign into law Thursday a measure that stiffens penalties for employers that wrongly classify workers as independent contractors, along with several other bills his administration...

Repaying federal funds getting harder for banks.
May 7, 2009... Byline: Danielle Ulman Banks hoping to get rid of the ball and chain attached to the government's capital injection may find new restrictions placed on repaying the funds. When the government releases its rules for returning money from its...

Philadelphia-based Saul Ewing the latest to postpone jobs for new associates.
May 7, 2009... Byline: Caryn Tamber Saul Ewing LLP will delay start dates for its newest lawyers but is not giving a definite date for those associates to report to work. Spokeswoman Leslie Gross said that starting in January 2010, the law firm will...

Maryland Legal Briefs: May 7, 2009.
May 7, 2009... Byline: Daily Record Staff Rent discrimination alleged The Equal Rights Center, a nonprofit, civil rights organization, and the Washington Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights & Urban Affairs said they filed suit Tuesday in Montgomery...

Baltimore issues RFP for Parkway Theater.
May 7, 2009... Byline: Robbie Whelan City development officials are moving forward with an ambitious plan to remake the area north of Baltimore's Penn Station as an arts and culture destination. A request for proposals was issued Wednesday afternoon...

Md. Court of Appeals rules against Anne Arundel in lawsuit for millions.
May 7, 2009... Byline: Steve Lash The state's highest court has handed Anne Arundel County a defeat in its battle over impact fees it collected between 1988 and 1996, but did not spend properly. The Court of Appeals affirmed that Anne Arundel...

The Daily Record News Briefs: May 7, 2009.
May 7, 2009... Byline: Daily Record Staff Sinclair posts $85.7M loss Sinclair Broadcast Group Inc., of Hunt Valley, an owner of television stations, reported a first-quarter net loss of $85.7 million, or $1.06 per share, compared with net income of $15...

North Charles Street Starbucks in Baltimore closing.
May 8, 2009... Byline: Liz Farmer With Friday's closing of the North Charles Street Starbucks in downtown Baltimore -- and leaving nearby smaller shops still standing strong -- one might think it a David and Goliath tale. But it turns out it's not...

Baltimore County Circuit Court judge rules with live music, restaurant turns nightclub.
May 8, 2009... Byline: Danny Jacobs A Miller's Island restaurant illegally morphs into a nightclub when it offers live music and karaoke on weekend summer nights, a Baltimore County Circuit Court judge has ruled. Dock of the Bay had appealed $6,000...

Water main break in Baltimore not too bad for business.
May 8, 2009... Byline: Danielle Ulman The water main break that ground Baltimore traffic to a halt had less of an impact on local businesses around the disrupted area. More than a week after the incident shut down a main city thoroughfare, the...

Greater Baltimore Committee's facilitator: Monk wants politicians, businesses to get along.
May 8, 2009... Byline: Andy Rosen In an address after his election as chairman of the Greater Baltimore Committee's board of directors, Charles O. Monk II said that the regional business group is going to have an important role building consensus to...

Federal grand jury indicts bogus Oxon Hill 'bounty hunter'.
May 8, 2009... Byline: Ben Mook An Oxon Hill man claiming to be a "bounty hunter" for the U.S. Department of Justice with access to cheap houses and confiscated computers was indicted by a federal grand jury for swindling nearly $9,000 from three women....

Baltimore's Johns Hopkins University buys Olmsted for $12.5M.
May 8, 2009... Byline: Robbie Whelan Officials at The Johns Hopkins University have ended weeks of speculation about the possibility of a deal on a vacant parcel in the heart of Charles Village by buying the site of the proposed Olmsted residential...

The Daily Record News Briefs: May 8, 2009.
May 8, 2009... Byline: The Daily Record Staff City severs Olmsted ties On Wednesday the Baltimore Board of Estimates, the city's spending panel, voted to terminate a profit-sharing agreement with the Olmsted development team, consisting of Baltimore's...

News briefs - Business edition - 05/08.
May 8, 2009... Byline: Staff and wire reports Gift for Maryvale Local philanthropist Mary Catherine Bunting donated $3 million to Maryvale Preparatory School, a Catholic girls school (grades 6-12) in Brooklandville. The school said its $12 million...

Commentary: Stumped and in hurry? ChaCha may have your answer.
May 8, 2009... Byline: Larry Fiorino Do you do the ChaCha? It is fun and NOT the dance your Mom did in the '50s! Ever want an answer to a question only to have your favorite search engine give you pages and pages of potential places to find the...

Marylanders On the Move: May 8, 2009.
May 8, 2009... Byline: Daily Record Staff Advertising PUNCH, a Sykesville-based design and advertising agency, has hired Jason Wennet as its senior art director. Wennet will be responsible for creative development of print, interactive and video...