Daily Record (Baltimore, MD) articles from November 2003

Daily Record (Baltimore, MD) archives from November 2003

Linda Morgan named Logistics, Transportation and Supply Chain Management Person of the Year.
November 1, 2003... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Linda Morgan, former chair of the U.S. Surface Transportation Board and the person responsible for much of the legislation that established today's transportation system, was named the Logistics,...

BankAnnapolis honored for participation in Rebuilding Together of Anne Arundel County.
November 1, 2003... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Rebuilding Together of Anne Arundel County honored BankAnnapolis Chairman and CEO Richard M. Lerner and employee Eileen Flanagan for the bank's contributions to this year's Rebuilding Together campaign....

Lanham-based Group 1 Software listed one of "200 Best Small Companies in America" by Forbes.
November 1, 2003... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Group 1 Software, of Lanham, is listed as one of "200 Best Small Companies in America" for 2003 by Forbes magazine, based on return on equity, sales growth and earnings per share growth over both the previous...

Md. Court of Special Appeals to hear cases at Univ. of Baltimore School of Law Moot Court Room.
November 1, 2003... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports On Nov. 6, for the second consecutive year, judges of the Maryland Court of Special Appeals will travel to the University of Baltimore School of Law Moot Court Room, hearing cases from 9:30 a.m. to noon,...

Mercy Health Services President/CEO receives two leadership awards.
November 1, 2003... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Mercy Health Services President and CEO Thomas R. Mullen was honored twice in the past week, as he was presented with the 2003 Health Services Leadership Award from the Baltimore Area Council, Boy Scouts of...

Commentary: It's a Gimme - Straight stroke essential to short putts.
November 1, 2003... Byline: Joe Rahnis The key to consistency in putting and especially in making a high percentage of short putts (three- to five-footers), is to have a square, repeating putting stroke. A good stroke that stays online will put a firm,...

Manager of United Cerebral Palsy Vehicle Donation Program embraces this new form of fund-raising.
November 1, 2003... Byline: Nancy Kercheval On this bright Thursday morning, Nancy Bozylinski shedding her office attire in favor of blue jeans, a sweatshirt and sneakers with her hair tucked under a baseball cap wanders through the acres of cars at Bel Air...

Baltimore County and City sponsor conference on health of area watersheds.
November 1, 2003... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Baltimore County and Baltimore City are jointly sponsoring a free, regional conference on the health of area watersheds. The first-time event will be held on Nov. 8 from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at Goucher...

Commentary: Legislatures and tough cases lead to medico-legal dilemmas.
November 3, 2003... Byline: Dr. Robert S. Coplan The case of Terri Schiavo, a 39-year-old Florida woman who has been in a 13-year persistent vegetative state following a 1990 cardiac arrest due to a potassium imbalance, has set off a legal firestorm. ...

Md. Court of Special Appeals revives partnership dispute, reverses county circuit court ruling.
November 3, 2003... Byline: Barbara Grzincic A partnership dispute with roots that go back at least as far as 1995 was revived last week by the Court of Special Appeals, which reversed a ruling that gave one side the right to wrap up the business.Under the...

Commentary: Kramer vs... The bar of alternative arguments.
November 3, 2003... Byline: Irwin R. Kramer A lawyer walks up to a bar "I'll have a martini with two olives, shaken not stirred. But," pauses the lawyer, "if you don't think I really deserve two olives, make it with one olive. And, if you don't believe...

Neschen GBC Films LLC, a laminating plant, to open in Howard County.
November 3, 2003... Byline: Kara Kridler A $9 million laminating facility will open tomorrow in Howard County. After nearly 18 months of preparation, the manufacturing facility is ready to begin operating. The plant, located at Elkridge's Troy Hill...

Phoenix-based Best Western hotel chain sued by Baltimore-based Davis Media Group over ad campaign.
November 3, 2003... Byline: Andrea Cecil The self-proclaimed "world's largest hotel chain" has until mid-November to respond to an opposition filing made by attorneys for Baltimore-based Davis Media Group Inc. in connection with a $2.7 million lawsuit.Lawyers...

Head of Baltimore County delegation to House of Delegates wants slots on Dundalk's waterfront.
November 3, 2003... Byline: Chet Dembeck The head of the Baltimore County delegation in the Maryland House of Delegates is calling for slot machines to be brought to Dundalk's waterfront instead of the Timonium Fairgrounds."Put them on the Sollers Point...

Director of Md. Assn. of Nonprofit Organizations warns against repeal of federal estate taxes.
November 3, 2003... Byline: Patrice Dickens Henry W. Bogdan, public policy director for the Maryland Association of Nonprofit Organizations, says full repeal of the federal estate tax will stall the creation of family foundations, organizations that have...

Baltimore man to seek compensation for wrongful imprisonment.
November 3, 2003... Byline: Lawrence Hurley Michael Austin, the Baltimore man told Friday by Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. that he is to be pardoned after spending more than 26 years in prison for a crime he didn't commit, is expected to file a petition for...

Commentary: Protecting the innocent: Reforming identification procedures.
November 3, 2003... Byline: The Daily Record Editorial Advisory Board It is the high point of the prosecutor's case. After describing the horrors of the violent crime to the jury, the victim turns to the trial table, points to the defendant and says with...

Greater Baltimore Medical Center to unveil its new Joint & Spine Center.
November 3, 2003... Byline: Patrice Dickens Responding to increasing demand for orthopedic care, such as hip replacement surgery, the Greater Baltimore Medical Center tomorrow will unveil its new Joint & Spine Center at GBMC tomorrow. About 500,000 people...

Md. Court of Appeals overturns Baltimore City Circuit Court, remands garnishment case to trail.
November 3, 2003... Byline: Ann Parks Whether two and a half hours was a reasonable time for the Harbor Bank of Maryland to process a writ of garnishment is a factual question that will have to be decided at trial, according to the Court of Special...

Verizon Communications to roll-out high-speed access to Western and Southern Maryland.
November 3, 2003... Byline: Bobby White The Eastern Shore has long been a victim of logistics when it came to high-speed Internet access. Because it is less densely populated than Maryland's urban regions, roll-out was difficult and costly. After negotiations...

Baltimore-based Vertis Inc. reports third-quarter net loss.
November 3, 2003... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Vertis Inc., a Baltimore-based provider of technology-based marketing and advertising services, reported a third-quarter net loss of $24 million on revenue of $390.9 million, versus a net loss of $5.3 million...

Bethesda-based Hanger Orthopedic Group reports increased third-quarter net income.
November 3, 2003... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Hanger Orthopedic Group Inc., of Bethesda, which owns and operates orthotic and prosthetic rehabilitation centers, reported third-quarter net income of $8.8 million, or 33 cents per diluted share, on revenue...

Annapolis Bancorp Inc. reports increased third-quarter net income.
November 3, 2003... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Annapolis Bancorp Inc., parent company of BankAnnapolis, reported third-quarter net income of $438,000, or 14 cents per diluted share, a 3.5 percent increase over the $423,000, or 14 cents per diluted share,...

Bethesda-based First Potomac Realty Trust purchases Virginia Center in Glen Allen, Va.
November 3, 2003... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports First Potomac Realty Trust, a Bethesda-based real estate investment trust, purchased Virginia Center, a single-story, 119,672-square-foot flex property in Glen Allen, Va., for $9.5 million. Principal Life...

Technology Council of Md. sponsors discussion about supplying the National Institutes of Health.
November 3, 2003... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports The Technology Council of Maryland presents four executives from the biotech and health communications fields in a discussion of working with and supplying the National Institutes of Health, the world's...

Workforce Investment Board reports on employment aftermath of Black & Decker's plant closings.
November 3, 2003... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports At least 300 former workers at Black & Decker's closed plant in Easton on the Eastern Shore have found new jobs, according to the Upper Shore Workforce Investment Board. About 200 of the 1,200 employees who...

Lone Hill Middle School class project on illegal drugs causes concern among some parents.
November 3, 2003... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Several parents in San Dimas, Calif., are wondering how come their children know so much about the cost of illegal drugs. Blame it on a seventh-grade class project. Students at Lone Hill Middle School were...

Wicomico County judge lifts restraining order against president of Hebron Savings Bank.
November 3, 2003... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Saying a banker's choice of terms "might be bad business but it's not against the law," a Wicomico County judge lifted a temporary restraining order against Greg Johnson, president of Hebron Savings Bank, who...

Vermont District Court to hear case resulting from state's Endangered Species Act.
November 3, 2003... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports A man picked up a dead rattlesnake he found on the side of a road and stuck it in his freezer to keep as a souvenir. Now, he finds himself in court. Timothy Duprey pleaded innocent in Vermont District Court...

MD Legal Briefs November 4, 2003.
November 4, 2003... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Catholic case continuesThe Baltimore City state's attorney's office said Victor G. Puotinen, 49, of the 7000 block of Oxford Road in Stoneleigh, who is accused of stealing nearly $443,000 from the Archdiocese...

Pay workers' lawyers immediately, Court of Special Appeals tells employers.
November 4, 2003... Byline: Barbara Grzincic A policy of waiting two weeks before cutting a check for attorneys' fees in a workers' compensation case could prove costly to the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, following a decision by Maryland's...

Maryland's top economic official wants to tap growing European Union.
November 4, 2003... Byline: Kara Kridler If businesses can better capitalize on the state's research assets and become a faster developer of new products, Maryland stands to benefit handsomely from the expansion of the European Union next spring, the state's...

Revitalization expert says zoning ordinances may prevent building of good neighborhoods.
November 4, 2003... Byline: Chet Dembeck Zoning ordinances designed to protect communities from bad development actually prevent the building of good neighborhoods, towns and cities. That's the unorthodox message a nationally recognized revitalization expert...

Provident Bankshares buys Virginia bank for $330M.
November 4, 2003... Byline: Bobby White Provident Bankshares Corp yesterday agreed to buy Southern Financial Bancorp Inc. for $330 million in cash and stock. The acquisition bolsters Provident's drive to expand in Northern Virginia and the Washington...

Supreme Court hears case on arrest of passenger.
November 4, 2003... Byline: Lawrence Hurley The justices of the Supreme Court yesterday peppered both sides with tough questions during oral arguments in a Maryland case that raises the tricky issue of whether a police officer has probable cause to arrest all...

Montgomery County Council to consider restrictive zoning amendment.
November 4, 2003... Byline: Robyn Lamb A more restrictive zoning amendment that would allow a South Silver Spring self-storage business to double its size will likely be introduced next week in the Montgomery County Council. After planning officials and...

With promising early tests, Aptus Medical plans ambitious future.
November 4, 2003... Byline: Patrice Dickens Rockville-based incubator company Aptus Medical Inc. has some lofty ideals. Specifically, the company is looking for ways to save hospitals money on cardiac bypass surgeries and improve patients' outcomes when they...

Insurer to slash Baltimore rates by nearly 10 percent; who will benefit?
November 4, 2003... Byline: Andrea Cecil A Baltimore property and casualty company's reduction in automobile insurance rates will have little impact on the city residents it's targeting.American Skyline Insurance Co.'s 9.6 percent cut becomes effective Nov....

Bethel A.M.E. Church development approvals back in court.
November 4, 2003... Byline: Alisa Bralove Members of the Greater Patapsco Community Association were in Baltimore County Circuit Court yesterday as their lawyers argued that Bethel A.M.E. Church's proposed $10 million development of a 3,000-seat sanctuary in...

MD court's decision to bar use of Delaware holding cos. stands.
November 4, 2003... Byline: Kathleen Johnston Jarboe Maryland's high court decision in June barring the use of Delaware holding companies to reduce state business taxes will stand for now.The U.S. Supreme Court yesterday declined to hear an appeal on the...

VP of Clear Channel Communications to speak on restored Hippodrome Theatre.
November 4, 2003... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Marks Chowning, vice president of Clear Channel Communications, will showcase the restored Hippodrome Theatre with an illustrated lecture at a free public forum sponsored by the Baltimore Architecture...

Long-term credit rating of Legg Mason raised.
November 4, 2003... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Standard & Poor's Ratings Services raised its long-term credit rating of Legg Mason Inc., a Baltimore-based financial services company, from BBB to BBB+, citing Legg Mason's stable outlook and factors such as...

Federal Realty Investment Trust acquires Plaza del Mercado in Silver Spring.
November 4, 2003... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Rockville-based Federal Realty Investment Trust acquired Plaza del Mercado in Silver Spring for approximately $20 million in cash in an off-market transaction. The seller, a private owner, was not identified....

Global eXchange Services forms alliance with Health Pathways Inc.
November 4, 2003... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Gaithersburg-based Global eXchange Services Inc., a provider of supply chain automation services and software, formed an alliance with Health Pathways Inc., a health care products and services holding company...

Charles County Economic Development Commission to present Minority Biz Forum.
November 4, 2003... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports The Charles County Economic Development Commission, in partnership with the Entrepreneur and Leadership Institute of the College of Southern Maryland, will present a Minority Business Forum tomorrow from 8:30...

CompuDyne Corp. receives $1.15M contract with Dallas/Ft. Worth International Airport.
November 4, 2003... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports CompuDyne Corp., of Hanover, which offers products, integration and technology for the public security markets, received a $1.15 million contract to upgrade the emergency services software systems at...

Bank of America ranks as top Small Business Lender in MD.
November 4, 2003... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Bank of America said it ranks as the top Small Business Administration lender in Maryland by issuing 147 SBA loans totaling $4.3 million to entrepreneurs during the 2003 SBA fiscal year (October to...

Goucher College holding 'business etiquette dinner'.
November 4, 2003... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Goucher College's Career Development Office is holding a "business etiquette dinner" tomorrow night, featuring Michele Pollard Patrick, founder and director of National Protocol, a consulting firm. During the...

TA Associates invests $60M in Center for Financial Research & Analysis.
November 4, 2003... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports TA Associates, of Boston, a private equity and buyout firm, said it invested $60 million in the Center for Financial Research & Analysis Inc., of Rockville, an independent financial research organization...

Optimus Corp. hired by FAA to evaluate, analyze runway safety technologies.
November 4, 2003... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Optimus Corp., of Silver Spring, a provider of public safety-related products and technology, was hired by the Federal Aviation Administration to evaluate and analyze existing and emerging runway safety...

CoStar Group unveils Property Express.
November 4, 2003... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports CoStar Group Inc., of Bethesda, a provider of information services to the U.S. commercial real estate industry, unveiled Property Express, a new service that enables anyone with a credit card to obtain current...

Commentary: MoneyWi$e - Are penny stocks wise?
November 5, 2003... Byline: Julius Westheimer In the wake of a string of strong days on Wall Street and with many blue-chip issues selling at lofty levels, more than a few people ask me: What do you think of penny stocks? And what is a penny stock?Black...

MD Legal Briefs November 5, 2003.
November 5, 2003... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Nurse pleads guiltySandra Hinds, 37, of Silver Spring, a registered nurse and president of a health care staffing company, pleaded guilty yesterday in U.S. District Court in Greenbelt to wire fraud arising...

MD officials side with HMSHost in bidding debate.
November 5, 2003... Byline: Andrea Cecil Prominent Maryland officials have sided with HMSHost Corp. in the debate over the now-closed bidding process for Baltimore/Washington International Airport's concessions.House Speaker Michael E. Busch, D-Anne Arundel,...

Tech. commercialization co. opens in MD.
November 5, 2003... Byline: Bobby White A technology commercialization company, BrainChild Maryland, opened shop this week with plans to court federal and university lab technologies with the potential for becoming successful products and services.State...

Sale-leaseback? Appeals court doesn't buy it.
November 5, 2003... Byline: Lawrence Hurley Two companies offering "quick cash" services in which customers often had to pay up to 730 percent interest were in fact offering illegal loans, the Court of Special Appeals affirmed yesterday.The decision means...

Baltimore tourism opportunities lost and found.
November 5, 2003... Byline: Ezra Fieser Despite losing out on 83 potential conventions, Baltimore's tourism agency booked 65,721 hotel room nights last quarter, more than doubling its mark from summer 2002.In a three-month period that saw Baltimore attract...

Montgomery County Council studies who should get housing assistance.
November 5, 2003... Byline: Robyn Lamb A Montgomery County program that helps first-time home buyers with closing costs is on its last legs, and county officials are looking at ways to revamp it. After six years and 1,655 loans that lent first-time home...

Higher cost of tuition saving doesn't stop parents.
November 5, 2003... Byline: Kathleen Johnston Jarboe Buying prepaid tuition plans to Maryland's universities just got as much as 28 percent pricier for parents and others planning ahead.The 21 percent to 28 percent increases to pay now for tomorrow's college...

Right to marital home lasts until graduation.
November 5, 2003... Byline: Ann Parks A divorced husband's right to possess the family home lasts until the youngest child in his custody graduates from high school even if that child is over 18, the Court of Special Appeals has held.The decision grants...

Court of Special Appeals affirms arbitration order in asbestos consortium case.
November 5, 2003... Byline: Peter Geier A Baltimore circuit judge properly ordered arbitration in litigation arising from a consortium of asbestos defendants' refusal to pay a defaulting defendant's share of a master settlement agreement, the Court of Special...

The Harbor Bank of MD raises $7M.
November 5, 2003... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports The Harbor Bank of Maryland raised $7 million by issuing trust preferred securities, and said it used $2 million to retire outstanding debt, and will use the remaining $5 million for expansion. Harbor Bank,...

AWS Convergence Technologies unveils partnership.
November 5, 2003... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports AWS Convergence Technologies Inc., of Gaithersburg, which owns and operates the country's largest weather network, and Florida-based Telemundo, a division of General Electric Co., unveiled a partnership to...

Lockheed Martin Corp. awarded $287M contract.
November 5, 2003... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Bethesda-based Lockheed Martin Corp. has been awarded a contract valued at up to $287 million, if all options are exercised, to provide C-130J training systems and services to the U.S. Air Force. The Air...

Owners of Salisbury Mall enter into partnership with development group.
November 5, 2003... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Owners of the 80-acre Salisbury Mall have entered into a partnership with a Baltimore-based development group, Chesapeake Realty Ventures, which plans to convert the site primarily into residential housing....

Landmark Cumberland building to be demolished.
November 5, 2003... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports A landmark building in downtown Cumberland is coming down. The owner of the former York Hotel gave the remaining two tenants - a pet shop and a restaurant - until Nov. 30 to vacate the four-story building,...

MD Comptroller, retired banker to be honored by Woodrow Wilson Center.
November 5, 2003... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Maryland Comptroller William Donald Schaefer and retired banker H. Furlong Baldwin, now non-executive chairman of the Nasdaq board, will be honored tonight by the Washington-based Woodrow Wilson Center for...

Baltimore Development Corp. issues Request For Proposals for two properties.
November 5, 2003... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports The Baltimore Development Corp. issued a 60-day Request For Proposals (a downloadable version is at www.baltimoredevelopment.com) for two properties in Northeast Baltimore formerly the site of the Hollander...

Manugistics Group adds L.L. Bean to client list.
November 5, 2003... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Rockville-based Manugistics Group Inc., a maker of supply chain management software, has added L.L. Bean to its client list. The outdoor clothing and gear manufacturer and retailer selected Manugistics'...

GenVec Inc. reports third-quarter net loss of $4.9M.
November 5, 2003... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Gaithersburg-based GenVec Inc., a biotechnology company that develops gene-based medicines, reported a third-quarter net loss of $4.9 million, or 14 cents per diluted share , on revenue of $2.4 million,...

New Homewood Suite opens in Columbia.
November 5, 2003... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports A new, 150-suite Homewood Suites by Hilton hotel has opened in Columbia. The four-story, all-suite hotel is owned by Artery Hotel Development LLC and managed by Pinnacle Hotel Management.

Fitch Ratings affirms financial ratings for Provident Bankshares.
November 5, 2003... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Fitch Ratings affirmed the financial ratings and stable rating outlook for Provident Bankshares Corp. and its subsidiaries, a day after the Baltimore-based banking company said it would acquire Southern...

No ADA violation for tech with heart condition.
November 6, 2003... Byline: Peter Geier A federal judge in Baltimore properly rejected the Americans with Disabilities Act violations that a radiology technician with a heart condition alleged against Anne Arundel Medical Center and two supervisors, the 4th...

Bethesda-based Saul Centers Inc. reports increased third-quarter funds from operations.
November 6, 2003... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Saul Centers Inc., of Bethesda, an equity real estate investment trust, reported third-quarter funds from operations, a key measure of a REIT's financial performance, increased 4.5 percent to $11.6 million,...

Sen. Mikulski's amendment passes along with Pres. Bush's Iraq appropriations bill.
November 6, 2003... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports The Bush administration's $87 billion supplemental appropriations bill for Iraq that was passed Tuesday by the U.S. Senate contains an amendment sponsored by Sen. Barbara A. Mikulski, D-Md., which ends the...

Glenn Dale-based TVI Corp. reports increased third-quarter income.
November 6, 2003... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports TVI Corp., of Glenn Dale, a supplier of rapid deployment shelters and chemical/biological decontamination systems, reported third-quarter net income of $1.4 million, or 48 cents per diluted share, on revenue...

Nat. Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease expands contract with Gaithersburg-based GenVec.
November 6, 2003... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports GenVec Inc., a Gaithersburg-based biotechnology company, said its subcontract to produce novel vaccine candidates for use in clinical trials of treatments for HIV and SARS for the Vaccine Research Center of...

Federal judge in Baltimore rules National Guardsman's defamation suit can continue.
November 6, 2003... Byline: Alisa Bralove A former Maryland Air National Guard squadron commander's defamation suit against the woman he claims ruined his military career with allegations of sexual harassment may continue, a federal judge in Baltimore has...

Washington, D.C.-based Operation Respond Institute to use Germantown-based V-One's Smartgate.
November 6, 2003... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports V-One Corp., of Germantown, a provider of Internet security technology, signed up Washington, D.C.-based Operation Respond Institute, a public/private partnership serving the emergency response community, to...

Baltimore-based NCO Portfolio Management reports decreased third-quarter income.
November 6, 2003... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports NCO Portfolio Management Inc., a Baltimore-based company that purchases and manages delinquent accounts receivable, reported third-quarter net income of $1.9 million, or 14 cents per diluted share, on revenue...

Baltimore County executive to unveil plan targeting renewal via zoning code.
November 6, 2003... Byline: Chet Dembeck Baltimore County Executive James A. Smith Jr. today is unveiling a pilot program meant to jump-start the redevelopment of older county neighborhoods by allowing them to adopt more flexible zoning and design codes. The...

Bethesda-based American Capital Strategies reports increased third-quarter income.
November 6, 2003... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports American Capital Strategies Ltd., of Bethesda, a publicly traded buyout and mezzanine fund, reported third-quarter net operating income of $37 million, or 66 cents per diluted share, versus net operating...

Baltimore nonprofit group works with Struever Bros. to bring ice rink to Harbor Point.
November 6, 2003... Byline: Andrea Cecil The quasi-public nonprofit group promoting the arts in Baltimore is working with Struever Bros. Eccles & Rouse Inc. to bring an ice-skating rink to the company's Harbor Point development next year.The news comes after...

Baltimore Blast soccer team selects MTM Jostens Recognition to make league's championship rings.
November 6, 2003... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports MTM Jostens Recognition, an Oklahoma company that makes trophies, team rings and other sports-related paraphernalia, has been selected by the Baltimore Blast soccer team to craft the team's Major Indoor...