Daily Record (Baltimore, MD) articles from September 2004

Daily Record (Baltimore, MD) archives from September 2004

Museum hires a real estate broker.
September 1, 2004... Byline: Ezra Fieser More than a year after it gained permission to downsize and rent out excess space, Baltimore's Port Discovery children's museum has hired real estate brokers to help it find a tenant. The cash-strapped museum which...

Celsion gets second cancer treatment into trials pipeline.
September 1, 2004... Byline: Robyn Lamb The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Celsion Corp.'s second cancer treatment for human trials, priming the Howard County biotech company to bring two new drugs to market in coming years. Columbia-based...

MD Legal Briefs Sept. 1, 2004.
September 1, 2004... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Safety fraud admitted A former safety inspector at dozens of East Coast hospitals pleaded guilty yesterday to fraud charges in federal court in Virginia, after an investigation showed he faked his...

Suit seeks $2M from nursing home.
September 1, 2004... Byline: Ann Parks The family of a 55-year-old nursing home resident who allegedly died from infections caused by bedsores has brought a $2 million wrongful death/survivor action against the Howard County facility that cared for him. ...

Legislators considering clampdown on Wash. Suburban Sanitary Commission.
September 1, 2004... Byline: Debra Siedt Several Prince George's County lawmakers are considering action next legislative session against the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission a move that Maryland's attorney general said is legal. Dels. Brian R....

College Park road project wins approval.
September 1, 2004... Byline: Kathleen Johnston Jarboe A preliminary $120 million plan to turn a three-mile stretch of Route 1 in College Park into a four-lane road with a median has been approved, state and city officials said yesterday. The work would...

Affordable broadband service considered for Eastern Shore.
September 1, 2004... Byline: Sofia Kosmetatos A Boston-based consulting firm is trying to determine how best to bring affordable broadband service to the nine counties on the Eastern Shore and what role the state and local governments should take in the...

Two 'strikes' from same incident counted as one.
September 1, 2004... Byline: Alisa Bralove The two convictions required to move for pretrial detention under the dangerousness provision of the federal Bail Reform Act of 1984 cannot stem from the same criminal episode, a federal magistrate judge in Baltimore...

Demoted public defender takes the offensive in court action.
September 1, 2004... Byline: Peter Geier A 30-year veteran public defender has asked the circuit court to review his demotion to associate public defender III and reinstate him to his prior rank, of counsel to administration. George E. Burns Jr. claims...

Commentary: Risky business of tech development.
September 1, 2004... Byline: Chuck Morton Firms must protect their flanks while turning out innovations I recently participated in a panel at the American Bar Association Convention titled "The Life of an Invention from Cradle to Class Action," which...

Commentary: Surviving the 'Valley of Death'.
September 1, 2004... Byline: Donald C. Fry One of the keys to being a successful bioscience entrepreneur is surviving the "Valley of Death," says Dr. David J. Fink. That's what Fink, the Venable Entrepreneur in Residence at the University of Maryland,...

ZigBee technology will deliver the automated house of the future soon.
September 1, 2004... Byline: Mary E. Medland George Jetson will have nothing over the homeowner of the future. On a cold winter's night years from now, as a tired person settles under a down comforter, a remote control already will be turning down the...

Commentary: Is it time to regulate spyware?
September 1, 2004... Byline: Bill McComas In 2003 state and federal legislators went fervently after the Internet menace known as spam, enacting a smattering of laws that climaxed on Capital Hill with the precedent-setting CAN-SPAM Act. The dust has yet to...

Modern medicine takes on morality.
September 1, 2004... Byline: Shelly Schwartz It's an old and heated debate. Evolution or creation? Medical intervention or divine will? Religious beliefs have long been at odds with scientific pursuit. To this day, some sects, such as the Jehovah's...

In tech ed, students need to see how training will turn into a job.
September 1, 2004... Byline: Patrick Grzanka When it comes to tech and biotech education across the state, the formula has proven to be more complicated than "If you build it, they will come." More students both those directly out of high school and...

Interview with Mark L. Powell, CEO of Annapolis-based Sidus Group LLC.
September 1, 2004... Byline: Special to The Daily Record The Greater Baltimore Technology Council (GBTC) recently interviewed Mark L. Powell, chief executive of Annapolis-based Sidus Group LLC. In plain English, what does Sidus Group do? We help...

Commentary: Taking the 'yuck' out of medicine.
September 1, 2004... Byline: Haamid M. Ali When a doctor recommends a dose of medicine, it's in a patient's best interest to take it. But try telling that to a fussy 4-year-old with strep. There's no way anyone with a spoonful of foul-smelling syrup will get...

Despite tech's meltdown, MD's graduate, certificate students keep at it.
September 1, 2004... Byline: Barnaby Wickham Despite steady, modest declines in undergraduate enrollment in technology-related programs, graduate- and certificate-level tech learning is reaching unprecedented levels at Maryland colleges and universities. ...

Commentary: Choose your words wisely-How to ensure your Web site gets seen.
September 1, 2004... Byline: Hollis Thomases Internet users want easy accessibility to sites for shopping, entertainment, business, etc., and the best way to do this is with the help of search engines such as Google, Yahoo or Overture. So, how do...

Guilford Pharmaceuticals CEO to retire as firm enters next phase.
September 2, 2004... Byline: Robyn Lamb After more than a decade behind the wheel of one of Baltimore's most successful biotech companies, Craig R. Smith is making plans to let someone else drive. The chairman, president, chief executive officer and very...

Heintz retires after four years as CEO of BGE.
September 2, 2004... Byline: Debra Siedt After four years as president and chief executive officer of Baltimore Gas and Electric Co., Frank O. Heintz is retiring and will be replaced by Kenneth W. DeFontes Jr. Heintz, whose career began as a teacher in the...

Logistics firm not liable for truck accident.
September 2, 2004... Byline: Ann Parks A third-party logistics company arranging for a shipment of goods from Missouri to New Jersey did not exert the type of control over a trucker that would render it liable for a catastrophic accident that occurred in...

Tentative agreement at BCCC addresses working conditions.
September 2, 2004... Byline: Andrea Cecil More than 200 unionized employees at Baltimore City Community College have been promised improved working conditions under a tentative agreement between the school and their union. Following a "marathon, all-night"...

More waterfront townhouses to rise.
September 2, 2004... Byline: Ezra Fieser An upscale townhouse development that hugs a bend of Baltimore's outer harbor will be replicated on Boston Street as part of a plan that will bring more residential units to the rapidly changing waterfront. ...

Special master to divide lawyers' piece of late-fee pie.
September 2, 2004... Byline: Barbara Grzincic A history of "downright hostility" between lead- and co-counsel requires a special master to divvy up an attorney fee award of nearly $4.5 million, a judge in Upper Marlboro has ruled. The ruling came in the...

CEO leaves Spherix in dispute over direction.
September 2, 2004... Byline: Kathleen Johnston Jarboe Chief Executive Thomas W. Gantt has stepped down after differing with Spherix Inc.'s board over the future of the company's calorie-free sugar division, the company said yesterday. Gantt joined the...

Jury awards $2.5M to estate of judge in med-mal action.
September 2, 2004... Byline: Alisa Bralove A Montgomery County jury has awarded $2.5 million to the estate of a Washington administrative law judge who died from bacterial meningitis after she was negligently given steroids despite a high risk for infection....

U of MD biz school to provide wireless devices to all students.
September 2, 2004... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports The University of Maryland's Robert H. Smith School of Business said it will provide Nextel BlackBerry 7510 wireless handheld devices to all of its full-time MBA students at the start of the fall 2004...

KLNB Retail brokers the sale of four centers.
September 2, 2004... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports KLNB Retail, of Towson, said it brokered the sale of four retail centers in Anne Arundel, Baltimore and Washington counties, totaling more than 300,000 square feet of space with a total sales price of more...

Two Baltimore-area mental health providers merge, unveil new name.
September 2, 2004... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Two Baltimore-area providers of mental health services, Dulaney Station Inc., of Towson, and ReVisions Inc., of Catonsville, which recently merged, unveiled a new name Mosaic Community Services. Mosaic, a...

Commentary: Of Service - Maryland Coalition for Inclusive Education puts disabled kids in local schools.
September 3, 2004... Byline: Joe Surkiewicz With decades of research showing that disabled children thrive in general education classes and with the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act mandating a free, appropriate public education it's safe...

Rent-A-Wreck, family owners struggle through legal disputes.
September 3, 2004... Byline: Robyn Lamb Rent-A-Wreck's rental cars are cheap and sometimes dated but they are never wrecks. It seems the term "wreck" judging by court documents that came to light after the company's president was indicted on charges of...

Commentary: MD's lt. governor stepping into national spotlight.
September 3, 2004... Byline: Mark Cheshire On Memorial Day, we memorialize those who gave their lives to protect ours. On Inauguration Day, we inaugurate election winners. On Thanksgiving, we give thanks. On Labor Day? We blow off labor to sit in...

Commentary: Offshoring: A bicoastal perspective.
September 3, 2004... Byline: Stuart Moulthrop Earlier this year, Craig Barrett of the Intel Corp. cast an infamously gloomy eye on the future of information technology in California. While new IT ventures could still start, he said, "They are not going to...

Interview with United Way of Central MD chairman.
September 3, 2004... Byline: Nancy Kercheval Donald A. Manekin, a successful executive with Manekin Corp., finally has the time to give back to the community. Manekin, chair of the United Way of Central Maryland, recently sat down with The Daily Record to talk...

Commentary: Charitable Giving - Expanding corporate giving.
September 3, 2004... Byline: Betsy Nelson Once again I hear people lamenting about the loss of a corporate headquarter and wondering what impact this will have on the Baltimore region. In my circles, the talk centers around what this means...

Money talks when scouting film production sites.
September 3, 2004... Byline: Kara Kridler Maryland has the U.S. Naval Academy what better spot for the filming of a movie about a boxer who also is a midshipmen? But Pennsylvania has tax incentives $2 million to $3 million worth and now the revenue from...

Md.'s Governor's Grants Office assists state agencies in securing federal grants.
September 3, 2004... Byline: Debra Siedt His blue jacket bedecked with yellow question marks and his matching blue-rimmed glasses are perhaps not as distracting as his voice "I can get you free government grants, government money, grant writing and loan...

Commentary: From the Governor - Baltimore business celebrates 100 years.
September 3, 2004... Byline: Beverly Richards There are many stories about the entrepreneur who started a business in response to being laid off or experiencing some other economic disaster. In the aftermath of the Great Baltimore Fire in 1904, for example,...

Regulators watching for new financial scams.
September 3, 2004... Byline: Kathleen Johnston Jarboe The sagging, yellow sign is attached to two posts with a combination of black electrical tape and rubber cords. "Call today $ Cash today. $100 to $1,000. No credit Bad credit ok!!" The business off...

W. Md. challenges discovery of flat acreage for park.
September 3, 2004... Byline: Sofia Kosmetatos In terms of acreage, the 160-acre Barton Business Park in Allegany County is not huge, especially when you compare it to other business and industrial parks around the state. These parks routinely come in...

Commentary: Legal Advice - Hold the mayo!
September 3, 2004... Byline: James B. Astrachan I don't know the reason, but nominative trademark use has become this summer's hot topic. In small circles, that is. Can a person use someone else's trademark in his art? Can a manufacturer use another's...

Maryland Leading Index moves up slightly in June.
September 3, 2004... Byline: John Hopkins The RESI Maryland Leading Index increased in June by 0.1 percent, indicating that Maryland's economic growth is expected to be tepid, but stable in early 2005. The index was revised upward in May from a decline of...

Unlikely trio produces and directs film centered in Baltimore's Greek Town.
September 3, 2004... Byline: Kara Kridler An unlikely trio a Maryland trial attorney and baseball agent, an ex-naval reserve officer, and a former minor league player with the Baltimore Orioles has teamed up to produce and direct a dramatic-comedy film with...

Gaines McHale closes Baltimore-Washington gap.
September 3, 2004... Byline: Sofia Kosmetatos In the new Gaines McHale showroom in Savage Mill, European antiques take on a whole new life. Take the piece of an old metal fence, which now serves as part of a coffee table. Brothers Scott and Greg McHale...

Commentary: Privacy in the workplace: Employer/employee rights in the electronic age.
September 3, 2004... Byline: James Hammerschmidt A company's top salesperson's productivity is dwindling. His door is closed more often than it used to be. The company has heard rumors that he is looking at inappropriate Web sites, visiting chat rooms,...

Two Baltimore men ask for new trails based on nondisclosure and possibility of contamination.
September 3, 2004... Byline: Peter Geier Tyrone Jones, 27, and Dainer N. Baker, 26, both of East Baltimore, want new trials because they say prosecutors failed to disclose that the positive gunshot residue tests that led to their convictions relied on a single...

Md. work force program trains disabled for security jobs.
September 3, 2004... Byline: Andrea Cecil A state work force program aimed at people with disabilities has started training people to become security guards, citing an increasing demand for them in the business and government sectors. Jim Buckmaster, a...

Chief engineer explains the process of recording the data used in gunshot residue report.
September 3, 2004... Byline: Peter Geier Even with a gunshot residue report in hand, lawyers on both sides of the case must be aware of what it is they're looking at. Lester W. Roane, chief engineer at HP White Laboratory in Street, explained the process...

Defendants allege that contamination is a chronic problem in Baltimore police dept.
September 3, 2004... Byline: Peter Geier What do a cleaning bucket, the floor of the Baltimore City Police Department headquarters and a secretary have in common? Enough gunshot residue to convict them of serious criminal offenses in Baltimore, according...

Md. Legal Briefs: September 3, 2004.
September 3, 2004... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports No moratorium for OC After learning that the town would have a tough time defending a development moratorium in court, the Ocean City Town Council shot down the proposed moratorium. The council would have...

Perception that gas prices are cheap gets Marylanders to travel for Labor Day.
September 3, 2004... Byline: Sofia Kosmetatos The recent 3-cents-per-gallon drop in gasoline an anomaly on a holiday weekend apparently has left the perception that gas prices are cheap, driving hundreds of thousands of Marylanders to take to the highways....

Opus East LLC selected by U.S. Army to build and lease 200-acre tech park.
September 3, 2004... Byline: Ezra Fieser One of the nation's largest commercial real estate developers has been selected by the U.S. Army to build and lease a 200-acre technology park that could create thousands of jobs in Harford County. Opus East LLC...

Md. appellate court gives injured boy's parents chance to show lingering psychological harm.
September 3, 2004... Byline: Ann Parks Parents who sued the Baltimore County Board of Education after their 4-year-old son was injured in a tragic school bus accident will get another chance to prove that the child suffered psychological injuries, the Court of...

Md. Court of Special Appeals reverses felony murder conviction.
September 3, 2004... Byline: Peter Geier A Bladensburg man convicted of felony murder for stabbing to death a Port Tobacco man he had spent the night with, then purportedly taking that man's car as an afterthought, will get another day in court. A Charles...

Columbia-based Corvis acquires Chicago-based Focal Communications Corp.
September 3, 2004... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Corvis Corp., of Columbia, a telecommunications equipment manufacturer and parent company of Broadwing Communications LLC, announced the closing of its acquisition of Focal Communications Corp., a...

Bethesda-based Lerner Enterprises purchases Wilde Lake Apartments.
September 3, 2004... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Lerner Enterprises, of North Bethesda, a real estate development and management company, purchased Wilde Lake Apartments, a 190-unit multifamily property in Richmond, Va. The firm also owns Hanover Crossing...

Mauritz promoted to Asst. Secretary for Technology Strategy and Business Development.
September 3, 2004... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Paul H. Mauritz, an official of the Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development, has been promoted to Assistant Secretary for Technology Strategy and Business Development. He was serving as...

Ocean City Town Council turns down proposed development moratorium.
September 3, 2004... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports After learning that the town would have a tough time defending a development moratorium in court, the Ocean City Town Council turned down the proposed moratorium. The council would have had to prove it was...

American College Health Assn. releases its standards for health promotion in higher education.
September 3, 2004... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports The American College Health Association, of Baltimore, an advocacy organization for college and university health, released a revised edition of its "Standards of Practice for Health Promotion in Higher...

Wash. County Commissioners approve extension on billboard ban.
September 3, 2004... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports The Washington County Commissioners approved a 90-day extension, until Nov. 29, of a moratorium on new billboards while the planning staff develops recommendations on new height and location restrictions. The...

Commentary: It's a Gimme - Volunteers vital to golf event.
September 4, 2004... Byline: Joe Rahnis Golf fans and service-minded individuals alike are invited to volunteer their time at this year's Constellation Energy Classic, to be held at Hayfields Country Club in Hunt Valley, from Sept. 27 to Oct. 3. ...

Commentary: Trip to Guatemala enjoyable, but sleepless.
September 4, 2004... Byline: Andrea Cecil Who knew that I would have to come back to Baltimore after a 21/2-week long vacation to get some sleep? Well, I did really. After all, I'm the same girl who can't fall asleep if I rearrange the furniture in my...

Changes made to archery hunting season for deer.
September 4, 2004... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports The archery hunting season for deer opens Sept. 15 and extends through Jan. 31, the Maryland Department of Natural Resources announced. Several changes have been put into effect, including fewer hunting...

WJZ-TV Channel 13 to expand morning news show.
September 4, 2004... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports WJZ-TV Channel 13 announced an expansion of its morning news show on Saturdays, starting Sept. 11. Beginning at 6 a.m., there will be two hours of local news, anchored by Tim Williams and Sharon Lee, followed...

MD Dept. of Natural Resources seeking former Civilian Conservation Corps members.
September 4, 2004... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports The Maryland Department of Natural Resources is seeking former Civilian Conservation Corps members for a Sept. 11 gathering at Gambrill State Park. At a 7 p.m. campfire, park staff members will collect...

New restaurant, Taste, to open Oct. 1.
September 4, 2004... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports A new, white-tablecloth restaurant, Taste, is scheduled to open Oct. 1 at Belvedere Square's historic Hess building in North Baltimore. Ann Nault, Taste's owner and chef, has worked as the executive banquet...

National Assn. of Realtors names Good Neighbors Awards for 2004 winners.
September 4, 2004... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Ned C. Li, of H&I Real Estate in Rockville, has been selected as one of 10 finalists in the National Association of Realtors' Good Neighbors Awards for 2004. The awards program, in its fifth year, recognizes...

MD Legal Briefs Sept. 7, 2004.
September 7, 2004... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Career bank robber out of commission A federal judge in Baltimore has sentenced a bank robber to 150 months (12.5 years) in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, to be served concurrently...

Use of maggots to treat nonhealing wounds on the rise.
September 7, 2004... Byline: Debra Siedt Dr. Charles Markham, a podiatrist in Odenton, is one of a growing number of physicians performing a procedure that heals patients, but may sicken onlookers using maggots to cure nonhealing wounds. The treatment...

Commentary : Ten strategies for preserving wealth.
September 7, 2004... Byline: Special to The Daily Record You may not think of yourself as wealthy, but when you've accounted for your home, investments, personal property, retirement accounts, and all insurance that you own in your name, you may have assets...

Commentary: How do we know our city is improving?
September 7, 2004... Byline: Odette T. Ramos Many Baltimore City residents strive for a good quality of life that includes the opportunity to work, increase income, and become financially stable to provide for their families. The unemployment rate reported...

Taking Stock - Changes in top management can affect stock prices.
September 7, 2004... Byline: Kathleen Johnston Jarboe How much is a top executive worth? Investors in Maryland companies had the opportunity to answer that question several times last week. Their answer: not much as far as stock prices go in most of the...

Suit over smoke detector not yet ready for appeal.
September 7, 2004... Byline: Alisa Bralove Three families whose young sons were killed or seriously burned in a fire must return to Montgomery County Circuit Court to continue the case against the landlord they say failed to equip the Gaithersburg home with a...

Officer's files remain confidential, for now.
September 7, 2004... Byline: Peter Geier A criminal defendant was not entitled to discovery of certain parts of a Baltimore police officer's internal affairs file because the trial court did not follow proper procedure in assessing his need for it, the Court...

Kevin L. Shepherd elected to chair ABA section.
September 7, 2004... Byline: Ann Parks If the 400,000-member American Bar Association the largest voluntary professional association in the world were likened to a small planet, the individual sections within it could conceivably be viewed as countries. ...

Convicted murderer's lawyers asks Court of Appeals to rethink decision.
September 7, 2004... Byline: Barbara Grzincic Lawyers for Erika E. Sifrit have pulled no punches in asking the state's top court to rethink its unanimous decision to affirm her conviction for the murders of two Ocean City tourists. The motion for...

Analysts raise Mercantile Bankshares Corp.'s rating to 'in-line'.
September 7, 2004... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Mercantile Bankshares Corp., the Baltimore-based bank that posted a $56 million profit last quarter, was raised to "in-line" from "underperform" by analyst Todd Hagerman at Fox-Pitt, Kelton. The company...

ZIP code error not fatal to sheriff's sale.
September 8, 2004... Byline: Alisa Bralove An incorrect ZIP code in the advertisement of a sheriff's sale does not require that the sale be set aside, the Court of Special Appeals has held. "Although the ZIP code was incorrect, the address was accurate....

To pay down debt, Pepco plans sale of more stock.
September 8, 2004... Byline: Kathleen Johnston Jarboe Pepco Holdings Inc. yesterday moved to extinguish some of its more than $5.7 billion in debt by selling more stock in the holding company for two regional utilities. The projected sale of 13 million...

High insurance premiums hurting MD nursing home physicians.
September 8, 2004... Byline: Debra Siedt While the medical malpractice insurance debate has focused on high-profile, high-risk health care providers such as obstetricians, another often-overlooked group also is paying an increasingly steep price to practice...

MD Legal Briefs September 8, 2004.
September 8, 2004... Byline: Staff and Wire Reports Murder suspects plead Policarpio Espinoza Perez, 22, and Adan Espinoza Canela, 17, pleaded innocent yesterday to first-degree murder and other charges stemming from the deaths of their three young...

Courts can't wipe out child support arrears, CSA affirms.
September 8, 2004... Byline: Ann Parks A father who owes the state more than $5,400 in child support arrearages that accrued before he took custody of his four children in 1996 has failed to convince the Court of Special Appeals that his debt should be set...

Howard Co., BWI area are hottest office markets in Md.
September 8, 2004... Byline: Kara Kridler Howard County and the region surrounding BWI Airport may not have the glitz of Baltimore's downtown, but both performed better than the city in terms of securing leases for office space during the first half of 2004,...