Editorial: Give Md. the say on LNG

BY: Daily Record Staff
POSTED: March 11, 2010

Maryland senators, Benjamin L. Cardin and Barbara A. Mikulski, introduced legislation last week that would remove the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s (FERC) authority to determine where liquefied natural gas terminals should be located.
The bill would repeal parts of the Energy Policy Act of 2005, which transferred that power from states to the federal government.
[...]

Cows to chardonnay: Can US dairy farms change?

BY: Associated Press
POSTED: March 11, 2010

WARREN, Connecticut — A winter breeze rustles through the brittle and dormant vines twisting along the hills of Bill Hopkins’ vineyard, the latest transformation of a Connecticut farm that since 1786 has been keeping up with changing agriculture, markets and consumer tastes.

The 100-acre (40-hectare) family farm on Lake Waramaug in western Connecticut’s Litchfield Hills has [...]

City getting serious about getting Google

BY: Robert J. Terry
POSTED: March 11, 2010

Baltimore got serious this week in its push to convince technology giant Google to build an ultra-fast broadband network costing hundreds of millions of dollars in the city.
The appointment Thursday of a “Google czar” from the private sector to lead the strategic effort, as well as lining up the support of top business executives [...]

First-time jobless claims drop slightly last week

BY: Associated Press
POSTED: March 11, 2010

WASHINGTON — The number of newly laid-off workers requesting unemployment benefits slipped last week, the latest sign the employment picture is slowly brightening.
The Labor Department said initial jobless claims fell by 6,000 to a seasonally adjusted 462,000. That’s close to Wall Street analysts’ estimates of 460,000, according to Thomson Reuters, and the second straight drop.
Still, [...]

No taxes for BGE, Pepco on fed Smart-Grid grants

BY: Associated Press
POSTED: March 10, 2010

The Department of Energy says Baltimore Gas & Electric and Pepco won’t have to pay taxes on federal grants they are receiving to promote smart-grid technology.

DOE said Wednesday that the decision will allow it to move quickly to finalize the grants and ensure their full impact is felt in the communities where the investments are [...]

Panera Bread to become first chain to post calorie totals

BY: Associated Press
POSTED: March 10, 2010
Comments: 1

Panera Bread customers around the country soon will be able to tally calories for their smokehouse turkey panini and broccoli cheddar soup with just a glance at the menu board.
Panera announced Wednesday it will be the first nationwide chain to voluntarily post calorie information at all of its company-owned restaurants. The move is notable [...]

Economic times forcing NASCAR teams to seek new sponsors

BY: Associated Press
POSTED: March 10, 2010

HAMPTON, Ga. — Kevin Conway is a walking billboard for — how can we say this delicately? — better performance in the bedroom.

“That’s kind of the elephant in the room,” he says with a mischievous grin, wearing a race suit with the word “ExtenZe” around his neck, across his chest and back, and down the [...]

NYSE forces Black & Decker to backtrack

BY: Danielle Ulman
POSTED: March 10, 2010

The New York Stock Exchange weighed in Wednesday on the standards Black & Decker Corp. used to establish the independence of one of its board members, forcing the Towson-based company to backtrack from a statement it released Tuesday.
NYSE officials contacted Black & Decker after the company issued its statement, saying that under the exchange’s corporate [...]

Tough time for historic Baltimore bank

BY: Danielle Ulman
POSTED: March 10, 2010

Ideal Federal Savings Bank’s single branch has anchored the corner of Druid Hill Avenue and Wilson Street since 1920, when its founders opened to give loans to community members when no one else would.
But the neighborhood mainstay and historic black Baltimore financial institution could serve its last customer this spring.
Federal regulators have ordered the bank [...]

Broken 36-inch water main in Baltimore County repaired

BY: Associated Press
POSTED: March 10, 2010

Public works officials say a 36-inch water main in a remote part of northwestern Baltimore County has been repaired.
That means the 15,000 customers who’ve been without water since the weekend should have service again by Wednesday evening. It also means the 11 schools affected by the outage should be able to open Thursday.
Baltimore Department of [...]