Hernandez gets life Real estate insider Former Patriots star Aaron Hernandez Apartment building boom convicted of first-degree murder, may be delaying area’s sentenced to life in prison. 11A first-time homebuyers. 10A Thursday, April 16, 2015 Volume 126 | Number 134 TheDailyRecord.com Power on the water: MARYLAND BUILT, MARYLAND OWNED City reaches settlement with Unisys for $4.8M Agreement over property tax software ends 3-year battle BY DANNY JACOBS [email protected] The City of Baltimore will receive $4.8 million to settle a breach of contract law- suit with an IT company over the city’s property tax system software. The Board of Estimates approved the settlement with Unisys Corp. at the city spending panel’s meeting Wednesday new tugboat built in Salisbury morning, ending three years of federal litigation. by Chesapeake Shipbuilding The city and Unisys entered an agree- was delivered to Baltimore ment in May 2002 to modernize and inte- this week for Vane Brothers, grate the city’s tax system in the hopes of a Baltimore company more creating a single tax bill for real and per- sonal property owners in Baltimore. But Athan a century old that operates tugs and by December 2010 the system still had barges from New York to Jacksonville. not gone live and a test found 217 “critical Kings Point, the 10th boat built by Chesa- SEE SETTLEMENT 13A peake for Vane Brothers, is headed for the company’s facility in New York. Top: Capt. Bob Buchanan. Right: Deckhand Mario Alvarez throws a line from the bow. Below, chief engineer Dale Fitchett at one of the Panel OKs boat’s two 1,500-horsepower diesels. MAXIMILIAN FRANZ rate increase for hospitals BY DAN LEADERMAN [email protected] Maryland’s Health Services Cost Re- view Commission voted Wednesday to allow a small increase in hospital rates for the last two months of fiscal 2015. The increase, which will go into effect May 1, will raise a total about $15 million to fund efforts to improve the sharing of information between health care providers and develop care-management systems for patients with chronic conditions, according to SEE BOARD 5A Auction sales 19B News briefs 4A Lawyer to lawyer 14, 19A $269 per year For subscriptions Calendar 6A Law briefs 14A Online today 2A call 1-800-451-9998 or email Employment 18A Litigation support 14, 19A Public notice 1B INDEX $2 per copy [email protected] 2A THEDAILYRECORD.COM Thursday, April 16, 2015 ONLINE TODAY BLOGS UPCOMING SPECIAL Before you hit “Send” IN CASE YOU MISSED IT READ on that email... PUBLICATIONS AND E. REGINE FRANCOIS Business sees mostly positives in legislative session ADAM BEDNAR FOCUS SECTIONS I am sure you have Business Buzz heard of the brouhaha that The 2015 General Assembly session that ended at mid- has been swirling around April 17 Eye on Annapolis night Tuesday didn’t create any new hurdles for companies the media regarding former in Maryland, but advocates still believe there is work to be Higher Generation J.D. Secretary of State Hillary done before the state is truly “open for business.” Education Ground Up Clinton and her failure to There were no new mandates in terms of workforce reg- use the State Department’s On the Record ulation and a package of bills aimed at addressing concerns email when conducting of- raised by a commission formed to improve the state’s busi- TWITTER ficial business. As this saga ness climate passed. The bills do not become law unless unravels and the possibility signed by Gov. Larry Hogan. FOLLOW of subpoenas and investi- May 8 “I would say overall this past session, I think, was a gations continues to make Top 100 very positive session. We had some very positive pieces of the headlines, this issue @MDDailyRecord legislation that passed,” said Mathew Palmer, senior vice Women got me thinking: What if my @Bmorejourno president, government affairs at the Maryland Chamber of Magazine emails were released? @bpsears Commerce. @danielleaderman I think of myself as a @jbwhong very strategic person — @Lauren_Kirkwood that is, I am very careful I would say overall this past May 22 @llynllygad in what I say, how I say it session, I think, was a very Guide to @Steve_Lash and, some times, why I’m positive session. We had some @TDRDanny saying something in the Business Law first place. Some people very positive pieces of legislation @TomBaden and Accounting find this trait quite frustrat- that passed. FACEBOOK ing but I know there can be wisdom in silence. Before Mathew Palmer, SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, LIKE the Hillary Clinton/email GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS AT THE MARYLAND mddailyrecord controversy came to light, CHAMBER OF COMMERCE June 12 I tried to be careful about MD State Bar LINKEDIN what I wrote in emails, “ Association even if they going to my Guide CONNECT closest friends. Now, I’ve RADIO the-daily-record had a chance to reevaluate Tune in to WBAL 1090 AM Tuesday at 6:50 a.m. my email practices. for top stories from The Daily Record on the radio. SOUNDCLOUD VIMEO LISTEN WATCH ALERTS INSIDER the-daily-record mddailyrecord For breaking news alerts, Sign up on our homepage for daily emails text TDR to 313131 with the top headlines. MARYLAND VOLUNTEER LAWYERS SERVICE WOULD LIKE TO SAY THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS! Tournament Champions Final Four Chason, Rosner, Leary & Hertzbach & Company, P.A. Neuberger, Quinn, Gielen, Elite Eight Marshall, LLC Hirschel, Savitz, Parker & Rubin & Gibber, P.A. Media Sponsors BaldwinLaw LLC Cole, Schotz, Meisel, Forman Hollman, P.A. Pessin Katz Law, P.A. Brown, Goldstein & Levy & Leonard, P.A. Hoffman, Comfort, Offutt, Scott & Pike & Gilliss, LLC Gallagher Evelius & Jones, LLP Continental Title Group Halstad, LLP Proctor & McKee, P.A. Miller Financial Group Daneker, McIntire, Schumm, Hylton & Gonzales Protiviti Transamerica Prince, Manning & Iamele & Iamele, LLP RCM&D, Inc. Whiteford Taylor Preston LLP Widmann, P.C. Illiff, Meredith, Wildberger & Shaffer, McLauchlin & Stover W.R. Grace Foundation, Inc. Dugan, Babij & Tolley, LLC Brennan, PC Shapiro, Lifschitz and Ellin & Tucker, Chartered Jack H. Olender & Schram, P.C. Sweet Sixteen Ferguson, Schetelich & Associates, P.C. Shaw & Morrow, P.A. Anderson, Coe & King, LLP Ballew, P.A. Jacobs & Dembert, P.A. The Steve Peroutka Law Group Astrachan, Gunst & Gershon, Willoughby, Getz & Janet, Jenner & Suggs, LLC Tydings & Rosenberg LLP Thomas, P.C. Smith, LLC KatzAbosch Wais, Vogelstein & Forman, LLC Ballard Spahr LLP Gore Brothers Reporting and Kerr McDonald, LLP Wilmington Trust Baxter, Baker, Sidle, Conn & Video Company Law Office of Robert D. Cole, Jr. Womble Carlyle Sandridge Jones P.A. Gorfine, Schiller & Gardyn, P.A. Legg Mason & Rice, LLP March 26, 2015 BB&T Wealth Grossbart, Portney & Maryland Defense Counsel, Inc. Wright, Constable & Skeen, LLP Brown Advisory Rosenberg, P.A. Mudd, Harrison & Burch, LLP Yumkas, Vidmar & Sweeney M&T Bank Stadium Nash Mediation, LLC Zuckerman Spaeder LLP Southeast Club Level Maryland Volunteer Lawyers Service 201 North Charles Street, Suite 1400 Baltimore, MD 21201 410.539.6800 [email protected] www.mvlslaw.org Thursday, April 16, 2015 THEDAILYRECORD.COM 3A Panel asks: Could cramped airline seats be dangerous? BY SCOTT MAYEROWITZ Associated Press The shrinking space on airplanes is surely uncomfortable, but it might also be dangerous for passengers’ health and safety. Planes are filled with more passen- gers than ever before. Fliers are older and heavier. Flight attendants warn about an increase in air rage, and ex- perts question if having rows of seats packed closer together might make it harder for passengers to evacuate after a crash. A consumer advisory group set up by the Department of Transportation dove into all those issues Tuesday at a public hearing as part of its role to make non-binding suggestions to government regulators. Charlie Leocha, the consumer rep- resentative on the committee, said the government sets standards for the conditions for dogs flying as cargo but doesn’t dictate minimum space stan- dards for passengers. “In a world where animals have more rights to space and food than humans,” AP PHOTO/M. SPENCER GREEN Leocha said, “it is time that the DOT and Groups of passengers wait at a United Airlines gate to board a flight in separate numbered lanes at O’Hare International Airport in FAA take a stand for humane treatment Chicago. Planes are filled with more passengers than ever before, fliers are older and heavier and tall travelers no longer get exit row seats of passengers.” for free. All of this, flight attendants warn, is leading to an increased amount of air rage and raises other safety questions. Fliers last summer squeezed into the least amount of personal space in the tion to pre-flight safety briefings, espe- Air, said the No. 1 thing vacationers care history of flying. In July, U.S. airlines cially now that they can use electronic about is price. sold a record 87.8 percent of seats on devices from gate to gate. “The only way we can offer a low air- domestic flights, according to the Bu- Pennsylvania Attorney General fare ... is to increase the seating density reau of Transportation Statics. That Kathleen Kane, who chairs the DOT so we can divide the cost of operating figure includes seats obtained through committee, noted concern that the FAA a flight among the greatest number of frequent flier miles but does not include The only way we can does not factor in human panic, espe- people possible,” Hansen said. seats occupied by airline employees fly- offer a low airfare ... is cially parents who might take extra time The DOT has seen an increase in ing for free. to increase the seating to ensure their children are safe before passenger complaints but few regard- “Unfortunately, the days of the evacuating.