In the Region Peerce's Plantation is to be auctioned at...

In the Region

Peerce's Plantation is to be auctioned at noon today

Peerce's Plantation, the 64-year-old Baltimore County landmark restaurant that filed for bankruptcy two years ago, will be auctioned at noon today to satisfy creditors' claims.

The auction, conducted by A.J. Billig & Co. of Baltimore, will take place on the grounds of the restaurant, at 12450-12460 Dulaney Valley Road in Phoenix.

It will include the sale of the restaurant and catering facility, a 6,000-square-foot executive house and an adjacent 14.74 acres of property zoned for residential development.

The restaurant parcel requires a minimum bid of $1 million, and the 14.74 acres has a minimum bid of $250,000.

The 10-year-old house has no minimum bid. Peerce's largest creditor is First Mariner Bank, with a $1.2 million claim.

Plans to be unveiled today for Owings Mills center

Del. Robert A. Zirkin, a Baltimore County Democrat, is to unveil plans today for a proposed technology center in Owings Mills.

Dubbed CyberCity@Owings Mills, the technology center is part of the Town Center planned for the Owings Mills Metro Station.

The tech center is planned to bridge the "digital divide" in the region and help local technology firms.

The facility will include a technology incubator, classrooms for technology courses, a space to demonstrate new products, "virtual gaming area" and theme restaurants.

Protestors petition PSC to roll back BGE's rates

Members of the All People's Congress protested rising utility costs at the Maryland Public Service Commission headquarters yesterday in front of the William Donald Schaefer Tower on St. Paul Street.

The 10 members of the Committee to Stop High Gas & Electric Bills presented the commission with a petition to force Baltimore Gas & Electric Co. to stop service terminations, roll back prices and help residents develop a plan to pay for bills that more than doubled over the winter months.

Accepting the petition, commissioners said the PSC would work with the organization on the issue and review the complaints.

Fed asked to probe proposed bank merger

ACORN, a Washington-based consumer advocacy group, said it is in "strong opposition" to the merger of First Union Corp. and Wachovia Corp. of Winston-Salem, N.C., according to a letter sent to the Federal Reserve System.

The group wants the Fed to hold public hearings on the merger because it says First Union has discontinued first-time homebuyer programs, specifically the "Coalition Product," which aided low-income borrowers in Baltimore and other cities.

Mike Rizer, a First Union fair lending official, said the company eliminated the Coalition Product, which it inherited in an acquisition, because it was no longer effective.

He said the company has increased the number of products it offers to low- and moderate-income borrowers and has asked ACORN to be its partner in various community-oriented initiatives.

Elsewhere

Aer Lingus fires its chief executive over sex complaints

Ireland's flagship airline Aer Lingus fired its chief executive yesterday after an investigation into sexual harassment allegations determined his position was "untenable."

Two female staff members accused CEO Michael Foley of sexual harassment in February. The airline said that the charges were investigated by a board subcommittee and that the board "concluded that Mr. Foley's position as chief executive is untenable."

Foley, a former chief executive of Heineken USA Inc., was appointed the airline's chief in July, had sought but failed to get an injunction to prevent the company from taking disciplinary action against him.

Yesterday, he reiterated his "total innocence" and blamed people threatened by his reorganization of the company.

Georgia-Pacific to cut 500 jobs, close 3 plants

Georgia-Pacific Corp. says it is cutting more than 500 jobs because of a weak market for wallboard, the mineral-based slabs used to cover walls and ceilings.

The job cuts represent less than 1 percent of Georgia-Pacific's work force, but will trim almost half of the company's North American wallboard production.

Georgia-Pacific said it will close wallboard plants in Savannah, Ga., Long Beach, Calif., and Winnipeg, Manitoba, laying off about 270 workers. Wallboard production at three other plants - in Acme, Texas; Sigurd, Utah; and Blue Rapids, Kan. - will be suspended, accounting for about 60 lost jobs.

Georgia-Pacific also will cut 150 jobs by scaling back production at 13 other wallboard plants and will lay off 40 workers at its Atlanta headquarters.

Jury awards $71 million to 23 in insurance case

A jury in Jackson, Miss., has awarded more than $71 million in damages to plaintiffs who accused a Seattle financial company of goading customers into renewing loans with undisclosed additional charges.

The defendant, Washington Mutual Finance Group LLC, operates more than 2,300 consumer banking, mortgage lending, commercial banking, consumer finance and financial services offices throughout the nation.