Cab

A 28-year-old Baltimore man was convicted of rape, kidnapping and related offenses this week for assaulting a woman at "knife point in his hack taxi cab," the Baltimore State's Attorney's Office announced. Samuel Renard Queen, of the 3500 block of Elmley Ave., faces a maximum of life plus 73 years in prison at his sentencing, which has not yet been scheduled. According to the prosecutors' office, the victim hailed an unlicensed taxi, known as a "hack," after work on the evening of Dec. 6, 2010.

While what Uber Technologies says is essentially true that they own no vehicles and do not have drivers, they are clearly providing transportation through their app ("PSC to decide if Uber must comply with taxi rules," May 16). Any driver who owns a car can sign up with Uber, and Uber will refer people requesting transportation to them. It is essentially the same as picking up the phone and calling a taxicab. The real issue is the safety of the riding public. A taxicab in Baltimore must meet a number of stringent rules and regulations.

Two Anne Arundel County police officers lured a suspected holdup man out of his home yesterday when they showed up in front of his house in a cab that the suspect ordered after he allegedly robbed a convenience store.County police said a man arrived at the 7-Eleven store in the 500 block of Donaldson Ave. in Severn about 5 a.m. yesterday by taxi and after paying the fare entered the store.The man implied he was armed with a gun and ordered a clerk to give him money from the cash register, police said.

The state Public Utilities Commission will schedule a formal hearing on whether to make Uber Technologies, which lets Baltimore customers hail a town car by smart phone, abide by regulations that govern taxi companies. The app-driven startup company Uber entered the Baltimore market in January, raising the ire of local cab companies that said it was skirting state regulations. Century-old Yellow Cab filed a challenge with the commission, contending that Uber should not be allowed to operate here until it complies with the same safety and insurance regulations as traditional taxi and limo companies.

A 38-year-old Baltimore man was sentenced to 13 years in prison Monday after pleading guilty to robbing two city cab drivers in the same day, the Baltimore State's Attorney's Office announced Thursday. Dana Gatling called a cab shortly after midnight on April 8, 2010, and put the driver in a choke hold, threatening to kill her if she didn't hand over her cash, prosecutors said. He swiped the woman's $117 and fled on foot, carjacking another cab hours later and dragging the driver 20 feet as the man held on to his taxi.

A man hopped a cab yesterday to hold up a convenience store, but when he called for a cab to make his getaway, he was caught by two police officers -- who arrived in another cab.Anne Arundel County police said they were called to the 7-Eleven in the 500 block of Donaldson Avenue in Severn about 5 a.m. yesterday to investigate an armed robbery.On their way to the store, officers learned that a man had been dropped off at the 7-Eleven by a cab just minutes before the robbery. The same man, police were told, had just called the same cab company for another cab from an address on nearby Myers Drive.

A city man was arrested yesterday on charges of critically wounding a cab driver during a carjacking. Police said he also exchanged two shots with a police officer and led police on a chase through the streets of Northeast Baltimore.Kevin S. Jackson, 37, of the 1200 block of North Ave., was charged with two counts of assault with intent to kill. Police said he shot cabbie Norman W. Lennon, 56, of the 9800 block of Tolworth Circle in Randallstown about 2:15 p.m. yesterday.Witnesses told police that a man pulled Mr. Lennon from his cab at 33rd Street and Loch Raven Boulevard.

A collision between a van and a taxicab at a Northwest Baltimore intersection sent 15 people to six area hospitals last night - all with injuries that were not life-threatening, city police said. About 9:30 p.m., the van carrying an unknown number of passengers collided with the cab at Sequoia Avenue and Hilton Road, causing injuries to the passengers and drivers of both. At least seven city Fire Department ambulances responded to the scene. The cause of the accident remained under investigation, police said.

A female passenger robbed an 86-year-old Annapolis cab driver of $40 Tuesday in Truxtun Park in Annapolis after beating him on the head with his own hammer handle, police reported.Howard Diggs, a driver for Reliable Cab who lives in Annapolis, told city police the woman asked to be taken to the park when he picked her up at a shopping center off Forest Drive shortly before 1 p.m.When they arrived, the woman demanded money, but Diggs refused to give her any, police said. In an ensuing struggle, the woman grabbed the headless hammer handle from Diggs and hit him on the head, then grabbed money from his fanny pack and fled, police said.

A Baltimore City housing employee was arrested in Annapolis early Tuesday - hours after the legislative session ended - and accused of stealing a taxicab and driving it through a parking lot gate, police and city officials said yesterday. Peter Marcus Dolkart, 36, a special assistant for legislation in Baltimore's Department of Housing and Community Development, was charged with auto theft and a hit and run. There were no injuries. A spokesman for Mayor Sheila Dixon's administration said it is too early to determine whether Dolkart will keep his job. "His supervisors and the housing commissioner were made aware of the incident immediately," said the spokesman, Sterling Clifford.

Baltimore's oldest cab company and the Maryland Transit Administration are updating their fleets for wheelchair-using customers, replacing small buses and minivans with an SUV-like vehicle that provides a smoother, more civilized ride. The MV-1 is designed specifically to transport disabled passengers and already is in use in cities such as Pittsburgh, Chicago and Dallas. Built in Indiana, it is the only production vehicle that meets Americans with Disabilities Act guidelines. Yellow Cab and sister company 1010 Sedan purchased 10 MV-1s and began using them this week.

Aberdeen Deanna Frankhouse, 29, of the 700 block of Maxa Road, was arrested Tuesday on a bench warrant in a case in which she is charged with possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia. Michael Lawrence Demarest, 33, of the 300 block of Irish Lane, was charged Tuesday wtih second-degree assault. Joseph Malizia, 21, of the first block of Hillman Court, was charged Tuesday with violating an ex parte order. Ashley Elizabeth Lee, 23, who has address in the first block of Taft Street and the 800 block of Coconut Court, was arrested Tuesday on a bench warrant in a case in which she is charged with second-degree assault.

Port officials have asked the state Public Utilities Commission to set a flat rate for taxi services to and from the cruise ship terminal and three popular city locations. James White, executive director of the Maryland Port Administration, said passengers — many from out of state — have complained "that they are being overcharged and that taxi drivers are not turning their meters on. " He asked the commission to set a fare for trips to Fort McHenry, Pennsylvania Station and the Inner Harbor in the same way it established a $30 flat rate for fares to Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport.

A man forced a cab driver to pull over, and claiming to be a police officer pounded on his car, Anne Arundel County police said Thursday. Police said that shortly before 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, an employee of Cab Connection in Linthicum told officers that one of the company's drivers was followed into the Motor Vehicle Administration lot in Glen Burnie by a driver due to a disagreement over a possible traffic violation. Police said the man boxed in the company's driver, and wearing a jacket with the word "police" on the back, claimed to be a police officer, confronted the company's driver, and pounded on the hood of the driver's vehicle before fleeing.

This week on "The Amazing Race," we get a sneak peek of CBS's new slapstick comedy: "Boyfriend Ryan and The Professor. " It's preceded by "Lexi and The Cabbie," which is almost as good. Other stuff happens, too, and there's 95 percent less screaming from the Twins, so it's really all wonderful. Let's catch up on last week: Team Dominate and Team Goat Farmers missed a flight and ended up hours and hours behind the lead pack. They vowed to run the rest of the leg together, and we last saw Dominate watching the Farmers try to perform a synchronized swimming routine, failing over and over because of Brent's fear of water.

Yellow Cab, which has operated in the Baltimore area since 1909, has been named taxi operator of the year by the industry's trade group, the Taxicab, Limousine & Paratransit Association. Behind the wheel is Mark Joseph, a graduate of American University in Washington, who began his career at Yellow Cab in 1976 and was president and CEO for 20 years. When Connex North America acquired Yellow Transportation in 2001, Joseph rose through the executive ranks to become president and chief operating officer of Connex, now Veolia Transportation, and vice chairman and CEO of Veolia.

One of the attractions of Klines' Cab Co. wasn't the ride in the back of a Packard, the gab of the driver, or a cruise through then-undeveloped Towson.It was calling the dispatch office and talking to Winifred Mary Kline. Passengers always got a pleasant earful with Mrs. Kline -- and a cab to pick them up on time."She had a good personality and knew about a lot of things," said Mary Lerner, a passenger and friend who was a longtime Towson resident and now lives in Baltimore. "Sometimes you'd call and forget that wanting the cab is why you called."

Taxicab riders in most of Anne Arundel County will pay more for a ride starting next month after the County Council unanimously approved a bill this week to let company owners raise fares. The bill was passed Monday and should take effect late next month. The increases apply to all cab rides that originate in Anne Arundel County, except for Annapolis, where taxi service is regulated by the city. Taxicab company owners had argued that the higher fares would offset soaring gas prices. The increases "were necessary for the industry to stay alive and to be profitable and for them to be able to have the ability to charge a fair price for their services," said Erik Robey, an assistant to County Council Vice Chairman Ronald C. Dillon Jr. With Monday's action, fares will increase: From $1.80 for the first one-seventh of a mile to $2 for the first one-eighth of a mile.

Southworth reflects: I chose this particular dish because I love the smell of slow-cooking meat on a brisk fall day. The slow cooking breaks down the meat to make it melt in your mouth. And I just love blue cheese (Gorgonzola) with beef; the flavors burst in your mouth. The Calvados Sidecar pairs nicely with the meal, especially because of the fall-evoking apple flavor of the brandy. Cab Braised Short Rib Ingredients: Short Rib: •    4 pounds beef short ribs •    1 tablespoon fresh rosemary •    1 tablespoon fresh thyme •    1 tablespoon kosher salt •    1 tablespoon black salt •    ¼ cup vegetable oil •    1 750-milliliter cabernet sauvignon •    1 tablespoon butter •    1 tablespoon all-purpose flour Polenta: •    5 cups chicken stock •    1 ¾ cups polenta •    ¾ cup crumbled Gorgonzola •    ¿ cup heavy cream Gremolata: •    ¼ cup chopped parsley •    3 tablespoons grated lemon zest •    2 cloves garlic, minced •    2 tablespoons chopped rosemary •    2 tablespoons chopped thyme Directions: Mix rosemary, thyme, salt and pepper and sprinkle over ribs.

An article in the Sept. 13, 1962, edition of The Herald Argus recognized a local family's timely arrival that earned them a part in celebrating a milestone in the number of visitors to national parks. As Paul Geiman and his family of Catonsville entered the east entrance of Yellowstone National Park during their August vacation tour, they were greeted by Superintendent Lemuel A. Garrison , who informed them they had been selected to participate in special symbolic ceremonies in observance of the National Park Service Billionth-Visitor Day. Mr. and Mrs. Geiman , their daughter, Jane , 15, and her friend, Adele Weetenkamp , 15, also of Catonsville, were extended complimentary lodgings and meals by the Yellowstone Park Company and were presented appropriate gifts and souvenirs by the concessioners in Yellowstone National Park.