Distributors

A proposed tax on bottled beverages was approved by a Baltimore City Council committee Monday, despite a well-organized coalition of opponents. The four-cent tax, estimated to generate $11 million annually, is the most lucrative piece of a $50 million package of taxes and fees proposed by Mayor Stephanie C. Rawlings-Blake. Beverage bottlers and distributors and store owners oppose the measure and have launched a campaign of print, television and radio ads decrying the tax. Four of the five members of the council's taxation and finance committee approved moving the bill to the full council, but committee chair Councilwoman Helen Holton cautioned that her vote did not indicate she supported the passage of the tax. "My 'yes' vote is not indicative of my vote on the tax itself," said Holton.

A Baltimore County man who has been implicated by the Web site The Smoking Gun as a key informant in baseball's steroid scandal has denied any association with the federal government's investigation into illegal performance-enhancing drugs. In an exclusive interview with The Baltimore Sun yesterday, Andrew Michael "Mike" Bogdan admitted to helping the FBI in a real-estate fraud case as part of a plea agreement. But he said he did not use his close friendship with former Orioles outfielder Larry Bigbie to assist the FBI in nabbing one of baseball's primary steroid distributors.

Ralph N. "Bo" Willis, who owned a wholesale distributorship of automobile and truck parts, died of complications from pulmonary fibrosis Wednesday at his home at the Brightwood retirement community in Lutherville. He was 77. Born in Baltimore and raised in Mount Washington, Mr. Willis attended Friends School and Gilman School, where he helped the lacrosse team win three Maryland Scholastic Association championships and also played football and basketball. He was the C. Markland Kelly Award winner in lacrosse and was voted All-State by local sportswriters.

Robert Carroll Eichelberger - Robbie to his mother - started using drugs before he reached puberty. By age 12, he had run away from home. In his 20s, he was in and out of Washington County District Court on charges that included assault and burglary. In his 30s, he added credit-card theft and eluding police to his record. And at 35, he and his girlfriend were selling prescription drugs to high school students to support their own addictions. Last year, one of those teenagers died. "I know my saying 'I'm sorry' won't bring him back, but I am sorry.

Prescription drug distributor McKesson Corp. has agreed to pay $13 million in civil fines to settle allegations that it failed to report as suspicious sales of large quantities of drugs, federal prosecutors in Maryland said yesterday. Under an agreement between the California-based company and U.S. attorney's offices in six states including Maryland, McKesson will also create policies beyond those required by federal regulation to detect and prevent illegal drug diversion. The Maryland claims, which account for $2 million of the fines, centered on McKesson's dealings with NewCare Pharmacy in East Baltimore and Smeeta Pharmacy in Highland.

The world's largest distributor of wireless phones and accessories has bought a significant stake in TESSCO Technologies Inc. of Hunt Valley. Brightpoint Inc. purchased 470,000 shares - 9.12 percent of TESSCO - for $7.3 million. In a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, Brightpoint indicated it was interested in more than just a mere investment in TESSCO. The filing said Brightpoint might engage other shareholders or members of the board to propose changes to TESSCO's "capitalization, ownership structure or operations."

All's fair in love and Black Friday. The day after Thanksgiving may not actually be the biggest shopping date of the year. That typically occurs a couple of Saturdays before Christmas. But it's easily the year's most notorious and anticipated day in retailing. The news media often describe the day in battle terms, and not just because on occasion someone actually slugs someone who had cut in line to grab the last must-have ticklish doll or video game. Thousands of people wake in the inky black of night for the thrill of jostling with other shoppers to fill their carts by daybreak.

A Richmond, Va.-based metals distributor is expanding into Maryland with plans to purchase the assets of Baltimore-based distributor ALN Metals Inc. BMG Metals Inc., which now has more than 200 employees and six locations in Virginia and North Carolina, expects to complete the purchase of the smaller ALN for an undisclosed amount on Monday. It will move to Halethorpe, a part of southwest Baltimore County undergoing a surge of commercial redevelopment and relocations. BMG will move ALN's equipment and inventory from a Curtis Avenue site into 42,000 square feet of leased space in a 700,000-square- foot-plant occupied by several industrial tenants on Halethorpe Farms Road.

The multinational joint venture taking over the Sparrows Point steel mill is a mixture of big steel buyers, distributors and iron ore suppliers who pledge to boost slab production at the plant and give it the kind of stability its three past owners failed to deliver in the face of withering global competition. E2 Acquisition Corp., led by Chicago-based metals distributor Esmark Inc., said its purchase means employment will remain the same or grow at the sprawling Baltimore County mill, which has changed owners four times in as many years.

Michael Vernon Franklin, who owned a wine distribution business, died of a heart attack May 14 at Anne Arundel Medical Center. The Annapolis resident was 56. Born in Baltimore and raised in Glen Burnie, he attended Glen Burnie High School, where he played lacrosse and was named an All-American player. Drafted for military service, he served in the Army before receiving an honorable discharge as a conscientious objector in 1972. After earning a bachelor's degree at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, he briefly taught English at Lansdowne High School.