Hanover

Engineering and manufacturing company ITT Corp. is closing an Anne Arundel County location it opened just last summer, cutting 48 jobs. The company's information-technology center in Hanover will be shut down by the end of the year as ITT splits into three separate companies and will no longer need shared IT support, spokesman B.J. Talley said Wednesday. He said 48 employees will either be laid off or will leave voluntarily with a severance package, while about 20 are being transferred to other divisions.

Frank Parsons Inc., an office-supply company that moved to Hanover two years ago with plans of expansion, said Friday that it is seeking Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. Its filing with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Maryland reported debts in the range of $10 million to $50 million, including more than $6 million in claims it is disputing. The firm, which calls itself the largest employee-owned company in the country focusing on office supplies, business products and technology equipment, estimated the value of its assets in the same $10 million to $50 million range.

Two small packages, addressed to Gov. Martin O'Malley and another state official, ignited 20 minutes apart in government buildings in Annapolis and Hanover Thursday, launching a wave of concern throughout the state. The only injuries reported were to the fingers of a state mailroom worker, who refused treatment — yet federal and state officials locked down state government mailrooms indefinitely and responded with a massive public safety effort that captured the focus of the cable news networks.

A Hanover woman accused of stabbing her boyfriend was arrested Sunday and charged with attempted second-degree murder, reckless endangerment and assault, according to Anne Arundel County police. Officers first spoke to the boyfriend of Jenna Russell, 25, of the 1400 block of Misty Lake Court about 9 a.m. Sunday, when he went to Baltimore Washington Medical Center for treatment of stab wounds, police said. The 21-year-old Severn resident initially told police that he had been stabbed in the upper torso at a party Saturday night, and he was taken to the University of Maryland Medical Center for further treatment.

Anne Arundel County Executive John R. Leopold was sworn in Monday morning for a second term before a crowd of about 60 people at the Pasadena Senior Center, while later in the day the County Council was sworn in during a separate ceremony that attracted hundreds of onlookers. "It's going to be a productive four years," said Leopold, a Republican. "I look forward to a good working relationship with the council. That's how I was so successful in my first term — by treating each councilperson with courtesy and respect.

Dominga P. Reyes, a former school teacher and farmer, died Friday of heart failure at Baltimore Washington Medical Center. She was 100. Dominga Pacson, the daughter of rice farmers, was born and raised in Nueva Ecija, the Philippines, where she graduated from high school. "She was known for her strong-willed personality and cunning business sense," said a granddaughter, Niezle Custodio of Hanover, who is a project manager for The Baltimore Sun Media Group. Her strength was proven during World War II when the Japanese invaded her homeland.

Hundreds of people gathered in Federal Hill on Monday night to remember three young people killed late Sunday when police say they were struck by a stolen vehicle. Holding candles and wearing shirts adorned with the victims' pictures, there were attempts to give testimonials and sing "Amazing Grace," but the group — representing generations from the Morrell Park neighborhood — was at a collective loss of words. Most just needed a shoulder to cry on. "They were just kids," said neighbor Tony Beckner, 40. "You have three kids doing nothing wrong, and you're gonna take them from us?"

A French company, Delsey Luggage, plans to move its U.S. headquarters next year from Elkridge to Hanover. Delsey, a maker of luxury luggage, has leased 186,053 square feet of office and warehouse distribution space at the Preston Gateway Corporate Park and plans to move there in early 2011. Delsey will have approximately 100 employees at the Hanover site. Text BUSINESS to 70701 to get Baltimore Sun Business text alerts

Snyder's of Hanover Inc., a southern Pennsylvania snack food company that is one of the largest pretzel makers in the country, said Thursday it plans to combine with Lance Inc. in what the companies described as a "merger of equals." For Snyder's, which has its headquarters in Hanover, the merger is the second attempt to join forces with another snack maker in less than a year. In October, Snyder's announced a merger with Utz Quality Foods Inc., a potato chip maker also based in Hanover, which would have created a combined company with $800 million in sales.