Operators

Hundreds of people lined up on sun-drenched asphalt Saturday to see if they could get regular payouts, in the form of paychecks, from the new Maryland Live! Casino, a slots casino scheduled to open at Arundel Mills mall in about three months. "I hope I get lucky enough to get a position," said Mark Ellison, who's from West Baltimore. "They want people who are willing to go the extra mile so customers come in and enjoy spending their money. " The operators of what will be the state's largest casino hosted a job fair Saturday with the Anne Arundel Workforce Development Corp.

The father-son owners of Carol's Western Wear in Glen Burnie are so attached to the legend of John Wayne that they know his boot size and preference for plain brown with a squared-off toe. They will mark the 105 t h birthday of America's well-known cowboy Saturday with a storewide sale that includes everything from alarm clocks and mugs with the Duke's image to several nearly 6-foot tall cut-outs of the actor in full-Western regalia....

A grand jury indicted two operators of a prescription drug clinic in Timonium arrested in a Tuesday raid on charges of conspiracy to distribute Schedule II narcotics. A Baltimore County Circuit Court judge set a $50,000 cash-only bail Thursday for Gerald Wiseberg of Boca Raton, Fla., and Michael Jacob Reznikov of Brooklyn, N.Y., operators at the Healthy Life Medical Group in the 1100 block of York Road. At a preliminary hearing, Wiseberg, 78, and Reznikov, 51, were prohibited from leaving the country and were ordered to give up their passports.

The operators of Baltimore's city-owned Hilton gathered Thursday to defend the hotel's financial reputation, saying it has enough cash to cover its costs and emphasizing that city taxpayers are not on the hook for expenses or losses. Last year, the hotel lost $11.5 million. Most of that loss, about $9.6 million, can be attributed to accounting requirements, which do not represent cash losses, said M.J. "Jay" Brodie, who heads the Baltimore Hotel Corp., which oversees the Hilton's finances.

Anne Arundel County police have fired two emergency operators who they say botched a 911 call about the carjacking that resulted in the death of a Glen Burnie pharmacist, police and union officials confirmed yesterday. Officials from the union representing the operators said they will appeal the decision. Police commanders said the firings of the 911 call taker and dispatcher were in the best interest of public safety. Yvette A. Beakes was assaulted Aug. 8. She was later found shot to death.

Response to the easing of restrictions on assisted living housing has been so high that Baltimore County will hold a seminar today for prospective operators.The County Council passed a bill in January that allows homes for as many as 15 elderly residents without special zoning approval, if the house to be used needs no more than a 25 percent expansion.Construction of a building or any expansion of more than 25 percent would require a special zoning exception, a slow, expensive process that includes a public hearing.

The operators of the state's thoroughbred and harness track will meet Friday at Laurel Race Course to discuss their inter-track wagering agreement.On the agenda will be a renegotiation of the financial terms of the arrangement, which so far has weighed heavily in favor of the harness management.In a letter to harness officials last week, Joe De Francis, thePimlico-Laurel track operator, vowed to end the inter-track agreement unless the terms are changed.Jim Mango, general manager of the thoroughbred group, said yesterday that "it appears on face value that our operation at Rosecroft is not benefiting from this.

Anne Arundel's sand and gravel operators say they face financial ruin if the County Council doesn't soften a tough new bill governing the excavation industry.Representatives of the county's 31 sand and gravel firms who packed the council chambers Monday night said they will support the new county regulations -- if the council makes key changes regarding the permitting process, hours of operation and the kind of machinery that can be used on site."It's a very tough bill," said William Natter, president of Natter Services Inc., an Annapolis sand and gravel firm.

For the first passengers on the Howard Street section of the light-rail line, it was deja vu.Years ago, these veteran Mass Transit Administration employees, most in their 50s and 60s, operated the city's fleet of streetcars and trackless trolleys. Today, they are training as light-rail motormen.They clearly enjoy their new jobs. When their big white streetcar coasted through the longtime retail district yesterday, awed pedestrians waved their hands. The streetcar's operator rang its bell in response.

Two Anne Arundel County emergency operators have been suspended without pay and will receive notice of the county's intention to fire them for botching the 911 call about the carjacking of a Glen Burnie pharmacist, officials said yesterday. Police officials have faulted the two 911 operators for failing to relay information from the Aug. 8 call to police officers, who might have been able to intervene before 26-year-old Yvette A. Beakes was killed, authorities said. The dispatchers - one of whom has 24 years experience and the other eight years - are scheduled to meet with Deputy Chief Emerson Davis on Wednesday to answer the charges.

The Maryland Live Casino is getting closer.The Cordish Cos.have announced June 6 as the opening date for its $500 million gaming and entertainment complex. The food and beverage team at Maryland Live has been in place for months, preparing for the casino's first guests. The casino's executive chef is Rudy Volpe, most recently of Carmine's in Washington, and the director of food and beverage for the casino is Greg Van Stone, most recently the director of restaurants for the Waldorf Astoria in Orlando, Fla. Volpe and Van Stone will be responsible for the casino's food operations, including the Live Market Buffet , an Asian noodle bar and a Phillips Seafood outlet.

The trustees of the Contemporary Museum announced Monday that they have voted unanimously to suspend operations May 31. That will be the last day for the executive director and four part-time staff members. Plans to secure a new home for the museum have been scrapped. "We are solvent," said board member Barbara Portnoy Levine, who announced the board's decision Monday. "We are not in debt. The board just decided that the model was not serving us properly. We were not getting the commitment in terms of fundraising and participation we feel we should be getting.

A grand jury indicted two operators of a prescription drug clinic in Timonium arrested in a Tuesday raid on charges of conspiracy to distribute Schedule II narcotics. A Baltimore County Circuit Court judge set a $50,000 cash-only bail Thursday for Gerald Wiseberg of Boca Raton, Fla., and Michael Jacob Reznikov of Brooklyn, N.Y., operators at the Healthy Life Medical Group in the 1100 block of York Road. At a preliminary hearing, Wiseberg, 78, and Reznikov, 51, were prohibited from leaving the country and were ordered to give up their passports.

Two unidentified operators of a prescription drug clinic in Lutherville that was raided by Baltimore County narcotics officers and Drug Enforcement Administration agents Tuesday have been arrested, according to county police. One was arrested at the Healthy Life Medical Group clinic in the 1100 block of York Road, the other at Baltimore Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport, police said. Both have been charged with conspiracy to distribute Schedule II narcotics, which include amphetamines, methamphetamines and other drugs that can be used in a medical setting but have "a high potential for abuse which may lead to severe psychological or physical dependence," according to the DEA website.

The reassurance that he was 100 percent healthy following an offseason operation on a double hernia didn't come for Torrey Smith while running a route or going up to catch a pass. It came while the former University of Maryland standout was playing basketball this offseason, both in his charity game and one hosted by his teammate, Anquan Boldin . “I played in my basketball game and had like five dunks. I played in Anquan's and had like five dunks,” said Smith who was at Ray Rice Day today at Calvert Hall.

Terry Weldon Taylor, a former public affairs director of a Baltimore health center and veteran political operative, died Wednesday from complications of a stroke at Northwest Hospital. The Windsor Mills resident was 62. "I got to know him through the late Wendell H. Phillips, who was the pastor of Heritage United Church of Christ and had served in the Maryland House of Delegates. Terry had all of the political spirituality of that congregation," said City Councilwoman Mary Pat Clarke.

A 911 DISPATCHER listened last week as Maria D. Rivas argued with her husband Xuang Ky "Tony" Tran. As Mr. Tran loaded and cocked the .357 magnum handgun he had bought that day, the dispatcher tried to persuade Ms. Rivas to leave the room. She tried to keep the woman talking, to buy time, but to no avail. "Stop it! No! No! No!" were the last words the dispatcher heard before two "pops" of gunfire. When police kicked down the door of the couple's second-story condominium in Columbia, Mr. Tran had already shot his wife and himself.

WARRENTON, Va. -- Potential operators of a racetrack in Virginia met for the first time in one public forum yesterday at the annual meeting of the Virginia Thoroughbred Association and disagreed sharply on how racing should be conducted in the state.Five of the six potential operators, who must file an application with the Virginia Racing Commission by Oct. 1 to gain licensing approval, either attended the meeting at the Airlie Conference Center or sent a representative.At one end of the spectrum is James J. Wilson, a Middleburg, Va., farm owner and president and chief executive officer of Interstate General Company, L.P., a real estate firm that operates El Comandante Race Course in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

The struggling Sparrows Point steel plant will resume operations of its "L" blast furnace Saturday after it was temporarily shut down for routine maintenance, the company said. In a letter to customers Friday, RG Steel chief commercial officer Jerry Nelson said the temporary outage that began Wednesday would not have a "detrimental effect on our delivery performance. " Earlier this month, RG Steel told managers and executives, including those at Sparrows Point, that it is cutting their salaries because of weak economic conditions.

It's well known that world-renowned doctors from Johns Hopkins Hospital regularly treat royalty, other dignitaries and U.S. service members. According to the CBS news show 60 Minutes , they also have been called upon to patch up those who don't appear on America's side. As part of a report Sunday about the harsh interrogation techniques used by the government after the9/11attacks, the news program said a Hopkins doctor was brought in to operate on a suspected terrorist.