NewsWatch

The audio camera, which was named Information Science Invention of the Year, was developed by associate professor Ramani Duraiswami and research assistants Adam O’Donovan and Nail A. Gumerov. The device could help auto designers identify the source of noise within the passenger area, for example.

A robot that can help surgeons remove brain tumors was named Physical Science Invention of the Year, developed by professor Marc J. Simard; associate professors Jaydev P. Desai, Satyandra K. Gupta and Rao Gullapalli; and graduate students Nicholas Pappafotis and Wojciech Bejgerowski.

The Life Science Invention of the Year was molecularly imprinted polymers that could be used to develop a dialysis system that could remove viruses. It was developed by professor Peter Kofinas and graduate assistant Daniel Scott Janiak.

Montgomery Countyhonors businesses

Montgomery County companies were highlighted this week, as County Executive Isiah Leggett (D) brought back Business Appreciation Week. A fixture in the 1980s but not observed by recent county executives, the week featured a luncheon with Leggett and visits to some 250 to 300 businesses by Department of Economic Development officials.

In addition, Leggett and Pradeep Ganguly, economic director, kicked off a new marketing campaign called ‘‘I Am Montgomery,” which features profiles of company CEOs.

Leggett and County Council Member Nancy M. Floreen (D-At large) of Garrett Park this week also announced a Green Business Certification program to recognize local businesses that are ‘‘improving the county’s economy, environment and quality of life.” The plan is to recognize businesses certified in areas such as energy conservation, pollution prevention and storm water management.

Also this week, the Montgomery County Council approved a plan to reorganize the Office of Procurement and Small Business Reserve Program, designed to award at least 10 percent of qualifying county contracts to eligible small businesses, into the Department of General Services, from the procurement department.

LaSalle Hotel formsventure worth $700M

LaSalle Hotel Properties of Bethesda, a real estate investment trust, and LaSalle Investment Management of Chicago, a global real estate investment manager, have announced a joint venture to seek U.S. hotel investments in ‘‘high barrier-to-entry” urban and resort markets.

The companies plan to invest up to $250 million of equity, which, with anticipated leverage, will result in investments of up to $700 million. LaSalle Hotel Properties will own 15 percent of the joint venture and have the opportunity to earn a promote, or incentive fee, based upon achieving specific return thresholds based on each partner’s equity investment.

LaSalle Hotel Properties will receive additional income for providing acquisition, asset management, project redevelopment oversight and financing services. The anticipated acquisition period is up to three years with a total joint venture life of up to seven years, according to a joint statement by the companies.

CapitalSource pays millions for California bank

Amid tighter credit markets, commercial lender CapitalSource of Chevy Chase said this week it plans to purchase the assets of Fremont Investment & Loan, a California industrial bank, to give it new lending opportunities.

Under the deal, which includes Fremont’s $5.6 billion in retail deposits, CapitalSource would operate the bank’s 22 retail branches. The company expects to close the deal in the third quarter, pending regulatory approvals.

The California bank’s parent, Fremont General Corp. of Brea, Calif., said the deal is worth $90 million to the bank, including an $80 million discount on commercial real estate participation interest, plus a loan of up to $200 million to Fremont by CapitalSource.

Suburban Hospital plans $230 million expansion

After years of expansion and renovation efforts, Suburban Hospital has submitted its latest plans to Montgomery County, hoping to modernize the 65-year-old facility.

The hospital, on Old Georgetown Road across from the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, now faces a lengthy approval process before breaking ground on the $230 million project. It also faces a lengthy battle from some in the Huntington Terrace neighborhood that surrounds the hospital.

Residents will ‘‘oppose this in any way we can,” said Bob Deans of the Huntington Terrace Citizens Association, referring to planned street closings in connection with the expansion plans. The county Board of Appeals will hold four hearings on the proposal, and county officials must sign off on partial road abandonment in order for the project to begin as planned.

The plan adds 300,000-square-foot building with a surgical wing, more private patient rooms and physician office space. A new parking garage with seven stories of aboveground parking would augment the hospital’s current garage and surface parking lot. Construction would take place from 2011 to 2013.

Radio One pays $38Mfor social network firm

Radio One Inc. of Lanham recently purchased Community Connect Inc. of New York, an online social networking company, for about $38 million.

Community Connect owns and operates several social-networking brands, including BlackPlanet.com, MiGente.com and AsianAve.com, with more than 20 million members, according to a Radio One statement.

The company ‘‘is a great complement to our existing radio, TV and online properties,” Radio One’s CEO and president, Alfred Liggins III, said in a statement. ‘‘We will be the clear Number 1 in the African-American online space.”

Bechtel, union agreeon nuclear contract

Bechtel Construction Co. of Frederick and the Building and Construction Trades Department of the AFL-CIO have struck a wage agreement for workers who would build a potential third reactor at Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant in Lusby.

The reactor would be owned by UniStar Nuclear Energy LLC, a joint venture of Baltimore’s Constellation Energy and EDF Group of Europe.

Bechtel and the union announced they plan to reach an agreement by the end of 2008 on wages and benefits. A final decision has yet to be made on the construction of a new reactor at Calvert Cliffs.

‘‘Nuclear power, with its ability to meet our nation’s increasing energy demands without the production of harmful greenhouse gases, is a critical component of America’s future,” said George Vanderheyden, president and CEO of UniStar in a statement. ‘‘The Bechtel agreement is a significant step forward in securing the skilled workforce necessary to construct a new plant and positions [UniStar] well for making new nuclear in this country a reality.”

Hagerstown-Washington agency reports banner 2007

The Hagerstown-Washington County Economic Development Commission released its 2007 annual report this week, reporting 1,300 new positions, $130 million in capital investment and 1.3 million square feet of new industrial and commercial construction last year.

‘‘These results are the strongest we have experienced in the past few years,” said Timothy R. Troxwell, commission executive director, in a statement. ‘‘In addition, the local unemployment rate remained low with an annual rate of 4.6 percent. Our average [hourly] wage in 2005 was $16.15 vs. $16.83 in 2006 — an increase of 4.2 percent.”

Among the highlights was the relocation of Cinetic Landis Corp., a Waynesboro, Pa., manufacturer of precision grinding systems, to a new state-of-the-art facility on 28 acres in the Newgate Industrial Park in Washington County.

This estimated $10.5 million project will bring about 150 higher-paying jobs, with the new plant expected to become fully operational in July.

New agriculture grouppromotes biofuels

To bring to the forefront the interests of the developing advanced biofuels industry, Advanced Biofuels USA has been founded in Frederick.

‘‘The goal of Advanced Biofuels USA is to show the American people and their elected representatives that U.S. farmers and researchers together can produce sustainable and economical biofuels that will directly replace all types of transportation fuels including gasoline and jet fuel,” said founder Joanne Ivancic, a lawyer and lobbyist, in a statement. ‘‘We aim to focus on advanced biofuels made from sustainable non-food feedstocks.”

Advanced Biofuels USA will give individuals, farm cooperatives, startup companies and large producers a chance to work together to advance their common goals, according to the group’s information. Bob Kozak, president of Atlantic Biomass Conversions and a founding member, said he hopes other companies on the ‘‘cutting-edge of technology” will come on board.