Daily Record

Spirit owner Bill Stealey, who has been aggressively seeking local investors to join him in marketing the franchise, maintains that his first priority is to keep the team in Baltimore and to eventually see it play during the summer as an expansion team in Major League Soccer's outdoor league.Spirit general manager Drew Forrrester, representing Stealey, said the club will make an announcement within the next seven days that will "show a true commitment to soccer from corporate Baltimore."I believe the announcement will be the basis for our foundation for a lot of years to come here in Baltimore," Forrester said from St. Louis, where he was attending National Professional Soccer League meetings along with Stealey.

Richard H. Groves, the president and publisher of the Daily Record legal and business newspaper, yesterday said he is leaving that post.Groves said the parent company of the Maryland newspaper, Dolan Media Inc., had asked him to move to one of its other newspapers. He would not identify the newspaper, saying only that it is the Southeast.Groves said he was not given the option of remaining at the Record."I didn't want to leave Baltimore, so I decided to resign," said Groves, 57. He called his departure "amicable" and did not rule out a return to Dolan Media.

Shane Dougherty was drafted Thursday, practiced with the Spirit and agreed to terms Monday, and signed a three-year contract for an undisclosed salary yesterday that is expected to be approved by the National Professional Soccer League tomorrow.And next? Play in the Spirit's game Friday against the Philadelphia Kixx, perhaps?Indeed, that's the plan for the former Fallston High and University of Maryland star who was the No. 1 choice in the NPSL draft."It takes four or five days to adjust to indoors, but it's possible he'll play Friday," said player-coach Mike Stankovic.

Warfield's Business Record and the Daily Record, two business and legal publications in Maryland, will merge on Oct. 19, the papers' publisher said yesterday.With the formation of the new Daily Record, Dolan Media Inc., the owner, hopes to increase circulation and advertising revenues, provide expanded state coverage and more in-depth banking coverage. The new publication will come out six days a week, Monday through Saturday.During the week, the format and content will be similar to the Daily Record, while readers will recognize aspects of the weekly Warfield's on Saturday, said Richard H. Groves, president and publisher of both publications.

Baltimore election board chief Barbara E. Jackson has filed a lawsuit charging two of her leading detractors with slander during and after the bitter challenge to last year's gubernatorial election.In the lawsuit filed last week in Baltimore City Circuit Court, Ms. Jackson accuses Daniel J. Earnshaw, a former member of the state election board, and Matthew L. Iwicki, an activist in the post-election challenge, of defaming her with charges of incompetence and felonious conduct."I wouldn't want anyone -- anyone -- to go through the hell I went through in the last year and a half," Ms. Jackson said.

Bioprocessing Center gets grantThe Maryland Bioprocessing Center Inc. and Baltimore officials were awarded a $1.5 million federal grant for the Maryland Bioprocessing Center, a manufacturing resource center to be built by fall 1995 on East Lombard Street, city officials said yesterday.The grant from the U.S. Department of Commerce Economic Development Administration will go toward construction of the $23 million project -- a two-story, 30,000-square-foot facility planned for five city-owned acres adjacent to Johns Hopkins Bayview Research Campus.

The Daily Record Co., a news and printing company that was sold three months ago, has lost about a half-dozen management and editorial employees in recent weeks, including the company's former president and its legal affairs editor.The departures started about a month ago when former president Robert Dawson, whose title was changed to vice president soon after the company was sold in May, announced he would leave to become publisher of the Real Estate Review, a publication of the Greater Baltimore Board of Realtors.

Merry-Go-Round Enterprises Inc. denied a report yesterday that said Leonard "Boogie" Weinglass, the company's chairman, chief executive and co-founder, intends to leave day-to-day operations in December and move back to his home in Aspen, Colo.No decisions will be made on when Mr. Weinglass steps back from day-to-day management until Joppa-based Merry-Go-Round's operations are on a more even keel, Mr. Weinglass and company officials said.He may leave after the end of the year if results improve, but he doesn't have a firm schedule, Mr. Weinglass said in an interview.

The owner of the Daily Record Co., one of Maryland's oldest family-run businesses, has agreed to sell the 106-year-old news and printing company to a Minneapolis legal and business newspaper publisher.Edwin Warfield IV said yesterday that he has signed a letter of intent to sell the company, publisher of the Daily Record newspaper and the weekly Warfield's Business Record, to Dolan Media Co., which owns several legal and business publications in the Midwest. The all-cash deal is expected to be completed within the next few days, Mr. Warfield said.

Philip D. Kirby, 62, executive vice president, treasurer and a director of the Daily Record Co., died Thursday of cancer at his residence in Towson.Mr. Kirby began his career with the publishers of the Daily Record and Warfield's Business Record as controller in 1985.Previously, he had been treasurer of the Bagby Furniture Co., which he joined in 1984. And, from 1955 to 1974, he had been vice president of finance and treasurer of Environmental Elements Corp., a division of the Koppers Co.Edwin Warfield IV, chairman and publisher of the Daily Record Co., said of Mr. Kirby that "he was a trusted adviser with a great sense of humor."