Division

Thomas H. Williams, a 26-year veteran of the Maryland Division of Parole and Probation, has been named director of the agency, replacing W. Roland Knapp, who is retiring after five years in the top post.Williams started with the division in October 1972 as a probation officer for what is now the Baltimore Circuit Court. He held many posts, including agent, supervisor, assistant regional administrator for Baltimore, program director for the Correctional Options Program and, most recently, executive assistant director.

Jayme D. Weinstein, a former partner in the corporate merchandise services division of Dahne & Weinstein Jewelers and a volunteer, died of brain cancer Saturday at her Glyndon home. She was 50. She was born Jayme Dorf in Baltimore and raised in Pikesville. She was a 1971 graduate of Park School and earned a bachelor's degree in special and elementary education from the University of Maryland in 1975. After teaching for two years, she became East Coast training director for Frances Denney Cosmetics, and later was in the marketing and sales division of Van Cleef & Arpels, the New York City jeweler.

A much-anticipated Howard County division overseeing environmental issues is drawing criticism from local activists concerned about its autonomy.The newly approved Division of Environmental and Community Planning was created to revitalize aging communities, protect the environment and help county officials form a strategy to preserve open space.But skeptics argue that the division's authority will be diluted because it is being staffed with planners from the Department of Planning and Zoning who have little experience in conservation and even less authority to oppose environmentally destructive projects.

Overlea's height advantage wore down Dundalk yesterday, as the Falcons breezed to a 64-36 victory in the Blue Division final of the Baltimore County Holiday Invitational Tournament at Essex Community College.Overlea (6-0) used 6-foot-6 Bernard Hopkins and 6-7 Phil Rowe to lead an inside game that opened a 14-point halftime lead against the Owls (1-7), who were without three starters, including two taller than 6 feet 5."That's been the season," said Overlea coach Doug Eisenhauer. "We run a double low post that makes our big guys touch the ball."

Its Division I legacy is rather skimpy, one reason radio announcers were dropping the location yesterday, telling audiences that Maryland had made the NCAA baseball tournament.The pairings show on ESPN mispronounced the coach's name, but UMBC's John Jancuska knows the Retrievers have a reputation with the only critics that mattered -- the NCAA selection committee.For the record, the University of Maryland Baltimore County was one of 24 at-large teams selected to the 48-team NCAA field. The Retrievers will play Friday at Miami (49-7)

Salisbury-based Grumman Space & Electronics, a division of Grumman Corp. of New York, laid off 80 workers yesterday, the third work-force reduction at the plant in less than a year.Workers at the 107,000-square-foot facility, where aircraft electronic systems are manufactured, were anticipating the layoffs because of recent defense industry cuts, company officials said.In December, Grumman announced it would reduce the company's nationwide work force of 23,600 by 2,000 workers in 1992.tTC The Salisbury facility reduced its work force by 97 last April and by 79 last September.

The head of USF&G Corp.'s life insurance subsidiary stepped down yesterday, completing a yearlong turnover of the corporation's top operating executives.James M. Raley Jr., who had been acting president of Fidelity and Guaranty Life Insurance Co. since itsformer head, John E. Avery, retired in the late summer, left yesterday for "an extended leave of absence," according to sources at the company. Mr. Raley could not be reached for comment late yesterday.Ihor W. Hron, senior vice president at the life insurance subsidiary, was named acting president of the division.

No. 4 Southern bounced back from its loss to Annapolis Saturday to down No. 2 Lake Clifton, 75-57, yesterday and capture first place in the Maryland Scholastic Association A Conference Division II.Southern (14-5, 9-1) will meet Walbrook, the Division II second-place team, in the conference semifinals Feb. 26 at Morgan State.A victory would put the defending champion Bulldogs in the conference championship game in the Metro Classic March 3 at the Baltimore Arena.Lake Clifton is not out of the playoff picture.

Swimming at Johns Hopkins is returning to prominence, in a different decade, under a different coach.Under Frank Comfort in the late 1970s, Hopkins won three straight NCAA Division III championships. The Blue Jays lost their touch in the 1980s, finishing as low as ninth as George Kennedy, the new coach, tried to rebuild the program.Consider it rebuilt. After a fourth last year, the Hopkins men, in Kennedy's ninth season, finished third in the Division III championships last week at Williamstown, Mass.

With the Maryland Scholastic Association having been discontinued after last year's final league wrestling tournament, the city's public and private schools have formed separate wrestling conferences, and two divisions within those leagues.Among the public schools, Mervo, Southwestern, Carver, Northern, Lake Clifton, Northwestern and Patterson will crown a Division I champion, while Dunbar, City, Poly, Forest Park, Walbrook, Douglass and Edmondson will yield a Division II winner.Most of the teams will compete in the Westside Tournament on Jan. 14, won by host Mervo last year, and the City-Wide Tournament on Feb. 10-11, won by Poly.