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The owners of Rosecroft Raceway in Prince George's County have agreed to sell the harness racing track to a group controlled by the family of Peter G. Angelos, putting the influence of the politically connected Baltimore trial lawyer behind what is sure to be another push next year for slots at Maryland tracks. The deal, which the two sides agreed to late yesterday afternoon in a signed agreement made final by fax, must still be approved by the Maryland Racing Commission - which must decide whether to issue a license to the new owner to operate the track.

WASHINGTON -- Controversy over alleged widespread overcharges on adjustable-rate mortgages intensified recently as attorneys filed two new class-action suits against federally chartered lenders.The suits, part of what attorneys and lending-industry experts say will be a nationwide campaign of litigation this fall and into 1991, seek redress for all adjustable-rate mortgage borrowers at two Indiana-based savings institutions.Officials at the S&Ls -- Permanent Federal Savings and Shelby Federal Savings -- were unavailable for comment on the suits.

In the wake of a botched All-Star Game, amid rumors of illegal steroid use on the field, and in the shadow of growing disparity between rich teams and poor, the 2002 baseball world holds its breath. The most recent Collective Bargaining Agreement expired a year ago. Players' Association chief Donald Fehr aims to shut out any excuse the owners might have for imposing a salary cap this off-season. It doesn't seem to matter that a cap might be vital to the game's future health. The looming question, then: Are the players going to strike?

WASHINGTON -- President Clinton, his White House communications team and his new chief of staff, Leon E. Panetta, agreed on how the announcement about Rwanda would go down:Mr. Clinton would go to the White House briefing room to announce the emergency response. He would then turn the podium over to Gen. John Shalikashvili, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Brian Atwood, a special envoy to Africa.The president would be accompanied by press secretary Dee Dee Myers, but he would take no questions.

As mandated by law, all dads are required to fall into one of four categories for Father's Day: those who like power tools; those who like big, fancy grills that could cook up a moose; those who like fancy electronic gadgets; and those who golf. If the dad in your house is a golfer, one of those curious individuals who enjoys the emotional flagellation that comes with this most difficult sport, why not treat the big guy to 18 holes this weekend? If you decide to, here's a purely subjective look at some public courses in the Baltimore area that Dad might enjoy - or that might send him over the edge if he's really hacking it up: BEST FOR DAD'S EGO Longview Golf Course 1 Cardigan Road, Timonium 410-887-7795 baltimoregolfing.

Situated on the sunny South Carolina coast, Myrtle Beach continues to make its name as a golf destination with more than 100 golf courses scattered across the Grand Strand. The area features some of the most challenging, beautiful and famous golf courses in the world. But Myrtle Beach, which lures more than 14 million visitors a year, is increasingly establishing itself as a family destination with its abundant beaches, gleaming new resort complexes and amusement parks. Despite last year's closing of the Pavilion Amusement Park - a tourist favorite for 58 years - other fun family adventures are on tap, including miniature golf, arcade games and NASCAR-like racing.

CHESTERTOWN -- It was his most contentious day in Congress, and the scene reminded Wayne T. Gilchrest of Turners Creek near his Kent County home here, where birds swirl and dive toward the shallow water.Lawmakers had swarmed into the House chamber Oct. 29, screeching and crowing about Mr. Gilchrest's amendment calling for a one-year scientific study to define "wetland" -- a seemingly benign term until it was seized by both landowners and environmentalists as their own. "We need a policy based on fact," the freshman Republican told his colleagues simply, "not a policy based on politics."

In a quiet revolution in the nation's countryside, rural women have begun to recast their lives and their communities and, in making those changes, are significantly reshaping the culture of rural America.From the hollows of Appalachia to the prairies of the Midwest, up the country and down, rural women are becoming community and family leaders in ways unfamiliar to them, creating new traditions while losing some of the old ones.The movement has no name, but it does have a voice -- lots of voices.

As long as kids have aimed their index fingers and cocked their thumbs, there have been make-believe shooting games. But over the past two decades, computers have enhanced electronic shoot-'em-up games with surround sound, full color and digital ammunition. Virtual gunning comes with simulated sniper scopes, crosshairs and laser-guided sights for technology as portable as the Game Boy or the Palm Pilot. Wal-Mart removed the computer game Sniper: Path of Vengeance from its shelves in the Washington area last week, in response to the recent sniper attacks.

There's power and then there's power.The Congressional Country Club in Bethesda has played host to both. From Arnold Palmer to Jack Nicklaus to Tiger Woods. From Woodrow Wilson to Tip O'Neill to Bill Clinton.The Congressional has been its own seat of power since its formal opening on May 23, 1924. The idea for the course was hatched by two congressmen from Indiana -- O.R. Luhring and Oscar Bland -- who envisioned an oasis where "officials and professional and business men could get together and, without restricting influences, express the views they entertained," according to the club's official history.