Investigation

It's a story that never seems to go away. Steroids. Steroids. Steroids. If former Sen. George Mitchell, who has been conducting an investigation backed by millions of dollars from Major League Baseball, has something, he'd better get it out there pronto. Because Barry Bonds is going to break Hank Aaron's all-time home run record soon, and it will be in the books. Asterisk or no asterisk. It will count. Maybe it won't be recognized by baseball purists, those who believe that anyone who has been found to use steroids or has come under suspicion should be stricken from public consciousness.

News item: The Orioles will give Cal Ripken Jr. a "Hall of Fame Send-off" at Camden Yards on Tuesday night, honoring him in advance of his induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y., next Sunday. My take: I'm hoping this one will be a lot better than the sendoffs they gave Jon Miller, Davey Johnson, Pat Gillick, Brooks Rob ... oh, forget it. News item: Erik Bedard took a no-hitter into the sixth inning Friday night in Oakland. He was removed from the game with a one-hitter after the seventh with the Orioles leading by five runs.

An FBI review of the 2005 death of Robert Lee Clay, a prominent Baltimore businessman and advocate for minority entrepreneurs, supports a conclusion by city police and the state medical examiner's office that he committed suicide, according to an FBI letter made public yesterday. The agency said investigators reviewed police reports "covering Mr. Clay's background, business relationships, and financial affairs leading up to his death," which revealed "a somewhat stressful time in his life.

Moments after Charles R. Erdman's old Ford pickup truck had been struck by a sport utility vehicle on Erdman Avenue in East Baltimore, he stepped out to talk to the driver. Standing in front of the auto parts shop where he worked, all Erdman wanted was the man's insurance information, police said. But the driver of the green Ford Explorer refused - police said the vehicle had a stolen license plate - and hopped back into the SUV and accelerated. He drove into the 65-year-old man, whose head and arms hit the top of the truck's hood.

Meeting with grand jurors yesterday for the first time since February, State Prosecutor Stephen Montanarelli said his investigation into possible illegal wiretapping by Linda R. Tripp was "going well" but declined to say when the yearlong probe would end."A prosecutor can't forecast how long an investigation is going to last," he said yesterday in an interview. "If we do that, we are fools."The grand jury met for 3 1/2 hours at the Circuit Courthouse in Ellicott City."Everyone is interested in bringing this to a close," Montanarelli said, "and so am I."

FireHampstead: Firefighters responded at 9: 15 a.m. Thursday to an investigation at Black Rock and Lower Beckleysville roads.

WASHINGTON -- The criminal investigation of President Clinton, Hillary Rodham Clinton and their associates is expected to go on for several more months, even after the likely resignation this fall of independent counsel Kenneth W. Starr, government sources said yesterday.Starr and Justice Department officials have had several discussions, described as hypothetical, to explore how the 5-year-old inquiry would proceed after Starr's expected departure.The department has made no decision but appears to be leaning toward an endorsement of one of Starr's deputies to complete the investigation, rather than have the Justice Department take over.

Federal housing officials violated government regulations last year and made extraordinary efforts to manipulate and control an employment discrimination investigation aimed at HUD's chief investigator, congressional investigators charged in a report released yesterday.Then, they tried to impede an investigation of their actions, according to the document issued by the General Accounting Office.The report was the latest development in a long-running feud between Housing and Urban Development Secretary Andrew M. Cuomo and Inspector General Susan Gaffney.

WASHINGTON -- The Greek government is investigating Litton Industries Inc. to determine whether the U.S. defense contractor made illegal payments to win Greek defense contracts, Greek Embassy officials said yesterday.Greece will look at whether Litton broke any laws when it paid $12 million in commissions to consultants regarding about $150 million in sales of F-16 fighter-jet equipment to the Greek government in 1993, said Achilles Paparsenos, a spokesman for the Greek Embassy. He didn't identify the consultants.

Federal prosecutors have sent two Annapolis lobbyists and a Baltimore legislator "target letters" indicating that a probe of their legislative and business dealings likely will lead to their indictment, sources said yesterday.A federal grand jury has been investigating dealings that lobbying partners Gerard E. Evans and John R. Stierhoff had with Del. Tony E. Fulton on proposed legislation affecting their clients, as well as a real estate transaction involving the three men.In a sign that the investigation might be nearing an end, the U.S. attorney's office in Baltimore sent each a target letter last week, according to two sources familiar with the probe.

An investigation into the deaths of two 17-year-old boys who were killed last month by a light-rail train has found "no criminal wrongdoing" on the part of the train's operator, Baltimore County police said Friday. The deaths of Jarrett C. Peterson and Kyle Wankmiller, who were struck July 5 as they walked on tracks near the Lutherville train station, resulted from an "unfortunate accident," Cpl. Michael Hill, a police spokesman, told reporters in Towson. No charges will be lodged against the train's operator, who told investigators that he did not see the two boys ahead of him on the track, even though a lawyer for their families said a videotape taken from the train shows the teenagers there.

City officials retreated Thursday from criticizing federal agencies for their role in a joint investigation of feuding drug rings, emphasizing instead the collaborative nature of the process and the many times the feds have come to Baltimore's aid. Police Commissioner Frederick H. Bealefeld III issued a statement saying the department's "strong partnership" with federal law enforcement is a "critical piece of [its] crime fighting strategy." And Mayor Sheila Dixon's spokesman said the U.S. attorney's office "has done a good job - a wonderful job, actually - in their work in Baltimore City."

St. Joseph Medical Center in Towson has reached an "agreement in principle" with the federal government to settle any claims that might arise in a long-running investigation of the hospital's relationship with its dominant cardiology practice, hospital officials said yesterday. Details of the agreement, which is expected to include a monetary penalty, were not disclosed. But interim CEO Robert Lovell began telling employees about the deal Thursday and released a statement later in the day saying that the agreement has been forwarded by U.S. Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein to the Justice Department and other federal agencies for final approval, which could take several months.

Vigilantism is an ugly word, but it's one that's been on people's minds ever since the death under suspicious circumstances of Ronnie L. White last June in a Prince George's County detention facility. Mr. White had been brought there on a Friday, accused of killing a county police officer, Cpl. Richard S. Findley, during a botched carjacking. By Sunday, Mr. White was dead, after jail guards reportedly found him lying unconscious in his maximum-security cell. The county medical examiner ruled the death a homicide when an autopsy revealed broken bones in the prisoner's neck, indicating he had been strangled.

The parents of a 16-year-old Alexandria, Va., girl who ran away from home and was found dead in November in an East Baltimore public housing complex launched a multimedia plea yesterday for tips in a case that police have deemed cold. Daniel and Mary Jane McCann offered a $10,000 reward through Metro Crime Stoppers in the hope that someone in Baltimore saw their daughter, Annie, and can shed light on her final moments. Yesterday, billboards were unveiled near the city's sports stadiums and along Interstate 95, and a mobile billboard began driving around Perkins Homes, the housing complex.

With the latest grand jury examining Baltimore City Hall corruption allegations expiring at the end of the week, observers say the nearly three-year-long probe hanging over Mayor Sheila Dixon is approaching a pivotal moment. The grand jury could decide to indict public or private figures who have been dogged by subpoenas and speculation for years. Or it could end with little tangible progress, as other grand juries investigating this case have, providing a small victory for the mayor and others who have long proclaimed their innocence.

Upper Marlboro - With the investigation of a detainee's homicide inside a cell in Prince George's County stretching past its fourth day, the local chapter of the NAACP criticized authorities yesterday for not suspending the nine officers who worked in the area where the death occurred. "There are nine individuals identified and all are still employed and still on duty," said June White Dillard, the NAACP chapter president. "We feel it is imperative that they be placed on administrative leave until a complete and thorough investigation has been completed into the homicide of Ronnie White."

I 'd like to take the opportunity of all those microphones that have been shoved in my face these past couple of days since my house was raided, and speak directly to you, the citizens of Baltimore. You overwhelmingly voted me into office, and I am truly blessed to have your continued support. And let me also at this point give a shout-out to the City Council. How cool was that when Mary Pat called the raid "a home invasion" and told Rohrbaugh to back off. And how the council president stands by me, even though I admit it's kind of mean-girl of me to keep challenging her to a 5K as part of my whole cleaner-greener-healthier thing.

We welcome the vigilance of prosecutors pursuing evidence of possible public corruption, including this week's search of Baltimore Mayor Sheila Dixon's home. We also appreciate Ms. Dixon's calm acceptance of lengthy investigations of possible illegal acts involving her. At the same time, we would remind all concerned that Mayor Dixon deserves the presumption of innocence and our encouragement as she pursues the public's business in coming weeks. We expect the prosecutors to conclude their investigation with all due speed and decide whether to charge Ms. Dixon or walk away.

As expected, Pennsylvania Sen. Arlen Specter's concerns over Spygate were not allayed by his conversation with ex-New England Patriots employee Matt Walsh. To the contrary, Specter was moved to call for an independent investigation. If you read the full text of Specter's "floor statement" on the subject, he makes what some might consider a pretty strong prima-facie case for such an inquiry based on circumstantial evidence -- for example, anecdotal observations that link rule-breaking videotaping with subsequent improved Patriots performances, and inconsistencies in the NFL's own inquiry and disclosures.