Paternity

Baltimore City Central District Deputy assaulted: A sheriff's deputy was injured outside the Clarence M. Mitchell Courthouse yesterday when he was struck by a vehicle driven by a man being sought on a paternity warrant. Capt. Toby Goodwin, a sheriff's spokesman, said Sgt. Fred Jackson and other deputies were nearing an Isuzu Rodeo - occupied by a man and a 3-year-old boy - parked on East Lexington Street near North Calvert Street about 4:30 p.m. when the driver sped off, running over Jackson's foot and knocking him down.

Baltimore Police have charged an 18-year-old Abingdon man with fatally shooting a woman in Cherry Hill last week, according to court records.  The records show that Queren L. Thomas, a 36-year-old whose last known address was in South Laurel, was found shot in the 200 block of Reedbird Ave. at about 7 p.m. on Sept. 27. Thomas had called 911 prior to her death and told police "that the person who was responsible for shooting her was a person that she picked up at 908 Coppin Court.

ATLANTA - Everybody knows what child support is. It's money you have to pay when you're a parent but your child doesn't live with you. For instance, if parents are divorced and the child lives with the mother, then the father gives money to the mother every month to help support their son or daughter. Fair enough. But what if you're not really a parent? You couldn't be forced to pay child support then, could you? That wouldn't be fair, would it? Well, consider the case of Carnell Smith, 41, of Georgia.

Herb Gardner has written about crotchety old men ("I'm Not Rappaport") and crotchety young men ("A Thousand Clowns"). So it's no surprise that there's a crotchety character at the center of "Conversations With My Father." The character in this case, as the title suggests, is at least partly based on his own father, and the script is his richest and most psychologically complex yet.Spanning 40 years beginning in 1936 and calling for a cast of a dozen, many of whom age accordingly, "Conversations" is a challenging play for a little theater.

Norplant, the five-year contraceptive implant, has been used by almost 2 million women around the world -- by choice. But the safety, convenience and reliability that have made it popular also present the temptation to turn choice into coercion. Almost from the moment Norplant was approved for use in this country in 1990, the suggestion has been raised from time to time that government consider requiring certain women to use the device.In his State of the State address last month, Gov. William Donald Schaefer added the latest chorus by suggesting that his new Welfare Policy Commission take a look at all the possible solutions, extreme or not, to reduce the number of children being born to women and girls who are not able to take care of them.

NEW YORK - They mocked him as he walked from the bullpen to the dugout before the game. "Who's your daaa- ddy?' They mocked him again as he stood on the mound and warmed up before the bottom of the first. "Who's your daaa-ddy?' The fans who filled Yankee Stadium for Game 2 of the American League Championship Series last night never stopped mocking Pedro Martinez. The Red Sox's star right-hander was in circumstances as daunting as any athlete could face. Things tend to get exaggerated when the Yankees and Red Sox are playing for a pennant, but you couldn't overstate the pressure on Martinez.

If John Nickel had to narrow himself down to one mistake in his life, it would be that he didn't marry Marion Woodmoore as soon as he found out she was pregnant.She was 18 and he was 25. They were sitting on the back steps of her parents' house, splitting a Coke, when she told him the results of the pregnancy test. Her face didn't have a worry on it. "It said I love you and you love me and all this is going to be fine." But it wouldn't be fine. "Taft," by Ann Patchett, explains why.A graduate of the Writers Workshop at the University of Iowa, Ms. Patchett is a professor at Radcliffe College.

"The Sum of Us" takes familiar dramatic ground -- father-son relationships -- and gives it a provocative twist. Harry (Jack Thompson), the father, is a widower in search of a new mate. Jeff (Russell Crowe), the son, is also looking for love -- and gay.But instead of fiery confrontations about sexuality, "The Sum of Us" focuses on the unbreakable bonds of family. Not only do Harry and Jeff get along, Harry is downright enthusiastic in helping his son find a boyfriend. When Jeff picks up Greg (John Polson)

REGARDLESS of the political times, it seems reasonable enough to expect a nominee for the Supreme Court to express a commitment to basic constitutional freedoms. But in the twisted politics of the Reagan-Bush era, only selective commitment is required.The confirmation hearings for David Souter made perfectly clear that the 14 fumbling senaLindaCottontors on the Judiciary Committee had no intention of getting into a brawl with George Bush as they did with Reagan over the nomination of Robert Bork three years ago. Not with the deficit pumped up by the gulf crisis and elections coming in November.