Rambo

HARRISBURG, Pa. - Rite Aid Corp.'s former chief executive Martin L. Grass pleaded guilty yesterday to two counts of conspiracy - to defraud shareholders and to obstruct justice - in one of the nation's biggest corporate accounting scandals in recent history. Grass, the son of Rite Aid's founder, agreed in a deal with federal prosecutors to serve up to eight years in prison and pay the government $3.5 million in fines and forfeitures. If approved by U.S. District Judge Sylvia H. Rambo, the sentence would be the stiffest punishment handed a former CEO for accounting fraud since corporate scandals at Enron, WorldCom and Adelphia began undermining investors' confidence, prosecutors said.

Washington. -- "My friends,'' exulted Ron Brown, then Democratic Party chairman (now secretary of commerce), to an American Bar Association forum in November 1992, ''I'm here to tell you that the lawyers won!'' That was true, given the Democrats' enthusiasm for the regulatory state and their aversion -- rewarded by campaign contributions from trial lawyers -- for reforms such as the ''loser pays'' rule to inhibit litigiousness.So, are lawyers happy? Not exactly. Nearly a quarter of them say they would choose a different profession were they starting over.

POINT OF IMPACT. By Stephen Hunter. Bantam Books. 451 pages. $22.IF Stephen Hunter's fifth novel, "Point of Impact," were found in a time capsule by a future anthropologist, what would the book reveal about popular culture of the 1990s?The first observation might be that the '90s were violent times. This book is first and foremost about Guns with a capital G, and that rhymes with D, and that stands for Dead.Get out your guns & ammo dictionary; you'll need it to decipher the bullet/gun lingo that weaves through every page.

About 200 people opposed to casino and riverboat gambling in Maryland attended a "No Casino Rally" last night at a Glen Burnie church."There is already enough and more than enough gambling opportunities in Maryland," the Rev. R. Olin Herndon, pastor of Glen Burnie United Methodist Church, told those at the rally. "We are here to join the chorus sounding across the state saying, 'No Casino.' "The Rev. Tom A. Grey of Galena, Ill., a spokesman for the National Coalition Against Legalized Gambling who has been dubbed "Riverboat Rambo" by gambling proponents, was the guest speaker at the rally.

There's something oddly touching about Sylvester Stallone's march down memory lane, dusting off one of his most iconic characters for another outing after years in mothballs. As with 2006's Rocky Balboa and now Rambo, the 60-year-old star dons the persona like a comfy old suit, a little worse for wear but eminently recognizable. Since drawing First Blood in 1982, John Rambo, a taciturn, nihilistic Vietnam vet who favors a bow and arrow and knife over modern weaponry (but can pretty much wipe out an entire regiment single-handedly with anything in reach)

Just when it looked like the all-around disgrace of the Keystone Kowboy Kop and the drunk hit-and-run driver inDarlington last year had been put to rest, it shamelessly surfaced again at the Harford County Courthouse.Pierre Petetit, whose car was riddled with bullets from Port Deposit's off-duty police chief, Samuel Maranto, in a high-speed chase from Harvey's Jr. roadhouse in November 1992, has filed a civil lawsuit asking $14 million for his unhappiness.He's suing Mr. Maranto, but mainly the town of Port Deposit, for $9 million compensatory damages and $5 million in punitive awards.

Boys' Latin senior attackman-midfielder Colin Heacock, ranked the No. 20 recruit in the nation according to Inside Lacrosse, has orally committed to Maryland. Heacock was a longtime Penn State recruit before decommitting in early November. He visited and was in discussions with multiple schools before deciding on the Terps. Heacock's addition to Maryland's Class of 2013 gives it another player ranked in the Top 50, including four Top 50 attackmen in Matt Rambo (No. 1), Tim Rotanz (No. 3)

On November 8, 2003, CHARLES EDWARD WARNER SR. "RAMBO", beloved husband of Jeanette F. Warner; also surviving daughter Vonda V. and son Charles Warner Jr., seven grandchildren, mother Ada Bell, father Melvin Needam, eight sisters, one brother and a host of other relatives and friends. Friends may call at the family owned MARCH FUNERAL HOME WEST INC., 4300 Wabash Ave. on Friday after 8:30 A.M. where the family will receive friends on Saturday at 11:30 followed by Funeral Services 12 noon.

On Tuesday, September 30, 2003, MARCELLA R. KEMPF of Gaithersburg, MD, wife of the late Raymond A. Kempf, mother of Pamela and Deborah Kempf, sister of Robert Ringger, Delores R. Anderson, and the late Catherine R. Rambo. Also survived by three grandchildren: Ruth, Joseph and Benjamin Wielgosz. A memorial service will be held at Asbury Methodist Village, 417 Russell Ave., Gaithersburg, MD, on Tues., Oct. 14, at 2PM. Interment private at Arlington National Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, if desired memorial contributions may be made to Montgomery Hospice Society, Inc., 1450 Research Blvd, Ste 310, Rockville, MD 20850-6101.

HARRISBURG, Pa. - A judge sentenced former Rite Aid Corp. Vice President Eric Sorkin to five months in federal prison and five months of home detention yesterday for lying about his role in an accounting fraud that cost the company $1.6 billion in profit. U.S. District Judge Sylvia Rambo also ordered Sorkin to serve two years of supervised release. He also was fined $5,000, First Assistant U.S. Attorney Martin Carlson said. Sorkin is the first of five executives who pleaded guilty to the fraud to be sentenced.