Resignation

The chairman of Maryland's Technology Development Corporation, which oversees the state's stem cell fund, has resigned his position on the board, effective Friday. "We have a new administration and it seemed like an appropriate time to give fresh leadership a chance," said Frank Adams, who has been a member of TEDCO's board since its inception in 1998, appointed first by Democratic Gov. Parris N. Glendening, then reappointed by Republican Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. Adams originally planned to leave his post last month, when his second four-year term expired.

JERUSALEM -- An Israeli government investigation into Israel's war against Hezbollah guerrillas in Lebanon harshly criticizes Prime Minister Ehud Olmert for many of the military campaign's failures, raising doubts about his ability to stay in power amid increasing calls for his resignation. The much-anticipated report, which was released yesterday, accuses Olmert of "serious failure" for leading the country "hastily" into an over-ambitious, ill-conceived and costly conflict that left more than 1,000 civilians and combatants dead, most of them in Lebanon.

WARSAW, Poland -- A national drama that embarrassed the Roman Catholic Church and roused Cold War memories ended in a spectacle yesterday when the new archbishop of Warsaw resigned before his Inauguration Mass after admitting that he collaborated with Communist secret police decades ago. The Vatican quickly accepted the resignation of the Most Rev. Stanislaw Wielgus, who waited until hours before the ceremony in St. John's Cathedral before capitulating to...

WASHINGTON -- Twenty five years after the resignation of President Richard M. Nixon on Aug. 9, 1974, the saga of the man and his downfall continue to hang over the political life of the country.Yet another movie, a comedy entitled "Dick," in which his misadventures involving the Watergate break-in and cover-up are examined once again, is about to be released.At the same time, topping the best-seller lists in the New York Times and the Washington Post is the new book by Watergate sleuth Bob Woodward entitled "Shadow."

After a monthlong controversy, Donald B. Messenger has resigned from the county Board of Appeals, effective June 1, unless a replacement can be chosen more quickly."

In the midst of a review by a state task force, a key official of the state Injured Workers Insurance Fund has abruptly resigned, citing personal reasons.IWIF board Chairman Daniel E. McKew said yesterday that Doreen A. Horvath, 39, chief operating officer for the state fund, submitted her resignation last week. The resignation, which gave one week's notice, is effective today.Horvath, who previously was a regional manager for the Travellers Insurance Group, could not be reached to comment.

The Carroll County Board of Zoning Appeals is losing its most outspoken member, Hobart D. "Hoby" Wolf, who announced his resignation yesterday.In his nearly three-year tenure, the 75-year-old Eldersburg resident has added sarcasm and humor to the usually staid land-use panel, often interrupting testimony for an aside."

In the midst of a review by a state task force, a key official of the state Injured Workers Insurance Fund has abruptly resigned citing personal reasons.IWIF board Chairman Daniel E. McKew said yesterday that Doreen A. Horvath, 39, chief operating officer for the state fund, submitted her resignation last week. The resignation, which gave one week's notice, is effective today.Horvath, who previously was a regional manager for the Travellers Insurance Group, could not be reached to comment.

MOSCOW -- Boris N. Yeltsin, who has been looking ever healthier and stronger the past few days, turned positively frisky yesterday. He suspended the nation's prosecutor general, who had dared to outmaneuver him two weeks ago, thus offering a reminder to anyone who needed it that this president always gets even and can never be counted out.He also found time to seal, with a flourish, the dismissal of his old friend Boris A. Berezovsky.Berezovsky was fired yesterday as executive secretary of the Commonwealth of Independent States, unable to fly to Moscow and defend himself because his private plane was denied permission to enter Russian airspace.

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.

The Maryland Republican Party remains in upheaval after party leaders voted to express "no confidence" in James Pelura, the beleaguered chairman who has ignored calls for his resignation. Republicans are mulling the ramifications of the vote that took place at a meeting of the party's executive committee over the weekend, including whether a separate vote to call a special convention to oust Pelura is needed. Two-thirds of the committee, made up of 30 statewide and county officers, sided against the chairman.

Brian D. Morris, the charismatic and well-connected former Baltimore school board chairman who was to start a high-level school district job Monday morning, resigned Saturday amid questions about the hiring process and his history of financial troubles. In statements issued Saturday, the school board and Morris said he had decided to withdraw his name for the $175,000-a-year post, which would have given him oversight of school system operations. Since Tuesday, when the school board approved the appointment on the recommendation of schools CEO Andr?

What went through your head when you realized Sunday evening that, indeed, the Ravens were going back to Pittsburgh. Was it dread, like my son's first reaction? Was it exhilaration? Or was it plain old resignation, because you assumed it was going to happen anyway? ( For more, go to baltimoresun.com/cornersportsbar)

Douglas M. Duncan, the former Montgomery County executive, resigned yesterday from his vice president's job at the University of Maryland to take a job with a private start-up company, the university said. Duncan had served as vice president for administrative affairs for the past 17 months, at an annual salary of $255,000. Duncan will join CivicUS, a new firm that advises local governments on executive management, as a senior vice president. The university said the resignation, effective Nov. 7, is not related to a recent dust-up in which Duncan had said he was forced to back out of a political forum at the direction of Gov. Martin O'Malley's office.

Less than two months after presenting an ambitious program to expand mental health and substance abuse recovery programs, Harford County's health officer has resigned, reportedly stressing his disappointment with nearly $2 million in cuts to his agency's budget. In a letter to the County Council, which has not been made public, Dr. Andrew Bernstein expressed concerns with the state funding cuts, as well as the county's inability to make up the difference, officials said. Bernstein, whose department is funded through the state and county resources, left the county's employ, effective Jan. 2, and has not been available for comment.

Ravens coach fired Coach Brian Billick is fired, just days after the team finished the season 5-11. Owner Steven Bisciotti said it was one of the toughest decisions of his life. Ohio crash kills five in family A Parkville woman and four children died in a collision south of Toledo, Ohio, when the driver of a truck drove the wrong way on an interstate. Public schools show changing face Over several years, the composition of the state's public schools has changed, with minorities now outnumbering white students.

Tribune Co. Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Dennis J. FitzSimons is expected to announce his resignation as early as today, a person close to the company said yesterday. The resignation would be the first departure of a top Tribune executive as the company prepares to go private under the leadership of Chicago businessman Sam Zell. FitzSimons, 57, a 25-year veteran of Tribune, is in line to collect close to $40 million in severance, depending on the date on which he chooses to depart, according to corporate disclosure statements.

Even by the standards of his field, Baltimore Fire Chief William J. Goodwin Jr. has lived close to the flame. In recent years, though, the fires he's had to fight have been largely political ones. But like the veteran, third-generation firefighter that he is, he seemed to have a knack for surviving even those. There was the scandal in 2004 when the department fielded an all-white recruit class for the first time in 50 years. Then-Mayor Martin O'Malley reprimanded Goodwin and demanded changes, but kept him on. Then there was the death of cadet Racheal Wilson during a woefully flawed training accident in February, which would lead to multiple investigations that faulted the department for lax training standards and multiple safety violations.

A day after Baltimore Fire Chief William J. Goodwin Jr. resigned, city officials said his decision may have been due in part to his wife's illness. Goodwin, who has served as chief since 2002, was the latest of three department-level leaders to leave Mayor Sheila Dixon's administration. Dixon said she would begin a search for a new chief soon. Goodwin's resignation came after a rocky year at the department - including the death of a cadet who was killed during a training exercise, questions about the use of an off-the-books financial account and, more recently, an investigation into possible cheating on promotional exams.

Baltimore Fire Chief William J. Goodwin Jr., hailed for his early leadership but increasingly under pressure after a fatal training accident this year, has resigned, Mayor Sheila Dixon announced yesterday. Goodwin - a third-generation firefighter who has served as chief since 2002 - formally resigned yesterday afternoon, ending months of speculation over whether he would lose his job in the wake of the death Feb. 9 of Cadet Racheal M. Wilson. Goodwin's resignation was the most recent in a stream of high-level departures from the Dixon administration.