South Lawn

WASHINGTON -- Hours after being relegated to an infamous place in history as the second U.S. president to be impeached, William Jefferson Clinton, who once dreamed of a sterling presidential legacy, vowed to remain in office "until the last hour of the last day of my term."Speaking on the South Lawn of the White House as twilight fell -- backed by much of the Democratic membership of the House and with his wife, Hillary Rodham Clinton, by his side -- Clinton denounced the "politics of personal destruction" and insisted he would fight to hold onto his job."

Haven't made it to Washington for the annual White House Easter Egg Roll? You're officially invited. This year's egg roll is scheduled for tomorrow and promises kids and adults a fun and unusual Easter celebration. Visitors use spoons to roll their eggs across the White House South Lawn. And if that's too frustrating for you, there will also be egg-coloring activities, art workshops, face painting, live music, magic shows, reading areas and more on the Ellipse. The egg roll runs 8 a.m.-2 p.m. on the South Lawn of the White House, 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. N.W., Washington.

WASHINGTON -- The Memphis Red Sox, a T-ball team composed mostly of first- and second-graders, were to take the field on the South Lawn of the White House. President Bush would be watching each play and every at-bat. But the message from the Washington team's manager, Quintin Thomas Sr., to his 17 pint-sized players was to focus on fundamentals -- throwing, catching and keeping eyes on the ball until making contact. "I tried to keep it that way," Thomas said, "so the kids didn't get caught up in what a big deal this was."

WASHINGTON - From the South Lawn of the White House yesterday, all appeared right with the world as two Little League teams - the Glen Burnie Oriole Advocates and the Ridley Park Police from Pennsylvania - whacked away at a baseball in front of President Bush, who was perched on nearby bleachers. "He's not what I expected," 16-year-old David Grieff, who plays for the Police, said of the president. "He looks a lot older on TV. He doesn't look so old here." He looked downright relaxed, decked out in a red golf shirt and gray slacks, posing for pictures with proud parents and autographing programs throughout the one-inning game in which nobody kept score.

Haven't made it to Washington for the annual White House Easter Egg Roll? You're officially invited. This year's egg roll is scheduled for tomorrow and promises kids and adults a fun and unusual Easter celebration. Visitors use spoons to roll their eggs across the White House South Lawn. And if that's too frustrating for you, there will also be egg-coloring activities, art workshops, face painting, live music, magic shows, reading areas and more on the Ellipse. The egg roll runs 8 a.m.-2 p.m. on the South Lawn of the White House, 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. N.W., Washington.

A Glen Burnie teen-ager will be one of 140 high school graduates honored today at a White House ceremony for their work at school and in the community.Meredith M. Reffner, 17, an Old Mill High School graduate, has been chosen a Presidential Scholar of the Arts and will receive a medallion from President Clinton and first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton.The Presidential Scholars Program, established in 1964, selects students based on their academic and artistic success, leadership and school and community involvement.

WASHINGTON -- An armed intruder jumped a fence onto the South Lawn of the White House late last night and was shot and wounded by a uniformed Secret Service agent. The bullet passed through the man's arm and wounded a second agent. Both men were reported in stable condition in the hospital early this morning.President Clinton was meeting with his chief of staff, Leon E. Panetta, in the White House residence at the time of the shooting, about 10:45 p.m., and was never in any danger, officials said.

Boston -- What's wrong with this picture?It's not a bird, it's not Superman on the south lawn of the White house. It's a plane. It's a two-seat Cessna 150 that winged down 17th Street unnoticed, hung a U, headed across the lawn, stripped some bark off a 150-year-old magnolia tree, and crashed two stories below the presidential bedroom.What's wrong with this picture?There on television, John Corder, the brother of Frank Corder who pulled this suicidal stunt -- it's hard to know whether the suicide or the stunt was first on his mind -- tells a reporter that Frank had always wanted to go out ''on top.'' And, the brother adds matter-of-factly, without horror or shame, ''he did.''What's wrong with this picture?

WASHINGTON - Della Almind had no reservation about hugging the Easter Bunny on the South Lawn of the White House yesterday. The 6-year-old ran up to the bespectacled, straight-eared creature, put her arms around his middle and pushed her head into his tummy. The bunny was soft, very soft, she said with a giggle. The pigtailed girl in a pink dress couldn't have imagined being at the White House before her family moved to Washington from Spokane so her dad, John, an Air Force pilot, could help with war planning at the Pentagon.

WASHINGTON -- Cal Ripken returned to an old ritual yesterday, taking the field on a sun-drenched Sunday afternoon that was made for baseball. But things are not exactly what they used to be. Ripken was sporting a white polo shirt and slacks. He took some practice swings -- off a stationary tee. And this was not Camden Yards, but the South Lawn of the White House. The former Orioles star was attending his first game since being appointed commissioner of White House T-ball. Ripken's new post entails presiding over occasional games between first- and second-graders in the president's back yard.

WASHINGTON - Della Almind had no reservation about hugging the Easter Bunny on the South Lawn of the White House yesterday. The 6-year-old ran up to the bespectacled, straight-eared creature, put her arms around his middle and pushed her head into his tummy. The bunny was soft, very soft, she said with a giggle. The pigtailed girl in a pink dress couldn't have imagined being at the White House before her family moved to Washington from Spokane so her dad, John, an Air Force pilot, could help with war planning at the Pentagon.

WASHINGTON -- Cal Ripken returned to an old ritual yesterday, taking the field on a sun-drenched Sunday afternoon that was made for baseball. But things are not exactly what they used to be. Ripken was sporting a white polo shirt and slacks. He took some practice swings -- off a stationary tee. And this was not Camden Yards, but the South Lawn of the White House. The former Orioles star was attending his first game since being appointed commissioner of White House T-ball. Ripken's new post entails presiding over occasional games between first- and second-graders in the president's back yard.

WASHINGTON -- The Memphis Red Sox, a T-ball team composed mostly of first- and second-graders, were to take the field on the South Lawn of the White House. President Bush would be watching each play and every at-bat. But the message from the Washington team's manager, Quintin Thomas Sr., to his 17 pint-sized players was to focus on fundamentals -- throwing, catching and keeping eyes on the ball until making contact. "I tried to keep it that way," Thomas said, "so the kids didn't get caught up in what a big deal this was."

WASHINGTON - For a moment yesterday, the mystique of the presidency seemed to drop away, and the man who occupies the White House looked like nothing so much as an awe-struck baseball fan. Standing behind a lectern, George W. Bush watched a boyhood fantasy spring to life. Any fan could have dreamed up the image: Holding court in a room, surrounded by dozens of Hall of Fame players who had trekked from across the country just to visit you. Presidential perks being what they are, that's precisely what happened to Bush, as he played host to 46 baseball superstars who helped him celebrate the opening of a new season.

WASHINGTON -- Hours after being relegated to an infamous place in history as the second U.S. president to be impeached, William Jefferson Clinton, who once dreamed of a sterling presidential legacy, vowed to remain in office "until the last hour of the last day of my term."Speaking on the South Lawn of the White House as twilight fell -- backed by much of the Democratic membership of the House and with his wife, Hillary Rodham Clinton, by his side -- Clinton denounced the "politics of personal destruction" and insisted he would fight to hold onto his job."

WASHINGTON -- Secretary of State Warren Christopher resigned yesterday, the first departure in what is expected to be an exodus of top Cabinet officers and White House aides as President Clinton moves to shake up his administration for a second term.Joining Christopher in the first wave of leave-takings, White House officials said, will be Defense Secretary William J. Perry, .. Commerce Secretary Mickey Kantor and Energy Secretary Hazel O'Leary, as well as some highly visible White House aides, including chief of staff Leon E. Panetta and senior adviser George Stephanopoulos.

WASHINGTON - From the South Lawn of the White House yesterday, all appeared right with the world as two Little League teams - the Glen Burnie Oriole Advocates and the Ridley Park Police from Pennsylvania - whacked away at a baseball in front of President Bush, who was perched on nearby bleachers. "He's not what I expected," 16-year-old David Grieff, who plays for the Police, said of the president. "He looks a lot older on TV. He doesn't look so old here." He looked downright relaxed, decked out in a red golf shirt and gray slacks, posing for pictures with proud parents and autographing programs throughout the one-inning game in which nobody kept score.

WASHINGTON -- The first reaction to the closing of Pennsylvania Avenue this weekend among the bureaucrats, politicians, tourists, journalists and locals who coexist here was the disquieting sense that things might never be the same.For those who work here, closing the street in front of the White House will mean worse rush-hour gridlock. For those who visit, the relaxed days when Aunt Maude could stop her car right in front of the presidential mansion and snap a picture are gone, too.But the two-block closing also symbolizes profound changes in American life, changes that do not seem for the better.

A Glen Burnie teen-ager will be one of 140 high school graduates honored today at a White House ceremony for their work at school and in the community.Meredith M. Reffner, 17, an Old Mill High School graduate, has been chosen a Presidential Scholar of the Arts and will receive a medallion from President Clinton and first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton.The Presidential Scholars Program, established in 1964, selects students based on their academic and artistic success, leadership and school and community involvement.

WASHINGTON -- An armed intruder jumped a fence onto the South Lawn of the White House late last night and was shot and wounded by a uniformed Secret Service agent. The bullet passed through the man's arm and wounded a second agent. Both men were reported in stable condition in the hospital early this morning.President Clinton was meeting with his chief of staff, Leon E. Panetta, in the White House residence at the time of the shooting, about 10:45 p.m., and was never in any danger, officials said.