Friday, April 1, 2005; Page B03

THE REGION

U.S. Park Police arrested a suspected robber who had impersonated a federal officer early yesterday after a chase from the District to Charles County, authorities said.

A Park Police detective was in downtown Washington about 3:50 a.m. on an unrelated case when he was notified of a street robbery near 14th and K streets NW by someone impersonating a federal agent, said Sgt. Scott Fear, a Park Police spokesman.

The detective spotted the suspect in a car and tried to pull him over, but the man drove off, sending the detective, and eventually other Park Police, on a high-speed pursuit, authorities said.

The detective managed to get the man's cell phone number and, during the chase, phoned the suspect and persuaded him to surrender at Route 210 near Prospect Avenue in Charles County, Fear said.

The suspect, Edwin G. Johnson, 22, of Oxon Hill, was charged with traffic-related offenses, police said.

"U.S. Park Police are investigating the possibility that he may be associated with numerous other crimes while impersonating a federal agent," Fear said.

Though tuberculosis cases fell slightly in Virginia last year from 2003, they rose in Northern Virginia. With the same trend reported in Maryland and the District, officials are calling for stronger public health initiatives to control the communicable disease.

The District continues to have the highest tuberculosis rate in the nation when compared with states: 14.2 cases per 100,000 population, city officials said. But its increase in 2004 involved only two additional cases, raising the number to 81. Maryland had a 17 percent jump, to 314 cases from 268 (including 93 cases in Montgomery County and 72 in Prince George's County). Northern Virginia had a 7 percent rise, to 168 cases from 157.

THE DISTRICT

The Office of Early Childhood Development at the D.C. Department of Human Services will hold a community meeting Monday to discuss the city's childhood development fund plan. The meeting will be from 12:30 to 3 p.m. at the Charles Sumner School, 1207 17th St. NW. For information, call Diane Paige at 202-727-5025.

A veteran administrator has been appointed interim director of the D.C. public library system, the system's Board of Trustees announced yesterday.

Francis J. Buckley, former superintendent of documents for the U.S. Government Printing Office, will take over the position Monday, said Monica Lewis, a spokeswoman for the system.

Buckley was superintendent of documents from 1997 to 2003. Before that, he was director of the public library in Shaker Heights, Ohio, and an associate director in the Detroit public library system.

Buckley, whose salary will be about $128,000 a year, will replace Richard Jackson, who has been interim director since 2003, when Molly Raphael retired.

D.C. Mayor Anthony A. Williams (D) and federal environmental officials yesterday initiated a cleanup of the Potomac and Anacostia rivers that will run through April 22. The annual cleanup resulted in the removal of 50 tons of trash from area rivers last year, according to Capital River Relief 2005, which organizes the effort.

MARYLAND

Prince George's County Executive Jack B. Johnson (D) endorsed a bill yesterday to establish district elections for the county school board. Without elaboration, Johnson announced his position on next year's scheduled board election at a meeting in Annapolis of the county's state Senate delegation.

The delegation postponed action on the bill, which the House of Delegates passed unanimously last week. The county's teachers union, NAACP chapter and several other groups support the bill. Senators are weighing whether to have the school board chosen through district or countywide voting or a combination of the two.

Twenty Maryland physicians and 1,600 patients will participate in a $6 million study focused on educating African Americans about their significant risks from hypertension and diabetes.

Officials from the University of Maryland medical school and Bon Secours Baltimore Health System announced this week that they will collaborate on the Baltimore Cardiovascular Partnership, which over five years also will enlist support from community centers and faith-based groups. The study will test the effectiveness of specialized prevention and treatment education for doctors and for men and women who have either of the diseases.

Individuals older than 18 who are interested in participating in the study should call 410-706-6226.

VIRGINIA

State Sen. R. Creigh Deeds (D-Bath) this week formally announced his candidacy for attorney general. He probably will be the party's only candidate in the June 14 primary.

Deeds, a former prosecutor, said that as attorney general, he would crack down on child abuse, domestic violence and gangs. He emphasized his support of the death penalty.

Del. Robert F. McDonnell (R-Virginia Beach) and Richmond lawyer Steve Baril are running in the Republican primary.

Fredericksburg police have identified a homeless man who was beaten to death over the weekend by two men on a popular jogging path. The suspects are believed to be homeless as well.

Officials had withheld Darrin Devon Moore's name until his relatives could be notified. He was a 37-year-old Alabama native, Lt. Rick Pennock said.

Police said this week that it seemed that Moore had some previous dispute with Michael S. Berry, 31, and Bryan Cross, 18. They were arrested Saturday after witnesses said they saw the men beating Moore on the Rappahannock Canal. They are charged with first-degree murder, assaulting a police officer and obstruction of justice.

"What we are beginning to find out is that this issue is not limited to one area, and it appears to be very widespread and we want to get a handle on this."

-- Prince George's County Council Chairman Samuel H. Dean (D-Mitchellville) on an unusually high number of gas leaks in the county. -- B1

Compiled from reports by staff writers Nick Anderson, Karlyn Barker, Chris L. Jenkins, Allan Lengel, Susan Levine and Paul Schwartzman and the Associated Press.