Duncan Resigns from U-Md. After 17 Months. Former Montgomery County executive Douglas M. Duncan resigned yesterday from the University of Maryland at College Park, less than five weeks after he apologized for telling reporters he was forced to drop out of a political forum at the direction of Gov. Martin O'Malley's office.

Video: Bush on 250 million investment in banks. Bankwide.com. President Bush announced today that the government would be injecting $250 billion into U.S. Banks Also Secretary Paulson says that he regrets having to take the action.

Stocks climb on bailout plans. European stocks rallied, with the Dow Jones Stoxx 600 Index rebounding from its worst week on record, as governments in Europe, the U.S. and Asia agreed to support banks.

Better to Have Stretched Than Not to Have Tried at All. Dear Extra Credit : I'm responding to the concern raised by Kate McCauley in your Sept. 11 column "When Achievement Push Comes to Shove"] regarding the push for rising achievement in Arlington County. I don't think that anyone would argue with the importance of continuing to move forward with goals..

Debate Brings National Attention To D.C.'s School Reform Efforts. The District's public charter schools and federally funded voucher program, which both figured prominently in a rare discussion of education at Wednesday night's presidential debate, are school reform vehicles that face distinctly different futures no matter who moves into the White House in Janu..

Fed's Yellen says U.S. appears to be in recession. The U.S. economy "appears to be in a recession" as the financial market crisis bites deeply, San Francisco Federal Reserve Bank President Janet Yellen said on Tuesday.

Recession fears in focus after bailout bonanza. Global recession fears returned to center stage on Wednesday after trillions of dollars pledged by governments around the world for bank bailouts eased the threat of imminent financial meltdown.

Few Details From Rhee In Principal's Firing. D.C. Schools Chancellor Michelle A. Rhee yesterday evening expressed regret to parents at Shepherd Elementary for the way she handled the abrupt dismissal of the school's principal last week, but maintained that she could not discuss her reasons for firing Galeet BenZion.

M&I to buy Miami money manager. Marshall & Ilsley Corp. said Monday that it has agreed to buy a majority interest in Taplin, Canida & Habacht Inc.

Forget my bonus, says bank boss. THE head of Germany's biggest bank, Deutsche Bank, will forgo his annual bonus of several million euros to show solidarity with staff in this time of financial crisis.

Unions, workers uneasy at possible GM, Chrysler deal. Labor unions in the United States and Canada on Tuesday expressed concern about the prospect of job losses from any merger between General Motors Corp and Chrysler LLC, adding that union leaders had not been consulted by the automakers.

School Attendance Law 'Gone Awry'. Stephen Knolls School suffered the ignominy of failure under federal law in 2006 and 2007 for low test scores. This year, the Kensington school finally made the grade in reading and math -- only to be sanctioned for poor attendance.

Morgan Stanley, MUJF Renegotiating Deal. Japan's Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, which watched Morgan Stanley's share price plunge 58 percent last week, is amending its $9 billion deal to include only convertible preferred shares and no common stock,..

Panel's Review Lands Medical School on Probation. George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences was put on probation by its academic accrediting organization for being out of compliance on several standards, school officials told students and faculty yesterday.

Lehman Is Subject of Federal Criminal Probes. Lehman Brothers, the giant investment bank that last month filed the largest bankruptcy in history, is the subject of at least three federal criminal investigations that have subpoenaed a dozen top executives, according to a person familiar with the matter.

Smart investors look for some stock gems amid the rubble. Given the stock market's wretched performance this year, your current retirement plan may involve a modest part-time job, such as woodworking or forgery.

You'll want to take the long way home in 2009 Acura TL. Surely the neighborhood shortcut is a quicker way to work, but the long way has that pair of hilly, 20-mph "S" corners that let TL's performance-oriented all-wheel drive sling it fiercely through the turns.

Nearly 1 in 6 homeowners 'underwater'. After a housing slump that has pushed values down 30% in some areas, roughly 12 million households owe more than their homes are worth.

Meltdown 101: The Dow Jones Industrial Average. By JOE BEL BRUNO NEW YORK - Amid weeks of stock market turmoil, many worried investors have been tracking the daily trajectory of the Dow Jones industrial average like never before.

U.S. Said to Invest in Citigroup, Goldman, Bank America, JPMorgan, Wells. The Bush administration will announce a plan to rescue frozen credit markets that includes spending about half of a total of $250 billion for preferred shares of nine major banks, people briefed on the matter..