February 22, 1986

The Board of Regents voted unanimously today to let the State Health Department pursue charges of professional misconduct against New York City's Chief Medical Examiner, Dr. Elliot M. Gross, and one of his deputies. The Health Department announced shortly afterward that it hoped to proceed with disciplinary hearings on Dr. Gross and the deputy, Dr. Yong-Myun Rho, within a few weeks. But a lawyer for Dr. Gross said he expected to fight today's finding in the courts. Judge's Ruling Reversed Members of the Board of Regents said their vote, which reversed a decision by an administrative law judge, was the first time they had ruled on whether performing autopsies constituted the practice of medicine and was, therefore, subject to medical-conduct regulations.

James M. Beggs, who is on leave as Administrator of NASA, will resign soon and is expected to be replaced by someone from outside the agency, Reagan Administration officials said today. High officials from both the White House and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration confirmed that Mr. Beggs would be leaving shortly, although the precise timing of his formal resignation was uncertain. Mr. Beggs has been on leave since December, after he was indicted on Federal fraud charges not connected with his position at NASA. The management of NASA has been under relentless pressure since an explosion destroyed the shuttle Challenger on Jan. 28, killing the seven crew members. The process that led to the decision to launch has been closely scrutinized, particularly with an eye to whether the agency had pressured Morton Thiokol Inc., manufacturer of the booster rockets suspected as the possible cause of the disaster, to approve the launching.

Federal prosecutors said yesterday that they would ask a grand jury next week to indict a key figure in the New York City corruption scandal unless he agreed to cooperate in their investigation of Donald R. Manes and other officials. They made the threat amid reports of no progress in the negotiations that have been under way for several weeks between the United States Attorney in Manhattan and the potential witness, Geoffrey G. Lindenauer, the former deputy director of the city's Parking Violations Bureau. Mr. Lindenauer was arrested on Jan. 15 and charged with accepting a $5,000 bribe from a city contractor. Law enforcement officials said they believed as much as $2 million in bribes were paid by the bureau's contractors over the last five years.

The Duke of Flatbush was wearing a spanking white Dodger uniform and blue windbreaker, both a couple of sizes larger than he wore in the old days. At 59, he looked regal just the same. His face was bright red with a first coat of spring sunshine, and his eyes were squinting under a baseball cap as he watched the game unfold on one of several well-groomed playing fields at Dodgertown. Duke Snider, ''the Dook,'' as he was known in Brooklyn during his heyday in the 1950's, bantered with the players on the field and cheerfully signed autographs for the fans on a chamber-of-commerce kind of day. In the springtime, Snider's fancy still turns to baseball. This is one old-timer who discovered long ago that a diamond can also be a boy's best friend. Throughout Florida and Arizona Friday, spring training officially began as the pitchers and catchers reported to their teams, including New York's finest - the Yankees in Fort Lauderdale and the Mets in St. Petersburg. The rest of the players will be arriving within a week. For the millions of baseball fans across the country - those living in sun belt and snow belt alike - it is a sign they are suffering the last indignities of winter. Soon, almost every day will be noted by sunrise, sunset and the American and National League box scores.

Thousands of people crowded emergency shelters near here today after a levee holding back the Yuba River ruptured suddenly Thusday night and forced 21,000 residents from their homes. Officials could not say when they might be able to return. Rescue teams continued to lift stranded residents to safety today. Officials said it appeared that no lives were lost after the levee collapsed and sent about 60,000 cubic feet of water a second into the towns of Linda, Olivehurst and Rio Oso, all about 30 miles north of here.