Resignation

RUTGERS ASSISTANT men's basketball coach Jimmy Martelli resigned amid the scandal over the way his former boss treated players. A Rutgers athletic department spokesman confirmed that Martelli, the son of Saint Joseph's coach Phil Martelli, had left the program. Coach Mike Rice was fired Wednesday after a video was made public showing him shoving and kicking players, throwing basketballs at them and berating them with gay slurs. Martelli's decision was first reported by the Star-Ledger of Newark.

HARRISBURG - Who will fill the seventh seat on Pennsylvania's highest court, and when? What role will politics play? Within hours of Monday's resignation by a state Supreme Court justice facing criminal sentencing, those questions swirled through legal and political circles from Pittsburgh to Philadelphia. The resignation by Justice Joan Orie Melvin, who is to be sentenced May 7 for illegal use of state staff and resources for her campaigns, sparked calls for swift action on a successor, along with rumors about who might get the nod. Gov. Corbett said he would nominate someone "as soon as practical" after Melvin's effective resignation date, May 1. But Chief Justice Ronald D. Castille hinted that his court might take matters into its own hands by naming a semiretired senior judge to fill the post until a new justice is elected in 2015.

Pennsylvania Supreme Court Justice Joan Orie Melvin submitted her resignation Monday, a month after she was convicted on public corruption charges. Orie Melvin is due to be sentenced May 7 and in a letter to Gov. Corbett said "it is with deep regret and a broken heart" that she tendered her resignation, effective May 1. "It has been my honor and privilege to serve the people of this Commonwealth for the past 28 years, and I am deeply saddened that I am not able to fulfill my commission.

BEIRUT - Lebanon's prime minister resigned Friday due to an impasse over a new election law and the cabinet's refusal to extend the tenure of the national police chief. Najib Mikati's resignation comes at a time of rising tensions and sporadic violence in Lebanon largely linked to the civil war in Syria. Lebanon and Syria share a complex network of political and sectarian ties that are often inflamed, and many fear that the war in Syria will bring violence to Lebanon. These tensions have roiled Lebanon's fragile political scene as well.

Marcus Hook Borough Council members have asked their mayor to resign after he allegedly requisitioned a police car to transport a friend to his home, then shot off a gun in his house while drunk. James D. Schiliro, elected to a four-year term as mayor of the Delaware County town in 2009, gave alcohol to the 20-year-old friend and threatened to hold him hostage during the incident last month, according to court records. While Schiliro, 38, has not been charged, the potential charges include endangering another person and furnishing alcohol to a minor.

A Doylestown councilwoman resigned Tuesday over an issue with her borough residency. Marlene Pray, who was elected to serve Ward 1 - one of the borough's three wards - moved to Ward 3 recently, bringing her eligibility to serve on the Council into question. Councilmembers in Doylestown are elected by ward depending on where they live. The issue was raised at a council meeting by a community member in January, Pray said in an interview Tuesday. She moved with her son around the beginning of the year because of a separation from her partner.

While 76ers general manager Tony DiLeo continues to figure out what to do with Andrew Bynum - known as "Plan A" since being dubbed so by DiLeo a few weeks back - Sixers legend Charles Barkley has some advice. Pass. "They are in a dilemma now," Barkley said by phone Thursday. "I wouldn't give Andrew Bynum any money if I'm running the team. I'm not going to take that chance. " Barkley, a Hall of Fame player who works for Turner Network Television as an analyst on its Inside the NBA show, is preparing for his role as an analyst during the NCAA tournament.

The NFL's free-agent market opens Tuesday, along with the promise of the Eagles' grabbing some big names, but the team took care of two of its own when it signed long snapper Jon Dorenbos and safety Colt Anderson to contracts on Monday. Dorenbos was slated to become an unrestricted free agent at 4 p.m. like hundreds of other veterans who hope to cash in on the first day of the NFL year. But the Eagles locked up one of their longest-tenured players with a four-year deal. Anderson, a restricted free agent, would have become unrestricted had the Eagles not tendered a contract by Tuesday.

Calvin Thompson has resigned as football coach at Winslow Township, athletic director Eric Ball said Thursday. Thompson was 3-17 in two seasons at Winslow. The Eagles were 0-10 last season. Thompson did not return telephone calls seeking comment. Ball said the school has begun searching for a new coach. - Phil Anastasia

WASHINGTON - The week of the sequester began with breathless warnings of its devastating effects. It ended with a collective shrug. As the latest Washington budget deadline arrived Friday, Democrats and Republicans weary from months of fiscal brinkmanship accepted the fact that the $85 billion in automatic budget cuts will take effect for the near future, at least. Rather than patching together another last-minute deal, they turned to debating whether the reductions amounted to a manageable resizing of government or a bludgeon that would soon have voters demanding an alternative.