April 28, 1989

LEAD: Just before exit 46 on Interstate 91, about 15 minutes north of Hartford and a few miles shy of the Massachusetts border, a long green zig-zaggy fence, as high as the side of a barn, runs next to the highway, much like one of those Christo sculptures. The unfinished sections are particularly dramatic.

LEAD: The parent companies of United and Delta airlines reported record first-quarter earnings yesterday, a sign that much of the airline industry is entering a boom period. Fares and traffic are rising while fuel and labor costs have been relatively steady.

LEAD: Canada has canceled plans to buy a fleet of nuclear-powered submarines. The decision is one of many cuts in spending to trim the growing Government deficit.

LEAD: Scientists from companies ranging from the giant Westinghouse Electric Corporation to a tiny fusion specialist, KMS Industries, are racing to become involved in research into creating nuclear fusion in a flask.

LEAD: ANOTHER bicentennial is upon us, and, as always, that means it's time for a no-holds-barred citywide celebration. Like the 1976 Bicentennial of American independence and the 1987 bicentennial of the Constitution, the 200th anniversary of George Washington's inauguration on April 30, 1789, will be duly and flamboyantly noted.