March 20, 1991

NO sooner was that first plate of stylish fettuccine or risotto off the stove than some American had to start fooling with it. But then Italian food in America has always been open to interpretation. It all began about 100 years ago with spaghetti and meatballs. Like many dishes -- even pasta primavera -- it is unknown in Italy. It was originally served when the earliest little mom-and-pop restaurants run by new immigrants opened their doors in this country.

Peter E. Stangl, the president of the Metro-North Commuter Railroad, who has been nominated to head the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, will not be charged with criminal wrongdoing for allowing a friend to sit at the controls of a commuter train carrying passengers last October, transit officials said last night. The officials, who would speak only on condition that they not be identified, declined to release any details of a report on the matter, except to say that no criminal charges will be filed against Mr. Stangl because an investigation by the M.T.A.'s Inspector General has found that passenger safety was not jeopardized while Mr. Stangl's friend operated the train.

New York Officers Charged Five New York City police officers have been charged in the death of a 21-year-old suspect in a car theft in Queens, their lawyers said. Page B1. Film Pact in New York Hollywood producers and two New York unions reached a tentative settlement in a long-running dispute over work rules. Page B1. More Cuts Sought at News Robert Maxwell said he would seek $30 million more in savings from The Daily News and that he would retain James Hoge as publisher. Page B1. The Outlook for Bo Jackson Medical experts are divided about Bo Jackson's chances to recover from a hip injury and resume his baseball and football careers. Page D25. Phoenix Loses Super Bowl In a dispute over the Martin Luther King holiday, the National Football League voted to move the 1993 game from Arizona. Page D25.

Stocks were slammed yesterday by the report on consumer prices for February and by I.B.M.'s prediction of sharply lower earnings. The Dow Jones industrial average plunged 62.13 points, or more than 2 percent, to 2,867.82, its first close below 2,900 since Feb. 26. It was the largest drop in the Dow since the 3.1 percent decline on Oct. 9.

Congressional negotiators reached agreement today on a measure providing $30 billion for the savings and loan bailout, clearing the way for final votes on the bill in the Senate and the House this week. The agreement reconciles differences in a measure passed last week by the House and a similar bill adopted two weeks ago by the Senate.