June 20, 1991

New York City taxi inspectors recently discovered something under the dashboard of a taxicab that caused them great concern: the driver had spliced his radio microphone into his meter so that whenever he pressed the "talk" button on the microphone, an electrical pulse caused the meter to click off extra miles. Despite the Taxi and Limousine Commission's efforts in recent years to crack down on such practices, there is increasing evidence that fast meters remain plentiful.

COMPANIES

The disclosure that a college president worked secretly for the Central Intelligence Agency while on leave has touched off a furious battle here, complete with stolen documents, bitter personal attacks, international outrage and an intense debate over ties between intelligence agencies and academia. The dispute about links between the C.I.A. and the Rochester Institute of Technology has led to calls for the resignation of the president, M. Richard Rose, and prompted an unusual public defense by the C.I.A. of its need for contact with academia -- the "cloak and gown" relationship, as it was described in a document stolen from the president's office and mailed to the local press.

Gov. Lowell P. Weicker Jr. and the leaders in the legislature, while continuing to express faith that the state will pass a budget by the start of the fiscal year on July 1, are nevertheless preparing for an impasse that could extend well beyond that date. But amid the air of confrontation and suspicion at the Capitol, it is hard to tell where such preparation ends and hard-ball brinkmanship begins.

ADAM KALKIN'S design for this SoHo loft is moving. The dining table moves across the living room ceiling to nestle in a slot in the wall; vinyl draperies swing along in place of doors and walls; the guest room can be rolled across the floor, and the master bedroom looks as if it could dance on its little pointed feet.