June 16, 1993

A 40-year-old Brooklyn woman, pronounced dead by emergency medical technicians, lay on the floor of her apartment for nearly three hours on Monday night until an investigator from the city Medical Examiner's office heard a gurgling sound and realized that she was alive. The woman, Nancy Vitale, was unconscious and in critical condition yesterday at Coney Island Hospital. Her mother said Ms. Vitale had recently been upset because she had been let go from her job as a teacher at a Catholic elementary school.

John B. Connally, the former Governor of Texas who served in two Presidential Administrations and who was wounded when President John F. Kennedy was assassinated, died yesterday at Methodist Hospital in Houston. He was 76. The cause was complications of pulmonary fibrosis, said a hospital spokeswoman, Blythe Schaffer. Mr. Connally had been admitted to the hospital May 17 with breathing problems.

Verdict in Principal's Death Three teen-agers were convicted of killing a popular elementary school principal in Brooklyn. Page B1. Soda Tampering Mystery Reports of syringes in cans of Pepsi spread to 11 states, and the Food and Drug Administration is investigating the 16 incidents. Page A16. Sex and the Law in Ireland Ireland has begun to move steadily toward a liberalization of laws involving families and sex. Page A10.

Democratic lawmakers have mounted a strong effort to dissuade the Clinton Administration from a plan to resume tests of nuclear weapons after a Congressional moratorium expires July 1. The plan calls for the United States and Britain to conduct nine underground explosions in Nevada before 1996, when the Administration wants a complete test ban to go into effect.

The Economy Consumer prices inched up one-tenth of 1 percent in May, all but burying inflation fears. The report, combined with last week's data showing no inflation at the producer level, was seen as proving that price jumps earlier this year were temporary. [ Page D1. ] Sales of domestically built vehicles rose 15.5 percent in early June, indicating that the auto industry recovery continues. [ D13. ]