February 12, 1994

Just minutes after being sworn in today, jurors acquitted United States Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison on all charges of misusing her state office when she was State Treasurer. The jury acted under a judge's order after prosecutors abruptly refused to present their case against her, saying they feared the judge would not allow them to offer crucial portions of their evidence. The stunning turn of events came after the prosecutors and defense lawyers jousted over the admissibility of dozens of cartons of documents and computer tapes seized from Mrs. Hutchison's office at the State Treasury in June, five days after she won a special election to replace Lloyd M. Bentsen in the Senate.

The harshest storm of a relentless winter attacked the New York region yesterday with a foot or more of new snow that crippled transportation, business and education, redesigned city and suburban landscapes and deepened the sense of siege for millions trapped in a dazzling but difficult season. The storm -- a swirling comma that obliterated the Northeast and mid-Atlantic states and trailed off to the Southeast -- shut down the Long Island Rail Road and Kennedy and Newark International Airports; disrupted air, rail, bus and highway travel across the region, closed suburban schools and all but emergency government services, and turned commerce into chaos from candy stores to Wall Street. Winter's 12th Big Blow The 12th big blow of the snowiest winter in a decade began before dawn in the metropolitan area and continued all day, often dropping snow at a rate of more than an inch an hour. When the snow stopped in and around New York City last night, accumulations had reached 11.7 inches in Central Park, 10 inches at Kennedy and La Guardia Airports, 12.4 inches in Bridgeport, Conn., and 19 inches in Newark, which broke a 1983 record for the date in that city.

The Navy moved to close the books on the Tailhook sexual harassment scandal today, deciding not to appeal the dismissal of the last three cases arising from the incident. That means no one will ever be tried for harassing women at a bawdy aviators convention in 1991, despite the Navy's acknowledgement that lewd behavior took place. At the same time, the Navy's highest-ranking officer, Adm. Frank B. Kelso 2d, angrily denounced the finding of a military judge who, in dismissing the last cases on Tuesday, said the admiral had lied about the affair and had tainted the Navy's investigation.

The United States has talked tough on trade during eight months of negotiations, but Japan has called its bluff and has yielded virtually nothing. The question now is whether President Clinton has an ace in the hole to change Tokyo's position.

Rostenkowski Pays His office practices in question, Representative Dan Rostenkowski has moved to defuse criticism by repaying the Government $82,000. Page 6. France Presses Bosnia The Foreign Minister of France put pressure on Bosnia for a negotiated peace as the Serbs handed over a few weapons to peacekeepers. Page 5. Kings County: Whose Fault? An executive of the company overseeing the rebuilding plan at Kings County Hospital blamed New York's hospital agency for troubles there. Page 21. Little Sign of Inflation Producer prices rose 0.2 percent in January, the Government said in a report indicating that inflation remains in check. Page 37. Assembly Chief Weprin Dies Saul Weprin, the New York State Assembly Speaker who was a political fixture in Queens and Albany for decades, was 66. Page 10.