April 1, 1994

The New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission rejected yesterday cab owners' request for their first fare increase in four years, saying the owners were providing poor service and depriving drivers of a fair share of the profits. Before any increase is considered, the commission said, taxi owners would have to agree to a sweeping set of improvements, including giving drivers raises and better English classes, providing higher insurance coverage against accidents and allowing only new cars to be added to the current fleet as taxis.

It is Eastertime. And so there will be a taste of Latin American tradition in the streets of East Harlem, where the faithful will walk the Way of the Cross. Many of Polish descent will not eat their kielbasa and bread without the blessing of their pastor. On Sunday, a church in Chinatown will be draped in banners of white and gold. And a Dominican woman named Ana will baptize her youngest child. All because they say He has risen. Easter Sunday is the most important holiday on the Christian calendar. This week, more than 1.5 million New Yorkers will celebrate the day they believe Jesus Christ rose from the dead after being crucified at Calvary.

Following an inquiry into the worst cheating scandal in the history of the United States Naval Academy, Navy officials recommended that 29 midshipmen be expelled and that 42 others be punished for their roles in acquiring or using an engineering final exam in 1992. The investigation also exonerated 35 midshipmen.

Big Award to Whistle-Blower United Technologies' former chief financial officer has been awarded $22.5 million for exposing fraudulent billing practices for helicopters bought by the Defense Department in the 1980's. Page D1. Trade Offender No. 1. The U.S. named Japan as the worst offender among countries with egregious trade barriers. But officials said new sanctions against Tokyo were not being considered. Page D1. States Flout Abortion Order Several states said they were flouting a new Federal order to pay for abortions for low-income women in cases of rape or incest. Page A20.

In the latest sign yet that the Federal whistle-blowing law is climbing higher up the corporate ladder, a former chief financial officer of the United Technologies Corporation has been awarded $22.5 million for exposing fraudulent billing practices for helicopters bought by the Defense Department in the 1980's. Douglas D. Keeth, a former corporate vice president for finance at United Technologies, which is based in Hartford, had participated in an internal investigation of the wrongdoing when the company first learned that its Sikorsky Aircraft division was billing the Pentagon for work it had not yet performed.