December 28, 1994

IN cupboards and closets across the country, Kombucha mushrooms are floating in bowls of sugared tea and saturating a growing number of homes with the smell of vinegar and the hope for restored vigor. Kombucha, a white, gelatinous blob about 12 inches in diameter that propagates quickly, has spread like a new-age chain letter in recent months. Its cultivators estimate that more than three million Americans are now growing the fungi.

BUDGET POST GOES TO MICHIGAN OFFICIAL Five days before his inauguration, Governor-elect George E. Pataki reached beyond his small circle of confidants and named as budget director Patricia A. Woodworth, the chief fiscal officer in Michigan, a state that national Republicans consider at the forefront of their effort to rein in government. A1.

While many experts say prisonlike juvenile institutions do more harm than good, the number of teen-agers sent to them nationwide rose to more than 90,000 in 1991, from 70,000 in 1979. The numbers are likely to rise even faster in the next few years, as calls for tougher punishment grow, new prisons are built and states continue to send youths involved in serious crimes to adult courts and prisons. A special report, When Trouble Starts Young, turns today to questions of punishment and deterrence. Article, page A12.

Five days before his inauguration, Governor-elect George E. Pataki reached beyond his small circle of confidants yesterday and named as budget director the chief fiscal officer in Michigan, a state that national Republicans consider at the forefront of their effort to rein in government. By naming Patricia A. Woodworth to one of his administration's top posts, Mr. Pataki was sending a clear signal, aides said, that his bottom line will be cutting taxes and reducing state spending.

THE new bass guitar player for the Rolling Stones is sitting in a sushi bar here talking about automobiles. "You know what the best thing about my car is?" he asks, pointing to an early-model Japanese compact parked outside the restaurant. "The best thing is that I don't have to drive it anymore if I don't want to." A hint of a smile spreads over his young, creaseless face. "I looked at Range Rovers yesterday, but I didn't buy one. I said to myself: 'This is the biggest purchase you've ever made in your life. Take your time.' So I'm taking my time."