July 25, 1995

For many Palestinian residents, every militant attack and subsequent Israeli punishment is a devastating blow. Page A3.

And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear. And it was so. Genesis 1:9 Over the centuries the science of geology has solved many riddles concerning the earth: why fossils of sea creatures are found atop mountains, why the Pacific Ocean is surrounded by a ring of volcanic fire, why glaciers grow and retreat, why diamonds are concentrated in some places, why earthquakes strike some areas and not others.

A medical equipment company in Manalapan that was accused of encouraging its retail customers to inflate Medicare reimbursement claims agreed yesterday to pay $4.9 million to settle the case.

After five years as pastor of St. Catharine's parish in Glen Rock, Msgr. Thomas J. McDade will become secretary for education of the United States Catholic Conference starting in September. He will be responsible for developing educational programs for the 2.7 million students in Catholic elementary and secondary schools and the 4.2 million students in parish religious education programs, said Michael Hurley, a spokesman for the Archdiocese of Newark.

Crews continued the slow work of cleaning up an oil spill in the Delaware River yesterday, but it could take weeks before the job is completed. A tanker fuel line snapped on Saturday at the Coastal Point Eagle Refinery, dumping 40,000 gallons of oil.