July 28, 1995

Under pressure from the governors who oversee it, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey has begun a round of budget cuts that appear to be a prelude to more drastic steps, indicating that the agency may soon be forced to scale back its historical role as a power in the region's economic development. The authority's new executive director, George J. Marlin, has moved forward in recent weeks on his mandate to trim its work force and costs by ordering a hiring freeze and reductions in travel and other expenses. Yesterday, the authority's board began examining the first results of a study on how the agency can reduce its spending by eliminating some jobs.

The last thing the air traffic controller at La Guardia Airport told the pilot that foggy Saturday morning 50 years ago today sounded almost like an afterthought: "At the present time, I can't see the top of the Empire State Building." "Roger, tower, thank you," the pilot, Lieut. Col. William F. Smith Jr., muttered into his push-to-talk cockpit microphone, heading west toward Newark.

Six Rutgers University students who took part in an April protest demanding the resignation of the school's president pleaded guilty yesterday to obstructing a highway. They were sentenced to 60 hours of community service and fined $302 each.

The stagnant heat and humidity that have afflicted the New York region have taken a particular toll on the elderly and those with respiratory problems, causing a 15 percent increase in emergency calls in New York City's five boroughs, officials said yesterday. While slightly lower humidity and a slight breeze offered some respite yesterday, people suffering from asthma and other respiratory ailments have been staying indoors, their air-conditioners locked on high. Over the last five weeks, poor ozone conditions have made breathing difficult for those most vulnerable, sometimes forcing them to emergency rooms or to seek advice from physicians, paramedics, even the weatherman.

Five years ago, Kichinosuke Sasaki was on top of the world, controlling $11 billion in real estate and riding a wave of optimism that saw property prices rise relentlessly. These days, his empire has pretty much collapsed, amid a wave of pessimism that is relentlessly driving prices down. Now, he says his assets are worth less than the $3.4 billion he owes the banks.