November 23, 1995

Two professors from Trenton State College charged with discrimination against a colleague opened their defense in Federal District Court yesterday. Dr. Howard Robboy, the former chairman of the sociology and anthropology department, and Eugenia Shanklin, professor of anthropology, were sued by Professor Mohamoud M. Ismail, who said they called him racist names, posted offensive cartoons and prevented him from being promoted.

For more than 20 years, Linda Woods refused to swallow the pills that keep her sane. The turnaround came with the help of the Brooklyn Bureau of Community Service, one of seven charities supported by The New York Times Neediest Cases Fund, which begins its 84th annual appeal for donations on Sunday. Article, page B3.

THE Spanish pianist Alicia de Larrocha has a lot of carpet padding in her apartment, down the block and around the corner from Carnegie Hall, but not all of it is under the carpet. Several thick rolls have been hidden beneath the sounding board of her Steinway grand -- out of sight, but they do the job. "I do not want to disturb the neighbors," she said midway through a recent interview. Inspecting the old-fashioned coarse-hair material, she added: "I didn't want them to complain. The very first day, a friend of mine put the stuff under the piano. I can practice very comfortably."

Remember calling home collect from a pay phone at a diner six weeks ago? Probably not, unless the phone bill sent you into shock. The state Board of Public Utilities wants to make sure that doesn't happen.

Gov. George E. Pataki and Gov. Christine Todd Whitman, two Republicans who agree on most issues, are feuding again over the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey -- this time over control of jobs, contracts and policy at the multibillion-dollar agency. Mr. Pataki is holding up the appointment of a new Port Authority chairman because he is seeking a guarantee from Mrs. Whitman that his appointees to the authority's board will oversee hiring and finances, officials said. He is also looking for assurances that the authority will not be biased in New Jersey's favor and will continue to cut its budget.