September 8, 1996

Jonathan P Hicks article on ten upcoming primary races in New York City to watch; photos (M)

Children's Services Comr Nicholas Scoppetta proposes replacing much of New York City's child welfare bureaucracy with dozens of neighborhood-based networks of churches, medical centers and social service agencies that would handle care and monitoring of troubled families; says system has badly failed and needs revolutionary change; proposal would limit direct involvement of city caseworkers in daily tracking of children at risk of harm (M)

Article on General Motors program to rebuild core business of selling cars and vans to American public that has lost much of its loyalty to famous names; company has platoon of new recruits who know about marketing consumer products but little about cars in particular; chairman John F Smith Jr, considered affable finance man, gets high marks for resuscitating GM's balance sheet and turning impressive profits in satellite and other businesses, but North American president G Richard Wagoner Jr notes all-out effort this year will be to remake auto sales; photos; turning around world's biggest corporation, with $170 billion in sales last year and some 700,000 employees, is enormous task, complicated by plans to roll out new models over next six months, during contract talks with UAW; company needs to roughly double profit margins in good years to reach 5% average; auto reviewers are impressed with design of new minivans, but they are slow to arrive in dealerships; table profiling corporate finances (M)

Salick Health Care, nation's largest chain of for-profit cancer treatment centers, is aggressively moving into New York market; Dr Bernard Salick, armed with money, daring and record of providing cost-conscious cancer treatment, seeks New York City hospitals to join him in new cancer clinics and doctors willing to leave major institutions for big jumps in salary; is set to open first clinic in city at St Vincent's Hospital; he outlines plans for eight centers in region, staffed by cancer superstars, interview; critics worry he drains resources from hospitals whose research, treatment and training efforts have made United States cancer care leader; photo (M)

Behind the Wheel column on revival of two-seat roadster; compares convertible models BMW Z3 and Mazda MX-5 Miata; table; photos (L)