December 2, 1996

Article examines workings of New York State's Capital Defender Office, established more than year ago to oversee representation of most of defendants who may face death penalty; unlike traditional criminal defense, which looks for fractures in prosecution's case, capital defenders must look beyond nightmarish crime; must ferret out nightmarish history of criminal and turn over much of life history to prosecutors, offering preview of what lawyers will present to jurors at sentencing phase of trial; some cases handled by Capital Defender Office and their outcomes discussed; photos (M)

Retail executives and mall operators report shoppers hit malls over '96 Thanksgiving weekend with vigor not seen in last few years; report sales increased 11 percent over '95 period, and that value of checks written by shoppers increased 3.6 percent (M)

Article on Council of Jewish Organizations of Borough Park, collective of social service agencies in Brooklyn that is known for political clout in New York; politicians, believing organization can deliver tens of thousands of Orthodox Jewish votes, often turn to Assemblyman Dov Hikind, outspoken Democrat who has served as groups liaison; political duet comes under Federal and state scrutiny over whether council funds were improperly used by council or affiliates or people associated with Hikind; major grants to council have come through Hikind, former Gov Mario Cuomo and Sen Alfonse D'Amato, who credited conservative Jewish groups for his slim 1992 victory (M)

Hamilton Township (NJ) Committee to introduce ordinance to limit pig population to three 'for personal use' on parcels in same zoning class as that of David Kraly, who is building pig farm in rural but decidedly residential area of township; Kraly's lawyer says he wants to raise between 50 and 100 pigs (S) (New Jersey Daily Briefing)

Lawyer for Barbara Bissell, widow of Nicholas L Bissell Jr, plans to meet with Federal prosecutors to ask them to request lighter sentence for Mrs Bissell in return for help she gave authorities in their search for her husband (S) (New Jersey Daily Briefing)