January 18, 1997

Excerpts from House ethics subcommittee report on Speaker Newt Gingrich; photo (S)

House ethics subcommittee declares that Speaker Newt Gingrich's misuse of tax-exempt funds for politically tinged college course reflects pattern of years of 'disregard and lack of respect for the standards of conduct' a Congressman should follow; report prepared by subcommittee and its outside counsel, James M Cole, is more damning than most Republicans had expected; it makes clear that panel backed off from accusing Gingrich of lying so it could settle case quickly; full committee votes, 7 to 1, to recommend that House impose $300,000 penalty and formally reprimand Speaker; investigators and Gingrich agree that he will pay House $300,000, which he may take from campaign funds; fine is intended to compensate House for money it had to spend because he misled it; Gingrich does not comment on matter; he is greeted with standing ovation when he appears before Republican National Committee at its winter meeting; photo (L)

Bitter cold weather blasts into New York region for first time this winter; temperature in Central Park dips to 11 degrees, and wind chill factor drops to 10 degrees below zero; day's highest reading is 16 degrees; record for day is 2 degrees, set in 1977; hardest hit are homeless, who seek refuge in shelters or heated subway trains; photo; chart (M)

Democrats fear that House ethics committee findings and recommended punishment of Speaker Newt Gingrich will slip from the news and from public attention as Washington and nation gear up for Pres Clinton's inauguration; photo (M)

Supreme Court says it will consider overruling 1985 precedent that bars teachers in public schools from traveling to parochial schools to teach federally financed remedial classes; Court's action does not commit Justices to decide constitutional merits of case; they will do that only if Justices agree that case is properly before them; Clinton Administration is supporting request to reconsider case; appeal was made by New York City and parents' group from parochial schools; New York City spends over $10 million a year to hold special classes in vans parked near religious schools; debate about state aid to religious schools is more heated in recent years, given efforts by some communities to provide vouchers that parents can use for parochial school tuition (M)