Mayor Bret Schundler announces that so many Jersey City residents take shopping carts home from supermarkets and then abandon them that authorities have set aside lot for abandoned carts and 400 carts are stored there now (New Jersey Daily Briefing) (S)

Shopping-Cart Solution

Taysir H Badanoro, official at Saudi mission to United Nations in New York City, and his family discuss hosting old high school friend Ali Abu Kamal in weeks before his shooting rampage on observation deck at Empire State Building; say that he never revealed seething anger at treatment of Palestinians and never spoke of being swindled out of hundreds of thousands of dollars (M)

Empire State Gunman Gave No Hint of Anger, His Hosts Say

Interview with fashion illustrator Ruben Toledo and his wife, Isabel, fashion designer; drawings; photos (M)

A Pair of Muses, Above It All

Article discusses reaction, much of it humorous, to consequences of cloning humans in wake of disclosure that researcher has cloned sheep; photo (M)

Jokes Come Easily; Worries About Consequences Soon Follow

 After Greenspan Warning, Dow Closes Down 55.03  Within 10 minutes of cautionary Senate testimony by Alan Greenspan, the Federal Reserve chairman, the Dow industrials were down 102 points. That set the tone for the rest of a volatile session, in which the Dow seesawed between a loss of 30 points and one of as much as 122 before closing down 55.03, at 6,983.18. That result mirrored the drop that occurred several months ago, the last time that Mr. Greenspan warned that stocks might be overvalued. $(Page D8.$)  

BUSINESS DIGEST

Republican hopes for balanced-budget amendment to Constitution are crushed when Sen Robert G Torricelli announces that he will vote against measure; Torricelli's decision leaves amendment with only 66 supporters in Senate, one shy of two-thirds majority necessary, and probably kills measure for this Congress; Torricelli promised in his election campaign last year to vote for amendment; he says that such great strides have been made toward reducing budget deficit that discipline offered by constitutional amendment is no longer so essential as it once was; photo (M)

Republicans' Budget Amendment Is Headed for Defeat in the Senate

3Com Corp will acquire US Robotics Corp in $6.6 billion stock swap that would create second-largest computer networking company; acquisition would strengthen 3Com's hand against competitors, particularly Cisco Systems Inc, leader in computer networking, by broadening its product line (L)

3Com Plans To Acquire U.S. Robotics

Families of Kathy Speir and James Beirn, two New Jersey residents who were killed in 1983 when Korean Air Lines jet was shot down by Soviet fighter plane, will receive total of $4.3 million in settlement with airline (New Jersey Daily Briefing) (S)

2 Flight 007 Settlements

Saboteurs disrupt cable television system of TCI of Northern New Jersey by slicing through four distribution wires at company's main signal-processing facility in Pompton Lakes (New Jersey Daily Briefing) (S)

Cable System Is Sabotaged

Whippany mortician L Richard Smaldone allegedly stole more than $50,000 from 10 clients who paid for their funerals in advance (New Jersey Daily Briefing) (S)

Mortician Charged in Thefts

New York Times analysis finds that serious crime in New York metropolitan area has fallen to its lowest level since at least 1980, but it has not dropped nearly as far as it has in New York City, and it appears to be rising again in few of region's most troubled urban areas and fastest growing suburbs; overall decline in crime rates masks increases in rates of violent crime in suburban areas of nine counties, including Bergen County, NJ, and Rockland County, NY; reported violent crime fell 44 percent in New York City from 1990 through 1996; there are now seven cities in region that are more violent than New York, compared with only one--Newark--that was more violent 16 years ago; Putnam County, NY, Hunterdon and Warren Counties, NJ, and Litchfield County, Conn, are least violent in region; map; graphs (M)

Crime in Region Is Dropping, But Some Pockets Defy Trend

New Jersey gubernatorial Democratic primary campaign of State Senator James E McGreevey of Woodbridge wins endorsement of Alan Karcher, Mercer County Democratic Party Chairman (New Jersey Daily Briefing) (S)

Mercer County Weighs In

Federal court declares that mostly Hispanic 12th Congressional District in New York City is unconstitutional because race and ethnicity were dominant factors used to draw it; ruling is expected to lead to new boundaries for many of city's 14 Congressional districts; three-judge Federal panel says it is abiding by recent Supreme Court rulings that legislative districts shaped to increase representation of racial and ethnic groups violate 14th Amendment's guarantee that all people be treated equally under law; panel orders New York State Legislature to reconfigure 12th Congressional District, currently represented by Nydia M Velazquez; map; photo (M)

Court Outlaws New York District Drawn Up to Aid Hispanic Voters

 Renewal Eludes Economy  Economic performance in New York City lagged behind the rest of the nation in 1996, a study says. Page B1.    Woes at Immigration Agency  A huge project to automate immigration procedures is in trouble, a House panel was told. Page A18.     Grammy Award Winners  Love songs reigned at the Grammy Awards at Madison Square Garden. Babyface and Eric Clapton were big winners. And Hillary Rodham Clinton was honored in the spoken word category. Page B7.

INSIDE

McDonald's Corp, frustrated by steady market share gains by its leading rivals in US, plans to strike back with some of its steepest discounts ever, raising possibility of fast-food price war; initially, Big Mac burger that now sells for about $2 would be cut to about 55 cents when purchased along with fries and a drink; after a while, the Big Mac's price would rise and McDonald's would cut prices to 55 cents on another sandwich; investors fear wave of price cutting in fast-food industry would lower profits; on Wall Street, shares of McDonald's, Wendy's and Pepsico, which owns Pizza Hut and Taco Bell, fall in active trading; table (L)

McDonald's To Cut Prices To Stem Slide In U.S. Market

 SEARCH FOR STUDENT -- The father of a Fordham University student who has been missing for more than a week implored people to search for his son. B3.    CAMPAIGN ENDING -- The New York Times Neediest Cases Fund's 85th appeal comes to a close. It remains $77,000 behind last year's total. B3.    MILITARY BLAMED -- A military air traffic controller did not follow proper procedures during the close encounter between an F-16 fighter jet and a commercial airliner. B6.    THE GRAMMYS    THE WINNERS -- Love songs reigned as the Grammy Awards came to Madison Square Garden. Kenneth (Babyface) Edmonds, Eric Clapton and Celine Dion were among the top winners. B7.    THE SCENE -- The black-tie and evening-gown set at the awards show celebrated in lavish style to the relentless pulse of New York. Then came the parties. B7.  

INSIDE METRO

Many parents are in quandsry about how many precautions to take to make homes safe for crawling babies; some are turning to professional babyproofers, who make house calls; photos (L)

Bringing Up Baby in a Don't-Touch-That World

Report issued by New York City Comptroller Alan G Hevesi finds that despite indicators of renaissance in city from falling crime rate to surging payout of bonuses on Wall Street and rising tide of tourists, city's overall economic performance lagged far behind rest of nation in 1996 (M)

New Report Dulls Shine Of Economy In New York

Federal Reserve Chmn Alan Greenspan tells Senate Banking Committee that stock prices might be unsustainably high; he suggests that despite economy's basic health, time might be drawing near when central bank will have to raise interest rates to head off inflation; says it is not surprising given nation's general prosperity that people have grown complacent about economic and investment outlook; photo (M)

GREENSPAN WARNS AGAIN THAT STOCKS MAY BE TOO HIGH

Three boarding homes for people with Alzheimer's disease have opened in Bergen County in past year and eight more are planned (New Jersey Daily Briefing) (S)

Alzheimer's Homes Open

Pres Clinton, responding to Republican calls for appointment of special counsel to investigate Democratic campaign finances, says there is no 'legal issue' raised by newly released White House documents detailing his involvement in soliciting money; defends his campaign finance practices, saying that boarding contributors overnight at White House was 'entirely appropriate' and that officials had never asked for political donations at White House events; photo (M)

President Defends His Role In Raising Campaign Funds

Pres Clinton orders investigation of newly disclosed evidence that US soldiers who blew up Iraqi ammunition depot in 1991 were not warned about intelligence reports suggesting that chemical weapons might have been stored there; says inquiry will be carried out by Presidential Advisory Committee on Gulf War Veterans' Illnesses, special White House panel created in 1995 to investigate cause of mysterious health problems reported by thousands of US soldiers who served in Persian Gulf War; announcement comes amid flurry of new accusations by veterans groups and members of Congress who say documents made public by Defense Dept prove that Pentagon and Central Intelligence Agency tried to cover up evidence of chemical exposures during and after gulf war (M)

Gulf War Panel Will Investigate Warning Lapse

Analysis of Federal Reserve Board Chairman Alan Greenspan's Senate testimony questioning rationality of current stock prices; says when Greenspan speaks of overvalued stocks, investors usually do not listen; or at least they do not do so for long; says that is the history of the very few examples when the Fed has chosen to go public with concerns over the stock market; says on Wall Street, reaction to Greenspan's remarks was swift but brief; notes Dow Jones industrial average plunged on first word of Greenspan's comments, falling nearly 100 points; but by end of the day, it had made up a large part of that loss; says reaction was reminiscent of reaction in December, when Greenspan first stunned traders by using words 'irrational exuberance' in discussing the market (L)

A Warning Investors Have Ignored Before

Israeli Government approves development of large Jewish neighborhood in East Jerusalem, drawing chorus of Arab and international denunciation and defying warnings that move could provoke new wave of Palestinian rage; Prime Min Benjamin Netanyahu, seeking to defuse Palestinian anger, goes on Arabic radio and television to portray decision as benign attempt to alleviate housing shortage in Jerusalem; most Israelis, Palestinians and foreign governments see decision to develop first 2,500 of planned 6,500 housing units in area known to Israelis as Har Homa as fateful step in bitter competition for Jerusalem; map; photo (M)

Jewish Housing for East Jerusalem Approved

South African Government, after dragging its feet for last few years, has pledged to move toward plans to privatize many state-owned companies; some sales are proceeding faster than others, and each reorganization plan differs; industries being considered for privatization include transportation, energy, postal service, arms makers and broadcasting; some of enterrpises that are, or will be, auctioned off are South African Airways, Telekom South Africa and Aventura, a resorts and state parks business; tables; photos (L)

February 27, 1997

Headlines from February 27, 1997

Shopping-Cart Solution

Empire State Gunman Gave No Hint of Anger, His Hosts Say

A Pair of Muses, Above It All

Jokes Come Easily; Worries About Consequences Soon Follow

BUSINESS DIGEST

Billboard 200

Unchained Melody/The Early Years

Baduizm

Tragic Kingdom

Pieces Of You

Secrets

Historical Context for February 27, 1997