June 18, 1997

New York State Court of Appeals rules Mayor Rudolph W Giuliani can banish sidewalk food vendors from congested streets in midtown Manhattan and downtown Brooklyn; map (M)

On 25th anniversary of Watergate affair, many of surviving principals who drove Pres Richard Nixon and conspirators from office express hope that well-documented facts surrounding scandal do not fade entirely before generations to come; rue resilience of J Gordon Liddy, felonious conspirator in historic scandal, who has parlayed notoriety into profits with daily radio show in Capitol and who predicts no one will remember scandal 25 years from now; photos (M)

About half state's registered voters are pleased with New Jersey Gov Christine Todd Whitman's performance, according to new poll released by The Star-Ledger of Newark and Eagleton Institute of Politics at Rutgers University (New Jersey Daily Briefing) (S)

New Jersey Transit says 32,500 bus and rail passengers who use Pennsylvania Station in Newark every day will be getting some new amenities; agency is seeking bids for new concourse that would provice easier access to trains and will include new lighting and drainage system (New Jersey Daily Briefing) (S)

Many current ninth graders in New York City schools are embracing State Education Commissioner Richard P Mills' proposed ambitious new rule last year that would require all high school students to pass battery of college-preparatory Regents tests; ninth graders are first to be affected by both new state requirements, which were adopted by Board of Regents last summer and are being phased in gradually, along with earlier city initiative requiring students to take Regents level math and science classes; photo (M)