Stephen and Geryl Deixler build 4,800-square-foot house on Long Beach Island, NJ, for their 11-member family, which spans three generations; architects are Michael Ryan and Brian Healy; photos (M)

Three Generations Happy Under Four Roofs

Toms River developer Michael Miscio is charged with defrauding now defunct Action Savings Bank in Somers Point of $7 million in land and construction loans (New Jersey Daily Briefing) (S)

Charges of Bank-Loan Fraud

Yasir Arafat, at conference of Palestinian factions in Gaza, defies Israeli and US demands that he crack down on Islamic militants; supports leaders of Hamas and Islamic Holy War movements and warns that Palestinians are prepared to resume their violent revolt against Israel; Arafat calls conference to protest policies of Israeli Prime Min Benjamin Netanyahu; his remarks come just days after US mediator Dennis B Ross prodded him to renew security cooperation with Israelis and take action against Hamas and other hard-line Islamic groups; photo (M)

Defying Israel, Arafat Embraces Islamic Militants

 TEEN-AGER SLAIN -- A teen-ager was stabbed to death on his front lawn in Queens, the end of a three-year dispute with neighborhood youths, the police said. B3.    TRAINING TEACHERS -- The Board of Education approved a three-year contract with a controversial teacher-training organization. B3.

INSIDE METRO

 Investment Firm to Buy Corning Consumer Lines  Corning, whose name has for decades been synonymous with Pyrex, Corning Ware and other household brands, said that it would sell a controlling interest in its consumer products operations as it focuses instead on high-technology businesses.    The buyer is AEA Investors, an investment firm that is paying $975 million, considerably more than analysts had expected. $(Page D4.$)

BUSINESS DIGEST

Dow Jones industrial average rises 103.13 points, or 1.3 percent, to 8,021.23, putting average up 24.4 percent for the year; Standard & Poor's 500-stock index rises 13.34 points, or 1.44 percent, to 939.35; Nasdaq composite rises 27.99, or 1.75 percent, to 1,628.70; chart (L)

Stocks Rise Anew, Erasing Friday Losses

Interview with Hans Stern and his son, Roberto, president and creative director, respectively, of H Stern & Co, Brazilian jewelers; Stern pieces used to derive their impact from the stones, especially Brazilian colored stones, but now they aim to impress with their Bruncusi-like sculptural forms; photos (M)

New Shapes Becoming to Old Fancies

Commerce Department reports US trade deficit narrowed markedly in June as exports rebounded to new record and imports subsided for first time this year; deficit declined to $8.2 billion from $9.54 billion in May; while deficit narrowed with Canada and Mexico, two of country's biggest trade partners, China and Japan increased significantly, prompting fresh expressions of displeasure by Clinton Administration; graph (L)

Trade Deficit Fell in June, but Not With Asians

Clown jumping out of trees and bushes and scaring children is causing concern among residents of housing development in Howell Township (New Jersey Daily Briefing) (S)

An Unwelcome Clown

Top executives of American Medical Association, stung by charges of conflict of interest and commercialism, have decided that association should abandon plans to endorse health care products; will recommend that exclusive endorsement deal with Sunbeam Corp be scaled back; under proposal, AMA would no longer accept royalty payments from Sunbeam, which are estimated to be worth millions of dollars; while Sunbeam products will continue to carry association's seal, group will ask to released from its exclusivity agreement; Sunbeam arrangement would have been first product endorsement by AMA in its 150-year history (M)

A.M.A. Pulls Back From Endorsements Of Health Products

New York State utility regulators signal that they intend to lower electric rates for residences and small businesses in New York City and Westchester County by as much as 6 to 7 percent, or about double savings included in proposed agreement for sweeping restructuring of state's proposed agreement with Con Edison (M)

State Plan for Con Ed Deal Would Cut Rates More

Article compares status of both Hofstra University and Adelphi University over last ten years; gradual improvements in academic standing, finances, student body and campus life at Hofstra under president James M Shuart is in sharp contrast to turmoil at Adelphi under president Peter Diamandopoulos; photo; graph (M)

As Adelphi Stumbled, Hofstra Inched Onward

Federal appeals court upholds New Jersey's Megan's Law, clearing way for county prosecutors to begin notifying local residents and community groups about certain convicted sex offenders in their neighborhoods; it is highest Federal court to rule on constitutionality of community-notification laws, enacted in recent years by almost every state in nation; three-judge panel, in 2-1 ruling, rejects challenge from public defenders who contend that law is unconstitutional because it inflicts extra 'punishment' on convicted sex offenders after they have served prison time; Gov Christine Todd Whitman and State Atty Gen Peter Verniero praise ruling; their photo (M)

Court Upholds 'Megan's Law' In Split Ruling

Federal indictment paints most complete picture yet of what prosecutors say was cross-country operation to force deaf Mexican immigrants to sell $1 trinkets, including disclosures that ringleaders used electric shocks on one peddler who did not sell enough trinkets, slammed another's head against a wall and chained third to bed for week; operation's techniques are described in indictment against 20 people; prosecutors estimate that ring earned $1 million a year over five years; indictment is significant because it seems to indicate that operation, which prosecutors say was run by extended clan of deaf people from Mexico City, was not as widespread as initially feared when it was uncovered in Queens in July; ring appears to have been limited to New York City and Chicago, with separate group in Los Angeles of people who smuggled deaf immigrants into US; indictment says Paoletti family, which ran NYC operation, forced peddlers to take day trips out of town to work; photo (M)

U.S. Indictment Describes Abuses Of Deaf Mexican Trinket Sellers

Federal appeals court in Philadelphia upholds Megan's law, clearing way for county prosecutors to begin notifying local residents and community groups next month about paroled sex offenders in their neighborhoods (New Jersey Daily Briefing) (S)

'Megan's Law' Is Upheld

Cloak of privacy that has long set AIDS apart from other infectious diseases is beginning to be pierced, with lawmakers, health officials and some advocates for people with disease pushing for more testing and mandatory reporting of those who are infected with HIV virus; there is growing agreement among officials and advocates that encouragement of early testing and tracking can do more to slow epidemic; they say that successful new drug therapies make early detection and treatment more important, and that legal protections against discrimination have eased some of pressure of confidentiality (M)

PROGRESS ON AIDS BRINGS MOVEMENT FOR LESS SECRECY

British soldiers seize six police sites in Banja Luka, Bosnia, effectively wiping out local power base of Radovan Karadzic, Bosnian Serb leader who is wanted on war-crimes charges; move by NATO-led force openly pits 31,000 peacekeepers against wartime leaders, who still command loyalty among thousands of police officers and wield near-total control of economy in Serbian-controlled portion of Bosnia; raid splits Bosnian Serb sector into areas controlled by Karadzic and his successor as sector's president, Biljana Plavsic; map (M)

NATO TROOPS RAID SERB HARD-LINERS IN A BOSNIAN CITY

Our Towns column discusses homeless colony living under boardwalk in Atlantic City, NJ; efforts by police to disband group and work by homeless advocates discussed; relationship between growth in homeless and expansion of casinos noted (M)

For Homeless, Boardwalk Serves as Roof

 Stocks Erase Friday Loss  Stocks rallied with the Dow Jones industrial average up more than 100 points for the third straight day to close at 8,021.23. Page D1.  

INSIDE

New Jersey Division of Motor Vehicles employee Pia Veggian is dismissed after Nigerian doctor Christopher O Okechukwu complained that she had used racial slur against him (New Jersey Daily Briefing) (S)

Bias Complaint at D.M.V.

The case of a Haitian immigrant who the authorities say was brutalized in police custody continues to have political reverberations in New York City.    Mayor Giuliani accused three of his Democratic opponents of divisiveness for criticizing City Hall's response to the allegations. ''They really should stay out of it,'' Mr. Giuliani said.  

Abuse Case Reverberates On the Political Trail

MCI Communications Corp says it will discuss changing terms of its $22 billion merger with British Telecommunictions PLC after weeks of tense meetings prompted by worsening financial condition at MCI (L)

MCI and British Telecom Discuss Renegotiating Terms of Merger

New Jersey Gov Christine Todd Whitman administration's ban on mass harvesting of horseshoe crabs is overturned by appeals court (New Jersey Daily Briefing) (S)

Horseshoe Crabs Safe for Now

Backpacker trails, wildlife refuges and historic sites on over 500 million acres of public land now come with admission price; while some people complain about admission charge to enjoy land where logging, grazing and mining are still heavily subsidized by Federal Government, most recreation users seem willing to pay something for using public land; in national parks, most of which have long charged admission fees, there has been 5 percent increase in visitors thus far in 1997, despite doubling of fees at some of most popular sites and introduction of fees at some areas that were previously free; it is on Forest Service land, wildlife refuges and arid country managed by Bureau of Land Management that Federal officials most feared backlash to new pay-per-see policy that is being tried out for next three years; photo (M)

Adapting to Fees for Enjoying Public Lands

Growing number of small businesses are signing up for special kind of insurance policy: coverage against kidnapping; insurance is intended for expatriate executives, corporate road warriors and even those at home office; wealthy foreigners, who are even more attractive targets than American executives, are also signing up; policies not only provide money for ransom, but also pay for such things as costly fees of kidnap negotiators--which can run to $15,000 a week--and follow-up psychiatric treatment for victims and their families; kidnapping of Thomas Hargrove by Colombian guerrillas in 1994 and his release in August 1995 discussed; photos (L)

August 21, 1997

Headlines from August 21, 1997

Three Generations Happy Under Four Roofs

Charges of Bank-Loan Fraud

Defying Israel, Arafat Embraces Islamic Militants

INSIDE METRO

BUSINESS DIGEST

Billboard 200

No Way Out

The Art Of War

Men In Black--The Album

Transistor

Spice

Historical Context for August 21, 1997