November 22, 1997

Officials say murder of Long Branch, NJ, Detective Patrick A King was cold-blooded assassination of police officer targeted at random; investigators seek to untangle and reconstruct trail of carnage and terror of one-man crime wave through northern New Jersey; two central questions remain: identity of assailant and his motive for killing officer; Asbury Park Press reports that gunman was Roberto Perez, 32, who moved to Long Branch earlier this year; newspaper says Perez was upset over breakup of relationship and had swallowed woman's gold wedding band and photo before shooting himself to death; ring and photo of woman and two young children are discovered during autopsy; photos; chronology of rampage (M)

Democratic members of New York State Assembly say majority leader Michael J Bragman has been actively campaigning to be next Speaker; say Bragman's actions have house in turmoil and could undermine authority of Speaker Sheldon Silver; say Bragman's maneuvering is unheard of at time when Speaker's office is occupied, and that Silver is furious; conflict underscores disarray of state Democratic Party; Bragman and Silver photo (M)

Article on upcoming football game between Ohio State University and University of Michigan; chart; photo (L)

Foundations turn to death, and the issue comes alive. PAGE B7 Helen Vendler, a power in the ivory tower of poetry. PAGE B7 A weekend spent celebrating the man behind 'Our Town.' PAGE B7 A new Met Opera production of 'The Rake's Progress.' PAGE B7

William C Rhoden Sports of The Times column on heavyweight boxer Shannon Briggs, who will fight George Foreman on Nov 22, first make-or-break fight of his career; also discusses St Louis Rams running back Lawrence Phillips, who was released from team after exhibiting troubling behavior off the field in recent days; photo of Briggs (L)

It has taken Danniel and Jackson Maio three years to complete their Living Map of Upper West and East Sides; map delineates every building in Manhattan from 56th to 121st Street between Hudson and East Rivers; Maio brothers acquired Incentra International in 1992 and renamed it Identity Map Co; maps; photo (M)

A Tumult in Iran Violent confrontations have been shaking Iran, reflecting tension between forces that want to liberalize the country and those that want to keep it conservative. Page A3. Satellite Malfunctions Moments after astronauts aboard the space shuttle Columbia released a solar-observing satellite, it malfunctioned, then defeated efforts to recapture it. Page A12. Denver Looks for Answers After hearing a skinhead's unemotional account of killing a Mauritanian man, Denver looks for reasons why it is facing a two-week rampage of racist violence. Page A7. Grayson Kirk Dies The former Columbia University president, who resigned in 1968 after his decision to send 1,000 police in riot gear against student protesters, was 94. Page D16. The Barnum Of Ostriches A onetime ostrich smuggler, who got $150 an egg, finds that life has quieted down for himself and his 8,000 birds. Page A4. One Strong Baby The mother of septuplets was able to hold one who was strong enough to be off a ventilator. Page A7.

David Gonzalez column notes that Joshua Prager, disabled motorist who reported his 1990 Lexus stolen on Oct 20, found his car on Battery Place, where it sat for one month just six blocks from where he had last parked it; Prager contends that police relocated car from area near World Financial Center to clear streets for dedication of police memorial; photo (M)

Profile of rapid growth in sales of food product known as energy bars--concoction of vitamin-laced corn syrup, cereal and flavoring--that were originally targeted at high-performance athletes but have since earned widespread consumer acceptance; bars, first introduced in 1987 by Powerbar Inc, Calif, have become $200 million business that is fast spreading east and north as endless array of newcomers enter business; chart on three such bars and their 1997 sales (M)

Supreme Court will not test role of race in workplace, as parties to affirmative action case in Piscataway, NJ, high school, announce unusual financial settlement; tactical retreat leaves state of affirmative action law unsettled, but from point of view of civil rights organizations that spearheaded settlement, it is no worse than it was before; major share of $433,500 settlement that Piscataway Township Board of Education will pay to dismissed white teacher, Sharon Taxman, will be provided by coalition of leading civil rights groups that was concerned that broadly worded Supreme Court decision could prove disastrous for affirmative action; affirmative action supporters say they hope next case to reach Court will present issue in more sympathetic light than stark trade-off of two jobs that this case entailed; Rev Jesse L Jackson reportedly played leading role in raising money for settlement, much of it from corporate donors; chronology of events in case; photos (M)

Affirmative action opponents say $433,500 settlement in Piscataway, NJ, case amounts to hush money paid by frightened civil rights groups; Hugh B Price, president of National Urban League, says case had such narrow set of circumstances that fear was that it could spill over into other factual situations; Douglas Cox, lawyer who wrote brief in support of Taxman, wonders how long civil rights groups will pay to save defendants who, in his view, have made unfair decisions in name of diversity (M)

Wei Jingsheng, China's most prominent democracy advocate, says he will tell Pres Clinton that only continued pressure from West could help free more Chinese political prisoners; Wei is expected to meet Clinton in next few weeks; his assertions that he intends to become strong public advocate for improvements in China's human rights situation could complicate relations between Washington and Beijing; although Clinton Administration officials pressed Wei's case in private meetings with Chinese leaders, Pres Clinton has argued that 'engagement,' not confrontation, is more likely to produce improved rights conditions in China; Wei is still weakened by his 16 years of imprisonment, but reports that he suffered from life-threatening illness appear part of strategy to get Chinese Government to release him on medical parole, as it did; photo (M)