June 23, 1998

Baltimore Orioles defeat New York Mets, 7-2 (M)

Logo designed eight years ago as official seal of Republic, Mo, has stirred controversy among civil libertarians, who argue that inclusion of fish to portray universality of religion is unmistakeable Christian symbol; American Civil Liberties Union says symbol first appeared in second century, and was used as secret sign of Christianity; says its inclusion in logo violates First Amendment's prohibition against establishment of religion; has asked Mayor to remove it; residents say they resist any such effort; say they will take stand for local autonomy, against meddling by ACLU and for Christian faith of town's majority; photos; map (M)

Democratic US Repr Charles Schumer, who after nearly two decades in Washington has earned reputation as one of most tenacious fund-raisers, has collected more from contributors than any other challenger in history of Congress in his campaign against Republican incumbent Sen Alfonse D'Amato; has collected well over $10 million, accumulating treasury that not only dwarfs those of other candidates in New York's Democratic primary, but is also second largest among all Senate candidates nationwide; only candidate who has taken in more is D'Amato himself, who has collected more than $17 million for what is likely to be one of most expensive Senate contests ever; Schmuer has prospered even though he is less well known, has never before run statewide race and occupies middling position in Congress that has traditionally not commanded much respect from moneyed interests; has compensated by being persistent and by relying on network of supporters that he has nurtured during time in Washington; photos; chart (M)

Clinton Administration orders sweeping protections for Medicare beneficiaries, requiring health plans to guarantee access to specialists, to keep medical records confidential and to provide interpreters when needed; new rules add muscle to 1997 law and are stricter than standards governing commercial health insurance in many states; establish new protections for women, for people with serious illnesses and for patients who cannot read or speak English; apply to all Medicare services, but include special provisions for managed care plans; Administration says new rules herald most significant change in Medicare program since inception in 1965; scores of health plans will soon try to enroll older Americans (M)

Hard rock band Pearl Jam begins its summer tour with concert in Missoula, Mont, appearing at Grizzly Stadium at University of Montana; band's reasons for appearing at local university are practical: doing so allows it to bypass Ticketmaster, which band continues to accuse of driving up ticket prices, and to be close to home of its base player, Jeff Ament, Missoula resident; Pearl Jam, having effectively sabotaged its own superstardom by refusing most conventional forms of self-promotion, now seeks core audience untouched by trends: America's rock-and-roll heartland; photo; Ann Powers review (M)