January 24, 1999

When the Los Angeles Olympics made money in 1984, it seemed to have found the answer to the problems that were threatening the future of the Games. But over the next 15 years that process became corrupted to the point that the Games are again at a critical juncture. Members of the International Olympic Committee met for 15 hours behind police barricades in their headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland, yesterday to try to discuss the scandal that has engulfed the organization. As many as 11 members face a choice today of resigning or being suspended and eventually expelled.

Avant-garde puppetry is exploding onto New York theater scene, due in large measure to Julie Taymor's puppets in The Lion King, and traditional puppeteers hope to benefit from trickle-down; photos (M)

Article on upcoming Super Bowl XXXIII between Denver Broncos and Atlanta Falcons focuses on ongoing rift between Falcons' Coach Dan Reeves and Broncos' Coach Mike Shanahan; says problems between two men began in late 1980's when Reeves was coach of Broncos and his relationship with quarterback John Elway had become so strained that Reeves began to think that Elway and Shanahan were plotting against him, scripting plays behind his back; chart; photos (M)

Motion Picture Academy's decision to honor Elia Kazan, great film director who is now 89 and ailing, may mark end of tormented legacy of Hollywood blacklist; Kazan for decades has symbolized dark moments of McCarthyism and House Un-American Activities Committee; photo; director, in April 1952, informed on eight old theater friends who, like himself, had once belonged to Communist Party; Karl Malden defends award, although critics note Kazan made choice and never said he was wrong (M)

President Clinton's impeachment trial was thrown into turmoil today, after a Federal judge ordered Monica S. Lewinsky to submit to questioning from House Republican prosecutors or the independent counsel's office, and Senate Republicans said they would query the President in writing. As Ms. Lewinsky arrived here from Los Angeles, her lawyers were working out the details of when and where she would meet with the prosecutors. House aides said the meeting would likely happen on Sunday.

NHL goal-scoring is down slightly from last season and down significantly from earlier this decade despite rules altered this summer to help offenses; with more than half regular schedule completed, NHL teams are combining for average of 5.2 goals a game; last season ended at 5.3 goals a game, lowest since 1955-56; prospects of high-scoring National Hockey League All-Star Game when North America plays the World in Tampa, Fla, discussed; photo (M)

New York Gov George E Pataki appoints special state commission to investigate wrongdoing in construction of New York City's public schools and accusations that some administrators inflated student attendance to reap more government aid; directs commission to examine School Construction Authority, agency created by state in 1988 to improve how city's schools are built, but has since become known for deadly accidents, cost overruns and seemingly inexplicable design problems that in one case left $300,000 wheelchair ramp under hoop on basketball court; asks panel to examine how principals and other administrators compile and report attendance figures, which help determine education aid and size of school's budget; acts without consulting Mayor Rudolph Giuliani or Schools Chancellor Rudy Crew; Giulaini expresses surprise; says he is not sure about point of commission; Crew and Board of Education president William C Thompson Jr criticize commission as politically motivated attempt to hide Pataki's own neglect and to burnish image as he seeks to broaden national reputation; inquiry will be headed by State Inspector General Roslynn R Mauskopf; photo (M)

Traditional sequence for teaching science is being questioned by some scientists and educators, who say physics should come before biology and chemistry; while only few schools have actually retrained teachers and made difficult transition to ninth-grade physics, there is growing consensus that changing biology-chemistry-physics sequence gives science curriculum coherence it now lacks, and allows students to build on concepts they have learned; push to reorganize is seen as response to century's worth of advances in scientific knowledge; photos (M)

Representative Lindsay O. Graham, a House impeachment manager, said before voting to convict the President, senators must ''consider what's best for the nation,'' in the most dramatic moment of the second and last day of questioning. Article, page 25.

Gretchen Morgensen column holds that Pres Clinton's plan to invest $700 billion of Social Security trust fund's reserves in stock market in flawed because it leaves investment decisions to Government; says history shows that public investors do not behave as profitably as private investors do; graph (M)

Minskoff Grant Realty will turn 1958 building at 55 Church Street in White Plains, New York, into high-tech center, with high-speed phone lines and expanded electrical capacity (S)

News analysis: loss of bipartisanship in Senate impeachment trial of Pres Clinton should not have been unexpected since trial plan hammered out two weeks ago simply postponed hard issues that separate Democrats and Republicans, namely: whether to allow witnesses and whether to continue trial all way through to up-or-down vote on two articles of impeachment; photo (M)