January 27, 1999

Gov George E Pataki says that for next five years New York State should use 75 percent of its share of national tobacco lawsuit settlement, or $1.5 billion, to help reduce state debt; says that in first five years of 25-year settlement, 25 percent, or about $100 million a year, will go to state's share of health care; health care advocates had hoped for more money for coverage of more than 3 million New Yorkers who are not insured and for anti-smoking programs (M)

Dave Anderson Sports of The Times column describes scene at Joe's Stone Crab restaurant in Miami, Fla, as Denver Broncos offensive linemen, assistant coaches and several family members dined; photo (M)

Atlanta Olympic organizers are preparing for International Olympic Committee investigation of possible fraud and other unethical behavior in their winning bid to host 1996 Summer Olympic Games; photo (M)

Warner-Lambert to Acquire Agouron for $2.1 Billion Warner-Lambert, one of the hottest companies in the drug industry, said that it would acquire Agouron Pharmaceuticals, a small biotechnology firm, for $2.1 billion in stock. The deal enables Warner-Lambert to add Agouron's Viracept, the nation's leading protease inhibitor, to its pipeline along with several other anti-viral and cancer drugs. Although the deal was announced after the market closed, shares of both stocks climbed steadily throughout the day before they were halted in afternoon trading. Shares of Warner-Lambert rose $1.625, to $69.125, while Agouron jumped $3.65625, or 6.9 percent, to $56.8125. [Page C4.]

Bernard Holland comments on musical phenomenon of the 'master class,' whereby opera singers, often retiring divas, are able to give such public classes, and keep themselves before an admiring public; raging success of Terrence McNally's 'Master Class' on Broadway a few years back, with Zoe Caldwell as McNally's version of Maria Callas, has made the real thing more attractive to everyone concerned: organizers able to win new audiences, audiences themselves hoping to bask in insider wisdom, and the teachers, too; photos of Callas, and of Marilyn Horne and Leontyne Price giving master classes (M)

Pataki's Plan on State Debt The governor said $1.5 billion from the tobacco lawsuit settlement should be used over the next five years to reduce state debt. Page B1.

Dow Jones industrial average gains 121.26 points, to 9,324.58; Nasdaq composite index jumps 64.10 points, or 2.71 percent, to record 2,433.41; Standard & Poor's 500-stock index rises 18.33 points, to 1,252.31; graph; tables (M)

Review of controversy over rock concert scheduled at Continental Arena on Jan 27 to benefit Mumia Abu-Jamal, on death row in Pennsylvania after being convicted of killing Philadelphia police officer; concert features rock group Rage Against the Machine; New Jersey Gov Christine Todd Whitman calls event 'despicable' and urges concertgoers not to go; Abu-Jabal's supporters contend he was set up, and that trial was racist; photo (M)

MOTION TO DISMISS -- Trial resumes today at 1 P.M., and senators vote on motion to dismiss charges. MOTION FOR WITNESSES -- If dismissal motion fails, Senate votes on motion to depose three witnesses -- Monica S. Lewinsky, Vernon E. Jordan Jr. and Sidney Blumenthal.

10-program series Selected Shorts: A Celebration of the Short Story, series of readings, to begin its 10th-anniversary season at Symphony Space; some of readers noted; photo; Michelle DeYoung to substitute for Thomas Hampson as soloist in Orchestra of St Luke's concert at Carnegie Hall; Roulette, after 20 years of presenting more than 2,000 experimental and avant-garde concerts in its 74-seat loft, is moving to new and larger home at site to be selected; 20th-anniversary benefit concert to be held Jan 30 at Alice Tully Hall; photo; comment on High 5 Tickets to the Arts, which makes heavily discounted tickets to cultural events available to high-school juniors and seniors (M)

Global 2000 Coordinating Group, composed of over 230 international banks, securities companies and insurers, weighs retreat from plans to publicly rate readiness of over 30 nations to avoid major Year 2000 computer disruptions; fears inadvertently causing capital flight and destabilizing some large developing nations; other groups are already providing country ratings, but Global 2000 effort raises concerns because of worldwide financial influence of its members (M)

Brazil's financial crisis has spurred further drops in basic commodity prices, which have been falling in last few years; drops are sending new shock waves through United States' grain belt and industrial heartland, while helping keep inflation in check; graph of commmodities futures price index; photos (M)