March 6, 1999

Another big burst of job growth in February showed that the United States economy was still on a roll while wage pressures remained remarkably subdued. For bond and stock investors yesterday, that combination eased fears of inflation, setting off a wild celebration. Traders drove long-term interest rates down and the Dow Jones industrial average up, with the Dow gaining 2.8 percent, or 268.68 points, to close at a record 9,736.08.

The image of the two Rudys -- Rudy Giuliani, the tough-talking, take-no-prisoners Mayor, and Rudy Crew, the canny but charming Schools Chancellor -- standing shoulder to shoulder in the Blue Room of City Hall, celebrating the latest educational achievement for New York City public schools, is a familiar one. Behind the peaceful performance there have often been stirrings of disagreement between the two men on issues from school safety to how to end social promotion. But for three and a half years, they were largely able to find common ground, maintaining a relationship that was mutually beneficial, politically advantageous and often more than cordial.

The St. John's basketball players had lusted for this rematch, had said all week that the only interest the Big East tournament held for them was the chance at one more meeting with Miami. They wanted, quite simply, revenge against the only team that had beaten them twice this season and surged past them in the national polls in the final week of the regular season. They owed them, Coach Mike Jarvis said. The payoff finally came last night when, in the waning seconds of a game full of brutal defense and extraordinary intensity, point guard Erick Barkley, who had promised that Miami had another thing coming if it thought this third game would be a cakewalk, stripped Johnny Hemsley of the ball as the clock wound down to single digits, securing a 62-59 victory over the ninth-ranked Hurricanes and St. John's first trip to the Big East final since 1986.

Appeals to Kosovo Factions Western envoys flew into the Balkans to pressure the warring sides in Kosovo to agree to a peace accord as the Serbian province suffered more shelling and casualties. Page A5.

New York City takes step toward greater hospitality with opening of computerized information center in midtown that is designed to help tourists navigate maze of cultural offerings using state-of-the-art technology; center, at Seventh Ave and 53d St, will let visitors purchase tickets to multitude of events and get up-to-the-minute information on many of city's cultural and recreational offerings; estimated 35 million visitors will come to city this year, and will pump estimated $14.5 billion into city's economy; photo (M)