April 20, 1999

New Jersey Atty Gen Peter G Verniero, in first official sign that State Police may have illegally singled out black and Hispanic motorists, announces indictments of Troopers John Hogan and James Kenna on charges of falsifying documents to make it appear that some of black motorists they had stopped were white; Hogan and Kenna, who shot three unarmed men during traffic stop of van on New Jersey Turnpike last April and are awaiting grand jury's ruling on possible criminal charges, will face prosecution on 19 misdemeanor charges each for falsifying records and conducting illegal searches; Hogan and Kenna photos (M)

Democrats and political professionals who earlier rejected former Sen Bill Bradley's bid for Democratic presidential nomination as quixotic and even foolhardy, are no longer dismissing his prospects outright, even as they concede that Vice Pres Al Gore remains heavy favorite for nomination, series, The Contenders: Running Toward 2000; parade of Democratic candidates who planned to take on Gore has evaporated, leaving Bradley with prize for which nearly dozen Republican contenders are competing, namely, to emerge as alternative should leading candidate falter; never before in modern American politics, in contest for open White House, has competition for nomination been distilled to two people so early; photo (M)

Merck Manual, venerable medical textbook first published in 1899, is reissued this week in commemorative centennial package along with 1999 edition; excerpts from some entries from 1899 edition; photo (M)

Harvey Araton Sports of The Times column on marathon runners Bill Rodgers and Joe LeMay; notes that Rodgers, 51, is four-time winner of Boston Marathon, but he dropped out of 1999 race after running 21 miles; says LeMay finished race at 2:16:11, in 13th place, first American to cross; Rodgers photo (M)

Jon S Corzine, chairman of Goldman Sachs Group, and John W Meriwether, founder of hedge fund Long-Term Capital Management, longtime rivals and even bitter anatagonists as recently as last fall, plan to head revived version of Long-Term Capital free from banks and brokerage firms that rescued it from imminent bankruptcy; Corzine and Meriwether are expected to serve as lead partners in new company that specializes in bond trading (M)