April 22, 1999

Catherine Hamilton, president of American Friends of Versailles, is organizing Le Bal de Versailles, six-day extravaganza to raise $4.5 million to restore Bosquet des Trois Fontaines, derelict garden masterpiece at palace; French Government contributes $47 million a year to maintain palace; Versailles has been magnet for American philanthropists since John D Rockefeller Jr gave $130 million for its restoration between 1923 and 1936; photos (L)

As first-quarter earnings reports start coming in, Wall Street is pleased; positive earnings surprises are running higher than historical averages, with about half 500 companies in Standard & Poor's index of large companies reporting; First Call says if trend continues, earnings this quarter could grow 9 percent to 10 percent; that pace would make quarter first with above-average earnings growth since end of 1997; even more significant is steady rise in earnings forecasts for all of 1999 by Wall Street strategists; graph (Market Place column) (M)

New York State Gov George Pataki and New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani reach agreement on expanding landmark program for housing mentally ill homeless people in New York City; agreement requires city and state spend slightly more than $100 million to provide 1,500 apartments for mentally ill homeless people over next 5 years but it falls short of number of apartments that supporters of program had sought (M)

Suffolk County, NY, jury decides that Albert Fentress, former school teacher who has spent last 20 years in psychiatric hospitals after torture, killing and cannibalization of Poughkeepsie teen-ager Paul Masters, is no longer danger to society and should go free; Fentress, found not guilty by reason of insanity in 1980 slaying, is returned to Pilgrim State Psychiatric Center where he will wait while NYS Supreme Court Justice Harry E Seidell considers motion by prosecutors to overturn jury's decision; photo (M)

Peter Marks reviews Second Stage's revival of Jason Miller play, That Championship Season, directed by Scott Ellis; Michael O'Keefe and Ray Baker star; photo (M)