June 3, 1999

EC-130 flying command post is one of linchpins of NATO air campaign against Yugoslavia; there is only one squadron of EC-130 planes in Air Foce--42d Airborne Command and Control Squadron--and five of seven planes are at NATO's base in Aviano, Italy; unit flies about four missions a week, directing air strikes against Serbian military; planes, converted cargo carriers, were on verge of being phased out before air strikes began against Yugoslavia; recent 10-hour mission over Kosovo described; map; photos (M)

Barnes & Nobles Inc, faced with likely challenge from Federal antitrust officials, abandons its plans to acquire Ingram Book Group; Barnes & Noble says it decided to scrap deal and embark on new course of expanding its distribution networks in other ways, rather than face uncertainty of months or even years of legal wrangling in such fast-changing industry; decision is viewed as major coup for Amazon.com, leading Internet bookseller, and smaller bookstores that have waged aggressive campaign to kill transaction; Barnes & Moble chief executive Leonard Riggio comments (M)

Texaco Inc's board rejects merger proposal from Chevron Corp and ends all takeover talks; Chevron had offered to buy Texaco for $70 a share, or about $37.5 billion, far below $80 a share that Texaco had sought and analysts believed would have been fair price; Chevron had also demanded that Chevron executive head new company, while Texaco chairman Peter I Bijur wanted combined board to decide who would head merged company; Chevron wanted Texaco to sell its interests in refining and marketing alliances it had formed with Shell Oil Co, US subsidiary of Royal Dutch/Shell Group and Saudi Refining Inc, which is unit of Saudi Aramco (M)

First of two articles, Death by Prescription, notes that increasing number of Americans are killed each year not by illness, but by medication intended to treat it; discusses case of Helen McLaughlin, 73-year-old woman from Elizabeth, NJ, who relatives say died because of mix-up in prescription medication she was taking; says increase in medications and in number of prescriptions has created growing risk that patients will be killed or injured by reactions or mistakes; says doctors are struggling to keep up with warnings and pharmacists are often overburdened; graph; photos (M)

Cranbrook Educational Community in Bloomfield Hills, Mich, complex designed by Eliel Saarinen, is building again for first time since its flowering in 1930's and 40's; number of architects are involved in over $100 million worth of contruction and renovation; complex includes graduate art academy, art and science museums and elementary and sceondary schools; photos (M)