August 29, 1999

Article examines past writers' attempts to write jazz fiction in light of recent paperback release of Rafi Zabor's novel The Bear Comes Home; drawing; photo (L)

States have more Federal money for welfare than they know how to spend; that is because welfare rolls have dropped significantly while Federal financing remains, by law, fixed at historic highs; Wisconsin cited as example; five years ago, state received about $317 million from Federal Government, or $4,100 for each family on rolls; last year, state still got $317 million, even though its rolls had fallen by more than 80 percent; that pushed Federal aid to nearly $22,000 a case, and with rolls still shrinking this year it may grow to $35,000; awash in Federal dollars, state has raised its welfare benefits 20 percent, created thousands of subsidized jobs and offered poor women door-to-door rides to mandatory motivation classes; it has also used money to bring support to needy families outside welfare rolls, as Federal law permits--offering them child care, car loans, counseling and annual cash bonuses of up to $1,600; still, Wisconsin had enough Federal anti-poverty money to shift more than $100 million into a tax cut; chart; maps show percentage decrease in number of welfare cases in each state from 1994 to 1998, and percentage of Federal money given from 1997 to 1999 for welfare programs that has not been spent; table shows Federal financing for welfare programs from 1997 to 1999 (L)

Article on divers who ply waters of New York City's Hudson River, East River and Atlantic Ocean and Long Island Sound and are sometimes surprised to find wide variety of marine life; photos; diagram (L)

West Village residents fear area's rise from meat market to prime site will fundamentally alter rough-edged blend of 19th-century industry and 20th-century artistry; new developments include apartment buildings, hotels and shops; table of recent and pending projects; map; rendering; photos (M)

New York Jets beat New York Giants, 16-10; photo (M)