September 18, 1999

Satellite dish and two televisions allow Peligro's sporting goods store in Washington Heights to provide vital service for largely Dominican neighborhood: ability to watch two well-loved Dominican-American heroes at same time; one television shows all of Manny Ramirez's games with Cleveland Indians, while other shows Sammy Sosa and Chicago Cubs; photo (M)

Emergency personnel struggle to contain surging rivers and creeks from Hurricane Floyd; floods drive thousands of people from their homes and hobble transportation and communications networks; at least 31 people die in drownings or storm-related car accidents, including 4 in New York region; worst damage in New York metropolitan region occurs in Rockland and Westchester Counties and in northern and central New Jersey; Pres Clinton declares state of emergency for New Jersey; map; photos (M)

IBM, in major victory of controversial type of new pension, says it will allow 35,000 additional employees to retain their old pension benefits, backing down from earlier move forcing them to accept what for many would be far lower benefits from new cash-balance pension; company has been under pressure since it announced earlier this year that it was switching to cash-balance plan, prompting lawmakers to demand age-discrimination investigations and IBM workers to seek to organize union (M)

Huge crane collapses at Chelsea construction site, killing worker, Kenneth Preiman, and injuring three others after crane operator, Paul Hettinger, tried to hoist boom without releasing special restraints intended to prevent accident once Hurricane Floyd reached city; photo (M)

Rep J Dennis Hastert pledged to work for new tone of civility in House when he became Speaker, but 106th Congress is starting to look like last Congress that Newt Gingrich led: bitterly adversarial, with few accomplishments and heavy emphasis on investigations; tone in Congress stems in part from Republican majority's inability to push through affirmative agenda that members can rally around; party is hampered by its razor-thin majority, ideological divisions in its own ranks, partisan Democratic minority and Pres Clinton's opposition to Republican initiatives (M)