Anthony Tommasini Critic's Notebook article on New York City Ballet's orchestra, soon to be headed by Andrea Quinn; holds orchestra is improving in wake of bruising 1999 strike that exposed longstanding problems with quality of orchestra's playing and commitment of its members; photos (M)

CRITIC'S NOTEBOOK: No Longer Just Another Gig; After a Strike Over Absenteeism, City Ballet Musicians Are Changing Course

John Tierney The Big City column on proposals to build new stadium in New York City for both Yankees and Mets; notes that Oriole Park in Baltimore for Orioles is financial loser despite economic success of surrounding area developments (M)

The Big City; Losing Money On the Birds Or Bombers

Article on what has become of some of high-profile technology managers who worked on computers to avert chaos as year 2000 arrived; Brian Cohen, director of New York City's E-Government Office, comments on life six months later; photo (M)

The Search for Encores to a Nonevent

Interview with writer J P Donleavy on his 1955 novel The Gingerman, now generally viewed as contemporary classic; photo (M)

The Classic With a Pornographic Pedigree

Marin Alsop to lead Colorado Symphony in concert opening Vail Valley Music Festival, Colorado; Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, long kept secret, is title of fourth novel in J K Rowling's immensely popular series, set for United States publication; exhibition Volume: Bed of Sound, opening at PS 1 Contemporary Art Center, Long Island City, is described as museum's least visual show; Hudson River Museum, Yonkers, plans exhibition of paintings by Ralph Fasanella; photos (M)

Footlights

Dave Anderson Sports of The Times column contends that New York Yankees do not need to trade several young prospects to Chicago Cubs for Sammy Sosa; photo (M)

Sports of The Times; The Yanks Don't Need Sosa's K's

Number of American households that cared for parents or relatives afflicted with infirmities of old age tripled between 1988 and 1996, to 21 million from 7 million; Hewitt Associates survey shows forty-seven percent of large companies offered elder-care programs in 1999, up from 20 percent in 1993; most common forms of assistance, available at 40 percent of corporations, were resource and referral programs; graphs (M)

You Can Paint This Corporate Benefit Gray

New York Urban League State of Black New York public opinion poll finds that black residents of New York City are afraid of being brutalized by police, but they welcome and appreciate officers who keep criminals out of their neighborhood; at all income levels, blacks in city are convinced that racial discrimination limits their income and holds back job advancement; they also believe that major reason that young black men have troubled lives is not discrimination but breakdown of black families and lack of personal motivation; graph (M)

On Edge but Optimistic, New York Blacks Offer Complex Views in Poll

 A Warning All Its Own  The Supreme Court, long dubious of the Miranda ruling, sent Congress a message about turf in affirming it.  NEWS ANALYSIS, PAGE A20

INSIDE

Recent opening of new Balducci's specialty food store on Upper West Side represents new chapter in long, rancorous family feud; only thing left of Balducci family at new store and original downtown store is the name, which was sold to Sutton Place Gourmet in 1999; chart; photos (M)

Balducci's: A House Divided Stands in Name Only

Article discusses outlook for NBA amateur player draft (M)

The N.B.A. Drafts Today, but the Emphasis Is on the Future

Matt Lee and Ted Lee article on cooking with exotic basil varieties beginning to appear at specialty grocers and farmers' markets around New York; recipes; photos (M)

Chocolate, Lemon, Clove: Yes, This Is Basil

My Job column focuses on Irving Botwinick, president of Serving by Irving, process-serving firm in New York City; Botwinick comments; photo (M)

Chasing Trump Or the Pink Dog Of Patience

Celera Genomics Group, which mapped human genome in speed that doubters had said was impossible, must once again defy skeptics who say it will not be able to make money by selling information about the genome; experts say knowing human genetic code will be immensely important for creating drugs and tests for diseases; but even Celera officials acknowledge that genome is not that useful on its own; Celera founder-president J Craig Venter says it is starting point for what we want to develop as a business; genomics companies are using different methods to build businesses out of genome; Incyte Genomics Inc sells access to database about genes to drug companies; Millennium Pharmaceuticals is using genomics to understand disease processes to develop drugs; Human Genome Sciences is developing drugs and selling its information; photo of Celera founder J Craig Venter (M)

Finding Gold in Scientific Pay Dirt

House votes, 385-39, to require growing number of shadowy tax-exempt groups that raise and spend unlimited amounts on political advocacy to disclose donors and spending, opening way for first major change in campaign finance law in two decades; bill mirroring Sen John McCain's proposal was narrowly defeated in House just three weeks ago, when Republican leaders bowed to pressure from moderates who wanted broader measure; that strategy backfired when organizations on right and left objected to disclosing contributors and nonpolitical activities; scores of new tax-exempt groups have cropped up in recent years, exploited by nonprofit political organizations trying to avoid donor disclosure rules and contribution limits (M)

HOUSE BACKS BILL TO OPEN RECORDS OF POLICY GROUPS

Ben Brantley reviews Williamstown Theater Festival (Mass) production of Tonight at 8:30, sextet of short Noel Coward plays presented over two evenings; Michael Greif directs Program A: plays Family Album, Hands Across the Sea and We Were Dancing; Ann Reinking directs Program B: Red Peppers, Shadow Play and Star Chamber; photos (M)

How to Savor Fleeting Joys: Smiles Suave, Brows Arched

Architect David M Childs of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill to unveil final design for Columbus Center; new design for Columbus Circle area will consist of two 55-story towers shaped like parallelograms that skew to angle of Broadway; reaction to designs noted; photo (M)

How an Architectural Camel Shed Its Hump; Columbus Center: Introducing A New Version, In Angled Glass

Securities and Exchange Commission proposes new rules to tighten standards on what additional services accounting firms could sell to companies whose books they audit; proposal immediately runs into stiff criticism from some accounting firms, but gains support from others; proposed rules would in some cases bar accounting firms from performing consulting services they now perform for companies whose books they audit; KPMG, Deloitte & Touche and Arthur Andersen and American Institute of Certified Public Accountants strongly criticize proposal as being unnecessary and seeking to solve problem that does not exist; they have already begun to enlist Congressional allies in case they need to seek legislation to overturn any rules commission adopts; Ernst & Young and PricewaterhouseCoopers say they back proposals; SEC chairman Arthur Levitt comments; photo (M)

THE MARKETS: Market Place; S.E.C. Proposes Stricter Accounting Rules

Justice Department moves to curb headlong consolidation of telecommunications industry by blocking WorldCom's proposed $115-billion acquisition of Sprint Corporation; companies at same time withdraw application to European Commission in face of opposition there, although they reserve option to re-file; Justice Department seeks court injunction on grounds that combined company would stifle competition on Internet and in long-distance telephone industry; merger is biggest department has tried to block, and reflects intention of drawing limits even amid multibillion-dollar consolidations in telecommunications industry; Atty Gen Janet Reno says merger threatens to undermine competitive gains achieved since AT&T breakup 25 years ago (M)

Justice Dept. Moves to Block Merger of Two Phone Giants

House Republican leaders agree to end four decades of sanctions on sales of food to Cuba, although economic result may be relatively minor because of severe restrictions that Cuban-American lawmakers have managed to place in bill; American farmers and agricultural businesses would be allowed to sell directly to Cuba, but federal government and American banks would be barred from providing any financing for cash-poor Cuban government; Senate has approved more expansive version; bill would also lift unilateral food and medicine sanctions against Libya, Sudan, North Korea and Iran, with Iran also ineligible for US bank financing; intense business lobbying and Clinton administration moves to ease sanctions against other nations soften Republican position on Cuba this year, but White House still expresses reservations about requirement that president get congressional approval on sanctions in future; Washington Republican Repr George W Nethercutt hails agreement; Cuban-American lawmakers note that bill also turns existing curbs on tourism into law; Democrats and Cuban officials object to various conditions (M)

HOUSE G.O.P. IS SET TO ALLOW THE SALE OF FOOD TO CUBA

Breakdown of three electric feeder cables on Manhattan's Upper East Side forces Consolidated Edison to take emergency measures to prevent widespread power failure in midst of heat wave; utility reports that system installed after last year's blackout in upper Manhattan performed well, with only eight buildings and 76,000 customers affected this time; underlying problem remains inexorable rise in energy demand at time when New York State power producers have reached maximum generating capacity; first of new generation of power plants will not open for at least two more years; officials in New England declare power watch and urge reduced consumption (M)

Higher Demand Raises Pressure On Power Grid

A drug industry group has accelerated lobbying against the administration's proposal to insure drug costs for the elderly. Page A22.  

Clinton Drug Plan Attacked

Article offers appraisal of David M Child's new design for Columbus Center, 55-story, 2.77-million-square-foot edifice that will take place of New York Coliseum at Columbus Circle (M)

How an Architectural Camel Shed Its Hump; The Spirit of Jazz Infuses the Plans For a Vertical City

UN report warns that about half of all 15-year-olds in African countries worst affected by AIDS will eventually die of disease even if infection rates drop substantially in next few years; if infection rates remain high, more than two-thirds of 15-year-olds will die in countries like Botswana; report is issued for International AIDS Conference in South Africa; countries like South Africa and Zimbabwe, where at least fifth of adults are infected would see deaths of about half of all people now aged 15; Dr Peter Piot warns that AIDS, spread in Africa mostly through heterosexual sex, is decimating families, destroying national economies and killing off so many teachers that education systems are undermined; Piot says $300 million in annual aid should be $2 billion; bright spots include Uganda, which has pushed infection rate down to 8 percent; rates for each country listed (M)

U.N. Warning AIDS Imperils Africa's Youth

 U.S. Goes to Court to Stop WorldCom Deal for Sprint  The Justice Department sought an injunction in federal court against WorldCom's proposed $115 billion acquisition of Sprint, citing concerns that the combined company would stifle competition on the Internet and in the long-distance telephone industry.    The companies said only that they would review their options. WorldCom and Sprint could fight the government in court, but executives from the companies have said that they would almost surely abandon their deal in the face of a Justice Department suit. Shares of WorldCom increased $2.1875, to $39.6875, while Sprint fell $1.1875, to $58.375. [Page A1.]

BUSINESS DIGEST

Nils Poppe was a Swedish actor, comedian, director, screenwriter and theatre manager. He is internationally most famous for his part in Ingmar Bergman's The Seventh Seal, but in Sweden he was much loved and participated in over 50 films on cinema and TV.

June 28, 2000

Headlines from June 28, 2000

CRITIC'S NOTEBOOK: No Longer Just Another Gig; After a Strike Over Absenteeism, City Ballet Musicians Are Changing Course

The Big City; Losing Money On the Birds Or Bombers

The Search for Encores to a Nonevent

The Classic With a Pornographic Pedigree

Footlights

Billboard 200

The Marshall Mathers LP

Oops!...I Did It Again

Riding With The King

The History Of Rock

No Strings Attached

Notable Deaths

Historical Context for June 28, 2000