Autos on Friday column about 1919 Cunningham limousine owned by Michael Whitesel, great-grandson of original purchaser, Harry L Day; photos (M)

AUTOS ON FRIDAY/Collecting; Dowager, 81, Primps for a Pageant

Mark Messier returns to New York Rangers as player and captain of team; makes emotional speech on podium at Madison Square Garden; has signed two-year contract for base total of $11 million; photo (M)

Messier Returns, as Captain and Lifeline

Misunderstood mutant superheroes. Takes itself all too seriously.

Pow! Misfit Heroes To the Rescue! Zap!

Mike Freeman Sports of The Times column on New York Jets head Coach Al Groh; says Groh must immediately get team's attention and respect to emerge from shadow of former Coach Bill Parcells, who is now general manager; photo (M)

Sports of The Times; Little Coach Must Become The Coach

Debate about treatment of the mentally ill by criminal justice system is renewed as Justice Brenda Soloff orders release of Dennis Sweeney, who was placed in psychiatric center after courts accepted his plea that he was insane when he killed former Congressman Allard Lowenstein of New York in 1980; Soloff cites Sweeney's success in living under ever looser custody and without any medication over the past six years; directs prosecutors and mental health officials to establish conditions for his release, which would include continued therapy; they object to change of status on ground it would make it harder for Sweeney to be returned to custody in the future; photo (M)

Plan to Release Notorious Killer Prompts Debate About Insanity

General Mills, with an appetite for ready-to-bake cookies and biscuits, said it was in talks for a deal that would unite its Betty Crocker with the Pillsbury Doughboy. Analysts said the price of the transaction could be $9 billion to $11 billion.    Business Day, Page C1.

Betty Likes Doughboy

John Tierney column opposes government interference in market to lower gasoline prices or avert a heating oil shortage next winter, such as Sen Charles E Schumer, Hillary Rodham Clinton and Rep Rick A Lazio have proposed; recalls how government intervention only worsened energy crisis of 1970's (M)

The Big City; The High Cost Of Gasoline And Meddling

Health Insurance Plan of Greater New York has fallen into deep financial hole under leadership of Anthony L Watson, and regulators are investigating lavish spending and clubby atmosphere that seems at odds with HIP's special role in caring for New York City government workers and the poor; State Insurance Department and attorney general's office are poring over financial records, and focusing on Watson's spending on fancy cars and apartments even as HIP's finances dwindled far below amount required by law; critics say HIP's troubles also reflect decisions that were too risky, including expansion beyond insurer's local base; photos (M)

CRITICAL CONDITION: A special report.; Expansive Ambitions Dig Deep Hole for Health Plan

General Mills Inc is in talks to acquire Pillsbury division of Diageo PLC; neither side provides details of proposed price; new company would be world's fourth-largest packaged goods company; graph; chart (M)

General Mills Is in Talks to Buy Pillsbury Division of Diageo

Manhattan's finer cheese markets and their customers are worried that Food and Drug Administration may restrict sale of cheeses made with unpasteurized milk, even if they are aged; FDA is studying what it says is growing body of literature suggesting that aged cheeses made with raw milk may harbor listeria, salmonella and E. coli bacteria; cheesemongers are also worried that Food and Agriculture Organization, United Nations organization in Rome, might impose a strict interpretation of cheese-manufacturing standards, making it impossible for small raw-milk-cheese producers to conform to them; American Cheese Society, which represents artisan and farmhouse cheese makers, and Oldways Preservation and Exchange Trust, have formed Cheese of Choice Coalition to lobby Washington on behalf of raw-milk cheeses; photo (M)

New Scrutiny of Cheese Offends Refined Palates; Epicures Defend Unpasteurized Varieties As Regulators Look for Health Risks

 WorldCom and Sprint End Their Agreement to Merge  WorldCom and Sprint officially abandoned their $115 billion merger, bowing to pressure from regulators, who were concerned that the creation of such a large telecommunications company would stifle competition.    Far from dampening the outlook for ever-larger communications concerns, the dissolution of the agreement fueled speculation about consolidation among large telecommunications companies, with both WorldCom and Sprint being mentioned as potential takeover targets for foreign companies. Shares in WorldCom rose $3.4375, to $47.9375, while shares of Sprint increased 68.75 cents, to $48. [Page C5.]

BUSINESS DIGEST

Massacre in tiny village of El Salado highlights United States and human rights groups' reservations about Colombia's military leadership, its human rights record and its collaboration with paramilitary units; more then 300 armed men marched into village in February, and with list of names began summoning residents for judgment; troops ordered liquor and music, then embarked on calculated three-day rampage of torture, rape and killing of scores of people they accused of collaborating with left-wing guerrillas who have long been presence in area; military and police units just few miles away not only made no effort to stop slaughter, but also set up roadblock, preventing human rights groups from getting to village; while military has opened three investigations into massacre, top officials insist that fighting was under way in village between guerrillas and paramilitary forces, not a series of executions; they also insist that colonel in charge of region, Rodrigo Quinones Cardenas, who has since been promoted to general, has been persecuted by government and human rights groups; map; photos (L)

Colombians Tell of Massacre, as Army Stood By

Philadelphia, which has been preparing itself as showcase venue for Republican National Convention next month, suffers ignominy of seeing its police on nationally televised videotape beating and kicking black man following car chase; taped images are dampening civic pride in city that has been hailing its own renaissance, and reviving old images of a tough city where police behavior had to be federally monitored; Police Commissioner John F Timoney warns against 'rush to judgment'; black leaders, noting that both white and black police were involved in beating, contend incident was one of brutality more than racism toward suspect, Thomas Jones; photo (M)

On Convention Eve, Beating Mars Image of Philadelphia

Time Warner Trade Publishing acquires right to publish book by John F Welch Jr, widely admired chairman of General Electric Co, for record advance of $7.1 million; publishers involved in bidding war say high level of interest in book reflects growing obsession wiht business and stock market; photo (M)

Book Advance For G.E. Chief Is $7.1 Million

House of Representatives reaches tentative deal on bitterly fought bill to ban most forms of gambling on Internet, clearing the way for a floor vote as early as next week; bill attempts to curb one of fastest-growing acivities on Web, wagering on casino-style games and sporting events; analysts say there are more than 700 unregulated wagering sites on Web, generating more than $1.2 billion annually in bets, with more sites appearing every day and amount wagered doubling yearly; bill has created some odd lobbying alliances, ranging from Christian groups to casino industry (M)

MEASURE TO CURB INTERNET GAMBLING GAINS IN THE HOUSE

New Jersey Assembly gives final approval to $12 billion school construction program; measure will provide $6 billion from sale of bonds for projects in 30 of state's neediest districts, where state will cover all rebuilding costs; other communities will receive $2.6 million borrowed by state, on a sliding scale according to their wealth, to be matched by more billions borrowed locally; Assembly also approves $3.75 billion refinancing of state's Transportation Trust Fund (M)

$12 Billion For Schools In New Jersey

Bill Bradley emerges from months of political seclusion to appear with Vice Pres Al Gore in Green Bay, Wis, and to endorse his erstwhile primary foe; Bradley expresses confidence in Gore's ability to keep nation steady in era of rapid change; Gore effusively praises Bradley for his high ideals; Gore's main task of day is to present Bradley as an ally in attempt to win over independent voters that Bradley appealed to in his own campaign; photos (M)

Bradley Is Back To Praise Gore And Bury Bush

Flordia Marlins defeat New York Yankee, 11-9; photo (M)

Rally by the Yankees Cannot Rescue Hernandez

Boston Red Sox defeat New York Mets, 4-3; photo (M)

Mora's Misplayed Grounder Leads to Boston Rally in 9th

Ben Brantley reviews two-part Russian play Brothers and Sisters, produced by Maly Theater, directed by Lev Dodin and shown as part of Lincoln Center Festival 2000; photos; work is adapted from novels by Fyodor Abramov (M)

A Story That Flies Like Gossip

European Airbus Industrie group is close to introducing gigantic double-decker jumbo jet, known for now as A3XX, for use on long-distance routes like those between Asia and Europe or US; jet, with capacity of 555 to 800 passengers, would carry at least 140 passengers more than largest Boeing 747; its development cost would exceed $10 billion; Boeing remains skeptical, saying there is very limited market for such a plane; charts; photo (M)

Airbus Industrie Is Considering A Very Big Bet; Group Thinks Behemoth Jet Will Take on the Boeing 747

Ford Motor Co is undertaking bizarrely complicated transaction to distribute $10 billion that calls for Ford to be acquired by another company, known as Ford Value Corp; shareholders will get stock in new company plus their choice of $20 a share in cash or additional shares; those who take cash will get smaller dividend checks in future; plan will allow company to evade clauses in its certificate of incorporation that would deprive Ford family of its voting control if family members sell too many shares; photo of chairman William Clay Ford Jr (M)

Ford Needs a Better Idea for Getting Cash to Shareholders

 Fiji Hostage Crisis Ends  Rebel leader George Speight freed the ousted prime minister and 17 other hostages, and his nominee was named president. It was clear there was no room for ethnic Indians in Fiji's new government.   PAGE A3

INSIDE

Wall and two floors collapse at an architectural salvage shop in East Village, injuring 11 people slightly, leaving structure listing dangerously, forcing evacuation of 51 apartments in three nearby buildings and leading the city to begin an emergency demolition of the building, with its treasures still inside it; city says construction crew was making alterations to the first floor of the four-story shop, Irreplaceable Artifacts, in defiance of an order to stop work; Walter Blum, building's owner and father of Evan Blum, shop's owner, says no permit was needed for the work; contents of building, which include several Tiffany windows and a walnut ceiling from William Randolph Hearst's collection, are valued in the millions of dollars; photo (M)

Collapse Dooms Building and Its Treasures

Senate votes overwhelmingly against suspending federal gasoline tax until after November election, calling measure a calibrated attempt to cozy up to voters outraged over record-high prices at the pump; opponents of measure say suspension of tax would also mean estimated $12 billion loss in federal highway funds; photo (M)

SUSPENSION OF TAX ON GAS IS REJECTED

René Ríos Boettiger, also known as Pepo, was a Chilean cartoonist, creator of the famous character Condorito. He has been credited as the most prominent Chilean graphic humorist of the 20th century.

July 14, 2000

Headlines from July 14, 2000

AUTOS ON FRIDAY/Collecting; Dowager, 81, Primps for a Pageant

Messier Returns, as Captain and Lifeline

Pow! Misfit Heroes To the Rescue! Zap!

Sports of The Times; Little Coach Must Become The Coach

Plan to Release Notorious Killer Prompts Debate About Insanity

Billboard 200

The Marshall Mathers LP

Oops!...I Did It Again

Country Grammar

The Notorious KIM

Mirror Mirror

Notable Deaths

Historical Context for July 14, 2000