Blockbuster crowds are lining up to see Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis show at Metropolitan Museum of Art, exhibition that includes clothing, jewelry and photographs; photo (M)

From Pearls to Pillbox Hats, A Show Evokes Awe and Sadness; Crowds Wait 90 Minutes for 'Jacqueline Kennedy' at the Met

Harvey Araton Sports of The Times column discusses Dave Checketts being forced to resign as president of Madison Square Garden; sees failure of New York Knickerbockers and New York Rangers as main reason for dismissal; photo (M)

Sports of The Times; Doomed By Failures Of His Teams

On Hockey column on New Jersey Devils forward Bobby Holik preparing for Game 2 of NHL Eastern Conference championship series against Pittsburgh Penguins; photo (M)

Devils' Holik Has a Mission. His Name Is Lemieux.

Article discusses problems besetting New York Mets; photo (M)

The Calendar Says May, The Record Says, 'Uh-Oh'

Dave Checketts reportedly is being forced to resign as president of Madison Square Garden; unnamed source cites poor seasons by New York Knickerbockers and New York Rangers as main reason for ouster; photo (M)

Checketts Is Out as President of the Garden

AXA reports first-quarter revenue dropped 3.3 percent, to $18 billion (US); photo (S)

World Business Briefing | Europe: France: Insurer's Revenue Falls

US Supreme Court, in 8-0 decision, rejects use of marijuana to treat sickness; rules federal law does not allow 'medical necessity' exception to prohibition on distribution of drug; deals setback, but not definitive blow, to movement that has passed medical marijuana ballot initiatives in eight states; does not overturn state initiatives or address any question of state law, but says marijuana's listing by Congress as Schedule I drug under Controlled Substances Act means that it has no currently accepted medical use in treatment in US; opinion by Justice Clarence Thomas cites federal appeals court in San Francisco for misreading federal law when it ruled in 2000 that Oakland marijuana cooperative could raise medical-necessity defense against federal government's effort to shut down pharmacy-like operation; Justice Stephen G Breyer recused himself from case since judge who sits on San Francisco appeals court is younger brother (M)

JUSTICES SET BACK USE OF MARIJUANA TO TREAT SICKNESS

Article discusses controversy in Union City, NJ, about reports that it took firefighters an hour to respond to blaze that left 32 residents homeless despite firehouse being located across street from blaze; Mayor Brian Stack and other city officials comment; photo (M)

Nearby Firehouse Was of Little Use, Residents Say

Ann Powers reviews David Byrne concert at Irving Plaza; photo (M)

Same as He Ever Was, but More Appreciated

John Tierney The Big City column, citing Mayor Giuliani's divorce confrontation with Donna Hanover, discusses divorce system in New York that allows vicious corps of divorce lawyers to flourish; says divorce wars are also nurtured by state's policies on child custody; instead of pushing parents to work out agreement for shared custody, New York fosters winners-take-all battles (M)

The Big City; A System For Lawyers, Not Children

Killing of five Palestinian officers by Israeli troops at roadblock near Beituniya in West Bank ignites Palestinian anger on eve of planned protests on anniversary of birth of Israel; Israeli Army says roadblock was used as base for attacks against Israeli bypass roads; killings follow intense bombardment of Palestinian military targets in Gaza Strip; Palestinian leader Yasir Arafat condemns attack as 'dirty, immoral operation;' heavy gun battles rage on edge of Jerusalem; Palestinian gunmen wound four civilians in Israeli neigborhood of Gilo; some Israelis begin questioning hardline tactics and strategy of Prime Min Ariel Sharon's two-month-old administration; all three major Israeli daily newspapers have criticized Sharon for relying exclusively and ineffectually on military force in his dealings with Palestinians; map; photos (M)

WEST BANK DEATHS HEIGHTEN ANXIETY

Chinese government announced on May 10 that oldman, Sachs, J P Morgan Chase and Morgan Stanley would handle its first overseas bond deal since late 1998, but Barclays Capital, BNP Paribas and Deutsche Bank said on May 11 that they would handle portion of offering denominated in euros; French and German governments pressed China to give their banks part of business; bankers and lawyers in Hong Kong say it is highly unusual for governments to lobby after Chinese government has announced its decision, and even more unusual for China to capitulate (M)

Europe Elbows Wall St. for Share of China Offering

Honda Motor will spend 3.8 billion yen to increase production at its Accord plant in southern China (S)

World Business Briefing | Asia: China: Honda Output

SunTrust Banks begins battle to take over Wachovia Corp by offering $14.7 billion in stock and criticizing First Union Corp, which announced friendly $13 billion deal with Wachovia on April 16; graph (M)

SunTrust Makes Bid for Wachovia, Criticizing First Union's Offer

Western Republicans and property-rights groups, after years of fighting environmentalists over restrictions on land use, are gearing up to oppose Bush administration's energy plan, issue at heart of regional fears about overreaching federal power; plan is widely expected to include recommendations to allow federal government to seize private property, using eminent domain authority to place new electric transmission lines; any plan to expand federal government's ability to condemn private property is likely to run into heavy oppositon in region that has long been staunchly Republican; photos (M)

In Energy Plan, Property Rights May Be an Issue

Korea Exchange Bank president Kim Kyung Lim says investor in US has promised to buy $200 million worth of global depository receipts issued by Hynix Semiconductor, formerly Hyundai Electronics; says foreign companies are negotiating to buy 19.1 percent stake in Hynix that is held by other Hyundai Group companies and by Chung Mong Hun, son of late Hyundai founder Chung Ju Yung; graph (S)

World Business Briefing | Asia: South Korea: Hynix Investor

Motoring continues to be No 1 way to go for those venturing up to 1,000 miles from home base on summer vacation; despite rising gas prices, armies of Americans are expected to take to the road this summer for family vacations; several itineraries offered; tips on having enjoyable trip; photos (M)

Family Driving: The New Model

Only one architect was considered for job of designing new $47.5 million New York headquarters of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater: Natan Bibliowicz, son-in-law of Joan Weill, chairwoman of dance company's board, and Sanford I Weill, chairman of Citigroup; building, of metal, glass and glowing light, would be largest in country devoted exclusively to dance; photo (M)

Ailey Building Is Designed By Relative Of Board Chief

Many multinational companies plan to continue reducing emissions of global-warming gases despite Bush administration's decision to back away from regulating emissions cause they face strong pressure to do so in Europe and Japan, fear rising energy costs or want to promote their products as being friendly to environment; some top officials at these companies say that while voluntary action is right approach in short term, at some point they expect US and others to adopt binding restrictions on gases; emissions of global-warming gases by American industry are falling at surprising rate; measures taken by such companies as American Electric Power, Visteon Corp and other companies to lower emissions detailed; graph; chart; photos (M)

A Pre-emptive Strike On Global Warming; Many Companies Cut Gas Emissions To Head Off Tougher Regulations

Anthony Faison and Charles Shepherd, wrongly jailed in murder of livery cab driver Jean Ulysses in Brooklyn 14 years ago, are released after police arrest Arlet Cheston, who has confessed to crime; photo (M)

Wrongly Jailed, 2 Clear Last Hurdle Before Freedom

Michael Daugherty composition Dead Elvis to be performed at Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center's final concert of season; Frick Collection to present exhibition of works by El Greco; photo; Alistair MacLeod, 67-year-old Canadian, wins $110,000 Impac Dublin Literary Award; Cincinnati May Festival, described as America's oldest choral festival, to open its 128th season in Music Hall; photo of conductor James Conlon (M)

FOOTLIGHTS

Recent performance of US government bonds suggests that these investors are already looking ahead to economic rebound; over last two months, longer-term Treasury securities have been selling off, pushing their yields higher, while shorter-term rates have been relatively stable (M)

THE MARKETS: Market Place; Bond Market Gives Signals Of an Upturn

NTL Inc will begin providing mobile phone service in second half of year with Orange, British wireless division of France Telecom (S)

World Business Briefing | Europe: Britain: Mobile Phone Venture

Under the tax bill the Senate Finance Committee will take up today, the federal estate tax would be repealed in 2011. Yet most people with estates large enough to owe taxes before the repeal date would owe more over all after the repeal.    And an analysis of plans to cut income taxes -- a version passed by the House this spring and a separate proposal in the Senate tax bill -- shows that the biggest cuts would go more to the extraordinarily wealthy than to the merely wealthy.  

Winners and Losers Under Tax Proposals

Planning to fly to your getaway destination this summer and dreading it? Christine Negroni has advice for a smoother ride. And Charles Strum updates the venerable family car trip. SECTION G  

Vacation

CSX Transportation, known colloquially as simply CSX, is a Class I freight railroad company operating in the Eastern United States and the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec. Operating about 21,000 route miles (34,000 km) of track, it is the leading subsidiary of CSX Corporation, a Fortune 500 company headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida.

A CSX EMD SD40-2 rolls out of a train yard in Walbridge, Ohio, with 47 freight cars, including some tank cars with flammable chemical, after its engineer fails to reboard it after setting a yard switch. It travels south driverless for 66 miles (106 km) until it was brought to a halt near Kenton. The incident became the inspiration for the 2010 film Unstoppable.

May 15, 2001

Headlines from May 15, 2001

From Pearls to Pillbox Hats, A Show Evokes Awe and Sadness; Crowds Wait 90 Minutes for 'Jacqueline Kennedy' at the Met

Sports of The Times; Doomed By Failures Of His Teams

Devils' Holik Has a Mission. His Name Is Lemieux.

The Calendar Says May, The Record Says, 'Uh-Oh'

Checketts Is Out as President of the Garden

Billboard 200

All For You

Set This Circus Down

Now 6

Until The End Of Time

Open Letter

Historical Events

Historical Context for May 15, 2001