March 4, 2002

New Jersey Nets defeat Chicago Bulls, 92-84; photos (M)

Gores Technology Group is expected to bid for bankrupt Global Crossing in competition with Hutchison Whampoa; bid would improve chances company could continue operating (M)

National Park Service selects private developer Sandy Hook Partners of Middletown to transform historic Fort Hancock, Army base at tip of Sandy Hook, NJ, deactivated in 1974, into combination resort, office center and cultural hub; 140-acre facility and its 19th-century buildings that housed thousands of soldiers between Spanish-American and Vietnam wars described; photos; maps (M)

Melissa Gilbert and Valerie Harper vie in unusually contentious race for Screen Actors Guild presidency; race is rerun of fall election, won by Gilbert but later nullified by election committee because of voting irregularities; brings public exposure to long rift within union; photos (M)

Ernie Els defeats world's No.1-ranked golfer Tiger Woods by two strokes at Genuity Championship, winning $846,000 first prize; photo (M)

Profile of and interview with Harriet Scott Chessman, who comments on her new book, Lydia Cassatt Reading the Morning Paper, fictionalized version of lives of painter Mary Cassatt and her sister, Lydia; photos (M)

Alabama businessman Donald Watkins wants to be first black owner in Major League Baseball; hopes to buy Minnesota Twins despite doubts from community that he can actually afford it; photos (M)

Madison Avenue Catches A Glint of Recovery Ahead After more than a year of misery, Madison Avenue is beginning to glimpse signs that a rebound in advertising spending is near. The indications are palpable in growing demand for commercial time during various programs on broadcast and cable television networks. Several advertisers in competitive categories like automobiles and movies have increased their ad budgets. There have alsobeen reports of higher revenue for some large national radio networks. [Page C6.]

Short-range, inexpensive and often unsecured wireless networks based on Wi-Fi technology are rapidly sprinkling nation with sweet spots of airborne high-speed Internet access; are allowing growing numbers of people with properly equipped laptops to tie into Internet on run, courtesy of others; any computer with receiver in radius of about 300 feet can potentially pick up signal; diagram; photo (M)

Article examines roots of turmoil that may determine whether David Letterman will abandon CBS to sign with ABC, sweeping away Ted Koppel and much admired Nightline news program; frosty relationship between Letterman and CBS Television president Leslie Moonves over past several years discussed; poor and often nonexistent communication between both has helped stoke high emotion on each side and has become critical intangible in most closely watched negotiation in industry in years; photo (M)

Criminal charges filed against 18 current and former New York City real estate tax assessors for allegedly taking millions of dollars in bribes to reduce property taxes on more than 500 buildings turns spotlight on system only dimly understood by most taxpayers, in which multimillion-dollar decisions are made by small cadre of city workers having wide discretion; job of clannish group of civil servants is to figure out just how many billions of dollars all real estate in city is worth; suspicions had long existed among city officials and investigators about mischief among assessors, but few were prepared for dimensions of stealing alleged by prosecutors; charges against assessors and changes being weighed by officials to guard against corruption discussed; chart breaks down amount of bribes received by each assessor, from most to least (M)

Hostile Bid for a Rival The military contractor Northrop Grumman made a hostile $5.9 billion bid for TRW after TRW rejected Grumman's original offer. PAGE A13 Swiss Vote to Join U.N. In a close referendum vote, Switzerland decided to abandon decades of isolationism in favor of joining the United Nations. PAGE A4