April 27, 2002

At time when many nonprofit hospitals are struggling, large group owned by those hospitals is spending tens of millions of dollars to shore up its investment in for-profit electronic company in which some of group's officials own stock; some hospital executives, told of arrangement, criticize it as conflict of interest; last year, hospital group, Novation, and hospitals that own it backed electronic commerce company, Neoforma, with about $70 million in subsidies, stock purchases and loans; Neoforma, Web site where Novation hospitals and others can buy supplies, has never turned a profit and has reported losses of $500 million since it was founded in 1996; Novation and its affiliates own 61 percent of Neoforma, and 10 officials who play a role in overseeing Novation also own or have owned stock in company; photo; graph shows declining share price of Neoforma following its initial public offering (article in series Medicine's Middlemen) (L)

Art deco terminal that was once centerpiece of old Newark Airport has been moved to center of airport; known as Building 51, it has glorious history with veritable Who's Who of aviation legends passing through its doors; served as area's first passenger terminal, airmail center, administration building, air traffic control tower and meteorological bureau; photos of building in 1935 and today; map of route taken to move Building 51 (M)

New Jersey Nets defeat Indiana Pacers, 85-84, in Game 3 of Eastern Conference playoff series; Nets lead series, 2-1; photos (M)

Recently expelled student enters his former school in Erfurt, Germany, and methodically kills 17 people, using rifle and handgun, before turning gun on himself; rampage is one of worst school killings of its type anywhere, and seems all more disturbing because it occurs in country with gun-control laws so strict that number of shooting deaths nationwide is barely half that of New York's; gunman, identified as Robert Steinhauser, 19, goes from room to room, shooting as many teachers as he can find; total of 14 teachers, three students and one police officer seeking to get into school are killed, in addition to Steinhauser himself; frightened students refuse to leave hiding places within school for hours, fearing second gunman; six people are wounded in rampage; photos; map (M)

New York City Board of Education has moved up date for admissions test to selective science high schools--Stuyvesant, Bronx Science and Brooklyn Tech--by about six weeks; change throws many families' summer plans into turmoil as they scramble to find preparation time for their children planning to take test; schools have reputation for being among most demanding in country (M)