September 15, 2002

Federal officials say five Arab-American arrested in Lakawanna, NY, on Sept 13 received intensive weapons training in Afghanistan in summer of 2001 and were sent back to US to await order for attack; men, all born in US and of Yemeni descent, are charged with providing 'material support' to Al Qaeda by attending training camp, same one that John Walker Lindh attended; Lindh's lawyer declines to say whether he directed investigators to alleged cell; friends and relatives rally to defense of suspects, many suggesting that arrests are result of anti-Muslim witchhunt; photos (M)

ALTHOUGH it might be unfashionable to describe gender as a defining feature, the male reputation for command and the female for consensus is what Dan Arshack thought about the other night in the den of his Manhattan Valley apartment, his newly long-legged teenage son, Adam, slouching on the couch opposite him. Dan's wife, Lucy Ann Wicks, whom I knew, died two years ago on Sept. 9, at 49. On the anniversary, a few friends and the couple's two children, Adam and Eliza, visited the magnolia near Bethesda Fountain that had bloomed so bountifully last spring and has been dedicated in Lucy's name. Then they returned to Dan's apartment for mozzarella, white wine, pasta and talk. Just like old times, almost.

Tim Montgomery breaks Maurice Greene's 100-meter race record at Grand Prix final; photos (M)

Top Warner Brothers executives differ on character of next Superman movie, which they hope to release in 2004; Warner president Alan Horn favors feel-good version, while Warner veteran Lorenzo di Bonaventura, who just resigned, held out for darker approach; actor must be found to replace Christopher Reeve, paralyzed in 1995, in title role; photos; graph of studios' market shares (M)

Global Warming Omitted For the first time in six years, an annual federal report on air pollution does not have a section on global warming. The decision was made with White House approval. PAGE 30 A Flawed System of Care A new study by the Pataki administration acknowledges widespread failings at New York's adult homes for the mentally ill. PAGE 33