October 8, 2002

Article on little-known exhibit of artistic treasures from Castile-Leon, Spain, including several masterpieces rarely if ever released from their cloistered convents, on display at Manhattan's Cathedral Church of St John the Divine; photos (M)

New York Jets free safety Damien Robinson offers his own assessment and criticism of Jets ailing defensive line; photo (M)

US Supreme Court refuses without comment to hear challenge by New Jersey Republicans seeking to prevent former Sen Frank Lautenberg from replacing Sen Robert G Torricelli on ballot for US Senate and federal appeals court in Trenton; also rejects separate Republican appeal, essentially exhausting legal challenges to Lautenberg's late entry; Lautenberg responds to rulings by accusing Republicans of resorting to legal battles for same reason they focused on ethical problems that forced Torricelli from race, namely, to distract voters from Forrester's position on controversial issues; accuses Forrester of spending entire campaign ducking issues that affect New Jersey families; says court decision brings his 'campaign of avoidance' to an end; Forrester uses rulings to link Lautenberg to Torricelli's ethical problems; says both men come from same Democratic political machine; says election is contest between those who seek to restore reputation and improve lives of New Jersey residents and establishment party bosses who will do whatever is necessary to retain grip on power; photos (M)

EchoStar Communications and Hughes Electronics, scrambling to save their proposed merger from rejection by regulators, urge Federal Communications Commission to delay decision on $26 billion deal; companies send letter to FCC chairman Michael Powell, asking him to postpone decision so that they can make 'major revisions' to their proposal; two companies say they plan to send revised proposal by Oct 28 to Justice Department and request FCC delay making decision until after new proposal is submitted; proposal would be scuttled if FCC rejects deal before Justice Department has time to act; FCC and Justice Department are preparing to recommend against deal (M)

Civil rights groups express grave misgivings over measure passed recently by House and Senate negotiators to revamp nation's election procedures; bill was announced in spirit of bipartisan jubilation; civil rights advocates provided much of initial impetus for bill out of anger at alleged disenfranchisment and intimidation of black and Hispanic voters in 2000 election, but are now dismayed that some provisions of legislation emerging from Congressional conference committee will make it harder to register and to vote; cite provisions requiring first-time voters who register by mail to provide official form of identification, requiring all state mail-in registration forms to indicate whether voter is American citizen, and requirement that application for voter registration may not be processed or accepted by state if person with driver's license fails to write license number on form; Republicans insisted on provisions to prevent vote fraud, which they say is corrupting elections in parts of country; officials of Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund and League of Women Voters of the US comment (M)

Scarsdale, NY, residents engage in painful soul-searching and introspection over Sept 20 homecoming bacchanal that left scores of high school students falling-down drunk, 27 with three-day school suspensions and five hospitalized with acute alcohol poisoning; affluent village is shame-faced and reeling; soul-searching reaches climax when about 300 mothers and fathers gather in school auditorium for communitywide meeting; photo (M)

Tats Cru, small band of graffiti muralists in Bronx who painted colorful memorial walls honoring borough's dead during height of drug violence 10 years ago, is now working commercially; members sprayed dozens of aerosol mementos in schoolyards and handball courts, on storefront grates and apartment building walls; such walls are now sideline to their many commercial jobs; they paint minivans for health care companies, bathrooms for Manhattan nightclubs and college dormitory walls; there are longstanding contracts with MTV and Coca-Cola; what started out as guerrilla operation is now successful corporation that members say brings in from $250,000 to $400,000 a year; photo of crew members (L)

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Article on new ABC sitcom, Less Than Perfect, whose plump lead character is played by Sara Rue; describes America's current mass-market interest in heroines who are not thin and beautiful; photos (M)

Japan's Toshiba Corp says demand for its products might slow in first half of 2003 (S)

Securities and Exchange Commission chairman Harvey L Pitt postpones scheduled trip to Europe to search for candidates to fill new board that will oversee accounting profession; commission appears to be deeply fractured over selection process; Roel C Campos and Harvey J Goldschmid, Democratic commissioners, continue to urge selection of John H Biggs to head board, though Pitt has expressed reservations about his candidacy; photo (M)

Nassau County becomes first county in New York to extend its ban on smoking in workplace to cover all bars, restaurants, bowling alleys and bingo halls; wins friendly competition with New York City and Westchester and Suffolk Counties, which are drafting similar rules that are soon scheduled for hearings; legislators from all four jurisdictions have met to make their proposals as uniform as possible; photo (M)