May 24, 2004

New York State Capitol in Albany is undergoing 10-year, $40 million restoration to bring 19th-century landmark back to its former glory; project was begun in 2000 and, in contrast to usual state of legislative body it houses, is on time and under budget; restoration provides pride and steady jobs to workers in city in need of economic boost; photos (L)

Article on decline in prime-time television sitcoms as reality programming continues to change industry; impact on comedy writers and performers reportedly is profound; agents say about 150 comedy writers will be out of work this fall and those still working will be making much less money; photos; cartoon (M)

Joyce Purnick column alerts Republican National Convention delegates to the illogic they will observe while in New York, including Democratic city's tendency to elect Republicans to top posts, its ban on taking of photographs of its transit system and inconsistent security measures established since 9/11 attacks (M)

New York City Police Comr Raymond W Kelly has unparalleled influence in Bloomberg administration as he strives to oversee city's response to terror threat and safety of its streets; aides say he literally answers to no one but Bloomberg, and his advice to mayor is almost always accepted without qualification; he recently secured police control in event of various types of major disasters, such as chemical, biological or radiological incidents, long viewed as Fire Dept's province because of its expertise; is also seen as architect of Bloomberg's new plan to dismantle many core functions of Office of Emergency Management, which many experts believe should be lead agency in catastrophic incidents; his power and influence have grown in large measure out of post-9/11 age, which has forced police to take broad new anti-terrorism responsibilities; he has also driven crime down to new lows with some very aggressive measures while largely maintaining his popularity among minority residents, rare combination that eluded his predecessors under Mayor Rudolph W Giuliani; has incurred wrath of colleagues in government, perhaps jealous of his influence, and of subordinates, who complain of his closed inner circle, and police union and many among department rank and file who rage when he refuses to defend officers accused of wrongdoing; photo (M)

New York Mets defeat Colorado Rockies, 4-0; photos (M)