August 9, 2004

Some real estate investors charge that Connecticut regulators who approved Robert V Matthews's purchase of New Haven office building from Southern New England Telephone in 1996 discouraged another investor from bidding against Matthews, friend of then Gov John G Rowland; Matthews sold building in 2000 for $27.5 million, 55 times what he paid for it; Ron Nicholes, lead partner in rival investment group, says he was turned away when he tried to accompany two representatives of Department of Public Utility Control on building inspection, official visit that by law must be open to public; investors say executives of utility, now part of SBC Communications, dissuaded them from submitting backup offer on buildining; lawmakers seek to make it harder for insiders to profit when public utilities divest property bought with ratepayer money; photos (L)

Article on confusion over Zak Penn's directorial debut movie Incident at Loch Ness, which revolves around legendary monster said to lurk near Inverness in Scottish Highlands; Internet is buzzing about movie, apparently a high-concept 'mokumentary' invented by Penn starring filmmaker Werner Herzog as himself trying to shoot a film about the Loch Ness monster; photos (M)

Article on mentalist Marc Salem; says he prefers being called purveyor of mind games, interview; Salem's show: Marc Salem: Mind Games, is currently playing in New York; photo (M)

New York City's refusal to grant permit for large rally in Central Park gives more reason for many groups from across political spectrum to want to gather there for protests; many plan smaller protests than one originally planned by United for Peace and Justice, some just to protest closure of park; city has granted eight permits for park protests for groups of 80 to 32,000 people; says it will probably ignore small demonstrations without permits if protesters behave and do not employ amplified sound (M)

Joyce Purnick column says way federal antiterrorism funds are apportioned among cities and states shortchanges New York and other high-risk areas; criticizes Gov George E Pataki and Mayor Michael R Bloomberg for lack of assertiveness in seeking more money (M)