September 25, 2004

Three back-to-back hurricanes have crippled campaign season in Florida; fund-raisers, canvassers, and advertisers have suspended operations, and candidates are making only brief appearances; absence of Florida polls since early August has been biggest handicap and has left candidates flying blind at pivotal time; candidates are having hard time getting news coverage and therefore having hard time raising money; there is also question of whether Florida voters will be able to meet Oct 4 registration deadline and whether their polling places are still standing; photo (M)

US Airways asks federal bankruptcy court to approve emergency pay cuts of about 23 percent plus other moves, aimed at raising $38 million in cash per month; chief executive Bruce R Lakefield says airline will implement spending cuts and other cost-saving moves aimed at generating additional $5 million per months; cuts would apply to five unions; about 150 flight dispatches, who are members of transport workers, are exempt from motion; they reached tentative agreement with carrier earlier in week on $4.5 million in cuts (M)

New York City Health Comr Thomas R Frieden fires Bureau of Day Care director Donald Nolte after learning that two city inspectors had visited day care center in Forest Hills, Queens, just hour before Matthew Perilli, baby who died, was found unconscious there; orders reorganization of bureau; says inspectors were unqualified and never saw 7-month-old baby who died; city officials say that other children piled toys on top of baby, suffocating or crushing him; Frieden says Heather Zlotsheuer, day care operator, violated city and state laws by watching as many as 12 children at once by herself (M)

New York Yankees defeat Boston Red Sox, 6-4; photos (M)

California regulators approve plan aimed at drastically reducing over next 11 years vehicle emissions of gases that scientists link to global warming; California and seven Eastern states following its lead potentially represent 30 percent of automobile market; new standards challenge automakers to choose between building different vehicles for different markets or developing unified national strategy to meet standards; industry has fended off previous state efforts to regulate air quality, but states believe they will prevail this time; latest plan still faces expected legal challenge on multiple fronts from automakers and could be blocked by Bush administration; photo (M)