March 29, 2005

Gov George E Pataki, Senate majority leader Joseph L Bruno and Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver say that state government is close to passing budget by April 1 deadline, for first time in over two decades; Pataki photo (M)

Metropolitan Transportation Authority releases previously undisclosed details about offers by New York Jets and two other bidders for development rights at West Side railyards; Jets made $720 million offer in which they promised to close on deal by May 2; only $280 million would come from team; remainder would come from six developers; Cablevision's bid is $760 million; its offer includes the estimated $360 million cost of building a deck over railyards; TransGas Energy has offered $ 1.05 billion; it would require authority to assist it in obtaining approval for power plant in Brooklyn and to sign 40-year contract to buy power from TransGas; photos (M)

Clyde Haberman NYC column notes that New York City ranks seventh on American Podiatric Medical Assn list of 10 best walking cities in America (M)

Colorado State Supreme Court upholds lower court's decision throwing out death penalty sentence of convicted murderer because jurors consulted Bible in reaching verdict; majority opinion says jurors must deliberate without 'distraction of extaneous texts'; dissenting judges say jurors consulted Bible not for facts or alternatives but for wisdom; case involves Robert Harlan, found guilty in 1995 of rape and murder of woman near Denver; legal scholars say connection between hard legal logic and softer, deeper world of values is always present in jury rooms, whether acknowledged or not; other legal experts say Colorado decision touches on issue courts do not like to talk about: that jurors, under traditions dating to days of English common law, can consider higher authority all they want, and can convict or acquit using whatever internal thoughts and discussions they consider appropriate; photo (M)

Timothy DeBaets, lawyer for James Reston Jr, author of Warriors of God: Richard the Lionheart and Saladin in the Third Crusade, sends letter accusing 20th Century Fox and director Ridley Scott of stealing his research for screenplay for Crusades epic Kingdom of Heaven; studio lawyer, in letter of rebuttal, says movie's creators never read Reston's book; fact that film and book are both rooted in historical events may make Reston's claim difficult to prove; Orlando Bloom stars in movie scheduled to be released on May 6; photos (M)