September 23, 2005

Securities and Exchange Commission is probing Altera Corp, California chip maker, over its retaliation this year against Wall Street analysts who were less than bullish on company's shares; informal inquiry may indicate that blackballing of analysts by companies is of concern to new SEC chairman Christopher Cox; Altera says it is cooperating fully in matter (M)

FBI agents and New York City police detectives arrest Dominick Pizzonia, captain in Gambino crime family, charging him with murders of Thomas and Rose Marie Uva; Pizzonia pleads not guilty in Brooklyn federal court; in one of more public executions in recent history of organized crime in New York, Uvas were gunned down in 1992 for series of armed robberies of mob social clubs; no one has been charged in case until now; brazen robberies were sore point among mob figures, with Gambino and Bonanno crime families claiming credit for murders; robbery spree was spread throughout city and stretched over several months; couple had served time for robbery prior to spree; photos (M)

Aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and looming landfall of Hurricane Rita, which threatens about one-quarter of nation's jet fuel supply, are raising fears that pain to airlines is just beginning; airline companies are scrambling to compensate for repeated spikes in fuel prices, and result for passengers could be higher fares; Delta Air Lines says it will cut another $3 billion in costs and eliminate as many as 9,000 more jobs over next two years; says it is also assuming oil prices of $68 a barrel for rest of year, and warns it must be prepared in case prices spike again; Delta's chief executive Gerald Grinstein comments; industry analysts fear that if prices stay high, more airlines could end up in bankruptcy protection, especially weak players like Independence Air; graph; photo (M)

As many as 2.5 million people jam evacuation routes, creating 100-mile-long traffic jams that leave many stranded and out of gas as Hurricane Rita bears down on Texas coast; Houston Mayor Bill White asks for military help in rushing scarce fuel to stranded drivers; White and Harris County Judge Robert Eckels admit that their plans had not anticipated such widespread evacuation, and later appear to back off dire warnings, saying mandatory evacuation order applies to flood-prone coastal areas; storm weakens slightly from Category 5 to Catetory 4 status as wind speed falls to about 140 miles per hour; shifts course toward north with landfall expected between Galveston and Port Arthur, offering glimmer of hope to panicked Houston area but threatening further flooding in New Orleans and other areas hit by Katrina; Louisiana Gov Kathleen Babineaux Blanco calls for evacuation from southwest portion of state; airline traffic out of Houston is slowed when more than 150 screeners skip work because of their own evacuation concerns; forecasters predict storm will hit coast with as much strength as Katrina and then stall inland, dumping enormous amounts of rain that will cause intense flooding; photo; maps (M)

Outer bands of Hurricane Rita pass New Orleans with gusty winds and showers; water begins seeping into shattered and empty Lower Ninth Ward through makeshift dike repairs; Army Corps of Engineers expresses concern about how well weakened levee system can protect city against tidal surge along Lake Pontchartrain; winds that could reach tropical force from Rita are expected in New Orleans as storm heads toward landfall near Louisiana-Texas border; five thousand troops from National Guard and 82nd Airborne are preparing to secure city and Gov Kathleen Babineaux Blanco is calling for additional 30,000 troops; city employees once enthusiastic about rebuilding after Hurricane Katrina are anxious about prospect of being hit by periphery of second powerful storm; Katrina's damage in Ninth Ward was extensive, with houses lifted off foundations and cars upended; rescuers leave area as water continues to seep, having nearly completed search for bodies; authorities warn that 17th Street Canal, repaired after initial breaches, could breach again with major storm surge; photo (M)