September 26, 2005

On a recent afternoon at the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, students were lounging in front of the new architecture school building, smoking, drinking coffee, talking. Sitting atop a low wall that rises on a diagonal angle on the building's new brick plinth, they seemed to revel in the communal space, a stone's throw from their drafting studios in the glass-enclosed building behind them. Before the new building, the Higgins Hall Center Section, was recreated by the architect Steven Holl, the students had been somewhat dispersed, crowded into small 19th-century classrooms in the north and south wings of Higgins. Now they have a large, funky space in the middle in which to study, chat about what they are learning and collaborate on projects.

First detailed tally of commitments from federal agencies since Hurricane Katrina hit Gulf Coast shows that more than 15 contracts exceed $100 million, including 5 of $500 million or more; most are for clearing debris--trees, homes and cars--that are strewn across region, purchasing trailers, and providing transportation; more than 80 percent of $1.5 billion in contracts signed by FEMA were awarded without bidding or with limited competition, provoking concerns about potential for favoritism or abuse; of $62.3 billion in emergency financing appropriated by Congress, $15.8 billion has been allocated from FEMA-managed disaster fund, of which $11.6 billion has been committed through contracts, direct aid to individuals or work by government agencies; some industry and government officials say Army Corps of Engineers has allowed rate for debris-removal that is too high; Congressional investigators are examining $586 million contract awarded to AshBritt, Florida debris-removal company that was client of former lobbying firm of Mississippi Gov Haley Barbour; contracts also show disparities in cost of materials; some companies awarded large contracts, including Bechtel and Fluor Corporation, have been or are currently under scrutiny for other work; Mississippi Rep Bennie Thompson complains that FEMA and other agencies are giving too much work to giant companies instead of local or minority-owned businesses; Homeland Security Department official Greg Rothwell says contracts were awarded quickly because of crisis situation and promises every invoice will be scrutinized; details of several contracts noted; map; charts show allocation of money and sampling of contracts awarded (M)

Black voters in New York are split in their support of mayoral candidate Fernando Ferrer and incumbent Mayor Michael Bloomberg; Ferrer is trying to become first Hispanic mayor, but strategists believe he must build multiracial coalition, requiring him to capture significant portion of black vote, which is no longer predictable Democratic bloc; many blacks approve of Bloomberg's handling of schools and crime while others say they are less likely to consider candidate's race; some are still angry over Ferrer's remark that he did not believe that fatal 1999 police shooting of Amadou Diallo was crime; black electorate has become increasingly fragmented as black population has grown more ethnically diverse and black middle class has expanded; missing from debate are hot-button racial issues that galvanized black community in past; photo; graphs show support of black voters in last four mayoral elections (M)

Trial begins in federal court in Harrisburg, Pa, in first direct challenge to mandated teaching of intelligent design; suit was filed by 11 parents in Dover, Pa, who were outraged when school board voted to require high school biology classes to hear about 'alternatives' to evolution; parents contend intelligent design is simply way to sneak religion into public school curriculum; case will be closely followed and could influence communities nationwide that are considering similar curriculum; advocates on both side of issue are lining up, often calling it Scopes II, reference to 1925 Monkey Trial, last century's great face-off over evolution; presiding judge in case is John E Jones III, who was nominated by Pres Bush; on evolutionist side is legal team put together by American Civil Liberties Union and Americans United for Separation of Church and State, groups who want to put intelligent design itself on trial and thoroughly discredit it; on intelligent design side is Thomas More Law Center, non-profit Christian law firm; photos (M)

International observers, human rights workers and federal authorities say investigation of more than 350 murders in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, over last decade illustrates disturbing pattern of malfeasance by state law enforcement authorities; bungling and cover-ups, including torture and imprisonment of innocent men, are so extensive that police and other officials have become suspected of links to crimes; new state officials are reviewing and reopening more than 100 cases, but all agree that problems are profound and far from fixed; human rights and law enforcement authorities say that whether justice can be found in Ciudad Juarez has become important test of Mexico's efforts to establish rule of law; city, industrial capital of some 1.3 million people, is Mexico's most violent and remains in grip of organized crime; women and girls continue to disappear and suffer violent deaths; photos; map (M)

Charles Isherwood reviews play Fran's Bed, written and directed by James Lapine, starring Mia Farrow; photo (M)

Microsoft Corp will unveil own system for selling advertising for its MSN search engine, one that is meant to improve on systems used by Google and Yahoo by allowing marketers to aim ads on Web search pages to users based on their sex, age and location; ads are now sold by Yahoo; move is part of Microsoft's broad response to threat from Google, which is using its powerful advertising sales network to support expanding range of free software products and Internet services; latest organization of Microsoft's management brought MSN into same group as its Windows operating systems, indicating that company sees software delivered over Internet--and possibly paid for through advertising--as central to its future; offering such advertising-supported services requires Microsoft to control its own system; photos (M)

Porsche plans to amass 20 percent stake in Volkswagen, becoming its biggest shareholder and bringing together high-end and mass-market poles of German automotive industry; says it seeks to prevent takeover of Volkswagen, which is building much of Porsche's Cayenne sport utility vehicle and will work with Porsche on producing hybrid gasoline-electric vehicles; Volkswagen offers cautious endorsement of move, which should cost Porsche about $3.98 billion; there has been speculation that Kirk Kerkorian is amassing stake in Volkswagen (M)

Hollinger International's prominent independent directors, including Richard N Perle, Henry A Kissinger and James R Thompson, remain on board and continue to receive $50,000 a year and $3,000 a meeting even though several of them were censured for their conduct in internal company report more than a year ago; Perle is being sued by company, and group of current and past board members, including Kissinger, have agreed to pay $50 million to settle shareholder lawsuit contending that they failed to perform their duties; some investors demands directors' resignations; photo (M)

''The Color Purple,'' a new musical based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Alice Walker that is scheduled to open on Broadway in December, has enlisted Oprah Winfrey as an investor and producer whose name will appear above the title on the show's marquee. The move is likely to immediately expand the box-office potential of a show that has been extensively revised since receiving mixed reviews in its initial performances in Atlanta last year. Now titled ''Oprah Winfrey Presents: 'The Color Purple,''' the musical will begin previews at the Broadway Theater on Nov. 1 and open on Dec. 1.

Hurricane Rita shows what big impact any disruption, natural or otherwise, can have on oil and gas supplies because there is little production or refining capacity to spare; refineries should have started by now to build stockpiles of heating oil for winter, but most of them are struggling to churn out more gasoline to make up for refining capacity knocked out by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita; markets for heating oil and natural gas are on shaking foundations, and prices could well rise in months ahead; most immediate concern is condition of coastal refining system; initial estimates by insurance specialists put damage from Hurricane Rita at $5 billion or less, far below estimated $35 billion in damage inflicted by Hurricane Katrina (M)

Water begins to retreat in submerged low-lying bayou country of South Louisiana, but anger wells as residents and officials of Terrebonne Parish, which includes Houma, begin to survey storm-surge damage from Hurricane Rita; state residents and politicians have for years criticized what they believe is federal government's indifference to erosion of marshland and barrier islands that has lessened state's buffer against major storms; Louisiana Gov Kathleen Babineaux Blanco tours area and calls for $20.2 billion in federal money to strengthen levee and pumping systems along inundated coastal region; Sheriff Jerry J Larpenter is especially critical of FEMA's response and of parish officials who did not issue mandatory evacuation for residents of lower part of parish; area economy is driven by fishing and oil industries; shrimpers are facing depressed prices and and oystermen fear industry will be set back two to five years; some residents talk of moving away from area; photo; (M)