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Serge Chermayeff, 95, architect, educator

Serge Chermayeff, a retired architect and former head of the architecture department at Harvard and Yale universities, died Wednesday at his home in Wellfleet, Mass., where he had lived for the last 55 years. He was 95.

A roller coaster of shock, dread, then resignation

Stewart P. Thomas of Coral Gables fought frustration and fear of the inevitable as he watched Saturday's images of ValuJet Flight 592. Pictures of the crash site showed scrap metal. No people. No hint that his daughter, Betsy Favero, 44, her husband Franco, 50, or their daughter Laura, 14, could have survived.

At the Atlanta airport, confusion and apprehension
Hundreds crowd ValuJet's gate and counters

ATLANTA -- The crash of a ValuJet jetliner Saturday sent ripples of concern through passengers at Hartsfield Atlanta International Airport as they waited for flights delayed by weather and maintenance problems.

Odd phenomenon seems to make light of physical rules

DALLAS -- Rules are made to be broken -- except in physics. You can get away with crossing against the light, for example, but you can't go faster than it. Wrongdoers aren't always held accountable for what they do, but each of their actions requires an equal and opposite reaction.

Gables couple also on plane

Stewart P. Thomas of Coral Gables fought frustration and fear of the inevitable as he watched Saturday's images of ValuJet Flight 592. Pictures of the crash site showed scrap metal. No people. No hint that his daughter, Betsy Favero, 44, her husband Franco, 50, or their daughter Laura, 14, could have survived.

Some fatal jetliner crashes in the United States since 1985:

Sept. 8, 1994 USAir jetliner crashes on approach to Pittsburgh International Airport, killing all 132 on board. July 2, 1994 USAir jetliner crashes near North Carolina's Charlotte-Douglas Airport in a thunderstorm, killing 37 of 57 people aboard.

For information about ValuJet Flight 592, call 1-800-ValuJet.

THE NUMBER TO CALL

Command post rises at levee
Rescuers find 2 areas with most extensive debris

Before ValuJet Flight 592 plunged into the Everglades, the short stretch of Tamiami Trail near the edge of the Miccosukee Indian Reservation was a tranquil haven for bass fishermen working the L67 canal that parallels the highway to Naples.

first set 21:31

Here are phone numbers for information about ValuJet Flight 592: (800) VALUJET or (800) 825-8538 (800) 486-4346 (770) 994-8258 NUMBERS TO CALL

Command post rises at levee
Rescuers find 2 areas with most extensive debris

Before ValuJet Flight 592 plunged into the Everglades, the short stretch of Tamiami Trail near the edge of the Miccosukee Indian Reservation was a tranquil haven for bass fishermen working the L67 canal that parallels the highway to Naples.

Airline returned aging DC-9s to skies
Ill-fated aircraft, part of firm's first fleet, was built in 1969

The DC-9 has long been a workhorse of U.S. aviation. From 1958 to 1975, McDonnell Douglas and its predecessor Douglas Aircraft manufactured 976 of them. ``It is one of the most reliable planes in aviation history,'' ValuJet President Lewis Jordan said Saturday.

Airline remains under scrutiny of FAA

ATLANTA -- ValuJet, a 3-year-old airline that offers low fares and no frills, has been under government scrutiny because of its rapid growth and a rash of safety problems.

Tragic history repeats itself in waist-deep Glades muck

The date, Dec. 29, 1972, has stood out in South Florida's aviation history. Never before had so many people died in a jetliner crash in South Florida. And never since that deadly day 23 1/2 years ago had the region experienced such a catastrophic aircraft accident.

Silt under grass `like quicksand'

Late Saturday, rescue crews were trying to determine whether the ValuJet aircraft disintegrated on impact or partially lodged itself in the soft, marshy terrain of the Everglades. The area where Flight 592 crashed Saturday is thick with razor-tooth sawgrass and a variety of wildlife, including alligators. Popular with airboaters, froggers and fishermen, the swampy muck beneath the water may have acted as a pincushion, essentially swallowing the disabled DC-9 aircraft.

Witnesses see plane nose dive to swamp

Daniel Muelhaupt was flying over the Everglades Saturday in his single-engine plane when he spotted another plane careening toward him. At first, he thought the pilot was doing maneuvers over a canal.

Some fatal jetliner crashes in the United States since 1985:

Sept. 8, 1994: USAir jetliner crashes on approach to Pittsburgh International Airport, killing all 132 on board. July 2, 1994: USAir jetliner crashes near North Carolina's Charlotte-Douglas Airport in a thunderstorm, killing 37 of 57 aboard.

Families seek answers at airport

They came to Miami International Airport bearing grief and a question they were afraid to have answered. Carrying babies and even herding dogs on a leash -- their stoicism belying the chaos that suddenly had beset their lives -- friends and relatives of some of the passengers aboard ValuJet Flight 592 were quickly ushered past the ticket counter Saturday afternoon by Metro-Dade police and airport personnel.

Tragic history repeats itself in waist-deep Glades muck

The date, Dec. 29, 1972, has stood like an asterisk in South Florida's aviation history. Never before had so many people died in a jetliner crash in South Florida. And never since that deadly day 23 1/2 years ago had the region experienced such trauma.

Concoction kills 3, sends 50 to hospital
Drug users believed substance was heroin

BALTIMORE -- (AP) -- Three drug users died and more than 50 others were rushed to hospitals after taking a concoction they mistakenly thought was heroin, a police spokeswoman said Saturday.

Study: Black women smokers at highest risk
Lung capacity lost even years after quitting

WASHINGTON -- (AP) -- Cigarettes inflict their worst damage on the lungs of black women, according to a study that compared the lung capacity of different groups of two-pack-a-day smokers and nonsmokers.

Dole blames criminals, Clinton for unsafe nation

OMAHA, Neb. -- Although the number of murders committed in America has dropped, Bob Dole said Saturday that the country was still not safe because of the liberal oratory and inaction of President Clinton.

Search continues for clues to fatal helicopter collision

HAVELOCK, N.C. -- (AP) -- Marines flying two helicopters that collided in the dark during a war exercise were wearing night vision goggles and had made no apparent mistakes during a dress rehearsal the night before, the deputy secretary of defense said Saturday.

State office contributed to search efforts

TALLAHASSEE -- The state's Division of Emergency Management monitored rescue efforts from a crisis command post near Tallahassee on Saturday night. Florida Highway Patrol and Marine Patrol officers were sent toward the crash site in trucks and helicopters. The Florida Department of Transportation and fire marshal's office collected lights and generators to send to the scene as needed.

Clinton says maternity plans should cover 2-day hospital stay

WASHINGTON -- President Clinton on Saturday denounced insurance companies that refuse to pay for hospital maternity stays lasting more than 24 hours and endorsed legislation that would require health plans to cover at least 48 hours of hospital care after a baby was born.

IN THE NATION
Defender of slavery quits race for House

MONTGOMERY -- A Republican congressional candidate dropped out of the race Saturday amid criticism over his defense of slavery in the Old South. In an apology announcing the end of his campaign for the U.S. House, state Sen. Charles Davidson denied any racial motivation

A list of the dead and injured from Friday's collision of two Marine helicopters at Camp Lejeune:

KILLED: Maj. Michael D. Kuszewski, 42, USMC, Fort Devens, Mass. Capt. Scott T. Rice, 28, USMC, Springfield, Mo. 1st Lt. Joseph R. Fandrey, 25, USMC, Norfolk, Mass.

Bulldog copy Associated Press / REMEMBERING: Fred Berry holds a portrait of his brother.

Associated Press CONFUSION: Mary Jellison stands at the that she long believed belonged to her son, Mark W. Judge. Associated Press SEEKING ANSWERS Marine Lance Cpl. Kenneth Plumadore's sister Pat, left, wants answers about his death. Above, 1966 photo of Cpl. Plumadore.

Election-year angles affect budget talks
Healthy economy may lessen impact

WASHINGTON -- Although election-year rivalry between President Clinton and Senate GOP leader Bob Dole is tying the capital up in knots, there couldn't be a much better time to balance the federal budget.

NASA makes space history with twins
Identical brothers named shuttle pilot candidates

CAPE CANAVERAL -- (AP) -- They look alike, often speak alike and sometimes wear the same clothes. They're Mark and Scott Kelly, making space history as the first twins selected as NASA astronauts.

Detroit poll: 61 percent favor right to physician-assisted suicide

DETROIT -- A nurse from St. Clair County is all for it. A small-business owner from Plymouth says he would never trust physicians to have a say in it. And a 70-year-old Westland woman who survived a bout with breast cancer believes only God should decide such things.

Ex-teacher gets 2 years for role in drug ring

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. -- (AP) -- A former high school science teacher has been sentenced to two years in prison for his role in a drug ring that investigators say had a homecoming queen murdered to silence her.

A dad's lament:

`Doesn't seem to be any hope' Stewart P. Thomas of Coral Gables fought frustration and fear of the inevitable as he watched Saturday's images of ValuJet Flight 592. Pictures of the crash site showed scrap metal. No people. No hint that his daughter, Betsy Favero, 44, her husband Franco, 50, or their daughter Laura, 14, could have survived.

Through muck and sawgrass, a grim and dangerous search

Dozens of rescue workers will regroup at the Everglades crash site this morning to continue their search for bodies and evidence as to what caused the worst aviation accident in South Florida history.

A roller coaster of shock, dread, then resignation Worst fears become reality

Stewart P. Thomas of Coral Gables fought frustration and fear of the inevitable as he watched Saturday's images of ValuJet Flight 592. Pictures of the crash site showed scrap metal. No people. No hint that his daughter, Betsy Favero, 44, her husband Franco, 50, or their daughter Laura, 14, could have survived.

At airport, a chaotic search for answers

They came to Miami International Airport with a question they were afraid to have answered. Carrying babies and even herding dogs on leashes -- their stoicism belying the chaos that suddenly had beset their lives -- friends and relatives of some of the passengers aboard ValuJet Flight 592 were quickly ushered past the ticket counter Saturday afternoon by Metro-Dade police and airport personnel.

Through muck and sawgrass, a grim and dangerous task

Dozens of rescue workers will regroup in the Everglades this morning, with talk of building a half-mile makeshift road from a levee to the spot where a ValuJet plane crashed on Saturday.