Also. . .

Officials of Northwest Airlines and its mechanics, which voted during the weekend to go on strike this week, scheduled to resume negotiations Wednesday, just days before a 30-day federally mandated “cooling-off” period expires. Union members are technically free to walk off the job when that period ends at 12:01 a.m. EST on March 12. However, President Bush is expected to appoint a Presidential Emergency Board that could put off a strike for at least 60 days.