NATION

When The Evidence Lies

Joyce Gilchrist helped send dozens to death row. The forensic scientist's errors are putting capital punishment under the microscope

Botching The Big Case

Missing documents surface, McVeigh's execution is delayed, and the FBI is left scrambling to explain its latest fiasco

RX For Nosebleed Prices

Washington goes after drug companies and their tricks that keep generic remedies out of the hands of cost-conscious consumers

SCIENCE

HEALTH & MEDICINE

SOCIETY

Can Gays Switch Sides? (Behavior)

An inflammatory report rekindles old arguments about whether homosexuality is a matter of choice

To Pet Or Not To Pet? (Living)

More tourists are getting up close and personal with dolphins. But the stress for the animals can be fatal

Scourge Of The Playground (Living)

It's dodge ball, believe it or not. More schools are banning the childhood game, saying it's too violent

TECHNOLOGY

The Battle Of Seattle

An exclusive preview of the game consoles being readied by Nintendo and Microsoft

BRIEFING

ALSO IN THIS ISSUE

BUSINESS

Power Struggle

Bush takes the heat for an energy policy that's warm to oil and cool to conservation

EDUCATION

Middle Schools Of The Year: Wired For The Future (Time Education Special / Middle Schools Of The Year)

RUNNER-UP Towns Middle School/Hiawassee, Ga. On their laptops, rural kids explore faraway volcanoes, learn math formulas and turn in homework too

High Schools Of The Year: Pulling In The Parents (Time Education Special / High Schools Of The Year)

WINNER Stonewall Jackson High School/Manassas, Va. Moms and dads need to lend a hand because the curriculum at this school is not for wimps

High Schools Of The Year: From Worst To First (Time Education Special / High Schools Of The Year)

RUNNER-UP Fox Tech High School/San Antonio, Texas A school's remarkable turnaround shows that failure, even in the toughest of places, is not inevitable

When Parents Drop Out (Time Education Special / Education Special Report)

Too many harried moms and dads have been playing hooky, but schools are luring them back

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

In Cold Blood, Part 2 (The Arts / Hollywood)

Hollywood has another murder mystery as police hunt the killer of a former TV star's vilified wife

Music: REM (The Arts / Music)

The group's gone electronic. The singer's gone Hollywood. Is this the band's end? Nah, it's a new beginning

Cinema: Monstrously Good (The Arts / Cinema)

The hero's an ogre and the princess can be almost as gross in the delightfully fractured fairy tale Shrek

YOUR TIME

Close Encounters (Personal Time / Your Family)

Is it wrong to buck the trend and have kids back to back? And if you do it anyway, can you cope?

Don't Cash Out (Personal Time / Your Money)

Pink slipped? Ouch. Avoid taking the money from your 401(k). It's tempting but too taxing

Control Freak (Personal Time / Your Technology)

Can one little universal remote tame a whole houseful of gadgets and gizmos? Mine can

Can the Juice! (Personal Time / Your Health)

If your kids drink too much sweet stuff, they will miss essential nutrients--and put on pounds

SPECIAL SECTION

Betting the Ranch (Time Bonus Section / Generations)

Since that's just what many Americans don't want to do, long-term-care insurance may be the next big issue for boomers

PEOPLE

LETTERS