Panel Will Study Parade Balloon Peril

After high winds wreaked havoc with giant balloons along the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade route, New York Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani appointed a panel to make sure the Cat in the Hat, Barney and the Pink Panther don’t cause serious accidents again. The task force will study the dangers posed by the inflatable giants and see if the city should tighten regulations. With wind gusts up to 40 mph, the Cat in the Hat, the Dr. Seuss creation, swiped at a lamppost, knocking it into a crowd and injuring four spectators, one critically. A knife-wielding police officer tamed an unruly Pink Panther by puncturing its tail.