January 4, 2005
LUXE IS IN FLUX - SURVEYS: HIGH-END HOUSING DOWN IN MANHATTAN
January 4, 2005 | 5:00amDespite a reported upswing in residential real estate prices for the past 12 months, the super high-end of the New York apartment market has been spiraling downward. According to reports...
THE STOCK MARKET'S RALLY COULD BE WINDING DOWN
January 4, 2005 | 5:00amTICK, tick, tick. That's either my cheap watch going haywire or the sound of time running out for the current stock market rally. I hope it's the watch. But the...
A POWER OUTAGE - STEINBRENNER LOSES JUICE WITH YANK MELTDOWN
January 4, 2005 | 5:00amYankees boss George Steinbrenner continued his downward spiral on the Sporting News' list of the most powerful people in sports - but he's still more influential than Janet Jackson's breast....
MEGA MORGAN AT 1 NY PLAZA
January 4, 2005 | 5:00amTWO extraordinary deals at high-profile locations - both involving banking giant Wachovia - just gave big boosts to the Midtown and downtown office markets. Morgan Stanley signed a 10-year, 400,000...
GOOGLE'S ADS OGLED BY CRISPIN
January 4, 2005 | 5:00amAs rumors persist that Google is seeking an ad agency for a traditional marketing campaign, it appears that hot creative shop Crispin Porter + Bogusky may have the inside track....
OFFICE DEPOT RACES IN
January 4, 2005 | 5:00amOffice Depot signed a new multiyear sponsorship deal with Nascar - and dropped the Olympics - as part of a marketing overhaul. The office-products supplier said it will sponsor the...
TASER SHARES' ZIG-ZAG MOVES KEEP INVESTORS STUNNED
January 4, 2005 | 5:00amWall Street's moves are giving shares of stun-gun maker Taser International a jolt. Traders are taking nerve-rattling gambles on the volatile stock that would stun ordinary investors, analysts say. "If...
TOP DAILY NEWS VETS STUD BUYOUT LIST
January 4, 2005 | 5:00amConfusion reigned inside the Daily News newsroom as the clock ticked down on the deadline to apply for voluntary buyouts from Mort Zuckerman's beleaguered tabloid. As zero hour approached, nobody...
INVESTORS KEEP JUICED TASER INT'L SHARES BOUNCING ALONG
January 4, 2005 | 5:00amWall Street's moves are giving shares of stun-gun maker Taser International a jolt. Traders are taking nerve-rattling gambles on the volatile stock that would stun ordinary investors, analysts say. "If...
REGIS REIGNS OVER THE NEW YEAR
January 4, 2005 | 5:00amOLD-hand Regis Philbin easily beat upstart Carson Daly in the battle for New Year's Eve viewers. Philbin, subbing for the ailing Dick Clark, rang in 8 million viewers from 10...
TSUNAMI TELETHONS
January 4, 2005 | 5:00amBOTH NBC and its local affiliate, Ch. 4, will air telethons to raise money for victims of last week's devastating tsunami in southeast Asia. Ch. 4's one-hour live special, "NBC...
NIGHT & DAY - 'AVIATOR' FASCINATES RECLUSIVE JOHNNY
January 4, 2005 | 5:00amJohnny Carson, who turns 80 this year, doesn't venture out much anymore from his Malibu estate. But here's the King of Late Night in broad daylight sneaking into his local...
'WE'RE ONLY ACTING' - 'AMAZING RAT' JONATHAN CHANGES HIS STORY AGAIN
January 4, 2005 | 5:00amIT was all an act, claims the abusive, wife-shoving "Amazing Race" contestant who has angered millions with his appalling behavior on the popular reality show. "We went in being the...
IF FELIX AND OSCAR FELL IN LOVE
January 4, 2005 | 5:00amDESPITE the fact that "Committed," a new sit-not-a-lot-of-com is a singles-in-NYC show on NBC, it's no "Friends," and it sure ain't "Seinfeld." And aside from the fact that it was...
FIGHT OVER EMINEM LYRICS READY FOR TRIAL
January 4, 2005 | 5:00amThe nasty legal war between Eminem and owners of The Source magazine over the white rapper's racist lyrics will go to trial, a federal judge ruled yesterday. Manhattan federal Judge...
UNION BIG'S WILL POWER - SHOWBIZ LABOR BOSS STOLE SENILE MAKEUP ARTIST'S 800G ESTATE: KIN
January 4, 2005 | 5:00amSenile and alone at age 90, retired TV makeup artist Barbara Brigham couldn't resist the companionship arranged by the boss of her old show-biz union local - nor what relatives...
KIDS SCARE OFF PARK RAPIST
January 4, 2005 | 5:00amPolice are looking for a man who ripped off a female jogger's clothes in a Ronkonkoma park and attempted to rape her, but fled when surprised by a group of...
IN HORROR'S WAKE - INDONESIA'S OPPORTUNITY
January 4, 2005 | 5:00amCATASTROPHES unleash great human energies. For now, the world's attention is fixed on the stunning destruction wrought in South Asia, on global mourning. But the long-term effects of nature's terrorism...
GIVING GIS IN IRAQ THEIR GLORY
January 4, 2005 | 5:00amTHERE'S one current idea that drives anti-war liberals into a near-frenzied state - the notion that you can't really call yourself a supporter of our armed forces in Iraq if...
MTA WILL TAKE LIBERTY (BUS LINE) THIS WEEK
January 4, 2005 | 5:00amAfter nearly two years of delays, the MTA is poised this week to take control of the first of seven private bus lines, officials said yesterday. Once the city and...
OFFICERS HAIL TRAGIC COP
January 4, 2005 | 5:00amThe veteran city cop who committed suicide after he was caught up in a moonlighting scandal was remembered yesterday as a fearless, fair-and-square officer dedicated to fighting crime. Deputy Inspector...
OSAMA HUNT EXPANDED INTO CITIES
January 4, 2005 | 5:00amWASHINGTON - U.S. intelligence agencies have expanded the search for Osama bin Laden to Pakistani and Afghan cities after analysts became convinced he has moved from the mountains to an...
DRIVEN TO HELP - BIZMAN PAYS $750 IN IRAQ VET'S CAR WAR
January 4, 2005 | 5:00amAn Iraq war veteran taken to court by a Long Island Hyundai dealership over a $750 rebate won't have to pay up - thanks to the generous offer of a...
W. BANK VIOLENCE FLARES
January 4, 2005 | 5:00amJERUSALEM - Fifteen people - including an Israeli soldier in uniform - were arrested yesterday during clashes between West Bank settlers and police trying to close down an illegal outpost....
CHRISTO HAS CENTRAL PARK BEAM-ING
January 4, 2005 | 5:00amA massive art project in Central Park began to take shape yesterday, with the installation of huge steel beams that will soon turn walkways into curtains of color. The beams...
NEW DAY-CARE CHIEF FOR CITY
January 4, 2005 | 5:00amThe city's embattled day-care system got a new chief yesterday, five months after an infant was found smothered at a Queens center. Frank Cresciullo will replace Donald Nolte as Assistant...
ACTION! CITY SLASHES TAX ON MOVIEMAKERS
January 4, 2005 | 5:00amTelevision and film producers will now get a 5 percent tax break if they shoot in New York City, thanks to a new law signed by Mayor Bloomberg yesterday. The...
WRENCHING CHOICE HAUNTS N.J. 'WIFE'SAVER
January 4, 2005 | 5:00amA New Jersey man on vacation in Thailand survived the deadly tsunami, but not before making a heart-wrenching choice: rescue his wife who may have already been dead or save...
CLASS STRUGGLE - MORE SCHOOLS PUT ON VIOLENCE LIST
January 4, 2005 | 5:00amThe number of dangerous schools on the city's watch list jumped by one to 17 yesterday, as officials added six troubled high schools and removed five others where crime has...
'LASER-PROOF' - MILITARY SEEKS CONTACTS TO PROTECT PILOTS' EYES
January 4, 2005 | 5:00amThe Air Force is trying to develop contact lenses to protect pilots from being blinded by a laser, officials said yesterday. The effort comes as the FBI probes a rash...
LEFTY LAWYER BRANDED LIAR
January 4, 2005 | 5:00amFederal prosecutors summed up their case against radical lawyer Lynne Stewart with a bang yesterday - branding her a terror-supporter and a liar who deserves to be put behind bars....
NYPD DAILY BLOTTER
January 4, 2005 | 5:00amTHE BRONX * Police are looking for this man (above) who's wanted in last week's shooting death of a 22-year-old man in Allerton. Robert Merritt, 21, is suspected of gunning...
QNS. MOM FINDS SON HANGED
January 4, 2005 | 5:00amAn elderly Queens mom was horrified on New Year's Day when she walked into her son's home and found the decorated war hero hanging dead - possibly from a quirky...
BAD VIBES ANGER OVER THIRD OF CELLPHONE USERS
January 4, 2005 | 5:00amCellphone problems are infuriating users and the situation doesn't seem to be getting any better. A poll released yesterday shows 34 percent were not satisfied with their cellphone service -...
WEIRD BUT TRUE
January 4, 2005 | 5:00amTwo Illinois men fighting over a woman jumped in their cars and began ramming each other's vehicles. "They were basically almost having a demolition derby," said Sgt. Brad Wells. Cops...
GIFF PICKS PREZ-RACE VETS FOR MAYORAL RUN
January 4, 2005 | 5:00amCity Council Speaker Gifford Miller is tapping a handful of Democratic presidential campaign veterans for his own mayoral campaign team, The Post has learned. Among four key upcoming staff additions,...
HORROR-CRASH ARREST - QNS. MAN 'CAUSED 2 DEATHS'
January 4, 2005 | 5:00amA motorist was arraigned yesterday on charges he caused the death of two women when he "intentionally" slowed down on a Queens highway and the car in which they were...
$50 BUYS A KID IN ASIA CHAOS - SWEDISH BOY, 12, 'SWIPED' FROM HOSP AMID SEX FEARS
January 4, 2005 | 5:00amReports of perverts trafficking in kids orphaned by the tsunami are sweeping through Southeast Asia, as police investigate the suspected kidnapping of a 12-year-old Swedish boy from a Thai hospital....
'JR.' GOTTI IS STAYING BEHIND BARS
January 4, 2005 | 5:00amJohn "Junior" Gotti will be forced to prepare his defense against racketeering charges from prison. Manhattan federal Judge Shira Scheindlin yesterday rejected Gotti's bid for bail pending his August trial....
JACKO KID'S MA CAUGHT IN $ICK LIE
January 4, 2005 | 5:00amThe mom of Michael Jackson's alleged boy-toy victim once reportedly duped a small town into believing she needed money for the sick kid's medical bills even though the family had...
EMBATTLED JENNINGS RAGES AT 'CONSPIRACY'
January 4, 2005 | 5:00amEmbattled City Councilman Allan Jennings unexpectedly took the stand in his own defense yesterday as the final witness in the closed-door council trial on sexual-harassment allegations against him. Jennings (D-Queens)...
SICKO JILTED LOVER - ARSON KILLED FOUR
January 4, 2005 | 5:00amThe horrific New Year's Day arson that killed a family and critically burned three others in Brooklyn was the deranged handiwork of a spurned suitor, police sources said yesterday. The...
POST PARENT NEWS CORP. QUICKLY ANSWERS CALL TO HELP
January 4, 2005 | 5:00amNews Corp., The Post's parent company, yesterday announced that it will contribute $1 million toward the relief efforts in tsunami-devastated South Asia. The company also plans to match - dollar...
TRIAL FOR EMINEM LYRICS SUIT
January 4, 2005 | 5:00amThe nasty legal war between Eminem and owners of The Source magazine over the white rapper's racist lyrics will go to trial, a federal judge ruled yesterday. Manhattan federal Judge...
PREZ POSSE TO LEAD AID PU$H - BUSH NAMES DAD, CLINTON TO SPEARHEAD RELIEF EFFORT
January 4, 2005 | 5:00amWASHINGTON - President Bush yesterday recruited two former presidents, his dad and Bill Clinton, to spearhead an unprecedented private fund-raising push for tsunami victims - an effort that could bring...
TRIAL'S 9/11 TWIST - I COULD HAVE STOPPED IT, EX-FED TESTIFIES
January 4, 2005 | 5:00amA former FBI agent, defending himself against charges he stole law-enforcement information to commit stock fraud, tried to turn the tables yesterday with a wild claim he could have prevented...
GIS RESCUE 60 SURVIVORS AS DEATH TOLL HITS 150,000
January 4, 2005 | 5:00amU.S. helicopters rescued dozens of desperate tsunami survivors - including a girl clutching a stuffed Snoopy doll - from isolated Indonesian coastal villages yesterday as the U.N. humanitarian chief warned...
PACKAGE SCARE DELAYS FERRY
January 4, 2005 | 5:00amThousands of Staten Island Ferry commuters were delayed 90 minutes during the evening rush yesterday as cops investigated a suspicious package that turned out to be harmless. It was found...
BIKE KIDS SCARE OFF SEX THUG ATTACKING JOGGER
January 4, 2005 | 5:00amPolice on Long Island are looking for a man who ripped off a female jogger's clothes in a public park in daylight and attempted to rape her - but fled...
MAN CHARGED IN FATAL CRASH
January 4, 2005 | 5:00amA driver was arraigned yesterday on charges he caused the deaths of two women when he "intentionally" slowed down on a Queens highway, and the car in which they were...
LENSES MAY 'LASER-PROOF' PILOTS' EYES
January 4, 2005 | 5:00amThe Air Force is trying to develop contact lenses to protect pilots from being blinded by a laser, officials said yesterday. The effort comes as the FBI probes a rash...
POST PARENT NEWS CORP. ANSWERS CALL TO HELP
January 4, 2005 | 5:00amNews Corp., The Post's parent company, yesterday announced that it will contribute $1 million toward the massive relief effort in tsunami-devastated south Asia. The company also plans to match -...
CELLPHONE USERS HAVE HANGUPS
January 4, 2005 | 5:00amCellphone problems are infuriating users and the situation doesn't seem to be getting any better. A poll released yesterday shows 34 percent were not satisfied with their cellphone service -...
NO BAIL, 'JUNIOR' - JUDGE KEEPS GOTTI IN THE JOINT
January 4, 2005 | 5:00amJohn "Junior" Gotti will be forced to prepare his defense against racketeering charges from prison. Manhattan federal Judge Shira Scheindlin yesterday rejected Gotti's bid for bail pending his August trial....
SHEIK'S LAWYER LIES: FEDS
January 4, 2005 | 5:00amFederal prosecutors summed up their case against radical lawyer Lynne Stewart with a bang yesterday - branding her a terror-supporter and a liar who deserves to be put behind bars....
BUS KILLS CYCLIST AMID B'KLYN ACCIDENT FLURRY
January 4, 2005 | 5:00amA bicyclist was killed and two pedestrians were clinging to life following three separate accidents that occurred a little more than an hour apart in Brooklyn last night. Chaim Goldberg,...
LEAP FOR LIFE - COP CATCHES TENANTS JUMPING TO ESCAPE DEADLY QNS. FIRE
January 4, 2005 | 5:00amA fierce fire set by a 4-year-old Queens boy playing with a lighter near his family's Christmas tree left one dead - and a hero cop catching smoke-choked tenants as...
SANDRA BULLOCK DONATES $1 MILLION
January 4, 2005 | 5:00am"Miss Congenialty" star Sandra Bullock is in line for a new title: Miss Generosity. The bubbly brunette actress has given $1 million to the American Red Cross for its tsunami...
WATCHES KEEP 'TERROR' TIME
January 4, 2005 | 5:00amAl Qaeda reportedly is interested in acquiring wristwatches containing hidden cigarette lighters. The Department of Homeland Security and the FBI issued an advisory to airport screeners to look out for...
'THROW ME A KID' - COP CATCHES QNS. TENANTS ESCAPING DEADLY FIRE
January 4, 2005 | 5:00amA fierce fire set by a 4-year-old Queens boy playing with a lighter near his family's Christmas tree left one dead - and a hero cop catching kids tossed from...
BLOOMBERG BILL TO LURE FILMMAKERS
January 4, 2005 | 5:00amTelevision and film producers will get a five percent tax break if they shoot in New York, thanks to a new law signed by Mayor Bloomberg yesterday. The tax credit...
FIFTEEN DAYS OF CELEBRATION
January 4, 2005 | 5:00amRoosters are outspoken, hardworking and love to travel. If you were born in 1993, then you're a rooster. Happy New Year. Most Americans celebrate the coming of the new year...
NICE WAY TO FINISH
January 4, 2005 | 5:00amGIANT REPORT CARDQUARTERBACKS: B+ This was worth the wait for Eli Manning (18 of 27, 144 yards, 3 TDs, 1 INT), who was poised down the stretch and made his...
TROJANS-SOONERS MATCHUPS
January 4, 2005 | 5:00amThe 12-0 USC Trojans, reigning co-national champs and champions of the Pac-10 Conference, face the 12-0 Oklahoma Sooners, champions of the Big XII in tonight's Orange Bowl. USC is favored...
NOT ENOUGH CURTIS
January 4, 2005 | 5:00amJET REPORT CARDQUARTERBACKS: C- Chad Pennington (21-36, 181 yards, 1 TD, 80.9 rating) was again not his accurate best, overthrowing and underthrowing some receivers. RUNNING BACKS: B+ Curtis Martin (28-153...
SLACKERS CAN'T WEAR BLUE SUITS
January 4, 2005 | 5:00amFINE, says Tom Coughlin. If a potential Giant expresses wariness about all the coach's fines, well, this is one suitor who says you weren't a good fit anyway. In fact,...
LUKE: NEW TACKLE HAD BETTER BE GOOD
January 4, 2005 | 5:00amGIANT NOTES Of all the moves the Giants can make for next season, signing a marquee left tackle would likely make the biggest impact, unless they break with tradition and...
GLASS HALF FULL - JINTS CARRY HOPE INTO OFFSEASON
January 4, 2005 | 5:00amIf you didn't know any better, the sights and sounds filtering out of the Giants locker room yesterday morning could have been the reflections of a team leaving behind a...
A WHIZ-BANG TRIO - KIDD, CARTER, RJ ADAPT TO EACH OTHER
January 4, 2005 | 5:00amSince the arrival of guard Vince Carter, the Nets have one of the most talented trios in the league. Teamed with Carter and forward Richard Jefferson, point guard Jason Kidd...
SIMMS BELIEVES IN CHAD
January 4, 2005 | 5:00amCHAD Pennington doesn't remind anyone of Joe Montana anymore, and there are times watching him throw when you wonder whether Tom Glavine would have a better chance of breaking a...
AMAZIN! METS AHEAD IN CARLOS DERBY
January 4, 2005 | 5:00amThe Yankees were expected to be the stalking horse in the Carlos Beltran negotiations - waiting until the right moment to pounce with all their financial might. But, shockingly, it...
BUD GIVES HIS OK TO UNIT DEAL
January 4, 2005 | 5:00amDespite concerns about just how much greater the Yankee payroll is going to be than even that of the next-biggest spender, Commissioner Bud Selig nevertheless approved a trade of Randy...
ALLAN OF OLD NOT BACK YET
January 4, 2005 | 5:00amAllan Houston can't get open, and on the rare occasion he does break free of the man defending him, he's not knocking down shots the way New York is used...
JOHN ABRAHAM RUSHING BACK
January 4, 2005 | 5:00amJET NOTES Help is on the way for the Jets' defense. John Abraham, the Pro Bowl defensive end, will practice today, has been upgraded to "probable" on the injury report...
STEPH TALK OFF POINT
January 4, 2005 | 5:00amSO Stephon Marbury - the NBA's co-Player of the Week - has coronated himself the league's sovereign point guard. Who writes his myopic material, Latrell Sprewell? Alonzo Mourning? Charles Barkley?...
JETS OFFER NO APOLOGIES - FOCUS ON PLAYOFFS, NOT LOSS TO RAMS
January 4, 2005 | 5:00amThere were no apologies coming out of Weeb Ewbank Hall yesterday. The conflicting emotions that emanated from the Jets' 32-29 overtime loss to the Rams in their regular-season finale Sunday...
NO TOURNEY FOR ST. JOHN'S
January 4, 2005 | 5:00amThere will be no postseason play for St. John's - not in the NCAA Tournament, not in the NIT, and not in the Big East Conference tournament. The league office...
WHITE HANDS OFF THE JINX
January 4, 2005 | 5:00amMIAMI - Oklahoma quarterback Jason White achieved a college football player's ultimate dream last year when he won the 2003 Heisman Trophy. Then he lost his final two games against...