March 8, 2006
REFCO'S CREDITORS FIGHTING EXAMINER
March 8, 2006 | 5:00amCreditors of bankrupt trading giant Refco Inc. have objected to the appointment of an independent examiner to investigate the fraud and financial shenanigans that led to the firm's collapse last...
THEY TAKE THE FIFTH - SALES DEALS HEATING UP AT TWO PRIME SITES
March 8, 2006 | 5:00amA pre-assembled vacant site in the fashion swath of Fifth Avenue is hitting the market through Darcy Stacom and her CB Richard Ellis team. The 400 Fifth Ave. site on...
FAST-OWWCH! CFO SAYS SKILLING MADE CRIMINALS OF WIFE, KIDS
March 8, 2006 | 5:00amStar government witness Andrew Fastow, at times fighting back tears, tore into Enron's top executives for engineering a fraud that turned his innocent wife and two young children into criminals....
VNU WEIGHING NEW $9B TAKEOVER OFFER
March 8, 2006 | 5:00amThe board of Dutch media giant VNU NV, owner of Nielsen television ratings and Billboard Magazine, is weighing a revised takeover bid of roughly $9 billion from a group of...
DEADLINE DICK ; LANGONE ATTACKS SPITZER IN GRASSO AFFAIR
March 8, 2006 | 5:00amEx-New York Stock Exchange board member Ken Langone demanded a court slam Eliot Spitzer for missing a deadline in the attorney general's legal battle over former Big Board chief Dick...
WAL-MART HATER SUES FOR PARODY
March 8, 2006 | 5:00amComparing Wal-Mart to the Nazis may seem in bad taste, but a Georgia man is going to court to protect his right to do just that. Charles Smith, 48, argued...
GREENSPAN IN PENGUIN FLAP
March 8, 2006 | 5:00amWAS there an internal tug of war at Penguin over which imprint would win the right to publish the memoir of former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan? Penguin Inc. was...
PINCH GRILLED BY TIMES STAFFERS
March 8, 2006 | 5:00amArthur "Pinch" Sulzberger Jr. apparently was given quite a chilly reception in his annual state-of-the-Times address yesterday. Newspaper Guild members have already had to give up their raises for the...
HE BREWS HIS OWN REGGAE
March 8, 2006 | 5:00amMATISYAHU SINCE the death of Bob Marley nearly 25 years ago, reggae music has steadily declined in mainstream popularity outside of Jamaica, so the success of New York's Matisyahu is...
FROM JAPAN, BULLY LOADED
March 8, 2006 | 5:00amTHE NEIGHBOR NO. THIRTEEN *** (Three stars) Lucky turdteen. In Japanese, with English sub titles. Running time: 114 min utes. Not rated (violence, gore, male nudity). At the Imagina sian,...
MUSIC SOARS AS PRODUCTION CRASHES
March 8, 2006 | 5:00amMAZEPPAThe Metropolitan Opera, Lincoln Center; (212) 362-6000. Next performance Friday. THERE seemed to be two productions of Tchaikovsky's "Mazeppa" parading across the Metropolitan Opera House on Monday night. The first...
'THIS FEAR IS REAL AND IT IS AFFECTING WOMEN ALL OVER THE CITY' - IMETTE CASE HAS NEW YORKERS ON EDGE, CHANGING HABITS; NERVES ON EDGE
March 8, 2006 | 5:00amThe scenario in which Janine Samuel found herself last weekend was a familiar one: A bunch of girls, out on the town, having fun drinking at a bar. Soon enough...
VODKA WITH A TWIST - X-RATED OR HEAVY, SPIRIT CHOICES TURN BIZARRE
March 8, 2006 | 5:00amWHAT'S gotten into vodka? Or, more to the point, what hasn't? Pomegranate, huckleberries and green tea are just the tip of the iceberg. And did we mention icebergs? If it...
LANDLORD OPENS 'FIRE' IN DELPOSTO BATTLE
March 8, 2006 | 5:00amMolto Mario continues to melt-o at Del Posto. The latest salvo in the litigious food fight between Mario Batali and his landlords has the latter filing a motion in state...
INN CROWD CAN BE SUITE
March 8, 2006 | 5:00amSomething sad but predictable happened at the Waldorf-Astoria a few weeks ago: the new Peacock Alley Restaurant, launched with much hoopla after a $5.5 million redesign last fall, pulled in...
'CSI: REAL LIFE'- FAKE-FIREMAN RAPE CASE SET IN VEGAS
March 8, 2006 | 5:00am'CSI" will offer its own take tomorrow on the twisted tale of accused fire- and foot-fetish fiend Peter Braunstein, who is charged with setting a downtown blaze and posing as...
'KING' KEVIN TAKES ON CBS
March 8, 2006 | 5:00amA behind-the-scenes con tract war has broken out between the blue-collar sitcom "The King of Queens" and CBS. When the network annouced this week that it was renewing 14 shows...
STARR REPORT
March 8, 2006 | 5:00amThe numbers game Last Saturday's UNC-Duke basketball game notched the best men's basketball ratings in ESPN history - with a caveat. The game, a UNC vic tory, averaged nearly 4...
TRADING RACES - IT DOES SO MATTER IF YOU'RE 'BLACK' OR 'WHITE'
March 8, 2006 | 5:00am"Black. White." Tonight at 10 on FX *** (three stars) Whether you buy into its premise or not, "Black. White." is not to be dismissed. Nor is it to be...
HAYEK AND MIGHTY - SALMA LIGHTS UP THE BIG SCREEN AGAIN IN MOVING NEW ROMANCE
March 8, 2006 | 5:00amWHEN Salma Hayek was feeling a little nervous about shooting a nude scene for her new movie, "Ask the Dust," her co-star, Colin Farrell, took it upon himself to break...
PLAYING FOR KEEPS - BRILLIANT TRIO OF LATINO STARS MAKE THE METS MATTER AGAIN
March 8, 2006 | 5:00amWho can blame Met fans for being giddy these days? Finally, the city's "second-class team's" groupies can cheer for a squad that Vegas is laying solid odds on to bring...
'BIAS BEAT' TEENS GET PROBATION
March 8, 2006 | 5:00amThree Brooklyn teens charged in the racially motivated beating of a black man avoided prison yesterday, getting probation in exchange for admitting to being involved in the attack. Stephen Cucarese...
LI'L PETE GAMBLES AND LOSES
March 8, 2006 | 5:00amWHEN it comes to gambling, if Peter Gotti didn't have bad luck, he wouldn't have any luck at all. On the stand, Peter has frequently referred to a voracious gambling...
CHILLING TALE OF BANKER-SLAY
March 8, 2006 | 5:00amA Long Island banker pulled over in his car and shot dead by a police impersonator was slain because the fiend wanted to eliminate him as a witness after he...
FAREWELL TO L.I. HERO SOLDIER
March 8, 2006 | 5:00amHundreds of mourners bid an emotional farewell yesterday to a young Long Islandsoldier killed in Iraq last month by a roadside bomb. Army Specialist Thomas Wilwerth (left), 21, of Mastic,...
ROLLOUT ON KID-FIRE SAFETY
March 8, 2006 | 5:00amThe firefighters union launched a campaign yesterday to stop, drop and throw out the most well known national catchphrase for fire safety. "Stop, drop and roll . . . this...
TOM MEETS GOV WANNABES
March 8, 2006 | 5:00amALBANY - Upstate billionaire Tom Golisano may not be running for governor this year, but it looks like he's trying to play kingmaker. Golisano, a newly minted Republican who has...
9/11 KIN 'WRITE' OFF PLAN
March 8, 2006 | 5:00amRelatives of Sept. 11 victims delivered a petition yesterday to oppose an underground 9/11 memorial at Ground Zero. Supporters want to block groundbreaking on the site and change the design...
PELOSI PAL GETS 6 MONTHS
March 8, 2006 | 5:00amThe man who accompanied Danny Pelosi the night he killed millionaire Ted Ammon was sentenced yesterday to six months in prison. Chris Parrino, 37, of Wading River, L.I., pleaded guilty...
B'KLYN WORKER KILLED ; CRUSHED IN WALL COLLAPSE
March 8, 2006 | 5:00amA Brooklyn construction worker was crushed to death yesterday by a collapsing wall that rained cinderblocks and concrete on him and kept emergency crews from reaching his body for almost...
BRUNO MULLS BILL UNHEALTHY FOR WAL-MART
March 8, 2006 | 5:00amALBANY - The state's second most powerful Republican yesterday said for the first time he is open to an anti-Wal-Mart bill being pushed by the nation's most powerful labor unions....
MORE CATHOLIC SCHOOLS TO SHUT
March 8, 2006 | 5:00amThe final bell will toll for two more Catholic schools in the Diocese of Brooklyn at the end of the school year because of financial woes brought on by shrinking...
BEDBUG GAL BITES BACK WITH SUIT
March 8, 2006 | 5:00amShe didn't have a good night, and she didn't sleep tight, because the bedbugs did bite. And now she is suing a Catskills resort for $20 million. Leslie Fox spent...
FORGETTING TERROR; 'SEEING NO EVIL' IN HINDSIGHT
March 8, 2006 | 5:00amOF the many New York Times readers who made their way through this week's three-part series, "An Imam in America," one was paying especially close attention. The series, which ran...
5% OF WORKERS ARE 'ILLEGALS'
March 8, 2006 | 5:00amWASHINGTON - One in every 20 workers in America is an illegal immigrant, according to a stunning new report. There could be 12 million illegal immigrants today - and they...
CITY SMOKING OUT TAX EVADERS
March 8, 2006 | 5:00amIf you've ever bought cigarettes online from a company called eSmokes, Uncle Sam wants you. As part of a bankruptcy settlement, the Virginia-based company agreed to hand over thousands of...
NYPD DAILY BLOTTER
March 8, 2006 | 5:00amTHE BRONX *** Detectives are trying to identify a mystery man (above) who came to New York for Bible studies in 1996, beaten into a coma that year near Yankee...
RATNER RAZING ARENA BUILDING
March 8, 2006 | 5:00amDeveloper Bruce Ratner (left) starts demolition today on the first of the buildings standing in the way of his $3.5 billion NBA arena and skyscraper complex in Brooklyn. Officials with...
MIKE ASKS FOR 'SPORTING' CHANCE
March 8, 2006 | 5:00amWASHINGTON - Mayor Bloomberg yesterday urged a powerful senator to protect the city's right to take over property in blighted neighborhoods to build sports stadiums. Bloomberg, meeting with Sen. Patrick...
TRAGEDY HITS ANOTHER BRAVE REEVE AS WIFE DANA LOSES HER FIGHT VS. CANCER
March 8, 2006 | 5:00amDana Reeve, the heroic actress-singer widow of "Superman" star Christopher Reeve, has lost her fight with cancer at the age of 44. She died late Monday night at Memorial Sloan-Kettering,...
HILLARY & W. IN INDIA CHAT
March 8, 2006 | 5:00amWASHINGTON - Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton yesterday got a White House briefing from President Bush on his recent trip to India. Clinton, who has served as co-chair of the Senate...
TORMENT OF ABUSE BY TERI'S PERV UNC ; STAR PUT HIM IN JAIL
March 8, 2006 | 5:00amDesperate for justice, TV star Teri Hatcher risked her career as a Hollywood star to put her perverted uncle behind bars 30 years after he repeatedly molested her as a...
WIDOW PUSHES CRUISE SAFETY
March 8, 2006 | 5:00amWASHINGTON - Twenty-four people disappeared from cruise ships between 2003 and 2005 and 178 passengers reported being sexually assaulted, a congressional panel heard yesterday. Among those who vanished was the...
EVIL OUTBURST ; 'BLESS OSAMA,' MOUSSAOUI WAILS
March 8, 2006 | 5:00amDefiant terrorist Zacarias Moussaoui pumped his right fist into the air and shouted, "God bless Osama bin Laden" yesterday, moments after jurors heard a chilling tale of the first plane...
CELL-BOUND SELL HOUND ; RAP DIVA SIMPLY KIMPOSSIBLE
March 8, 2006 | 5:00amTwo weeks before she began serving a one-year sentence for perjury last September, Lil' Kim was more worried about publicity for her new CD than prison life. In a new,...
TUTOR FIRMS GET BOO$T BY PAYING KIDS: PROBE
March 8, 2006 | 5:00amCompanies that are paid millions by the federal government to tutor struggling students at high-poverty city schools improperly offered children and school workers gifts to pad attendance and their pocketbooks,...
'BROKE' BLOKE A JOKE; SUIT SAYS HE LIED
March 8, 2006 | 5:00amA multimillionaire financial analyst was putting the "bull" in bull market when he convinced his ex-wife he was bankrupt, court papers charge. "Cosby Show" writer turned Wall Street wiz Matthew...
'MAN OF STEEL' CURSE STRIKES AGAIN
March 8, 2006 | 5:00amDana Reeve is the latest victim of the eerie Curse of Superman. A bizarre string of tragic luck has followed people associated with Superman since he first appeared on the...
GOP SEN. RACE WAR OF WORDS
March 8, 2006 | 5:00amALBANY - The Republican battle to take on U.S. Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton heated up yesterday as former Yonkers Mayor John Spencer, a decorated war veteran, criticized his just-announced opponent's...
'SUPER' SON HAS FATHER'S STRENGTH
March 8, 2006 | 5:00amWill Reeve learned to handle tragedy at the age of 3, when his father's paralyzing horseback-riding accident abruptly ended the boy's magical life as the son of "Superman." But along...
'JUNIOR' TOLD DAD HASTA LA VISTA TO COSA NOSTRA IN '99
March 8, 2006 | 5:00amHis kids - and the prospect of serving a life sentence - allegedly persuaded John "Junior" Gotti to tell his "Dapper Don" daddy in an emotional jailhouse meeting that he...
LIGHTS OUT FOR GENNARO LUMINARY
March 8, 2006 | 5:00amThree New York men - including the lighting contractor for the famed San Gennaro Feast and a reputed mob figure with ties to actor Steven Seagal - were arrested yesterday...
'L' OF A PROBLEM IN CANARSIE
March 8, 2006 | 5:00amAn L train derailed at the start of last night's rush hour after leaving a rail yard in Brooklyn, causing major delays for commuters heading home. No passengers were aboard...
AIR TRAFFIC IN CHAOS AFTER GLITCH
March 8, 2006 | 5:00amA computer power outage yesterday at an FAA air traffic control center caused massive delays of incoming and outgoing flights at three major local airports, officials said. The control center...
RAPES MAY LINK SUSPECT; * BOUNCER EYED IN OLD CASES * COPS ZERO IN ON VAN-SEAT CLUE
March 8, 2006 | 5:00amThe burly ex-con bouncer who has emerged as the lead suspect in the brutal rape and murder of grad student Imette St. Guillen is now being eyed in a string...
ABC YA LATER, PAL; SLIWA: KUBY NO LONGER MY FRIEND
March 8, 2006 | 5:00amCurtis Sliwa sounded even-tempered yesterday talking about radio co-host Ron Kuby's testimony for John "Junior" Gotti's defense - but he said later it was all for show. The Guardian Angels...
PAROLEE MAY CAUSE DOWNFALLS OF THE BAR
March 8, 2006 | 5:00amHiring ex-con bouncer Darryl Littlejohn could cost The Falls bar its precious liquor license. The State Liquor Authority yesterday told The Post that it has launched a probe into the...
BANKER-SLAY WIFE'S AGONY
March 8, 2006 | 5:00amA Long Island widow yesterday tearfully recounted the agonizing hours she waited and searched for her husband - only to discover the spot where he was gunned down for refusing...
EVIL OUTBURST; 'BLESS OSAMA,' MOUSSAOUI WAILS
March 8, 2006 | 5:00amDefiant terrorist Zacarias Moussaoui pumped his right fist into the air and shouted, "God bless Osama bin Laden" yesterday - moments after jurors heard a chilling tale of the first...
RAPES MAY LINK SUSPECT; * BOUNCER EYED IN OLD CASES * IMETTE 'SLAY VAN' SEAT CLUE
March 8, 2006 | 5:00amThe ex-con bouncer who has emerged as the lead suspect in the sex-assault murder of grad student Imette St. Guillen is now being eyed in a string of rapes in...
WTC LARRY IN $1B WAR
March 8, 2006 | 5:00amInsurance companies asked a federal appeals court yesterday to reject a jury verdict that would enable developer Larry Silverstein to obtain an extra $1.1 billion to rebuild the World Trade...
5% OF WORKERS 'ILLEGALS'
March 8, 2006 | 5:00amWASHINGTON - One in every 20 workers in America is an illegal immigrant, according to a new report. There could be 12 million illegal immigrants today - and they have...
CELL-BOUND SELL HOUND - RAP DIVA SIMPLY KIMPOSSIBLE
March 8, 2006 | 5:00amTwo weeks before she began serving a one-year sentence for perjury last September, Lil' Kim was more worried about publicity for her new CD than prison life. In a new,...
TORMENT OF ABUSE BY TERI'S PERV UNC - STAR PUT HIM IN JAIL
March 8, 2006 | 5:00amDesperate for justice, TV star Teri Hatcher risked her career as a Hollywood star to put her perverted uncle behind bars 30 years after he repeatedly sexually molested her as...
YELLOW NELLO BUSTED - GAVE GAL PAL A BEATING: COPS
March 8, 2006 | 5:00amRestaurateur-to-the-stars Nello Balan could wind up serving prison time instead of $40 ravioli, after cops busted him early yesterday on charges of brutally beating his girlfriend in their posh Upper...
NETS KEEP STUMBLIN'
March 8, 2006 | 5:00amBULLS 95 NETS 87 CHICAGO - In the their minds, they were right where they wanted to be on the road: very much in the game with a little more...
RENNEY BENT ON WAKING RANGERS
March 8, 2006 | 5:00amThis season, Tom Renney has preached teamwork, teamwork and more teamwork. That Jaromir Jagr has been constantly shadowed over the past two games - both losses - and the offense...
ISIAH NIXES HOOSIER RUMOR
March 8, 2006 | 5:00amKNICK NOTES INDIANAPOLIS - Isiah Thomas denied yesterday he was interested in the soon-to-be-vacant Indiana University coaching job despite paying a visit to its nearby Bloomington campus yesterday before the...
FORDHAM SIGHTS SET ON DANCE
March 8, 2006 | 5:00amSomebody out there likes Fordham. The Rams, who finished with a winning conference record (9-7) for the first time since joining the Atlantic 10 in 1995, earned a No. 6...
ESPN: NO WAY, BABY!
March 8, 2006 | 5:00amIn an effort to create some extra buzz for the NCAA Tournament, CBS Sports was hoping to use ESPN's Dick Vitale on a tournament game next week. It was only...
SHAWN THRIVING IN BATTLE FOR STARTING JOB
March 8, 2006 | 5:00amTAMPA - Shawn Chacon knows the gig. Whenever Carl Pavano is ready, the Yankees will have six starters for five spots. And even with Pavano beginning the year on the...
MO SPRINGS INTO ACTION
March 8, 2006 | 5:00amYankees 5 Twins 0 YANKEE NOTES TAMPA - Six pitches were all Mariano Rivera needed to complete his first inning of spring training yesterday. Four to Rondell White, one to...
WELL'S PRESENCE STILL FELT
March 8, 2006 | 5:00amWhen NFL owners yesterday huddled together, facing a key moment in the history of the league, Wellington Mara was not among them. Mara, the Giants' patriarch, died Oct. 25 at...
PIAZZA REFUSES TO BLAST BONDS
March 8, 2006 | 5:00am"He's the greatest player I've ever seen play. What can I say?"MIKE PIAZZA LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. - Mike Piazza preferred to reserve judgment yesterday when asked about the new...
NFL OWNERS NEAR D-DAY
March 8, 2006 | 5:00amThe rich and powerful but not-always-united fraternity of NFL owners assembled yesterday, seeking to put aside their differences long enough to ensure their sport does not unravel amid labor strife....
EX-MATES SHOCKED BY PUCKETT'S DEATH
March 8, 2006 | 5:00amTAMPA - When Scott Erickson's cell phone rang late Monday afternoon and when he heard the voice on the other end of the line, he knew the news couldn't be...
FELDEINE HAS HAYES ON TRACK
March 8, 2006 | 5:00amH.S. BASKETBALLCard. Hayes 60LaSalle 51 James Feldeine saw his team lose in the semifinals of the CHSAA A playoffs each of the past two years, so last night, when Cardinal...
ISLES TAKE BEST SHOT
March 8, 2006 | 5:00amSHOOTOUTIslanders 2Devils 1 The writing may not have been on the wall, but it was on the Internet, and it was in French. Even though the RDS report late Monday...
STUMBLIN' NETS KEEP TUMBLIN'
March 8, 2006 | 5:00amBulls 95Nets 87 CHICAGO - In the end they were running on fumes. And a career night from Nenad Krstic couldn't save them. Krstic scored a career-high 29 points while...
HE SHOULD QUIT NOW
March 8, 2006 | 5:00amTAMPA - Barry Bonds' shame is complete now, his disgrace permanent, his infamy eternal. Bonds officially has assumed the title of baseball's greatest scourge, a cheater and a liar whose...
ORTIZ, BELTRE PACE D.R. WIN
March 8, 2006 | 5:00amLAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. - From a baseball standpoint, North America was turned upside down here yesterday. In a Disney venue fittingly called "Wide World of Sports," Venezuela and the...
THE JUICE ON BONDS
March 8, 2006 | 5:00amThe latest Barry Bonds bombshell erases any doubt that the controversial slugger used steroids. Excerpts from a book to be released later this month detail Bonds' steroid use from its...
KAZ BREAKS OUT OF FUNK
March 8, 2006 | 5:00amMETS 7 ASTROS 1 PORT ST. LUCIE - Entering yesterday's game, Kazuo Matsui was 0-for-9 this spring, and his lack of offensive success wasn't a secret. After the second baseman...
DOMINICAN PREVAILS IN LATIN CLASH
March 8, 2006 | 5:00amLAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. - From a baseball standpoint, North America was turned upside down here yesterday. In a Disney venue fittingly called "Wide World of Sports," Venezuela and the...
U.S. SEALS DEAL - AMERICANS SQUEAK PAST MEXICO
March 8, 2006 | 5:00amUSA 2 MEXICO 0 PHOENIX - On yet another humiliating "Bondshell" day for baseball, Team USA escaped with a 2-0 win over Mexico at Chase Field yesterday, avoiding an embarrassing...
NETS HEAR FOOTSTEPS
March 8, 2006 | 5:00amCHICAGO - The season is shrinking. Realistically, the Nets are going no higher than No. 3 in the East - though the danger of dropping lower exists. The 76ers, who...
BREAK 'EM UP! 2ND STRAIGHT 'W' FOR TEAM TITANIC
March 8, 2006 | 5:00amKnicks 107 Pacers 92 INDIANAPOLIS - Dare we say it? Larry Brown's Knicks finally are starting to play the right way. With 5:15 left last night, a stunning scene unfolded...
PIRATES FIGHT FOR LIVES, AGAIN
March 8, 2006 | 5:00amTonight in the City That Never Sleeps plays the Team That Has Never Been Respected. When it won six straight games, including an 83-65 demolishing of 15th-ranked N.C. State on...
BROWN: CURRY BETTER THAN A LOTTERY PICK
March 8, 2006 | 5:00am"If you look at the draft and the big guys in the league and big guys coming up, I don't think you can find big, young athletic kids." LARRY BROWN...
PARRISH IS ON BLOCK
March 8, 2006 | 5:00amThe writing may not have been on the wall, but it was on the Internet and it was written in French. And even if the report that right winger Mark...
'NOVA LAUDED BIG
March 8, 2006 | 5:00amVillanova may have drawn the second seed in the Big East Conference tournament that begins today in the Garden, but the league's coaches made it clear they thought the Wildcats...
WEIRD BUT TRUE
March 8, 2006 | 5:00amAn Arizona deputy fire chief was looking a little sheepish over the weekend after he was caught in a compromising position - with his neighbor's lamb. "You caught me Alan,...