April 15, 2010
AG Cuomo speaks at women's fundraiser
Attorney General Andrew Cuomo made a stop in a busy governmental day to speak at a women's fundraiser for his campaign coffers headlined by actress Marcia Gay Harden and former...
Man shoots his parole officer in Brooklyn
An ex-con — quietly waiting to see his parole officer — suddenly pulled out a gun when his name was called and opened fire tonight, hitting the officer in the...
Furniture company CEO busted in deadly DWI
The CEO of financially reeling furniture giant Jennifer Convertibles drunkenly mowed down an MTA security guard who was crossing a Queens highway on foot last night, authorities said. Harley Greenfield,...
Shoeshiner who torched two stands back at work today
He’s baaaaacccck! An elderly shoeshine man who admittedly torched two shoeshine stands at Bryant Park over a two-week period was released without having to post bail yesterday — and promptly...
Prize tenor
TENOR James Valenti, fresh off his Met Opera debut last month in "La Traviata," is the latest winner of one of opera’s most prestigious awards. The Richard Tucker Music Foundation...
Jay-Z sues Red Sox David Ortiz for club name
Hip-hop mogul Jay-Z and his business partner sued Boston Red Sox baseball player David Ortiz on Thursday for naming a Dominican Republic nightclub after their chain of 40/40 Club sports...
Walsh won't say Lee will be back with Knicks
Donnie Walsh would not give a commitment to David Lee returning as a Knick next season during an end-of-season address with media. Lee clearly is not Plan A, but if...
Weisz takes on Jackie O.
Rachel Weisz is reportedly signed on to star as the late Mrs. Kennedy in “Jackie,” a film to be directed by her husband, Darren Aronofsky (and once rumored to have...
Girardi feels for Vazquez
Joe Girardi can relate to what Javier Vazquez is going through. When he arrived as a player to the Yankees in 1996, Girardi heard the boos from the home fans...
Twins shut out Red Sox
MINNEAPOLIS -- Francisco Liriano threw seven shutout innings for Minnesota, and the Twins took the first series at Target Field with an 8-0 victory over the sloppy Boston Red Sox...
Report: Roethlisberger bodyguards kept others away
MILLEDGEVILLE, Ga. -- Friends of the Georgia college student who accused Ben Roethlisberger of sexual assault say his bodyguards prevented them from seeing her when the woman was alone with...
Negotiations accelerate in city doorman contract
Doormen around New York City could soon get a break from ushering in the city's famous and privileged if negotiations fail to result in a new contract. Negotiations accelerated Thursday...
RBNY's Backe backs up MLS Cup boast
Red Bull coach Hans Backe boasted in an Offside magazine article that hits the stands tomorrow that he expects his team to win MLS Cup next year. And Backe didn’t...
Winn gets first start for Yankees tonight
Randy Winn gets his first Yankees start tonight, playing left field and batting ninth against Angels left Scott Kazmir.Nick Swisher bats second, with Marcus Thames also getting another turn batting...
Red Bulls expect to add British striker Luke Rodgers in the next few days
Don't write off the Red Bulls pursuit of English forward Luke Rodgers just yet. As a matter of fact, both GM Erik Soler and coach Hans Backe are confident the...
Cuomo earned $194,000
ALBANY – Attorney General Andrew Cuomo provided proof of the cost of public service for some elected officials a few minutes ago when he revealed that he earned about $194,000...
DEALS: Tampa, FL
When it's finally up and running, Bubba The Love Sponge's new million-dollar, Tampa-based compound "Bubbaland" — currently being constructed within a mammoth, 8,400-square-foot warehouse space right outside the Westshore District — will be the pimpdaddyest pad in all the...
Larry King, 7th wife didn't have pre-nup: report
Aging CNN yakker Larry King -- a veteran of seven marriages -- never signed a prenup agreement with soon-to-be ex-wife Shawn Southwick, according to a new report. TMZ.com reported today...
Leon back where he belongs with Jets
Leon Washington returned to the Jets today after signing his $1.759 million tender offer contract and said he’ll remain with the team, participating in the offseason conditioning program and staying...
Red Bulls confident of adding two summer stars
The Red Bulls will buy a third Designated Player slot for $250,000, and intend on having three stars by the summer transfer window. I know, that's about as shocking as the...
The consequences of pleading guilty
The Supreme Court recently ruled that non-citizen defendants should be informed by their lawyers when pleading guilty to certain crimes may have an impact on their immigration status. As Justice...
3 more charged in St. Bonaventure fight
BUFFALO, N.Y. — State police say three Jamestown Community College students have been charged with disorderly conduct in connection with a fight at St. Bonaventure that left two of them...
Schoen polled Holtzman for AG
The Knickerbocker reported at the end of March that a north Brooklyn reader got a polling call focused exclusively on former congresswoman and Brooklyn DA Elizabeth Holtzman -- and now...
Pelfrey shows Mets may have No. 2 starter
DENVER -- Mike Pelfrey rose to the occasion today with seven shutout innings that helped the Mets grab a 5-0 victory at Coors Field and avoid a complete Rocky Mountain...
Queens' Lamb rules out St. John's
Doron Lamb has made his decision, but St. John’s isn’t a part of it. Despite the best efforts of new St. John’s coach Steve Lavin, the Queens native will not...
Yankees' Vazquez sounds shaky
The boos of Javier Vazquez stole the headlines today, but one other thing he said may be of more concern to Yankees fans than his disapproval of their booing. Talking...
Steelers president says Santonio had to go; Revis not concerned
Steelers president Art Rooney II told reporters today he could not see Santonio Holmes helping the team long-term, which is why the wide receiver was traded to the Jets."We have...
Patersons see income jump, make good on pledge
ALBANY – Gov. Paterson revealed today that he and his wife saw their income jump $50,000 last year, even as the governor delivered on his pledge to return 10 percent...
Gillibrand won't cut ties with Global Strategy despite AG report
Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, who is the most prominent New York political client of Global Strategy Group, is not cutting ties with the consulting firm in the wake of a settlement...
SI's wayward manatee survived winter; spotted in Fla.
MIAMI — Ilya, the wayward manatee, survived the winter and was spotted in Biscayne Bay in South Florida. Biologists at the U.S. Geological Survey Thursday said he was identified by...
Tiger will play next tournament in two weeks
CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Out of golf for five months until the Masters, Tiger Woods is waiting only two weeks to tee it up again. Woods announced Thursday he will play...
Spitzer not ready for comeback: new poll
A day after a Marist College poll showing voters are slowly getting used to the idea of an Eliot Spitzer comeback, a prominent national pollster suggests his own research proves...
Red Bull brass talks Brian Nielsen
From GM Erik Soler to coach Hans Backe, the Red Bulls brass admit that new signing Brian Nielsen relied too much on his prodigious promise, that the 23-year-old Danish winger...
Eli wishes best for Big Ben
You have had to be in a cave not to know about all the trouble Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger has gotten into this offseason, and Eli Manning assuredly has not...
Reports: Parcells says Jones 'didn't mean it'
Jerry Jones has patched things up with Bill Parcells. The Cowboys owner initiated a phone call with his former head coach after he was secretly taped saying Parcells “isn’t worth...
LG hopeful St. Lawrence boosts SUNY plan
Christopher St. Lawrence, the Town of Ramapo supervisor who's waging a campaign to be the Democratic candidate for lieutenant governor, is boosting the SUNY strategic plan as a strong effort...
Manuel won't rush Reyes into third spot for Mets
Jerry Manuel wants Jose Reyes to bat third in the Mets' lineup this weekend in St. Louis. But he won't force the issue.“I want to do it so bad sometimes...
Jets' Sanchez trying for early return
Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez says his recovery from knee surgery is on schedule, and doesn't rule out the possibility of participating in minicamp in June.Sanchez had a procedure on his...
Cano, Granderson lead Yankees over Angels 6-2
Curtis Granderson hit two triples and threw Hideki Matsui out at the plate and Robinson Cano homered twice, leading the New York Yankees over the Los Angeles Angels 6-2 Thursday...
Obamas made $5.5M in 2009, paid $1.8M in federal taxes
WASHINGTON -- The White House says President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle made $5.5 million last year and paid nearly $1.8 million in federal income tax. The Obamas gave...
Why volcanic ash is so dangerous for planes
A volcano erupting more than 1,000 miles away in Iceland is causing havoc for air travelers in the UK, Europe and Scandanavia -- but why is volcanic ash so dangerous...
Tiger mistress arrested in LA
A woman who said she had an affair with Tiger Woods is due in court Thursday after she was arrested on suspicion of driving with a suspended license in West...
Ronald Lauder called possible Schumer challenger
Conservative Party Chairman Mike Long tells the Knickerbocker that he's reaching out to billionaire Ronald Lauder to gauge his interest in challenging Sen. Charles Schumer in the fall - after...
Fidler takes shot at mayor's mysterious campaign payment
City Councilman Lew Fidler, a constant thorn in Mayor Bloomberg's side, took a swipe at the billionaire mayor's potential legal troubles surrounding a mysterious payment he made to the state...
7 UBS customers hid $100M in Swiss assets: feds
The tax man is coming today -- and he's got handcuffs, too. Seven customers of Swiss banking giant UBS were charged this afternoon with conspiracy and criminal tax offenses --...
Education Reform Now ad spot stresses charter cap lift
Education Reform Now is taking its push for the Round Two "Race to the Top" funds to the radio waves, with a spot going up on stations with predominantly African-American...
Bus driver saves SI man from burning car
That’s one unexpected pickup! A heroic MTA bus driver rescued a man from a flaming car on Staten Island yesterday. Andrew Camputaro, cool-headed wheelman, saw the fire-ridden car near Broadway...
'Terror' imam avoids prison time in subway bomb plot, faces deportation
An imam from Afghanistan inked to the suspects in a failed suicide bomb plot against the city's subway system dodged prison time today, but was ordered to leave the country...
US couple's planned suicide in Rome goes thwarted by hotel staff
An American couple's pact to die together in Rome, the Eternal City, went awry when hotel staff rescued the wife after her husband fatally overdosed, TG24 reported Thursday. A Californian...
Cofield doesn't sign Giants' tender ... yet
Barry Cofield knew it was coming, knew after four years playing defensive tackle for the Giants he wasn’t going to become an unrestricted free agent even though his contract was...
Back Page: Worst start imaginable for Manuel, Minaya and the Mets
It won’t be long before it becomes when, not if, Jerry Manuel will be fired. We may be there already after last night’s loss to the Rockies, which highlights why...
State Dept. concedes adoption of Russian children by Americans may be suspended
The U.S. State Department said Thursday it did not know whether American families would be able to adopt Russian children in the future after Russia’s Foreign Ministry said repeatedly it...
Riley: Heat 'will do whatever it takes' to keep Wade in Miami
MIAMI — Heat president Pat Riley has a message for fans: Miami will do “whatever it takes” to keep Dwyane Wade. In a letter printed across three pages of the...
More bailout, no more bailouts
Charges of more bailouts and counter charges on no more bailouts are flying between Republicans and Democrats in the Senate, as the new financial regulation legislation is debated. Two questions:...
Former Obama car czar named in state pension scam
ALBANY – The explosive probe into abuse of the state pension fund for the first time touched Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli today as Attorney General Andrew Cuomo unveiled five settlement deals...
New idea for tax day
Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Oregon) and Sen. Judd Gregg (R-NH) have a brand new proposal to simplify the tax code and tackle the ballooning federal deficit. “Wyden and Gregg propose reducing...
Meeks slapped with subpoena in federal probe of Katrina funds
WASHINGTON -- A federal grand jury has slapped New York Rep. Gregory Meeks with a subpoena as part of what is shaping up to be a sweeping corruption probe of...
Taylor to Jets getting closer
Don’t be surprised to see Jason Taylor sign with the Jets by sometime next week. His agent, Gary Wichard told The Post today that Taylor is continuing to mull over...
Croatian girl wakes up from coma speaking fluent German
A Croatian girl has woken from a coma speaking fluent German that she didn't previously know, and is now totally unable to talk in her native tongue. The 13-year-old girl,...
Mets making mess of Mejia
Only the Mets could turn the magical Jenrry Mejia story into a mess the second week of the season.Like everything else with the Mets, they can’t make up their minds...
Obama aide proposed Spitzer as VP in '06: book
An entertaining -- but slightly improbable -- bit in Peter Elkind's "Rough Justice" purports to have Democratic strategist and Barack Obama best friend David Axelrod talking up the idea of...
Gillibrand charters flight for DC Democrat dinner
Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand had a spare-no-expense moment last night as she chartered a plane to make sure she arrived at the Nassau County Democratic Dinner from Washington D.C. Nassau County...
Paterson pans Sampson proposals as pandering
ALBANY – ALBANY – Gov. Paterson ripped into two of Senate Democratic Leader John Sampson’s marquee budget-closing proposals this morning -- suggesting leaders remain far apart on a spending pact.The...
Morning buzz
Here's the rundown: * Mayor Bloomberg will be at the National Action Network conference tonight. * Education Secretary Arne Duncan will attend today. * The legislature has left Albany; there's...
NYC to close 'rubber rooms' for teachers
It’s when the Rubber Rooms hit the road. The city’s bizarre disciplinary system that pays teachers accused of misconduct for months and years on end for doing nothing is being...
Not enough docs
There’s a brewing shortage of doctors – especially primary care physicians and pediatricians – and the new health care law only makes the problem worse. There are going to be...
Cannes: Woody, Stone confirmed
Doug Liman's "Fair Play,'' starring Sean Penn and Naomi Watts as diplomat Joseph Wilson and his CIA agent wife Valerie Plame, is in the Cannes Film Festival competition lineup announced...
Iceland volcano ash shuts down air traffic across Europe
WASHINGTON — The bottom fell out of travel plans for thousands of U.S. airline passengers Thursday as dozens of flights between the U.S. and Europe were canceled, part of a...
Boys' 'confessions' in brutal NJ child rape may have been coerced: sources
TRENTON, N.J. — The two youngest boys charged with gang-raping a 7-year-old girl last month may have been pressured into confessing and implicating others in the case, according to two...
3UP: Vazquez, A-Rod and Hughes
1. Javier Vazquez and his teammates are disturbed by the remnants of 2004, namely the questions and the boos. They don’t want to live in the past.But this just isn’t...
Lewis' unlikely offensive onslaught continues in win over Bayside
After handily defeating Bayside by double figures on Monday, Francis Lewis didn’t waste any time jumping on the Commodores yet again. Senior Jonathan Bobea, better known for his work on...
Off the Mark: April’s cruel days vex Teixeira
There are no surprises with Mark Teixeira. Heading into each season, you know what to expect. He’ll bat over .280, hit more than 30 home runs and drive in over...
Yankees offer reminder in defeat: We never quit
This is how it starts, right? A walk to the ninth-place hitter with a four-run lead. A cheap infield hit. A run-scoring line drive. You know the melody because you’ve...
Mets were second choice for Angels' Pineiro
Joel Pineiro said he was willing to sign with the Mets this past winter. And he insists he nearly did. “They showed interest. They showed everything,” the Angels’ righty said...
Yankees lose; Vazquez says boos from crowd 'unfair'
A day after celebrating 2009 at Yankee Stadium, Javier Vazquez turned back the clock to 2004. The Yankees starter got booed off the mound by 42,372 fans after surrendering four...
Wheelchair Charities HS Basketball Classic roundup: Brooklyn is king yet again
Brooklyn has developed a rep as the city's elite borough. This week was a perfect example that perception is often similar to reality. Brooklyn won the Wheelchar Charities HS Basketball...
Vazquez reunion lacking fastball & faith
Yankees officials recognized that finding an above-average starter was paramount in the offseason. They had won the AL East with Chien-Ming Wang mainly absent and Joba Chamberlain enduring growing pains....
Fieldston pushes Poly Prep to the limit, but can't complete upset
For five and a half innings, Fieldston was better than Poly Prep, the Ivy League’s dominant program the last three years, in Bay Ridge. The Eagles made pitches when they...
Schwarz's blasts Hill over Notre Dame Academy
Nicole Schwarz is getting homer happy and she couldn’t have picked a better time. The St. Joseph Hill senior’s two-run, tie-breaking blast in the fifth sent St. Joseph Hill on...
Poly Prep wakes up just in time, extending streak with furious rally
Poly Prep’s 52-game Ivy league win streak was six outs from ending. The crowd was quiet and the opposing bench full of smiles. Yet there was no hint of desperation...
PSAL softball roundup: Environmental Studies squeaks by Bushwick
Amanda McLean and Charlotte Bradley each drove in two runs to lead Environmental Studies to a 7-6 win against Bushwick in a PSAL Class A softball crossover game Wednesday in...
PSAL/Private school baseball roundup: Morris thwarts Walton in 13
Morris isn’t a household name yet, but the Bulldogs may soon have the rest of the city’s attention if they can keep up their current pace. Morris improved to 3-0...
As Nunez emerges, Morris follows
One of the city’s best pitchers was cut his freshman year when the program was still in Class B. He wasn’t even a pitcher until his sophomore season and didn’t...
Wheelchair girls hoops notes: Assistant says Grezinsky 'definitely' coming back
While rumors have swirled that legendary Murry Bergtraum coach Ed Grezinsky might step down in the offseason, there’s at least one person who is positive he knows what the coach...
Zac Posen's on Target
Zac Posen loves to talk. If it’s not about his line at Saks or his new collection for Target, it’s the future of fashion, the “magical” experience women will feel...
'Divorce is so divine!'
On Tuesday evening, a flock of well-coifed women in stilettos and wrap dresses settled inside a five-story townhouse in Chelsea, sipping cocktails with names like “Alimony” and “Settlement.” Instead of...
Tool time
My friend’s husband Paul came over to cut down trees in the woods behind our house. He arrived with a gas-powered chainsaw, an electric chainsaw, soundproofing earmuffs and protective eyeglasses....
Reel good
In 1980, TriBeCa was a wind-swept area of warehouses inhabited largely by artists. There were few streetlights and just one place to buy groceries, but plenty of spots to see...
Just sold!
Manhattan CHELSEA $605,000 233 W. 21st St. One-bedroom, one-bath co-op, 600 square feet, with windowed eat-in kitchen and exposed brick; building features courtyard and roof deck. Maintenance $883, 50 percent...
Big finish
In just about every real estate cycle, you’ll find the wild-eyed dreamer — the person who makes the case that the moment is ripe to try something new. Something expensive....
Nat's all
We've found Natalie Portman’s NYC digs. The “Star Wars” and “Garden State” hottie is staying at a Union Square rental building with her dog, Whiz. Portman is getting stares from...
It's a tall order
If you’ve been holding your breath in anticipation of the opening of Trump SoHo, the hotel-condo building that’s risen 46 stories at the corner of Spring and Varick Streets over...
Not so itty-biddy
If the IRS was particularly kind to you this tax day and your refund is somewhere in the neighborhood of $23.997 million, you might want to consider getting in on...
Division title might not be in the Cards for Hayes
Lumbering left-hander Nick Santiago and starting shortstop Mark Ycaza had graduated, but Curt Scheibe was still optimistic about the 2010 season. “We potentially had a great squad coming back,” the...
Kahn game
Nothing about Al and Patsy Kahn is traditional. Al, CEO of 4Kids Entertainment, made his fortune marketing phenoms like Cabbage Patch Kids and Pokemon cards. Then Patsy convinced her husband...
Kennedy alum commits to Memphis
Danay Collier has known nothing but success the last few years. She played in the PSAL city championship game with John F. Kennedy and competed for one for the elite...
Crazy 'Times'
Somewhere, there are men of noble brow and steely will. Their deathless feats are inscribed upon the wind. Their brawny courage makes the poets sing and the ladies sigh. But...
'Glee' twice as big
The return of "Glee" -- the wonder series where characters break into song at the drop of a hat -- after a four-month break hit all the high notes. The...
Great leap into the unknown
Here's your chance to play talent scout. For the Joyce Theater's 1.2.3. Festival, three of New York's big league companies are showcasing their up-and-coming minor league players. Can you spot...
Wall Street gets 'Undercover Boss' treatment
As "Undercover Boss" prepares for its up coming second season, producers are looking for new territory -- on Wall Street. While plans for the show's next step are still under...
Harry Potter remote
Talk about TV magic -- a British inventor has created a wand that changes channels with just a flick of the wrist and could replace your old button remote. Chris...
Brilliance un-Folds amid yawns
Don't shoot the piano player, he's doing the best he can. At Town Hall on Tuesday, it was geek-extraordinaire Ben Folds on the keys -- and over the course of...
JFK tale fails to take off
Being at JFK when all the flights are canceled for some mysterious reason isn't anybody's idea of fun. It's a good premise for a play, though, since it throws together...
Brit TV shows on Hulu
Britain's ITV is in talks to bring its programming state side through Hulu. The broadcaster is committing 125 titles to the effort, including hits like the original "Prime Suspect" (starring...
Nup is up for Larry
Aging CNN talk-show legend Larry King is in the doghouse after explosive allegations surfaced that he bedded the beautiful younger sister of his wife of 13 years. King, 76, filed...
Spitzer scored a 'triple header'
Disgraced ex-Gov. Eliot Spitzer once went on a hooker binge, ordering three prostitutes for separate interludes on a single day, an explosive new book says. The Peter Elkind book, "Rough...
Amnesty poison pill
On Saturday, Senate Major ity Leader Harry Reid told a Las Vegas audience: "We are going to pass comprehensive immigration reform" this year -- using the "comprehensive" buzzword that everyone...
Who's got the right stuff?
Who's the real Republican in the GOP gubernatorial race? After all, the party's best hope to regain the governor's mansion is with a candidate voters see as willing to clean...
Snakes crash the Tea Party
One popular sign spotted at Tea Party protests across the country over the last year goes: "It doesn't matter what this sign says. You'll call it racism, anyway!" It's a...
From Polish tragedy, a resurrected Russia
Kudos to Arthur Herman for his brilliant explanation of how Russia's Vladimir Putin has learned that it was raw political terror rather than communist ideology that created the Soviet empire...
To beat Spirit Air, stick it in a bag and shove it
Congress is fighting Spirit Airlines' fee for carry-on luggage the only way it knows how: with rhetoric, threats and potential laws that'll never pass. I'm fighting Spirit with SpaceBags. Spirit,...
Squeezing every dime at the MTA
This isn't exactly what I signed up for. When I took over the MTA in October, we had a balanced budget and the opportunity to really focus on improving service...
Spare me, I'm allergic: slayer
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- A condemned Ohio inmate may use claims he's allergic to anesthesia to stop his execution next week by lethal injection. Lawyers for rape-slayer Darryl Durr have persuaded...
ID con number's up
WASHINGTON -- Using false caller ID with the intent of tricking people into revealing personal information or otherwise causing harm would become illegal under legislation that passed the House yesterday....
Defiant Iran 'fuels' nuke fears
TEHRAN, Iran -- Iran has succeeded in producing its first significant batch of further enriched uranium, the country's nuclear chief Ali Akbar Salehi said yesterday, defying UN demands to halt...
WTC steel is 'home'
PHILADELPHIA -- In a solemn homecoming, massive steel remnants of the fallen World Trade Center towers were returned to the Pennsylvania city where they were made more than four decades...
Lee is named In Touch editor
The interim editor who was running In Touch when it broke the story that Jesse James was cheating on his wife Sandra Bullock has been rewarded with the permanent editor-in-chief...
Chuck slams Eric
WASHINGTON -- Sen. Chuck Schumer yesterday ripped Attorney General Eric Holder after the nation's top cop insisted New York has not been ruled out for trials of 9/11 terrorists. "We...
Tax revolt fits NYers to a 'Tea'
They're not your father's rednecks. Take heart, New Yorkers. As you stand on line today mailing your tax returns to Uncle Sam, you might run into a crowd of fellow...
Picasso has Met his match
Pablo Picasso fans, rejoice. The Metropolitan Museum of Art will be exhibiting its complete holdings of the Spanish artist's paintings, drawings, sculptures and ceramics, plus 200 works on paper starting...
Tax foe guns for Gilly seat
Economist David Malpass, who has never held public office, announced yesterday that he would seek the Republican nomination to challenge Democratic Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, saying she was an "unelected occupant"...
Bam: No new bank bailouts
WASHINGTON -- President Obama said yes terday that Democrats' efforts to regulate Wall Street will not result in new public bailouts of banks, as Republicans have charged. Obama also said...
Deli dreams for $3M lotto bros
A cash-strapped immigrant laborer from Long Island scored a $3 million lottery jackpot ticket after the winning ticket "spoke" to him. Jose Melgar, 37, a construction worker from Central Islip,...
Big banks cheated Lehman
Lehman Brothers may have grounds to sue Goldman Sachs and Barclays after they demanded $1.2 billion in additional margin to assume trading positions auctioned by a Chicago exchange, bankruptcy examiner...
City's top squirrel
A squirrel named Pearl is about to be come the new mascot of the city Parks Department. Pearl was chosen over some 150 other en tries in a contest the...
Mideast missile anxiety
The Obama administration is "increasingly concerned" that Syria has armed Hezbollah terrorists with Scud missiles that could hit any part of Israel, officials said yesterday. White House Press Secretary Robert...
Apple: No Int'l iPads until May
Leave it to Apple chief Steve Jobs to spin a setback -- a shortage of iPads -- as a "runaway success." The company pushed back the international release of the...
NYPD Daily Blotter
Queens A man was arrested after he admitted he killed his infant son in their Saint Albans home, cops said yesterday. Larry Greene, 20, called police to his home on...
It's a numbers game
Call her Big Sister Schapiro. Wall Street's primary watchdog, Mary Schapiro, the head of the Securities and Exchange Commission, yesterday pushed forward an eyebrow-raising proposal to ferret out illegal trading...
Business briefs
Fly swatting Financial news serv ice theflyonthewal l.com is urging a fed eral judge to lift a ban on its Street reporting, saying it may force the firm's closure.HP probe...
WTC welcome mat for NYU
Civic leaders downtown are trying to lure at least one piece of NYU's massive expansion to the World Trade Center, where they say a new, 40-story tower the university wants...
These boxes cost taxpayers $877,952 in overtime
Ten of the city government's top 100 overtime earners last year were Fire Department electricians who soaked taxpayers for $877,952 in extra pay to help maintain a street box alarm...
Car parts deal a fit for KKR
Henry Kravis' Kohlberg Kravis Roberts is a finalist to acquire the Carlyle Group's auto parts maker United Components in a roughly $1 billion deal that is also being viewed by...
Taxman cometh - but not for 41% of NYers
It's Tax Day -- but fewer New Yorkers are forking over money to the government than ever before. An eye-popping 41 percent of the state's filers did not pay any...
EXCLUSIVE: Probers aim to 'trip' up more staff
ALBANY -- The three-day weekend king may have been only the beginning. State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli has zeroed in on scores of big-spending correction employees in a sweeping investigation to...
Simon's new play for General Growth
Mall scion David Simon is trying yet another tactic to score his biggest prize -- playing copycat. Simon, 48, who took control of his family's Simon Property Group three years...
Charity begins at home
A family of grifters took advantage of generous Long Islanders who thought the family had set up a breast-cancer charity to offset the area's high diagnosis rate -- only to...
Bus tot's nightmare goes on
The 2-year-old Brooklyn boy abandoned for almost three hours on a school bus was so traumatized that he awoke screaming for his mother in the middle of the night, the...
Neigh-cation for carriage horses
The City Council rode to the rescue yesterday with a measure to make life a little easier for the beasts that drive the city's famed horse-drawn carriage industry. The council...
Stadium hero's squeeze play
He's an Army hero, a civilian hero and a Yankee Stadium hero. An Army medic who served in Iraq saved the life of a fellow Yankee fan who nearly choked...
Dollars & $ense
On a day when Jamie Dimon should have been basking in the glow of robust first-quarter earnings, the JPMorgan Chase CEO instead was experiencing agita over some of the efforts...
The history of Twittery
That Twitter message you just posted about your ham sandwich might now become part of history. Twitter is donating its archives of tweets to the Library of Congress, going back...
Gov: Early retirement worth it in short run
ALBANY -- Gov. Paterson defended talk of another pension fund-stretching offer of early retirement yesterday as a reasonable way to trim the state's payroll. Paterson shrugged off the long-term costs...
Rev. Al hosts a painless Steele
Embattled GOP leader Michael Steele steered clear of controversy yesterday while making nice with one of the Republicans' harshest critics -- the Rev. Al Sharpton. Steele gave a keynote speech...
Jon & Kate set up cruel Yule foolery
Merry Christmas it wasn't. Reality-TV parents Jon and Kate Gosselin cruelly staged a fake Christmas, tricking their children into celebrating the holiday for cameras, the kids' horrified uncle and aunt...
All bets off for OTB deal
ALBANY -- A deal to keep New York City Off-Track Betting Corp. afloat and avoid 1,300 layoffs has eluded negotiators as lawmakers head home for the weekend without acting on...
Pedal-pusher cop on trial
A disgraced rookie cop -- the son of a highly respected NYPD detective -- goes on trial today on charges he violently shoved a cyclist during a 2008 Critical Mass...
Executive suit(e)
Barneys New York is looking for a boss again. The swanky fashion chain -- which weathered a luxury slump without a CEO for nearly two years -- is renewing its...
Pats & NFL: Fair play is for suckers
Lawyers for cheating Patriots coach Bill Belichick and the NFL were pounded by federal appeals judges yesterday after they suggested that the team's taping of Jets signals during a 2007...
Knick sale
Danske Bank agreed to sell the former Knickerbocker hotel site that it took over from Dubai World's Istithmar World to a venture led by developer Stanley Chera for about $180...
Marts rally again; S&P passes 1,200
Upbeat news kept stocks firmly on the rally track for the fifth-straight day, pushing the Standard & Poor's 500 past the 1,200-mark for the first time since 2008. Better-than-expected earnings...
Judge KOs Merrill 'crockbroker' plea
Steal $780,000, pay back half, and get only a year in prison? An angry Manhattan judge put the kibosh on that deal yesterday for a low-level stockbroker who allegedly tricked...
NY1 gal's 'buss' ride from hell
There are some things you just don't want mom and dad to hear. Former New York 1 newswoman Adele Sammarco halted testimony in her sexual-harassment trial against the station yesterday...
Art on the edge
Mayor Mike's notion of what constitutes appropriate public art has always been a tad off-kilter. Now he's given his blessing to a public nuisance. The NYPD has been getting 911...
The horrors of Robeson High
Here's yet a new reason to close Paul Robeson HS: No one there seems to be familiar with the US Constitution. If they were, they'd know that students like 15-year-old...
Your taxes at 'work'
Question: How many state employees illegally put in four-day weeks for 17 years and get away with it because nobody in Albany pays much attention to such things? Answer: One,...
Cab snub a race case: Mike aide
A mayoral aide wants the book thrown at a racist cabby who refused to let her and her friend in his taxi because the two are black, she said. Lolita...
AG shuts out Greenberg
New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo has so far rejected attempts to negotiate a settlement in the civil lawsuit against former American International Group Chief Executive Officer Maurice "Hank" Greenberg,...
Keep away from your ex - for 20 years!
That's no vacation! A divorce judge has broken new ground in the case of a legally sundered, but still seething, Kips Bay couple -- issuing a 20-year order of protection...
Piven's ex sues over 'beast'-ro
Actor Jeremy Piven's model ex-girlfriend slapped a sexual-harassment suit against her former supervisor at a French bistro in Midtown -- claiming he touched her, asked her detailed questions about her...
Rigged slay still 'murder'
Even if a debt-wracked motivational speaker paid a stranger $1,000 to help stab him, his death was still murder, a judge says. Kenneth Minor said he was acting on Jeffrey...
Push to team up for school $$
We'll only be in it to win it. State Board of Regents Chancellor Merryl Tisch said New York won't even submit an application to win $700 million in federal education...
Canva$ of pure hatred
It's one of the few positive things to come out of the Lehman Brothers bankruptcy. A popular portrait of ex-Lehman boss Dick Fuld painted by street artist Geoffrey Raymond could...
250G bail in gramps beating
A gutless punk last night was held on $250,000 bail in a merciless attack on an 81-year-old Queens man beaten senseless during a robbery, authorities said. Jesus "Chu Chu" Fernandez,...
Cop link in tamper bust
The NYPD Internal Affairs Bureau is trying to determine if a cop hurt in a weekend brawl at a Bay Ridge bar was friends with a computer technician charged with...
Art is on ledge of insanity
Cops rushed urgently to the Empire State Building yesterday on a report of a possible jumper at the notorious suicide magnet -- only to discover that the man perched precariously...
Appeal in $657M nix
The city yesterday appealed a judge's decision to block a proposed $657 million settlement with more than 10,000 Ground Zero workers who claim they were sickened by toxic dust during...
Desperate China quake dig
BEIJING -- Soldiers and civilians used shovels and their bare hands to dig through collapsed buildings in search of survivors after powerful earthquakes struck a mountainous Tibetan region of China...
Splitting image
Tiger Woods' humiliated wife -- furious over a creepy comeback ad featuring the voice of the links Lothario's late father and disgusted at his callously swift return to golf --...
HS 'can't protect' whistleblower kid
Hell hath no fury like a school scorned. A Brooklyn principal told the mother of a teen who exposed the failing high school as a violent, drug- and sex-filled hellhole...
Shoeshine blaze bust
What a heel! An elderly shoeshine man angry about getting the boot from working at the Bryant Park shoeshine stand was arrested yesterday for torching the stand twice in two...
Aqueduct Analysis
Today's analysis.1. 6 fur; $15,000; clm($7,500); 4up(f)GATTINARA stalked the pace and finished second at this distance and level in her last two starts. INDY'S FORUM won at this distance and level...
Twins topple Hondo
Hondo took another beating yesterday when the Twins failed their assignment against the Sawx, which narrowed the wad to 215 radatzes. Today, Mr. Aitch hopes to reaffirm that he's not...
Connemara eyes Lexington
LEXINGTON, Ky. -- Connemara will try to earn his way into the Kentucky Derby in the $300,000 Lexington Stakes on Saturday at Keeneland. The 3-year-old colt trained by Todd Pletcher...
Yankees' Hughes will finally make first start of season
After months of talking about the Yankees' fifth starter, we finally get to see him today. Phil Hughes won the spring-training competition for the job and makes his season debut...
Moss signs Giants' tender
Under the old collective bargaining agreement, Sinorice Moss would have been an unrestricted free agent, and even with that freedom might not have attracted a nibble or two on the...
Cowboys owner Jones disses Parcells
Jerry Jones is at it again with his mouth, spewing some Texas-sized gems that are sure to embarrass him. The loquacious Cowboys owner -- who ran his former Super Bowl-winning...
Dolphins steal Jets' thunder with Marshall trade
Did the Dolphins one-up the Jets yesterday when they traded for disgruntled star receiver Brandon Marshall? Despite finishing just one game short of the Super Bowl last January, the Jets...
Knicks' McGrady mulling retirement
TORONTO -- Tracy McGrady finally acknowledged he could retire this offseason -- a notion he had dismissed all along. McGrady has talked about an extensive training program this summer he...
Sports shorts
GRID: Big Ben decision soon NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said last night he will decide soon whether to punish Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger for his off-the-field troubles. The two met...
Knicks start LeBron countdown
TORONTO -- The Knicks' woeful season ended mercifully last night in Canada in a 131-113 shootout loss to Toronto reminiscent of too many Mike D'Antoni-coached games these past two defense-less...
Devils lack championship aura
The Devils continue to be one of the great brand names in hockey if not all of professional sports, a model of excellence since the mid-'90s. There aren't many like...
Jenrry ready to get back on the hill
DENVER -- Jenrry Mejia didn't anticipate losing too much sleep last night. "Something happened today, that's today," Mejia said after surrendering a game-winning homer to the Rockies' Chris Iannetta, sending...
Devils lose to Flyers 2-1, give away home-ice edge
It's not the 800-pound gorilla in the room. It's the room. They're on the spot, now, these Devils who stand 2-6 in the playoffs in their fancy, $300 million Newark...
Yankees pitching mystifies Matsui
Angels skipper Mike Scioscia wondered if unfamiliarity might be part of the problem since Hideki Matsui has been facing pitchers in the Yankees series he hasn't had much experience against....
John to re-Maine in Mets' rotation
DENVER -- John Maine's leash is short, but it sure beats getting locked into a cage and waiting for parole. The struggling Mets right-hander was told by manager Jerry Manuel...
Mets' Mejia gives up game-winning home run in 10th
DENVER -- For a night there actually was a pulse under those Mets uniforms. And then Jenrry Mejia broke his team's heart. In the biggest situation of his young major-league...
Nets fall in finale, look ahead to next season
MIAMI -- Now the real work starts. Eighty-two utterly dreadful games are behind them, and today begins the thorough rebuilding the Nets hope will lead to the success, stability and...
Weird but true
Talk about throwing a hissy fit. A dispute between two motel guests in Rock Hill, SC, ended when one hit the other with a python. Jeffrey Culp told cops he...
Manhattan Center's Patterson heading to Wagner
Basketball played a part in Aziza Patterson’s college decision, but it was hardly the only aspect of it. “I was also looking into academics,” the Manhattan Center star senior said....
CHSAA baseball roundup: Second-inning explosion leads Molloy over CK
Led by sophomore Jonathan Ramon, who hit a pair of home runs and had four RBIs, Archbishop Molloy scored a week’s worth of runs in the second inning, crushing Christ...
Big Bates bounces All Hallows
Mike Skrapits doesn’t mean to sound cocky, but he has a certain confidence when ace Chris Bates steps on the hill. “I tell [my team] as long as he doesn’t...
Raptors beat Knicks 131-113 but miss playoffs
The Toronto Raptors beat the New York Knicks 131-113 on Wednesday night, a victory that became meaningless when Chicago won at Charlotte to clinch the final Eastern Conference playoff berth....
Fieldston can't climb out of early hole
Emily Kling knows she is going to get to pitch at some point during a game, but she is just never sure when. Fieldston coach Stefanie Gozdziewski plans on switching...
Flyers take Game 1 vs. Devils behind Boucher
Brian Boucher had 23 saves in his first playoff start in eight years and the Philadelphia Flyers beat the New Jersey Devils 2-1 in Game 1 of their first-round Eastern...
Jets GM won't rule out trading Washington
Mike Tannenbaum spoke as if Leon Washington would be a key player for the Jets, but the GM would not completely rule out a trade. "You never know what happens...
Tiger Woods' mistress arrested in Hollywood: report
Tiger Woods' alleged mistress Jaimee Grubbs was arrested Wednesday in West Hollywood, according to a report on entertainment website TMZ.Law enforcement sources said the Los Angeles cocktail waitress was arrested...
Critics are only human
Critics are usually too cool to show any emotion during a press screening of a new movie. But at Wednesday night's showing of "The Human Centipede,'' an innovative Dutch horror...
Capozucca, Sollazzo power Poly Prep past Fieldston
Victoria Capozucca didn’t like what she was hearing during a meeting in the circle. Poly Prep coach Mildred Piscopo huddled with her team to talk about how to deal with...
Gametracker: Mets at Rockies
Jon Niese tries to end the Mets' three-game losing streak against the Rockies at Coors Field.
Reyes likely will bat third for Mets in St. Louis
DENVER --- Jose Reyes’ first shot at batting third will likely come this weekend in St. Louis.Manager Jerry Manuel said today that he is ready to take the plunge, putting...