December 19, 1999
NEW IRISH STORYTELLER WITH BLOODY TALE
December 19, 1999 | 5:00amMOVE over Frank and Malachy McCourt. A new gray-haired, streetwise Irish-American writer appears ready to burst upon the publishing world. Francis Xavier Toole, a native of Long Beach, Calif., is...
IT'S STILL NOT TOO LATE TO GET IN ON THE ACTION
December 19, 1999 | 5:00amTHE big splash VA Linux made at its debut party has many investors wondering if it's too late to get in on the Linux action. I believe it's not too...
SALOMON CASE RAISES CONFLICT QUESTIONS
December 19, 1999 | 5:00amJUSTICE Constance Baker Motley, who's been presiding over the Salomon Smith Barney "Boom Boom Room" sexual discrimination and harassment suit, has raised some eyebrows for what some on Wall Street...
TALK SATIRISTS SKEWER TIMES SQUARE 2000 CELEBRATION
December 19, 1999 | 5:00amTHE two journalists who spoofed Tina Brown's Talk (www.talkmagazine.net) are at it again. This time John Aboud and Michael Colton drop the crystal ball of parody on Times Square 2000,...
TIME WARNER DIAL TROUBLE LOSES CNBC
December 19, 1999 | 5:00amHAVING trouble finding the Spice Channel or CNBC? A technical glitch at Time Warner Cable had a few New Yorkers perplexed last week when they were surfing for biz news...
AMEX BROKER INSPIRES COWORKERS TO DONATE
December 19, 1999 | 5:00amIT'S that time of year again -- when Salvation Army Santas hit the streets to ring their bells, and Amex floor broker Howard Lasher hits up colleagues for charitable contributions....
TODD-AO'S MYSTIFYING STOCK MOVES
December 19, 1999 | 5:00amTHE crazy ups and downs of the stock price of television post-production company Todd-AO Corp. are enough to make investors think the company is in play. Of course, it is....
MEALS & DEALS
December 19, 1999 | 5:00amAny time-strapped cook will tell you that eating Christmas dinner out has its charms. But restaurants that serve holiday meals and don't break the bank are as rare as Santa...
'SWING!' IS THE REAL THING
December 19, 1999 | 5:00amIt don't mean a thing if it ain't got that swing -- and "Swing!" at the St. James Theater has got it, means it, feels it and shouts it. It...
YUGOSLAV PLAYERS MAKE THEIR WAY BACK TO THE BOARD
December 19, 1999 | 5:00amSIX months after the Kosovo war, things are struggling back to normal in Yugoslavia, once one of the most active chess countries in the world. Yugoslav teams usually were counted...
CHRISTMAS PRESENTS FOR PETS: DECK YOUR DOGS AND CATS IN THE HOTTEST HOLIDAY GEAR
December 19, 1999 | 5:00amNow that you've got the food and drink, treat your pup to a "banquet table" that's hand-painted with his breed's likeness and is outfitted with two stainless-steel, machine-washable bowls. The...
STYLE & SUBSTANCE: SANDY DUNCAN
December 19, 1999 | 5:00amSandy Duncan, now playing the vixen Roxie in Broadway's "Chicago," began entertaining at the age of 4, when she climbed onto a stage during a dance recital and refused to...
BEST OF THE SEASON'S SCREENINGS
December 19, 1999 | 5:00am'Tis the season to light the Christmas tree, pour a glass of eggnog and cuddle up in front of a warm VCR with a holiday movie classic. Here are 10...
FLYING HIGH WITH ANGELS OF MERCY - VOLUNTEER PILOTS A LIFELINE FOR SICK
December 19, 1999 | 5:00amDaybreak is still a thin wedge of crystal light over Connecticut, but the spirit of Christmas is already in the December air, racing the dawn in a small plane bound...
SRI LANKAN PREZ HURT IN BLAST AT ELECTION RALLY
December 19, 1999 | 5:00amSri Lankan President Chandrika Kumaratunga was injured in one of two bomb blasts that rocked capital-city election rallies and killed at least 31 people yesterday, officials said. Kumaratunga was getting...
INFERNO LEAVES BX. KIDS AT DEATH'S DOOR
December 19, 1999 | 5:00amA 36-year-old mom and her two kids -- including a handicapped child -- were critically hurt in a tragic fire at their Bronx apartment yesterday. "All I can do now...
THE TORMENT THAT NEVER ENDS - ACCUSED COP FEELS PAIN OF DIALLO'S KIN; EXCLUSIVE
December 19, 1999 | 5:00amPOLICE officer Sean Carroll looks at his 11-year-old daughter and 7-year-old son and says with his voice cracking: "I can only imagine what the Diallo family must be going through....
FREAK ACCIDENT CLAIMS LIFE OF SINGING COWBOY REX ALLEN
December 19, 1999 | 5:00amSinging cowboy and Hollywood legend Rex Allen was killed in a freak accident when his caretaker ran over the 77-year-old singer in his driveway. Allen -- also famous for narrating...
MARIAH'S OLD HOME DESTROYED
December 19, 1999 | 5:00amThe lavish multimillion-dollar manse once owned by singer Mariah Carey and ex-hubby Tommy Mottola burned to the ground in Westchester yesterday morning, police said. About 125 firefighters battled for three...
WINNIE IN HARLEM FOR REV. AL RALLY
December 19, 1999 | 5:00amApartheid fighter Winnie Mandela made a surprise appearance at the headquarters of the Rev. Al Sharpton yesterday -- inspiring opponents to rally against the change of venue for the trial...
CLINTONS MAY STICK WHITEWATER LEGAL COSTS ON TAXPAYERS
December 19, 1999 | 5:00amWASHINGTON -- President Clinton and his wife are considering asking the government to repay the millions of dollars spent on their lawyers' fees in the Whitewater probe. Legal experts said...
BRICK VICTIM: 'I'M DOING REALLY WELL'
December 19, 1999 | 5:00amBrick-attack victim Nicole Barrett spent her first full day out of the hospital napping, munching on home cooking, playing with her cat and strolling through her Queens neighborhood with her...
TOXIC FUMES KILL WORKER AT POSH CLUB
December 19, 1999 | 5:00amAn apparent carbon monoxide leak at the Laura Belle supper club in Midtown killed one restaurant worker and felled four others as they worked or slept in the restaurant's basement...
RETAILERS REJOICE AS CHRISTMAS CROWDS SWARM CITY
December 19, 1999 | 5:00amStreet-smart New Yorkers and seasoned out-of-towners stormed the sidewalks yesterday so high on Christmas spirit that they didn't mind the record-breaking crowds on what retail experts forecasted as the busiest...
GIRLFRIEND BURIED AS ACCUSED NFLER SITS IN CELL
December 19, 1999 | 5:00amCHARLOTTE, N.C. -- For the first time in his life, Rae Carruth couldn't run fast enough or far enough. The Carolina Panthers wide receiver -- who as a child would...
LAST CHECKER GOES FOR 134G
December 19, 1999 | 5:00amThe last Checker cab to cruise the streets of New York sold for a whopping $134,500 at Sotheby's yesterday. The cab was sold to an anonymous phone bidder who was...
A REAL INSIDER'S GUIDE TO CITY HALL
December 19, 1999 | 5:00amEach day until Jan. 1, The Post will look at a New York landmark on the eve of the new millennium. Today: City Hall. You can't fight City Hall --...
TERROR BUST PUTS BIG APPLE ON ALERT
December 19, 1999 | 5:00amArrests of terrorists aiming for U.S. targets are fueling fears of a New Year's Eve attack on New York City -- as startling new information emerged yesterday about the would-be...
NEW HOPE FOR HERO DOORMAN
December 19, 1999 | 5:00amA badly burned hero doorman who nearly died trying to rescue tenants in a Chelsea fire last month has given his family a Christmas miracle -- gaining consciousness and now...
CHECHENS FOIL NEW ASSAULT
December 19, 1999 | 5:00amChechen militants yesterday fought off new Russian attempts to take a strategic hill overlooking the capital of Grozny -- as Russian generals reportedly demanded they surrender. The Russian military leaders...
'HURRICANE' BLOWS TRUTH OUT OF PROPORTION
December 19, 1999 | 5:00amTHERE'S no better way to tell a story -- and forcefully shape public opinion -- than a well-crafted movie. "The Hurricane," which opens Dec. 29, is fabulously effective filmmaking --...
RUSSIAN VOTERS PICKING NEW PARLIAMENT
December 19, 1999 | 5:00amRussians across 11 time zones cast their ballots today in parliamentary elections that amount to a dress rehearsal for next June's selection of Boris Yeltsin's successor. Polling places opened in...
IS TIMES SQUARE DROPPING THE BALL? - CONSTRUCTION SITES BLIGHT NEW YEAR BASH
December 19, 1999 | 5:00amA billion TV viewers focused on Times Square on New Year's Eve will see one glittering ball -- and a lot of scaffolding. Organizers of the 24-hour long millennium bash...
RIGHT-THINKER'S WRONG TO TAKE PAGE FROM THE LEFT
December 19, 1999 | 5:00amTHREE cheers for amateur art critic Dennis Heiner's good taste, dedication to civic uplift and eagerness to return the canvas bearing Chris Ofili's blasphemous "The Holy Virgin Mary" to its...
SPIRIT OF THE LAW STILL RULES IN ALBANY
December 19, 1999 | 5:00amJOHN J. CLYNE was the kind of a judge who could scare the hell out of innocent bystanders -- and if you were guilty, well, just forget about it. He...
CITY BUS DRIVER STABBED IN BAR
December 19, 1999 | 5:00amA good Samaritan city bus driver was fighting for life last night after he was stabbed when he came to the aid of a woman bartender in a scuffle at...
DA DROPS COP BRUTALITY CASE
December 19, 1999 | 5:00amThe Manhattan district attorney has dropped charges against two cops accused of beating a drug suspect and then lying about it, deciding the victim wouldn't make a good witness, sources...
IS MASS. EX-GOV EYEING N.Y. RUN?
December 19, 1999 | 5:00amFormer Massachusetts Gov. William Weld is bound for New York City - and could wind up back in political play. Weld, the chief executive of the Bay State for seven...
MED 'BUTCHER' HAD NO LEGAL LEG TO STAND ON
December 19, 1999 | 5:00amA San Diego doctor who lost his license for performing crude sex-change operations was sentenced to 15 years to life for amputating the leg of an elderly New Yorker to...
TOP-SHELF KINDNESS FROM KIDS TO KIDS
December 19, 1999 | 5:00amStudents at PS 157 in The Bronx got a jump on the new year when they received a truckload of 2,000 books last week as a "millennium gift" from a...
ROBESON RALLIES BY CARDOZO
December 19, 1999 | 5:00amRobeson 66 Cardozo 59 With his team leading by nine at halftime, Cardozo head coach Ron Naclerio knew his team was still in trouble. "We should be up by 20,"...
STROLLING BELLE BEST OF LADIES
December 19, 1999 | 5:00amRiding Aqueduct's golden rail to the far turn, Strolling Belle swung to the outside for running room coming off the far turn under Herbie Castillo Jr., drove past front-running Sazarac...
NETS CRUSH CAVS IN LAUGHER
December 19, 1999 | 5:00amNets 98 Cavs 74 CLEVELAND -- The numbers and circumstances were all too familiar. Nine points in a quarter that contained 19 percent shooting. Runs of 18-0 and 13-0 by...
NOT EXACTLY WHAT YOU MIGHT EXPECT
December 19, 1999 | 5:00amDevils 5 Capitals 4 It was an utterly unDevil game, and among this night of firsts, winning one of those may have been its most significant aspect. For the first...
MINOR-LEAGUE CALLUPS PROVIDE A MAJOR BOOST
December 19, 1999 | 5:00amOVERTIME Islanders 2 Sabres 2 Now it's clear why the Islanders have plummeted to the NHL cellar: They've been stashing their talent in the minors. One day after being called...
YANKS SIGN PAGNOZZI TO MINOR LEAGUE PACT
December 19, 1999 | 5:00amAdd Tom Pagnozzi to the list of Jorge Posada-backup-wannabes. According to a source with close ties to the Cardinals, Pagnozzi, who caught for Joe Torre in St. Louis, has agreed...
MALL SPRAWL SWALLOWIN' LAND
December 19, 1999 | 5:00amAMERICANS during the 1990s more than doubled the rate at which farmland, forests and other open spaces were developed, according to a government report that's likely to fuel debate over...
PETR-FOR-PRIMEAU AN EVEN EXCHANGE ; NEIL RIGHT TO KEEP YOUNG GUNS IN HOLSTER
December 19, 1999 | 5:00amNEIL Smith wouldn't add Manny Malhotra to a package to get Pavel Bure, who only happens to be one of the five premier players in hockey, so why a year...
NOW OR NEVER FOR KERRY & BIG BLUE - COLLINS MUST LEAD OFFENSE TO NEW HEIGHTS IN ST. LOO
December 19, 1999 | 5:00amST. LOUIS -- There comes a time when a team must show it can deviate from its preferred formula, come up with something new and find a way to win....
HOW ABOUT A HAND, NEIGHBOR? - GIANTS PULLING FOR JETS IN DALLAS
December 19, 1999 | 5:00amIRVING -- Wayne Chrebet's telephone rang early last week with an urgent message on it from one Michael Strahan. The Giants' defensive end's plea went something like this:Help us. That's...
CHREBET'S STATS ON THE WANE
December 19, 1999 | 5:00amJET NOTES There's been some speculation that there's something missing with Wayne Chrebet's game this season. Chrebet, who missed the first five games of the season with the broken foot...
THIS DEFEAT WASN'T POINTLESS - RANGERS DON'T FEEL LIKE THEY LOST IN OT
December 19, 1999 | 5:00amWhen it had ended with Calle Johansson's goal just 31 seconds into Friday's overtime period, the Rangers skated off the Garden ice with one point, the Caps skated off with...
LINCOLN PARKED AT CORNER - JEREMY FACES HUGE ASSIGNMENT IN ST. LOUIS
December 19, 1999 | 5:00amWHO is sticking pins in the dolls, immobilizing Giants cornerbacks? It has to be somebody even more disgruntled with the organization than Mike Strahan is with the media. Tito Wooten?...
JESSIE HAS LEAD IN THE SACK RACE
December 19, 1999 | 5:00amGIANT NOTES ST. LOUIS -- He will be difficult to catch. With three games left, Jessie Armstead has a team-leading nine sacks, which is 2.5 sacks more than his nearest...
SEASON'S GRATING FOR VAN, CHECKETTS
December 19, 1999 | 5:00amIT'S amusing to read how Knick GM Scott Layden will have to make a hard decision in two summers regarding the re-signing of Patrick Ewing, or whether he'll trade for...
VAN MAKES POINTS FOR KNICK GUARDS
December 19, 1999 | 5:00amCoach Jeff Van Gundy chided the media and fans alike yesterday for their treatment of Charlie Ward and Chris Childs, saying the Knicks' point-guard duo never gets enough credit when...
BIG TESTS AWAIT PATRICK & CO.
December 19, 1999 | 5:00amONE longtime Knick season-ticket holder was saying at halftime yesterday how she had a vision the Knicks would play the Lakers in the NBA Finals in June. Memo to Knick...
A NICE AFTERNOON TO SLEEP THROUGH - LACKLUSTER KNICKS SEE STREAK ENDED BY LOWLY WIZARDS
December 19, 1999 | 5:00amWizards 95 Knicks 83 The Knicks know how to spoil a perfectly good holiday-time Saturday afternoon in the city. Playing as if they were bogged down with Christmas egg nog,...
HUSBANDS NOTCHES N.Y. WIN
December 19, 1999 | 5:00amPatrick Husbands, winner of the Sovereign Award as Canada's top rider this year, broke an 0-for-12 streak over the inner dirt track taking the third race on Rich Down for...
LJ ABSENCE HELPS WIZARDS
December 19, 1999 | 5:00amKNICK NOTES Larry Johnson left the bench late in the first quarter, heading to the locker room to lie down. LJ was suffering from an upset stomach on a day...
KING HELPS LINCOLN TURN BACK TIGERS
December 19, 1999 | 5:00amOVERTIME Lincoln 65 Wadleigh 61 Just think what Eric King will be able to do when he is ready to play. The 6-foot-6 senior was solid inside for most of...
'IMUS' BRINGS OUT THE MEAN IN BREEN
December 19, 1999 | 5:00amTHE last guy on earth who'd make with a cheap on-air joke about an athlete who's making a genuine effort to combat substance abuse is Mike Breen. The Mike Breen...
HOW ABOUT A HAND, NEIGHBOR? GIANTS PULLING FOR JETS IN DALLAS
December 19, 1999 | 5:00amABSTRACT: IRVING - Wayne Chrebet's telephone rang early last week with an urgent message on it from one Michael Strahan. The Giants' defensive end's plea went something like this: Help...
TONEY: WEISS STILL A PROJECT
December 19, 1999 | 5:00amABSTRACT: KNICK NOTES Sedric Toney, the Knicks' new director of player personnel, returned Friday from his France foray with one overriding impression about 7-foot-2 center Frederic Weis: he must get...
CAPITAL PUNISHMENT: WANT TO TAKE THE FAMILY TO SEE THE PROS PLAY? BETTER TAKE A SECOND MORTGAGE
December 19, 1999 | 5:00amABSTRACT: The cost of going to see one of New York's nine professional sports teams play has skyrocketed twice as fast as other popular entertainment choices over the last four...
PANDOLFO THRIVES WITH 'CRASHERS'
December 19, 1999 | 5:00amABSTRACT: That left-wing spot is the microwave, where the Devils heat up players. Jay Pandolfo is the Devil getting the warming treatment these days, playing left wing for Bobby Holik...
NUMBERS TURNING IN NETS' FAVOR
December 19, 1999 | 5:00amABSTRACT: CLEVELAND - All players have their up cycles and their down cycles. Right now, Stephon Marbury is having both simultaneously for the Nets. And both are good. See, Marbury's...