January 29, 2003
'MOLDMAN' HIT BY CONDO SUIT
January 29, 2003 | 5:00amGoldman Sachs is being accused of bankrolling shoddy condos for the rich - glossy apartments where pipes freeze, elevators fail and killer mold runs wild. A handful of lawsuits against...
PAULSON WARNS OF MORE GOLDMAN CUTS
January 29, 2003 | 5:00amIf you work at Goldman Sachs, watch out - CEO Hank Paulson is threatening more layoffs. Paulson is the latest Wall Street CEO to say things are not looking up,...
MARTS GET BUSH BOOST
January 29, 2003 | 5:00amBuoyed by the sense that President Bush is finally getting ready to take on the economy - as well as Iraq - investors bid up stocks yesterday. The major market...
CONDO EXPLOSION SWEEPS THROUGH EAST SEVENTIES
January 29, 2003 | 5:00amAN apartment building on 77th Street in the shadow of The Empire condominium is to be converted soon to a condominium by RFR Holdings. The white, 1960's building at 177...
FIRMS SEEING PROFIT AFTER LAYOFFS IN '02
January 29, 2003 | 5:00amLast year's bloodbath in corporate America is showing signs of paying off at the bottom line. Xerox is the latest company to pull out of a downward earnings spiral because...
THE CABLE CAVALRY - ALLEN TAPS SPECIALISTS TO RESCUE HIS CHARTER STAKE
January 29, 2003 | 5:00amPaul Allen's $7.6 billion investment in Charter Communications has dwindled to just $400 million - and now the Microsoft co-founder is trying desperately to save what's left. The billionaire investor...
OLÉ! CUSTO BARCELONA COMING TO SOHO
January 29, 2003 | 5:00amA bit of Spanish flavor is coming to SoHo. Custo Barcelona plans to open its second major U.S. store at 472 Broome St. early this summer, The Post has learned....
RANDOM PICKS AUTHOR IT CAN'T REFUSE
January 29, 2003 | 5:00amRANDOM House is close to revealing an author to write a sequel to Mario Puzo's "The Godfather." The project, "The Godfather Returns," is being overseen by Random House Vice President...
WEEDING OUT WEIDER - PECKER CUTS STAFF AS AMERICAN MEDIA MOVES IN
January 29, 2003 | 5:00amThey're sweating at Muscle & Fitness. Only days after completing the acquisition of Weider Publications for $350 million, American Media CEO David Pecker started a major downsizing yesterday, axing about...
'WAR' IS HELL ...BUT ONLY FOR ABOUT 5 MINUTES
January 29, 2003 | 5:00am"War Stories"Tonight at 8 on NBC [] ------ THE first five minutes of NBC's TV movie "War Stories" contains one gratuitous sex scene ("Wartime sex is better than heroin" says...
GUESS WHO ISN'T GOING TO DISNEY
January 29, 2003 | 5:00amTHE Disney folks, who usually select the Super Bowl MVP to appear in its long-running "What Next?" campaign, passed over this year's most valuable player. Instead of defensive stand-out Dexter...
SPELLS OUT NAZI HORRORS
January 29, 2003 | 5:00amTHE LAST LETTER (LA DERNIERE LETTRE) [] ------'FREDERICK Wiseman's "The Last Letter" - the latest in the current cluster of Holocaust-themed films including "Max" and "The Pianist" - may be...
'WEDDING' GIFT - OSCAR HOPE ALIVE WITH SAG NOD
January 29, 2003 | 5:00amTHE fading Oscar hopes of "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" were revived yesterday by an award nomination by the Screen Actors Guild - which also handed out a surprising snub...
FRENCH FEMMES SHINE OVER MEN
January 29, 2003 | 5:00amCHAOS [] Feminism made fun. In French with English subtitles. Running time: 109 minutes. Not rated (violence, sex scenes, language). At the Angelika, corner of Houston and Mercer streets, and...
CHEF'S REALITY CHECK
January 29, 2003 | 5:00amCHEF Rocco DiSpirito and restaurateur Jeffrey Chodorow have formed a partnership to revamp Chodorow's Tuscan Steak. "[Rocco] has been brought on board as a consultant, not just for the food,...
THIS DOGGERY HAS ONE HOT PEDIGREE
January 29, 2003 | 5:00amCRIF DOGS [ 1/2] 113 ST. MARKS PLACE, BET. FIRST AVENUE, AVENUE A (212) 614-2728 ----- 'IT'S not Grif Dogs," ex plains co-owner Kerry Kramer, as many customers mistakenly believe....
EVEN B'WAY HITS NOW FEELING A BIT UNDER THE WEATHER
January 29, 2003 | 5:00amBABY, it's cold outside - and Broadway is feeling the chill. Last week's box-office grosses make for pretty depressing reading. Several long-running hits are operating well below their break-evens, allegedly...
MIKE WALLACE: I MIGHT RETIRE, TOO
January 29, 2003 | 5:00amDON Hewitt's plan to give up control of "60 Minutes" in 17 months has Mike Wallace wondering if he too will call it a day when his current contract expires...
LOTTA WAYS TO WOK - THERE'S METHOD TO CHINESE MENUS
January 29, 2003 | 5:00amSURE, everyone in New York orders from the local Chinese joint - but can you tell Cantonese from Sichuan, or a Hunan spicy duck from a Peking duck? The Lunar...
SAM IN, PHIL OUT AT MSNBC?
January 29, 2003 | 5:00amSAM Donaldson, the grumpy old man of ABC News, is in talks to jump to MSNBC. MSNBC appears to be wooing Donaldson as part of a major shake-up of its...
PUT A CORK IN IT: WINE PLEASE, HOLD THE JARGON
January 29, 2003 | 5:00amONE recent night at the new and ultra-expensive The Upstairs at '21,' the sommelier broke new ground describing a wine to customers. Introducing to a nearby table a pricey white...
WEIRD BUT TRUE
January 29, 2003 | 5:00amAn army of turned-on guys booed and hissed at cops in Wisconsin when they arrested two women allegedly performing a sex act in public. Amy Williams and Meagan Kleinheinz were...
ALTAR GIRL'S TALE OF 'PERV' PRIEST
January 29, 2003 | 5:00amA tearful Catholic schoolgirl testified yesterday that a priest pulled her onto his lap, rubbed his groin against her buttocks and fondled her breasts in her Brooklyn home. The girl...
'RIDE' FIRM GAVE POLS FREE STAFF, TOO: SOURCE
January 29, 2003 | 5:00amEXCLUSIVE ALBANY - A bribery-linked company seeking to win state contracts supplied state lawmakers with several full-time employees who worked at the company's expense, The Post has learned. Full-time employees...
LEONA'S SOB STORY: CALLS GAY MANAGER A CRYBABY ON DOPE
January 29, 2003 | 5:00amLeona Helmsley says she didn't fire Charles Bell because he's gay - she "absolutely" canned him because she thought he was a crybaby dope fiend. "He was on dope. I...
BUDGET-BOOSTING TIX BLITZ: DRIVERS FUME AS CITY PLANS 2 MILLION MORE SUMMONSES
January 29, 2003 | 5:00amThe city will hand out almost 2 million more traffic tickets a year in a bid to close the gaping budget hole, officials said yesterday. News of the ticket blitz...
FUGITIVE HELD IN '89 MOB HIT
January 29, 2003 | 5:00amA reputed Luchese wiseguy who spent the past nine years on the lam was hauled into Brooklyn federal court yesterday for allegedly murdering two mob informants in 1989. Frank "Frankie...
PATAKI TO SLASH $1B IN HEALTH CARE
January 29, 2003 | 5:00amALBANY - The state's health-care industry will be hit with more than $1 billion in cuts and new taxes in the state budget that Gov. Pataki will outline today. Pataki,...
TAXI AGENTS WANT TICKET OUT OF COLD
January 29, 2003 | 5:00amTaxi inspectors are complaining they've been ordered to stand in subzero temperatures for up to eight hours a day to meet quotas for handing out tickets to livery drivers who...
TOURISTS COMING, BUT NOT SPENDING
January 29, 2003 | 5:00amThe tourists who visit the World Trade Center site every day are not spending money downtown - a fiscal crisis that can be solved only with the addition of theaters...
MAYOR MIKE IN DREAMLAND - PERILOUS DEPENDENCE ON PACT WITH PATAKI
January 29, 2003 | 5:00amMayor Bloomberg yesterday turned to Albany for the money he says he needs to balance the city budget, and this morning he'll get his answer: A thumb in the eye....
CAR DEALER NABBED IN 'HIT' ORDER
January 29, 2003 | 5:00amA Queens car salesman, already jailed on charges of embezzling from his employer, has been charged with trying to hire a hit man to kill witnesses against him. Jed Kass,...
MAYOR BLOOMBERG BUDGET CUTS
January 29, 2003 | 5:00amMayor Bloomberg chopped another $550 million from city agencies yesterday, with a warning that it won't be enough to balance his $44 billion budget if Albany stiffs the city. With...
3 DEAD IN SUICIDE SLAYING
January 29, 2003 | 5:00amCops found a baby drowned in a bathtub, her mother stabbed to death and a man hanging from a pipe in a Queens apartment yesterday - a tragedy they're investigating...
QUARTER-LY PROFIT RISE AS PARKING-METER RATES SOAR
January 29, 2003 | 5:00amMayor Bloomberg expects New Yorkers to do their part in filling the city's budget gap - and they can start by plunking more quarters into Midtown parking meters. The meter...
TAX FRAUDSTER GETS JAIL TIME
January 29, 2003 | 5:00amAfter seven years of living the high life while avoiding paying millions in debts, a crafty Manhattan property developer finally met his match yesterday - a straight-shooting federal judge who...
QUEEN MEANS TO TELL ROYAL PAIN: 'DROP DEAD!'
January 29, 2003 | 5:00amWHEN it was over, after the crowd that mobbed her like some female Rolling Stone had dispersed from the courthouse, Leona Helmsley feared she had failed. "I didn't get a...
TERROR IS THE ISSUE - ISRAELIS' LESSON FOR U.S. POLS
January 29, 2003 | 5:00amJERUSALEM WHEN it comes to fashion and cultural habits, Israe lis are copycats who end up adopting American tastes and cultural styles. This nation of chain-smokers is even beginning to...
JAIL GUARDS: SMOKE BAN IS UN-KOOL
January 29, 2003 | 5:00amCity inmates are about to lose one of their few privileges - smoking. Corrections Commissioner Martin Horn announced yesterday that Mayor Bloomberg's smoking ban will be put into effect in...
THE LATEST POOP - JERSEY JUDGE 'LIMITS' DOG DOO
January 29, 2003 | 5:00amOne New Jersey dog owner is in deep doo-doo. Richard Heckman made no bones about his disappointment yesterday after a judge ruled his pooch had violated the law when it...
FOR GOD'S SAKE, LET RETIRED COPS MAN THE PHONES
January 29, 2003 | 5:00amIanding outside 5 W. 102nd St. where on Nov. 24, 1978, a 911 operator caused a blunder that was written in blood. That night, Bonnie Anne Bush, 25, was stabbed...
POLS BLAST 'HANG-UP'
January 29, 2003 | 5:00amWASHINGTON - Two New York lawmakers said yesterday that federal bureaucrats and cell-phone companies who delayed safety-tracking requirements are partly to blame for authorities failing to locate the teens who...
JUDGE SENT 'SLAY' GUN AFTER TRIAL
January 29, 2003 | 5:00amAn anonymous tipster mailed a gun to a Brooklyn judge earlier this week, claiming it's the weapon used to kill a pizza deliveryman in East New York. Alert postal workers...
CHRISTIE FEARS FOR KID'S LIFE
January 29, 2003 | 5:00amChristie Brinkley is an Upset Girl over accident-prone Billy Joel driving around their daughter. Brinkley, the Piano Man's ex-wife, said yesterday their daughter, Alexa Ray, 17, had been in his...
POL LINKED TO MOB: GOTTI-CASE WITNESS FINGERS S.I. PARTY BOSS
January 29, 2003 | 5:00amA mobbed up dock-workers union president, testifying at the trial of reputed Mafia boss Peter Gotti, revealed he regularly collected cash payments from the head of Staten Island's Conservative Party...
GOP POLS FIGHT MIKE ON SCHOOLS
January 29, 2003 | 5:00amFive key GOP lawmakers, normally allies of Mayor Bloomberg, dropped a political bombshell yesterday by opposing his dramatic overhaul of the city school system, They issued a statement objecting to...
EX-LABOR COMMISH ARRESTED
January 29, 2003 | 5:00amA former state labor chief was busted yesterday on bribery and conspiracy charges for helping a business buddy win lucrative federal grants for driver education. James McGowan, who served as...
SHARON SMASHES LEFT
January 29, 2003 | 5:00amIN the end, despite a last- minute smear campaign based on unfounded allegations of personal corruption, Israeli voters handed Prime Minister Ariel Sharon a resounding vote of confidence. Though some...
OLD-TIMERS NABBED IN B'KLYN BOOKIE SWEEP
January 29, 2003 | 5:00amALBANY - A reputed Gambino crime family captain and 13 others - several seeming more like oldfellas than goodfellas - were arrested in the city and swept up to frigid...
WISEGUYS GO DOWN IN '94 B'KLYN SLAY
January 29, 2003 | 5:00amA federal jury yesterday convicted two mob underlings in the 1994 shooting of two "friends" over a $40,000 debt - a coldblooded attack that left one dead and the other...
MOM'S 'ABUSE' MADE HEAD CASES OF BROS
January 29, 2003 | 5:00amThe two brothers who whacked their mom "Sopranos"-style grew up abused by the "crazy" woman, neighbors said yesterday. Jason Bautista, 20, and half-brother Matthew Montejo, 15, were charged in Riverside,...
SHARON RE-ELECTED - VOWS TO FORM BROAD COALITION
January 29, 2003 | 5:00amJERUSALEM - Prime Minister Ariel Sharon crushed his longtime foes on the Israeli left in yesterday's elections, but immediately vowed to form "the widest possible" coalition government. Sharon's re-election to...
911 BOSS WEEPS - BREAKS DOWN OVER BOTCHED BOAT-TEEN CALL
January 29, 2003 | 5:00amA 911 supervisor - distraught over bungling the frantic call from one of four teens in a sinking rowboat off City Island - wept as he told police investigators he...
TAX MALPRACTICE & MEDICARE FIXES ON PREZ'S AGENDA
January 29, 2003 | 5:00amWASHINGTON - President Bush last night called on Americans to summon the "courage" to push ahead in tough times to lower taxes, revamp Medicare, and rein in malpractice lawsuits. A...
BROOKLYN FAMILY LEFT UNSWAYED
January 29, 2003 | 5:00amPresident Bush hoped his State of the Union address would make the case for war - but in one Brooklyn household, the speech had little effect on hearts and minds....
AMERICAN RESOLVE - BUSHS STATE OF THE UNION: A REAL U.S. STRATEGY EMERGES
January 29, 2003 | 5:00amAPART from Presidents Bushs bulldog determination to look Americas enemies right in the eye, the most important aspect of his State of the Union message was the emergence of a...
RESOLUTE BUSH SHOWS HE'S READY TO DO BATTLE
January 29, 2003 | 5:00amANALYSIS WASHINGTON. PRESIDENT BUSH last night delivered a powerful speech that left no one with any doubt that he's ready to go to war unless Saddam Hussein disarms fast. His...
PREZ POUNDING THE WAR DRUM: WARNS OF SADDAM SLIPPING AL QAEDA DOOMSDAY WEAPONS
January 29, 2003 | 5:00amWASHINGTON - A resolute President Bush braced Americans for war in his State of the Union Address last night, vowing to do "whatever it takes" to stop Saddam Hussein from...
NYPD DAILY BLOTTER
January 29, 2003 | 5:00amMANHATTAN * Police yesterday charged a woman with assault following the death of a livery driver in Washington Heights. At around 11:30 p.m. Monday, driver Alpha Balde, 44, got into...
TOY STORE HORRORS
January 29, 2003 | 5:00amIN a world full of Eminems, miniskirts for less-than-minors, and racy reality shows real kids watch, your local toy department has to be the one place devoid of adult cynicism,...
NAKED BOY WAS JUST PULLING LEG
January 29, 2003 | 5:00amAn 11-year-old Long Island boy who told cops that he was kidnapped in front of his home by two perverts who left him naked in the woods made the story...
SCHOOL-BUS WALKOUT LOOMS
January 29, 2003 | 5:00amThe head of the union representing school bus drivers yesterday said a strike is "strong possibility" because of a stalemate in contract talks. "Negotiations are not going well," said Sal...
LACI KNEW OF AFFAIR: HUBBY: 'IT WOULD NOT BREAK US APART"
January 29, 2003 | 5:00amThe husband of missing pregnant California woman Laci Peterson finally admitted yesterday he was cheating on her before her bizarre disappearance, but said the pair never fought about it, even...
'EXPLOSIVE' TALE OF COP CRASH
January 29, 2003 | 5:00amA survivor of a fatal Long Island car crash testified yesterday that he was dozing off in the back seat when suddenly there was an "explosion" - as the car...
PREZ POUNDING THE WAR DRUM : CHARGES SADDAM LINKED TO AL QAEDA
January 29, 2003 | 5:00amWASHINGTON - President Bush last night said Saddam Hussein is showing "utter contempt" for the world - and charged Iraq has direct links to al Qaeda - as he steeled...
THE CALMER-IN-CHIEF'S REAGANESQUE RESONANCE
January 29, 2003 | 5:00amWASHINGTON. PRESIDENT Bush's job last night was to reassure anxious Americans that the nation can face war and a rough economy - and feel confident with him at the helm...
TAX, MALPRACTICE & MEDICARE FIXES ON PREZ'S AGENDA
January 29, 2003 | 5:00amWASHINGTON - President Bush last night called on Americans to summon the "courage" to push ahead in tough times to lower taxes, revamp Medicare and rein in malpractice lawsuits. Bush's...
GETTING BLEAKER EVERY DAY - RANGERS LOSE THIRD STRAIGHT
January 29, 2003 | 5:00amATLANTA - It's gone, with all that wind about the Rangers' new-found discipline. Mike Dunham got caught deep in his net on the first goal last night after the Rangers,...
MAIER PULLS OFF MIRACLE COMEBACK
January 29, 2003 | 5:00amFORMER champion Hermann Maier pulled off one of the greatest comebacks in history when he won a super -G race on Monday in Kitzbuehel, Austria. Just 18 months ago Maier...
SNOW CARRIES ISLES' HOPES
January 29, 2003 | 5:00amIt appears the Islanders' season rests in the oversized goaltending equipment of Garth Snow, who for the first time in two seasons with the team has a chance to get...
MARTIN'S NUMBER NOT CALLED FOR STARS
January 29, 2003 | 5:00amKenyon Martin got an unwanted extended leave yesterday. While no-brainer choice Jason Kidd yesterday was announced as an Eastern Conference reserve for the All-Star Game in Atlanta on Feb. 9,...
NO STARS FOR KNICKS - THOMAS, HOUSTON PROBABLY HURT BY TEAM'S BAD RECORD
January 29, 2003 | 5:00amNo Kurt Thomas. No Allan Houston. And for the second straight year, no Knicks All-Stars. The omissions mark the first time in the 53-year franchise history that consecutive All-Star games...
TOE INJURY ISN'T PROBLEM FOR HOUSTON
January 29, 2003 | 5:00amKNICK NOTES Allan Houston is a go. The Knicks shooting guard, who suffered a sprained right toe in Sunday's win over the Suns, sat out Monday's practice and was a...
ROGERS NOT READY TO RETURN
January 29, 2003 | 5:00amRodney Rogers is eligible to return to active duty after tonight's Nets-Wizards game. But being eligible for activation and actually being activated are two different things. Rogers may be out...
PRICELESS AIR LOOMS - LAST VISIT BY JORDAN ENRICHES NET MEMORIES
January 29, 2003 | 5:00amTo Jason Kidd, there is the simple memory of a champion. To Byron Scott, there is the image of the tongue wagging. To Kenyon Martin, there is an acrobatic move...
NEW LOOK, OLD PROMISES - FLASHY DUDS CAN'T HIDE AMAZINGLY FAMILIAR MANTRA
January 29, 2003 | 5:00amAT their annual caravan kickoff yesterday, the Mets unveiled new, orange batting-practice tops and it was possible to view the jerseys differently. The color evoked both the champion Buccaneers and...
DAYNE TO GIANTS: LET ME GO
January 29, 2003 | 5:00amRon Dayne continues to make more noise after the season than he did when the Giants were actually playing games. The disgruntled running back - yes, it's now accurate to...
PIAZZA: METS ARE THE TEAM TO BEAT
January 29, 2003 | 5:00amWhether it was being reinvigorated by a papal blessing or being caught up in the good vibes of life after Bobby Valentine, the normally reserved Mike Piazza yesterday called the...
TALE OF LOST LUSTER - THOMAS ALL-STAR SNUB LATEST KNICK SLAP
January 29, 2003 | 5:00amTHERE was a time when the Knicks had a reputation that made other teams envious. They were tough, courageous, team-oriented, a first-class organization and they were winners. From Reed, Frazier...
DEFECTIONS CAN'T SLOW RED STORM
January 29, 2003 | 5:00amHS HOOPS: St. John's Prep 55 - Fordham Prep 46 Jim Gatto expected this to be a tough season. The St. John's Prep head coach lost all five starters from...
THOMAS, HOUSTON OK WITH BEING KNICK-LECTED
January 29, 2003 | 5:00amKNICK NOTES No Kurt Thomas. No Allan Houston. And for the second straight year, no Knick All-Stars. Mark it down: The omissions commemorate the first time in the Knicks' 53-years...
CATCH THE FALLING STARS - SNUB SHOWS HOW MUCH KNICKS HAVE STRUGGLED
January 29, 2003 | 5:00amTHERE was a time when the Knicks had a reputation that made other teams envious. They were tough, courageous, team-oriented, a first-class organization, and they were winners. From Reed, Frazier...
DEVS DENY HULL, AND HIS MATES
January 29, 2003 | 5:00amDevils 1 - Red Wings 0 The coach challenged his Devils to stop Brett Hull's bid for his 700th goal. The goalie, failing to discriminate, stopped everybody else, too. "You...
DEVILS DOUBT OLEG'S CONCUSSION
January 29, 2003 | 5:00amContending that Oleg Tverdovsky's second opinion of a concussion was still not definitive, Devils GM Lou Lamoriello said last night that the team would treat the defenseman as if he...
ANOTHER GARDEN PARTY - GOOD HOMESTAND HAS HOT KNICKS AIMING AT PLAYOFFS
January 29, 2003 | 5:00amKnicks 103 - Hawks 98 Suddenly, here come the Knicks. There is a season again at Madison Square Garden, and the Knicks are starting to make you believe it might...
ISLES TUNE UP FOR HAB WAR
January 29, 2003 | 5:00amIslanders 5 - Penguins 2 And you thought the Super Bowl was the biggest game in the month of January. Not according to the Islanders, who with a 5-2 win...
GETTING BLEAKER EVERY DAY : RANGERS LOSE THIRD STRAIGHT
January 29, 2003 | 5:00amThrashers 5 Rangers 2 ATLANTA - The surge that lifted the Rangers back into playoff contention is gone, and much faster than it came. In three games in which they...
DEVILS NOT CONVINCED OLEG HAD CONCUSSION
January 29, 2003 | 5:00amWhile disputing that Oleg Tverdovsky's second opinion of a concussion is definitive, Devils GM Lou Lamoriello said last night the team will now treat his defenseman as if he has...
AT LEAST THEY'RE TOUGH: RANGERS STICKING UP FOR EACH OTHER
January 29, 2003 | 5:00amATLANTA -Unquestionably, the Rangers are bigger, stronger and tougher than they have been since last making the playoffs six long seasons ago. Of course, that will only make them more...