March 22, 2003

CLINTON AREA GETS 2 DEVELOPMENTS

Two Clinton development sites have been awarded to The Dermot Company by the city's Department of Housing Preservation and Development. Dermot proposed constructing Clinton Green-a $170 million, Silver-rated environmentally sensitive...

MONTANA PENSION FUNDS UNCORK FRENCH STOCKS

Montana's pension funds are dumping all their stocks in French companies in a growing public backlash against France. The Montana Board of Investments voted 5 to 4 to sell about...

FUEL DROP WON'T SAVE ALL CARRIERS

War's plunging oil prices gave airlines hope for cheap fuel this summer - but it didn't stop three carriers from getting knocked for a loop yesterday. Northwest made a surprise...

TONY'S SORRY STATE; GANDOLFINI ISSUES HBO A BIG FAT APOLOGY FOR CONTRACT RIFT

HIS fat salary demands almost sank the entire show, but now, pot-bellied "Sopranos" star James Gandolfini is apologizing to HBO. "I have nothing but respect for HBO," the wide-bodied actor...

BAGHDAD YANKS THE PLUG ON

CNN has been booted out of Baghdad. The crew of four that made up the cable network's Baghdad bureau included correspondents Nic Robertson, Rym Brahimi, a producer and a cameraman....

THIS IS SERIOUS: DAVE OFF WEEK 5

DAVE'S still sick. That was the word yesterday from David Letterman's home office. The frail funnyman won't be back next week as he continues to battle a persistent case of...

GUN SHY; MOVIES, CONCERT TOURS ARE CASUALTIES OF WAR

THE Oscars are going on, but several movie premieres and concert tours have been called off or postponed due to the war. Meg Ryan's boxing drama, "Against the Ropes," originally...

A DAY AT THE CIRCUS: HOUR BY HOUR, BEHIND THE SCENES, THE ACTION UNDER THE BIG TOP

For us, the circus begins when the lights go down, the music comes up and the performers - two-legged and four - head into the three rings. But for the...

ART AND SOUL

Ringing Bros. isn't the only Big Top in town. The UniverSoul Circus just set up tent in Brooklyn's Prospect Park, where the action runs through April 13. Now in its...

THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS

Two plays, two very different worlds. The first - more familiar one - is "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland," opening today at the Manhattan Children's Theater. The show has some whimsical...

DON'T LOOK NOW: TRADE TOWERS JUMPER CUT FROM RUDY MOVIE

USA Networks has edited out footage of someone jumping from one of the burning World Trade Center towers from its upcoming TV movie, "Rudy." The movie, set to air March...

BOOTS ON THE GROUND; WAR'S ENDURING REQUIREMENT

WITH our air campaign of shock- and-awe pummeling the Iraqi regime with all the technologies America's military can muster, the infantryman remains the indispensable man. Airpower may give us the...

YEMEN RIOT AGAINST WAR TURNS DEADLY

Four people were killed and dozens injured near the U.S. Embassy in Yemen after 30,000 anti-American demonstrators clashed with scores of baton-wielding riot police. The protesters were among tens of...

CABBY-SLAY PLEA SWITCH

A suspected prostitute who admitted trying to murder a cabdriver during a botched robbery attempt that ended in his death last year tearfully convinced a judge yesterday to allow her...

VIETNAMESE COUPLE VANISH ON L.I.

An immigrant Vietnamese couple - who work as dishwashers in an exclusive beach club in the Hamptons - have vanished without a trace while taking a walk together on Long...

DON'T DARE STIFF GIFF ; HE'LL 'RETALIATE' IF COUNCIL POLS SEEK HIS POST

CITY Council Speaker Gifford Miller isn't going to sit back quietly as some council members, reacting to a court decision that would block him from seeking re-election, angle for his...

FRENCH EYE TERROR LINK OVER DEADLY RICIN

A deadly toxin found in a Paris railway station might be linked to a group of suspected Islamic militants who are under investigation in France, a government official said yesterday....

'ATM RAPIST' GETS JAIL IN PLEA DEAL

A man charged with assaulting three women - and forcing one to take $800 out of an ATM after sexually assaulting her - yesterday pleaded guilty to rape, robbery and...

APPLE PROTESTERS LEAD WAY TODAY

Tens of thousands of anti-war activists plan to rally today in Manhattan as protests continue to sweep the nation. The march will begin at noon at West 35th Street arrive...

FEDS BUST $33M 'TERROR-CASH' MOVER

Investigators charged with shutting down al Qaeda's cash trail have busted a black-market money exchanger operating out of the basement of a Midtown restaurant who funneled more than $33 million...

VEGAN TOT'S DIET A 'DISASTER': EXPERT

The homemade concoction of fruits, vegetables and nuts a Queens couple exclusively fed their infant baby - who was found on the brink of death from starvation and malnutrition -...

GOV. WANTS NO-FLY OVER INDIAN POINT

Gov. Pataki called on the federal government yesterday to impose no-fly zones over all nuclear power plants, including Indian Point. "I do worry about that," Pataki said, speaking of the...

NYPD DAILY BLOTTER

Manhattan A housekeeper at the posh Helmsley Park Lane was raped by a knife-wielding fiend as she turned down a bed in room 4208, police and hotel sources said. The...

FRANCE'S NEW SLICK MOVE TO WEASEL IN

WASHINGTON - After going all-out to stop the war against Saddam Hussein, France is now vowing to block America and Britain from a central role in the peace once their...

FLEEING TROOPS TORCH MORE WELLS

Fleeing Iraqi troops torched more than two dozen oil wells and saboteurs sent black gold spewing into the desert sand in southern Iraq. Marines and "oil capper" fire specialists swept...

TERROR SUSPECT CONNECTION

As the FBI scours the globe for a suspected al Qaeda terrorist who attended a Florida community college, agents are digging to see if he had ties to other terror...

CONFIDENT BUSH: I'M FOCUSED ON VICTORY

WASHINGTON - President Bush yesterday said the war to oust Saddam Hussein is making progress - and vowed to "stay on task" until Iraq is a democracy. But the White...

CITY ON WATCH

What Mayor Bloomberg called "the most comprehensive terrorism-prevention operation the city has ever conducted" continued in full swing yesterday, as police and the armed services worked to keep the Big...

'I SAW HOW EASY IT IS TO DIE'

DISPATCH FROM THE FRONTOUR rotor blades were turning and we were about to take off when the message came over our helicopter radio: "Abort mission! Abort mission! Abort mission!" Seconds...

GRANNY A CEREAL 'HAZ-MAT' OFFENDER

It was a tasteful case of mistaken identity that shut down a busy area of La Guardia airport for two hours yesterday after a security screening machine detected a gas...

MT. SINAI IS TAKEN OFF LIVER-WORST LIST

More than a year after it was barred from using live donors for adult liver transplants, Mount Sinai Hospital may resume the procedure, the state Health Department said yesterday. "I...

TOXIC TERRORIST HUNT ; FEDS FEAR FUGITIVE IRAQIS MAY HAVE BIO-BOMB HERE

Officials in the United States and Mexico are frantically searching for six Iraqi nationals suspected of possessing dangerous "toxic materials," it was reported yesterday. The men are believed to be...

HUNTING A MADMAN ; COPS COMB NABES ON TRAIL OF PSYCHO SLAYER

The hunt for the storekeeper killer led police to the streets yesterday, as officers canvassed neighborhoods in Brooklyn and Queens with pictures of the psycho slayer in hopes he will...

N.Y. TERROR CHIEF HEADED TO D.C.

The Police Department's top counterterrorism cop has been named to a top federal Homeland Security post. Frank Libutti was named undersecretary for information analysis and infrastructure protection by Homeland Security...

OUTDOOR CAFES TOAST FEE BREAK

Sidewalk cafe owners are getting a break from Mayor Bloomberg - their fees are going up, but they won't face the 400 percent hike originally proposed. The Department of Consumer...

2 MARINES DIE ; HEROES' DEATHS ; GAVE LIVES 'IN DEFENSE OF WORLD': PENTAGON

Two U.S. Marines were killed in ground combat yesterday - the first men to die in action in Iraq. The first U.S. soldier killed was a member of the 1st...

FANCY PASS STUNS SPREWELL IN CHILD-$$ SUIT

More than just autograph seekers awaited Latrell Sprewell when he arrived at the Garden last night - he was hit with child-support papers as he exited the garage across the...

SADDAM GOES MISSING ; EVIL 'CHEM ALI' AND HENCHMEN BLASTED TO HELL

WASHINGTON - The mystery over Saddam Hussein's fate deepened yesterday, with officials saying there's been no evidence he survived a bombing attack or any sign he's running the country. Sources...

SURRENDER OR BE DESTROYED ; HORDES GIVE UP AS TOP THUGS IGNORE THREAT

WASHINGTON - As a major Iraqi general and thousands of troops surrendered to American forces yesterday, top officials in the Bush administration stepped up the pressure on Saddam Hussein and...

BIG BLITZ HAS FOE CRUMBLING ; 'SHOCK AND AWE' BOMBS HIT BAGHDAD THOUSANDS SURRENDER AS GIS PUSH ON 2 MARINES ARE FIRST BATTLEFIELD DEATHS

A massive cruise-missile barrage sent columns of orange smoke towering into the sky over Baghdad last night as the United States began its "shock and awe" campaign to force Saddam...

ALLIED FORCES GAINING GROUND ; ADVANCE 100 MILES OVER BORDER IN SPORADIC FIGHTING

WASHINGTON - U.S. ground forces penetrated deep into Iraqi territory from several directions yesterday, with some major combat units moving 100 miles inside the country - and others rolling toward...

HELMSLEY MAID RAPED AT HOTEL

The posh corridors of the Helmsley Park Lane hotel were filled with fear yesterday, as housekeepers went about their duties knowing that one of their own had been brutally raped...

4 N.Y. DEMS REJECT 'BACK BUSH' VOTE

WASHINGTON - The House of Representatives yesterday joined the Senate in voting overwhelmingly for a resolution supporting U.S. troops and President Bush as their commander in chief - but four...

MARINES SPARK FLAG FLAP

Battle-proud U.S. Marines yesterday hoisted the American flag over a key Iraqi port they had seized yesterday, but later lowered it after fears that they would be seen as conquerors...

MARINES FIRST OF OUR FALLEN : 2 DIE IN GROUND FIGHTING

Two U.S. Marines were killed in ground combat yesterday - the first men to die in action in Iraq. The first U.S. soldier killed was a member of the 1st...

ALLIED FORCES GAINING GROUND: TROOPS SEIZE 100 MILES AMID 'SPORADIC' FIGHTING

WASHINGTON - U.S. ground forces penetrated deep into Iraqi territory from several directions yesterday with some major combat units moving 100 miles inside the country - and others rolling toward...

KNICKS HANGING AROUND

Knicks 97 Pistons 93 Call them undersized, undermanned, maybe even undertalented. Just make sure you also call them stubborn, pesky and persistent. The Knicks are still very much alive in...

SUDDENLY, YASHIN'S PAYING OFF

Forget Wheaties. The breakfast of champions is salad. Caesar salad. That's what Alexei Yashin ate before lighting up the Canadiens Thursday for five points in his finest game in an...

RANGERS WORK ON BREAKOUT PLAYS

PHILADELPHIA - The Rangers have scored just once on 23 power-play opportunities their last six games but they didn't practice the PP before taking the train down here yesterday afternoon....

'CATS COMMAND RESPECT IN OPENER

MIDWESTKentucky 95IUPUI 64 NASHVILLE -Top-ranked Kentucky came into yesterday's NCAA Tournament opener riding the nation's longest winning streak. But the Wildcats had seen IUPUI coach Ron Hunter in a televised...

EXPECT PIAZZA IN OPENER

MET NOTES PORT ST. LUCIE - It looks like Mike Piazza will get his Opening Day wish. The Mets' catcher officially appealed his five-game suspension yesterday over his run-in with...

MIKE RIPS PEACENIKS

PORT ST. LUCIE - Mike Piazza won't sensationalize it, but he says "I was close" to enlisting in the military before deciding on a baseball career. Piazza took the U.S....

'CUSE TAKES MANHATTAN ; ORANGEMEN TOO MUCH FOR JASPERS

EASTSyracuse 76Manhattan 65 BOSTON - There were 32.5 seconds left in the career of the two seniors who have been instrumental in the transformation of Manhattan College from MAAC afterthoughts...

NO CHARGES IN POT CASE

Criminal charges won't be filed against the woman who sparked the Mets' pot-smoking scandal last year when she released a photo of pitcher Grant Roberts using a bong, the Queens...

COWBOYS ROPE PENN

EASTOSU 77Penn 63 The perception of the Ivy League representative in the NCAA Tournament is that the players are more heady than athletically gifted. Yet in the final minutes of...

LADY JASPERS HAVE INTERNATIONAL FLAIR

A new women's basketball player shows up at Manhattan College, and the ribbing starts immediately. "So, which country are you from?" someone asks. The answers are more diverse in Riverdale...

CALHOUN HOPIN' HUSKIES CAN ROLL

SPOKANE - There comes a time in every NCAA Tournament when the pretenders are thrown by the wayside to make way for the serious teams. That point arrives today for...

NETS HAVE A PLAY DATE WITH MUTOMBO

Finally, the day Dikembe Mutombo had been longing for since late November arrived. Okay, so it wasn't Christmas - but Mutombo was as giddy as a kid unwrapping gifts because...

IRISH STAR THRIVES AT DOME

INDIANAPOLIS - While he watched the NCAA Tournament selection show with his team last Sunday, Notre Dame coach Mike Brey quietly hoped not to see his team sent here. That...

NICK'S THUMB A SORE SPOT

BRADENTON - The Yankees aren't too worried that Nick Johnson's latest hand injury is serious. However, based on Johnson's history, maybe they should be. Johnson is sidelined at least until...

JETS SIGN NEW KICKER

The Jets completed a revamping of their kicking game yesterday when they signed free-agent kicker Doug Brien. Brien, a journeyman entering his 10th season, replaces John Hall, who was signed...

ROG AN AVID WAR WATCHER

BRADENTON - First thing in the morning. While driving. Even during rain delays. Roger Clemens can't get enough information about the war in Iraq. "I was able to get an...

MARLINS KEEPING EYE ON HITCH

YANKEE NOTES BRADENTON - Unable to find a team to spin Sterling Hitchcock to in a three-way trade, the Rockies have dropped behind the Marlins as the favorite to take...

NOT YOUR DADDY'S KNICKS ; TEAM'S FATE IS TIED TO OFFENSE

It used to be that when you thought of the Knicks, you thought one thing and one thing only: Defense. Wasn't that how it was for so long around these...

MARQUIS MATCHUP CARRIES AUBURN

EAST / OTAuburn 65St. Joseph's 63 TAMPA - At the end, the other eight players on the floor were merely extras, watching and marveling along with everyone else. The coaches,...

PITT'S KNIGHT IN SHINING ARMOR

BOSTON - Ben Howland recently told reporters in Pittsburgh that Brandin Knight should have his No. 20 jersey retired and hung from the beams in the new Petersen Events Center....

NOW HE'S THE TOP TERP

NASHVILLE - This is what Drew Nicholas always fantasized about growing up in Hempstead, and after waiting three years behind star Juan Dixon, the senior is finally realizing his dream:...

WAKE TAKES LATE ESCAPE

EASTWake Forest 76E. Tenn St. 73 TAMPA - Tim Smith wasn't about to part with the best afternoon of his young basketball life. Not yet. There was a standing ovation...

PITT'S STICKY 'D' WAXES WAGNER

Pitt 87Wagner 61 BOSTON - As the first round of the NCAA Tournament drew to a close, Pittsburgh confirmed our theory: Defense is going to decide this championship. The Panthers...

LINCOLN ROLLS INTO TITLE GAME

STATE HOOPPLAYOFFS GLENS FALLS - Sebastian Telfair doesn't care who the opponent is. "There's no way we ever feel like underdogs," the Lincoln point guard said. "We definitely didn't feel...

PATHETIC PENS GO MEEKLY

Devils 3Penguins 1 Nineteen years later, it came full circle among the Devils, Penguins and Mario Lemieux last night. Even when the Penguins were being accused of tanking in 1984...

LOU MAY GIVE UP NETS JOB

Sources say Lou Lamoriello may consider giving up his status as Nets CEO this summer to concentrate more on running the Devils. "I'm not going to comment. And that shouldn't...

TERPS SURVIVE SCARE

SOUTH Maryland 75 UNC-Wilm. 73 NASHVILLE - Even after Drew Nicholas made what looked like an off-balance, game-winning 3-pointer at the buzzer, there was drama. When the officials went to...

KNICKS HANGING AROUND: BUMP OFF PISTONS TO KEEP HOPE ALIVE

Knicks 97 Pistons 93 Call them undersized, undermanned, maybe even undertalented. Just make sure to add that they're stubborn, pesky and persistent. The Knicks are still very much alive in...

LOU MAY GIVE UP JOB AS NETS CEO

Sources say Lou Lamoriello may consider giving up his dual status as Nets CEO this summer to concentrate more on running the Devils. "I'm not going to comment. And that...

CTK'S GIRLS WIN SHOT AT REVENGE

STATE HOOP PLAYOFFS GLENS FALLS - Shay Doron insists that playing Bergtraum is no big deal. "They're just another team," the Christ the King star said. "It's not like there's...