February 17, 2004
PROSECUTION TAKES HEAT AS MARTHA FRAUD CHARGE FIZZLES
February 17, 2004 | 5:00amCAN prosecutors convince a jury that a few stray trades in Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia stock on one day in 2002 are enough to put the media queen in jail?...
EMI READY TO GIVE VIRGIN CHIEF WALKING PAPERS
February 17, 2004 | 5:00amVirgin Records President Roy Lott is taking the fall for the label's lackluster performance, The Post has learned. Lott, who is president and chief operating officer of Virgin, is being...
DELTA TAPS DESIGNER TO LIFT IMAGE
February 17, 2004 | 5:00amThe ailing Delta Air Lines wants to dress up its business - literally. The airline hired socialite fashion designer Richard Tyler to create a new upscale uniform for Delta's pilots,...
NEW CABLE GUY - STRUGGLING MSNBC TAPS NEWS VET RICK KAPLAN
February 17, 2004 | 5:00amNetwork news veteran Rick Kaplan is being tapped to rescue MSNBC, The Post has learned. Kaplan is expected to replace Erik Sorensen as general manager at MSNBC, which has trailed...
INVESTOR CREDIBILITY, POCKETS FULL OF CASH, SEAL THE DEAL
February 17, 2004 | 5:00amACTIVE investors with a track record for making fast decisions, anteing up non-refundable dollars and closing quickly are getting an edge in buying office buildings. As a result, investors who...
TOYMAKERS ARE BETTING ON PLUG-N-PLAY TV GAMES
February 17, 2004 | 5:00amInteractive TV may have left most adults cold, but toy makers are betting that technologically jazzed up versions of popular games that plug into the tube, from Etch-A-Sketch to paintball,...
NYSE BLACK EYE - SEC LIKELY TO END EXCHANGE'S TRADING DOMINANCE
February 17, 2004 | 5:00amA majority of SEC commissioners appear to support a staff proposal that would change trading rules and deal a major blow to the New York Stock Exchange, The Post has...
A-ROD STEPS UP TO PROMO PLATE
February 17, 2004 | 5:00amAlex Rodriguez and Derek Jeter may play for the same team now, but the competition between them is just beginning. The two superstar shortstops will face off in a different...
FORBES FOR RENT AS CLAN BEGINS TO LICENSE NAME
February 17, 2004 | 5:00amBesides selling family treasures to protect its fortunes, the Forbes clan is renting out its name for products ranging from calendars to furniture. The main asset of the Forbes family...
SOTHEBY'S REALTY MAY FETCH $100M
February 17, 2004 | 5:00amThe takeover of Sotheby's International Realty by a division of Cendant Corp. is expected to bring in close to $100 million in a deal that could be announced as early...
NYSE SPECIALISTS UNDER GUN
February 17, 2004 | 5:00amThe New York Stock Exchange's five leading specialist firms face a deadline at close of business today to settle allegations by the SEC and the NYSE that the firms violated...
COMCAST BID NIXED BY DISNEY
February 17, 2004 | 5:00amThe board of Walt Disney Co., the second-largest U.S. media company, rejected a $54.1 billion hostile purchase offer from Comcast Corp. The board's announcement came in an e-mailed statement. Comcast,...
FINDING FASTEST FINGERS
February 17, 2004 | 5:00amWARM up those fingers, ABC opened the phone lines for wannabe contestants to qualify for "Super Millionaire" last night. The weeklong super-sized version of "Who Wants to be a Millionaire"...
'PRELUDE' OF NOTE ENDS 'SYNDROME'
February 17, 2004 | 5:00amTHE STENDHAL SYNDROMEPrimary Stages@59E59 Theaters, 59 E. 59th St. Through March 27. Call Ticket Central, (212) 279-4200. ---- TERRENCE McNally enhances his reputation as a light ro mantic comedian in...
SPARKLER FOR STAR JONES - 'VIEW' HOST GETTING HITCHED
February 17, 2004 | 5:00amSTAR Jones showed off her new engagement ring yesterday on "The View" - setting the stage for what will be a very public walk-up to her wedding. Jones' boyfriend of...
STANDING TALL - NEW REALITY SHOW DWARFS RIVALS
February 17, 2004 | 5:00am"The Littlest Groom" [ ] (three stars) Monday nights at 8 on Fox/Ch. 5 ---- ARE the folks at Fox truly evil geniuses? Or just evil? Or just geniuses? Last...
'OUR OWN JAZEERA' DEBUTS
February 17, 2004 | 5:00amTHE United States this week quietly unveiled Al-Hurra, our own Arab-language satellite channel that is the American answer to the Mideast news channel al Jazeera. Al-Hurra, which means "The Free...
STARR REPORT
February 17, 2004 | 5:00amHung jury: Go away! If you need proof that the "failing upward" theory does, indeed, apply in this country - or that it takes only Internet notoriety to achieve fleeting...
A SERIES OF 'GALACTIC' PROPORTIONS
February 17, 2004 | 5:00amTHE new "Battlestar Galactica" - despite a lot of special-effects - will be character driven and much deeper then the original '70s show that inspired it or the recent miniseries...
OUR OWN AL JAZEERA - MIDEAST CHANNEL MAKES LOWKEY DEBUT
February 17, 2004 | 5:00amTHE U.S. quietly unveiled Al-Hurra this week, its own Arab-language satellite channel that is an American answer to the middle-eastern news channel, al Jazeera. Al-Hurra, which means "The Free One,"...
'BRIBE' MESS IN SUIT VS. RABBIS
February 17, 2004 | 5:00amA respected Manhattan lawyer finds himself in a legal tangle after claiming a woman involved in a bizarre and notorious divorce case tried to bribe him. Tom Shanahan made the...
CHEERS, MCSORLEY'S - BELOVED 7TH STREET WATERING HOLE TURNS 150 TODAY
February 17, 2004 | 5:00amMcSorley's Old Ale House turns 150 today - and at first sight, it seems the legendary East Seventh Street saloon hasn't changed a bit. Yellowed photographs and dog-eared newspaper clippings...
THESE GIZMOS MAKE KIDS ICK IN THE HEAD: SHRINKS
February 17, 2004 | 5:00amChildren who play with prank toys that mimic bodily functions may develop antisocial behavior, experts warn. These toys violate social taboos and blur the line between what is socially acceptable...
FOUL PLAYTHINGS - EWW! GROSS-OUT TOYS SET FOR REVOLTING REVIVAL
February 17, 2004 | 5:00amIf your kid likes to yuck it up with disgusting and gooey toys, he's in luck this year: The gross goodies are making a comeback after falling out of favor...
DUBYA DENIAL - LIBS FALL BACK ON CONTEMPT
February 17, 2004 | 5:00amTHE misunderestimators are back, dripping with their old familiar condescension and contempt for President Bush. Liberals who were forced by bitter circumstance over the past two-plus years to face the...
L.I. DAD OF 2 TURNS SELF IN FOR WIFE-SLAY
February 17, 2004 | 5:00amA jilted Long Island man who fatally stabbed his wife - and then calmly strolled into a nearby police station to report the crime - was arraigned yesterday for the...
AS N.Y. BURNS . . . STATE'S LEADERS JUST FIDDLE
February 17, 2004 | 5:00amALBANY LIKE Nero fiddling while Rome burned, Gov. Pataki and the leaders of the Legislature are fiddling - and fibbing - while New York's local governments crumble - literally and...
LOADED CHUCK WAGON - EVEN GOP BIG $HOTS BACK SCHUMER
February 17, 2004 | 5:00amALBANY - Sen. Charles Schumer has compiled a powerhouse list of more than 200 fat-cat supporters for his re-election, including some of President Bush's top fund-raisers, The Post has learned....
CHECHENS MAY FIGHT U.S. IN IRAQ
February 17, 2004 | 5:00amWASHINGTON - Al Qaeda's chief terrorist in Iraq is trying to bring in hundreds of hardened Islamic fighters from Chechnya to help launch his offensive against U.S. forces, The Post...
WEIRD BUT TRUE
February 17, 2004 | 5:00amA Nebraska women thought she'd entered the Twilight Zone when a gorilla suddenly approached and crooned, "You Are So Beautiful." It turns out Judy Price's fiancé had arranged for a...
MINORITY REPORT RIPS LACK OF BLACK EXECS IN CITY GOV'T
February 17, 2004 | 5:00amAfrican-American are underrepresented in managerial positions in city government and Mayor Bloomberg has failed to adequately diversify the workforce, a group charged yesterday. The New York City chapter of Blacks...
ARAFAT CORRUPTION SPURS AID CUT$
February 17, 2004 | 5:00amInternational aid to Yasser Arafat has been cut in half because of suspicions of corruption and a Palestinian failure to show the money is being spent properly, Western diplomats and...
SIEGEL TO FIGHT FOR ARENA FOES
February 17, 2004 | 5:00amOpponents of a plan to build a $450 million basketball arena in congested Downtown Brooklyn have hired civil-liberties lawyer Norman Siegel to wage the legal battle, The Post has learned....
NYPD DAILY BLOTTER
February 17, 2004 | 5:00amMANHATTAN * Cops are looking for this man (above), who allegedly robbed the Chelsea branch of the Fourth Federal Savings Bank at 242 W. 23rd St. on Jan. 27. Cops...
ROCK-SMASH HORROR - B'KLYN GRANDMA KILLED IN FREAK CAR TRAGEDY
February 17, 2004 | 5:00amAn elderly mother of 11 was killed yesterday in Brooklyn when a basketball-sized boulder kicked up by a passing truck flew through her windshield - a "freak accident" that took...
DETECTOR REQUIREMENT TIED UP IN COUNCIL PANEL
February 17, 2004 | 5:00amA measure to mandate carbon-monoxide detectors in multifamily buildings has been sitting since last year in a City Council committee. Council Speaker Gifford Miller (D-Manhattan) introduced a bill that would...
DEAD-REV. PUZZLE - 'SUICIDE' PRIEST WAS CRITIC OF ALBANY BISHOP
February 17, 2004 | 5:00amALBANY - Police are investigating the strange death of a longtime priest - a leading critic of Albany Bishop Howard Hubbard, who is fighting charges of homosexual activity. The Rev....
BROTHER AGAINST BROTHER IN FATAL QNS. SHOOTING
February 17, 2004 | 5:00amGunfire ended a fight over money between two Queens brothers with hair-trigger tempers, leaving one dead and the other in the hospital, police said. Shane Watkins, 34, was killed Sunday...
I'M NOT JOHN'S JANE - WOMAN BREAKS SILENCE ON KERRY-AFFAIR RUMOR
February 17, 2004 | 5:00am'I have never had a relationship with Senator Kerry' -Alexandra Polier in Nairobi yesterday WASHINGTON - The young woman at the center of rumors linking her to John Kerry broke...
$10M IS BALLPARK FOR TAXMAN
February 17, 2004 | 5:00amIt's not just Yankee fans that are happy about A-Rod coming to town - city and state officials are rubbing their hands with glee, since nearly $10 million of the...
WE'LL 'LIVE IN PAIN' - DELIVERY TEEN'S SIS VENTS ANGER
February 17, 2004 | 5:00amThe sister of a Chinese-food deliveryman lured to a Queens apartment and beaten and stabbed to death by a pack of teenage thugs demanded justice for the murder yesterday. "Punish...
DWI DAD HAD KIDS IN CAR: COPS
February 17, 2004 | 5:00amCops busted a Long Island man for driving drunk - with his 2-year-old daughter and 10-year-old son in the car, authorities said yesterday. In addition to the DWI charge, Jorge...
11,000 U.S. KIDS CLAIM SEX ABUSE BY PRIESTS
February 17, 2004 | 5:00amMore than 11,000 children in the United States have claimed they were sexually abused by priests since 1950, according to a draft report on the first nationwide survey of the...
TEEN HELD IN BX. GANG SLAY
February 17, 2004 | 5:00amPolice yesterday arrested a teenager for the murder of a talented athlete whose dreams of playing pro baseball and moving his family out of The Bronx were shattered when he...
LUCKY TO BE ALIVE - DRAMATIC PICTURE CAPTURES COP'S LIFE-AND-DEATH STRUGGLE
February 17, 2004 | 5:00amOfficer Gilbert Noa lost his right pinkie to a police-hating ex-con, but still managed to give a thumb's up yesterday to the brave cops who saved his life. "I want...
A-ROD PSYCHED FOR PINSTRIPES - PAL SAYS HE'S DYING TO PLAY FOR YANKEES
February 17, 2004 | 5:00amAlex Rodriguez "can't wait" to start playing for the Yankees. That's the word from close pal Eddie Gutierrez, a Bronx sports cafe owner who spoke to the superstar Sunday. "He's...
DOUG PALS MAY BURN MARTHA
February 17, 2004 | 5:00amThe government is planning to call friends of star Martha Stewart witness Douglas Faneuil to give evidence at the super-charged trial this week - and what the pals say could...
HIT-&-RUN SLAYS MAN IN CHELSEA
February 17, 2004 | 5:00amA popular drug store manager walking in Chelsea yesterday with his roommate was killed - and his friend left in critical condition - after a hit-and-run driver ran a light...
HE'LL FIND HIS FORE!TUNE HERE
February 17, 2004 | 5:00amA-Rod loves swinging a golf club as much as whacking a baseball - but getting a membership at a ritzy country club isn't as easy as getting to first base....
CLINTON INSISTS HE'S STEERING CLEAR OF VEEPSTAKES
February 17, 2004 | 5:00amALBANY - Former President Bill Clinton said yesterday he is not touting retired Gen. Wesley Clark for the No. 2 spot on a ticket with Sen. John Kerry. Clinton, denying...
DAZED DEAN DUMPS CAMPAIGN CHAIRMAN
February 17, 2004 | 5:00amWASHINGTON - Fading former front-runner Howard Dean yesterday dumped his campaign chairman for saying it's time for Dean to exit the race. Dean yesterday said he has stopped speaking to...
A TICKING BOMB - GAS WOES PLAGUED BUILDING OF DEATH
February 17, 2004 | 5:00amGas leaks and furnace malfunctions have for years plagued the Murray Hill apartment building where two men died in bed from carbon-monoxide poisoning, the building's outraged residents said yesterday -...
'PAL' DUPED GRANNY OUT OF 100G: SUIT
February 17, 2004 | 5:00amA Brooklyn widow is out more than $100,000 after renting an apartment to a man who pretended to love her like a son, then tricked her into personally guaranteeing two...
HEY ROD - ALEX HITS BIG APPLE; WELCOME, SLUGGER: APPLE'S BRIGHTEST NEW STAR HITS TOWN
February 17, 2004 | 5:00amAlex Rodriguez flashes a winning smile last night as he walks into pal Derek Jeter's Big Apple building just hours after officially becoming a Yankee. The city's newest sports phenom...
SHAKEN INFANT'S DAD NABBED: COPS
February 17, 2004 | 5:00amA 7-week-old boy was fighting for his life last night after being viciously shaken and then dropped by his father in their Queens home, police sources said. Mauricio Vasquez, 28,...
HIT-RUN DRIVER KILLS MAN IN CHELSEA
February 17, 2004 | 5:00amA popular drugstore manager walking in Chelsea was killed and his roommate critically injured early yesterday when a hit-and-run driver ran a light and plowed into another car that spun...
MEGASTAR TURNED ON BY CITY'S 'ELECTRICITY': PAL
February 17, 2004 | 5:00amAn "excited" Alex Rodriguez "can't wait" to play for the Yankees, says close pal Eddie Gutierrez, who greeted A-Rod when he arrived in New York last night. "He's looking forward...
LIGHTS OUT FOR 'SIREN' CITY BIG
February 17, 2004 | 5:00amOne of Mayor Bloomberg's top deputy mayors will have the lights and sirens stripped from her car after she was caught by a television crew abusing them to get to...
JETER GREETS OLD PAL A-ROD - SLUGGER HITS TOWN 1ST TIMEAS YANK
February 17, 2004 | 5:00amAlex Rodriguez jetted to New York late yesterday and headed straight for old pal and new teammate Derek Jeter's Big Apple pad just hours after A-Rod officially became a Yankee....
JETER GREETS OLD PAL A-ROD - SLUGGER HITS TOWN 1ST TIME AS YANK
February 17, 2004 | 5:00amAlex Rodriguez jetted to New York late yesterday, heading straight for old pal and new teammate Derek Jeter's Big Apple pad just hours after officially becoming a Yankee. Rodriguez arrived...
MYSTERY SHROUDS PRIEST'S 'SUICIDE'
February 17, 2004 | 5:00amALBANY - Police are investigating the strange death of a longtime priest - a leading critic of Albany Bishop Howard Hubbard, who is fighting charges of homosexual activity. The Rev....
'SHAKE' DAD BUSTED - QUEENS INFANT CLINGING TO LIFE IN HOSPITAL
February 17, 2004 | 5:00amA 7-week-old boy was fighting for his life last night after being viciously shaken and then dropped by his father in their Queens home, police sources said. Mauricio Vasquez, 28,...
AMTRAK TRAIN SLAMS WOMAN'S CAR
February 17, 2004 | 5:00amAn Amtrak train streaming toward the city last night slammed into the car of an 80-year-old woman who managed to drive onto a railroad bridge connecting The Bronx to upper...
PBA REP SUSPENDED
February 17, 2004 | 5:00amA Brooklyn cop who serves on the police union's executive board was suspended yesterday after yelling at a precinct commander over the recent transfer of six cops for purportedly not...
MIXED E-MOTIONS IN CYBER BLITZ ON KLEIN
February 17, 2004 | 5:00amSchools Chancellor Joel Klein has been blitzed with more than 1,100 e-mails from teachers - and he's getting some e-raves as well as e-rants about his school reforms. Some teachers...
YANK GM NIXES MADDUX-TO-BRONX
February 17, 2004 | 5:00amYankee GM Brian Cashman said it on a conference call. A close friend of Greg Maddux insisted the Hall of Fame-bound pitcher doesn't want to pitch on the East Coast....
WILD MAY BE MISNOMER
February 17, 2004 | 5:00amAttention, fans: Be sure to coffee up before the Devils host Minnesota tonight in a clash of perhaps the two most un-entertaining, yet defensively efficient teams in the NHL. It's...
DEREK DUMMIES UP - HAS NO COMMENT ON A-ROD ACQUISITION
February 17, 2004 | 5:00amTAMPA - Derek Jeter exited the Yankees' minor league complex and hopped in his bronze Hummer. The Yankee captain lowered his window to sign a few autographs, then pulled out...
LUCCHINO PUT HEAT ON COMMISH TO VETO TRADE
February 17, 2004 | 5:00amRed Sox President Larry Lucchino ranted in numerous calls to Bud Selig and his top lieutenants over the past few days in a failed attempt to get the commissioner to...
ISLES LUCKY TO ESCAPE UNSCATHED
February 17, 2004 | 5:00amIsles 1 - Kings 1 For the third time in the last week, the Islanders came up with a tie against a Western Conference opponent. Yesterday afternoon, they returned to...
CHASING 'RASHWEED' - PISTONS CLOSE TO ACQUIRING ANOTHER BIG WALLACE
February 17, 2004 | 5:00amLOS ANGELES - The biggest surprise regarding All-Star Weekend is Magic Johnson didn't win MVP. Don't be surprised, sources accentuate, if Rashweed Wallace is in uniform tonight at the Garden...
IT'S AS BAD AS IT GETS
February 17, 2004 | 5:00amSenators 4 - Rangers 1 Bob Nevin and Donnie Marshall were the team's leading scorers. Cesare Maniago and rookie Ed Giacomin formed the goaltending tandem. Second-year GM Emile Francis had...
AUSTIN'S MOM GETS RARE TREAT
February 17, 2004 | 5:00amHot-riding bug boy Pablo Fragoso, who's been glued to the rail the entire winter meet at Aqueduct, saved every inch of ground again yesterday, then came roaring through a narrow...
CASHMAN: JETER STAYING AT SHORT
February 17, 2004 | 5:00amWhat does Derek Jeter have in common with Babe Ruth's monument? Neither one will be moving anywhere next season. Yesterday afternoon, Yankee general manager Brian Cashman strongly declared Jeter would...
HEY, METS: CHASE SORI!
February 17, 2004 | 5:00amTHE Mets went financially half-hearted after Vladimir Guerrero and not at all this time around after Alex Rodriguez. It is time to rectify that kind of docile behavior. It is...
YANKS HAVE A-ROD TO BE HAPPY ABOUT - BOMBER BRASS GIDDY AS BUD OKS RODRIGUEZ SUPER SWAP
February 17, 2004 | 5:00amTAMPA - Thanks to George Steinbrenner's willingness to spend large, Brian Cashman's incredible work ethic, Tom Hicks' desire to save dollars and Bud Selig lending his stamp of approval, Alex...
BENCH PRESSURE - HOUSTON STILL OUT; NEWEST KNICKS NOT SET TO START
February 17, 2004 | 5:00amThe Knicks will have Nazr Mohammed and Tim Thomas in uniform tonight against Detroit, but they won't have Allan Houston. And that development overshadowed Isiah Thomas' All-Star Sunday trade that...
JETER & ALEX CAN BE LIKE ROG & MICK
February 17, 2004 | 5:00amTHE Yankees have given their fans a gift by bringing Alex Rodriguez aboard. They have given them the gift of relating to their parents and grandparents. How can that be...
NAZR KEY TO SIZING UP TRADE
February 17, 2004 | 5:00amThis trade isn't about Tim Thomas. As Allan Houston said, "Tim and Keith [Van Horn] are pretty similar." Indeed, it's a lateral move at best at small forward, maybe a...
BOSS SAYS HE'S SPENT AFTER DEAL FOR A-ROD
February 17, 2004 | 5:00amTAMPA - His face was glowing, but George Steinbrenner admitted to being tired. On top of the exhausting Alex Rodriguez trade extracting a large toll, The Boss pointed to other...
YANKS SET TO RESUME TRAVIS TALKS
February 17, 2004 | 5:00amYANKEE NOTES TAMPA - Now that Alex Rodriguez is a Yankee, the club is back to talking with free-agent first baseman Travis Lee. According to a high-ranking Yank official, the...
ISIAH WILL TAKE LOOK AT BAKER
February 17, 2004 | 5:00amKNICK NOTES Isiah Thomas said he had "interest" in Vin Baker but hasn't decided whether he actually will pursue the ex-Celtic, who becomes a free agent tomorrow. Baker clears waivers...
LUCCHINO WANTED BUD TO VETO DEAL
February 17, 2004 | 5:00amRed Sox President Larry Lucchino ranted in numerous calls to Bud Selig and his top lieutenants over the past few days in a failed attempt to get the commissioner to...
CASHMAN: JETER'S STAYING AT SHORT
February 17, 2004 | 5:00amWhat does Derek Jeter have in common with Babe Ruth's monument? Neither one will be moving anywhere next season. Yesterday afternoon, Yankee general manager Brian Cashman strongly declared Jeter would...
VAN HORN RELENTS, WILL TAKE PHYSICAL
February 17, 2004 | 5:00amKeith Van Horn was said to be so distraught about joining his fourth team in two years he refused to fly out to Milwaukee yesterday as planned. However, his concerns...