July 21, 2004
FED BOSS: MARTS CAN TAKE HIKE
July 21, 2004 | 4:00amAlan Greenspan says the economy's legs are strong enough to handle an even sharper tightening of credit than expected. Remarks of the Federal Reserve chairman to Congress yesterday sent the...
MICROSOFT'S $75B SPENDING SPREE
July 21, 2004 | 4:00amMicrosoft finally answered the $60 billion question: What to do with all of that cash? The software giant announced yesterday that it would buy back $30 billion of its stock...
DIS AND MAKE UP - PIXAR SEEMS READY FOR REUNION WITH THE MOUSE
July 21, 2004 | 4:00amHollywood is gearing up for an unlikely reunion. Steve Jobs' Pixar Animation Studios is likely to renew a lucrative movie-making partnership with Disney, according to sources familiar with the matter....
GRASSO FIRES BACK - SUIT OVER REED 'DEFAMATION' DEMANDS $50M
July 21, 2004 | 4:00amNow Dick Grasso is going after John Reed. The ousted New York Stock Exchange chief is suing his successor for defamation, and is demanding $50 million he says he's still...
DICK SHOWS US HOW HE DEALS WITH PEOPLE
July 21, 2004 | 4:00amIF you want to get a sense of how Dick Grasso was able to pull off his pay scam, take a look at how he has conducted himself since getting...
CENDANT CONFIRMS UNIT FOR SALE
July 21, 2004 | 4:00amCendant Corp. said yesterday it is in talks to sell its mortgage business for as much as $1 billion, in a move to reduce debt and smooth out its earnings....
EASTDIL GETTING $350M+ FOR FIFTH AVENUE TOWER
July 21, 2004 | 4:00amTHE tony tower at 717 Fifth Ave., on the southeast corner of 56th Street, has apparently found a buyer for just over $350 million. In an unusual move, investment bankers...
CEO POTTRUCK GETS CHUCKED
July 21, 2004 | 4:00amDiscount brokerage giant Charles Schwab CEO David Pottruck yesterday took the fall for the firm's costly and ill-fated attempt to expand into other businesses. Pottruck, 56, was ousted after a...
BATTLE OVER JACKO SCOOP - US WEEKLY CLAIMS 'EXCLUSIVE' ONE WEEK AFTER ENQUIRER
July 21, 2004 | 4:00amTHE National Enquirer's editor in chief, David Perel, is livid that his big scoop about a mystery woman who is expecting four new offspring of Michael Jackson is being billed...
SCHUMER BLASTS NIELSEN METERS
July 21, 2004 | 4:00amSen. Chuck Schumer is demanding that Nielsen Media Research explain why it's shoving its controversial people meters into New York homes but not forcing the same units on Canadians. The...
REDBOOK DROPS EDITOR KUNES
July 21, 2004 | 4:00amHearst switched editors at slumping Redbook yesterday - booting Ellen Kunes, who held the job for the last three years. She was replaced by Stacy Morrison, who was working as...
STARR REPORT
July 21, 2004 | 4:00amHall of a debut ESPN's "Dream Job" winner Mike Hall made quite an impression on management in his "SportsCenter" debut Monday night - so much so that ESPN is now...
PIZZAS GONE WILD - PIES GO OVER THE TOP WITH WACKY TOPPINGS
July 21, 2004 | 4:00amWarning to pizza purists: Stop reading now. Pie lovers wedded to the idea of crust, tomatoes and cheese - with maybe a touch of pepperoni or anchovies - will not...
FLAT FOOTED: FINALLY, DOWN-TO-EARTH WEAR IS A SHOE THING
July 21, 2004 | 4:00amIT'S the case of the mysterious shrinking starlet. Hollywood's leading ladies are putting their stilettos in storage this season in favor of comfy, yet sexy, flats. They're not just for...
'MAKE A WISH' IS WANTING
July 21, 2004 | 4:00amMAKE A WISH [] (One star)'MAKE a Wish," directed by Sharon Ferranti, is a dull, uninspired slasher flick that will have you wishing you'd gone out for pizza instead. Thirtysomething...
FRENCH BLISS
July 21, 2004 | 4:00amBRASSERIE LCB [ 1/2] (Two and one-half stars) 60 W. 55TH ST. (212) 688-6525 A friend looked up from his wintery masterpiece of a cassoulet at Brasserie LCB and chuckled,...
'THANKS, AMW' - ROCKER: HOW TV CAUGHT MY MOM'S MURDERER
July 21, 2004 | 4:00am"TO THE PEOPLE THAT CALL IN, YOU REALLY DO MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN THE VICTIMS' LIVES." -DAVE NAVARRO ROCKER Dave Navarro makes an unusual appearance this week - on "America's...
BITING REMARKS AT TIMES
July 21, 2004 | 4:00amTHERE was a collective sigh of relief in the culinary community when interim food reviewer-run-amok Amanda Hesser was replaced by Frank Bruni, new chief restaurant critic of the New York...
AMISH IDOLS - HOW YA GONNA KEEP 'EM DOWN ON THE FARM?
July 21, 2004 | 4:00amFIVE people who've never even watched TV seem destined to become television's next reality stars. In "Amish in the City," a new reality show debuting next week on UPN, five...
FAMILIAR RECASTS ON 'CSI'
July 21, 2004 | 4:00amCBS is seeking two new actors who are remarkably like the two they just fired -George Eads and Jorja Fox - from TV's top-rated drama, "CSI," in a salary dispute....
A LOT AT STAKE - 'DRACULA' MAY BE THE LAST CHANCE FOR MANY
July 21, 2004 | 4:00amTHE undead have big roles in the new Broadway musical "Dracula." And I don't just mean the ones who appear onstage. Quite a few people associated with the show -...
B'KLYN HOOPS SLAY - TEEN SHOT IN BACK
July 21, 2004 | 4:00amCops scoured East New York yesterday for a vicious young gunman who coldbloodedly shot dead a Brooklyn teenager after a late-night argument on a basketball court, law-enforcement sources said. Larry...
TIGER MAN IN TANK - HARLEM NUT COPS PLEA TO SAVE MA
July 21, 2004 | 4:00amHe did it for Tiger Mom. Harlem's notorious "Tiger Man" cheerfully admitted to a Manhattan judge yesterday that he kept a deadly wild animal in his five-bedroom apartment in a...
LOYAL 'RAPE' WIFE - CLUBGOER 'DIDN'T DO IT'
July 21, 2004 | 4:00amA New Jersey man's wife is standing by him as he faces accusations of savagely raping a cocktail waitress at a trendy Bowery nightspot. "These allegations are false. I fully...
SAFER, SEXIER SUNTANS COULD BE SIMPLE PILL AWAY: STUDY
July 21, 2004 | 4:00amGetting a deeper, longer-lasting tan while avoiding some of the risks of skin cancer may soon be as easy as popping a pill. Scientists have developed a new drug that...
CITY LOOKS TO OVERTURN BAG ORDER
July 21, 2004 | 4:00amCity officials said yesterday they will appeal a federal judge's order limiting the ability of cops to search bags carried by protesters at the Republican National Convention next month. Manhattan...
HAUNTED FOREST - BRITTNEY'S SEARCHERS ZERO IN ON N.J. WOODS
July 21, 2004 | 4:00amCops hunting for the body of missing New Jersey teen Brittney Gregory yesterday zeroed in on the creepy woods where her alleged killer lived a bizarre life as a forest...
BOY, 12, MISSING IN WATERS OFF L.I.
July 21, 2004 | 4:00amRescuers were searching the waters off Long Island early today for a 12-year-old boy who was caught in a riptide and swept out to sea as his younger brother was...
'KILLER' TOLD ALL - BRITTNEYCOPS HAD WITNESS WEAR WIRE
July 21, 2004 | 4:00amJack Fuller, the accused murderer of Jersey teen Brittney Gregory, has disclosed specific details of the crime to a witness who was wearing a wire at the request of investigators,...
WEIRD BUT TRUE
July 21, 2004 | 4:00amIt's no insult to call Don Gorske a meathead - the burger-loving Wisconsin man has just set a new world record by chomping down his 20,000th Big Mac. Gorske, who...
BEAU BUSTED IN BEATING
July 21, 2004 | 4:00amA Brooklyn man on probation for a sex-abuse conviction was arrested after he choked his girlfriend into semi-consciousness and shattered her face with his fists, authorities said yesterday. Marcin Matyszewski,...
HAMPTONS DIARY
July 21, 2004 | 4:00amATTENTION, O.J. Simpson: You might want to steer clear of the Vered Gallery in East Hampton. While an upcoming Andy Warhol exhibition includes a 1979 portrait of The Juice, Janet...
'BOSS' LADY STANDS BY HER MAN
July 21, 2004 | 4:00amWITH the exception of a slight red tint in her hair, her style is strictly Jackie O. And yesterday - when she heard testimony that her husband of 44 years...
ADVICE TO LONG ISLAND RAIL ROAD COMMUTERS: TAKE THE SUBWAY ...
July 21, 2004 | 4:00amAdvice to Long Island Rail Road commuters: Take the subway into the city during next month's Republican convention. Although the LIRR will operate regular service in and out of Penn...
THE JOY OF '6' - LEX LINE IS TOP-RATED SUBWAY
July 21, 2004 | 4:00amThe No. 6 is the city's best subway ride, transit advocates say - a conclusion that amazed its regular passengers. "It's hard to believe. I can never get a seat,"...
NEW USE FOR BOTOX GETS NO-SWEAT APPROVAL
July 21, 2004 | 4:00amNo need to sweat those wet and dripping underarms anymore - just get a shot of Botox. The miracle drug used to wipe out wrinkles has been approved for use...
THE ENEMY WITHIN - ISRAELI JEWISH RADICALS WANT ARIEL DEAD
July 21, 2004 | 4:00amJERUSALEM - Dozens of Jewish extremists want to see Ariel Sharon killed - and would be under arrest as security threats if they were Arabs, the head of Israel's security...
GOV SUMMONS LEGISLATURE IN ED. CRI$IS
July 21, 2004 | 4:00amALBANY - Gov. Pataki yesterday said he is taking the rare step of calling the state Legislature into emergency session tomorrow for "one last effort" to tackle school-funding reform before...
PACT SETS $7.15 MIN. WAGE
July 21, 2004 | 4:00amALBANY - The state's minimum wage will increase by $2 an hour over the next three years under an agreement announced yesterday by legislative leaders. Under the deal, the current...
MIKE RETURNS TO 'PROMISED' LAND
July 21, 2004 | 4:00amThree years ago, Mike Bloomberg was a political neophyte, hanging out on street corners and subway stations and making campaign promises to skeptical New Yorkers. Yesterday, the mayor returned to...
CROW KISS IN BLOOM FOR PRINCE OF PEDALS - LANCE TAKES TOUR LEAD
July 21, 2004 | 4:00amLance Armstrong was in yellow yesterday - and if his Tour de France rivals needed another reason to be green with envy, this postrace smooch with rocker gal pal Sheryl...
'88 SLAY SHOCKER - THUG ADMITS BID TO ATTACK VICTIM
July 21, 2004 | 4:00amA career criminal who a defense attorney said was the real killer of a Long Island couple - not their incarcerated son - admitted yesterday he was nearly hired by...
HIDDEN CAMS ON S.I. FERRY
July 21, 2004 | 4:00amHigh-tech surveillance cameras have been installed aboard the city's fleet of Staten Island Ferry boats and at its two terminals in an effort to keep an eye on passengers and...
'SAFE' U.S. NEEDS ME: BUSH
July 21, 2004 | 4:00amWASHINGTON - The Bush twins joined their father on the campaign trail yesterday as the president said his re-election is needed to ensure the safety of Americans in the years...
NYPD DAILY BLOTTER
July 21, 2004 | 4:00amBROOKLYN * A Sunset Park man has been arrested for robbing a car-service driver at gunpoint, law-enforcement sources said yesterday. The robbery took place at 2:40 a.m. Monday while Oscar...
POLICE CAPTAIN IN N.J. HOOKER SCANDAL
July 21, 2004 | 4:00amA New Jersey police captain and his brother were identified yesterday as the middlemen who were allegedly hired by politically connected real-estate mogul Charles Kushner to trap his own brother-in-law...
CHELSEA MAN FOUND SLAIN IN HIS APT.
July 21, 2004 | 4:00amA 54-year-old man was found bludgeoned to death in his Chelsea apartment, police said yesterday. The body of Stephen Morgenroth was discovered inside his one-bedroom apartment on West 20th Street...
SUMMER-SCHOOL THUGS BREAK QUEENS STUDENT'S JAW
July 21, 2004 | 4:00amThe summer school session turned into a lesson of hard knocks for a 15-year-old Queens student whose jaw was broken by thugs as he headed home following dismissal, sources said...
15 YEARS FOR COBBLER KILLER
July 21, 2004 | 4:00amA 23-year-old Brooklyn man was sentenced yesterday to 15 years behind bars in the 2002 shooting death of a popular shoe repairman in his Park Slope shop. Jason Belliard, who...
CENTRAL PK. 'ATTACKER' HELD IN PA.
July 21, 2004 | 4:00amPhiladelphia cops have arrested one of two "goths" who they say used a skateboard to batter a man in Central Park - an attack that left the victim comatose, police...
TEEN BUSTED AFTER FIERY RESCUE
July 21, 2004 | 4:00amA Long Island teen pulled from a blazing car after a crash was drunk, driving a stolen vehicle and in possession of stolen credit cards, police said yesterday. "Rescuing someone...
'STOCKING-STUFFER' BERGER QUITS KERRY
July 21, 2004 | 4:00amWASHINGTON - Former National Security Adviser Sandy Berger - under criminal investigation for sneaking top-secret documents out of the National Archives in his pants legs and, possibly, his socks -...
OUTAGE ZAPS TRAIN SERVICE
July 21, 2004 | 4:00amA power outage crippled train service between the city and New Jersey during yesterday's evening rush. Trains came to a halt at around 5 p.m. after wires went down near...
JUDGE HITS NYPD RULING ON AIDS COP
July 21, 2004 | 4:00amA Manhattan judge is blasting the NYPD medical board for its "totally irrational" decision denying disability pay to a female cop who says she got AIDS on the job. "The...
HIT-&-RUN CARNAGE - HIGH DRIVER KILLS 2 ON L.I. PICKET LINE: COPS
July 21, 2004 | 4:00amA pick-up driver high on drugs slammed into a union picket line on Long Island yesterday, killing two labor protesters and injuring six before speeding away from the scene of...
NYPD'S WHEEL PREPARED - NEW SUVS BOOST ANTI-TERROR ARSENAL
July 21, 2004 | 4:00amThe NYPD has added four new armored tactical-deployment and rescue vehicles to its arsenal of anti-terrorism weapons at a combined cost of about $600,000, The Post has learned. The exotic-looking...
BLOOMY KIN BACKS SEX-ABUSE SUSPECT
July 21, 2004 | 4:00amWith Mayor Bloomberg's equestrian daughter Georgina in court to provide moral support, a Westchester riding instructor yesterday took the stand to deny charges he had sexually abused a former teenage...
CAPO'S LOVE ON THE LAM
July 21, 2004 | 4:00amA past love came back to haunt reputed Bonanno boss Joseph Massino yesterday as jurors heard a former girlfriend's account of their romantic trysts - many during the course of...
TIGER MAN IN TANK - HARLEM NUT'S JAIL DEAL TO SAVE MA
July 21, 2004 | 4:00amHarlem's notorious "Tiger Man" cheerfully admitted to a Manhattan judge yesterday that he kept a deadly wild animal in his five-room apartment in a sacrifice deal that gets his mother...
BUTCHER NO DANGER, SAYS JURY
July 21, 2004 | 4:00amA Manhattan jury has decided that Daniel Rakowitz, the so-called "Butcher of Tompkins Square Park," is no longer a danger to society, a surprise verdict that could lead to him...
'BOMB' COP IS PROBED - HURT IN SUBWAY BLAST
July 21, 2004 | 4:00amPolice yesterday were investigating whether the transit cop injured in a pipe-bomb explosion in a Manhattan subway station actually planted the crude device himself, sources said. The blast, near a...
BUTCHER'S BREAK - MOVE MADMAN TO LOW SECURITY: JURY
July 21, 2004 | 4:00amA Manhattan jury has decided that Daniel Rakowitz, the so-called "Butcher of Tompkins Square Park," is no longer a danger to society, a surprise verdict that could lead to him...
BRITNEY'S BEAU HAS SECOND BABY BY EX
July 21, 2004 | 4:00amNow, when Britney Spears gets hitched, she'll be the stepmom of two. Kevin Federline, the fiancé of the hot pop tart, became a dad for the second time yesterday after...
CAR STRIKES HARLEM GIRL
July 21, 2004 | 4:00amA 9-year-old Harlem girl was fighting for her life last night when she was struck by car operated by an unlicensed, hit-and-run livery driver, police said. The girl, whose name...
'DRUNK' DIES IN SUBWAY FALL
July 21, 2004 | 4:00amA 49-year-old Brooklyn man was killed by a train yesterday after he slipped between the cars and fell onto the track bed as he tried to board a train at...
HARLEM GIRL, 9, GRAVELY HURT BY CAR
July 21, 2004 | 4:00amA 9-year-old Harlem girl was fighting for her life early today after she was struck by an unlicensed hit-and-run livery driver, cops said. The girl, whose name was withheld, was...
BLOODY BX. 'DRUG DEAL' DRAMA
July 21, 2004 | 4:00amA suspected drug deal gone sour left a 35-year-old man clinging to life last night after he was shot in the face in The Bronx by a passenger in his...
PACT SETS $7.15 MINIMUM WAGE BY 2007
July 21, 2004 | 4:00amALBANY - The state's minimum wage will increase by $2 an hour over the next three years under an agreement announced yesterday by legislative leaders. Under the deal, the current...
RUDY TO UPSTAGE KERRY - WILL SPEAK AMID GALA
July 21, 2004 | 4:00amWASHINGTON - Rudy Giuliani is getting a starring role during next week's Democratic convention - as the lead Republican rebutting John Kerry on the day of his big speech to...
DIDDY RAPS OUT NEW TUNE: VOTE
July 21, 2004 | 4:00amP. Diddy officially launched his campaign yesterday, but he's not seeking public office - he wants young people and minorities to vote. "I regrettably will not be announcing my plans...
LET PROTESTERS IN PARK: POLL
July 21, 2004 | 4:00amThree out of every four New Yorkers believe protesters should be allowed to use Central Park to demonstrate during the Republican National Convention, according to a new poll. The results...
CITY TO APPEAL RULING ON BAGS
July 21, 2004 | 4:00amCity officials said yesterday they will appeal a federal judge's order limiting the ability of cops to search bags carried by protesters at the Republican National Convention next month. On...
SAFE U.S. NEEDS ME 4 MORE YEARS: BUSH
July 21, 2004 | 4:00amWASHINGTON - The Bush twins joined their father on the campaign trail yesterday as the president said his re-election is needed to ensure the safety of Americans in the years...
DAMPIER DEAL HITS A SNAG - DAVIS TO WARRIORS COULD KO KNICKS
July 21, 2004 | 4:00amA new obstacle has been placed in the Knicks' pursuit of free-agent center Erick Dampier. The Warriors were set to announce last night they had acquired power forward/center Dale Davis...
IT'S DAVID'S DAY
July 21, 2004 | 4:00amTHE Mets have come to their senses and will do the Wright thing and promote third baseman David Wright to the majors today. Too bad he won't be able to...
WRIST SIDELINES PIAZZA
July 21, 2004 | 4:00amMET NOTES Mike Piazza left last night's game in the second inning with a sprained left wrist following a collision with Florida's Juan Pierre. X-rays were negative, but Piazza walked...
PHENOM GETS CALL - FINALLY
July 21, 2004 | 4:00amAfter refusing to part with him for Freddy Garcia, Alfonso Soriano or even Carlos Beltran, the Mets finally decided now is the right time for David Wright. Mike Piazza's injury...
METS CALL WRIGHT AFTER AWFUL LOSS - PIAZZA HURT AS FISH POUND TRACHSEL, 'PEN
July 21, 2004 | 4:00amThe Mets lost Mike Piazza to injury and then dropped another game. Boos rained down again. So in an effort to stop the negative energy pulsating through Shea lately, the...
AGAIN, BENITEZ HAS LAST LAUGH
July 21, 2004 | 4:00amFor the second straight night, the Mets watched the closer they ran out of town come into Shea - amid the boos he heard so often here for years -...
A FINE NIGHT AT ORIENT POINT
July 21, 2004 | 4:00amBOB Thomson left Bay Ridge early on Friday for the long ride to Orient Point, where he would meet up with his buddies to catch stripers. Dom Castoro Sr. and...
GIANTS SIGN NO. 7 PICK
July 21, 2004 | 4:00amWith training camp barely more than a week away, the Giants are in a position similar to virtually every other NFL team: They have a few of their draft picks...
NOW'S THE TIME FOR METS TO GET SERIOUS
July 21, 2004 | 4:00amALL winter the Mets preached to us the importance of defense. So now they have an infield that features three players playing out of position and one player in over...
RJ: I LOST MY BIG BROTHER
July 21, 2004 | 4:00amRichard Jefferson is torn. He admits to real conflicting feelings. He is happy for Kenyon Martin, his former teammate, his surrogate "big brother." But at the same time, Jefferson is...
LOOKING FOR GLOVE - JOSE'S FIELDING STILL AN ADVENTURE
July 21, 2004 | 4:00amAt least Jose Reyes is rounding into form offensively. Because in the field, he's still encountering plays he's never seen before. On Monday night, Reyes had one of his best...
NHL SHOWS NO DECENCY
July 21, 2004 | 4:00amTHIS isn't about a hard cap, small markets, competitive balance or players making too much money. It isn't about any of that, at all. This is about big business exercising...
BIG UNIT WON'T ENSURE PARADE
July 21, 2004 | 4:00amCOME on, admit it. When Derek Fisher sank that spectacular turnaround at the buzzer over Manu Ginobili, you not only said the Lakers were going to finish off the Spurs,...
OH, BROTHER! METS INK DEAL WITH PIAZZA KIN
July 21, 2004 | 4:00amMET NOTES The Mets have another Piazza in their family. The organization recently acquired Tommy Piazza at the behest of his older brother, Mike. Tommy Piazza, who was originally drafted...
CONFIDENT JOSE COMING UP ACES - CONTRERAS ROLLS ON; YANKEES REPEL RAYS
July 21, 2004 | 4:00amYankees 4 - Devil Rays 2 ST. PETERSBURG - It's only three games and the Red Sox loom in Fenway Park Sunday night. Yet, finally the Yankees are seeing the...
DEREK'S X-RAYS NEGATIVE
July 21, 2004 | 4:00amST. PETERSBURG - The first indication was Derek Jeter using his left hand to accept his teammates' fists for scoring ahead of Gary Sheffield's homer in the sixth. The next...
UNFAIR TO ARMANDO - MCKEON: SHEA FANS GAVE BENITEZ BUM DEAL
July 21, 2004 | 4:00amAfter the closer the Mets signed away from Florida blew a save Monday night, the closer they ran out of town shut them down in Florida's 6-5 win. Armando Benitez...
BROWNE PLANS FOR LONG RUN
July 21, 2004 | 4:00amU.S. Olympian Dan Browne is prepared to show the world just how far his legs can take him. The Oregon native has made the decision, with the help of his...
STATUS QUO ON BIG UNIT
July 21, 2004 | 4:00amST. PETERSBURG - According to a pair of industry sources, Yankees GM Brian Cashman and Arizona counterpart Joe Garagiola, Jr. have talked about Randy Johnson since their initial discussion on...
SHEFF SHOULDER STIRS GM
July 21, 2004 | 4:00amYANKEE NOTES ST. PETERSBURG - Until Brian Cashman read Gary Sheffield's quotes in Tuesday's Post about looking into getting a second cortisone shot in his barking left shoulder, the Yankee...
UGLY REMINDER FOR TRACHS
July 21, 2004 | 4:00amIt was exactly the kind of meltdown that had plagued Steve Trachsel earlier in his career, the same kind of big-inning, snowball effect that he had learned to avoid the...
PAINFUL TRANSITION
July 21, 2004 | 4:00amCONSIDER the Mets' great first base experiment a grand disaster. Just like the past two games. A night that began with a smile for Mike Piazza as he talked happily...
METS FLUSH AWAY AMAZIN' COMEBACK - PIAZZA HURT AS FISH POUND TRACHSEL, 'PEN
July 21, 2004 | 4:00amMarlins 9 - Mets 7 The Mets lost their cornerstone, then they dropped another game. The current theme at Shea is, "Catch the negative energy." A six-run first-inning deficit and...