November 19, 2005

CISCO BUYS SCIENTIFIC-ATLANTA FOR $6.9B

Cisco Systems Inc. sealed a deal to buy cable-box maker Scientific-Atlanta Inc. for $6.9 billion as the technology heavyweight looks for ways to grow earnings by expanding its consumer product...

LIZ CLAIBORNE RAISES BID FOR J. JILL TO $366M

Retailer Liz Claiborne is going after foundering women's apparel company J. Jill Group Inc. with a zeal that would make a desperate housewife blush. Liz raised its bid yesterday to...

EX-REFCO CEO: 'NOT GUILTY'

Disgraced former Refco Chief Executive Phillip Bennett plead not guilty to the eight felony counts of fraud against him in a hearing in federal court yesterday, but federal prosecutors continue...

FEDS MAY TAKE BLACK ESTATE

Conrad Black is spiriting away antiques, paintings and rare books from his embattled mansion, but he can't save one of his biggest assets - his $36 million Palm Beach oceanfront...

CELEBRITY CURSE - PECKER'S AMERICAN MEDIA POSTS $10.9M LOSS

Another wave of bad news washed over American Media, the publisher of the National Enquirer, Star, Shape and Muscle & Fitness magazines. The company said yesterday that revenue decreased 1.4...

YES, THIS IS N.Y.C. - WELCOME TO FOUR 'HOODS' THAT FEEL LIKE THE SUBURBS

Suburbs in the city TAKE a stroll through Midtown Manhattan on any given weekday afternoon and it's hard to imagine peace and quiet existing anywhere on the planet, let alone...

GIMME SHELTER

Shelling out $105M THE much ballyhooed 40-acre de Menil property in East Hampton is about to sell for $105 million. According to our ever vigilant East End sources, Adelaide de...

WILLIAMS, WELLER CLOCK INTO '24'; FOX DRAMA ALSO RECRUITS SANDS FOR JAN. RETURN

ROBOCOP is joining "24." Peter Weller, best known for playing the robotic enforcer in the string of popular sci-fi films, will join the fifth season of the Fox drama, which...

WHOOP DREAMS - FEELGOOD CABLE DRAMA HITS ALL THE RIGHT NOTES

"Edge of America" Monday at 8 p.m. on Showtime (three and a half stars) AS the Navajos say, "Im perfection is beauty." It's a point of view I learned while...

ANDY IS DANDY - POP GOES THE EASEL AT A WARHOL SHOW FOR KIDS

AS kids' icons go, most of the ones on exhibit at the Children's Museum of Manhattan are no-brainers. Dr. Seuss: He's got juice. Charlie Brown: We're down. An aardvark named...

THE 'LATE' DMX GETS 70 DAYS

Hip-hopper DMX made it to court on time yesterday - with a little help from the city Department of Correction. Now he'll be spending up to the next 70 days...

GAL'S LAST STAND; FOUGHT BELIZE 'KILLER'

The Brooklyn-born backpacker murdered in Belize fought desperately to get away from her sex-crazed attacker who followed her from a party before choking the life out of her, police in...

SLAY WIDOW'S STARE-DOWN

The grieving widow of slain banker James Gottlieb experienced a horrifying "flashback" to the night of the murder as she sat in a Long Island courtroom face-to-face with her husband's...

BRUNO JOINS PERV WAR

ALBANY - The head of the state Senate yesterday ripped a recent ruling against a Pataki-administration policy of keeping sex predators locked up past their prison terms and called on...

MIKE WINGS IT

The question of when Mayor Bloomberg is going to take a break after the election has been answered: right now. Aviation records show that the mayor's private jet departed La...

MORE RAPS LOOM IN CIA LEAK

Special counsel Patrick Fitzgerald disclosed yesterday that a second grand jury is hearing evidence in the CIA-leak case, raising the prospect that more top officials could come under fire. Fitzgerald...

RANDI 'TRASHES' B'KLYN PRINCIPAL

Randi Weingarten, president of the city teachers union, implied yesterday that the recent vandalism of her former Brooklyn home may be linked to her members' ongoing dispute with a Brooklyn...

NEW CHARGES LOOM AS 2ND JURY PROBES CIA LEAK

Special counsel Patrick Fitzgerald disclosed yesterday that a second grand jury is hearing evidence in the CIA leak case, raising the prospect that more top officials could come under fire...

IT'S SPIN CITY AGAIN; CUBE COMES FULL CIRCLE

Remember the Alamo? The famed spinning cube of Astor Place - a sculpture known as "Alamo" - was returned to its Cooper Square home of almost 40 years yesterday, scrubbed,...

JAILBIRD MA WINS A ROUND

A Manhattan appeals court has ordered a new child-custody hearing in the case of a mother who lost the right to see her son after she was jailed for fleeing...

SLAY RAP FOR LIVERY 'MUGGER'

A suspected robber, who prosecutors say caused a livery cab to careen out of control and kill a Bronx woman, has been indicted on murder charges, Bronx DA Robert Johnson...

MARBURY GETS SUED

Point guard Stephon Marbury stiffed his bodyguard, court papers charge. The firm of Safir Rosetti - which is headed by former NYPD and FDNY commissioner Howard Safir - is suing...

PSYCHO-SLAY SUSPECT'S EVIL PLAN

LITITZ, Pa. - The lovesick psycho charged with slaughtering his 14-year- old girlfriend's parents and kidnapping her had planned a similar nighttime murder raid with a friend in a shocking...

HOUSE WANTS TO POUNCE

WASHINGTON - House Republicans pounced at the chance to turn the tables on Dems last night by forcing them to vote on Democratic Rep. John Murtha's call to cut and...

PHONE-Y 'GLADIATOR' FORCED INTO SUBMISSION

HE'LL be back. The unrepentant thug in the $1,000 suit, which stretched a half-size too small over his body, rose angrily to his feet, spit a wad of green chewing...

IRAQ 'TWIST' BLITZ ; AD SLAMS DEMS OVER WEAPONS INTEL

WASHINGTON - The Republican Party is targeting Bill and Hillary Rodham Clinton in a tough new TV ad lambasting Democrats as flip-flopping hypocrites who knew Saddam Hussein was a danger...

S.I. WAL-MART PAL NOW FOE

Retail giant Wal-Mart's efforts to gain a foothold in the city are running into a buzz-saw of opposition - even on Republican-friendly Staten Island, sources said yesterday. GOP Councilman Andrew...

MOLOTOV HORROR; B'KLYN APTS. ATTACKED

A pair of Molotov cocktails smashed through the windows of two apartments in a Brooklyn building yesterday - injuring three people who police believe were innocent victims and not the...

IT'S A GO FOR CROWE ; WALKS FREE AFTER COPPING PLEA TO ASSAULT BY PHONE

He's free as a bird. Actor Russell Crowe became a convicted phone-flinger yesterday - but copped a plea to a misdemeanor assault charge that keeps him out of jail and...

'BARETTA' SEQUEL: GUILTY - JURY: HE WHACKED WIFE & MUST PAY $30M

BURBANK, Calif. - A civil jury branded Robert Blake a killer and socked him for $30 million yesterday, holding the former "Baretta" star liable for the wrongful death of his...

NYPD DAILY BLOTTER

THE BRONX *** Detectives in Riverdale want to question one suspect (above) in connection with six burglaries. Surveillance tapes inside a Yonkers pawnshop caught the bandits unsuccessfully trying to hock...

KID JUST EASY $ IN 'KILLER' DAD'S EYES; KEPT HER FOR PERKS, NOT LOVE: FOSTER KIN

Tiny Sierra Roberts was little more than a meal ticket to her abusive single father, the slain 7-year-old's neighbors and former foster parents charged yesterday. By gaining custody of the...

GOP'D-OFF POLS DISS THE BOSS

WASHINGTON - A Democratic bid to get Bush-bashing singer Bruce Springsteen some extra glory days with a Senate resolution in his honor yesterday ran into a Republican logjam. Though such...

SUSPECT ID'D IN GRANNY SLAY

Police lineups were being conducted last night for a paroled drug dealer suspected in the stabbing death of a 74-year-old Brooklyn woman during a botched street robbery one year ago,...

BOUNCER SLAY TWIST

A murdered strip-club bouncer found shot dead inside his Brooklyn apartment was killed by someone he knew, law-enforcement sources said yesterday. Irving Matos, 42, who worked at Sunset Park's "Sweet...

YANKEES' LATEST 'THROWBACK' PITCH

The last ball tossed at Yankee Stadium may be the wrecking kind - but as Yogi Berra might say, the new stadium will look more like the old stadium than...

IT'S A GO FOR CROWE; WALKS FREE AFTER COPPING PLEA TO ASSAULT BY PHONE

He's free as a bird. Actor Russell Crowe became a convicted phone-flinger yesterday - but copped a plea to a misdemeanor assault charge that keeps him out of jail and...

RIVERA FEELS BROTHERLY LOVE FOR GORDON

Blood may be thicker than pinstripes, but Mariano Rivera now considers Tom Gordon part of his family. And as such, he "definitely" wants Gordon back next season. "I love Tom...

'NEW' LOVE GETS TO LEAVE REHAB

LOS ANGELES - A judge praised Courtney Love's rehab effort yesterday and cut the troubled rocker some slack by releasing her early from a residential drug-treatment center. "You're really doing...

MOLOTOV HORROR ATTACK IN B'KLYN

A pair of Molotov cocktails smashed through the windows of two apartments in a Brooklyn building yesterday - injuring three people who police believe were innocent victims and not the...

'PERV' CLIFF HANGER; FIRE FAKE AT CLEANERS

With bloodhounds hot on his trail in Brooklyn Thursday, suspected phony-fireman sex fiend Peter Braunstein ducked into a dry cleaners and demanded a coat hanger because "he locked himself out...

PA MAKES A GRAB AT 9/11 MEMORIAL

The Port Authority has created a new furor at Ground Zero by trying to grab control of the construction of the World Trade Center memorial, The Post has learned. Sources...

BERNIE-BOOSTER ; JETER CALLING FOR WILLIAMS' RETURN

Yankees captain Derek Jeter, in his first public remarks since the team's ALDS loss to the Angels, last night made a pitch for the return of free agent Bernie Williams....

MAN DIES IN QNS. APT. BLAZE

A 20-year-old Queens man died yesterday after a fast moving fire tore through his apartment, police said. The fire, which started shortly after 7 a.m. on the second floor of...

QUICK-CHANGE BANK-ROB BUST

A brazen bank robber believed to be responsible for more than a dozen robberies in Manhattan was arrested yesterday, police said. Lewis McGraw, 46, was arrested for a string of...

FIRE BURNS STEAKS AT PETER LUGER

A fire ignited in the kitchen at Peter Luger's steak house last night, startling the hordes of meat lovers who had packed the Brooklyn restaurant, authorities said. Fire officials said...

SLAVE-LABOR PAIR GUILTY

A husband-and-wife human trafficking team pleaded guilty yesterday to charges they helped young immigrant women from South Korea enter the country illegally and then forced them to work at a...

GOP FORCES WAR FOES TO REJECT 'CUT-RUN' VOTE

WASHINGTON - House Republicans turned the tables on Democrats last night by forcing them to reject an immediate pullout from Iraq - and abandon senior Democratic Rep. John Murtha's call...

GREEN MAKES ORANGE FEEL BLUE; LATE 3 SINKS 'CUSE

Florida 75Syracuse 70 Florida point guard Taurean Green doesn't remember watching his father Sidney play in the Garden. He was too young to remember the Knicks back then, to little...

STEPH BENCHED ; MARBURY SITS LAST 6:31 OF LOSS TO NUGGETS

Marbury sat with a towel on his head, showing little emotion, even when the Knicks' young unit rallied to cut the deficit to seven points. Nuggets 95 Knicks 86 DENVER...

A HAT TRICK FOR CONTESSA

1ST RACE - Scott Lake showed all the signs that he meant business with Sierra Bella, reclaiming her at Delaware last out and bring up his main Delaware jock Roberto...

ISLANDERS GETTING 2-MINUTE DRILLED

SUNRISE, Fla. - The Islanders have not closed well all season, but they're hoping to finish this four-game road trip on a high note tonight against the struggling Panthers, who...

RANGERS' TOUGH TASK: RAZING 'CANES

There is no question the Hurricanes are a formidable opponent for the Rangers. That much was made clear Thursday night, when Carolina dominated the Blueshirts, 5-1, in the first game...

JETS ROOKIE RB MAKING STRIDES IN BACKUP ROLE

Cedric Houston spent his senior year at Tennessee rushing for more than 1,000 yards and playing a key role in leading the Volunteers to a 10-3 record and a 38-7...

NETS ARE WARY OF ARENAS

He is coolly confident, carrying the air of a killer. Only Allen Iverson, Kobe Bryant and LeBron James are scoring more. Winning is the incentive, and to that end Gilbert...

SALARY STUMPED; JERSEY HAS DEVIL OF A TIME MAKING DEAL

Interested evaluators say the Devils, who faced the Canadiens last night at the Meadowlands, have been showcasing Viktor Kozlov. On the other hand, the Devils needed him in the lineup...

WATSON COULD BE AVAILABLE

KNICK NOTES DENVER - The Nuggets have three legitimate point guards and are expected to shop Earl Watson Dec. 29, once he's eligible to be traded. Larry Brown has made...

JOE HAS LIONS ON CUSP OF BCS

EAST LANSING, Mich. - The stories about Joe Paterno in recent years have referred to him as the Lion in winter. One article even pushed the envelope farther, describing him...

TALKING POINT; BROWN ON MARBURY: HE'S NO IVERSON

DENVER - Larry Brown tossed a couple more zingers at Stephon Marbury yesterday in the wake of the point guard's controversial remarks Thursday that he was unhappy with his role...

WAGNER EAGER FOR AMAZIN' VISIT

In roughly 48 hours, Billy Wagner will be in New York. And the star free-agent closer is eagerly awaiting the trip. Wagner will be here Monday to visit the Mets...

BROWN MAKES POINT: TEAM 1ST

DENVER - Larry Brown's message to Stephon Marbury yesterday was succinct: Think team first. And that was before the coach benched his disgruntled and ineffective point guard for the final...

KNICKS MAY LOOK TO WATSON

KNICK NOTES DENVER - The Nuggets have a point-guard glut and are expected to shop Earl Watson Dec. 29 when he's eligible to be traded. Larry Brown doesn't feel he...

TURNING POINT? DEVS OPTIMISTIC AFTER HAMMERING HABS

Devils 5Canadiens 3 This weekend is already a success for the Devils. They go for the gravy this evening. "We've conquered the hill. We've got a mountain to climb [in...

WAGNER'S EAGER FOR AMAZIN' VISIT

On Monday, Billy Wagner will be in New York to check out the Mets and see the area. And the free- agent closer sounds as if he's eagerly awaiting the...

ROAD TRIPPED ; KNICKS FINISH TREK 2-4; MARBURY BENCHED

Nuggets 95Knicks 86 DENVER - At least it's over. The Knicks come home a team in turmoil, their rotation a wreck, their offensive sickly, their star player Stephon Marbury disgruntled...

DT ALLEN MAY GET TO START

GIANT NOTES With William Joseph out at least a month with a dislocated elbow, the Giants need a new starting defensive tackle and it just might be Kenderick Allen, a...

BROKEN WINGS - HOBBLED EAGLE OFFENSE LEAVES WESTBROOK AS GIANT FOCUS

It is a simple case of subtraction. Take Terrell Owens away from the receiving corps. Take Donovan McNabb away from the quarterback position. What remains? Brian Westbrook. That's about it...

HOUSTON PICKING UP TEMPO WITH JETS

Cedric Houston spent his senior year at Tennessee rushing for more than 1,000 yards and playing a key role in leading the Volunteers to a 10-3 record and a 38-7...

YOUNG 'CUSE COMES OF AGE

They came to Syracuse in the afterglow of Carmelo Anthony's national title and grew up there under the considerable wings of Hakim Warrick. They played in pressure games, Big East...

WEIRD BUT TRUE

A woman in Thibodaux, La., was enraged when she was served cold onion rings at a restaurant and the waiter wouldn't replace them. So she called 911. The cops responded...