February 25, 2006
APOLLO'S CO-FOUNDER GROSS QUITS
February 25, 2006 | 5:00amThe co-founder of mega-buyout firm Apollo Management resigned yesterday to open his own investment shop amid a booming market for private equity and hedge funds. Michael Gross, who helped create...
TURNER STEPS DOWN FROM TW BOARD
February 25, 2006 | 5:00amTed Turner, the eccentric founder of CNN who in recent years frequently groused in public about his displeasure with Time Warner's direction, finally resigned from the media giant's board of...
OIL UP, MARTS BOUNCE BACK
February 25, 2006 | 5:00amWall Street is showing its relief following an oil doomsday scenario attempted by suicide bombers at Saudi Arabia's most important oil center. The brazen but failed attack by two carloads...
PRIME TIME - PRICES ROCKET AS NEW NEIGHBORHOOD SOARS ABOVE COLUMBUS CIRCLE
February 25, 2006 | 5:00amCOLUMBUS - NEW WORLD; NEW BUILDINGS TURN UP THE HEAT AROUND TIME WARNER CENTER ONE of Manhattan's hottest neighborhoods is in such a state of flux that it doesn't even...
HOME SHOPPING CLUB - ALL THE TRIMMINGS...
February 25, 2006 | 5:00amOrchid Mania at Shop in the Garden The New York Botanical Garden, Bronx River Parkway at Fordham Road, The Bronx (718) 817-8700 Sale: through April 2 Open: Tues.-Sun., 10 a.m.-6...
NYC ERUPTS - SCI FI'S 'VOLCANO' HITS THE BIG APPLE
February 25, 2006 | 5:00am"Disaster Zone: Volcano In New York" Tonight at 9 on SCI FI (four bombs) GOD bless the SCI FI Channel. They are the only ones left with the good sense...
NBC SKATES TO POST-'IDOL' WIN
February 25, 2006 | 5:00amNBC's Olympics telecast finally got good ratings Thursday - but only after the first major elimination episode of the new "American Idol" season had ended. About 24.5 million viewers tuned...
DON'T GIVE IT A SPIN
February 25, 2006 | 5:00amDOOGAL* (one star) Strictly for undemanding tots.Running time: 80 minutes. Rated G (flatulence jokes). At the E-Walk, the Union Square, the Coliseum, others. 'DOOGAL" is an exceeding lame animated feature...
RAVING MADEA SIMPLY BORING
February 25, 2006 | 5:00amMADEA'S FAMILY REUNION * ½ (one and a half stars) Big Momma with a message.Running time: 107 minutes. Rated PG-13 (mature themes, sex and drug references, domestic abuse, mild profanity)....
FBI AGENT IN B'KLYN SHOOTING
February 25, 2006 | 5:00amAn FBI agent on a stake-out in Brooklyn got caught up in a blazing gun battle yesterday, after some random thugs started firing weapons near his location, police sources said....
RATNER IN FULL-COURT $$ PRESS
February 25, 2006 | 5:00amTime is money - and court delays to a planned NBA arena in Brooklyn are costing developer Bruce Ratner a small fortune, project executives say in affidavits. The state and...
45-DAY $$ PUNCH ON ACTIVIST COP
February 25, 2006 | 5:00amPolice Capt. Eric Adams should lose 45 days' pay for making "reckless" charges that "risked panic and hysteria" during last fall's subway terror alert, the NYPD said at his departmental...
GOV'S SOLID PROGRESS
February 25, 2006 | 5:00amALBANY - Gov. Pataki has begun resuming a normal diet after more than a week of intestinal problems resulting from two recent emergency surgeries, an aide said yesterday. Pataki was...
QAEDA CLAIM: WE 'INFILTRATED' UAE GOV'T
February 25, 2006 | 5:00amWASHINGTON - Al Qaeda warned the government of the United Arab Emirates more than three years ago that it "infiltrated" key government agencies, according to a disturbing document released by...
NYPD DAILY BLOTTER
February 25, 2006 | 5:00amTHE BRONX *** Police are asking for the public's assistance in identifying and locating two heartless thieves who posed as prospective home buyers to rob and beat an elderly Allerton...
HEDGE BETS ON STAR SUIT; WANTS FUND REPAYED
February 25, 2006 | 5:00amSerendipity for actor John Cusack was anything but for his partners in a mismanaged hedge fund, court papers charge. The "Sure Thing" star was overpaid $166,123 for his investment in...
4 MURDERED BY TORCHER FIEND - ARSONIST EYED IN FATAL B'KLYN BLAZE AND 2 OTHER INFERNOS
February 25, 2006 | 5:00amAuthorities fear a deadly firebug is on the loose in Brooklyn after two women and two children were killed in a fast-moving arson blaze that ripped through their apartment building...
WHACKER OUT OF HIS TREE
February 25, 2006 | 5:00am"All trees and nests must die and be controlled!" That's what a kooky shrub-drubber said when cops grilled him on some $24,000 in damage he allegedly caused by breaking tree...
GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY ; TURIN COULD PREPARE HENRIK FOR CUP
February 25, 2006 | 5:00amYou have to wonder what it's like to be Henrik Lundqvist right now. In the past five months, he's led the Rangers from the doldrums of ineptitude to the top...
INJURY ENDS CAREER OF ISLANDERS' COLLEY
February 25, 2006 | 5:00amThe broken neck that the Islanders' Kevin Colley suffered last month will end his career, he said yesterday. "I can't play competitive hockey anymore, so it's really tough," Colley said....
BRONX TOT 'LEFT TO DROWN'
February 25, 2006 | 5:00amA 3-year old boy drowned, apparently while left unattended in the bathtub of his Mott Haven home, police said. Jisiah Pickney was found by his mother inside their East 138th...
SLAIN DUO HAD COME IN PEACE
February 25, 2006 | 5:00amThe two men slain in a Crown Heights noise dispute had sought out their attacker in an attempt to make the peace, relatives said yesterday. Eikeem Brown, 19, and Andrew...
TO THE BIG HOUSE; STATEN I. MANSE 'MOBSTER' JAILED FOR TAX SCHEME
February 25, 2006 | 5:00amA reputed Gambino associate who has poured concrete for some of Manhattan's swankiest residences was sent to jail yesterday for hiding nearly $5 million in profits from the tax man...
BODY OF EVIDENCE IGNORED; FDA ORGAN 'FAILURE'
February 25, 2006 | 5:00amFor nearly a year after cops began probing a body-parts snatching ring, patients who received the illicitly harvested organs were unaware of the danger lurking in their bodies - and...
DUO GUILTY IN BEATING OF OFFICER
February 25, 2006 | 5:00amA Manhattan courtroom erupted into sobs and curses yesterday as two young thugs were convicted in the brutal, brain-damaging beating of an off-duty Upper East Side detective. The detective, Herbert...
4 MURDERED BY TORCHER FIEND - MOM DIES TRYING TO SAVE KIDS AS SERIAL ARSONIST EYED
February 25, 2006 | 5:00amA Brooklyn mom screamed "I gotta go get my kids" before desperately running into a ferocious arson blaze early yesterday that killed the woman, her two children and another female...
FIANCÉE DIES IN SUV RESERVOIR PLUNGE
February 25, 2006 | 5:00amA Morgan Stanley associate was killed early yesterday when her fiancé lost control of a Ford Explorer and it plunged off the Sprain Brook Parkway in Yonkers into a frigid...
ROTTEN KIDS' 'LYNCH' GAG
February 25, 2006 | 5:00amThree students at a Long Island high school were arrested after taunting African-American classmates by lynching a black doll on the day Coretta Scott King died, police said. The trio...
$4M 'PUSHER' SMACKDOWN
February 25, 2006 | 5:00amA "career criminal" was nabbed carrying a bag stuffed with $4 million worth of heroin in a Bronx parking lot yesterday, police said. Allegedly a high-level drug dealer, Elisael Sanchez...
HOW FBI TAPPED LOVE LINE
February 25, 2006 | 5:00amWORD that John Gotti allegedly fathered an ille gitimate daugh ter with a jailed wiseguy's beautiful wife apparently came straight from the Dapper Don himself in the 1980s, when state...
AMERICANS UNLOAD ON DUBAI PORT DEAL
February 25, 2006 | 5:00amWASHINGTON - An overwhelming majority of Americans are dead-set against handing over New York's port and five other major harbors to a company owned by the United Arab Emirates, a...
ANTHRAX MAN'S TRAGIC SLUMP; BLOOMBERG ASKS PRAYERS FOR STRICKEN W. VILLAGE DANCER
February 25, 2006 | 5:00amAnthrax victim Vado Diomande took a turn for the worse yesterday and was reported in serious condition with difficulty breathing as Mayor Bloomberg urged New Yorkers to say a prayer...
CROW'S CANCER; SINGER HAS BREAST OP, BUT OUTLOOK GOOD
February 25, 2006 | 5:00amSheryl Crow shocked fans yesterday when she revealed she underwent surgery for breast cancer last week - less than a month after calling off her engagement with cycling champion Lance...
PARTY A HELL OF A BASH
February 25, 2006 | 5:00amTwo Long Island teenagers were charged with burglary yesterday in connection with a wild "Animal House" party where as many as 30 drunken revelers trashed a friend's home in Merrick...
FIANCÉE IN AUTO TRAGEDY - RESERVOIR PLUNGE
February 25, 2006 | 5:00amA Morgan Stanley associate was killed early yesterday when her fiancé lost control of a Ford Explorer and it plunged off the Sprain Brook Parkway in Yonkers into the frigid...
CELEB HEDGE TRIM$ - SUED TO REPAY FUND
February 25, 2006 | 5:00amSerendipity for actor John Cusack was anything but for his partners in a mismanaged hedge fund, court papers charge. The "Sure Thing" star was overpaid $166,123 for his investment in...
ORGAN 'FAILURE' - FDA SLOW TO HALT ON 'STOLEN PARTS' OPS
February 25, 2006 | 5:00amFor nearly a year after cops began probing a body-parts snatching ring, patients who received the illicitly harvested organs were unaware of the danger lurking in their bodies - and...
PARTY SMASHERS - TEENS TOTAL L.I. HOME IN BOOZY BASH: COPS
February 25, 2006 | 5:00amTwo Long Island teenagers were charged with burglary yesterday in connection with a wild "Animal House" party at which as many as 30 drunken revelers trashed a friend's home in...
DAPPER DON JUAN'S DOUBLE LIFE EXPOSED AS PAPA TO 2 OTHER 'GOTTIS'
February 25, 2006 | 5:00amThe late Gambino boss John "Dapper Don" Gotti led a stunning secret life - fathering a pair of illegitimate daughters with two different girlfriends, according to sources and bombshell testimony...
KRSTIC HAS A TASTE OF PERFECTION
February 25, 2006 | 5:00amNET NOTES When Nenad Krstic fouled out with less than a minute left last night, he went to the Nets' bench unaware he had not missed a shot from the...
NO FRAN-FARE IN GARDEN - NETS KNOCK OFF KNICKS IN STEVIE'S DEBUT
February 25, 2006 | 5:00amNETS 94 KNICKS 90 The Knicks' Steve Francis Era began with a horrifying 20-4 deficit, more Garden boos and another uncompetitive outing. By the fourth quarter, there was more boredom...
CHAD'S SILVER LINING
February 25, 2006 | 5:00amTURIN, Italy - Chad Hedrick completed his Olympics medal set with silver in the 10,000 meters yesterday. The Texan managed gold, silver and bronze here, the only American with three...
FIRST MEDAL FOR U.S. CURLING
February 25, 2006 | 5:00amOLYMPIC NOTEBOOK TURIN, Italy - The U.S. men's curling team gained a measure of credibility here yesterday, winning the United States' first Olympic curling medal, a bronze. In the final...
MANCUSO GETS GOLD
February 25, 2006 | 5:00amTURIN, Italy - The U.S. ski team's woes got a little lighter yesterday when Julia Mancuso stunned the field to win the gold medal in giant slalom. The 21-year-old Californian...
LONGSHOTS PREVAIL IN PICK 6
February 25, 2006 | 5:00amA parade of longshots took first four legs of Pick 6 (Toot Ta Roo, $74.50; Dr. Isom, $54.50; Star Halo, $24; Sydsational, $96.50), resulting in unusual consolation payout to tickets...
TODAY'S RACE BODE'S LAST CHANCE
February 25, 2006 | 5:00amTURIN, Italy - Bode Miller probably has his RV gassed up and ready to pull out of Italy after today's slalom race. It is Miller's last race here of what...
PAST WON'T SOUR NETS ON THOMAS
February 25, 2006 | 5:00amNET NOTES The Nets might need to mend fences fast if they end up with Bulls forward Tim Thomas. "I don't foresee it being a problem. I try to be...
FLIP IT GOOD SHEFF GOES FROM SNARLING TO DARLING WITHIN HOURS
February 25, 2006 | 5:00amTAMPA - Gary Sheffield entered like a young and angry Mike Tyson. He left sounding like Michael Bolton. In between, Sheffield railed at the media, George Steinbrenner and Brian Cashman,...
NO TELLING HOW GARY FEELS NOW
February 25, 2006 | 5:00amTAMPA - This column comes with a dateline, so you know where it was written. But it is more necessary to know the timeline: I began writing at 3:50 p.m....
FINLAND IN FINAL
February 25, 2006 | 5:00amMEN'S ICE HOCKEY Finland 4Russia 0 TURIN, Italy - The fast and high-powered Russians spent their Olympic semifinal game with Finland in a small sauna and wilted in the heat....
HENRIK THE GREAT ; LUNDQVIST LEADS SWEDES TO GOLD-MEDAL GAME
February 25, 2006 | 5:00amMEN'S ICE HOCKEYSweden 7Czech Republic 3 TURIN, Italy - It's been 12 years that seem like 1,200 for Henrik Lundqvist's other team, too. When the Rangers last won one of...
THE CHANGING OF THE GUARDS ; ROBINSON'S ODD MAN OUT IN NEW LINEUP
February 25, 2006 | 5:00amOne of the weirdest complaints with the Knicks' trade for Steve Francis has been the concern over rookie guard Nate Robinson's role. The answer? Why should you care? The Knicks...
HAIL TO VICTOR ; 'LOOSER' ZAMBRANO HAS METS HOPEFUL
February 25, 2006 | 5:00amPORT ST. LUCIE - It's age before beauty in the Mets' rotation (oh, how we can imagine Pedro Martinez howling in protest at that description), which might go a long...
BROWN KNOWS KNICK NEEDS BEST
February 25, 2006 | 5:00amTHIS is the kind of bizarro world the Knicks live in now. The cornerstone player, who has never won a playoff series as a pro, who hasn't won much of...
CHAD, JETS TO HUDDLE
February 25, 2006 | 5:00amToday is D-Day for Chad Pennington and the Jets. The long-awaited staredown between the new, cash-strapped Jet regime and representatives for the shoulder-strapped franchise quarterback unfolds today at the NFL...
HAMMY KEEPS JAMES ON SHELF
February 25, 2006 | 5:00amKNICK NOTES Jerome James said this week Knicks president Isiah Thomas would've been wasting his time had he brought shot-blocking center Theo Ratliff over from Portland. But now, James will...
JEROME SORE . . . AND SOUR
February 25, 2006 | 5:00amKNICK NOTES Jerome James said this week Knicks president Isiah Thomas would have been wasting his time had he brought shot-blocking center Theo Ratliff over from Portland. But now, James...
BROWN BATTLES BIZARRO WORLD
February 25, 2006 | 5:00amTHIS is the challenge that faces Larry Brown now, in this fresh new segment of the darkest chapter of his coaching life. Everything in his being, everything in his nature,...
NO FRAN-FARE IN GARDEN; NETS KNOCK OFF KNICKS IN STEVIE'S DEBUT
February 25, 2006 | 5:00amNets 94Knicks 90 The Steve Francis Era began with a 20-4 deficit and more Garden boos. And then, ultimately, there was only fourth-quarter boredom last night as the Nets battered...
HAMPTON HELPS ROYALS HOLD ON
February 25, 2006 | 5:00amCTK 67 Holy Cross 61 Rob Hampton tried for years to get his mother's permission to play football, but she would never relent. "It was always a battle," the Chris...
SMALL STEP FOR TANYON
February 25, 2006 | 5:00amYANKEE NOTES TAMPA - Step 2 was better than Step 1 for Tanyon Sturtze yesterday at Legends Field. The veteran right-hander, whom Joe Torre is relying on to team with...
PEDRO TAKES PERSONAL DAY
February 25, 2006 | 5:00amMET NOTES PORT ST. LUCIE - It went from All Pedro All The Time to No Pedro At All at Met camp, when the team announced yesterday that Pedro Martinez...
WEIRD BUT TRUE
February 25, 2006 | 5:00amTalk about mixed metaphors! Those old standards - as white as freshly fallen snow, as brown as chocolate - no longer apply in Colorado. The snow that's been falling there...