July 11, 2009
NEW YORK CITY'S MIDDLE CLASS IS VOTING WITH THEIR FEET
New York City's 700,000 middle class families are being squeezed as never before, and they are leaving. Although their earnings are far higher than the US middle-class average, their cost...
Mexico coach Aguirre banned 3 games
First Mexico manager Javier Aguirre kicked an opponent. Now he got hit with a three-match suspension for his actions during Thursday night's Gold Cup Group C match against Panama. The...
THE VANISHING CLASS
America's middle class is disappearing. The very Americans the Obama administration is hoping will lift the economy out of recession are facing epic challenges.NEW YORK CITY'S MIDDLE CLASS IS VOTING...
FORMER BOXING CHAMPION ARTURO GATTI FOUND DEAD IN BRAZIL
Former boxing champion Arturo Gatti, one of the most exciting fighters of his generation, was found dead in a hotel room in the posh seaside resort of Porto de Galihnas...
'Frenchy' excited by trade
Here is video I shot this afternoon of newly acquired Mets right fielder Jeff Francoeur discussing the trade that brought him to New York and his feelings about playing for...
MAVERICKS RE-SIGN KIDD TO 3-YEAR DEAL
The Mavericks have re-signed Jason Kidd. The team announced that free agent point guard signed on Saturday, five days after owner Mark Cuban confirmed that Kidd was returning. Kidd agreed...
Francoeur welcomes fresh start
From MIKE PUMA Still taking it all in after a whirlwind 24 hours, newly acquired Mets right fielder Jeff Francoeur arrived at Citi Field this afternoon trying to get Georgia...
MILLION DOLLAR COUTURE BUST AT LINCOLN TUNNEL
A van stashed with several million dollars of high-end jewelry and designer handbags was stopped early this morning making a bee-line for a New Jersey flea market. Driver Lin Librao,...
Game 86: Reds at Mets
(UPDATED 6:25 P.M.) Coming off their third shutout loss in five games, the feeble Mets begin the Jeff Francoeur era tonight when Johan Santana takes the mound against the Reds...
Mets sign Berroa to minor deal
(UPDATED) The Mets today signed veteran infielder Angel Berroa and assigned him to Triple-A Buffalo. Berroa, the 2003 AL Rookie of the Year, had cleared waivers after being designated for...
MISSISSIPPI REMEMBERS STEVE MCNAIR AT FUNERAL
Titans quarterback Vince Young didn't expect to speak Saturday during his mentor's funeral. He wound up summing up the emotional day with just a few words. "Steve was like a...
MISSING MOM'S BODY FOUND AT 2 RECTOR ST.
A beefy Staten Island creep with a history of violence was closely watched by police yesterday after investigators found what they believe is the body of a missing cleaning woman...
BOY, 8, WATCHES GREAT-AUNT'S SHOOTING DEATH AT PLAYGROUND
A horrified 8-year-old boy was left splattered with his dying great-aunt's blood, after a stray bullet struck her as she watched him playing at a Brooklyn playground. Jesselle Page, 44,...
GAG THE INTERNET!
When it comes to the First Amendment, Team Obama believes in Global Chilling. Cass Sunstein, a Harvard Law professor who has been appointed to a shadowy post that will grant...
First-round pick signs
APFirst-round draft pick Jordan Hill has signed with the Knicks. He would earn about $4.3 million over two years under the rookie salary scale.Hill, a forward from Arizona, was the...
Coverage in The Post
Whatever excitement was generated by the Jeff Francoeur trade certainly didn't carry over to Friday night's game as the Mets were blanked for the third time in five games --...
East Cobb Baseball
MARIETTA, Ga. -- Down here at Perfect Game's 17U World Wood Bat Association 17U National ChampionshipThere are tons of scouts here, and 192 teams from around the country. It's the...
SWINDLER'S HARDER TIME
A Westchester federal judge says he may give hedge-fund swindler Samuel Israel III a prison sentence harsher than federal guidelines. Israel fled last year rather than report to prison in...
RUNWAY JAM DUE AT JFK
The busiest of Kennedy Airport's four runways will be closed for four months next year as part of a $204 million makeover, the Port Authority said yesterday. Airlines have been...
BLOOD AND GORED
PAMPLONA, Spain -- For a bull, this one was on the smallish side. And its name, Capuchino, sounded harmless enough, like coffee with frothy milk. But of the things that...
PRICE TOO STEEP FOR HALLADAY
ANAHEIM, Calif. -- From the moment Toronto general manager J.P. Ricciardi said he would entertain offers for Roy Halladay, the Yankees believed the price would be too steep for them...
METS WILLING TO WAIT ON MARTINEZ
Though Fernando Martinez has been considered a someday superstar, Mets fans cannot feel great about his performance as a rookie -- or about his ability to stay healthy for an...
ROTO FILES
THE rosters for Tuesday night's All-Star Game are just about set -- the over-under on last-minute sore hamstrings is two -- aligning the best in the sport and the Pirates'...
DECADE LATER, CONE RECALLS PERFECT GAME
THINK about it, how many times in life do you have the chance to have the perfect day? David Cone's opportunity came on July 18, 1999 in a stadium no...
HUGHES CHARTING FAMILIAR PATH TO PEN SUCCESS
In July 1996, the Yankees traded for David Weathers, who had been a starter and reliever with the Marlins. Weathers started four times for the Yankees and flopped ... then...
ED FOUNTAINE'S STAKES SPOT PLAYS
MAN O' WAR Belmont Park, 7th race. Grade 1. Purse: $500,000. Mile-and-three-eighths, turf, 3-year-olds and up. Post: 4:12 p.m. LOWDOWN: If pace makes this race, then California shipper Midships will...
SPEEDY MIDSHIPS ONE TO BEAT IN MAN O'WAR
The inclination when handicapping a turf race is to look for a powerful stretch runner, and there are several of them in today's Grade 1, $500,000 Man O'War at a...
GELDING 'PASSION' MAKING BIG STRIDES
CAN a horse with a 20-length lead on the field convert it into one of the most exciting races of the year? He certainly can if his name is Presious...
UFC CHAMP LESNAR VOWS PAYBACK VS. MIR
IF you listen to Brock Lesnar, it sounds like he could care less about all the pomp and circumstance surrounding tonight's UFC 100 (10:00 ET, PPV) at the Mandalay Bay...
DEVILS BRING IN DANIS
Nine days after they lost four of their own to unrestricted free agency, the Devils finally signed someone yesterday, former Islanders goalie Yann Danis. The 28-year-old is expected to compete...
WEIRD BUT TRUE
No one likes to be interrupted in the middle of doing her restroom business, but this lady has extra reason to be angry. Janifer Bliss was sitting in a stall...
THE RETURN OF THE RING
Donald Lisk lost his University of Buffalo class ring on an upstate outing after graduating in 1952. It wasn't the $20 price tag that mattered most to Lisk but the...
ECO TRASH TRUCKS GET TEST DRIVE
ALLENTOWN, Pa. -- Mack Trucks is in a trial run to supply new diesel-electric hybrid garbage trucks to New York City with a major contract at stake for the eastern...
GRISLY 'DEPARTED'
BOSTON -- A New England mobster yesterday said he watched as his girlfriend was strangled by his homicidal boss, James "Whitey" Bulger -- and then he helped Bulger pull her...
STRAY SHOTS KILL 1, HURT 1
Stray gunfire claimed the life of one innocent woman and injured another in separate incidents in Brooklyn yesterday. Jesselle Page, 43, was hit by a slug from a gun battle...
SPREADING THE FAMILY GOSPEL
The son of the late gospel singer Timothy Wright will be installed as pastor of his father's Brooklyn church. A family spokesman says 30-year-old David Wright will become leader of...
UPPER E. SIDE GAY-BASH BUST
A man has been arrested in connection with three gay-bias attacks on the Upper East Side, cops said yesterday. Driton Nicaj, 19, was busted Thursday night and charged with robbery...
KISSEL-SLAY PLEA
One of the two men charged in the 2006 slaying of a wealthy Greenwich, Conn., developer pleaded guilty yesterday to reduced charges of conspiracy to commit murder and manslaughter. Leonard...
'VANISH' MYSTERY DEEPENS
A mother of three who vanished from a lower Manhattan office building called a co-worker to say she had been mysteriously ordered off her normal rounds to work on a...
IT'S A JACKO ABRACADAVER
It's a crypt cover-up! Cemetery officials yesterday tried to remove all identifying signs from the crypt where Michael Jackson's body has temporarily been stashed after The Post solved the mystery...
NYPD DAILY BLOTTER
Manhattan Two vicious thieves were busted on the Lower East Side after slamming a stranger's head into the pavement and swiping his cellphone, authorities said yesterday. Mark Cruz, 21, and...
PARIS COMES A-COURTING
MIAMI -- Paris Hilton repeatedly fussed with her hair and makeup in a federal courtroom yesterday, sported 6-inch stiletto heels and a black dress and amused the judge with a...
BLOOMBERG $$ BLOWOUT
Mayor Bloomberg has burned through $36.6 million in his campaign for a third term, a spending pace so torrid that one political analyst said yesterday there's little doubt he'll shatter...
SURVIVOR SUES IMETTE SLAYER
Darryl Littlejohn's commissary account may soon get smaller. Imette St. Guillen's killer is being sued by an earlier victim, a college student who escaped by jumping from a speeding van....
BLAZE WRINGS THROGS NECK
An early-morning fire shut down the Throgs Neck Bridge for several hours yesterday, snarling traffic for most of the day on other spans between Queens and The Bronx, as well...
$$ LOSS ADDS TO HORROR FOR FIRE HOSTAGE
She survived 12 terrifying hours as a hostage in a Connecticut house of horrors -- and now she has to pay for it. Exhausted kidnap survivor Nancy Tyler yesterday was...
GOV: DIRTY DEALIN' POLS WALKIN' CROOKED LINE
Gov. Paterson said last night that lawmakers' wheeling and dealing "borders on the boundaries of illegality" -- and revealed that one legislator even tried to shake him down. In an...
MAMMOTH 'HOME'R
Instead of swinging for the fences, Yankee captain Derek Jeter is erecting a really tall, secure one around an enormous multimillion-dollar mansion he's building in Florida -- and some neighbors...
MIKE'S 205G AGENCY HEADS
The salaries of top city commissioners are going up from $189,700 to $205,179, thanks to 8 percent salary hikes Mayor Bloomberg finally granted yesterday to managers. The cost was put...
A GREAT GAL FROM TOP TO BOTTOM
Before her backside became world famous, Mayara Tavares thought she was going to put a face on the cause of children's rights. The 17-year-old student from the outskirts of Rio...
DEMS VOW MAYORAL-CONTROL VOTE
Senate Democratic leaders promised Mayor Bloomberg they will vote next week to extend his authority to run city schools, lawmakers said yesterday. The mayoral school-control legislation that the state Assembly...
QB KILLER BARED TORMENT AT RESTAURANT
Steve McNair's mistress spilled her guts about the doomed relationship to a complete stranger just days before cops said she bought a gun and shot the gridiron great, according to...
HAMMER SWINGER NAILED
A bodega owner who shattered the skull of a 14-year-old boy who he thought was trying to rob him was sentenced to five years in prison yesterday. Salah Ahmed, 36,...
PASS FOR HS HOOP 'GROPER'
He's as good at dodging attention as he is evading defenders on the basketball court. High-school hoops star Lance Stephenson was able to wash his hands of a sex-assault rap...
BAM'S NEW HEAVENLY VIEW
Forgive me, Father, for I have sinned. President Obama had his first audience with the pope yesterday -- one day after he got caught up in an international "tail"-gate incident...
CRYING CAPO GETS 10 YRS.
A weeping Colombo capo needed a stack of tissues to get through the sob story he unleashed on a judge yesterday in a blubbering bid to stave off a stiff...
PARK BIGS GET THEIR 'WINGS'
The Parks Department said yesterday that it had reclaimed a pair of bald-eagle statues that were stolen by a drug peddler from a Central Park monument in 1976, then sold...
BATTY BLOGGER BUSTED IN THREAT ON CYNICAL-VID POL
A nutjob who claims Ronald Reagan is the Antichrist was busted yesterday in New York for allegedly threatening Rep. Peter King over his anti-Michael Jackson video. Former mental patient Gregory...
'DEUTSCHE' SLAP AT BLDGS. BIGS
Two top Buildings Department bosses received wrist slaps for lapses that led to the blaze at the former Deutsche Bank building that killed two firefighters, officials said yesterday. Thomas Connors...
14 YRS. FOR 'CONTEMPT'
He should have shown them the money. A Pennsylvania attorney was released from prison yesterday after spending 14 years in the clink on a contempt-of-court citation -- the longest such...
ASTRO-NUTTY NUPS
A couple at the center of a kidnapping plot by a love-sick astronaut is getting hitched, their attorney said yesterday. Colleen Shipman plans to tie the knot with former shuttle...
OBAMA TO SEE TRAGIC SLAVE SITE
WASHINGTON -- President Obama today will tour a stone building that was once a hub in the transatlantic slave trade as he makes his first presidential visit to Africa. The...
IRAN ARRESTS AMERICAN
TEHRAN -- A Columbia University-trained Iranian-American scholar living in Tehran who spent years teaching in New York was arrested by Iranian authorities, his family said. A relative says security forces...
$14.6M 'BERNIE' BONUS
A Big Apple law firm working with a court-appointed trustee in the $65 billion Bernard Madoff Ponzi case has racked up more than $14.6 million in legal fees. Bankruptcy Court...
PA'S $1B CAN'T BREAK SILVERSTEIN WTC IMPASSE
The Port Authority's bid to put up more than $1 billion to back the construction of an office tower at Ground Zero doesn't appear to have gone far enough to...
JUST A SUPER-ZERO
This Superman was no match for the NYPD. "You might be Superman, but a police officer is tougher!" a cop taunted make-believe "Man of Steel" Maksim Katsnelson, 23, of The...
A NO-NO FOR GIANTS' SANCHEZ
SAN FRANCISCO -- Jonathan Sanchez, an unlikely candidate, pitched the majors' first no-hitter this season last night, dominating the Padres with an array of pitches in the Giants' 8-0 victory....
LIBERTY FACE DREAM
A year ago, the Liberty would have looked forward to a matchup with the Atlanta Dream. The expansion Dream lost their first 17 games in their inaugural season, en route...
HILL FOLLOWS KIDD IN JILTING KNICKS
LAS VEGAS -- The Knicks have proven one thing this month: Players are good at using them as bargaining pawns. Knicks president Donnie Walsh heads here this morning for an...
TAVARES: ISLE PROVE MYSELF
As long as John Tavares didn't step onto the ice yesterday with his skate laces tied together, he was likely to impress in his first day as an Islander. With...
FRANK SEES POSITIVES IN SUMMER START
A simple question brought a brutally honest answer from Nets coach Lawrence Frank: What did you see in summer league this week? "A lot of bad basketball." If you've watched...
MICKELSON TO SKIP BRITISH OPEN
Phil Mickelson will skip the British Open so he can be with his wife as she starts her recovery from breast cancer, ending the longest active streak of majors played...
SABATHIA: NO L.A. REGRETS
ANAHEIM, Calif. -- The Angels' offer was sincere. And California is CC Sabathia's home. Nevertheless, he picked the Yankees. BOX SCORENO BONUS FOR ALL-STARSOLD-TIMERS' DAY ATTENDEES "It was serious," Sabathia...
PAGAN GOES 0-FOR-4 IN RETURN
Overshadowed amid the Mets' acquisition of Jeff Francoeur from the Braves for Ryan Church yesterday was the return of Angel Pagan from the disabled list after a nearly six-week absence...
CRISTIE LEADS BY ONE
BETHLEHEM, Pa. -- Cristie Kerr knows the emotion of winning a U.S. Women's Open, and she wants to experience it again -- preferably this week. Two years after winning the...
OMAR DEALS CHURCH TO RIVAL BRAVES FOR FRANCOEUR
Life exists in the Mets' front office, a more startling potential discovery than green men on Mars. The fact general manager Omar Minaya has a pulse became evident around 6...
HONDO BIG ON 'DORF
The Pale Hose provided no support for Hondo last night, falling in Minnesota to slice the wad to 275 had dixes. Tonight, at his convenience (it is 7/11 after all),...
SERENA REIGNS IN NEW YORK CAMEO
Serena Williams won her 11th Grand Slam last weekend at Wimbledon, and next month she will head to the U.S. Open in Flushing looking to make it a dozen. But...
CONTADOR GETS BEST OF LANCE
ARCALIS, Andorra -- In the Tour de France duel between teammates Lance Armstrong and Alberto Contador, the first big mountain stage went to the Spaniard. Contador, the 2007 winner, unleashed...
MINAYA'S SWAP IS BETTER THAN DOIN' NOTHING
IT wasn't nearly as good as get ting Roy Halladay, but the trade for Jeff Francoeur beats general manager Omar Minaya sitting around waiting for Jose Reyes, Carlos Beltran, Carlos...
NEW TEAMMATES FRANC-LY THRILLED
The scouting report on Jeff Francoeur: High energy, aggressive hitter, great teammate. Those were some of the words used about Francoeur inside the Mets clubhouse last night after general manager...
U.S. IN 0-2 HOLE TO CROATIA IN DAVIS CUP QUARTERS
POREC, Croatia -- Marin Cilic outlasted Mardy Fish in five sets to give Croatia a 2-0 lead over the United States after the opening singles of their Davis Cup quarterfinal...
SPORTS SHORTS
SPORTS SHORTSMLB: Sawx, Lester win pitchers' duel In Boston, Dustin Pedroia doubled in a run in the eighth inning, Jon Lester outdueled Brian Bannister and the Red Sox beat the...
METS FACES RED AFTER BEATING BY CINCINNATI
The Mets toasted Omar Minaya's self-described "shake-up move" last night by getting in one more stinker before Jeff Francoeur's arrival. METS BLOGBOX SCOREPEDRO THROWS FOR PHILLIES$350,000 IN ALL-STAR BONUSES Minaya's...
JOBA, PEN ROCKED BY ANGELS
ANAHEIM -- The Yankees played like anything but a first place team last night in a building that is clearly a House of Horrors for them.BOX SCORENO BONUS FOR ALL-STARSOLD-TIMERS'...
ASIAN-AMERICAN COMICS DRAW ATTENTION
IF you think ComiCon is cool, imagine sitting in a classroom with the creators of your favorite comics and talking to them one-on-one. That's what will be happening at the...
RETURN TO RADIO DAYS
AS a medium, radio means as much to the i-Everything generation as telegrams. That's why it takes an unconventional -- if not somewhat sentimental -- ensemble to pull together what...
SHAKE IT!
IT'S party time, people. And nothing will put you at the center of attention faster than some booze, some ice and a blender -- especially if you happen to be...
POTTS PUTS FANS FIRST
PAUL Potts is the Cinderfella of popera. The 38-year-old used to perform weekend gigs as a wedding singer -- until he wowed the UK with his skills as a tenor...
NATURAL HIPSTORY
WHERE do New Yorkers go when they want to dance to hot deejays, swing to live jazz and sip wine under the summer sun? A museum, of course. Save the...
GABBA GABBA DO!
YOU probably know DJ Lance Rock as the disco-dancing, fuzzy hat-wearing host of TV's "Yo Gabba Gabba!" In Nickelodeon's live-action/animated kids show -- some parents' guilty pleasure -- DJ Lance,...
WHAT'S UP?
Today BIG IN BROOKLYN: They Might Be Giants, but they will headline Celebrate Brooklyn's annual Ezra Jack Keats family concert. Not only will the Grammy-winning band play a full-length set,...
THE HARRY BANDS
LEAVE it to Harry Potter fans to have fans of their own. Among the millions awaiting Wednesday's opening of "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" are Potter fanatics who make...
RYAN 'IDOL' DEAL
'AMERICAN Idol" host Ryan Seacrest is put ting the finishing touches on a contract extension with "Idol" co-producer 19 Entertainment to continue to host TV's top-rated show. The deal, believed...
CALL 'EM THE NICK 'BEATS'
NICKELODEON is hoping its new series, "The Fresh Beat Band," will be its next "Yo Gabba Gabba!" Kids will get a preview of the preschool series, which centers around four...
BULLSEYE
IF you're in the mood for some mindless summer entertain ment -- with a touch of charm -- "The Gambler, The Girl and The Gunslinger" will be right up your...
A COLLECTIVE SHRUG
THE financial system col lapsed. Housing prices cra tered. Unemployment is at a record high for the last quarter-century. The Democratic president has a solidly positive job rating. Yet we...
FACEBOOK SUED BY POWER.COM
In a counter-punch to the world's biggest online hangout, a small Web company called Power.com has sued Facebook, saying it doesn't follow its own policy of giving users control over...
KING VERSUS KING: POL'S JACKSON VIDEO BASH
I fully agree with Rep. Peter King's comments about Michael Jackson ("NY Rep: Michael Jackson Was a Pervert," July 6). Why should Jackson be front-page news nausea for two weeks?...
DEMAND FOR AIG PAYBACK
American International Group, the insurer bailed out by the federal government, should pay back its loans from the US before giving bonuses to executives, Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.) said. It...
DEMS ITCHING TO DIG DEBT DEEPER
LET there be no doubt: Democrats are the party with two ideas: borrow and spend. The only vigorous internal debate on the left revolves around two questions: How much and...
COPPING TO THE POPPY CROP FLOP
'THE farmers are not our enemy," the State Depart ment's Richard Holbrooke recently declared, referring to Afghans who grow opium poppies. Since the US government is officially determined to wipe...
HIJACKING HIGH OFFICE
A VACANCY in the office of New York governor has been filled by the lieutenant governor just nine times -- once as a result of death, once of impeachment and...
JOBS EYES HOUSE SPLIT
Apple boss Steve Jobs has proposed to relocate "components" of his historic mansion in Woodside, Calif., to fend off preservationists opposed to his plan to replace it with a modern...
CIT FALTERS ON CREDIT FEARS
CIT Group's bonds and stock tumbled on concern that the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. won't give the commercial lender access to its Temporary Liquidity Guarantee Program. The FDIC, which has...
US-OWNED GM ROLLS OFF THE LOT
General Motors, a new automaker majority-owned by the US government, is eliminating layers of management to speed up decisions as it emerges from the remains of bankrupt General Motors Corp....
BUSINESS BRIEFS
Oil falls Crude futures ex tended their decline as a leading forecaster main tained its dismal outlook for 2009 oil demand. Light, sweet crude for August delivery traded 79 cents,...
THEY'RE IN THE MONEY
Hedge fund titans like Steve Cohen could soon be partying like it's 1999. That's because for the first six months of 2009, hedge funds overall turned in their best performance...
CHUCK'S WISE AWAKENING
Add Sen. Chuck Schumer to the list of Democrats who now seem to under stand that clearing the primary field for unelected Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand is a slap in the...
BAM'S BUCKEYE SURPRISE
Could President Obama finally be pay ing a political price for his high spending and haphazard agenda? A Quinnipiac University poll of the important swing state of Ohio shows Obama's...
THE SENATE'S DUTY
Does the end of the Senate stalemate in Albany mean the impending restora tion of Mayor Bloomberg's authority to govern city schools? Senators on both sides of the debate said...
KELLWOOD'S FUTURE HANGING BY A THREAD
Struggling apparel maker Kell- wood is facing a possible bankruptcy filing as it has recently failed in efforts to refinance its debt, sources said. The St. Louis-based clothing manufacturer --...
DEADLINE PASSES FOR DELPHI OFFERS
Delphi Corp. said no companies offered to top the US auto-parts supplier's government-orchestrated deal with buyout firm Platinum Equity by yesterday's deadline, though lender JPMorgan Chase may make a credit...
BILL FLOOD-GATES
Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates managed to corner the market on desktop computers -- and now the billionaire philanthropist is hoping to rein in Mother Nature. Gates is among a group...
Knicks at 125-1
Starting in Las Vegas summer league, you can follow me with updates on Twitter.By MARC BERMANLAS VEGAS - Here in Sin City, the Knicks have gathered for the Las Vegas...
Altidore, Duka, Krupnik and transfer talk
All sorts of transfer tidbits for ya.According to Goal.com's Greek edition, U.S. National Team striker Jozy Altidore is going on loan to Greek Super League champs Olympiakos. The 19-year-old New...