July 24, 2009
Red Bulls try to snap skid in Colorado
Follow the Post's soccer coverage on Twitter!The Red Bulls haven't won in well over two months, a dozen-game winless streak _ 11 in MLS. And if they're going to snap...
METS' MAINE SEEKS SECOND OPINION
HOUSTON -- John Maine's season -- indeed, his future as a Met -- is getting ever more dim. The Mets don't appear to be optimistic after confirming that the right-hander...
U.S. consistency>Mexico's chaos
Follow the Post's soccer coverage on Twitter!The U.S. and Mexico shared a charter to New York for the Gold Cup final, and Sunday the region's bitterest rivals will share the...
WANG LOOKS DONE FOR SEASON
Chien-Ming Wang is awaiting a second opinion on his injured right throwing shoulder, and Joe Girardi didn't sound optimistic about getting the sinkerballer back this season. Wang went on the...
BROOKLYN WOMAN VIES FOR FILTHIEST APARTMENT
She might be the Pig Pen of Brooklyn, but a Crown Heights woman failed to claim the prize for the country's worst pig sty. Lisa Henderson was edged out last...
FEW CLUES IN FLATLANDS MAN'S DEATH
Police are looking under every rock for clues that will lead them to the person who shot a 36-year-old Flatlands man dead in his Land Rover last week. Louis Burch...
TEMPERS FLARE IN CB 1
It's a war of words in Williamsburg. Community Board 1 leaders are taking issue with a St. Nicholas NPC staff member, who criticized the board earlier this month for its...
VITO LOPEZ HOSTS SENIORS FOR LONG ISLAND FUN
The rain may have ended the festivities a bit early, but it did little to dampen the spirits of over 4,000 Brooklyn seniors and 350 volunteers at the 37th Annual...
OFFICIALS SAY CRAIGSLIST IS STILL SELLING SEX
Two months after Craigslist promised to rid itself of advertisements placed by prostitutes, law enforcement officials say the classified ad site is still in the business of selling sex. From...
SENATE, BLOOMBERG REACH DEAL ON MAYORAL CONTROL OF SCHOOLS
The state Senate majority conference reached an agreement on school governance with Mayor Michael Bloomberg Friday, and lawmakers said the bill they are expected to vote on and pass will...
OUSTED HONDURAN LEADER STEPS BRIEFLY INTO HOMELAND
Ousted President Manuel Zelaya took a symbolic step into his homeland Friday, vowing to reclaim his post a month after soldiers flew him into exile. But he stayed only briefly...
NYC May Lose Half of 'Wives'
First it was Bethenny, and now Jill and LuAnn may be out Bravo's door. "The Real Housewives of New York City" may need to cast three new wives if reports...
PUJOLS, LA RUSSA, BORAS WINNERS IN HOLLIDAY TRADE
Quick analysis of 3 winners from Matt Holliday trade to Cardinals:1. Albert Pujols. Holliday moved from New York to Philly quickly enough to be the cleanup hitter tonight behind Pujols....
'DANCING' DUO TO 'BURN' UP B'WAY
NEW YORK -- Karina Smirnoff and Maksim Chmerkovskiy have no time to think about their wedding. They're too busy burning up the dance floor. The professional dancers - best known...
Game 95: Mets at Astros
HOUSTON -- Johan Santana will go for his 12th win of the season here tonight when the Mets take on the Astros in the opener of a three-game series at...
Ian Kennedy making progress
APTAMPA, Fla. -- Ian Kennedy hopes to pitch in a minor league game this season.The right-hander, who underwent surgery on May 12 to remove an aneurysm from beneath his right...
Report: Burress, Goodell to meet
ProFootballTalk.com reports "a meeting between (Roger) Goodell and (Plaxico) Burress is expected to occur during the week of August 3" and that a grand jury has been convened regarding gun...
150 DOGS FOUND DEAD IN FREEZERS IN MICHIGAN HOME
150 dogs found dead in freezers at Mich. home DEARBORN, Mich. (AP) -- Police say about 150 dead dogs were found packed in freezers in the basement of a Michigan...
Sanchez pitch off target
He's better with a football.Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez threw out the first pitch prior to the Angels' game against the Twins last night, and the very objective Associated Press said,...
Brian Hill leaving for Pistons
By FRED KERBERNets assistant coach Brian Hill is leaving for the Pistons.After facing a hefty pay cut from the Nets, Hill has accepted a multiyear deal to join John Quester's...
HOBOKEN MAYOR SAYS HE WON'T RESIGN
TRENTON, N.J. -- Hoboken Mayor Peter Cammarano says he won't resign and plans to continue running the city as he fights federal corruption charges. The 33-year-old election law attorney, who...
Support Staff
Just a reminder - I'm on Twitter. Hope you come follow me.And a quick note - I'm on vacation next week, so the blog will return a week from Monday....
TRANSFORMER FIRE KNOCKS OUT POWER IN DOUGLASTON
More than 100 Douglaston homes and businesses were without power Friday morning after a Con Ed transformer was destroyed in a three-alarm fire. Hundreds of firefighters, Con Edison workers and...
3 CROOKS SWIPE $120G IN BLING FROM GRAND CENTRAL
Three clever crooks used the classic switcherooo to swipe a black duffel bag loaded with $120,000 of gold, diamonds and cash from a Grand Central Terminal jeweler, officials said today.Click...
WOMAN ESCAPES NAKED FROM VAN AFTER BEING ABDUCTED
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. -- Police are searching for a suspect in the abduction of a 24-year-old upstate New York woman who escaped naked from his van and ran to a...
'STAR WARS IN CONCERT' TOUR LAUNCHING
LOS ANGELES -- A worldwide "Star Wars" concert tour will hyperdrive across the planet. "Star Wars in Concert" will feature a symphony orchestra and choir performing composer John Williams' music...
OBAMA: SHOULD'VE CHOSEN WORDS MORE CAREFULLY ON GATES ARREST
President Obama said today he should have chosen his words more carefully when he said police "acted stupidly" in arresting a prominent black Harvard scholar, touching off a debate over...
PHISH TO HOLD 3-DAY FESTIVAL AT COACHELLA LOCATION
LOS ANGELES -- Phish is headed to the Coachella Valley for a three-day music festival all its own. The Vermont-based band on Thursday announced the location of its first big...
NORTH KOREA EXECUTES WOMAN FOR GIVING OUT BIBLES
SEOUL, South Korea -- North Korea publicly executed a Christian woman last month for distributing the Bible, which is banned in the communist nation, South Korean activists said Friday. Ri...
Report: Phillies closing in on Halladay
AOL Fanhouse reports the Phillies are ready to part with top pitching prospect Kyle Drabek in a trade for Blue Jays ace Roy Halladay.Ed Price writes that the Phillies would...
Maine seeking second opinion
HOUSTON -- The Mets have confirmed reports that John Maine plans to seek a second opinion on his ailing right shoulder from noted orthopedic surgeon Dr. James Andrews in Birmingham,...
FDNY BATTLE TRANSFORMER FIRE
The Fire Department says it's not yet known what caused a transformer fire in Queens. Thick black smoke billowed through the area around the power station on Northern Boulevard. Firefighters...
AMY WINEHOUSE ACQUITTED OF ASSAULT IN BRITAIN
LONDON -- A British judge acquitted Amy Winehouse today of assaulting a fan who asked to take her picture, a dose of good news in the beehived soul diva's tumultuous...
Coverage in The Post
HOUSTON -- The Tony Bernazard saga shows no signs of going away soon, much to the Mets' chagrin as they prepare to open a three-game series here tonight against the...
OBAMAS TO SPEND SUMMER HOLIDAY AT LAVISH MARTHA'S VINEYARD ESTATE
Despite growing unemployment numbers across the U.S., the first family is planning to spend their summer vacation on a lavish East Coast getaway that could cost taxpayers up to $50,000...
Bosh's manager denies laughing at Knicks, too
Chris Bosh's business manager used his Twitter page to deny that he and the Raptors forward were laughing at the idea of Bosh joining the Knicks as a free agent.Hofstra...
'TENTATIVE' DEAL REACHED FOR MAYORAL CONTROL OF SCHOOLS
Mayor Bloomberg has reached a "tentative deal" with Democratic leaders in the state Senate to extend his control over the city schools, sources told The Post. Sen. Shirley Huntley (D-Queens),...
QUEENS CON ED SUBSTATION ON FIRE
Flames and giant plumes of smoke have surrounded the Douglaston section of Queens. A Con Edison substation is on fire. Fire crews are managing to stop the flames from spreading...
2 US SOLDIERS DIE IN AFGHANISTAN BLAST
FORT CARSON, Colo. -- Two Fort Carson soldiers have died of wounds suffered when a bomb exploded near their vehicle in Afghanistan. Defense officials say 24-year-old Sgt. Joshua Rimer of...
MINNESOTA COUPLE DANCES DOWN AISLE IN VIRAL VIDEO
You may now bust-a-move. A new video that is twirling around the Internet has danced its way to over 1.2 million views on YouTube. Minnesota newlyweds Jillian Peterson and Kevin...
3 UP: BUEHRLE, WANG/MAINE AND TEIXEIRA
Yes, I am on Twitter.1. I did put this concept up on Twitter yesterday, but a perfect game makes it feel big enough to repeat here and that is if...
WINEHOUSE FOUND NOT GUILTY OF ASSAULT CHARGES
LONDON - Singer Amy Winehouse was found not guilty on Friday of assaulting a dancer at a charity ball in London last year. The ruling came at the end of...
Drama Mama: Sign Up For the 'Army'
Is the deluge of summer "reality" programming crushing your soul? Don't worry: There are still shows that make no false pretenses about being fictional. Here is some of what to...
Auteur Wars: Cameron, Tarantino Facing Off on Aug. 21
Twentieth Century Fox and James Cameron have declared Aug. 21 "Avatar Day,'' announcing at Comic Con yesterday that free screenings of a 15-minute preview of Cameron's long-awaited sci-fi epic unveiled...
Box Office: Trio to Trail Potter?
Three less-than-terrific new releases are unlikely to dethrone "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince'' in its second weekend, even though Gitesh Pandya at Box Office Guru is predicting a drop...
Vacation beckons
Starting in Las Vegas summer league, you can follow me with updates on Twitter.By MARC BERMANI leave for vacation with one thought. Nobody wants the Knicks players (Lee-Robinson) and nobody...
RAYS PUSH YANKEES TO NEXT LEVEL
The Rays' surprising rise kept the Yankees out of the playoffs last season, but it also could be the reason the Bombers are primed to return in 2009. After missing...
REPORTS: GOODELL MAY BAN VICK 4-6 GAMES
Michael Vick could be headed back to the NFL soon. Now, all he has to do is stay out of NFL commissioner Roger Goodell's doghouse. According to reports, the quarterback,...
COLE-HEARTED WIN FOR PHILLIES
If Cole Hamels gets on track, the Phillies will be even more dangerous. Hamels pitched seven effective innings, Jayson Werth and Pedro Feliz had three hits apiece and the Phillies...
LIMIT ON JOBA LEAVES YANKEES THIN
Joba Chamberlain's innings limitation may be more motivation for the Yankees to acquire a pitcher before the trading deadline than the question mark in the No. 5 spot, where Sergio...
CASHMAN'S PITCHING PLAN RIGHT DOWN PIPE
GRANTED, absolute last laughs only come in the Canyon of Heroes. The Steinbrenners, after all, are paying Kei Igawa $4 million this season to pitch at Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, where he will...
SURGING TEIXEIRA BLASTS ANOTHER HR
The right-field mezzanine at Yankee Stadium might as well be renamed St. Mark's Place. Then again, $180 million should buy you more than cheap home runs. Mark Teixeira's long, majestic...
WANG WORRIED HE NEEDS SURGERY
Chien-Ming Wang isn't expecting good news about his injured shoulder. The right-hander said yesterday that he visited Dr. David Altchek at the Hospital for Special Surgery on Wednesday for a...
5 QUESTIONS FOR... RODNEY HARRISON
WITH training camp kicking off this week, NBC analyst Rodney Harrison talked with The Post's Justin Terranova about Rex Ryan talking smack to Harrison's former team in New England, the...
CONTADOR INCREASES OVERALL TOUR LEAD
ANNECY, France -- Alberto Contador all but assured his second Tour de France victory yesterday, winning the race's final time trial while Lance Armstrong struggled with fatigue but moved up...
PORGIES AND BASS WOWING THE CROWD
WE are having a revival this week, with porgies and bass playing in numerous marine theaters from City Island to Montauk. The stripers and porgies seem to be all big...
LEBRON: I SMOKED POT IN HIGH SCHOOL
CLEVELAND (AP) -- LeBron James struggled with sudden fame after appearing on Sports Illustrated's cover as a 17-year-old and admits he smoked marijuana during his junior year in high school....
SOURCES: RATNER LOOKS TO SELL NETS
Faced with mounting financial losses that triggered cost-cutting throughout the organization, The Post has learned that Nets owner Bruce Ratner is actively investigating the feasibility of selling the team, despite...
JOCKS' LAWYERS TAKE THE CAKE
WHERE in the name of Rusty Hardin do accused athletes find their lawyers? Atlanta-based attorney David Cornwell, in a prepared statement, this week, had this to say about the sexual...
NASSAU OTB, NYRA CONTINUE THEIR FEUD
The debate between Nassau Regional OTB and the New York Racing Association rages on as the historic Saratoga racing season nears with its first race less than a week away....
CHISOX'S BUEHRLE PERFECT -- WITH HELP -- VS. RAYS
CHICAGO -- Mark Buehrle pitched the 18th perfect game in major league history, and White Sox center fielder DeWayne Wise got the assist. Just into the game as a defensive...
BERNAZARD CONTINUES TO STING METS
HOUSTON -- How fitting the Mets spent their off day here yesterday enduring a massive thunderstorm. It was an appropriate reminder of the figurative thunderstorm they left behind in Washington,...
EMBATTLED BERNAZARD NOWHERE IN SIGHT
Mets GM Omar Minaya said he believes Tony Bernazard is at home -- but there was no sign of the embattled executive at his house in Princeton yesterday afternoon. METS...
DON'T EXPECT HOUSTON BLASTOFF BY METS
HOUSTON -- Minute Maid Park is considered a hitters' haven, perennially ranking among the highest in baseball in the rate of home runs hit here. Even so, it will be...
TIGER SET TO ATTACK BUICK OPEN
Tiger Woods has decided to play in next week's Buick Open as he prepares for the final major of the year. Woods announced yesterday that he would return to the...
KNICKS' LEE 'FRUSTRATED' BY SLOW TALKS
Twenty three days into his free agency, David Lee seemed as hot as the Las Vegas sun. Lee, who is attending the U.S. Olympic mini-camp but not participating because of...
HONDO: PERFECTLY AWFUL
The indignities continue to amass for Hondo, who went with the Rays yesterday and ended up getting smoked by Buehrle's el perfecto. As a result, Mr. Aitch, winless since the...
SPORTS SHORTS
MLB: GM: Roy wants to be 'free' Roy Halladay's desire to test the free-agent market following the 2010 season is the primary reason the Blue Jays are trying to trade...
YOUNG AMERICANS POWER INTO GOLD CUP FINAL
CHICAGO -- First the big boys in South Africa, now the JV at home. No matter who the United States puts on the field these days, they're finding a way...
U.S. EARNS WINS AND SEASONING
LESS than two months after the United States stunned the world by upsetting Spain and nearly beating Brazil in the Confederations Cup final, the Americans have advanced to a second...
WNBA HONOREE LEADS MONARCHS WIN
As Sacramento Monarchs forward Nicole Powell made a 3-point shot with 1:24 left against the Liberty last night, a man sitting in the front row said, deadpan, "Sign her up...
WEATHER, A'S CAN'T SLOW YANKEES
Anyone attempting to figure out how the Yankees are threatening to run away in the AL East without beating the Red Sox, needs to look at their record against the...
LEG WORK
KATIE Holmes channeled her inner Judy Garland last night on "So You Think You Can Dance" -- singing and hoofing to Garland's trademark tune, "Get Happy." Holmes, making a rare...
NRA'S NEW RAPID-FIRE SOTO BLAST
WASHINGTON -- The NRA stepped up its push yesterday against Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor, warning her backers that they risked losing ground with gun-rights supporters. The promise by the...
'4' PLAY SAVES 5-LEG PUP FROM FREAK SHOW
Lilly the pup just lost a leg, but don't worry -- she still has four. A Charlotte, NC, woman had the deformed canine's extra limb removed yesterday, hoping to keep...
SUICIDE BOMBER IN TRAINING
The terrorist next door was getting ready for his 72 virgins. The Long Island-born Muslim convert who joined al Qaeda to kill US troops in Afghanistan trained to become a...
BROADWAY
"GOD OF CARNAGE": *** A quartet of ace actors sets Yasmina Reza's play on fire. It's gleeful, nasty fun. Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre, 242 W. 45th St.; 212-239- 6200. Closes...
OFF-BROADWAY
"THE EUROPEANS": ** New York premiere of Howard Barker's intellectually daunting and disjointed historical drama set in 17th-century Vienna. Atlantic Stage 2, 330 W. 16th St.; 212-279-4200. Closes Sunday. "KRAPP,...
POP, ROCK, FOLK
. . . AND YOU WILL KNOW US BY THE TRAIL OF DEAD: The Austin rockers play at this week's Pool Party, along with the Black Lips, Health and Grupo...
JAZZ
BIRDLAND: Finished with his turn as Nicely Nicely Johnson in Broadway's "Guys and Dolls," R&B singer Tituss Burgess performs with his band on Monday at 7 p.m. 315 W. 44th...
CLASSICAL
ALICE TULLY HALL: Lincoln Center's Mostly Mozart Festival kicks off with performances from the Mostly Mozart Orchestra, conducted by Louis Langrée and featuring Leif Ove Andsnes on piano. Tuesday and...
DANCE
JOYCE SOHO: Dancer and designer Amanda Waal's company Waal Versus Floor presents "The Rules of Remembering," a multimedia work that features choreography, text, video and paper sculptures by Waal. Today...
FILM
BROOKLYN BRIDGE PARK: Alfred Hitchcock's 1955 thriller "To Catch a Thief" stars Cary Grant and Grace Kelly and screens as part of the park's summer series "Movies With a View."...
FAIRS, FESTS, ETC...
52nd ASSOCIATION JAZZ FESTIVAL: A street fair on 52nd Street between Lexington and Seventh avenues on Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. BROADWAY SUMMERFEST: Vendors will sell food, refreshments...
THE ANSWER MAN
I have one question for "The Answer Man": How did you get made? This shopworn and utterly contrived romantic comedy stars Jeff Daniels as the grumpy author of a popular...
THE ENGLISH SURGEON
THE next time you're in the former Soviet republic Ukraine and find yourself in need of immediate brain surgery, look up Henry Marsh. He's the 58-year-old British neurosurgeon who regularly...
'NIGHTLINE' BEATS CONAN, DAVE
DAVID Letterman and Conan O'Brien have been slugging it out in terms of ratings -- but there is a dark horse contender poised to give both funnymen a run for...
TR BLAMES SHONDA FOR EXIT
ACTOR T.R. Knight has taken out his teething ring and given a candid interview about his departure from "Grey's Anatomy" to Entertainment Weekly. If his reduced screen time on the...
OBAMA FALLS
PRESIDENT Obama's prime time appearance on Wednesday night garnered 24.7 million viewers across 11 networks. The press conference -- which focused on health care-- was Obama's fourth since taking office....
MAKING A LOT OUT OF LITTLE
THE low-budget, low- tech indie "Loren Cass" is an example of less being best. Set in St. Petersburg, Fla., in the aftermath of real-life racial riots in 1997, it concerns...
FURRY PIGS FURRY FUNNY
ZACH Galifianakis stars in a guinea pig movie. He's so young to be typecast. It turns out, though, that the furry little actor plays the human adviser to "G-Force," a...
IT'S TOO SCHMALTZY IN THE FINAL ANALYSIS
KEVIN Spacey, who has spent too much of the 10 years since "American Beauty" coasting by on hammy snark, reminds us he's an Oscar-winning actor as a psychotherapist to the...
YOU CAN'T HANDLE THIS TRUTH!
UGLY is right. Romantic comedies are an increasingly debased genre, but few recent Hollywood products have been anywhere near as crass and contrived as "The Ugly Truth." This is the...
AMERICA TRUSTS JON
JON Stewart may joke that his show is "even better than being informed," but it seems this satirical news anchor may have the last laugh. In a Time magazine online...
3-PART PLAY A VENETIAN GRIND
LOOKING at the theatri cal schedule in this year's Lincoln Center Festival, one thing did feel like a sure bet: that the jaunty Italian comedy would be more entertaining than...
HBO ROCKS NYC
HBO is teaming with Madison Square Gar den for a two-night mega-concert featuring rock's biggest stars. Metallica, U2, Bruce Springsteen (and the E Street Band), Eric Clapton, Aretha Franklin, Stevie...
Serena shopped here!
'GOSSIP Girl" fanatics have found a new way to show their devotion to the series -- by flocking to the "Gossip Girl" Sites Tour. Since its soft launch at the...
JOURNEY OF 1,000 CLICHES NO TRIP TO 'PARAISO'
MOVIES about South Americans sneaking across the border into the US have been done to death. "Paraiso Travel," by Colombian director Simon Brand, is yet another attempt -- a clichéd,...
TOTALITARIAN GRIP GRIPPING
VASILY Grossman's sprawling, 900-page novel, "Life and Fate," goes back and forth between Moscow, the siege of Stalingrad, a concentration camp and a Siberian gulag. Dozens of characters simply try...
NOT ONE YOU'D WANT TO ADOPT
DON'T order the special if the waiter says, "It's not my favorite." Don't buy the pants if you have to suck in your gut when you try them on. And...
'LOOP'Y BRITS IN WAR GAMES
'SATIRE is what closes on Saturday night," George S. Kaufman famously joked, though if the famed playwright were alive today, he might add it's also available on IFC's on-demand cable...
MORE THAN GOOD ENOUGH
DON'T be dismayed if the political machina tions on display in "Boris Godunov" are confusing. Even with the program notes, unless you're an expert on 16th-century Russian history, you're likely...
EDNA AND FEINSTEIN TO MARRY FOR B'WAY
TOGETHER again for the first time (as the old billing joke goes), Dame Edna and Mi chael Feinstein are teaming up for a new Broadway show in the spring. The...
STARR REPORT
Remembering EdJerry Lewis and his MDA Labor Day Telethon will mark the passing of Ed McMahon, who died June 23 at the age of 86. Ed co-anchored the tele thon...
PREVIEWS
"BURN THE FLOOR": Maksim Chmerkovskiy and Karina Smirnoff ("Dancing with the Stars") star in this dance showcase, which features everything from the tango to the Viennese waltz. Longacre Theatre, 220...
BLACK BOXES 'FOUND'
PARIS -- The French navy says it has detected the black boxes of a Yemenia Airways plane that crashed last month near the Comoros Islands. A 12-year-old girl is the...
PAY HIKE TODAY
WASHINGTON -- Labor Secretary Hilda Solis says the minimum-wage increase will boost consumer spending by $5.5 billion over the next year. The federal minimum wage increases by 11 percent today,...
TUBBY TOTS AT PLATEAU
The number of obese US preschoolers has stabilized over the past five years, at about one in seven, government researchers said yesterday. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention...
YACHTS ALL FOLKS
MILAN -- Italy has blocked the nearly $18 million sale of two luxury yachts believed to have been bound for North Korea in violation of international sanctions, authorities said yesterday....
KING 'HEADS' BACK HOME
THE HAGUE, Netherlands -- Descendants of an African chief hanged and decapitated by a Dutch general 171 years ago accepted the return of his severed head yesterday -- but gave...
SWINE RISK IN SEIZURE KIDS
Children who have unexplained seizures and flu-like symptoms should be tested for H1N1 swine flu and treated with flu-fighting drugs, health officials said yesterday. They said four children in Dallas...
STATES RAIDING 911 $$
More than $200 million collected from cellphone users for upgrades to the 911 system has been diverted in the last two years to plug state bud get holes and, in...
THREE ESCAPE CLINK BY 'COPTER
BRUSSELS -- Three inmates yesterday made a dramatic escape from prison by helicopter, authorities said. Bruges prosecutor's office spokesman Marc Florens said that an accomplice hijacked a helicopter and forced...
NYPD DAILY BLOTTER
Manhattan A woman was arrested for slashing her estranged husband in his East Side apartment, police sources said yesterday. Sarah Sprague, 29, clashed with him over issues involving their child...
BIG BEN ON RAPE: I'D NEVER!
Super Bowl champ Ben Roethlisberger went on the offensive yesterday as he tried to salvage a reputation tarnished by claims of rape from a Lake Tahoe casino hostess. "I would...
FERRER HIT WITH FINE
Former Democratic mayoral candidate Fernando Ferrer has been sanctioned by the city's Campaign Finance Board for violations during his run against Mayor Bloomberg in 2005. The board says Ferrer's campaign...
MERCY FOR A-ROD CHEF
A-Rod's personal chef is no longer in hot water for crashing the Yankee slugger' SUV during a shopping trip this week. The chef -- identified only as Mary -- looked...
SENATORS PRE$CRIBE THEMSELVES A PORK DIET
WASHINGTON -- Tucked into the Senate's health-care bill is a provision to create a massive pork-barrel fund so senators can bypass normal budgeting rules to pay for projects back home...
EX-OTB HEAD: BANKRUPTCY A DUMB BET
OTB's former chairman is questioning a proposal to seek bankruptcy protection for the city's only legal bookie, saying it makes no sense for the state to have taken over the...
NOW STEP LIVELY!
Is she contemplating some sly piece of rich- girl scandal or just picking her teeth? "Gossip Girl" star Blake Lively, in body- hugging dress and stilettos, glams up York Avenue...
PA SEEKS WTC RENT
The Port Authority turned up the heat on developer Larry Silverstein yesterday, unveiling a plan that will force him to resume paying $216,000 a day in rent and will restart...
SILVIO'S X-RATED BED TALK
When it comes to sex scandals, Bill Clinton's got nothing on ol' swinging Silvio. Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi faced major public embarrassment yesterday with the release of yet another audio...
ANOTHER WOUND FOR WEAKENED CORZINE
The sweeping corruption case that ensnared politicians across a swath of New Jersey may claim one more Democratic pol by default -- Gov. Jon Corzine, who is already on the...
REID IT & WEEP, O: NEW HEALTH DELAY
WASHINGTON -- President Obama's health-care reform effort suffered a major setback yesterday when Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said any vote would be delayed until the fall, while another key...
AMY'S IN A WHIRL
UPDATE: Amy Winehouse Acquitted of Assault "No, no, no" she didn't. Amy Winehouse twirled around like a pinwheel in a London court yesterday as she answered charges that she attacked...
KOSHER NOSTRA & DIRTY JERSEY
Everything was for sale -- from politicians to kidneys. Separate federal probes targeting rogue rabbis in Brooklyn and corrupt public officials in New Jersey led to the arrests yesterday of...
KIN SUING OVER EMT DEATH PIC
The family of a slain Staten Island woman plans to sue the city after an EMT took a ghoulish picture of her strangled body and posted it on Facebook. The...
HI-RISE SLAY INDICT
A Manhattan grand jury indicted brawny high-rise elevator operator Joseph Pabon yesterday in the choking murder of cleaning woman Eridania Rodriguez. Pabon, 25, mouthed, "I love you," to his tearful...
BROADCAST BLUES
Only a Mideast peace agreement or an attack on a US nuclear sub could have drawn more big names in news than the funeral for Walter Cronkite. When friends and...
DRUG THUG'S FATAL CHASE
A man shot dead by cops during a wild chase in Washington Heights had just ripped off a pair of drug buyers before twice surging toward officers with his Cadillac,...
KITTY-RESCUE CAT FRIGHT
A 260-pound Brooklyn woman accused of abusing a kitten turned into a lioness yesterday when the ASPCA tried to seize the "drastically underweight" pet, authorities said. The fur flew just...
STOOLIE'S $50M 'SCAM' RECORD A PERFECT COVER
Nothing about Solomon Dwek was kosher. He appeared to be a respectable businessman -- until he deposited bogus checks for more than $50 million. With those kind of criminal credentials,...
BACK OFF, GILLY
WASHINGTON -- A group of Rep. Carolyn Maloney's supporters yesterday called for a halt to efforts to force the Manhattan lawmaker out of a primary contest against Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand....
Questions About Erin Andrews Peephole Video Probe
The Web site where voyeur videos of ESPN sideline reporter Erin Andrews first appeared has yet to be called by police -- raising doubts about how aggressively the case is...
TINY SNAFU KOS DE BLASIO'S CANDIDACY
A technical error could spell the end of City Councilman Bill de Blasio's candidacy for public advocate. De Blasio, a leading contender for the open seat, was tossed off the...
BAM IN A RACIAL UPROAR
President Obama plunged his administration into a racially charged controversy yesterday by again siding with a black Harvard scholar who accused police of racism. LOWRY: PREZ AND PROF SHOULD HAVE...
SEX-HARASS 'SHAKEDOWN'
Two former employees of a Manhattan hedge fund -- who say they were sexually harassed on the job -- are being accused in a lawsuit of trying to shake down...
PREZ AND PROF SHOULD HAVE HELD THEIR FIRE
HENRY Louis Gates Jr. just got the subject for his latest PBS series, and it's not going to be a history of the woeful consequences of yelling at cops. The...
LATEST PITCH FOR 'CATCHER'
An author rejected in lower court has asked a Manhattan federal appeals court to let him publish a book he claims is a commentary on J.D. Salinger's famous book, "The...
CLASS POLS BULLY MIKE
Democrats in the do-nothing state Senate yesterday vowed to keep thwarting Mayor Bloomberg's bid to extend mayoral control of the schools unless City Hall agrees to empower parents and make...
RABBIS IN MONEY WRINGER
The insular Syrian Jewish community was rocked yesterday when its 87-year-old US leader was swept up in a massive money-laundering probe. STOOLIE'S $50M 'SCAM' RECORD A PERFECT COVER He was...
'BIASED' FDNY EXAMS HAD 'WRITE' FLUFF: FOES
Two firefighter-recruitment exams that a federal judge ruled discriminated against black and Hispanic FDNY hopefuls are rife with long-winded questions that rejected recruits say require more book smarts than brawn....
JACKO'S FAKE NOSE 'MISSING'
Michael Jackson wore a prosthetic nose, according a report -- and it was missing from his surgically mangled face as he lay in an LA morgue. Left behind was a...
STEM-CELL BOMBSHELL
WASHINGTON -- Two teams of Chinese scientists have made a major advance in the development of a new kind of stem cell in mice that doesn't involve destroying embryos. The...
WEIRD BUT TRUE
Sacre bleu! A man in Mission Viejo, Calif., sued a restaurant chain after he says he found a condom in his French onion soup. Zdenek Philip Hodousek says he wants...
MIKE'S 'QUOTA' CREEP
IN 2005, the year Mayor Bloomberg last ran for re- election, Hizzoner OK'd race- and gender-based quotas -- er, "goals" -- for city contracts. He's on the ballot again in...
MCD SALES HIKE NOT ENOUGH
McDonald's Corp reported lower-than-expected June same-store sales and its shares fell 4.9 percent after the top-performing restaurant chain only matched Wall Street's profit view. As part of its second-quarter results,...
TOP DOG BINN LEAVES CARR BEHIND AT GREENSPUN
MICHAEL Carr, once the boss of Jason Binn, is out as president of Greenspun Media Group, leaving Binn as the top dog running the 16-title publishing company known as Niche...
FORD SPEEDS INTO THE BLACK
America's last freestanding automaker drove home the reason why it passed up a government handout, as Ford swung to a second-quarter profit on broad expense cuts and an increase in...
BUSINESS BRIEFS
AmEx earns American Express, the best stock in the Dow Jones industrial average this year, said profit fell 48 percent to $342 million, or 9 cents a diluted share, from...
YOU CAN LOOK IT UP: AMAZON PROFIT DIPS
Amazon.com Inc. reported a decline in second-quarter profit and lower revenue than analysts anticipated after the online retailer discounted products. The stock dropped 8.6 percent in late trading. Net income...
M'SOFT FALLS SHORT OF EARNINGS WINDOW
Microsoft Corp., the world's biggest software maker, reported a 29 percent drop in profit and sales that missed analysts' estimates, a sign that expense reductions weren't enough to make up...
JOBLESS CLAIMS UP
The number of Americans filing claims for unemployment benefits jumped last week from a six-month low as distortions caused by shifts in the timing of auto-plant shutdowns subsided. Applications rose...
KELLWOOD GETS FINANCE HELP
Kellwood -- the struggling apparel maker that owns labels like Vince, XOXO and Phat Farm -- skirted bankruptcy as Deutsche Bank agreed to help finance a $140 billion debt payment...
ACCUSED PONZI PERP OUT ON BAIL
Nicholas Cosmo, accused of running a $413 million Ponzi scheme that defrauded thousands of investors, was released yesterday on $1.25 million bond after almost six months in federal custody. US...
HOME-SALE RISE MARKS COMEBACK
Sales of existing homes in the US rose in June for a third consecutive month, signaling the four-year slump that precipitated the financial crisis is ending. Purchases climbed 3.6 percent...
BIG BLUE BOUNCE
A mid-summer rally bolstered by a patch of strong earnings and positive economic data was enough to send the Dow past the 9,000 mark for the first time since January....
BUFFETT'S GOLDMAN GAMBLE WINS
Goldman Sachs' remarkable comeback from the brink of financial Armageddon is adding luster to Warren Buffett's investment street cred -- and more importantly, lining the billionaire investor's outsize pockets. Buffett's...
TIMES BACK IN BLACK
The New York Times Co. posted a surprise profit in the second quarter despite another steep decline in ad revenue. The publisher returned to profitability by cutting costs more than...
OFF HIS ROCKER
U2 front man Bono probably should put his mouth where his money is, as the rocker/investor appears to have broken one of the most basic rules of marketing -- promote...
DON'T STOP WITH JERSEY
New Jersey regained the title of America's most corrupt state yesterday, thanks to a massive takedown of public officials on the take. New York prosecutors must be falling down on...
UNFAIR SLAP AT THE FDNY
Federal Judge Nicholas Garaufis on Wednesday declared an outdated FDNY firefighter exam racially biased, exposing the department to millions of dollars in damages and possible court oversight of its hiring...
DISASTER DELAYED
Americans may have dodged a bullet yesterday -- at least, for now: Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid slammed the door on a rushed health-care overhaul before Congress' August break. "It's...
IRAQ'S LATEST GROWING PAINS
FOR all of Iraq's remaining problems, there's been re markable progress since Saddam's old playground hit bottom in 2006. US troops have left Iraqi cities. Some may be able to...
DEADLY DOCTORS
THE health bills coming out of Congress would put the de cisions about your care in the hands of presidential appointees. They'd decide what plans cover, how much leeway your...
RACIST HARVARD COPS? 'SKIP' THIS FOOLISHNESS!
THE ISSUE: The arrest and release of Harvard professor Henry "Skip" Gates. *** Prof. Henry "Skip" Gates should be fired from Harvard ("Harvard Prof Relives Arrest Humiliation," July 22). He...
Green U.S. team beats Honduras 2-0; into Sunday Giants Stadium Gold Cup final
Follow the Post's soccer coverage on Twitter!Less than two months after the U.S. stunned the world by upsetting Spain and nearly beating Brazil in the Confederations Cup final, they're in...
Pitching set for Astros series
HOUSTON -- While the Mets haven't officially revealed left-hander Jonathon Niese as Saturday's starter, the pitching matchups are set for their three-game series with the Astros that starts Friday night...
OBAMA REMARK ON BLACK SCHOLAR'S ARREST ANGERS COPS
Many police officers across the country have a message for President Barack Obama: Get all the facts before criticizing one of our own. Obama's public criticism that Cambridge officers "acted...
Lee "frustrated''
David Lee is out in Las Vegas and couldn't hold his tongue when swarmed by four reporters during the Olympic mini-camp in which he's not participating because of his contract...