February 24, 2012
At least 50 killed in Syria as regime pounds rebels
BEIRUT — President Bashar Assad's forces pounded rebel-held areas in central Syria on Friday, killing at least 22 people, activists said. More than 60 nations meeting in Tunisia asked the...
Red Sox searching for shortstop
FORT MYERS, Fla. -- When the Red Sox picked up Marco Scutaro’s option in October, it appeared they would be set at shortstop for 2012. Until a deal popped up...
NYC public school teacher evaluations
The New York City Department of Education has released the following data for teachers in grades 4 through 8, including at charter schools. Teachers were given percentiles from 0 (low)...
Liberty to sign guard Miller
The Liberty have agreed to a free agent contract with veteran guard Kelly Miller. Miller averaged 7.4 points and 2.8 assists in 34 games for the Washington Mystic last season....
Rangers could put Avery on waivers so he can play in NHL
The Rangers are discussing the possibility of placing Sean Avery on re-entry waivers at noon Saturday, the deadline for doing so, in order for the exiled winger to play again...
POST NBA POWER RANKINGS: Heat on top at break
With all of the hype surrounding Jeremy Lin and the Knicks, the season LeBron James is having for the Heat is something the NBA has not seen in a very...
Osi says he'd give Giants discount
Osi Umenyiora is willing to give the Giants a hometown discount on a new contract.“You know what’s funny? If it came down to me taking less to stay here, I...
Soler says Red Bulls will add a summer DP, mum on Michael Ballack
Red Bulls GM Erik Soler wouldn’t comment on Michael Ballack; or Stephen Ireland, Raul or any other high-priced European star his team has been linked to, But he did say...
Acclaimed physicist Hawking 'a regular' at Calif. strip joint
Stephen Hawking certainly has discovered some new heavenly bodies — at a California jiggle joint. The apparently sex-crazed 70-year-old genius astrophysicist, who is confined to a wheelchair by Lou Gehrig’s...
'The Phantom Menace' crosses $1 billion at worldwide box office
"Star Wars: Episode I -- The Phantom Menace" has entered the galaxy of films that have made more than $1 billion at the global box office and is set to...
B'klyn creep gets 30 years for child sex abuse, child porn
A judge sentenced a Brooklyn man to 30 years in prison today for sexually abusing underage children and producing homemade pornographic videos of his crimes. Felix Cartagena also admitted that...
Brewers star Braun calls himself 'victim' of testing
Ryan Braun won his appeal of his positive drug test on Thursday, and on Friday the Brewers outfielder and reigning NL MVP flatly denied ever using performance enhancing drugs. “We...
Luke Rodgers' visa meeting set for early March
After waiting helplessly through Luke Rodgers’ visa woes, they can finally see the end of the protracted drama, for better or worse. Rodgers has a meeting set up at the...
Shot cops promoted
The pair of courageous cops who survived being shot by suspects in recent weeks were promoted today, with one who suffered a bullet to the head and lived to tell...
Obama 'HOPE' poster artist Shepard Fairey pleads guilty to criminal contempt
The creator of the Barack Obama "HOPE" poster, made popular on the campaign trail four years ago, has pleaded guilty to criminal contempt. Shepard Fairey entered the plea Friday in...
Jets will put contract tender on Maybin: source
INDIANAPOLIS -- Restricted free agent Aaron Maybin revived his career with the Jets last season and now the team wants him to stick around.The Jets plan on tendering Maybin at...
Yankees won't talk contract with Martin until season's over
TAMPA -- According to Yankees GM Brian Cashman, contract talks with catcher Russell Martin won't be held until the season is over."We will talk at the end of the season,''...
Romney says he would raise Medicare eligibility age
DETROIT — Four days before critical primary elections, Republican presidential contender Mitt Romney outlined a far-reaching plan Friday to gradually delay Americans' eligibility for Medicare as well as Social Security....
Yankees 1B Teixeira 15 pounds lighter
TAMPA -- Yankees first baseman Mark Teixeira didn't drop 15 pounds in order to beat out the bunts he plans to put in play this year."The older you get the...
Red Cross evacuates seven wounded Syrians from besieged Homs
HOMS, Syria -- Red Cross ambulances evacuated seven wounded Syrians from the besieged city of Homs Friday in the first sign growing international pressure might be having an effect on...
Jeter will keep playing for Yankees only at 'high level'
TAMPA -- Derek Jeter, about to begin his 17th season with the Yankees and looking at his 38th birthday in June, is being asked questions about his future. He doesn't...
Red Bull GM Soler on Luke Rodgers, DPs & keepers
Red Bulls GM Erik Soler spoke with the media from the team’s final leg of training camp in Arizona, discussing a host of topics from Luke Rodgers’ visa status to...
Democratic state senator from Florida resigns amid text scandal
MIAMI -- A Florida state Representative who voted in favor of anti-stalking legislation resigned his seat Friday amid revelations he sent inappropriate and stalker-like text messages to a longtime acquaintance....
Miller, Pitino among Basketball Hall of Fame finalists
ORLANDO, Fla. — Reggie Miller has a chance to nail his legacy, just as he did so many 3-point shots. The Indiana Pacers great and Knicks nemesis with the smoothest...
Judge denies bid for bail by Jackson doctor
LOS ANGELES — A judge refused Friday to release Michael Jackson's doctor on bail while he appeals his conviction for involuntary manslaughter in the pop star's death. Superior Court Judge...
Google to sell Clearwire Stake at $453M loss
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. -- Google Inc., an early investor in Clearwire, said it would seek to sell its entire stake in the wholesale mobile broadband provider at a loss of...
Coughlin holds court at scene of Giants victory
INDIANAPOLIS -- The NFL Scouting Combine is usually the dreariest of assignments for a coach, but this year’s gathering feels like a victory lap for Giants coach Tom Coughlin. Less...
Former Mets star Dykstra granted permission to attend Carter's funeral: report
Former Mets star Lenny Dykstra will be permitted to attend the funeral of teammate Gary Carter. Dykstra, who is under house arrest in Los Angeles on allegations of bankruptcy fraud...
IAEA says it has 'serious concerns' about Iran's nuclear program
VIENNA -- The UN atomic agency said Friday it has "major differences" with Iran and "serious concerns" about its nuclear program after inspectors probing suspected weapons work returned from Tehran...
NPR's new CEO promotes execs to lead online content and news
WASHINGTON — NPR’s new chief executive has named two public radio executives to lead content and news at the network’s Washington headquarters. On Friday, Gary Knell announced he was promoting...
NYC makes internal ratings of 18,000 public school teachers available
For the first time ever, New York City has made public its internal ratings of how effective teachers are at boosting their students’ performance on reading and math exams. The...
USA Basketball says Knicks' Lin could be Select Team candidate
ORLANDO, Fla. — Jeremy Lin could earn an invite to scrimmage against the U.S. Olympic basketball team this summer. USA Basketball chairman Jerry Colangelo mentioned the Knicks guard as a...
Paula Deen plans lighter dishes following diabetes diagnosis
MIAMI BEACH, Fla. — A month after being widely criticized for revealing she has diabetes — as well as a lucrative endorsement deal for a drug to treat it —...
3UP: Jeter, Mo, Braun
1. I wrote this column about Derek Jeter in today’s Post. From the beginning of 2010 until midway through last year, Jeter was one of the worst regularly used players...
'Subway pusher' found guilty of assault, not attempted murder
A man accused of pushing a fashion exec onto the subway tracks was found not guilty today by a Manhattan jury of attempted murder, but guilty of first degree assault....
Man accused of running over girlfriend extradited to NJ, set to be arraigned on murder charges
The deranged New Jersey man accused of running over his girlfriend three times and leaving her to die on a busy street was extradited this morning to New Jersey, where...
'Jersey Shore' recap - Season 5, episode 8
Last night’s episode of “Jersey Shore” made more crab references than, well the entire cast probably ever had in their lives.The episode opens with the crew leaving Karma after Roger’s...
Bloomberg defends NYPD's anti-terrorism tactics in NJ
Mayor Bloomberg today vigorously defended the NYPD's monitoring of Muslim communities outside the city by pointing out that "an awful lot" of the 9/11 terrorists lived, trained and planned their...
New-home sales dip after four straight monthly gains
WASHINGTON — Sales of new homes dipped in January but the final quarter of 2011 was stronger than first estimated. The Commerce Department said Friday that new-home sales fell 0.9...
People are getting more privacy-savvy on social networks: study
WASHINGTON -- As concerns about online privacy grow, users of social media sites are increasingly looking to "unfriend" other users and "prune" their personal profiles, according to a new report...
WATCH: New York air traffic controllers caught on video sleeping, texting and reading
WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. -- Air traffic controllers at Westchester County Airport, N.Y., were caught on video apparently sleeping, reading and texting while on duty, WNYW-TV reported. The video and photos,...
John Edwards sex tape to be destroyed
RALEIGH, NC -- The sex tape of John Edwards and his mistress is headed to the shredder, but a long list of criminal charges still hangs over the former presidential...
Jil Sander returning to eponymous fashion house
MILAN — Jil Sander is returning to the fashion house she founded in 1968 after an eight-year absence. The announcement Friday comes one day after the house said Belgian designer...
Two senior US senators in rare meeting with Cuban president
HAVANA -- Cuban President Raul Castro met with two visiting US senators who said Friday they pressed the case of jailed American Alan Gross and told the Communist leader that...
AIG chief sees up to $10B in excess capital
American International Group (AIG) estimates it may have up to $10 billion in excess capital under criteria that could be used by the Federal Reserve as it runs new stress...
American convicted in 'Milkshake Murder' case seeks appeal in Hong Kong
HONG KONG -- American housewife Nancy Kissel, twice convicted over the 2003 killing of her banker husband, is seeking an appeal in the lurid case dubbed the "Milkshake Murder," a...
Proview taking iPad trademark fight vs. Apple to US court
SAN JOSE, Calif. -- Chinese computer-display maker Proview Electronics has filed a lawsuit against Apple in US court, claiming the iPhone maker used deception in buying the iPad trademark, The...
Glencore, Xstrata to submit merger plan to EU
LONDON -- Glencore International said Friday that it will formally notify the European Commission of its merger proposal with Xstrata and does not expect the commission to raise any competition...
Geithner says economic recovery, Iran to blame for oil spike
WASHINGTON -- An improving economy and "saber-rattling" from Iran are driving oil prices higher, US Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner said in an interview Friday, before flying to a G-20 meeting...
WATCH: Nets owner Prokhorov raps in video in bid for Russian presidency
MOSCOW — Just over a week before Russia’s presidential election, billionaire candidate Mikhail Prokhorov’s rapping skills have made him an Internet star. Prokhorov, who shares ownership of the New Jersey...
Greek cabinet approves debt swap, paving way for bailout
ATHENS -- Greece's cabinet Friday approved details of a €100 billion ($134 billion) debt write-down for the country that is part of a fresh multi-billion euro rescue plan that Athens...
JCPenney swings to fourth-quarter loss of $87 million due in part to restructuring costs
J.C. Penney Co. reported a loss of $87 million in the fourth-quarter due in part to an aggressive turnaround plan that includes ditching blockbuster sales for everyday low prices in...
Wynn Macau board ousts Okada following Wynn Resorts investigation
HONG KONG -- The board of casino operator Wynn Macau on Friday dumped Japanese gambling tycoon Kazuo Okada as a director over what it called "unacceptable conduct" involving alleged corruption...
UK businessman extradited to US over Iran arms-deal charges
KENT, England -- A retired British businessman was being extradited to the US on Friday to face charges that he illegally exported weapons parts to Iran. Christopher Tappin, 65, described...
Kenneth Cole wants to take company private
Fashion designer Kenneth Cole is offering to pay about $148.5 million to buy the rest of Kenneth Cole Productions Inc., saying it would compete more effectively as a privately-held company....
Pakistan urges Taliban to take part in peace talks in Afghanistan
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan -- Pakistan prime minister Yousuf Raza Gilani publicly urged the Afghan Taliban and its allies Friday to take part in peace talks with the Afghan government to end...
Dutch prince may never wake up following avalanche accident
INNSBRUCK, Austria -- Dutch prince Johan Friso may never regain consciousness after he was injured in an avalanche while skiing in the Austrian Alps, doctors said Friday. The prince, 43,...
British Airways terminal at JFK evacuated for 2 hours due to security incident
The British Airways terminal at New York’s Kennedy Airport was evacuated for about two hours due to a security incident. Port Authority spokesman Steve Coleman says a person walked away...
Met Opera plans ticket price changes
The Metropolitan Opera is planning to increase tickets by about 8 percent on average for the 2012-13 season -- but the least expensive tickets are expected to drop by $5....
5 injured in Long Island house fire
LEVITTOWN — Authorities on Long Island are investigating an early morning house fire in which five people were injured. Nassau County arson bomb squad detectives say the fire broke out...
'Amazing Race' producer found dead in Uganda may have overdosed on cocaine: report
KAMPALA, Uganda -- US TV producer Jeff Rice, who was found dead in his hotel room in Uganda from a suspected poisoning, may have been killed by a cocaine overdose,...
Afghans try to storm US consulate amid deadly Koran protests
KABUL -- Two Afghan protesters were shot dead as they tried to storm the US consulate in the western city of Herat on Friday, as anti-American protests over the burning...
Slovaks rally around a bridge called Chuck Norris
BRATISLAVA, Slovakia -- Fact: Chuck Norris will soon span the river dividing Slovakia and Austria in just one bound ... if the residents of Bratislava get their way. Civic authorities...
Missing the point about No Child Left Behind
What are public schools for? Seems like a simple question and yet getting the answer right is tricky. Do you think schools are meant provide a whole host of services...
Nine-year-old boy charged over Washington elementary school shooting
PORT ORCHARD, Wash. -- A nine-year-old boy accused of taking a gun to his Washington state elementary school and accidentally shooting his third-grade classmate appeared in court to face charges,...
'Xena' actress Lawless joins Greenpeace protest
WELLINGTON, New Zealand — Television actress Lucy Lawless climbed aboard an oil-drilling ship Friday in New Zealand, joining six Greenpeace activists to try to stop the vessel from setting off...
'This was no prank' DA tells jury in Rutgers webcam spy trial
Call him "stupid." Call him "childish." But you can't call him a homophobe. The teen on trial for webcam spying on his Rutgers University roommate's gay tryst and then tweeting...
Danica Patrick unscathed after wreck in Daytona 500 qualifier
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Danica Patrick's NASCAR Sprint Cup debut did not end well, but it was not the fault of the former IndyCar star. Patrick ran strongly for 59-and-a-half...
Federer latest Lin fan
Roger Federer may be the most accomplished tennis player ever, but he’s a fan of basketball in general, and the Knicks in specific. So it’s no shock that when he...
Knicks lose to Heat; Lin plays poorly
MIAMI — Jeremy Lin finally met his match last night, and it was ugly. In by far his worst performance during this 12-game surreal surge, Lin fell apart under the...
Focused Heat handle Knicks
MIAMI — Well, you can’t say the Heat weren’t stoked for this one, despite the fact that there were 9 1/2 games separating themselves from the Knicks in the conference...
INSIDE PSAL GIRLS HOOPS: A village raises a team at Bayside, Truman in midst of renaissance season
No one would have been surprised if Bayside’s girls basketball team lost in the outbracket round of the PSAL Class A playoffs. The Commodores, after all, were a No. 38...
Pace-bound Sher, LuHi end losing streak against Mary Louis
After three straight losses to Mary Louis, Long Island Lutheran needed someone to step up and senior captain Yuni Sher did just that. Sher broke out on Senior Night and...
CHSAA Brooklyn/Queens final preview
NYPost.com CHSAA boys basketball beat writer Marc Raimondi breaks down the Brooklyn/Queens final between No. 2 Holy Cross and No. 5 Bishop Loughlin, scheduled for 7 p.m. Friday night at...
Boys basketball roundup: Fieldston wins opener in Collegiate Invitational
Mike Bregman scored 12 points and Grady Smith followed with 10 as Fieldston topped PSAL Class A foe FDA, 41-35, in its Collegiate Invitational opener Thursday night on the Upper...
Girls basketball roundup: Iacampo, Villa race past Maria Regina in tiebreaker
Liz Blanchard’s message to her St. John Villa team was: Get it and go. “We pushed the ball,” she said. “We rebounded really well.” The Bears had already lost twice...
Gallagher leads late Molloy flurry in tiebreaker win over CK
Following Carolyn Gallagher’s last outing against Christ the King last Friday night, the junior star had her effort questioned by Molloy coach Scott Lagas. “Coach got on me and yelled...
Penn State receives subpoena requesting information on Sandusky and his charity
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -- A Penn State spokeswoman said Thursday the university received a federal subpoena earlier this month, requesting information about Jerry Sandusky, his charity, the school and three...
Business briefs
T-Mobile woesT-Mobile USA, facing competition from three larger carriers all offering the iPhone, lost a net 526,000 subscribers in the fourth quarter. Worse, it sacrificed a net 802,000 subscribers on...
Pottymouth consultant Kinnucan, accused of insider trading, freed on $5M bail
A Manhattan federal judge yesterday ordered a consultant accused of insider trading be freed on $5 million bail despite concerns raised by prosecutors that he is a threat to society....
Apple CEO Cook bending to investor gripes on board, cash
Call it Apple 2.0. Investors are finding the red-hot tech giant a more open place in the post-Steve Jobs era. CEO Tim Cook yesterday said the company will begin electing...
Disney hopes $250M "John Carter" can overcome bad buzz
The hero of Walt Disney Co.’s upcoming $250 million movie, “John Carter,” has superhuman powers — and it looks like he’s going to need to flex them to help the...
RDA gives pink slips
Reader’s Digest Association is wielding the ax again. Some 40 staffers at RDA’s recently divested Weekly Reader group in the White Plains, NY, office were given notices that their jobs...
Eddie Lampert to spin off more than 1,200 Sears stores and sell 11 in bid to raise up to $770 million
Eddie Lampert finally opened the kimono yesterday — and revealed some shrinking assets. The number-crunching hedge-fund tycoon — who took control of Sears in 2005 by merging it with Kmart...
Fuld: I’m not built for Street life
Former Lehman Brothers CEO Dick Fuld, who ran one of the largest Wall Street firms before its 2008 collapse, decided to end his two-year tenure at Legend Securities amid mounting...
Buffett’s company off hook
Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Inc. was dismissed from a lawsuit filed in Indiana by a former manager at its Forest River unit who said he was fired after complaining about...
BofA bids farewell to Fannie Mae sales
Bank of America, the second-largest US lender by assets, will stop selling new home loans to Fannie Mae after a dispute over faulty mortgages. Starting this month, the Charlotte, NC-based...
Ban con lobbyists: pol
ALBANY — A Bronx Democrat wants lobbyists convicted of felonies to be suspended for three to five years from plying their trade. State Sen. Gustavo Rivera’s bill, introduced yesterday, follows...
Kissin’ cardinal
Timothy Cardinal Dolan was so moved by a 10-year-old altar boy’s family plight that he kissed a copy of yesterday’s Post, which told of the brave cancer battle being waged...
Kid-molest rap for ‘perv’ Gambino
A reputed Gambino crime family associate is facing sex-crime charges for allegedly molesting an underage girl over a period of five years, The Post has learned. Robert Wehnert has been...
USPS jobs slash
The US Postal Service, which predicts an annual loss of $18.2 billion by 2015, plans to eliminate 4.9 percent of its workforce by closing almost half of its mail-processing facilities...
Drugstore ‘perv spy’
This guy’s mind was really in the toilet.An Upper West Side Duane Reade employee secretly recorded his half-naked co-workers with a cellphone wrapped in toilet paper, The Post has learned.Shaun...
Shot boy’s Garden gift
A plucky Bronx 8-year-old who shrugged off a bullet to his left shoulder will soon go from a hospital bed to ringside seats. The WWE has promised Armando Bigo tickets...
Prosecutors lower boom on crane ‘villain’
Manslaughter charges aside, the reputation of millionaire crane magnate James Lomma has taken a beating as the first of many weeks of trial testimony wraps today in the fatal East...
$20 million Fifth Ave. money pit
This could be the city’s priciest fixer-upper. Joseph Plumeri’s full-floor apartment across the street from the Metropolitan Museum of Art has five bedrooms, 7 1/2 bathrooms, 10-foot ceilings, sweeping views...
NYPD Daily Blotter
Manhattan *** The pervert pictured above lifted a woman’s skirt and grabbed her buttocks as she waited for an elevator in a Gramercy building, police said yesterday. The sex assault...
WATCH: Daring high-rise jump to save 2-year-old in Manhattan fire
A 2-year-old child trapped in a burning apartment was rescued by his uncle, who risked his life by making a desperate jump from an eighth-floor window onto a firefighter’s ladder....
Retired cop’s lifesaving catch in Queens fire
A retired NYPD cop made the catch of his life early yesterday — saving a baby whose mom had dropped him from a window of a burning home in Queens....
Ex-nightclub owner wants fight charges filed against Monaco prince, pals
The beefy ex-nightclub owner who broke a scrawny European prince’s jaw in a barroom brawl will huddle with investigators from Manhattan DA Cyrus Vance Jr’s. office Monday, a source told...
Iraq’s daylong horror
BAGHDAD — Bombs and gunfire yesterday relentlessly pounded Iraqis, killing at least 55 people and wounding more than 225 in what the government called “frantic attempts” by terrorists to show...
Half in US pay no tax
WASHINGTON — Half of all Americans don’t pay income taxes, says a study from a conservative Washington think tank.The percentage of Americans who didn’t pay federal taxes jumped from 14.8...
WATCH: Journalists discuss Syria attack that killed Long Island-born reporter Marie Colvin
Long Island-born war correspondent Marie Colvin — who was murdered in a Syrian rocket attack Wednesday — was just seconds away from safety, an eyewitness revealed yesterday. Spanish journalist Javier...
O Koran apology as 2 GIs slain
KABUL, Afghanistan — President Obama apologized to Afghans yesterday for the burning of Korans at a US military base, trying to assuage rising anti-American sentiment as an Afghan soldier gunned...
Queens hospital is shut
The state Health Department yesterday ordered that bankrupt Peninsula Hospital in the Rockaways be shut down, after finding its lab was a “danger and threat to patient safety.” Health officials...
NYPD: Newark knew of spying
The NYPD yesterday fired back at critics who claimed the city secretly spied on Muslim residents in Newark, NJ, without alerting authorities there.NYPD spokesman Paul Browne argued that police officials...
‘No-$how’ Ratner woe
An executive for one of New York City’s top developers testified yesterday that the firm handed a Yonkers political crony what amounted to a $5,000-a-month no-show job. Forest City Ratner...
19K taxi drivers accused of ripping off passengers won't face charges
It was one of the biggest scandals in the taxi industry’s history, but nearly 90 percent of the 21,819 cabbies accused of ripping off passengers with inflated fares will get...
Stargazing guide to Big Apple’s A-listers
Move over, Hollywood — New York now has its own map to the stars. A real-estate Web site has rolled out a map showing the locations of more than 100...
Gov rips ‘crushing’ pension burden on taxpayers
ALBANY — Gov. Cuomo kept up his pension-reform drumbeat yesterday, blasting state Comptroller Tom DiNapoli for “crushing” hikes on taxpayers to help fund the state retirement-pension system.“The increases by this...
Schools give a pass to ‘ineligible’ grads
Dozens of high schools allowed hundreds of students to graduate without having met all state requirements, according to auditors from the city’s Department of Education. The audit focused on 60...
The Empire hawkers $trike back
Operators of the Empire State Building’s Skyride attraction were walking on air yesterday after an appeals court found that police had been improperly ticketing and arresting their hawkers. The street...
Family’s nightmare
With his family’s rickety home ablaze, a New Jersey boy pressed his face against a second-story window and cried out for help. Two firefighters on a ladder desperately tried to...
Inkredible: 1 in 5 have tats
Getting inked — it’s not just for bikers and rock stars anymore. One in five American adults has a tattoo — and few regret it, says a Harris Poll released...
Febulous weather out there
There’s nothing like sipping an iced coffee — on a balmy February day. New Yorkers are basking in the second-warmest February on record, according to AccuWeather. “It’s pretty close to...
Casino mogul eager to throw dice in New York
He’s betting on New York. Billionaire gambling mogul Sheldon Adelson is considering building a massive betting and convention resort in New York if the state legalizes Las Vegas-style casinos. Adelson’s...
L of a comeback
Every hipster’s favorite subway line — the perennially packed L train — was almost completely shuttered 25 years ago because barely anyone was using it, MTA Chairman Joseph Lhota revealed...
Disgraced former Gov. returning to national politics with fund-raiser
The Love Gov is climbing back into bed — with lawmakers. For the first time since a tawdry hooker scandal trashed his political career, Eliot Spitzer is holding a fund-raiser...
End of 40-yr. station break
The eastern entrance to the 4th Avenue/9th Street subway station — shuttered since Richard Nixon was in the White House — was finally reopened yesterday, part of a massive MTA...
Mets trial ruling due
A judge said yesterday he’ll decide by March 5 if a trial is necessary to decide if the owners of the New York Mets were willfully blind to the multibillion-dollar...
Rowling magic for adults
Adult fans of J.K. Rowling can rejoice: She has a new novel coming, for grown-ups. The author of the mega-selling “Harry Potter” series said yesterday she has an agreement with...
Bank robber ‘dyes’ in getaway car: cops
A harebrained bandit tried to use a yellow cab as his personal getaway vehicle from an Upper West Side bank heist yesterday — only to have his plan foiled when...
Quota bombshell
A whistleblowing cop says his Bronx precinct is ruled by an elaborate, color-coded quota system tracking the number of arrests, summonses and “stop-and-frisks” logged by each officer. In a civil-rights...
Cowboy suit gets boot
A judge yesterday sent the Naked Cowboy’s latest lawsuit riding off into the sunset. Manhattan federal Judge Barbara Jones tossed claims by the famed Times Square busker that CBS and...
Chavez cancer op
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez will travel to Cuba today for a third cancer operation after receiving unanimous approval for a leave of absence from the National Assembly.This week, Chavez, 57,...
Push jury’s in a pickled
Does a drunken man who sent a woman flying into an oncoming subway train — nearly killing her — get away with it just because he was drunk? That’s the...
School-aide ‘pervert’ rap
A Queens elementary-school aide was charged yesterday with inappropriately touching six girls at PS 52. Brett Picou, 30, inappropriately hugged and touched the 9- and 10-year-olds at the Springfield Gardens...
VP fave: Yes, I was former Latter-day
WASHINGTON — Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, considered a dream vice-presidential candidate by many Republicans, was once a Mormon before going back to Catholicism, Rubio’s office confirmed yesterday. Rubio’s religious background...
Sent to principles office
WASHINGTON — Mitt Romney, hoping to harness Tea Party-fueled resentment of DC and regain the initiative in Michigan, pounded Rick Santorum yesterday for a series of cumbersome defenses that Santorum...
Chris Brown woe
Miami cops are investigating a report that troubled R&B singer Chris Brown stole a woman’s phone after she tried to take photos of him outside a nightclub. Christal Spann, 24,...
Van Cliburn on the block
Art, jewelry and furnishings collected by the pianist Van Cliburn are being auctioned this spring on the Upper East Side.Christie’s auction house estimates the value at $3 million.Cliburn says in...
‘Hate Crime’ hurdle
It’s not just what a former Rutgers University student did or didn’t do that’s at issue in his trial on charges he used a Web cam to spy on his...
Sex raps vs. DSK March on
Sex scoundrel Dominique Strauss-Kahn has a busy month of court dates ahead. Lawyers for the ex-IMF chief are slated to appear in a Bronx courtroom March 15. There, they’ll try...
Village thumbs down on NYU
The community board representing Greenwich Village voted last night to oppose NYU’s controversial, $6 billion expansion plans.“The board was extremely concerned about the impact . . . on this historic...
NYPD disciplines officer after he's snapped sleeping on subway
This decorated cop was photographed snoozing on the subway by a straphanger who saw something, and said something. Martin Bisi used his cellphone to snap the alarming picture of Officer...
A killer ‘stimulus’
In his budget address on Tuesday, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie proposed cutting income taxes to make the state more competitive in the race for jobs and investment. But even...
Facing Facts on the Jobs NYC Needs
Last week, Fresh Direct announced plans to move its operations from Long Island City to a new plant in the South Bronx, thanks in part to tax incentives and other...
Private taxpayers — stuck with public promises
The Issue: Whether Gov. Cuomo’s efforts to further pension reform are fair to state public employees. *** Is Ken Brynien, head of New York’s Public Employees Federation, kidding in thinking...
Cops and robbers
A new coalition of lefty activists and the soft-on-crime usual suspects has declared a taxpayer-funded purity test for the 2013 municipal elections: Condemn the Bloomberg administration’s stop-and-frisk safe-streets policy, or...
Calling Buffett’s bluff
Leave it to New Jersey’s outspoken Gov. Chris Christie to say — directly and to the point — what someone should have told Warren Buffett ages ago: “Cut a check...
Light the Town Red
“Cardinal Dolan is more than just a man of faith, he’s a beloved leader in our community and a hometown hero . . . which is why I couldn’t think...
‘Reform’ poison
You’ve got to hand it to President Obama: He can take one of the most prosaic, albeit important, topics in the country — tax reform — and turn it into...
Not a SEAL of approval
I’m not going to say “Act of Valor” oversimplifies manly bravado, but Sylvester Stallone just called to say there’s more to war than square-jawed warriors shooting villains in the teeth....
Danish director imports a well-played ballet buffet
While the Republican candidates were duking it out in Arizona Wednesday night, Ballet Arizona visited New York for the first time — and it’s a group worthy of bipartisan support....
An artist’s muse: herself
For nearly 40 years, photographer Cindy Sherman’s been her own model, muse, makeup artist and stylist. Now, she’s her own plastic surgeon, too. Working digitally, she can play with her...
Weak atmosphere eclipses astronomer’s tale
If the skies had looked the way they do in Bertolt Brecht’s “Galileo,” which just opened at Classic Stage Company, the famous Italian astronomer may never have looked up a...
An early spring for B’way
It’s February, but it feels like spring — and spring in theater land means activity. Some shows are in rehearsals, some in previews. Deals are being signed and the Tony...
The Fairy
Forget “The Artist.’’ The homage to silent cinema to see is “The Fairy,’’ directed by and featuring three Belgian comic masters, Dominique Abel, Fiona Gordon and Bruno Romy. Abel is...
Hipsters
Are you ready for a bright and breezy musical comedy from Russia? Then check out “Hipsters,’’ which is set in dreary 1955 Moscow and involves a cold war between “hipsters’’...
Eye-for-an-eye tale worth seeing
Welcome to 21st-century Albania, where an ancient code of justice persists alongside the latest technological gadgets. In “The Forgiveness of Blood,’’ teenager Nik (Tristan Halilaj) finds himself a marked man...
Wanderful!
Paul Rudd and Jennifer Aniston play downsized Manhattan yuppies who join a commune in “Wanderlust,’’ a raunchy, often hilarious satire from the Judd Apatow stable that lacks any real bite....
Sports Shorts
NFL: Duerson family files suit The family of former Giants player Dave Duerson filed a wrongful death suit against the NFL, claiming the league didn’t do enough to prevent or...
All-Star Weekend fans get what they want: Jeremy Lin
Linsanity will meet a different type of hype this weekend after the NBA found a way to get Knicks star Jeremy Lin into its showcase All-Star weekend by expanding the...
5 questions for ... Harold Reynolds
Mlb Network analyst Harold Reynolds previews spring training with The Post’s Justin Terranova. The former second baseman talks about the American League’s balance of power heading west, Bobby Valentine, and...
Meadowlands Results
FIRST-1-mile; pace; $9,500; cond.1Gray Olives (B Sears)6.804.202.804Donna Party (A Miller)6.804.202Pfortyseven Girl (D Miller)6.00* Exacta (1-4) $61.80 * Trifecta (1-4-2) $260.20Winner picked by SmithSECOND-1-mile; trot; $12,500; Singer Mem.6Mn'sTresure(TTetrck)4.203.002.104Automatic (B Sears)3.202.401A-Anddiditmyway (M...
Giants deny Buccaneers’ request to interview Gilbride Jr.
Since winning the Super Bowl, the Giants already have lost two of Tom Coughlin’s assistant coaches on the offensive side of the ball and do not want to lose another,...
Post picker Affrunti nails eight winners at Aqueduct
Post handicapper Anthony Affrunti had a dream day at Aqueduct Racetrack yesterday as he selected eight winners on the nine-race card while nailing the pick six. Affrunti‘s winners were Cat...
Aqueduct Analysis
Post Time: 12:20 p.m. All horses appear in post position order1. 1 mile; $56,000; alw; 3YO(f)PEACE PRESERVER adds blinkers after finishing fourth in the Biogioâs Rose Stakes in dirt debut....
Tomorrow’s Aqueduct Entries
All horses appear in post position orderFIRST-1m&70yds; $28,000; clm($7,500); 4up PN Horse, Wt.JockeyLast 3TrainerOdds1 LibertySt.Outlw(L),120SHusbnds6-8-8Chin30-12 Cinder Cone(L),120CVelasquz8-9-2Englehart2-13 Jax Maxx(L),120C Lopez7-3-5Perkins7-24 Loyal Leader(L),120JBlakeBaz11-7-7Jones50-15 Butler Cabin(L),113JRodriguz6-8-5Baker3-16 FrenchTransitin(L),120I Ortiz, Jr5-5-7F Martin15-17 Troponin(L),120JRodriguz4-5-6Gimbnc10-18 Jitalian(L),120L...
Aqueduct Charts
February 23rd, 2012Clear and Fast©2012 Equibase. All Rights ReservedFIRST-6 fur; $37,000; clm($30,000); 4upOff: 12:20. Good. strong hand rideTime: 22.98, 46.33, 58.66, 1:11.58.Trainer: Bruce LevineWinner: DK B/ G, 4, by Forestry-Two...
Meadowlands Graded Entries
Post Time: 7:00 p.m.Best Bet: Village Rhythm (4th)FIRST: mile trot; $10,500; cond3 MamaMadeMeBle(BSmpsn)2-1-87-26 Mm's Lucky Boy(DMiller)1-6-73-15 Orange Bigi(JCampbell)1-2-46-11 Powerful Tom(YGingras)4-6-815-12 Queen Creek(TTetrick)2-1-112-14 Wheels(RSchnittker)3-4-19-27 Macdeen Star(AMiller)5-6-16-18 Dw's Easter(RPierce)8-6-120-19 Cuzzin Rob(DDube)2-2-18-110 Celebrity...
Gulfstream Analysis
Post Time: 12:35 p.m. All horses appear in post position orderPost Time: 12:35 p.m.FIRST-1 mile; $16,500; clm($12,500); 3YOHALF WED drops in class after just missing by a head. OLD PUERTO...
Gulfstream Results
FIRST-6 fur; $16,500; clm($10,000); 3up 5 Fce Crd (Cstellno) 2.60 2.80 2.10 2 Pssthpst Pls (Brv) 2.10 2.10 2.10 8 Christopher'smage (Calderon) 3.00 Scr: Marty's Perfect.. dh_Face Card, Passthepasta Plesa1...
Home Team Lineups
TODAYFeb. 24SATFeb. 25SUNFeb. 26MONFeb. 27TUEFeb. 28WEDFeb. 29THUMar. 1KnicksNO GAMENOGAMEAll-StarGameTNT7:30NO GAMENO GAMECle.7:30MSGESPNNO GAMENetsNO GAMENO GAMEAll-StarGameTNT7:30NO GAMEDal. 8:30 YES WFANNO GAMENO GAMERangersIslanders 7:00 MSG Network ESPN 1050 AMBuff.7:00MSGESPNNO GAMEDevils7:30NBCSNESPNNOGAMENOGAMECar.7:00MSGESPNIslandersRangers7:00 MSG Plus2 WRHU...
The Post Line
NCAA BasketballFavoriteLineUnderdogYALE5ColumbiaCornell4BROWNPenn5DARTMOUTHHARVARD11 1/2PrincetonVALPARAISO1 1/2ButlerUTAH ST.5 1/2IdahoWEST VA.1 1/2MarquetteLoyola (Md.)2RIDERMANHATTAN17CanisiusIONA8 1/2FairfieldNiagara3 1/2ST. PETER'SHome Team in CAPS NHLFavoriteLineUnderdogRangers$125-145ISLANDERSDEVILS-105-115CanucksB. JACKETS$100-120AvalancheCAPITALS$105-125CanadiensBruins$135-155SABRESSTARS$135-155WildNBASundayAll-Star GameAt Orlando, Fla.FavoriteLineUnderdogEast1 (280) West
Devils veterans want to add big defenseman at deadline
The two longest-serving Devils stars, with five Stanley Cups between them, offered The Post the same verdict on what the team could use at the trade deadline. Surprisingly, they agreed...
Mets to attend Carter service tonight
PORT ST. LUCIE — With heavy hearts, the Mets will pay final respects to Hall of Fame catcher Gary Carter tonight at a memorial service in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla....
Rangers coach seeks solid play in final weeks
As the Rangers’ boat begins to sway in the heavy waves of the playoff run, coach John Tortorella is hearing creaks in the wood and he doesn’t like it. “It’s...
Tiger blows short putt, eliminated in second round
MARANA, Ariz. — Tiger Woods had a 5-foot birdie putt to extend the match, and Nick Watney already was thinking about how to play the next hole. He had his...
Networks hypocritical in reactions to Lin slur
Oh, great. Just what we needed, another week loaded with proof that the world has gone nuts. First, after firing a headline writer for his “Chink in the Armor” job...
Buccaneers coach Schiano says he did Rutgers favor
INDIANAPOLIS — The way Greg Schiano sees it, he did Rutgers a favor with how he suddenly bolted to the NFL last month. The new Buccaneers coach offered no misgivings...
Colts in no hurry to end Peyton era
INDIANAPOLIS — The Colts’ portion of the Peyton Manning saga is going to take a little while longer. That was the apparent message yesterday from new Indianapolis general manager Nick...
Jets coach Ryan says guarantee 'huge mistake’ that hurt team
INDIANAPOLIS — The Jets are an organization famous for a guarantee, but don’t plan on hearing any new ones anytime soon. Jets coach Rex Ryan called the Super Bowl guarantee...
Jets won’t rule out possible Peyton pursuit
INDIANAPOLIS — Jets coach Rex Ryan knew the question was coming and was ready with a one-liner. Asked about Colts quarterback Peyton Manning’s possible availability and the Jets’ potential interest...
Reyes ‘having a great time’ with Marlins
JUPITER, Fla. — You can spend a lifetime in one organization, but in the end, it’s about playing the game and staying on the field no matter what uniform you...
Brewers star has suspension overturned
National League MVP Ryan Braun’s 50-game suspension was overturned yesterday by baseball arbitrator Shyam Das, the first time a baseball player successfully challenged a drug-related penalty in a grievance. The...
MLB big loser after Braun gets off hook
TAMPA — An arbitrator decided in Ryan Braun’s favor and the Milwaukee slugger avoided serving a 50-game suspension for failing a test for performance enhancing drugs. But he is not...
Mets LF Bay vows to bounce back from bad seasons
PORT ST. LUCIE — Jason Bay has got it all figured out — sort of. The underachieving left fielder arrived at Mets camp yesterday ready to forget about the last...
Bust-in’ a move
Since signing a $66 million deal with the Mets in 2010, Jason Bay has been disappointing. Here’s a look at his two seasons in New York (2010-11) versus his two...
Cash-strapped Mets take helicopter to see Knicks play
PORT ST. LUCIE — For a franchise that is supposedly bleeding cash, the Mets sure know how to travel in style. That was evident about 5 p.m. yesterday when a...
Age-old questions for Yankees captain Jeter
TAMPA — Derek Jeter is in the eye of the beholder. If you are a Jeter true believer then you dismissed the visual and statistical evidence from the beginning of...
No relief for Hughes in battle for Yankees rotation
TAMPA -- The Yankees' first full-squad workout isn’t until tomorrow, but it’s clear Phil Hughes will have more eyes on him than the five names in the mix for the...
Sabathia can help Yankees newcomer Pineda with change
TAMPA -- Fifty-seven years after he turned their stomachs hollow in the 1955 World Series, MVP Johnny Podres is helping the Yankees. Podres possessed a tantalizing changeup that he taught...
Yankees GM says contract talks with Martin at standstill
TAMPA — According to general manger Brian Cashman, the Yankees haven’t discussed a contract extension with catcher Russell Martin since December. “We haven’t had any talk since the Winter Meetings,’’...
Nets’ push for playoffs is no joke
ORLANDO, Fla. -- Avery Johnson has this dream. In it, the Nets coach sees his team practicing, playing games. With at least 12 health players. Not eight or nine or...
Dealing with cancer just another one of life's transactions for ex-GM Pat Williams
ORLANDO — Pat Williams’ mission was remission from incurable multiple myeloma that had been diagnosed last February. That has been accomplished. Four days before the NBA hosts its second All-Star...
As Knicks hit break, Heat show them how far they have to go
MIAMI — The Knicks get two useful gifts out of a long night alongside Biscayne Bay. The first is immediate: an All-Star break that couldn’t come at a better time,...
With Lin, Knicks have become ‘it’ team
MIAMI — After the second game of Jeremy Lin’s emergence, the day after Super Sunday, a reporter asked Knicks coach Mike D’Antoni if the undrafted point guard out of Harvard...
Mayweather, Lee bury the hatchet
MIAMI — Boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. who tweeted derogatory things about Jeremy Lin saying the Knicks point guard was getting all of the attention solely because he was Chinese-American, and...
‘Who’ DNA drama
Everyone has to have a dramatic story to make it worth the while of the researchers at “Who Do You Think You Are,” the NBC show in which famous folks...
Uncertain Emmys
The fate of the Daytime Emmy Awards on TV is still up in the air, but the industry is acting like it’s business as usual. “People are tweeting about voting,”...
Talk show guests
FRIDAYBRAD GORESKI, WOLFGANG PUCK, JIMMY KIMMEL - Good Morning America, 7 a.m., Ch. 7SARA HAINES - Today, 7 a.m., Ch. 4PAUL RUDD - The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, 9...
Gas attack!
How fast are gas prices going up? They’re going up as TV reporters are live on the air talking about it. “It’s almost too unbelievable to believe,” exclaimed ABC News...
Major ‘Abbey’ finale
The much talked-about “Downton Abbey” finale last weekend was a smashing success, according to PBS. The addictive period drama drew the biggest audience for public television in more than three...
Paula Abdul fleeing bad-news LA home
Paula Abdul is putting her bad-luck house in LA up for sale and moving out, according to real estate records. The five-bedroom, 4 1/2 bath house holds some bad memories...
Who's zooming who!
1. WWEpay-per-view 1,317,288 2. WWE Raw 1,044,593 3. Brit Awards (Fuse) 1,006,024 4. Arizon GOP Debate 959,266 5. SpongeBob 712,126 6. Premio Lo Nuestro 660,553 7. The Simpsons 645,179 8....
Party like an Oscar winner!
Three hours is a long time to sit on your couch watching the Academy Awards. Instead, head out to one of the city’s many viewing parties Sunday night. LIFE’S A...
Weird but true
Why fight your speeding ticket in court when you can fight it at the home of the cop that wrote it. A lead-footed Florida man allegedly showed up at the...
Closer Cole to enter Fordham Hall
Bob Cole was raised to love baseball and Fordham, his two prized possessions — his grandfather’s signed Brooklyn Dodger contract, and a ball his Fordham graduate father gave him signed...
LIU clinches NEC regular-season title
It was far too appropriate. With a little more than 100 fans looking on at the Stratis Arena in Hackensack, LIU Brooklyn achieved the first goal of its quietly dominant...
Get ahead of the game
Can’t wait ‘til Sunday for the Oscars telecast? These spots are celebrating ahead of the big day. French bistro La Boite in Bois serves up a three-course prix-fixe menu ($40)...
Chris Brown accused of stealing woman's phone after she tried to snap pictures of him
MIAMI -- Miami police are investigating a report that R&B singer Chris Brown stole a woman's phone after she tried to take photos of him outside a nightclub. Christal Spann,...
Heat contain Lin, roll to 8th straight win, 102-88
MIAMI — Jeremy Lin was no match for the Miami Heat. Forcing Lin into easily the worst game of his remarkable run as New York's starting point guard by running...
B'klyn subway entrance opens after 40 years
The eastern entrance to the 4th Avenue/9th Street subway station — shuttered since Richard Nixon was in the White House — was finally reopened today, part of a massive MTA...
Giants deny Buccaneers’ request to interview Kevin Gilbride, Jr.
Since winning the Super Bowl, the Giants have already lost two of Tom Coughlin’s assistant coaches on the offensive side of the ball and do not want to lose another,...