September 2, 2013
Boho stunner Yelena Noah, sister of NBA star, is having her moment
In May, after the Chicago Bulls defeated the Brooklyn Nets to advance to the second round of the playoffs, Chicago’s lanky, topknot-wearing center, Joakim Noah, grabbed the hand of an...
Conjuring a political worst-case in City Hall elections
Welcome back from your summer escape. Did the sight of the skyline thrill you? Then let this scare you: an all-too-plausible, worst-case scenario for the election. Meet the City Hall...
Next NY mayor should permit lottery system for public schools
As summer draws to a close and the city’s school doors are set to open, a parents group has asked the city’s mayoral candidates to endorse their new proposal: a...
Inez Dickens hires ex-Paterson aide and domestic abuser
Plainly, Inez Dickens has gotten the message: In New York politics, this is the Year of Second Chances. If Eliot Spitzer can run for comptroller even after a call-girl scandal...
Authors claim NYPD designated mosques terrorist centers
Once again, the NYPD finds itself under siege. And once again, the attacks emanate from a dysfunctional alliance of traditional cop-haters, federal agencies fighting turf battles and politically correct folk...
Nine Inch Nails it once more
Albums of the Week NINE INCH NAILS “Hesitation Marks” ★★★ 1/2 Earlier this year, Trent Reznor made an album with his side project How to Destroy Angels that had good...
Your take on taxes squeezing Jersey homeowners
I was really saddened to read how the mayor of Egg Harbor Township might actually have to sell his dream home because of out-of-control New Jersey property taxes (“At...
Your take on sentencing a terrorist — and paying for his upkeep
Why did it take the jury two hours (“Of Martyrs and Maj. Hasan,” Editorial, Aug. 29)? Hopefully, the Army doesn’t take that long to strip him of the pay...
This week's couple: A pair with different tastes
Diet is important for everyone, even on a blind date. Unfortunately for Alex, 29, who eats everything put in front of him, his date Jax, 26, is a vegan. So...
Nearly 1/3 of Syria's population displaced by civil war
DAMASCUS, Syria — International aid to Syrians uprooted by civil war is a "drop in the sea" of what is needed, a top UN official said Monday, estimating that five...
92-year-old Nazi SS thug on trial for WWII slaughter
A 92-year-old who served in the Waffen-SS, Adolf Hitler's elite Nazi troops, goes on trial on Monday in the western city of Hagen on charges of having shot in the...
US spied on Mexican, Brazilian presidents: report
The US National Security Agency spied on the communications of the presidents of Brazil and Mexico, a Brazilian news program reported, a revelation that could strain US relations with the...
Hollywood scribe spent 10 years, $2M uncovering clues of J.D. Salinger's life
LOS ANGELES -- Shane Salerno's phone never stops ringing. Known until now as a screenwriter for "Armageddon" and "Savages," working by day on a sequel to "Avatar," he has taken...
Gus the Polar Bear
A popular polar bear named Gus who attracted millions of visitors to the Central Park Zoo and outlived both of his longtime female companions died on August 28. He was...
64-year-old swims from Cuba to Florida — without a shark cage
KEY WEST, Fla. — Looking dazed and sunburned, New York-born endurance athlete Diana Nyad walked onto the shore yesterday, becoming the first person to swim from Cuba to Florida without...
Shooter identified in murder of 1-year-old boy
Community leaders from a Brooklyn neighborhood where a 1-year-old boy was gunned down in his stroller said they have identified the shooter, and are working with cops to bring him...
Riot at your own risk: UC Berkeley health plan doesn't cover riot-related injuries
Students at UC Berkeley were shocked to learn that the student health insurance plan doesn’t cover injuries received during riot participation. According to The Daily Californian, the Berkeley student newspaper, the...
Obama looks to former foe McCain for advice on Syria strike
WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama is inviting former foe Sen. John McCain to the White House, hoping one of Congress' most intractable foreign policy hawks will help sell the idea...
Two men accused of trying to steal ivy from Wrigley Field
Call it a case of overzealous souvenir-hunting. Two men arrested early Sunday for trying to steal ivy from outfield wall
Marijuana grower killed by own booby trap, police say
A New York man died after being nearly decapitated by a booby trap he set to protect marijuana plants on his property. Daniel R. Ricketts, 50, who owns property and...
Samsung Galaxy Gear 'iWatch' competitor photos leaked online
Leaked photos of what is claimed to be Samsung's new smartwatch set to be released this week show a watch that is capable of sending email, taking photos and monitoring...
Coughlin knows first prep for Cowboys will be a 'who'
Tom Coughlin would love to know precisely who will be on the practice field on Monday, when the Giants begin preparation for the Sept. 8 regular-season opener against the Cowboys....
World's largest free-flying American flag hangs over George Washington Bridge
FORT LEE, NJ — The largest free-flying American flag in the world is now flying over the George Washington Bridge in honor of Labor Day. The Port Authority of New...
Manziel takes pressure off two-time champ Alabama
ATLANTA — The Alabama football program owes Johnny Manziel a Thank You note, a Christmas card and an iTunes gift certificate. Consider what Manziel has done for the Crimson Tide...
Truck catches fire on Queensboro bridge, lower level closed
NEW YORK — Part of a major New York City bridge will be closed at least through Sunday morning after a truck caught fire, sending black smoke billowing over the...
Al Qaeda at large
In a departure from Bush doctrine, President Obama confined the War on Terror to al Qaeda, insisting America is not at war with Islamic extremists or even terrorists, and on...
Veteran QB Brady Quinn signed by Jets
The Jets quarterback merry-go-round got another entry Monday when the team signed Brady Quinn.Quinn spent the offseason with the Seahwaks, but was cut over the weekend. The former first-round pick...
Cruz practices, tests heel, says he’s on schedule to play in opener
Victor Cruz knew he had to test himself Monday, his first day back on the practice field after suffering a bruised heel Aug. 18 in a preseason game against the...
CBS, Time Warner Cable reach deal
Are you ready for some football? Less than a week before the kickoff of the NFL season, Time Warner Cable yesterday cut a deal with CBS to resume carrying the...
Week in Photos: August 22-26
This week in photos: an Indian villager smokes a pipe while sitting in protest in New Delhi and Palestinian children clown around with kites on the Gaza Strip’s Bait Lahiya...
'Syrian Electronic Army' hacks Marines website
WASHINGTON — Pro-Assad computer hackers today broke into the Marine Corps recruiting website, redirecting visitors to a screed that called President Barack Obama "a traitor who wants to put your...
Meet the drunkest girl ever
She tried to run onto the field during a football game, was hauled off to jail and gave an incredibly high blood-alcohol reading. Then she tweeted about her experience. Samantha...
Assad: 'Everyone will lose control of the situation' if US, France decide to strike
PARIS -- Syria's president warned Monday that the Middle East is a "powder keg" and potential Western military strikes against his country risk triggering a regional war. In an interview...
Meet Syria's 11-year-old killing machine
He is 11-years-old, has an AK-47 and he wants to kill Syria's president Bashar al-Assad. Schoolboy Mohammed Afar, who lives in the northern Syrian city of Aleppo, is not much...
Cruz, Pierre-Paul, Hynoski all on the field for Giants practice
Jason Pierre-Paul declared he was tired, which was not necessarily a bad thing for the Giants, as the on-the-mend defensive end got plenty of work in Monday continuing his comeback...
Elder Bush announces death of Nelson Mandela -- except Mandela isn't dead
Former president George H.W. Bush announced the death of Nelson Mandela on Sunday morning when his spokesman sent out a statement of mourning. There was just one problem with the...
Hospital offers first rehab program for internet junkies
A Pennsylvania hospital will soon become the nation’s first to offer an inpatient program for Internet addicts. Behavioral Health Services at the Bradford Regional Medical Center in Bradford, Pa., will...
‘Missionaries’ scammed immigrants: DA
Self-described husband-wife missionaries scammed nearly a dozen Asian immigrant families with a chain of bogus Brooklyn schools that were supposed to teach them English — but only defrauded them, officials...
'Downton Abbey' debuts dramatic trailer for season 4
Anyone worried that "Downton Abbey" would start playing it safe can rest easy, as the trailer for the upcoming fourth season shows that the series hasn't lost its flair for...
NFL veteran quarterback Brady Quinn signed to Jets
The Jets quarterback merry-go-round got another entry Monday when the team signed Brady Quinn. Quinn spent the off-season with the Seahwaks, but was cut over the weekend. The former first-round...
UN asks to expatiate analysis of Syrian samples
UNITED NATIONS — The United Nations has asked the head of its chemical weapons inspection team to expedite the analysis of tests from samples collected from Syria last week, the...
New York to salute Staten Island hero with flags at half mast
Flags will fly at half staff around the state Wednesday in honor of Army Staff Sgt. Michael H. Ollis of Staten Island, the heroic young soldier who died in Afghanistan...
Sloane Stephens learns from Williams defeat at US Open
Sloane Stephens is considered by many the future of American tennis on the women’s side, a hard-hitting 20-year-old dynamo from Florida who already has reached the semifinals of a Grand...
Garcia leads in Deutsche Bank Championship
NORTON, Mass. — Sergio Garcia started with the lead in the Deutsche Bank Championship and shot 65. And he needed just about every birdie. On a TPC Boston softened by...
US men shut out of 4th round
It was the ultimate indignity. Wild card Tim Smyczek’s valiant bid to prevent a new low of American men’s futility in a major had come up just short, and 43rd-ranked...
Arrieta shuts down Phils in Cubs’ 7-1 win
Coco Crisp and Stephen Vogt homered, A.J. Griffin struck out seven in seven innings, and the Athletics completed a three-game sweep of the fellow playoff contender Rays with a 5-1...
Congressional leaders doubtful that Obama will win approval for Syria strike
Congressional leaders were doubtful yesterday that President Obama will win approval for a military strike against Syria — putting himself in a difficult position to then invoke the War Powers...
Verizon, Vodafone set $130 billion deal
Verizon and Vodafone plan to announce a $130 billion deal today that will give the Gotham-based telecom giant complete control of Verizon Wireless, subject to final board approval, people familiar...
Kanye West gets $3M to play in Borat's home country
Even over a holiday weekend when all he’s doing is providing wedding entertainment, Kanye West can’t avoid controversy. On Saturday, the “Yeezus” rapper played the wedding of Kazakhstan President Nursultan...
Assad is like Hitler: Kerry
Secretary of State John Kerry yesterday compared Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad to “Adolf Hitler and Saddam Hussein” — as lab tests proved the sarin nerve agent was used to kill...
Tot wandering alone in Bushwick wins heart of cop
A Brooklyn tot was found wandering alone on a Bushwick street near midnight last week and wound up winning the heart of the rookie female cop who took charge of...
Cuomo duo runs amok
Senior aides to Gov. Cuomo are increasingly worried that the Moreland Act Commission named by the governor two months ago to investigate corruption in state government is getting out of...
Business Briefs
Bull China China’s official manufacturing purchasing managers’ index hit a 16-month high in August — 51.0 vs. 50.3 in July — suggesting the world’s second-largest economy may prove slightly stronger...
Go to Greg
I work for a small family-owned business in which there are lots of family squabbles, which I seem to get drawn into the middle of. It’s awkward and uncomfortable. What...
It is a pigskin paradise on the newsstand
Will it be the Giants, or the Jets, or the Steelers, or the Cowboys, or (insert your team here)? The long wait is over, with the NFL kickoff set for...
Minton’s meets Tuscan wines in Parsons’ spots
Dick Parsons may be the world’s only person to own a Tuscan vineyard and a restaurant and jazz supper club in Harlem. “My passions are wine, food and music and...
L.A. Reid still searching for right sound at Sony Music
L.A. Reid’s tenure as the head of Sony Music’s Epic Records has involved a lot of spending — but few hits. In the year’s first half, Epic didn’t have enough...
Madame Tussauds' manager loves brush with fame
On any given work day, a long list of boldface names demands Emily Robinson’s attention: Kim Kardashian needs her makeup touched up. Michelle Obama is due for a sponge bath....
Hit and run driver arrested after killing woman who was fleeing from gunman
Police arrested the hit and run driver who struck and killed a woman as she fled from a gunman outside of a Bronx club, authorities said. Leroy Forest, 31 has...
Syria's Assad warns 'everyone will lose control of the situation' if US, France decide to strike
PARIS -- Syria's president warned Monday that the Middle East is a "powder keg" and potential Western military strikes against his country risk triggering a regional war. In an interview...
Alleged Craigslist ‘revenge’ pornographer get his comeuppance
An unemployed Brooklyn man secretly videotaped himself having sex with his girlfriend and then posted the romps on Craigslist and a porn Web site after she broke up with him,...
David Frost - journo who nailed Nixon - dies at 74
Veteran British broadcaster David Frost — best remembered for his post-Watergate interviews with former President Richard Nixon — has died of a heart attack at age 74. Frost succumbed Saturday...
Yankees relievers fall on sword after seventh-inning implosion
All season, the Yankees bullpen has been a source of strength and confidence. Over the past two weeks, when the Yankees needed it most as they try to stay in...
Derek Jeter can't get out of rut
Derek Jeter is engulfed in an ugly slump. Jeter went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts in yesterday’s 7-3 loss to the Orioles in The Bronx, and the captain is now hitless...
Giants bring back seven cut players to fill practice squad
Clearly, the Giants were fairly happy with the players they cut on Saturday, as yesterday they brought seven of them back to fill out the bulk of their practice squad....
Time to see how Geno Smith handles the New York spotlight
In six short days, we will find out how tough this Geno Smith is, in every possible way, how he responds to the adversity that awaits him, how he gets...
Greg McElroy goes on IR as possible layover to Cincinnati
Saturday’s “final” cut-down day turned out to be just the beginning for the Jets, who busied themselves yesterday by claiming three players, cutting three others and — at least for...
Radwanska bounced in U.S. Open by 24th-seed Ekaterina Makarova
Ekaterina Makarova is known for her doubles accomplishments. That could change by the time the U.S. Open ends. The 24th-seeded Russian last night pulled the biggest upset in the woman’s...
Vic Black aims to become Mets' closer after being acquired from Pirates
WASHINGTON — Vic Black wasn’t holding back anything yesterday on his first official day of work with the Mets. The 25-year-old reliever — the player to be named later in...
Nationals pounce on Mets bullpen
WASHINGTON — The Mets’ visions of a three-game sweep in this house of horrors were fun while they lasted. Too many times in recent years the Mets have seen disaster...
Sergio Garcia leads in Deutsche Bank Championship
NORTON, Mass. — Sergio Garcia started with the lead in the Deutsche Bank Championship and shot 65. And he needed just about every birdie. On a TPC Boston softened by...
Four dead after speed freak totals second car in one month
Four young people died yesterday when a speed freak crashed his rented Volkswagen into the base of a highway overpass in Westchester, leaving the vehicle a mass of twisted wreckage,...
After struggling at Michigan, Cox follows Cruz's path to Giants
Sometimes where a player is from tells much about how he got to where he is. The tale of Victor Cruz is augmented because of his modest college football roots...
One awful inning derails Yankees' sweep against Orioles
After firing six shutout innings yesterday, Andy Pettitte surrendered back-to-back singles to start the seventh. He held a three-run lead, with Matt Wieters coming to the plate. Pettitte had already...
Resilient Bombers have to bounce back again
The Yankees and manager Joe Girardi were feeling pretty good about themselves before their magic bullpen imploded in the seventh inning yesterday at Yankee Stadium. That inning will prove to...
Serena Williams tops Sloane Stephens in championship-worthy match
From the hype beforehand to Serena Williams’ celebration afterwards, her clash with young frenemy Sloane Stephens felt less like a fourth-round U.S. Open match and more like a semifinal. But...
First week reinforces AAC's perception as a glorified Conference USA
As a guy who grew up with the Big East Conference, it has been nothing short of repugnant to see what realignment has done to the college sports landscape. Schools...
Bryan brothers avoid doubles trouble
Desperate times call for desperate measures. Trailing by a set and a break, on the doorstep of losing in the men’s doubles third round at the U.S. Open to the...
Agony of ecstasy at killer NYC rave
A Syracuse grad and a Rhode Island co-ed died after popping ecstasy pills at the wild Electric Zoo music fest — prompting officials to shut down the megaparty, which drew...
Quinn all in against stop-and-frisk
City Council Speaker Christine Quinn will file court papers tomorrow urging a federal judge to keep the NYPD’s stop-and-frisk monitor in place while the Bloomberg administration appeals the ruling. “The...
‘Cats’ loves cats... and Lhota doesn't
He’s really milking this one. GOP mayoral hopeful John Catsimatidis yesterday pounced on rival Joe Lhota for disagreeing with the decision to shut down part of a Brooklyn subway line...
Creating a thriving working environment in NYC
New York has always had a special affinity with Labor Day. After all, the first Labor Day parades were held here. And many of the battles for better working conditions...
New post-college tests actually measure what students learned
There was a day when a college degree meant something. Heck, there was a day when a high-school diploma meant something. And though there’s no going back, someone’s at least...
Nelson Castro’s perjury undermines Bharara corruption case
In high school and college wrestling, the hold known as the “full Nelson” — where you grab your opponent from behind and secure him from his neck — is illegal...