December 30, 2003
SALES TAX WOULD FUND RATNER'S BROOKLYN HOOP DREAMS
December 30, 2003 | 5:00amI'VE lived in New Jersey for over 20 years and I can't recall ever meeting anyone who has actually attended a Nets game. While the team is secretive about the...
FAMOUS SKIN DOC MULLS $10M SALE OF PRODUCT LINE
December 30, 2003 | 5:00amThe doctor is in - cashing in, that is. Doctor's Dermatologic Formula, a brand of skincare products developed by prominent Manhattan dermatologist and cosmetic surgeon Dr. Howard Sobel, is in...
HALFWAY HOUSE: A $115M DEAL FOR HERALD TOWERS
December 30, 2003 | 5:00amTHE sale of the giant Herald Towers apartment building across from Macy's is back on track after a bitter court fight - but for half the original price, and with...
MCGRAW HILL DUMPS STAKE IN ITS SIXTH AVE. CORPORATE HQ
December 30, 2003 | 5:00amMc-Graw Hill Cos. has sold its 45 percent stake in 1221 Sixth Ave. to SL Green for $450 million, or $394 per square foot - a deal that suits the...
SEC CRACKDOWN HITS FUND MGRS.
December 30, 2003 | 5:00amThe Securities and Exchange Commission is launching a sweeping investigation into the personal trading records of the nation's mutual fund managers to see if they have engaged in improper trading...
IT'S SNACK TIME: BANKRUPT PARMALAT MAY SELL TASTY U.S. ASSETS
December 30, 2003 | 5:00amThe huge milk-and-cookies empire here of jailed Parmalat tycoon Calisto Tanzi could be up for grabs if his company collapses. His bankrupt, Italian-based conglomerate is the biggest milk supplier for...
FOOTSTAR SHARES BOOTED OFF BIG BOARD
December 30, 2003 | 5:00amThe New York Stock Exchange said yesterday that it was taking steps to delist shares of Footstar, owner of the Footaction and Just For Feet athletic retail chains, as a...
DO YA THINK I'M SEXY? A NEBBISHY NORWEGIAN IS THE SURPRISE FAVORITE TO SNATCH 'WORLD IDOL" TITLE THIS WEEK
December 30, 2003 | 5:00amCOULD the winner of "World Idol" turn out to be a plumber with two kids and the face of a lawn gnome? The real surprise on last week's debut edition...
HIMBO FROM HELL; NEW WEDDING SHOW HAS HIDEOUS TWIST
December 30, 2003 | 5:00amAND you thought your wedding was a headache? Fox will put the "d" in dysfunctional when it premieres "My Big Fat Obnoxious Fiancé," a new reality show that puts a...
STARR REPORT
December 30, 2003 | 5:00amJen-erating buzz The two Jennifers, Lopez and Aniston, were the most frequently mentioned stars this year on "Entertainment Tonight," followed by Michael Jackson, Ben Affleck and Nicole Kidman. "ET" has...
WEIRD BUT TRUE
December 30, 2003 | 5:00amThere'll be a hot time this New Year's Eve in New Mexico, where dozens of revelers plan to walk barefoot across a bed of piping-hot coals. It's part of a...
JUST CALL IT HOMELAND INSECURITY
December 30, 2003 | 5:00amPROFESSOR Harvey Kushner said it simply enough: "Post-9/11, I think we have to err on the side of the trigger." Kushner, one of the foremost terror experts in the country,...
CITY RESUMES YULE-TREE PICKUP
December 30, 2003 | 5:00amThe Parks Department is once again picking up Christmas trees at curbside for mulching. Mayor Bloomberg announced that the environmentally friendly program - suspended last year for fiscal reasons -...
SADDAM ADMITS TO CASH STASH ; IRAQI BIG: BUTCHER TELLS WHERE $40B WENT
December 30, 2003 | 5:00amWASHINGTON - Saddam Hussein is starting to 'fess up about the whereabouts of up to $40 billion he stole from Iraq, and has admitted that some of it is hidden...
NYPD DAILY BLOTTER
December 30, 2003 | 5:00amManhattan A burglar made off with $500 after he broke into an Upper West Side church, police said yesterday. The crook climbed through a window of the Blessed Sacrament Church,...
HAIRY HORROR MYSTIFIES L.I. COPS
December 30, 2003 | 5:00amPolice on Long Island are investigating a mystery - why a woman emerged from a holiday weekend visit to find her car dented and smeared with what appeared to be...
LOTTO NUT DOES NUMBER ON CLERK
December 30, 2003 | 5:00amA Lotto customer punched out a clerk he claimed gave him the wrong numbers, Long Island cops said yesterday. The violence took place at the Mobil gas-station store at 605...
B'KLYN TEEN'S FATAL PASSION
December 30, 2003 | 5:00amKenny Belizaire had two passions in his young life - computers and basketball. So the 14-year-old Brooklyn hoopster didn't stop playing when he was diagnosed with a heart murmur in...
NOT-SO-SHIFTY MOM DRIVES INTO BEDROOM
December 30, 2003 | 5:00amA Bronx mom pulling out of her driveway accidentally shifted into reverse, hit the gas and smashed right into the bedroom of an apartment - narrowly missing three people. The...
ISRAEL GEARS FOR VIOLENT EVE
December 30, 2003 | 5:00amJERUSALEM - Israeli security is preparing for a major New Year's Eve terrorist attack involving simultaneous homicide bombings, officials said yesterday. They said the targets may include Jewish holy sites,...
DEM TO GOV: TELL ALL ON FAT-CAT TRIPS
December 30, 2003 | 5:00amALBANY - The leader of the state Democratic Party yesterday called on Gov. Pataki to "fully disclose" every reimbursement the governor says he's made for vacation trips to the Caribbean,...
WOMAN'S L.I. MOM HAILS IRAN QUAKE HERO
December 30, 2003 | 5:00amThey got engaged on Christmas Eve while vacationing in Iran - but two days later, an American couple's dream of marriage was crushed in the Bam earthquake that killed him...
BOOB-TUBE BLUNDER; LEGAL EAGLES SWOOP ON BIZARRE ACCUSATIONS
December 30, 2003 | 5:00amLOS ANGELES - Mi1chael Jackson's prime-time performance likely earned him more jeers than cheers in the eyes of his ultimate critics - prospective jurors, legal experts told The Post yesterday....
PILOT MIKE: PULL ERR-BORNE BONEHEAD'S LICENSE
December 30, 2003 | 5:00amThe small-plane pilot who sparked a terror alert when he flew through restricted airspace and buzzed the Statue of Liberty should lose his license, Mayor Bloomberg said yesterday. "He violated...
PA BUS THIEF AN EX-BUS DRIVER: COPS
December 30, 2003 | 5:00amA drunken former bus driver was charged yesterday with stealing a bus from the Port Authority Bus Terminal and taking it on a joy ride to Kennedy Airport, authorities said....
JUDGE HIT FOR 163G IN CLA$H WITH FAMILY
December 30, 2003 | 5:00amA judge who's being investigated by the Brooklyn District Attorney's Office has been ordered to repay his elderly aunt $163,000 - money that disappeared from her bank accounts. Michael Garson...
RECHECK CABBIES, SAYS MIKE
December 30, 2003 | 5:00amTaxi drivers should be required to re-qualify for their jobs, Mayor Bloomberg suggested yesterday, a day after a 76-year- old cab driver was involved in a fatal accident. "I don't...
B'KLYN MOM SAVES NEIGHBORS FROM FIRE
December 30, 2003 | 5:00amA heroic Brooklyn mother yesterday rescued frightened neighbors from an inferno that swept through their apartment building and left 20 people homeless, including kids who lost their Christmas presents in...
COURT DIGESTS CANNIBAL E-MAILS
December 30, 2003 | 5:00amHorrifying e-mails between German cannibal freak Armin Meiwes and the willing victim he chopped up, cooked and ate on videotape were revealed in court yesterday. "I've been looking for contacts...
SHOOTING BACKFIRES; BURGLAR-SLAYER IN POT BUST
December 30, 2003 | 5:00amA Brooklyn man celebrated his 34th birthday in a jail cell after he used an illegal gun to blow away an intruder he said was trying to rob his apartment...
MISSING THE BUSS ; LONELY SINGLES WON'T RING IN NEW YEAR WITH A KISS
December 30, 2003 | 5:00amNew Year's may be on everyone's lips - but only 43 percent of single men and women believe they'll get a sweet smooch right after the ball drops, according to...
ARM FOREIGN AIR MARSHALS: U.S.
December 30, 2003 | 5:00amWASHINGTON - The United States yesterday ordered foreign airlines to put armed air marshals on selected flights to thwart terror hijackings or risk being denied permission to land in America....
$URPRISE GIFT; LATE SPENDING SURGE SPREADS HOLIDAY CHEER
December 30, 2003 | 5:00amSanta was late, but he did finally show up for the nation's retailers. A last-minute surge in consumer spending helped retailers salvage an otherwise mediocre holiday shopping season, according to...
WE DIDN'T SMACKO JACKO, SAY CALIF. COPS
December 30, 2003 | 5:00amLOS ANGELES - Santa Barbara County authorities yesterday tore into Michael Jackson's stunning allegations of police brutality by the cops who busted him last month. The self-proclaimed King of Pop...
5 IN AN HOUR: BANDITS ON A BANK ROLL
December 30, 2003 | 5:00amYesterday turned into one of the busiest days of the year for bank robbers - five different bandits hit banks in Manhattan in just over an hour. The string of...
GIFFIE HAS KNOWN OF COUNCIL SEX SCANDAL FOR MONTHS
December 30, 2003 | 5:00amCity Council Speaker Gifford Miller was informed about allegations of sexual harassment by a councilman over six months ago, The Post has learned. Miller's awareness has become an issue as...
ABRAHAM LINCOLN BUSTED - HONEST
December 30, 2003 | 5:00amHis name is Abraham Lincoln - but that doesn't exactly make him Honest Abe, cops say. Lincoln, 24, of Brentwood, L.I., was busted on a robbery charge Sunday, after he...
MARTHA WINS ROUND OVER FEDS
December 30, 2003 | 5:00amMartha Stewart was handed a legal victory yesterday only weeks before her ImClone securities fraud trial, when prosecutors were barred from obtaining sensitive documents from her lawyers. The government subpoenaed...
BOOK WORM SQUISHED; MOUND OF MAGS BURIES BX. MAN
December 30, 2003 | 5:00amA bizarre book-loving pack rat tried to stack one tome too many in his tiny Bronx apartment Saturday - and wound up being buried alive in the buff for two...
WES BANKS ON BUBBA BOOST IN NEW TV AD
December 30, 2003 | 5:00amWASHINGTON - Wesley Clark has begun airing a new TV commercial showing him together with former President Bill Clinton - making the retired general the first Democratic to tap into...
1 HOUR, 5 BANK HEISTS
December 30, 2003 | 5:00amYesterday was one of the busiest days of the year for bank robbers - five different bandits hit banks in Manhattan in just over an hour. Only one of them,...
BLUE MONDAY? NOT AT RAO'S
December 30, 2003 | 5:00amIt was the usual killer crowd at Rao's last night - minus the bullets. The famed Italian restaurant - where a week ago, a man heckling a singer was slain...
PA COPS FEARED MORE 9/11 PLANES
December 30, 2003 | 5:00amWorried that the Sept. 11 attacks could escalate, jittery Port Authority cops asked La Guardia Airport traffic controllers if any other planes were headed the city's way, newly released police...
B'KLYN COUPLE SLAIN AFTER NEIGHBOR FIGHT
December 30, 2003 | 5:00amA hard-working Brooklyn couple was killed last night in the vestibule of their Sunset Park apartment building - after apparently arguing with a neighbor, police said. Police, responding to a...
TEEN KILLS MAN IN S.I. DISPUTE: COPS
December 30, 2003 | 5:00amA 16-year-old boy shot and killed an acquaintance during an argument in Staten Island yesterday, cops said. Police do not know what triggered the dispute in which Tushaun Cato allegedly...
SHOOTING BACKFIRES: BURGLAR-SLAYER BUSTED
December 30, 2003 | 5:00amA Brooklyn man celebrated his 34th birthday in a jail cell after he used an illegal gun to blow away an intruder he said was trying to rob his apartment...
MOM & DAD SHOT DEAD; 3 KIDS ORPHANED IN FATAL FEUD
December 30, 2003 | 5:00amA feud with a neighbor turned deadly last night for a hard-working Brooklyn couple, who were gunned down in the entryway of their Sunset Park apartment building, police said. Angel...
'COP' IMPOSTER IN BRONX RAPE
December 30, 2003 | 5:00amA Bronx man was charged yesterday in a savage Christmas Eve sex attack on a woman, 22, police said. Clarence Evans, 49, pretended to be a police officer when he...
JUDGE HIT FOR 163G IN FAMILY $KIRMISH
December 30, 2003 | 5:00amA judge who's being investigated by the Brooklyn district attorney's office has been ordered to repay his elderly aunt $163,000 - money that disappeared from her bank accounts. Michael Garson...
BOSS PUTS ON 'SLIDE' SHOW
December 30, 2003 | 5:00amYankees owner George Steinbrenner was back in top form yesterday, joking that he didn't faint on Saturday: "I was just practicing my slide into second base." The 73-year-old Steinbrenner, who...
JET REPORT CARD: A FITTING FINALE
December 30, 2003 | 5:00amQUARTERBACKS Chad Pennington (22-28, 221 yards, TD, 111.5 rating) rebounded well from his previous performance, but it still wasn't enough as he overthrew Curtis Conway in the end zone. RUNNING...
GIANTS REPORT CARD:ROTTEN TO THE END
December 30, 2003 | 5:00amQUARTERBACKSJesse Palmer (18 of 43, 110 yards) hadn't thrown an INT in his first two starts but tossed four of 'em in his finale. Also had two TD passes. Pummeled...
RICK REQUESTS MINOR TUNE-UP
December 30, 2003 | 5:00amEarlier in his Islander career, Rick DiPietro would have gone to the minors kicking and screaming. But yesterday, the team announced that DiPietro had asked to be sent to Bridgeport...
ROGERS NOT CONCERNED
December 30, 2003 | 5:00amIt's too early to completely forget him, too premature to relegate Rodney Rogers to a chair between Brandon Armstrong and Tamar Slay at the caboose of the Nets' bench. It's...
COLLINS: I'M NOT DONE YET
December 30, 2003 | 5:00amGIANT NOTES With the No. 4 pick in the NFL Draft, it's unlikely the Giants can sit tight and get either Eli Manning or Ben Roethlisberger, the two top quarterback...
KIDD'S A TRUE TRIPLE THREAT
December 30, 2003 | 5:00amNET NOTES Oscar. Magic. Wilt. Kidd. That is the company Jason Kidd is tracking as his triple-doubles continue to rise. Kidd, who entered last night's game against Portland looking for...
JASPERS CHASE GARDEN HISTORY
December 30, 2003 | 5:00amIt was 9:30 Sunday night, and Manhattan College basketball coach Bobby Gonzalez was in his office, where he expected to stay until midnight, breaking down video of Penn, the Jaspers'...
NETS DESERVE A 'T' FOR TAKING SHOT ON GRIFFIN
December 30, 2003 | 5:00amTHE unacceptable arrival in New Jersey of the socially, emotionally and morally disturbed Eddie Griffin gives new meaning to the phrase, "I've got the shooter." Don't misunderstand; I'm all for...
STUBBORN INJURY DECKS DEVS' SCHWAB AGAIN
December 30, 2003 | 5:00amOff the shelf to deliver a shutout, Devils' backup Corey Schwab went right back on it. Schwab, who came back Saturday for a 2-0 victory in Pittsburgh, has suffered a...
COTTRELL LIKELY TO BE FALL GUY
December 30, 2003 | 5:00amThe sights, scents and sounds of imminent change wafted through the air at Weeb Ewbank Hall yesterday as the Jets gathered together for a post-mortem of their unacceptable, playoff-less 2003...
RANGERS LOOK TO D-LIVER
December 30, 2003 | 5:00amGLENDALE, Ariz. - They talk all the time about strength on the defensive side of the puck. Problem for the Rangers is that they've been better at talking about it...
ABRAHAM TAKING A STEP BACK TO LB
December 30, 2003 | 5:00amJET NOTES It's official: Until further notice, John Abraham is now a linebacker. Herman Edwards yesterday revealed that widely-speculated-upon plan as official, saying the two-time Pro Bowl defensive end will...
TWO ARRESTED DEVELOPMENTS: KNICKS EYE TROUBLED CBA STAR SMITH
December 30, 2003 | 5:00amORLANDO - Isiah Thomas wasn't kidding when he said he'd have to be "unconventional" in his rebuilding of the roster. Troubled Leon Smith, a former first-round pick out of high...
ISIAH TAPS OLD PAL AGUIRRE
December 30, 2003 | 5:00amKNICK NOTES ORLANDO - New Knick boss Isiah Thomas yesterday brought Mark Aguirre, his close friend from the West Side of Chicago, on board as . . . Well, the...
GRIFFIN GLAD FOR CHANCE
December 30, 2003 | 5:00amEddie Griffin just wants the chance to show what he can do. "I'm just happy to be getting another chance. I can't even say how happy I am that it's...
KNICKS EYE TROUBLED CBA STAR
December 30, 2003 | 5:00amORLANDO - Isiah Thomas wasn't kidding when he said he'd be "unconventional" in rebuilding the Knicks. Troubled Leon Smith, a former first-round pick out of high school who's burning up...
BAD APPLES ; NEW NET GRIFFIN GLAD FOR CHANCE
December 30, 2003 | 5:00amEddie Griffin just wants the chance to show what he can do. "I'm just happy to be getting another chance. I can't even say how happy I am that it's...
DEVILS GLAD TO LEAVE ISLAND NIGHTMARE BEHIND
December 30, 2003 | 5:00amGlad to see the last of Nassau Coliseum for the regular season, the Devils won't have Long Island on their preferred itinerary for spring. They have lost only three road...
JOHNNIES CELEBRATE ... FINALLY
December 30, 2003 | 5:00amHOLIDAY TOURNAMENTSt. John's 64Holy Cross 61 The St. John's basket in The Garden was still swaying last night when the Red Storm players came charging off the bench in jubilation....
ONE SWEEP TRIP KNICKS COMPLETE SOUTHERN SWING WITH 3-0 MAGIC
December 30, 2003 | 5:00amKnicks 114Magic 86 ORLANDO - Knicks owner James Dolan sat with his wife Kristin at center court, 10 rows up at the TD Waterhouse Centre, watching the demolition. One week...
IT'S BECOMING A HABIT ; ISLES DUMP DEVILS THIRD STRAIGHT TIME
December 30, 2003 | 5:00amIsles 3Devils 1 In hindsight, it was simply comical to worry about where the offense would come from when the Islanders lost Alexei Yashin for three months last week with...
SUBPAR KIDD NOT HIMSELF
December 30, 2003 | 5:00amHis talents have somehow soured efforts like this one. The standard sits so high for Jason Kidd that last night's 13-point, seven-rebound, seven-assist performance looks subpar, particularly in a 91-87...
NETS TAKE STEP BACK ; ROLL OVER TO BLAZERS AT HOME
December 30, 2003 | 5:00amBlazers 91Nets 87 They impressively swept the Pistons and Pacers over the weekend . . . on the road, no less. They had re-established the Meadowlands as a pit, winning...
DESERT DELIGHT FOR RANGERS
December 30, 2003 | 5:00amOVERTIMERangers 3Coyotes 2> GLENDALE, Ariz. - Spoken or not, there is a sense that Mike Dunham is playing for his job as the Rangers' No. 1 goaltender. Last night he...
QUAKERS DENY JASPERS TITLE
December 30, 2003 | 5:00amHOLIDAY TOURNAMENT Penn 49 Manhattan 47 They'll talk about this one in bars around the Garden in years to come. They'll talk about Penn's great first half and Manhattan's great...
BOXING-UP DAY: TIME FOR GOODBYES AS JINTS, FASSEL MOVE ON
December 30, 2003 | 5:00amThe page was turned yesterday on a dismal Giants season that cost Jim Fassel his job and came close to establishing franchise records for ineptitude. A forlorn day started with...