CON ED TO STRIKE...

NBA Draft in NYC....Tonylimo live at the event

N.Y. Millionaire Sentenced in Modern-Day Slavery Case

CENTRAL ISLIP, N.Y. (AP) -- A millionaire who inflicted years of abuse on two Indonesian housekeepers held as virtual slaves in her Long Island mansion received an 11-year prison sentence on Thursday.

Astoria, A Slice of Europe Near the East River

Funny Car Driver Killed at Raceway Park

Deadly Crash Stuns New Jersey's Raceway Park
A driver died Saturday when his Funny Car burst into flames at more than 300 miles per hour and crashed at the end of the track in Englishtown, NJ.

Pervert caught

'UPSKIRT' PERVERT CAUGHT
A
Long Island man has been arrested for allegedly videotaping women's
private body parts as they shopped at a dollar store. Police say Mario
Molina, 52, followed unsuspecting women around the store in Baldwin
Friday night and placed a camcorder under their clothing. One woman and
her two kids were followed for about 10 minutes, police said.

New Era Starts With Loss
The
Jerry Manuel era as Mets manager started with a loss in Anaheim Tuesday
night, 6-1 to the Angels. Manuel and the players, however, believe they
can turn the season around.

KINGS OF QUEENS ACT LIKE CLOWNS

METS ownership, Fred and Jeff Wilpon, completed the impossible.
They have made Hank Steinbrenner appear the level-headed baseball owner
in town.

They oversee an organization that fired a manager and shot itself.
Short of squirting seltzer down their own pants in public, the Mets
could not have handled the dismissal of Willie Randolph worse than they
did. That sound the Mets are hearing is the rest of baseball laughing
at them.

It would have been impossible to believe the Mets would approve a dumber cross-country flight than the two they allowed Ryan Church Ryan Church
to take with the lingering effects of a concussion. But move over into
coach, Ryan, here is Randolph flying 3,000 miles to manage a game
before being fired. That dismissal was made official at 3:14 a.m.
Tuesday with a fax statement. And here we were thinking the dumbest
stuff we would ever see involving a manager at that time already had
occurred with Randolph's former skipper Billy Martin.

Celtics Rout Lakers, and Boston Cheers

Celtics Rout Lakers, and Boston Cheers

Mike Segar/Reuters

The Celtics celebrate after defeating the Lakers to win the N.B.A. championship in Boston on Tuesday.

The Celtics methodically dissected the Lakers and ended a 22-year title drought with a six-game finals victory.

Minaya: Willie Had to Go
New
York Mets manager Willie Randolph was fired because the losses and the
speculation about his job were hurting the team, general manager Omar
Minaya said Tuesday. The tension went on "far too long,'' Minaya
said. "It was not fair to the team, it was not fair to Willie Randolph,
it was not fair to the organization.'' SOUND OFF: Do you agree with the decision?

New Look Planned for Pier at South Street Seaport

Conceding the failure of the South Street Seaport pier as a
“festival marketplace” — these days, it is not much
more than a waterfront mall — its owners plan to replace it with
a mixed-use project including a 42-story, 495-foot apartment and hotel
tower, wrapped in a terra-cotta exoskeleton and rising from new pilings
in the East River.

Though other high-profile developments along the East River have foundered, most notably Frank Gehry’s Guggenheim Museum and Santiago Calatrava’s
apartment tower of stacked cubes, the seaport plan speaks to the
undiminished allure of riverfront sites and of developers’ faith
that megaprojects can inject new life into, and create profit out of,
areas where other visions have failed.

Robert Scoble and Scott Bourne Talk New Media Transparency from Scott Bourne on Vimeo.

Tyson's Name Mentioned in Brooklyn Gang Trial

Tyson a Gang Banger?
Mike
Tyson has been accused of contracting to kill the head of a Brooklyn
gang. A former gang member testified about the alleged hit during a
trial on Thursday.

L.I. Man Takes His DeLorean Back..to the Future

'This Sucker's Electrical'
A
Long Island doctor has found a way to beat the high price at the
pump with his DeLorean - - and it has nothing to do with the
Flux Capacitor. He converted it into an electric car. The higher-tech
version of the car that became an 80s icon, thanks to the 'Back to the
Future' movies, barely makes a sound and gets 30 miles to a charge.

WTC Site Redevelopment Faces More Delays

NEW YORK (AP)
-- New York Gov. David Paterson says the World Trade Center site
redevelopment faces ``likely delays'' and wants to take a new look at
the project.

Paterson on Wednesday asked the executive director of the Port
Authority of New York and New Jersey to determine if the latest
deadlines and budgets for the project are feasible. Paterson wants an
update by the end of the month.

Five office towers, a Sept. 11 memorial, a transit hub and a performing center are planned at the 16-acre site.

The Port Authority also said Wednesday it would be late on a
deadline to turn over land that a private developer needs to begin
building a planned office tower. The agency will pay over $9.6 million
in late fees to developer Larry Silverstein for not finishing the
foundation by June 30.

NYC's Biggest Produce Market May Relocate to New Jersey

America's biggest wholesale produce market is looking to leave
New York -- if the city doesn't help rebuild the aging, outdated
facility in the Bronx.

Steven Katzman, co-president of Hunts Point Terminal Produce
Cooperative Association, a vendors group, said a meeting is scheduled
in late June to consider options for moving the market to New Jersey.

``But we'd rather stay here,'' he added.

The Hunts Point market supplies 3.3 billion pounds of fruits and
vegetables a year worth over $2 billion to more than 10 million
consumers, vying with France's giant Rungis produce market just south
of Paris for sheer size and volume of sales.

The vendors' cooperative pays more than $4 million a year to use the
125-acre, city-owned facility, which includes about 400,000 square feet
of refrigerated warehouses, plus railroad tracks, loading docks and
parking for trucks.

Katzman said the 41-year-old market is not up to today's standards,
citing as an example its open loading docks without refrigeration.

Katzman said the city's Economic Development Corp. had come up with
an initial rebuilding proposal that would cost $750 million, as
estimated by a city-hired consultant.

Damon Gets Six Hits, but His Last Is the One That Counts the Most

The Yankees will not win many games when their starting pitcher — in this case, Andy Pettitte — gives up 10 runs and their closer, Mariano Rivera, gives up a home run on the first pitch of the ninth inning to break a tie.Both happened Saturday at Yankee Stadium, but it was not a typical
game. It was a slugfest so extraordinary that José
Guillén of the Royals was not even the hitting star despite his two home runs, one of them a grand slam, and seven runs batted in.

Big Brown has Date with Destiny on Long Island

Big Brown Could Make History at Belmont
Big
Brown has his date with destiny today as the horse with the patched
hoof tries to become racing's first Triple Crown winner since 1978.
Meanwhile, Casino Drive, the early second choice behind the Triple
Crown favorite, was scratched because of a bruised hoof.

Riding a Heatwave: New York Sizzles Through Tuesday

THE HEAT IS ON!
The
season's first heatwave comes early this year and is expected to last
through Tuesday. The mercury will be in the 90s, with AccuWeather 'Real
Feel' temperatures at 100

Top City Crane Inspector Accused of Taking Bribes

Robert Stolarik for The New York Times

James Delayo, acting chief inspector for the Cranes and Derricks Unit, leaving court in Manhattan on Friday.

The case bears no direct relation to recent crane collapses, officials said, but it is a new blemish on a troubled agency.