Rikers jail ‘imposter’ who moved inmates between cells busted: sources

A Yonkers man who snuck onto Rikers Island by allegedly impersonating a Department of Correction employee — and even moved inmates between cells — was busted yesterday, sources said.Matthew Matagrano, 36, was arrested at a Bronx courthouse last night when he showed up claiming to be a “correction investigator” and was recognized by correction officers,...

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Michael Jordan hit with paternity suit for secret 16-year-old 'son'

"Taj" Reynolds and hoops star Michael Jordan.Hoops legend Michael Jordan is being sued by a woman claiming he's the father of her teen son, according to new report.Pamela Smith claims she became pregnant with Jordan's son after a 1995 tryst, TMZ reports.Her son Grant Pierce Jay Jordan Reynolds — aka Taj — was born in June 1996, the site says.In December,...

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Child fatally struck by tractor-trailer

A child was hit by a truck and killed this morning in East Harlem, authorities said.The 6-year-old boy was at the intersection of First Avenue and East 117th Street when the tractor trailer struck him, the FDNY said.He was rushed to Harlem Hospital in cardiac arrest but emergency workers were unable to save him.It was not immediately clear how the accident...

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LI man accused of filling up at gas stations, driving away without paying

Police say a Long Island man is accused of filling up at 16 gas stations, then driving away without paying.Suffolk County Police say that after four months of the free fill-ups, the SUV was found outside a gym in Bay Shore.Walter Amerbach of Smithtown was awaiting arraignment Wednesday on petit larceny charges.Information on his attorney was not immediately...

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Senate to vote on moving ahead on Hagel nod

WASHINGTON — A deeply divided Senate is moving toward a vote on President Obama's contentious choice of Chuck Hagel to head the Defense Department, with the former Republican senator on track to win confirmation after a protracted political fight.Twelve days after Republicans stalled the nomination, the Senate was slated to vote Tuesday on proceeding with...

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Israel, US successfully test anti-missile system

JERUSALEM — Israel and the US on Monday carried out a successful test of the next-generation Arrow 3 missile defense system, for the first time sending an interceptor into outer space, where it could destroy missiles fired from Iran.The Arrow 3 is part of a multilayered system that Israel is developing to protect against a range of missile threats, from...

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Crowds gather for Pope Benedict XVI's final Sunday blessing

Getty ImagesPope Benedict XVI delivers his last Angelus Blessing from the window of his private apartment to tens of thousands of people gathered in St. Peter's Square Sunday.VATICAN CITY — Pope Benedict XVI gave his pontificate's final Sunday blessing from his studio window to the cheers of tens of thousands of people packing St. Peter's Square, but sought...

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North Korea warns US commander in South Korea of 'miserable destruction' if US goes ahead with drills

PYONGYANG, North Korea — North Korea warned the top American commander in South Korea on Saturday of "miserable destruction" if the U.S. military presses ahead with routine joint drills with South Korea set to begin next month.Pak Rim Su, chief of North Korea's military delegation to the truce village of Panmunjom inside the Demilitarized Zone, sent the...

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78-year-old man dies after Brooklyn fire

Police say a 78-year-old man has been pronounced dead after he was found in a Brooklyn residential fire.The NYPD says the man suffered "severe body trauma."The fire marshal is investigating the cause of the blaze.The FDNY says the fire was reported around 3:15 a.m. Friday on Ross Street near Wythe Avenue.It was on the 12th floor of a 13-story building.Two...

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Ja Rule set to leave upstate prison in gun case, will head straight into federal custody in tax case

ALBANY — Platinum-selling rapper Ja Rule was set to leave an upstate prison on Thursday after serving most of his two-year sentence for illegal gun possession but head straight into federal custody in a tax case.The rapper, who had been in protective custody at the Mid-State Correctional Facility because of his celebrity, has some time remaining on a 28-month...

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Boeing 787 battery probe finds it was miswired

TOKYO — A probe into the overheating of a lithium ion battery in an All Nippon Airways Boeing 787 found it was improperly wired, Japan's Transport Ministry said Wednesday.The Transport Safety Board said in a report that the battery of the aircraft's auxiliary power unit was incorrectly connected to the main battery that overheated, although a protective...

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1 dead, 3 injured after fire rips through Queens home

A fire tore through a Queens apartment this morning - killing one and injuring three others, authorities said.The blaze broke out around 5:10 a.m. in the building at 182-30 Wexford Terr. in Jamaica Estates, the FDNY said.Firefighters found one man, in his 50’s or 60’s, dead inside the charred apartment and pulled out another victim who was in serious condition,...

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Alec fast & slur-ious

Actor Alec Baldwin allegedly called a black Post photographer a racial epithet, a "crackhead" and a "drug dealer" during a confrontation on an East Village street yesterday morning, prompting police to intervene.Baldwin had first been approached by a Post reporter while walking his dogs outside his East 10th Street pad at around 10:50 a.m. He was...

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Pope Benedict XVI blesses thousands at St. Peter's Square in one of his final public addresses

ReutersPope Benedict XVI waves as he leads the Sunday Angelus prayer in Saint Peter's Square at the Vatican Sunday.VATICAN CITY — Pope Benedict XVI blessed the faithful from his window overlooking St. Peter's Square for the first time since announcing his resignation, cheered by an emotional crowd of tens of thousands of well-wishers from around the world.Smiling...

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Pistorius cries as he’s hit with gal-pal slay rap

“Blade Runner” Oscar Pistorius bawled his eyes out yesterday in a South Africa courtroom, where he appeared on murder charges for allegedly gunning down his terrified gal pal through a locked bathroom door. Pistorius, 26, “repeatedly and intentionally” shot cover-girl model Reeva Steenkamp, 29, as she cowered in fear from the Olympic star, according...

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Burger King's fourth-quarter results top analysts' estimates

MIAMI — Burger King's fourth-quarter net income nearly doubled thanks in part to lower expenses and strengthening results in the US and Canada.The hamburger chain's adjusted earnings and revenue topped Wall Street's expectations. Shares climbed more than 3 percent in premarket trading on Friday.3G Capital, the private investment firm that owns a majority...

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Warren Buffett among investors buying Heinz for $23B

H.J. Heinz Co. says it agreed to be acquired by an investment group including billionaire investor Warren Buffett in a deal valued at $23 billion.The ketchup company says it's the largest deal ever in the food industry. Heinz shareholders will receive $72.50 in cash for each share of common stock they own. The transaction value includes the assumption of...

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US retail sales up just 0.1 percent last month after higher taxes cut consumer paychecks

WASHINGTON — Americans barely spent more last month at retail businesses and restaurants after higher taxes cut their paychecks. The small increase suggests consumer spending may be weak in the January-March quarter.The Commerce Department says retail sales ticked up 0.1 percent last month after a 0.5 percent rise in December. January's increase was the...

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Dallas chocolatier pumps out chocolate high heels for V-day

APChocolate high heals made by master chocolatier Andrea Pedraza are lined up at her shop in the Oak Cliff section of Dallas.DALLAS — Florists and chocolate-makers are working around the clock in the run-up to Valentine's Day.In Dallas, chocolatier Andrea Pedraza, who loves designer high heels, molded her pedestrian passion into chocolate form. Her most...

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29 LI school districts closed after blizzard; L.I.E. reopened

While the Long Island Expressway has been reopened for today's commute, at least 29 school districts on Long Island will be closed today in the aftermath of the blizzard.The deputy superintendent of the Eastern Suffolk Board of Cooperative Educational Services that people are still digging out and assessing what kind of shape their school buildings are...

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