Friday News

• McCain pitches himself as a sturdy leader, real agent of change

  ST. PAUL, Minn. - After being overshadowed by a hurricane and a hockey mom, John McCain last night used a steady, no-glitz speech to turn the spotlight back to himself - and he did it with an act of political larceny so brazen that Republicans hope it just might work.

• Change, his way

  ST. PAUL, Minn. - John McCain launched a crusade against Washington last night in his bid for the White House, saying he and his running mate Sarah Palin have the kind of track record needed for reform, but that his Democratic opponent, Barack Obama, doesn't.

• Responding to McCain

  Norma Gonsalves

• Some parents question school separation of twins

  Megan and Michael Avner spent the first day of first grade apart Wednesday, in separate classes for the first time in their lives. The 6-year-olds missed each other, their dad recounts. But Megan had a good time, while Michael was unhappy.

• Bruno blasts Obama; links him to Spitzer

  ST. PAUL, Minn.

• Long Island officials prepare for Hanna's arrival

  As Tropical Storm Hanna moved closer to the United States yesterday, local officials prepared for what could be a messy weekend.

• Audit: Hempstead nonprofit used money for beer

  A Hempstead agency that housed troubled teens allegedly used public money to buy beer and violent video games, and to pay $47,865 in bonuses to its workers in violation of its contract with the county, according to a Nassau County audit released yesterday.

• Attorney's membership in state pension system revoked

  Attorney Carol Hoffman, who was improperly listed as an employee of four Nassau County school districts, has had her membership in the state retirement system revoked, state Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli said yesterday.

• Food and drinks costs at U.S. Open, Mets and Yankees

  Nine dollars for a beer, anyone?

• FDA strengthens infection warning on arthritis drugs

  WASHINGTON - The Food and Drug Administration ordered stronger warnings yesterday on four medications widely used to treat rheumatoid arthritis and other serious illnesses, saying they can raise the risk of possibly fatal fungal infections.

• Obama, on O'Reilly, eyes national security issues

  In a national security focused interview, Barack Obama sat down with Fox's Bill O'Reilly yesterday, vowing to be tough on the nation's enemies, including Iran; put pressure on Pakistan in the hunt for Osama bin Laden; and to engage Europe in dealing with the war on terror.

• Terror suspect misses Brooklyn court date

  The Pakistani MIT graduate accused of firing two shots at an Army captain while being detained on suspicion of terrorist activities in Afghanistan failed to show up for her arraignment in federal court in Manhattan yesterday due to poor health, her attorney said.

• Detroit's scandal-ridden Mayor Kilpatrick resigns

  DETROIT - Mired in a sex scandal that crippled the governance of Detroit all year, the city's troubled mayor chose yesterday to walk out of office, rather than run the increasing risk of being heaved out.

• Mosquito spraying in Nassau canceled

  A planned aerial pesticide spraying over a large portion of Nassau County that had angered several environmental and breast cancer groups was canceled last night because of high winds, Nassau officials said.

• Senate Democrats urged to pass energy relief bill

  The Senate Democratic minority yesterday urged the Republican majority to return to Albany to pass an energy relief package of legislation in advance of the upcoming winter.

• Middle Island boy, 8, stranded in Georgia returns home

  It took more than a village to help a Long Island boy return from a war zone.

• Long Island City man dies while trying to aid neighbor

  A Good Samaritan was killed in front of his Long Island City home trying to fend off an attack by a homeless man trying to break into cars, police said yesterday.

• Stony Brook hospital opens center for women, infants

  Ronni Schultz said she can't wait to begin seeing patients at Stony Brook University Medical Center's new women and infants center.

• Morris Sullivan, leader in animation industry, dies at 91

  LOS ANGELES - Morris F. Sullivan, who ran a financial consulting company before helping to establish an animation studio in Ireland populated by ex-Disney artists, died Aug. 24 of complications related to old age at his suburban Los Angeles home, his family said. He was 91.

• Brookhaven Town creates park ranger division

  Brookhaven has created a new park ranger division and hired nine part-time officers who will carry guns, making the town one of the few on Long Island to have armed peace officers.

• "No-snitching" break leads to Uniondale slaying arrest

  After witnesses finally broke weeks of "no-snitching" silence, Nassau police made an arrest in a fatal shooting at a Uniondale barbecue, homicide detectives said yesterday.

• Roosevelt schools eye $13.4 million surplus

  The state-run Roosevelt school district has erased its budget deficit and closed the year with a $13.4 million surplus, according to a report from Albany that gives much of the credit to tighter constraints on spending.

• WORLD & NATION UPDATE: ABROAD

  In the aftermath of an extraordinary U.S. military foray into Pakistan's tribal area earlier this week, the United States faced stiff condemnation yesterday from Pakistani officials who argued that their government had been undermined by an apparently unilateral action. The day after a predawn raid in South Waziristan that officials said killed 15 civilians, the foreign minister summoned U.S. Ambassador Anne Patterson for an explanation. Some parliamentarians threatened to pull their support from Asif Ali Zardari, widower of Benazir Bhutto and front-runner for the presidency in the election tomorrow. The situation was further complicated by reports that a U.S. missile strike was suspected in a blast yesterday that killed four people in North Waziristan.

• Livni may become first Israeli female leader since Meir

  JERUSALEM - For the first time since Golda Meir more than three decades ago, a woman is within reach of becoming the prime minister of Israel, a nation dominated by macho military men and a religious establishment with strict views on the role of women.

• Cops: Home invasions may be linked

  Suffolk police are investigating whether the same group of intruders are responsible for two separate home invasions over the past 10 days in an upscale Melville neighborhood.

• Islip supervisor Nolan draws union ire with policy moves

  Islip Supervisor Phil Nolan, who won re-election in November on a reform platform, has since implemented a slew of new policies.

• RNC NOTES

  The Republican National Convention's dominant theme of John McCain as war hero was reinforced with a documentary-style film shown to convention delegates before the senator came to the stage to accept his party's presidential nomination. The narration and pictures vividly summed up arguments people had made for McCain's election throughout the week, describing him as a "common-sense conservative ... and a voracious opponent of pork-barrel spending." It traced the deep family roots, including service time in top Navy command positions by McCain's father and grandfather and described in detail his time as a prisoner of war held in a North Vietnamese facility known in wartime as "Hanoi Hilton." "What a life!" the narrator intoned.

• Hempstead man jailed in arson investigation

  A Hempstead man was jailed without bail yesterday after authorities said he deliberately set his apartment ablaze following a "domestic dispute" with his wife.

• Bush plans to halt nuclear deal with Russia

  WASHINGTON - President George W. Bush is poised to punish Moscow for its invasion of Georgia by canceling a once-celebrated deal for civilian nuclear cooperation between the United States and Russia.

• Edwards cancels all appearances, including at Hofstra

  Former Democratic presidential hopeful John Edwards is canceling all public appearances until after the November election - including a Monday event at Hofstra University - because he doesn't want to be "a distraction."

• Construction worker dies in 40-story fall in Manhattan

  A construction worker fell about 40 stories to his death yesterday at a skyscraper being built by the developer of the World Trade Center, authorities said.

• Prosecution changes strategy in Nixzmary Brown case

  In a sudden change of strategy, Brooklyn prosecutors said yesterday they won't try to show that the mother of Nixzmary Brown was jealous that the 7-year-old was being sexually abused by her husband.

• Bob Sheppard aims to be at Yankees' finale

  Everyone knows the only fitting way to close Yankee Stadium is with Bob Sheppard returning to be the public-address announcer for the final game. His health has kept him from doing a single Yankees game this season - which would have been his 58th - but rest assured he has visions of returning for the finale.

• Coney Island's Astroland to close for good on Sunday

  The owner of Coney Island's Astroland said Thursday she is calling it quits and the historic amusement park will close for good on Sunday.

• WORLD & NATION UPDATE: AT HOME

  Jack Abramoff, the once powerful lobbyist at the heart of a political corruption scandal, was sentenced to four years in prison yesterday by a judge who said the case had shattered the public's confidence in government. Abramoff, who fought back tears as he declared himself a broken man, appeared crestfallen as U.S. District Judge Ellen Segal Huvelle handed down a sentence longer than prosecutors had sought. Over three years he has come to symbolize corruption and the secret deals cut between lobbyists and politicians in back rooms or on golf courses or private jets. The scandal shook Pennsylvania Avenue from the White House to Capitol Hill and contributed to the Republicans' loss of Congress in 2006. Abramoff, 49, is already two years into a prison term for a separate fraud case.

• Monica Seles has 'Dancing' advice for Misty May-Treanor

  Tennis champ Monica Seles has words of caution for another statuesque athlete following in her steps on ABC's " Dancing With the Stars."

• Defense eyes questioning of cop in fiancee's killing

  The New York City police academy instructor accused of shooting his fiancee to death was in no condition to make coherent statements to Suffolk police when they questioned him that day, his attorney said yesterday.

• Huntington landscaper killed by falling limb

  The death of a Huntington man who built his own landscaping business in pursuit of the American dream has left his wife struggling to pay for his burial and unsure of their family's future.

• Bush advised to delay troop pullout in Iraq

  WASHINGTON - President George W. Bush's top defense advisers have recommended he maintain 15 combat brigades in Iraq until the end of the year, contrary to expectations that the improved security in Iraq would allow for quicker cuts, The Associated Press has learned.

• THE BUZZ

  GETTING READY FOR THE VMAS. Britney Spears may not sing at MTV's Video Music Awards, but Christina Aguilera will, The Associated Press reports. Aguilera will join other top-name performers, including the Jonas Brothers, T.I., Pink, and Kid Rock, host Russell Brand announced yesterday. Speaking to reporters on the backlot of the Paramount Studios in Hollywood, Brand bantered with Aguilera and rapper T.I. "It's going to be, actually, bloody exciting," Brand said of the awards show, which will celebrate its 25th year on Sunday. Brand, an English comedian largely unknown to U.S. audiences, displayed his brand of humor that can best be described with one British word: cheeky. During yesterday's presentation, he described the Jonas Brothers as "God's favorite virgins" and racily commented on Aguilera's physique.

• E. Patchogue boy in court as dad's killer sentenced

  The East Patchogue boy found asleep atop his father's lifeless body - hours after his father was shot by burglars - came to a Riverhead courtroom yesterday with his family for the sentencing of the father's accused killer.

• Schumer plan would boost hybrid school bus purchases

  As districts struggle with gas-guzzling school buses that get only 6 miles to the gallon, Sen. Charles Schumer proposed a tax credit plan yesterday to help schools purchase hybrid buses.

• Phil Hill, race-car driver, dies at 81

  Phil Hill, a philosophically inclined race-car driver of the 1950s and 1960s who was the only U.S.-born driver to win the Formula One international championship, died Aug. 28 at a Monterey, Calif., hospital. He was 81 and had Parkinson's disease.

• U.S. Open guard accused of calling in bomb threats

  A Queens teenager employed as a security guard for the U.S. Open on the grounds of the National Tennis Center was arrested and charged with phoning in three separate early morning bomb threats while Arthur Ashe Stadium and the rest of the grounds were empty. The calls turned out to be a hoax.

• GREENLAWN: Brothers plead not guilty in rape case

  Two brothers arrested on rape and robbery charges for attacks in a Greenlawn park Tuesday pleaded not guilty to all charges yesterday at their court arraignment in Central Islip, the district attorney's office said.

• BEST OF SPIN CYCLE

  During his speech last night, McCain was interrupted several times by protesters. The crowd chanted "USA" to drown them out. Cameras showed them being dragged out. McCain handled it with aplomb: "Don't be diverted by ground noise and static!"

• Worker drowns in pool

  A home health care aide from Brooklyn apparently drowned yesterday in the Malverne backyard pool of someone she was caring for, police said.

• Oprah in talks to make an appearance on '30 Rock'

  Oprah Winfrey is in talks to make an appearance on NBC's "30 Rock," "Access Hollywood" reports.

• WAR UPDATE

  U.S. forces have arrested a deputy of Ahmad Chalabi, once the Bush administration's favorite Iraqi politician, and implicated him in bombings that killed Americans and Iraqis, officials said. Ali Faisal al-Lami is alleged to have worked with Iranian "special groups," militias operating in Iraq. A Sadrist Party member and an executive of the Justice and Accountability Committee, which Chalabi heads, he was arrested Wednesday at Baghdad Airport on returning from Lebanon.

• Maverick British actor Ken Campbell dead at 66

  LONDON - Ken Campbell, a maverick British actor, writer and director whose career ranged from sitcom roles to a 22-hour stage extravaganza, was found dead Sunday at his home outside London, his agent Nicki Stoddart said Wednesday. The cause of death has not been determined.

• Friday, Sep. 05, 2008

  The final paragraph of a story yesterday about the U.S. raid in Pakistan should have read: In other signs of Pakistan's precarious stability three days before legislators elect a successor to Pervez Musharraf as president, snipers shot at the prime minister's limousine near Islamabad and government troops killed two dozen militants in another area of the restive northwest. Because of an editing error, the last two words were omitted.

• North Bellmore: Two sought in gunpoint robbery

  A man walking in North Bellmore early yesterday was grabbed by the neck and dragged off by two suspects who then put a handgun to his stomach and stole his wallet, cell phone and cash, Nassau police said.

• Friday, Sep. 05, 2008

  An Aug. 14 Movie Buzz item in Explore LI describing the screening of a documentary about Werner Erhard referred to Erhard's background as including "tax evasion charges." Although Erhard was involved in a tax dispute with the IRS, he was not charged with a crime, and all tax issues were resolved.

• Friday, Sep. 05, 2008

  Hospital stays last generally two days for laparoscopic gastric bypass surgery and one day for lapband surgery, according to Dr. Shawn Garber. Because of an editing error, the length of stays were incorrect in an LI Life story Sunday about two women, one of whom was a patient of Garber.

• Friday, Sep. 05, 2008

  In a story Wednesday on Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's public service experience, the year she became governor was incorrect. Palin took office Dec. 4, 2006.

• THIS DATE IN HISTORY

  1972: Arab guerrilla members of Black September attacked the Israeli delegation at the Munich Olympic Games; 11 Israelis, five guerrillas and a police officer were killed in the siege.

• Friday, Sep. 05, 2008

  The number of games Jose Reyes has played with the Mets was incorrect in a chart yesterday. It is 733.

• Friday, Sep. 05, 2008

  Copper was trading Wednesday at $3.30 per pound. Due to an editing error, the weight was incorrect in a story yesterday.