But in a CBS 2 investigation, some female travelers say there was nothing random about it.

They claim agents hand-selected them with something else in mind, reports CBS 2’s Kristine Johnson.

“I feel like I was totally exposed for some guys in a back room watching on a video camera,” Ellen Terrell said.

Terrell said she was singled out at the airport.

“They wanted a nice, good look,” she said.

Terrell said they weren’t looking for weapons or explosives. She said security agents in another room were sneaking a look at her body and they enlisted the help of a female agent to do it.

“She says to me, ‘do you play tennis?’ And I said ‘why?’ She said ‘you just have such a cute figure,’” Terrell said.

Here’s how an airport body scanner works: as a passenger walks through the body image is viewed by agents out of sight in another room. In Terrell’s case she said she had to walk through the scanner not once, not twice, but three times, forced, she said, by the female agent.

“She is talking into her microphone and she said, ‘come on guys.’ She’s like alright, one more time,” Terrell said.

According to Terrell even the female agent was getting frustrated with her co-workers’ requests.

“She’s talking into her microphone and she says ‘it is not blurry, letting her go’ and she says ‘come on out,’” Terrell said.

“I was watching the whole thing happen,” added Terrell’s husband, Charlie.

Charlie Terrell said he is angry.

“I think they were getting a good look and then seeing it two more times,” he said.

CBS 2 has found that Terrell’s experience isn’t that uncommon. After combing through hundreds of documents we found similar complaints made to the Transportation Security Administration — women saying:

* “I feel I was targeted to go through the see you naked machine because I am a semi-attractive female.”

* “…only women were told to go through.”

* The screener appeared to enjoy the process of picking someone.”

* “A woman behind me was also ‘randomly selected.’”

* “I know he went to that room to see my naked body.”

* “Passengers are unwilling victims of a peep show by TSA employees.”

And the scanners, called backscatters, can be found at 39 airports across the country, in just about every major city, including New York — at JFK and LaGuardia.

“It just makes me wonder are they doing this all over the country,” Charlie Terrell said.

In a statement the TSA defended its actions, saying:

“TSA does not profile passengers. All of our millimeter wave technology units including those in Dallas have been upgraded with additional privacy enhancements that no longer display passenger-specific images. Even prior to this upgrade, officers reviewing the images were located in a separate room and would have never seen the passenger being screened. To further ensure passenger privacy and anonymity, a privacy filter was applied to blur all images.  The technology remains optional to all passengers.”

Many passengers CBS 2 spoke to at LaGuardia Airport said they had no idea they could say no to the scanner and be patted down instead.

“No, not until now,” one person said.

“No, I had no idea,” another said.

“No, I didn’t know, but I’d rather go through the scanner than have somebody touching me,” another person said.

It’s an option a humiliated Ellen Terrell said she wishes she knew about.

“I feel my privacy was violated,” she said.

In recent months there have also been complaints about overly aggressive pat-downs — even strip searches.

Now, Sen. Charles Schumer wants a passenger advocate posted at area airports.

Has this ever happened to you? Please offer your thoughts in the comments section below. …

The reason? According to New York City’s records, he is a woman.

“I’ve been male my whole life,” Hassan told CBS 2′s Sean Hennessey on Wednesday night.

But his birth certificate, with a faded gender box, apparently has never indicated that.  It is something Hassan didn’t realize until he lost his wallet while on leave from duty in Iraq.

When Hassan applied for a replacement birth certificate to help with a new license, the city told him the birth certificate said he was female. So, Hassan applied for a corrected birth certificate.

“But they said they couldn’t correct the gender on my birth certificate without a letter from the hospital where I was born saying it was the hospital’s fault,” he said.

That hospital, Lenox Hill, issued a letter saying only that the certificate “.. has gender listed as female and this is incorrect.” However, Hassan said they won’t issue a letter saying it was their fault.

Twenty nine years later, it’s tough to know whose fault it is.

“The hospital either put the wrong gender on that piece of paper, or the city put the wrong gender on the birth certificate,” Hassan said.

Caught in a legal limbo, and unable to get a license, car title or passport, the former Arabic translator is returning fire with a lawsuit filed by his lawyer.

“Nobody wants to step up and say ‘oops we made a mistake,’ whether it’s the city or the hospital,” attorney Peter Madison said.

The mistake raises an obvious question: how did Hassan get his first driver’s license or even into the military with a faulty birth certificate?

“I don’t think anyone looked that closely at the gender,” Hassan said. “I don’t care whose fault it is. I want a new birth certificate that has the right gender.”

Lenox Hill Hospital said it’s working to help fix the problem while the city said it’s confident this situation will be resolved.

A court date has been set for the end of the month if a resolution isn’t reached by then.

Please offer your thoughts in the comments section below. …

Dolan came to the South Bronx to bless a library, but he had no blessings — just harsh words — for President Barack Obama, who wants Catholic institutions to pay for birth control, the morning after pill and other services for people who work for them.

“The federal government should do what it’s traditionally done since July 4, 1776, namely back out of intruding into the internal life of a church,” Dolan told CBS 2’s Marcia Kramer.

The leader of the New York Archdiocese picked up support from Speaker John Boehner, who said either Obama reverses the policy or the House will.

“The federal government has drifted dangerously beyond its constitutional boundaries. This attack by the federal government on religious freedom in our country must not stand and will not stand,” Boehner said.

The attacks left the White House foundering. It wants to find some way to calm Catholic opposition, but will not back down on the policy, itself.

“I want to be clear today that the commitment to insuring the women have access to these important health care services remains very strong,” Press Secretary Jay Carney said.

And there are many others who are falling into line behind the president, including New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand and New Jersey Sen. Frank Lautenberg, reports CBS 2′s Hazel Sanchez.

“The power to decide whether or not to use contraception lies with a woman, not her boss,” Sen. Gillibrand said.

“It’s time to tell those Republicans mind you’re own business,” Sen. Lautenberg said.

It has been suggested that one avenue of compromise could include granting leeway for a church-related organization not to cover birth control, but refer employees to another insurer that will provide the coverage.

Dolan would not comment on that proposal but said, “I would welcome the fact that officials of the government are saying we need to rethink that.”

The Catholic Church is still developing its strategy on how to deal with the issue. Dolan met Wednesday with members of the Catholic League and other organizations. Sources told Kramer a massive march on Washington is one of the possibilities.

The issue has also exploded on the campaign trail and in Washington. Carney made the unusual move of calling Mitt Romney by name, charging it is “ironic” for him to be against the policy, since as Massachusetts governor he presided over a similar one.

Please offer your thoughts in the comments section below …

Baseball coach Ed Mooney has spent the last three decades grooming Little Leaguers in Bergenfield to be good, strong men both on and off he field.

“Being around the kids more than just baseball itself has been the norm. They kinda save my life every day,” he told CBS 2′s Kathryn Brown.

Mooney never imagined how true that would be. Four years ago, coach Mooney was diagnosed with cirrhosis. Last summer, he was put on the waiting list for a liver transplant.

Last week, he got he got the phone call, but it was far from what he expected. The organ would be coming not from a stranger, but from one of Mooney’s former players. It was a “bittersweet moment” as the coach describes it.

The transplant came from 24-year-old Danny Glover, a promising young athlete, who had been critically injured in a car accident.

“You don’t expect to get help from somebody that’s only 24 years old, that you watched grow,” Mooney said.

Glover’s parents called Coach Mooney to let him know they wanted him to have their son’s liver and, by law, they can make that choice.

“He gave him so much in Little League and Daniel loved Ed and they just had so much fun together — that in the end he can give him life for having shown him so much, its just amazing to me,” Karyn Glover said.

“How do you say ‘thank you’ and ‘I’m sorry’ at the same time?” asked Mooney.

Doctors warned Mooney that making a medical match would take a miracle. As it turned out, the two were a perfect match.

Dr. James Guarrera performed the 12-hour surgery at New York Presbyterian Hospital/ Columbia.

“Obviously the donor was a young, healthy gentleman and his liver was very healthy and perfect,” Guarrera said.

“It’s just so much tragedy, but so much good can come out of it, but it’s still a grieving process,” Karyn Glover said.

Coach Mooney said he’ll spend the rest of his life living — not just for himself — but for Danny Glover as well.

“Him and I got a long road ahead of us. We got some work to do,” Mooney said.

Share your thoughts in the comments section below…

With three breakout games, the Harvard graduate has become the NBA’s newest playmaking sensation. He’s a fan favorite — home and away — and has earned more than 60,000 Twitter followers in just five days.

Now, he also has his first NBA dunk.

Lin had 23 points — two on that slam — and a career-high 10 assists in the New York Knicks’ 107-93 win over the Washington Wizards on Wednesday night.

Late in the third quarter with the Knicks up by four, Lin drove past three Wizards players and suddenly was alone in front of the hoop and slammed it through with his right hand.

“Just one of those in-a-moment things,” Lin said. “I think they messed up on their coverage, so I was able to get free.”

In his first two NBA starts, Lin had 25 points against New Jersey and 28 more against Utah — both wins. Now, he had to go on the road, and instead of facing a hostile crowd, Lin found an adoring one.

The fans cheered louder for Lin than for any other player in introductions, waving Taiwanese flags and signs –including one that read: “Linning and Grinning.”

By the time the game ended, the crowd was chanting for him as he walked off the floor.

“Like I said after the last game, I wouldn’t have imagined this,” said Lin, who was undrafted in 2010 and played his rookie season in Golden State.

“Thanks to them for coming out and they came out strong for the Knicks tonight,” he added. “We had a lot of energy that came from them.”

When the Knicks last played here on Jan. 6, Lin didn’t play at all. With their two leading scorers missing — Carmelo Anthony gone for a week or two with a strained right groin and Amare Stoudemire mourning the loss of his brother — New York desperately needed Lin’s scoring this time around.

He didn’t single-handedly make up for the 40 points that Anthony and Stoudemire provide, but sure energized this decidedly pro-New York crowd.

“He just does everything easy and the rest of the guys around him are playing the way we want to play,” New York coach Mike D’Antoni said.

Tyson Chandler had 25 points and 11 rebounds to lead the Knicks, who won for the third straight time. Chandler, a 10-year NBA veteran, finished two points short of his career high, but it was again Lin’s night.

This season has been a rough one for D’Antoni, who’s facing questions about his job, but for now, he has a most unexpected asset — Lin.

“I think it’s for real,” D’Antoni said. “The things that are real are his vision, which won’t change; his speed, which won’t change; his knowledge of the game, which won’t change. I think it can only get better.”

Steve Novak added 19 points for New York, which won its eighth straight over Washington and earned its second three-game winning streak this season.

Wizards coach Randy Wittman knew about Lin from a close relative. His son played against Lin in college. Ryan Wittman, who played for Cornell, sent his father a sarcastic message during the game.

“He told me that they did a much better job guarding him than we did tonight,” Wittman said. “I already had that text message before the game was over. Makes Dad feel good.”

Washington dropped to 5-21, and failed again to get its first two-game winning streak of the season. John Wall led the Wizards with 29 points, but he was easily outdone by Lin.

The Knicks shot just 25 percent in the first quarter and trailed 23-17. Lin missed all three shots he attempted, and moments after the third, he was called for his second foul — a block against Wall — and sustained a gash and left the game with 4:06 to play.

The second quarter was much better for New York as it outscored Washington 35-23 to take a 52-46 halftime lead. Novak hit four 3-pointers.

Lin returned about two minutes into the second quarter and scored eight points — on three layups and a pretty 17-foot bank shot just before halftime. He found Novak for all four of his 3s.

Lin scored on a bank shot to start the third quarter, and after Washington scored the next 10 points for a 56-54 lead, he hit four free throws, another layup and a right-handed dunk with 2:59 left to give the Knicks a 72-66 lead. He made another layup to end the quarter with 12 points — and a 77-68 New York advantage.

The Wizards narrowed the deficit to 79-72, but Lin and Iman Shumpert, who had 11 of his 17 points in the quarter helped give New York a 103-85 lead with 3:22 to play.

Notes: Five of the seven Knicks who scored were in double figures. … New York G Baron Davis, who hasn’t played this season due to a herniated disk in his back, will return to practice on Thursday, D’Antoni said. He’s not sure when Davis will be ready to play. … Stoudemire will return next Monday. He’s scheduled to miss four games. … Washington F Rashard Lewis missed his second straight game with a sore left knee. … Trevor Booker had 17 points for the Wizards.

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

Greg Monroe had 20 points and 12 rebounds and the Pistons won their season-high third straight game with a 99-92 victory over the New Jersey Nets on Wednesday night.

“We have to keep this hunger,” said Monroe, who iced the game with a monster drive and jam with 2:27 to play. “We have to continue to play and give these efforts so the wins will come more often. But we have to continue to play like this.”

In winning for the seventh time in 27 games, the Pistons played good team basketball. They had 29 assists on 39 baskets, outrebounded New Jersey 41-36 and shot a season-high 53.4 percent from the field.

“We’re gaining more confidence in each other,” Pistons coach Lawrence Frank said after his team won for only the second time on the road this season and snapped a seven-game slide away from the Motor City.

The Pistons are also getting some depth.

Jonas Jerebko, who is rounding into form after missing last season with an Achilles tendon injury, added 16 points. Tayshaun Prince had 15 and Ben Gordon, playing for the first time in 11 games, added 14 points for Detroit, which almost blew an 18-point second-half lead.

Prince said it was great to see Gordon back on the floor and Will Bynum dressed, even though he didn’t play.

“It put a smile on everybody’s face,” Prince said. “When we saw those guys in their warmups, even if they didn’t play, guys were more ready to play.”

Deron Williams scored 17 of his 34 points in the fourth quarter to lead the Nets, who have lost four in a row and nine times in 12 home games. Jordan Farmar added 22 off the bench and Kris Humphries had a game-high 16 rebounds.

“We lost,” said Williams, who was 10 of 21 from the field. “That’s about it. It’s another loss at home. We’ve been struggling here all season, trying to find our shots and rhythm. It’s hard to win when you are shooting in the 30-percent range.”

A four-point play by Williams got New Jersey within 78-77, but Jerebko, Rodney Stuckey and Monroe scored to push the lead to eight.

The Nets made one more run as Williams sandwiched a pair of 3-pointers around a fadeaway jumper by Stuckey to narrow the Pistons’ lead to 86-83 with 5:18 to play.

After Monroe missed a jumper and Farmar turned the ball over, Brandon Knight hit a 3-pointer to push the lead to 89-83. The Nets could get no closer as Williams missed his next two shots and Farmar misfired on a 3-pointer.

Two free throws by Prince and a monster drive and dunk from the foul line by Monroe ended the contest.

Gordon, who was out with a sore left shoulder, came back and was in form, scoring eight points in a 22-7 spurt that gave the Pistons a 44-31 lead late in the second quarter. The lead was 12 at the half and it grew to 18 points early in the third quarter when Stuckey hit a jumper to cap a 6-0 run to start the second half.

The Pistons lead was still 15 points with 5:35 to go in the third quarter when Williams scored seven straight points in a 14-6 burst to close the gap to seven points. New Jersey kept coming at the start of the fourth quarter with Williams hitting six of 10 shots, including four of his six — and career high-tying — 3-pointers.

“This was a team that had more energy than us and played with a lot more enthusiasm,” Nets coach Avery Johnson said. “Again, we have to generate more energy in this building. We have to generate more energy at home and we just didn’t have it tonight.”

Notes: The teams will play again Friday in Detroit, their third game in 10 days. … Monroe, Knight and Nets rookie MarShon Brooks, who is sidelined with a toe injury, were among 18 players chosen for the Rising Stars Challenge to be held during All-Star weekend in Orlando. … Knight, who broke his nose in the first quarter against New Orleans and did not return, played with a face shield. … Nets backup C Johan Petro almost was ejected in the second quarter. He was called for a flagrant 2 on a block on Jerebko, but the officials reviewed the play and changed it to flagrant 1. Humphries and Monroe exchanged blocks on dunk attempts on consecutive plays.

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

Those were just a couple of the words New Yorkers used to describe a head-scratching practice during Tuesday’s Super Bowl parade for the New York Giants along the Canyon of Heroes.

LISTEN: 1010 WINS’ Gary Baumgarten Reports

It turns out that some of the “confetti” dropped from office buildings was actually unshredded paper containing personal information and records, including Social Security numbers and medical records.

That report came from the show Inside Edition, which said some papers even included information about a 54-year-old woman’s mammogram — all with specific details.

“You just have to watch your personal information and make sure that nothing happens,” one woman told 1010 WINS’ Gary Baumgarten.

Others, however, didn’t seem as concerned.

“I don’t get the impression that people are actually going to pick up these pieces of paper and cause something like identity theft or something along those lines,” one man said.

Share your thoughts in the comments section below…

The blowout win by the Bearcats (17-7, 7-4 Big East) ended a string of four straight games between the teams that ended with two-point margins, including St. John’s 57-55 win at Cincinnati on Jan. 7.

Kilpatrick, the Bearcats’ leading scorer with a 15.4 average, scored 10 straight points as part of a 12-3 run that gave Cincinnati a 44-27 lead with 15:26 to play. He had eight rebounds.

Yancy Gates had 14 points and nine rebounds and Cashmere Wright had 12 points and 10 rebounds for the Bearcats, who finished with a 49-29 rebound advantage.

D’Angelo Harrison had 15 points to lead the Red Storm (10-14, 4-8), who have lost three of four and dropped to 2-7 this season at Madison Square Garden. They were coming off a 95-70 home loss to No. 2 Syracuse. Moe Harkless, who came into the game as the No. 2 freshman scorer (16.2) and rebounder (8.7) in the Big East, finished with a season-low six points on 2-of-8 shooting. His previous low was eight points against No. 1 Kentucky.

A 3-pointer by Harkless cut St. John’s deficit to 32-24 1:19 into the second half. Cincinnati went on the 12-3 run and then extended the lead to as many as 27 points, the last time at 75-48 on a 3-pointer by Jeremiah Davis III with 1:13 to play.

Before the game St. John’s announced that junior guard Malik Stith was leaving the basketball team for personal reasons but he will stay with the program in some capacity and will pursue his degree.

Stith’s departure leaves St. John’s with a six-man rotation, all first-year players in the program.

Cincinnati entered the game third in the conference in points allowed (60.4) and that number went down as the Bearcats held the Red Storm to 32.8 percent shooting (19 for 58) for the game.

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

The infamous 2009 murder of a Florida millionaire Ben Novack at a Westchester County hotel resulted in his wife, Narcy Novak, being charged with his murder.

Prosecutors said Novack had her husband killed to secure his $10 million estate for herself.

Seen in video being grilled by police, Narcy Novack sounded dazed, but authorities said it was all deceit.

“I walked in and I tripped on something. I realized he was on the floor,” Novack is heard telling investigators.

The questioning came in the summer of 2009 and 12 hours after she reported finding the bound and bludgeoned body of her husband in room 453 of the Rye Town Hilton, where the Novacks were organizing a convention.

“My husband is not around to protect me,” Novack could be heard saying on the tape. “I don’t know who to trust.”

Novack is also later heard saying “I just wanted to kill myself.”

Police suspected right away that Novack was a diabolical mastermind, who hired hitmen to kill her husband. But she acted for all the world like the loving wife of a troubled man.

“He was born with a silver spoon in his mouth. He didn’t have friends to play because he was raised in a hotel, he was born in a hotel,” Novack said.

That hotel is Miami’s famous Fontainebleau, a playground for the rich built by Ben Novack Sr. His slain son built his own fortune in the convention planning business.

It was enough money to indulge his obsession with Batman — enough to buy the Batmobile and acquire the biggest collection of Batman memorabilia in the world.

But Narcy Novack told police the “Dark Knight” fan had a dark side.

“He used handcuffs, he likes rough stuff,” Narcy Novack said.

Cops immediately keyed in on the Novacks’ penchant for bondage.

Investigator: “He dies in a position that he finds sexually arousing.”

Novack: “This is my husband you’re talking about! And I don’t want you to look at him as a pervert.”

Narcy Novack told police her husband carried a lot of cash and someone must have killed him while she was downstairs having breakfast.

“I have nothing to do with my husband’s death,” she said.

Novack acted shocked when cops suggested she hired hitmen so she could inherit her husband’s fortune.

Novack: “You’re telling me that I saw the people that went into the room?”

Investigator: “I’m saying you opened the door for them.”

Novack: “I don’t need for you or anybody else to yell at me or to put pressure on me. I cannot take it. Everything falls on me, just give me an electrical chair and put me out of my misery because I cannot take this anymore.”

About a year after the investigation, Novack was charged with conspiring with her brother to use hitmen to kill her husband. She has pleaded not guilty and goes on trial in April.

Share your thoughts on the case in the comments section below…

Advocacy groups and community leaders were on the steps of City Hall  asking the board to carve out a wavier for supplemental educational services.

Advocates say that almost 90,000 low-income students, who are stuck in failing schools across the state, get tutoring to help them try to succeed on the same level as their peers.

“This is a life raft for students that are struggling and that are failing in schools that are considered failing. It doesn’t make any sense to take it away. I think in a lot of ways, it flies in the face of what the Board of Education — what I believe they’ve been trying to do — which is ensuring that every child has access to an awesome education,” the director of the NY Campaign for Tutor Our Children, Adrienne Nyamsi, said.

Others say that despite the difficult economic situation in the city, tutoring programs should not be the casualty of cost-cutting.

“I always say sometimes cuts are painful and these situations, in these times — you know, we’re in a fiscal crisis in the city and in the state. But if you’re going to cut, you should cut where the services are needed least, instead of cutting them where the services are needed most,” Rev. Taharka Robinson said.

The state plans to end the program on Feb. 13.

Should the state shut down the program?  Share your thoughts in the comments section…

Helen Paxton, a school spokeswoman, said the investigation had concluded by late Wednesday afternoon, and students were allowed to re-enter the dorm — which had been evacuated twice in two days. Earlier in the day, students had gathered behind police tape in a large cordoned-off area around their Rutgers dorm building, trading rumors about what was going on.

LISTEN: 1010 WINS’ Gary Baumgarten Reports

Police arrested sophomore Elan Haba of North Caldwell on Tuesday night on various charges and evacuated his dorm for about two hours after potentially dangerous materials were found and removed. The 19-year-old was arrested following a tip from authorities at The University of South Dakota, where a former student with an alleged connection to Haba had been found with suspicious materials.

Haba has been released to his parents. University officials did not know if he had retained a lawyer.

Paxton said the FBI conducted a subsequent investigation on Wednesday after informing Rutgers officials that a potentially hazardous substance may not have been detected in the first sweep.

“I was told that the investigation was ongoing and that University Square had to be shut down because the FBI was involved in a search of chemicals or substances,”

The FBI’s Public Affair Office said in a statement that there was “no imminent threat” and that “no one has been injured”

“It is premature to speculate on the investigation, the motives, or intent. Since this matter is currently under investigation, the FBI will have no further statement and is not taking further questions at this time,” the statement concluded.

Haba’s dorm building, called University Square, was briefly evacuated again Wednesday while the FBI conducted its investigation. Authorities have not said what the materials were.

Paxton said Haba faces multiple charges including theft, possession of fireworks and possession of a prohibited weapon, believed to be a knife.

Haba’s arrest came after authorities in South Dakota found suspicious materials Tuesday night. That came after the parents of an out-of-state student who had left the University of South Dakota after the winter semester asked officials to check on the student’s belongings, according to a report in the Argus Leader.

USD Spokesman Phil Carter told The Associated Press on Wednesday that an item located in a dorm at the school’s Coyote Village was linked to an address located at Rutgers University. He referred all further questions to the Division of Criminal Investigation, which did not return a phone call seeking comment.

Share your thoughts in the comments section below…

(TM and Copyright 2012 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2012 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

It seems area residents know exactly how they’ll spend their refund before the check hits the bank – vacation, gifts, self indulgences. Others dream of saving for the long haul, be it for themselves or their children.

It turns out if you’re willing to save your money it could mean free money for you, reports CBS 2′s Vanessa Murdock.

The city program is called “SaveUSA.” Now, understand, you have to commit a year to saving. There are only 1,600 slots available citywide and there are household income limits: $50,000 with children, $18,000 without children, and a minimum refund of $200.

“SaveUSA is a tax-time saving program and what it does is it takes advantage of this money moment,” said Department of Consumer Affairs Commissioner Jonathan Mintz.

For some, it’s a magic moment when they get their hands on their single biggest check of the year. And, that check may translate to more dough if you head to one of the city’s free tax service sites.

“The preparer will say to you, split off your check before it hits your pocket, before your brother-in-law can get his hands on it. If you put part of your refund in a special account for a year, we match you 50 cents on the dollar,” Mintz said.

“It’s zero risk. People can pull their money out at any time for any reason.”

If you do that, you lose the 50 percent match. Conversely, if you keep your money in the account the money can add up.

For example: deposit $1,000 of your refund and the city matches that with $500. At the end of the year you have $1,500 plus interest at your disposal, Please note: $500 is the maximum match.

To learn more about SaveUSA, please click here. You can also call 311. A similar program is available in Newark, N.J.

Please offer your thoughts in the comments section below …

The incident took place around 9:09 a.m. shortly after the courthouse opened. Police said 43-year-old Timothy Mulqueen drove up on a Honda dirt bike carrying a shotgun inside a hunting sling.

1010 WINS’ Steve Sandberg reports

Officials say he then took out the gun, walked into the courthouse and opened fire after reaching a metal detector and security checkpoint inside the building before he was eventually killed by two court officers, who opened fire, according to the Orange County District Attorney.

One of the court officers was grazed by a bullet and taken to an area hospital.

“As soon as I heard the gunshots…I hit the floor, I heard everybody yelling,” witness Rameek Alston said.

Authorities believe Mulqueen entered the building looking for Middletown Mayor Joseph DeStefano, 1010 WINS’ Steve Sandberg reported.

“I don’t know what his intent was, and I guess we’ll never know what his intent was, but he had a lot of anger,” DeStefano said. “I’m just thankful that the court officers were there and able to protect all the people at City Hall and the city court.”

The two apparently had a long, contentious history dating back to 2000, when the mayor deemed Mulqueen a slumlord. He later lost his properties.  Turns out, Mulqueen had a court date Wednesday to appear on an order of protection regarding the DeStefano’s daughter.

Mulqueen had been charged with third-degree menacing stemming from an encounter with the mayor’s daughter at the DeStefano home, where he apparently showed up armed with a machete and a board embedded with nails last August.

LISTEN: WCBS 880′s Peter Haskell In Middletown

“I was concerned when her came to my home, absolutely, you know, concern your children and why somebody would come to your home,” DeStefano told WCBS 880 reporter Peter Haskell.

Witnesses inside the building described a chaotic scene.

“People tripping over each other. The ladies, the young people that were in there were screaming,” witness Travis Schadt told Haskell.

“He just started opening up in the courthouse and he was shot,” witness Bruce McCann told CBS 2′s Lou Young.

“I heard no talking from the suspect, it was all from the court officers,” said Schadt. “‘Get down, get down, stop’ and then they fired.”

WATCH: CBS 2′s Lou Young reports

“I never seen as many people running as I did,” said witness Eric Moranti. “Everybody was pushing and shoving to get out.”

“Thank God the court officer had weapons to defend everybody or there would have been a mass murder here today,” said witness Marty Memmelaar.

Mulqueen is believed to have been a lone gunman. Before his identity was revealed, authorities said the suspect was well-known to police.

WCBS 880′s Sophia Hall On The Story

“Those same tables, those same pots and pans, those same platters and utensils that were used for Kosher foods were also used to prepare the non-Kosher events as well,” said general manager Tom Cataldo.

Cataldo, who has been general manager since 1997, and chef Micheal Savitsky are suing the owner of the catering company, Scott Morrell.

They say it has been going on for a year and a half and want to force Morrell to stop tainting the food.

Cataldo says he was getting sick inside.

Cataldo told WCBS 880 reporter Sophia Hall the owner was trying to cut corners by not having a separate kitchen for Kosher and non-Kosher foods.

“We would have our Kosher foods stored and next to it a bucket of shrimp,” said Cataldo.

1010 WINS’ Carol D’Auria reports

Cataldo also claims Morrell poured cheaper alcohol into empty high-end liquor bottles and sold them at premium prices.

“I have never violated any Kashrut rules ever,” said Morell.

Morrell’s attorney claims the lawsuit has nothing to due with being Kosher, but with his involvement in a separate $18 million lawsuit.

Morrell Caterers operates at Temple Beth Torah in Melville, Temple Israel in Lawrence, and the Woodbury Jewish Center in Woodbury.

Rabbi Raphael Adler of the Woodbury Jewish Center told CBS2′s Carolyn Gusoff that if the allegations are true then it is an act of betrayal.

“We are shocked and it’s disgusting and its come to us as a complete surprise,” he said.

Workers claim that the betrayal may have gone beyond food. They say that top shelf liquor bottles were refilled with low end products.

Morrell has denied the allegations and says that he invites a Kosher oversight board to come and inspect.

What do you have to say about this? Sound off in the comments section below!

Court documents identify the suspect as 40-year-old Taleek Brooks, although CBS 2′s Tony Aiello reported he went by Tyleek Brooks.

EXTRA: Read The Full Complaint (pdf)

The agents were interviewing teachers and trying to determine if the videos they’ve uncovered were shot in the classrooms there. They are also trying to identify the young victims seen in the videos.

1010 WINS’ Juliet Papa reports

Brooks had been a teacher’s aide for the past 18 years. A judge revoked his bail on Tuesday after the FBI said they found evidence on his computer in his home.

Prosecutors said evidence included videos of Brooks allegedly spanking one naked child and fondling another in a classroom. Investigators believe the videos were shot sometime between January 2008 and January 2011.

Former students are stunned.

“I can’t really describe it,” said Donavan Brouet. “I’m just really shocked by it.”

Brouet and his brother were part of the all-boys dance group Brooks headed up at the school. When the news broke Tuesday that federal agents uncovered videos of Brooks allegedly sexually abusing children inside a classroom, their grandmother asked immediately if they had been victimized.

“I said ‘Mr. Brooks never touched you?’ They said ‘No ma’am, he never did anything to us,” said Genofa Brouet. ” I said ‘he never touched you even though he’s been second accused?’ They said ‘no.’”

Brooks was a popular teacher’s aide who coached basketball and supervised after school activities. The criminal complaints says FBI agents discovered Brooks’ activity by catching him sharing child porn online.

Brooks was initially arrested in mid-January. Investigators searched his home and confiscated his computer and two external hard drives. Once agents did a forensic exam of the computer, they say they found videos of him allegedly sexually abusing children.

School officials said Brooks had no prior criminal history and passed all background checks before he was hired.

“This guy slipped through the cracks,” said Tony Herbert of Advocates Without Borders. “There was no issues with him in the past, the kids really liked him. But again, there was a lot of trust to turn around and have this happen. There’s something wrong with the vetting process.”

School Chancellor Dennis Walcott defended the city’s hiring practices.

“We have 135,000 employees. So with this particular person, there was not a prior indication of any type of child pornography. If we had heard about that he would’ve been out of the system right away,” Walcott told CBS 2′s Jessica Schneider.

Brooks faces a minimum of 15 years if convicted. He is currently in jail, held without bond.

The Department of Education has also suspended him without pay.

Anyone with information should call the FBI at 212-384-2700.

Please leave a comment below…

Nazareth Regional High School in East Flatbush, Brooklyn, home to a nationally-ranked girls basketball team, will close its doors for good in June.

The school, which opened in 1962, is facing declining enrollment and too much debt. Nazareth went from having just over 600 students in 2006 to 311 this year. The school is also in debt to the Brooklyn Diocese for up to $3 million, 1010 WINS’ Al Jones reported.

LISTEN: 1010 WINS’ Al Jones Reports

In a statement on the school’s website, Nazareth said “in spite of exceptional efforts to attract students and efforts by the school to find additional resources, the resultant financial burden is more that the current tuition can support.”

Jones spoke with some dejected students, who called the closing of the school “a horrible situation.”

“I’m leaving, I’m a senior right now — I’m about the graduate. But I wanted to come back and one day meet my friends again and it’s just not going to be possible anymore,” said one student.

“Today’s announcement is a difficult one, but sadly in today’s economy, many Catholic schools have had to close. It is very sad that a great school like Nazareth has to be one of them.” said Alice Hession, Chair of the Board of Trustees.

Some students said that rumors of the school’s closing have been heard for many years, but that it doesn’t make the situation any less painful.

“I’m going to miss the friends I made here and stuff so…it’s horrible,” said another student.

The school’s statement went on to say that is greatest concern was for its current students.

“We are committed to making the transition for them to other schools for the next school year as smooth as possible. To that end, we have asked that other Catholic high schools in the area give special consideration to Nazareth students who may be enrolling next school year,” the statement read.

What do you make of the closing of Nazareth Regional High School?  Share your thoughts in the comments section below… 

Agent John Capano, 51, was shot and killed during a pharmacy robbery in Seaford on Dec. 31, 2011 while picking up a prescription for his father at Charlie’s Family Pharmacy on Merrick Road.

EXTRA: Read The Document (pdf)

Retired police officer Chris Geraghty, who owns the Seaford Deli next to the pharmacy, came upon the scene and through his attorney said he was yelling “We’re police!” and “Who’s the good guy?“

1010 WINS’ Mona Rivera reports

Geraghty said he was fired on first, and then accidentally shot and killed Capano.

“He thought he shot the perpetrator of this thing. This happened within a matter of 5-10 seconds. He didn’t have to learn that it was his bullet, my client knew. His life will never be the same,” Geraghty’s attorney, Brian J. Davis, said last month.

A security camera captured the pharmacy robbery as cash and hundreds of painkillers were stolen by a career criminal brandishing a pellet gun that appeared to be a .45 caliber.

Investigators said Agent Capano chased suspect James McGoey and shot him in the leg. They then struggled for his gun as the retired lieutenant and a deli customer, an off-duty NYPD officer, were alerted and ran into the scuffle.

Both Capano and the suspect were shot and killed.

The pharmacist disputes Geraghty’s claims and said the first shot he heard was from the retired officer’s revolver. He claims Geraghty took out the gun, put it to the back of the agent and fired one round without saying anything.

The pharmacist’s version — recorded in an internal memo from the Nassau County District Attorney’s office — was accidentally posted on the web.

“A confidential internal memorandum from an ongoing investigation was mislabeled and placed on the District Attorney’s web site in error,” the district attorney’s office said in a statement. “This interview represents just one of many perspectives of the Seaford tragedy and no conclusions should be drawn from it.”

The statement went on to say, “The District Attorney’s Office is reviewing our electronic security procedures to prevent such accidental disclosures in the future.”

The document has since been removed but 1010 WINS was able to obtain a copy.

Davis says the pharmacist’s version is wrong and that “in those circumstances, 20 people will see things 20 different ways.”

Capano, who lived in Massapequa, left behind a wife and two teenage children.

Share your thoughts below

SaveUSA/New York City

They say in court papers filed Wednesday that Bobby Davis and his stepbrother, Michael Lang, are filing needless motions.

Davis and Lang claim Boeheim defamed them by calling them liars out to make money with accusations that Bernie Fine, Boeheim’s longtime assistant, molested them.

The 66-year-old Fine was fired Nov. 27. He has not been charged and has denied wrongdoing.

Last week, the lawyer for Davis and Lang filed an affidavit claiming Fine’s wife Laurie had sex with Syracuse players and seeking names and addresses for players from a five-year span. This week’s court papers say the claims are headline-grabbing tactics meant to smear the university.

(Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

Memphis is officially joining the Big East in 2013.  That’s been the obvious buzz in college athletics today.  Here were some tidbits from Big East Commissioner John Marinatto’s conference call with the media….

Loving the Land of Elvis

Marinatto talked a lot about the geographic layout of Memphis and all the positives that go along with it.  Referred to as the “Heartland of America” more than once during the conference call, it is obvious the Big East likes that the fact that another team is added to balance out a possible West Division for basketball….as in Louisville, Houston, Cincinnati and DePaul, etc.  The Big East also praised Memphis for their committment to improving football, their last 32 years of successful basketball tradition and the exceptional upgrades to their facilities.

17 Teams in New York

Marinatto acknowledged that 17 teams in the Big East Tournament will indeed one day be a challenge for him and his staff to figure out.  He did not seem overly concerned about figuring it out and did not have a possible 17 team tournament option he felt like discussing right now.

Houston vs Memphis Rivalry

When asked if a possible Big East Tourney match-up can also be a pretty recent Conference USA match-up, Marinatto dismissed the weirdness of it.  “Change happens all the time, eventually we will get used to something like that…..just like we did with Miami and Boston College leaving,” Marinatto said.

No Rick Influence

Rick Pitino has been very vocal recently about wanting Memphis in the Big East…..especially for basketball.  One reporter questioned how much juice Pitino had when it came to conference talks recently with Memphis….

“As much as I love Rick, he had nothing to do with the negotiating or influence of this partnership with the Big East and Memphis.”

The Department of Transportation will present its proposal for Delancey Street, which will likely include widened sidewalks, shortened crosswalks at intersections along with changes to turning patterns.

State Senator Daniel Squadron said the move is a critical need for the neighborhood on the Lower East Side.

“Too often, people are trying to rush across Delancey instead of stopping halfway through. By having shorter crosswalks and better signals, you’re going to have folks who can cross the whole way,” he told 1010 WINS on Wednesday.

Squadron says the DOT will present the plan at a special meeting of Community Board 3’s Transportation Committee. The community must then review the plan and reach a consensus on what the plan will include.

It was almost a month ago that 12-year-old Dashane Santana was struck and killed as she tried to cross the intersection at the entrance to the Williamsburg Bridge.

In May of last year, a Brooklyn woman was struck and killed by a private sanitation truck as she crossed Delancey Street.

Squadron says the intersections along the street are “some of the most dangerous intersections in the City of New York” and thinks the new changes will help alleviate some of that danger.

“Along the edges of the street, you have areas that traffic doesn’t really go into. So by pulling out the sidewalk in some appropriate areas, you’re going to have crosswalks that are a lot less likely to lead to accidents and tragedies,” he said.

The DOT expects work to take place in June 2012.

Do you think the new changes will help make the intersection less dangerous?  Share your thoughts in the comments section…

WCBS 880′s Alex Silverman On The Story

The Port Authority is so mismanaged, says the auditor, it needs a top to bottom overhaul.

The audit says employee benefits are excessive and costs are out of control, especially those at the World Trade Center site. $4 billion has been tacked on to that bill in the last four years.

There’s no argument from the Port Authority’s new chairman, David Samson.

“The agency has clearly suffered from a lack of consistent leadership. There have been more than ten executive directors over the past ten years,” said Samson. “This is a diagnosis of a complicated set of issues that needs to be solved.”

Samson says the push to get the 9/11 Memorial site open on time was a big reason for the spike in costs there.

“To ensure we met our commitment to open the memorial on time for the tenth anniversary, that commitment played a key role in the escalation of these costs,” he said.

LISTEN: WCBS 880′s Rich Lamb With Mayor Bloomberg

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg begs to differ.

“I don’t think the cost for the memorial or the museum are higher, basically, than what was originally envisioned and, in fact, at one point we had an agreement with the Port Authority, they asked us to raise some more money and we did that and a lot more on top of that,” said Bloomberg.

But the audit points to engineering changes that had to be made to other parts of the site to beat the deadline.

But Bloomberg did add the following: “Can you imagine if America couldn’t have come up with a memorial by the tenth anniversary, I would suggest the press would have had a field day. It would have gone on and on. It would have been embarrassment around the world. New York had to deliver. The Port Authority had to deliver.”

Bloomberg also said the whole site is perhaps the most complex construction project in the history of the world.

The audit was ordered by Gov. Chris Christie and Gov. Andrew Cuomo following toll and fare hikes enacted by the agency.

What do you think of the Port Authority? Sound off in the comments section below!

WCBS 880′s Levon Putney On The Story

New Jersey Education Association chief Vincent Giordano made the remark in an interview over the weekend on NJTV during a discussion focusing on school vouchers, which would in some cases let students use public money to attend private school.

When pressed on the dilemma faced by parents who can’t afford to remove their children from failing schools, Giordano replied: “Life’s not always fair and I’m sorry about that.”

He went on to say: “We should work more closely with administrators and with this administration and we should provide the best possible education within our public schools. Our public schools are among the best in the nation. There are areas, urban areas in particular, that are challenging and that’s where we should be focusing more of our energy and more of our efforts.”

The union issued a statement late Tuesday saying Giordano acknowledged his words could have been misinterpreted. Giordano meant to stress that providing vouchers to a select few students is not the way to address the challenges faced by urban schools, the union said.

Christie, a Republican who has clashed repeatedly with the teachers union over his proposed education reforms, called the “life’s-not-fair” comment “outrageous” at a town hall meeting in Westfield and called for Giordano to resign.

“He should resign today,” said Christie on Wednesday. “What isn’t fair about life is the fact that guys like Vince Giordano or women like Barbara Keshishian pretend to represent what teachers what teachers in the state really think and I don’t believe it’s what teachers in this state think. I believe teachers get into teaching because they want every child to do better.”

Democratic lawmakers also expressed outrage at Giordano’s comment. Democratic state Sen. Ray Lesniak, a co-sponsor of a bill that would provide grants to children in low-performing districts to attend a public or private school of their choice, said the remark showed “a startling contempt for children and parents of limited means who are forced into failing schools by virtue of their ZIP code.”

What do you have to say? Sound off in the comments section below!

(TM and Copyright 2012 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2012 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

Abe Haghighat, 82, said a burglar broke into his Kings Point home on Rogers Road through a back door around 7 p.m. Tuesday night.

Haghighat tells 1010 WINS he was napping when he was awakened by someone jiggling his bedroom door.

1010 WINS’ Mona Rivera reports

“I locked the door from inside, so I get up to see what is this, I opened the door and I saw somebody dressed all in black from top to toe,” Haghighat told reporter Mona Rivera.

Haghighat said he shouted, “What are you doing?” and the suspected burglar ran from the house.

Haghighat said the suspect made off with eight to 10 watches. He said the masked man didn’t have a gun or knife and feels lucky he wasn’t harmed.

Earlier, police were trying to determine if the incident was connected to a string of unsolved burglaries that began in November 2010.  However, police said the description of the intruder and his modus operandi are completely different.

In one of those cases, police said a man broke into the bedroom of a sleeping 15-year-old girl and placed a wet cloth over her face.

Police said the teen struggled free and the suspect fled from the Great Neck home on West Shore Rd.

Lea Haghighat, the victim’s wife, spoke to CBS2′s Jennifer McLogan and called on local authorities to bring the perpetrator to justice.

“The police of great neck must do something. It is not good like this, every month, somebody go to the home, multiple home invasions, in Kings Point. We pay so much tax,” she said.

Police say that the man dressed in black and may have been spotted at the Great Neck train station, they are looking for additional witnesses.

The investigation is ongoing.

This writer was fortunate to be in the building for Super Bowl 46 (section 638, Row 20, seat (lucky) 13, the next to last row in Lucas Oil Stadium).  While there is nothing like being at the game, you miss a lot that you would see on television (with multiple replays, with the ability to actually hear what the referee is saying, etc.).  Having said that, the following is to both discuss the game and discuss what was happening in the stadium during the game.

GIANTS GET OUT FRONT EARLY

When brilliant Steve Weatherford pinned the Patriots back (for the first time) early in the game, Tom Brady came out throwing … to nobody.  Hard to believe the refs would actually make that call in the Super Bowl, but it really was a pass where no Patriot was within 20 yards of the football.  Hard to believe that Brady would throw the ball away 45 yards down the field, but that’s exactly what he did.  Was somebody supposed to run a go route?  Could Brady really have made such a gigantic (two-point) mistake this early in the game?  After the game, Brady would say that it was a judgment call on the part of the officials.  It looked like he might have actually stepped outside of the pocket on the throw (watch the replay), but it was still a huge mistake early in the game.

After the Patriots punted the ball back to the Giants (following the safety), the Giants drove the ball down the field and were able to survive a Victor Cruz fumble (recovered by the Patriots but nullified by a 12-men-on-the-field penalty).  If you were at the game, even this early in the game, you saw that the Patriots were having trouble getting the right guys into the game.  There was Patriot confusion early on a number of plays and, of course, when Cruz catches the TD pass from Eli Manning a short time later, it was clear that the Patriots had shot themselves in the foot.

THE PATRIOTS COME ROARING BACK

In the second quarter, the Giants had their own 12-men-in-the-huddle penalty (both “12 man” penalties surprising given both coaching staffs) but certainly not as costly.  With the Patriots down 9-3, Steve Weatherford once again (seemingly) buries the Patriots on their own four with another great punt but, after a Patriots false start (half-the-distance, back to the Patriots 2), Brady goes lights out (10-10) and moves the Patriots 98 yards to score just before the half to go up 10-9.

If you were at the game, it was, frankly, a little deflating to Giants fans who had seen their team take the equivalent of a 20-6 lead in a basketball game only to be down at the half.  People in the stands (including this writer) thought the first possession of the second half would be key (as the Patriots had won the toss and deferred).

Sure enough, the Patriots come out and drive the ball 79 yards to take a 17-9 lead.  Brady winds up throwing 16 consecutive completions (a Super Bowl record) and, frankly, it looked like the Patriots were playing 11 against 9.  It looked that easy.  While back in New York the last two days I haven’t heard one Giant fan say that they were worried after this drive (I think there is some after-the-fact revisionism here), I can tell you first-hand that there were many Giant fans worried after drives of 98 and 79 yards back-to-back by the Patriots.  The only thing to hold on to was the fact that the Giants were down only eight which could be made up with a TD and two-point conversion.

THE GIANTS REGAIN CONTROL

The two field goal drives by the Giants can’t be underestimated in the context of this game.  With very good field position (from their own 35 and then the Patriots 48), the Giants only had to move the ball a little to make it a 17-15 Patriots lead.  They also survived another fumble during the second field goal drive by recovering a fumble by Nicks at the Patriots 33.

But probably the biggest play of the game (other than the Manningham amazing catch) was Justin Tuck’s sack of Tom Brady in the middle of the third quarter.  At the game, you could clearly see on the sidelines that Brady was hurt and certainly, no matter what “adjustments” the Giants made after those two tremendous Patriot drives, this sack clearly hurt Brady’s non-throwing shoulder and, in this writer’s opinion, changed Brady’s performance the rest of the game.

In the fourth quarter came the amazing Chase Blackburn interception.  Brady, scrambling before throwing the ball 55-yards in the air, must have thought that Gronkowski could make a play.  Maybe he forgot that Gronkowski was hurt.  If you were at the game, you knew early on that Gronkowski simply couldn’t run hard by watching him away from the play.  Blackburn (a linebacker 50 yards down the field – that almost never happens) actually boxed out Gronkowski to make the play.

By then, of course, Giant fans had come to life.  Needing only a field goal, with the best fourth-quarter QB in the game and a defense that was able to stop Brady after those monster drives, things looked much better for the Giants.  But then Ahmad Bradshaw fumbles on his own 11 (recovered, of course, by the Giants).  Then, on 3^rd and 7, Eli threw an incomplete pass but the Patriots were called for an off-sides penalty and, at that point, you had to think the football Gods were with the Giants.  But the Patriots forced the Giants to punt and Brady came back on the field.

But he just wasn’t Tom Brady, for whatever reason.  Drops?  Sure.  But he was a little behind Branch a couple of times.  And while Wes Welker took all the blame for that key 2^nd and 11 drop which, arguably, could have ended the game, it wasn’t a perfectly thrown ball (catchable? Absolutely.  Well-thrown?  Absolutely not.).

ELI DOES WHAT ELI DOES

So when Eli Manning trots on to the field with 3:46 left, Giant fans were very confident.  Eli makes the throw of the season to Mario Manningham down the left sideline for 38 yards and Bill Belichick, in this writer’s opinion, incorrectly decides to challenge it (they showed a replay at Lucas Oil after virtually every play and it was clear, after one replay, that it was a good catch).  Coaches this season have often resorted to the “prayer” challenge (that is, maybe the refs won’t see what happened and reverse a good call).  While Al Michaels stated (on the telecast) that Belichick was “almost compelled to challenge,” the reality is that he wasn’t compelled to do anything at that point.  Of course, the loss of that time out would really hurt the Patriots later.

Eli then moves the Giants down the field and gets the ball to the Patriots 18 with two minutes left.  At the game, people in the stands were already talking about whether the Patriots should just let the Giants score.  While this writer thought it was too early (at the 18-yard line), it seemed like a very good idea when Bradshaw got to the 11 with 1:52 left.

POSSIBLY THE BIGGEST MISTAKE IN SUPER BOWL HISTORY?

For whatever reason, Belichick waits until the Giants have the ball on the 6 with 1:04 left (after the Patriots use their second time out) and then decides to let the Giants score.  Inexplicably, Ahmad Bradshaw runs untouched to the one-yard line, pauses, and then falls into the end zone untouched (in fact, it looked like the Patriots were coming to help him get in if he was falling down on the one).

There is some more revisionism going on in New York now, in this writer’s opinion.  The notion that the Giants should have scored the touchdown, as opposed to falling down at the one and kicking an extra-point length field goal much closer to the end of the game, is absurd.  No matter what you hear now, to give Tom Brady 57 seconds with one time out (should have been two, by the way, but for Belichick’s gaffe), is absurd.  If the Patriots had caught that Hail Mary on the deflection, this I-don’t-know-if-I-want-to-score TD would have been viewed to be the greatest mistake in Super Bowl (NFL?) history.  The fact that the Giants never talked about this (Eli said he yelled at Bradshaw not to score after he handed him the ball) is a colossal mistake.  But, as usual, winning covers all of these mistakes, even gigantic ones (plus, on replay, Eli actually made a small touchdown sign as Bradshaw crossed the goal line).

At the game, Giant fans (including this writer) were thrilled but mortified.  It was obvious what the Patriots were doing (frankly, it was surprising that they didn’t do it earlier).  The after-the-fact analyses that you never know what can happen on a kick or that we have a good defense are both absurd.  There was a one-in-a-hundred chance of missing an extra-point field goal to win the Super Bowl.  What are the odds of Brady scoring a TD with 57 seconds and one time-out?  Whatever you think it is, it has to be higher than 1%.

But to the victor goes the spoils (and rightfully so) and, over time, if not already, the common view will be that the Giants made the right play.

Don’t believe it.

AT THE GAME

Just a few things.  Obviously, a dome is a beautiful place to go to a game from a comfort perspective.  But you really have to put an asterisk next to some of these absurd passing numbers for dome QBs.  You can’t compare playing in a dome to playing in the Northeast, especially in December/January (although maybe not this past December/January).  Maybe I’m just a New York City guy, but I prefer football outside in the elements.

You can’t be shocked at prices anywhere if you are a New Yorker.  $50 to park ($100 right near the stadium), $20 for a program, $11 for a beer and $5 for a bottle of water.  If you’ve been to a Yankee game, these aren’t shocking.  What was hard to stomach (literally and figuratively) was the not big, just OK hot dog for $8.  When two hot dogs and one bottle of water cost $21, well, that’s a bit much.

While Indianapolis did a nice job, there were so many street closures and cop cars that it was scary leaving the building (you were scrunched into a two to three block area that was like a cattle car).  Once you broke free from that, you were fine.  And if you think the prices were ridiculous for this Super Bowl (and they were), imagine what it will be like if the Giants make the Super Bowl and play in their Stadium two years from now (certainly a possibility).

Finally, while I personally think it’s absurd to have a half-time two-and-a-half times the length of a normal half-time (it could, at least in theory, change the game), it was a spectacle.  But Roman Gladiators, “stars” from other countries giving the finger (MIA should find out what MIA really means now) and other absurdities just don’t do it for this writer.  In addition, you couldn’t really hear Madonna (and that was due to poor acoustics, not to crowd noise).

LEGACIES?

Well, that’s easy.  While everybody agrees that Tom Brady and Bill Belichick are Hall-of Famers, this writer believes that Eli Manning and Tom Coughlin are there now as well.  Brady and Belichick have removed themselves from the greatest ever conversation and Eli and Coughlin have catapulted themselves into football immortality.

And they still have time to add to their legacy.

According to Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com, the Yankees have signed Branyan to a minor-league deal.

The big DH-utility man is expected to compete for a bench spot in spring training.

“Big power,” tweeted Heyman, “nice insurance.”

The 36-year-old had a down year in 2011, batting .197 with five home runs and 14 RBI with the Arizona Diamondbacks and Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.

Branyan’s best year came in 2009, when he slugged 31 home runs and 76 RBI for the Seattle Mariners.

Good move by the Yankees? Sound off below…

Benjamin Sherman, founder of the New York-based company Say It With A Condom, has launched a new product line named after the Republican presidential candidate.

The condom wrapper features a caricature of Romney on top of $100 bills with the slogan “Never Settle.”

“Romney is the front-man right now and a lot of people aren’t happy about that,” Sherman tells 1010 WINS. “So we thought we would poke a little fun at that.”

He said when it comes to voting for president or choosing a sexual partner you should never settle.

The Romney condom is not flavored, although Sherman said if it was it’d be “dry.” The condoms also do not glow in the dark.

Sherman said the Romney condoms are a follow up to those named after former Congressman Anthony Weiner who ended up resigning from office in June 2011 after lewd pictures he sent to at least six women surfaced.

“Earlier last year, when that scandal broke we were sitting around and said, ‘We just can’t let this slip by,’” Sherman said. “We launched a Weiner condom that said, ‘Protect Your Weiner.’”

“Weinergate,” as it came to be known, also prompted a company to build an anatomically correct Anthony Weiner doll.

Sherman is an equal-opportunity jokester.

In 2008, his company rolled out Barack Obama condoms in packaging with a motto “Hope Is Not A Form Of Protection.”

The Grammys are this Sunday on CBS. But there’s still time to pick your favorites on Pick-A-Side.

Who had the best album last year? What was the best song? Who was the best new artist? Grammys nominees and also-rans square off on Pick-A-Side. And you pick the winner.

And the Grammy goes to… Decide who should win the Grammy for all the top categories. Select a category below and get started…

Police say just after 9 a.m. Wednesday, officers were called to West 125 Street and the Henry Hudson Parkway. That’s when authorities say Harbor Patrol officers found the body floating in the river.

The man has not yet been identified. The medical examiner will determine a cause death.

The investigation is still ongoing.

The museum plans to replace the faulty fountains, crumbling sidewalks and sick trees along its stretch on Fifth Avenue.

The renovation calls for new fountains closer to the entrance, trees to provide shade and more seating to relieve crowding on the museum’s steps.

Once the city approves the plan work could begin this fall.

Museum trustee and philanthropist David H. Koch has pledged $60 million for the project.