CITYWIDE

DACHSHUNDS TOP ANNUAL LIST

Bigger isn’t always better in Manhattan – at least when it comes to being top dog.

The tiny dachshund, with a long body and short legs, was the most popular breed of dog in the borough in 2004, the American Kennel Club said yesterday.

The Labrador retriever, the no. 1 dog breed nationwide, was the second most popular, followed by the poodle, which got the top slot last year. Seven of the top 10 breeds in Manhattan were small dogs, the club said in a news release.

“Toy dogs reign in Manhattan, with five of the top 10 breeds coming from the group of dogs bred specifically to be companions,” American Kennel Club spokeswoman Gail Miller said. “With space at such a premium, it appears that New Yorkers really are choosing the right breed for their lifestyle.”

– Associated Press

MAYOR GIVES PREVIEW OF ECONOMIC BOOST FROM ‘THE GATES’

Mayor Bloomberg provided a hint as to how much “The Gates” in Central Park boosted the city’s economy during an interview on WBLS yesterday morning.

He said hot dog vendors around the park who normally make $100 a day told reporters they were making $1,000 a day. Cab drivers, corner shops, and bodegas anywhere around the park had dramatically more business, he said.

“This was something that helped people throughout the city,” Mr. Bloomberg said. “All the foreign tourists came, they spent a lot of money, they toured around, jobs were better, there was overtime, and it was all paid for by the two artists.”

Mr. Bloomberg is expected to provide more detailed numbers today.

– Staff Reporter of the Sun

SURVEY: MORE THAN A QUARTER OF SUBWAY PAY PHONES DON’T WORK

More than a quarter of public pay phones in the city’s largest subway stations do not fully work, according to a survey published by a subway riders advocacy group, the Straphangers Campaign. That included 540 payphones in the 25 most-used stations.

Phones worked best at the Union Square station and worst at the Canal Street station. Verizon is under contract with the Metropolitan Transportation Authority until 2009 to maintain and fix the phones, with the goal of having 95% of the phones fully working at all times, an MTA spokesman said.

The Straphangers Campaign said the 27% failure rate was a modest improvement from a similar survey conducted in 2002, which found 29% of the phones not functioning. The MTA conducted a similar study of the system’s 468 stations during the second half of 2004, the same time as the Straphangers Campaign conducted its survey, and found that 92% were in good working order.

– Special to the Sun

LIBRARY ANNOUNCES IMAGE COLLECTION TO BE PUT ONLINE

A collection of 275,000 images including maps, Civil War photos, illuminated medieval manuscripts, and historic menus will be accessible online starting today, the New York Public Library announced.

“By opening the doors of our acclaimed collections to users over the Internet, we are plunging fully into an exciting new era of library service,” library President Paul LeClerc said yesterday. “These visual materials, many of which are unique to the library, will be available to anyone in the world with an Internet connection at any time, free of charge.”

The initial 275,000 items in the NYPL Digital Gallery, selected by curators from all the library’s divisions, will grow to 500,000 images over the next several months, library officials said.

– Associated Press

NONPROFIT ASSOCIATION NAMES NEW CHIEF

The Nonprofit Coordinating Committee of New York, a membership association representing the interests of more than 1,350 nonprofits in the metropolitan region, yesterday named Michael Clark its new president and executive director. Mr. Clark, 61, assumes the positions May 2, after serving for 18 years as president of the nonprofit group Citizens of NYC.

“It’s going to be a challenging few years,” Mr. Clark said. “It’s a daunting fundraising climate and, for a variety of reasons, nonprofits are being asked to take on more accountability. Basically, the sector, which is largely made up of small organizations, needs a lot of help.”

Members of the organization include the Council on Foreign Relations, the Food Bank For New York City, and the Queens Symphony Orchestra.

– Staff Reporter of the Sun

MANHATTAN

POLICE CATCH MAN ORANGE-HANDED

A man trying to steal one of the 7,500 nylon curtains used as part of “The Gates” art exhibit was caught orange-handed yesterday, police said.

Two workers dismantling the exhibit noticed Leopoldo Chang, 37, of Queens, walking out of Central Park with one of the fabric panels yesterday afternoon and called the police, who arrested him at 97th Street and Columbus Avenue. Whether Mr. Chang, who was charged with a misdemeanor, was a cunning collector or simply looking to sell the fabric, police could not say. The orange swatches given to the public during the two-week exhibit that ended Sunday have sold on eBay for as much as $20.

– Special to the Sun

EX-MTA WORKER PLEADS GUILTY

A former Metropolitan Transportation Authority police officer has pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor assault charge related to his beating of a homeless man he threw out of Penn Station. Prosecutors said they had videotape of the incident.

Michael Koenig, 34, admitted that he hit Maurice Cherry, 35, in the head before ejecting him from the station around 3 a.m. on January 18, 2004. State Supreme Court Justice James Yates sentenced Mr. Koenig to 200 hours of community service.

– Associated Press

POLICE BLOTTER

TEENAGER CONFESSES TO FATAL BEATING

A teenager accused of fatally beating a 52-year-old Guyanese immigrant earlier this week in Queens has confessed to the beating and is being charged with manslaughter, prosecutors said.

Antonio Roque, 18, who works as a pizza delivery person, is being held without bail. He told Queens detectives he was attacked by Jagat Ram Balram, a school bus mechanic, and that he responded by hitting him back numerous times.

“The guy attacked me,” Mr. Roque said in his statement. “He chased me around the car. I punched and kicked him.”

According to the police, Mr. Roque was “drunk” and “walking around the street looking for a fight.” At one point during the night, Mr. Roque had challenged a group of men shoveling snow outside their store. Once they wielded their shovels, however, Mr. Kelly said Mr. Roque backed down and continued down the street. He stumbled upon Balram shortly after midnight, police said. Mr. Roque threatened him, then chased him, and when Balram slipped on the snow, Mr. Roque began to beat him.

– Staff Reporter of the Sun

SUSPECTS SOUGHT IN SHOOTING OF FAMILY

Police are looking for two suspects who may be involved in a shooting early yesterday morning that left three Bronx family members with gunshot wounds that appeared to have come from an M1 Carbine, an army-issued weapon. According to the police, the 28-year-old son of the family, whose name was not released yesterday, had engaged in a dispute with two teenagers. The exact nature of the dispute is still under investigation, police said, but after the two teenagers left the Bronx home at 4383 Byron Ave., a number of shots were fired through the front door. The son, his mother, and father were all struck in the stomach and rushed to Jacobi Hospital.

– Staff Reporter of the Sun