ALBANY

PATAKI: HYBRID CAR OWNERS TO GET TAX BREAK, PERKS

The rising number of buyers of hybrid and alternative fuel automobiles would get a tax break, a map of alternative fuel filling stations, and access to some priority traffic lanes under Governor Pataki’s proposed state budget. The wide ranging energy proposals, including tax breaks for heating costs, will be part of Mr. Pataki’s 2006-07 budget proposal today. They address his goals of cleaning New York’s air while reducing dependence on “terror-promoting foreign oil.” The governor’s budget proposal to the Legislature is scheduled to be delivered today, starting the usually contentious budget negotiations with legislative leaders. The energy proposal he released yesterday seeks to provide incentives for consumers to use cleaner fuels, as well as funding for research to make cleaner, lighter automobiles.

– Associated Press

POLICE BLOTTER

POLICE SEARCH FOR SUSPECTS IN DEPARTMENT STORE DISCOUNT FRAUD

Police are looking for individuals suspected in a fraudulent scheme that offers fake department store discounts. According to police, at least three victims last week were contacted over the phone by individuals who said they were department store salespeople offering discounts on store merchandise. The victims agreed to meet them at the stores to exchange cash for the discounts, but the suspects took the money and fled, according to police. Police reported at least three incidents last week at the Sears on Queens Boulevard in Forest Hills.

– Special to the Sun

POLICE ARREST SEXUAL ASSAULT SUSPECT

Police arrested a man yesterday suspected of forcing his way into a woman’s apartment and sexually assaulting her last week. Police said they arrested Donre Richardson, 19, of Flushing Avenue in Brooklyn, and charged him in the January 11 incident. According to police, he allegedly entered a Greenwich Village apartment building at around 4 a.m. and approached his 21-year-old victim from behind and demanded cash at gunpoint. He then forced himself into the woman’s apartment, where he sexually assaulted her and sodomized her, police said. Police said Mr. Richardson faces several charges, including first-degree robbery, criminal sex act, sex abuse, and burglary, as well as unlawful imprisonment. Police said it does not appear Mr. Richardson knew the woman. The gun was not found at the time of the arrest, police said.

– Special to the Sun

FOUR CITY EMPLOYEES ARRESTED

Four city employees were arrested in separate incidents that took place over 48 hours, police said yesterday. Two were arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol. According to police, Daniel Stewart, 44, a Fire Department EMT, was arrested Sunday at around 8 p.m. in Staten Island, and charged with driving under the influence of alcohol and leaving the scene of an accident. Separately, police said, Police Officer Daniel Emsworth was arrested Sunday in Harriman, N.Y., by Orange County police and charged with drunk driving. In the third case, police said Desiree Faltine, 44, a city corrections officer, allegedly stopped her car on Fifth Avenue in Midtown and refused to move it when officers asked her to at around 10:20 Sunday night. She was subsequently arrested and charged with obstructing vehicular traffic, resisting arrest, and obstructing governmental administration. Police also said a city sanitation worker, Henry Sherman, 35, was arrested yesterday along with his 15-year-old son, when the two assaulted a police officer during a routine traffic violation. Police said Mr. Sherman was pulled over for driving without a seatbelt, then assaulted the officer who was writing him a ticket. His son was released to the custody of an aunt last night, while Mr. Sherman was charged with second-degree assault and resisting arrest. Last night, police said none of the city employees arrested are believed to have been on duty at the time of their arrest.

– Special to the Sun

CITYWIDE

IRISH EXAMINER TO LAUNCH IN NEW YORK

The Irish Examiner, a new weekly Irish-American newspaper, is scheduled to launch in the city today. “I know it’s the right time,” publisher Patrick “Paddy” McCarthy, who hails from County Cork, said. Six years ago, Mr. McCarthy launched a bimonthly glossy magazine called Irish Connections, which has a circulation of 35,000. The initial print run for the Irish Examiner will be 10,000 and is expected to rise to 25,000 nationwide. Based in Long Island City, the paper joins a crowded field. Three other Irish weeklies – Home & Away, Irish Echo, and Irish Voice – are published in the city, and in addition, the Massachusetts-based Irish Emigrant also is read around town. The paper’s target demographic is 20- to 45-year-olds, he said. “It will be one of the first Irish-American newspapers to feature American sports.”

– Staff Reporter of the Sun

STATEWIDE

ISRAELI GOVERNMENT AWARDS NEW YORK FLIGHTS TO CHARTER AIRLINE

Israir, an Israeli charter airline, is receiving rights to operate regular flights to New York and back, the Tourism Ministry announced yesterday. The New York route is one of the most profitable in the local market. The tourism minster, Avraham Hirchson, said the Israir license would be good for two years, during which time the need for a second carrier on the route would be evaluated.

– Associated Press