ALBANY

LAWMAKERS PUSH HOMELAND SECURITY TO CHANGE FUNDING FORMULA

Senator Menendez, a Democrat of New Jersey, and Senator Schumer are trying to force the Department of Homeland Security to change its funding formula. The senators said yesterday that they plan to propose two amendments to the existing Homeland Security bill today when the legislation is brought to the floor of the Senate. “It’s shocking that after two confirmed terror threats to New York in as many months, Secretary Chertoff remains as stubborn as he has been,” Mr. Schumer said in reference to the Homeland Security secretary. The first amendment would mandate that anti-terrorism money be dished out on an at risk-basis and the second would increase funding for transit security in New York and New Jersey by $300 million.That $300 million would go to overtime pay for police when a credible threat is reported and to purchasing security equipment for subways and buses.

— Staff Reporter of the Sun

CLINTON CHALLENGER SAYS HE WILL FORCE A DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY

A senatorial candidate, Jonathan Tasini, said that he plans to file enough petitions this Thursday to have a Democratic primary against Senator Clinton, who is seeking re-election. “I need to collect 15,000,” Mr. Tasini said. “I’ll probably have north of 30,000, maybe 40,000.” Mr.Tasini said he is not seeking to run on any other party line. On Thursday, Mr. Tasini will also invite Mrs. Clinton to join him in a debate, Mr. Tasini’s spokeswoman said. Nobody from Mrs. Clinton’s campaign had an immediate comment yesterday.

— Staff Reporter of the Sun

STATEWIDE

FASO BEATS SPITZER, ON FOOT

UTICA — Democrat Eliot Spitzer and Republican John Faso briefly suspended the race for governor yesterday to compete in the Utica Boilermaker 5K race. The 53-year-old Mr. Faso beat the 47-year-old Mr. Spitzer by about 14 seconds after 24 minutes of running on 3.1 miles of hot city asphalt. It was Mr. Faso’s first win against Mr. Spitzer, who has a wide lead in the polls.

— Associated Press

POLICE BLOTTER

OFF-DUTY OFFICER SHOOTS MAN IN FACE AFTER HE TRIED TO STEAL CAR

An off-duty police officer shot a man in the face yesterday after the man tried to steal the officer’s car at gunpoint, police officials said. The officer, Kenneth O’Connor, 34, was sitting in his Ford Explorer at about 12:20 a.m. when a man, identified by police as Daniel Arroyo, 22, approached him with a cocked, loaded, .38 caliber handgun pointed at his head, police said. Mr. O’Connor drew his Smith and Wesson revolver and fired once, striking Arroyo in the face, police said. Arroyo dropped his gun and fled, but was caught by police soon after. He was taken to Jacobi Medical Center in critical condition, but by yesterday evening he was in stable condition. Mr. O’Connor, an 11-year veteran of the department, was taken to the hospital for trauma but released. Police officials said the shooting appeared to be within protocol for off-duty officers.

— Staff Reporter of the Sun

MAN FATALLY SHOT IN QUEENS

A 20-year-old man was shot and killed in Queens Village during a dispute early yesterday morning, police officials said. Paramedics found the man, who wasn’t identified by police last night, with three gun shot wounds at about 4:20 a.m. A 17-year-old showed up at the hospital one hour later with a gunshot wound to his leg, and police have connected it with the same dispute.

— Staff Reporter of the Sun