MANHATTAN

TRANSPORTATION DEPT. TO INSTALL MUNI-METERS TO FIGHT CONGESTION

After facing criticism earlier this year from neighborhood activists who claimed the city failed to address congestion, pollution, noise, and safety problems brought on by commercial vehicles, the New York City Department of Transportation has approved the installation of 24 muni-meters along Canal Street in Chinatown to alleviate truck congestion and facilitate tourist parking. The Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association and members of Community Board 3 met with the transportation commissioner, Iris Weinshall, yesterday to discuss plans for the Canal Street meters, which will begin operating July 29, and other issues including the initiation of a Chinatown Traffic Safety Month, pothole repair, and the establishment of a landmark Chinatown arch.

— Special to the Sun

LATIN EMMYS COMING TO NEW YORK

After spending their first year in San Antonio, Texas, the Latin Emmys are coming to “la gran manzana,” Mayor Bloomberg announced yesterday. The second annual Leaders of Spanish Language Television Awards will take place October 19 at the Time Life Building in Midtown. The awards, given by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, will not have the drama of their English counterparts.Yesterday Mr. Bloomberg and industry officials named the six recipients, which include a Univision morning show host, Fernando Arau, a Telemundo sports anchor, Jessi Losado, and Lucero, the star of “Alborada,”a popular “telenovela,”or soap opera. The mayor, known for his less-than-sterling Spanish skills, made his own light-hearted bid for an award yesterday, presenting an audition tape of his cameos on “Law & Order,” “The Apprentice,” and “All My Children.” The dialogue, however, was dubbed over in Spanish, and instead featured Mr. Bloomberg flirting with soap star Erica Kane and advising “Apprentice” hopefuls not to make fun of Donald Trump’s hair.

— Staff Reporter of the Sun

CHOIR ACADEMY OF HARLEM GETS NEW SUPPORTER

A California nonprofit organization founded by a former NBA player will team up with the city Department of Education to re-energize the Choir Academy of Harlem, the school formerly connected to the renowned but troubled Boys Choir of Harlem. Sacramento-based St. HOPE, which operates five schools there, will expand outside that area for the first time to work with the Choir Academy, the education department announced yesterday.

— Associated Press

IN THE COURTS

NEW RULE ALLOWS JUDGES TO REQUIRE ATTENDANCE AT PARENTING CLASSES

A change in rules will allow state judges to require parents involved in custody or visitation disputes to take classes aimed at teaching them how to help children cope with the stress of family separation and conflict. Judges had previously only been able to make referrals to the classes, not require attendance. The new rule was adopted by the Administrative Board of the Courts and took effect immediately, the state’s court system announced yesterday.There are 53 parent education programs certified by the state courts, covering issues such as how children are affected by conflict between parents.

— Associated Press

LAW DEPARTMENT SUES CIGARETTE WHOLESALERS

The city’s law department has sued seven cigarette wholesalers for not paying taxes on tobacco sold on Native American reservations across the state. The lawsuit was filed yesterday in Brooklyn and goes after six New York vendors and one in Vermont, the city’s corporation counsel, Michael Cardozo, said in a statement.”Although smoking is never encouraged, since it is legal, the city must ensure that all laws are followed appropriately,” Mr. Cardozo, said. “By making cheap cigarettes available, the wholesalers’ practices also cut into the efforts by all levels of government and the private sector that are aimed at reducing smoking by children and teenagers.”

— Staff Reporter of the Sun

BROOKLYN PRIVATE INVESTIGATOR ACCUSED OF IMPERSONATING FBI AGENT

The private investigator who was the inspiration for the fictional detective in Kinky Friedman’s crime novels was charged yesterday with intimidating a witness by impersonating an FBI agent. Steve Rombom denied the charge at his arraignment in Manhattan federal court and was released on his own recognizance by Magistrate Gabriel Gorenstein despite a plea by a federal prosecutor that he be held on $400,000 bond.

— Associated Press

STATEWIDE

540,000 NEW YORKERS AT RISK OF ID THEFT AFTER BREACH

ALBANY — The names, addresses, and Social Security numbers of as many as 540,000 injured workers have been lost and the state and its contracted company are trying to protect the workers from identity theft. It was the latest report of potential theft of government data on individuals ranging from a Nebraska social service office to the National Nuclear Security Administration.

— Associated Press

STATE BOARD EXPECTED TO APPROVE JAVITS CENTER EXPANSION

ALBANY — A key state panel is expected Wednesday to approve a deal that will allow the $1.7 billion expansion of the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center to begin.The Assembly speaker, Sheldon Silver, a Manhattan Democrat, and the Senate majority leader, Joseph Bruno, said they support the plan in front of the state Public Authorities Control Board. That panel’s members represent Mr. Bruno, Mr. Silver, and Governor Pataki, who also supports the proposal.

— Associated Press

POLICE BLOTTER

TWO SHOT IN BROOKLYN, ONE FATALLY

Two Brooklyn men were shot yesterday morning in East New York, police said.The incident occurred at around 7:15 a.m. at an apartment on Jerome Street. Police said John-Dru “Duru” Kennedy, 31, was shot once in the head and was pronounced dead at the scene. Another man, 40, was shot once in the arm, and went to Brookdale Hospital for treatment.

— Special to the Sun

BRONX COUPLE SHOT, ONE KILLED

A man was killed and his female companion injured yesterday morning when police said an unidentified suspect shot them both. Police said the victims were exiting a residential apartment building on Leggett Avenue in the Bronx around 3:30 a.m. when the suspect allegedly confronted them and started shooting. Police said Ronald Gomez, 21, was shot once in the chest and died at the scene.His 19-year-old friend, whom police did not identify, was shot once in the back and taken to Lincoln Hospital, where she was listed in stable condition yesterday. Both of the victims had prior arrests, police said.

— Special to the Sun

S.I. TEENAGER DIES FROM OVERDOSE

A Staten Island teenager was found dead of a possible drug overdose yesterday morning, police said. Police said the teenager was found unconscious inside a car parked in front of a home on Nancy Street. According to police, he was pronounced dead at the scene around 10:15 a.m. The medical examiner will determine the cause of death.

— Special to the Sun

TWO OFFICERS TAKEN TO HOSPITAL AFTER ALTERCATION

During a response to a noise complaint involving a large group of men in Brooklyn, a policeman was attacked, causing his partner to fire his weapon at an assailant, police officials said. The officers responded to 885 E. 56th Street to investigate at about 7:40 p.m., but one of the men at the scene began struggling with an officer and resisting arrest, police said. During the struggle, another man hit the police officer from behind with a “long metal scooter,” police said. The partner of the officer who was hit discharged his weapon, police said. It wasn’t clear if the bullet hit one of the men. Two officers were taken to King’s County Hospital for treatment. Two of the men were arrested, and one of them was taken to the hospital, police said.

— Staff Reporter of the Sun

BROOKLYN

REPORT: CRUISE SHIP ACCIDENT CAUSED BY HUMAN ERROR

The 240 passengers hurt in last week’s accident involving a Brooklyn-based cruise ship can blame human error, not mechanical failure, for their injuries, according to a report by an Orlando-based NBC affiliate. The luxury liner, on its way back to Red Hook after nine days at sea with 4,300 people aboard, leaned 15 degrees to one side last Tuesday near the coast of Port Canaveral, Fla. While investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board and the Coast Guard have not gone public with an official report on the cause of the accident, WESH-2, citing a “high-level” source, reported that a flustered junior officer was at fault.

— Special to the Sun

TELEVISION

PBS CHILDREN’S SHOW HOST FIRED AFTER ‘VIRGIN’ VIDEOS POP UP

The PBS Kids Sprout network has fired the host of “The Good Night Show” after learning she had appeared in videos about young women’s virginity. The host, Melanie Martinez, had alerted network officials about one of the “Technical Virgin” videos late last week, and she was immediately taken off the air. “PBS Kids Sprout has determined that the dialogue in this video is inappropriate for her role as a preschool program host and may undermine her character’s credibility with our audience,” a network president, Sandy Wax, said.

— Associated Press