POLICE BLOTTER

200 Firefighters Put Out Five-Alarm Fire in Bronx

Nearly 200 firefighters battled a five-alarm blaze at a Bronx warehouse throughout the morning yesterday, officials said. The fire started around 7:30 a.m. at a Foot Locker outlet store located inside a two-story building on East Fordham Road, according to a spokesman for the Fire Department. Firefighters finally extinguished the blaze at 12:45 p.m., he said. Officials said three firefighters were taken to Jacobi Medical Center with minor injuries. The Fire Department reported that 198 firefighters and 44 units responded to the scene.

— Special to the Sun

Charges Brought In Plum Beach Bias Attack

At least one man was arrested and three others questioned in an apparent bias attack on a gay black man in Brooklyn on Sunday night. John Fox, 19, faces charges including assault as a hate crime as well as first- and second-degree attempted robbery as a hate crime, authorities said. Last night, he was awaiting arraignment. Officials said Mr. Fox and possibly three others met 28-year-old Michael Sandy online and assaulted him in a remote location off the Belt Parkway in Sheepshead Bay, where they had promised to meet him for a sexual rendezvous. The victim was struck by a car after stumbling away from his attackers into oncoming traffic on the roadway. In a statement, officials at the Anti-Defamation League praised the arrest.

— Special to the Sun

Children Injured In S.I. Bus Crash

About a dozen children were slightly injured yesterday morning in a school bus crash on Staten Island.The bus was heading to the Laurie Intermediate School around 7 a.m. when it was rearended by another vehicle in a chain reaction crash at the intersection of Christopher Lane and Richmond Avenue in the Graniteville section, the Fire Department said. Half the students were taken to Staten Island University Hospital North and the other half to Saint Vincent’s Hospital. Authorities characterized the injuries as “bumps and bruises.”

— Associated Press

IN THE COURTS

Judge Likely To Allow Plan B Subpoena

A Brooklyn federal magistrate indicated yesterday that he would permit the Center for Reproductive Rights to subpoena White House documents it hopes will prove the Bush administration pressured the Food and Drug Administration to ignore its own scientists and delay or reject allowing Plan B, an emergency contraceptive, to be sold without a prescription. The agency approved the contraception switch for women 18 and older last month but still requires prescriptions for young girls. However Magistrate Viktor Pohorelsky rules, the communiqués could be delayed further because attorneys representing the Justice Department have indicated that the White House will challenge any order to turn over the documents.

— Special to the Sun

Hynes Drops Charges Against Feldman

In a surprise move, the Brooklyn district attorney, Charles Hynes, dropped charges against the former executive director of the borough’s Democratic Party. Mr. Hynes dismissed the charges against Jeffrey Feldman, who along with the deposed party boss, Clarence Norman, was expected to stand trial next month for cajoling two judicial candidates to use their favored political vendor in exchange for support from the party. According the to New York Law Journal, the lead prosecutor on the case, Michael Vecchione, said that Mr. Feldman was “nothing more than a messenger for Mr. Norman.” Mr. Vecchione said Mr. Feldman would testify against Mr. Norman, who has already been convicted of corruption in two related cases.

— Staff Reporter of the Sun

CITYWIDE

Emily, Michael Top Baby Name List

The Department of Health and Mental Hygiene announced yesterday that of the 122,725 babies born in New York City in 2005, Emily was the most popular girl’s name, followed by Ashley, Kayla, and Sarah. Michael was the most popular boy’s name, followed by Daniel, Joshua, and David. Emily topped the list in 2004, and the name Michael celebrates its 20th year at no. 1.

— Special to the Sun