Sports Shorts

NFL: Cowboys' Brent indicted

A grand jury in Texas has formally indicted Cowboys nose tackle Josh Brent on one count of intoxication manslaughter.

Brent is charged in connection with a Dec. 8 crash that killed his friend and Cowboys practice squad member Jerry Brown. Brent is out of jail on $100,000 bond.

A spokesman for the Dallas County District Attorney's Office said the indictment was returned yesterday.

Intoxication manslaughter carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. Brent could be eligible for probation.

No court dates have been scheduled.

After spending the last three months fighting leukemia, Colts coach Chuck Pagano arrived early at the team complex, met briefly with his players, then stepped onto the practice field for the first time since Sept. 26.

The Eagles have placed quarterback Nick Foles on IR with a broken hand, which means Michael Vick will start the final game of the season against the Giants.

The Cardinals will give Brian Hoyer his first NFL start Sunday vs. the 49ers, less than three weeks after claiming him off waivers.

Linebacker Ray Lewis has been added to the Ravens' 53-man roster, but coach John Harbaugh said the 17-year veteran will not play Sunday. In order to be eligible for the playoffs, Lewis had to be activated by yesterday.

MLB: Bosox 'close' Hanrahan deal

The Red Sox acquired All-Star closer Joel Hanrahan from the Pirates in a six-player deal.

Boston also received infielder Brock Holt while giving up right-handers Mark Melancon and Stolmy Pimentel, infielder Ivan DeJesus Jr. and first baseman-outfielder Jerry Sands.

Former All-Star closer Ugueth Urbina was released from a Venezuelan prison after serving more than 5 1/2 years for attempted murder.

Urbina, 38, was given a 14-year sentence in March 2007 after being accused of attacking and injuring workers with machetes and pouring gasoline on them at his family's ranch in October 2005. He was released for good behavior..

Raul Ibanez's $2.75 million, one-year deal with the Mariners is official.

ETC.: Manchester U. widens lead

Javier Hernandez sent Manchester United seven points clear at the Premier League summit by pouncing in the 90th minute to clinch a 4-3 victory over Newcastle as second-place Manchester City lost at Sunderland, 1-0.

American goalkeeper Brad Friedel, 41, signed a contract through 2014 to remain with Premier League club Tottenham.

The NBA game between the Pacers and Bulls was postponed last night by a snowstorm that hit the Indianapolis area.

In Charlotte, LeBron James had 27 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists as the Heat handed the Bobcats their 16th straight defeat, 105-92.

In Denver, Corey Brewer matched his career high with 27 points and the Nuggets overcame a 40-point effort by Kobe Bryant to beat the Lakers 126-1114.

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C. Michigan tops Toppers

DETROIT — Ryan Radcliff threw an 11-yard touchdown pass to Cody Wilson with 5:11 remaining to give Central Michigan the lead, and Western Kentucky was stopped on fourth down when a field goal would have tied the game in the final minute, giving the Chippewas a 24-21 win in the Little Caesars Pizza Bowl last night at Ford Field.

Lance Guidry, coaching the Hilltoppers on an interim basis before Bobby Petrino takes over, decided to play for the win on fourth-and-2 from the 19 with 51 seconds left, but Kawaun Jakes threw incomplete.

Western Kentucky (7-6) fell just short in the Hilltoppers' first bowl appearance since joining college football's top tier in 2009.

Avery Cunningham blocked a punt for Central Michigan (7-6) to give the Chippewas a short field before Wilson's touchdown.

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Storm dumps snow, rain on region, flooding roadways and leaving messy travel conditions

EPA

Motorists make their way through snow fall and traffic along the Merritt Parkway in New Canaan, Connecticut Wednesday.

Whipping wind and soaking rain pounded the region overnight, flooding area roadways and leaving a messy morning commute for travelers.

The northeaster dumped a snow-rain mix on New York and New Jersey, leaving slick and sloppy driving conditions.

That storm also caused flight delays at LaGuardia, Liberty International and JFK airports, while causing MTA officials to shut down 3 Train service between 96th and 148th streets.

According to AccuWeather.com, snowfall accumulations reached eight inches in Syracuse and about 11 inches in Buffalo.

Flooding is expected during this morning's high tide cycle in low-lying coastal areas in Queens, Brooklyn, Staten Island and Long Island.

Some areas in northern New Jersey are already experiencing minor flooding, including Red Bank and Neptune City in Monmouth County.

While the rain should taper by 9 a.m., the wind should remain, with the National Weather Service calling for wing gusts of up to 38 miles per hour in the city.

Tomorrow should be sunny and clear.

And then? Possibly more snow Saturday. Meteorologists are keeping an eye on this weekend's weather potential.

"It's too early to see if there will be any accumulation," AccuWeather.com forecaster Tom Kines said.

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Famed photographer David LaChapelle sues ex-manager for $2.8M

Famed fotog David LaChapelle — who has snapped vivid portraits of Madonna, Lady Gaga and Elizabeth Taylor — is suing his former manager for allegedly cheating him out of more than $2.8 million from sales of his artwork.

LaChapelle also claims Fred Torres stiffed him on $755,000 worth of personal loans and is holding hostage more than 800 "valuable exhibition prints" that Torres has stashed in storage facilities in New York, Italy, Korea, Hong Kong and elsewhere, according to a Manhattan federal court filing.

LaChapelle — whose work has appeared in Vanity Fair and Rolling Stone — hired Torres in late 2005 to handle his "fine-art photography" under a handshake agreement.

Torres arranged exhibitions, advised LaChapelle on his career, managed his relationships with clients, galleries and museums, and oversaw the production of LaChapelle's digital photographic prints.

In addition, Torres, who also represents Courtney Love, and his company, Fred Torres Collaborations, "acted as a middle man" who "negotiated sales, sent invoices to buyers, collected the proceeds from sales, paid vendors, deducted a percentage for its services, and remitted a percentage to LaChapelle," the suit says.

Some of LaChapelle's prints have sold for more than $100,000 each. He was supposed to get between 40 percent and 75 percent within 30 days of full payment by buyers, the suit says.

But things turned sour, it says, after Torres started pressuring clients to pay for fabrication costs, which he was supposed to cover.

Last month, LaChapelle's lawyers sent Torres a letter ending their business relationship, but the suit says Torres still claims to represent the photographer, and recently "arranged and promoted an unauthorized gallery showing" of LaCha–pelle's work next year in Bigfork, Mont.

LaChapelle is seeking unspecified damages.

Torres, who runs an exhibition space in Chelsea, didn't return requests for comment.

bruce.golding@nypost.com

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Take a flyin’ leap

Charles Gasparino

Get ready, all you "millionaires and billionaires" with kids in college and taxes to pay on your homes in and around New York City.

It doesn't matter that you bring home just $250,000 a year and have a family of four or more. President Obama thinks you're part of the evil 1 percent and you should pay higher taxes — a lot higher.

That's the unfortunate reality for many New Yorkers, no matter what happens during the fiscal-cliff negotiations designed to avert taxes going up on everyone, regardless of income, if a deal isn't reached sometime soon. Those talks have stalled, and many economists are predicting economic Armageddon unless a deal is reached that prevents massive across-the-board tax increases and budget cuts targeted at slashing the defense budget.

Going over the cliff sure won't be pretty. Even for families earning as little as $50,000 a year, income taxes are to rise from a 13 percent rate to 17 percent — an estimated increased federal income-tax burden of more than $2,000 a year if there's no cliff deal, according to the Tax Foundation. Of course, the more you make, the more you will pay. All those "billionaire" families living out on Long Island and earning $250,000 a year will pay $9,730 more, while real millionaires who earn $1 million a year will pay $50,267 more in federal income taxes.

What's so frightening about these numbers is that they don't take into account all the other taxes President Obama has in store for the country, including those to pay for his ObamaCare mandates, or even state taxes that are sure to drag an economy still fighting to recover from the Great Recession.

What's also frightening is that things won't be so great even if so-called cooler heads prevail and a deal is made so only the "rich" get screwed.

Keep in mind, ObamaCare taxes and other fees have nothing to do with the cliff talks. Even worse, the president and his supporters have a warped view on what is rich — and, as a result, on who should be paying more taxes to finance his big-government experiments.

Here in New York, we all know that families with a combined income of $250,000 are really middle class; they certainly don't live like the president's favorite billionaire, limousine liberal Warren Buffett, and when they get done paying for the area's higher cost of living, not to mention school tuition, etc., they're barely saving enough for retirement.

But using the president's twisted logic, these folks will be taxed like Warren Buffett.

HOW THE FISCAL CLIFF WILL AFFECT YOU

OBAMA BACK AS CRISIS DEEPENS

FOLKS FREAK OVER SIZE OF TAX HIKES

THESE ARE THE BREAKS - THAT EXPIRE

Bottom line: The president has never gotten over his obsession with taxing people who make $250,000, except for a brief period in 2010, when the Republicans won the House and picked up seats in the Senate.

His 50.96 percent popular-vote victory over Mitt Romney in the recent presidential election (albeit much more pronounced in the Electoral College) has emboldened him to back his original thesis on tax fairness. Sure, he offered his Republican counterpart, namely House Speaker John Boehner, a "deal" to start tax increases at $400,000, but it was an unserious offer; he offered not a single specified spending cut, aside from some cost-of-living adjustments in Social Security, and certainly not enough for Boehner to sell to his skeptical colleagues who wouldn't even consider starting the tax hikes at $1 million in income without some real spending reductions.

In other words, Obama is negotiating like he wants to drive the country off the cliff so he can get what he really wants — higher taxes, deep defense cuts and an issue to cream the Republicans with over the next four years, namely a lousy economy.

One of the great tragedies is that as New York's middle class is about to be hammered, two of our most senior elected officials have run for cover. Democratic Sens. Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand have remained oddly silent as many of their constituents are about to be crushed by Obamanomics and its bizarre notion of what is wealthy.

Schumer even proposed a millionaires tax a couple of years ago, instead of starting the increase in rates at the president's preferred level of $250,000 a year.

What a difference a 50.96 percent mandate makes. The calculus of Schumer, Gillibrand and, of course, the president might be right, and the economic pain of the fiscal cliff might just be enough to destroy the Republican Party. Or they might be wrong, and the country might ultimately see through their posturing and hold all of them accountable.

Either way, the country loses.

Thanks, Chuck and Kirsten, and, yes, President Obama.

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Weird but true

Ypsilanti Township in Michigan doesn't want its way of life to go to pot.

The township filed suit against residents of perpetually hazy homes for allegedly smoking so much marijuana that the "overwhelming" smell and contact high were making neighbors sick.

***

Would you like a side of fries to go as you go to jail?

Donald Delong, 21, allegedly pulled a pellet gun on a McDonald's drive-thru employee in St. Cloud, Fla., police said.

The worker had told Delong that the drive-thru had just closed, cops said.

The hungry alleged hoodlum was arrested at the Pizza Hut next door.

***

Volunteers are organizing cleanup efforts on beaches up and down the West Coast to pick up debris that floated east from the March 2011 Japanese tsunami.

Seasonal winds and coastal currents are likely to wash in loads of debris this winter.

"There's a bit of tsunami-debris fever. It's like an Easter egg hunt," said Charlie Plybon, Oregon's regional manager at the Surfrider Foundation.

***

The wheels of justice are rolling against a man who allegedly tried to sneak cocaine into Logan International Airport in Boston in the wheels of a wheelchair.

Emmanuelli Rojas-Moraza, of Puerto Rico, was busted in possession of 200 grams of blow, officials said.

The suspect had a cast on his leg, but X-rays later showed his "injury" was bogus, police said.

***

In August 1964, Bob and Norma Clark tied the knot — or so they thought — at a Northern California church.

But when the aging Redlands, Calif., lovebirds were putting their affairs and documents in order recently, they and the county clerk couldn't locate their marriage certificate.

So Bob and Norma finally got married, officially, with the maid of honor and an usher from the 1964 service serving as witnesses.

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NYU student stole an Apple a day: cops

An NYU student has been charged with stealing at least five Apple computers from his classmates, police sources said yesterday.

Christian Windley, 20, of Texas, went on a five-day rip-off rampage from Dec. 18 to Dec. 22, stealing thousands of dollars worth of MacBooks in study halls and dorm rooms, according to a Manhattan Criminal court Complaint.

Windley's haul also allegedly included an iPhone, a calculator, a wallet, cash and credit cards.

When the victims briefly left their property unattended, Windley allegedly grabbed their pricey toys.

"I was working on my MacBook and I got up for a second, and it was gone when I came back," said a 20-year-old student who asked not to be identified.

"NYU wouldn't tell me anything. I didn't know who the thief was."

Windley allegedly struck six times on campus before he was nailed at Hayden Hall around 4:20 a.m. Saturday, the sources said.

When cops frisked Windley, they allegdly found another student's NYU ID, a forged Connecticut driver's license, stolen credit cards — and a stash of cocaine, according to the sources.

Windley allegedly confessed and was charged with multiple counts of grand larceny as well as criminal possession of a controlled substance.

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Separate seats for Bruce, Kris Jenner at Clippers game

Is a Bruce and Kris Jenner split a slam dunk?

Well, there is no way to tell that just yet, but there were some troubling signs at Tuesday night's game between the Clippers and Nuggets at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.

During the final NBA game of the league's traditional Christmas Day slate, the Kardashian Klan was seen sitting courtside as they cheered on the Clippers and Khloe's husband Lamar Odom. Alongside Odom's wife Khloe was mom Kris, sister Kim and her rapper boyfriend Kanye West.

Notably absent, at least from the best seats in the house, was Bruce Jenner. Jenner was seated one row back from the rest of his family, conveniently stationed between two gorgeous women, adding fuel to the rumors that the reality TV power couple could be heading straight for splitsville.

The odd seating arrangement comes less than two weeks after reports surfaced that the relationship between Kris and the former Olympic gold medalist was on the rocks and a split was "imminent."

While there have been murmurs about a potential divorce for over a year now, the chatter hit an all-time high earlier this month when it was reported that Jenner was unhappy with the way Kris was managing the careers of the couple's youngest daughters Kylie and Kendall.

A source told Star Magazine that the two girls went crying to their father about how their mother was putting their careers before their childhood and that an "all-out war" was underway in the Kardashian-Jenner household.

Both Kris and Bruce have denied the rumors recently, but the signs still remain.

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Good Sam helps reunite girl, 7, with stolen dog

A 7-year-old girl got the best present ever yesterday — she was reunited with her best friend, who'd been dognapped by a coldhearted thief the day before.

"I couldn't sleep last night without Marley smiling," Mia Bendrat said of her little pal, a Cavalier King Charles spaniel stolen from in front of a Washington Heights grocery.

Her relieved mom, Angie Estrada, said, "It's a Christmas miracle. Oh, yes!"

The hero of the holiday story is good Samaritan Tena Cohen, who was headed to the Greenmarket in Union Square at about 1:30 p.m. Monday when she heard a man yelling, "Dog for sale!"

Robert Miller

Mia Bendrat with Marley

Robert Miller

SAVIOR: Tena Cohen (above) paid $220 out of her own pocket to reunite Mia Bendrat with Marley, who had been stolen. "I'm not going to let Marley go now, no matter what!" Mia beamed after recovering the dog.

"It looked nervous and sad, and was kind of an older dog," Cohen said. "I figured it was stolen.''

She offered to buy the pooch.

"I said I had $100. He said the guy who owns it wants more" and pointed to a man, Cohen recalled.

The supposed "owner'' was "very stoned, on drugs," said Cohen, who teaches Spanish at Brooklyn Tech HS. "He said he paid $3,200 for the dog, and had it for years."

Cohen then walked into a nearby Staples and made three debit-card purchases totaling $220.

Then she returned them for cash and went back to negotiate.

"I said, 'Look, this is all the money I have,' " Cohen said. "He gave me the dog. I gave him the money."

She took Marley to a vet and also called cops. Both men were gone by the time police arrived. But last night they picked up 29-year-old Brad Bacon, of Washington Heights, and charged him with grand larceny and criminal possession of stolen property.

The vet checked out the dog for free and held him overnight. Cohen called a group called Cavalier Rescue USA.

Its president, Carolyn Stigler, remembered the story about Marley in yesterday's Post.

Stigler contacted the vet, who called the Post reporter. She arranged for the dog to be taken to Mia's family, to see if it was Marley. It was.

"This was my daughter's Christmas wish," said Estrada.

Until then, the family had been devastated.

"It was so sad," Estrada added. "She sat in Marley's nook and refused to dress up the tree."

The happy ending came just in time.

"I can't believe a grinch would steal our Marley," Estrada said. "But the grinch didn't win.''

Mia chimed in, "I'm not going to let Marley go now, no matter what!"

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Monster storm blows into NY - high winds, freezing rain possible for city as travelers brace for delays

NOAA

The National Weather Service enhanced radar image of the massive storm headed toward New York City.

A significant winter storm is headed for the tristate region that could disrupt travel plans for many people.

The National Weather Service has issued a winter storm warning for parts of New York and New Jersey from Wednesday afternoon until late Thursday morning, MyFoxNY.com reported today.

The storm could bring four to six inches of snow in some areas north and west of New York City. Other areas could see sleet and freezing rain.

Areas outside of the snow bands could see up to 3 inches of rain.

Winds will also be an issue. High wind warnings are also posted for most of the tristate region. Gusts could hit 50 miles per hour.

Dangerous travel conditions are expected Wednesday evening through Thursday evening.

Much further upstate could see more than 15 inches of snow from the storm.

Some airlines were waiving change fees for people trying to change their flights to get out of New York ahead of the storm.

Three to five inches of snow is expected in the mid-Hudson Valley after precipitation begins late Wednesday night, possibly changing to freezing rain on Thursday.

New York News | NYC Breaking News

In central New York and the Mohawk Valley, forecasters say snowfall at times exceeding two inches per hour will make travel difficult Wednesday night.

The enormous storm system earlier dumped snow and sleet on the nation's midsection and unleashed damaging tornadoes around the Deep South and slowed holiday travel as it punched towards the Northeast.

Post-Christmas travelers braced for flight delays and a raft of weather warnings for drivers, a day after rare winter twisters damaged buildings in Louisiana and Alabama. The storm system headed from the Gulf Coast to New England has been blamed for three deaths and several injuries, though no one was killed outright in the tornadoes. The storms also left more than 100,000 without power for a across the South, darkening Christmas celebrations.

Severe thunderstorms were forecast for the Carolinas while a line of blizzard and winter storm warnings stretched from Arkansas up the Ohio River to New York and all the way to Maine.

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