Advice Columnist Pauline Friedman Phillips 'Dear Abby' Dies

Longtime newspaper advice columnist Pauline Friedman Phillips -- who wrote Dear Abby under the name Abigail Van Buren -- has died at age 94.

Her publicist confirmed to the Associated Press that Phillips died Wednesday after a long battle with Alzheimer's disease.

PICS: Star Sightings

Since her family revealed in 2002 that Phillips had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's, her daughter, Jeanne Phillips (pictured above), has been the sole author for the syndicated Dear Abby column.

Phillips' column competed for decades with the advice column of Ann Landers, which was written by her twin sister, Esther Friedman Lederer, who died in June 2002. 

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State audit shows SUNY Downstate Medical in trouble

SUNY Downstate Medical Center is on life support.

Brooklyn’s fourth largest employer is on the verge of “insolvency” because of mismanagement that included acquiring two other financially troubled health care institutions, according to a scathing state audit.

SUNY Downstate would be broke already had it not received emergency loans from SUNY, state Comptroller Tom DiNapoli said.

“SUNY Downstate’s fiscal condition is dire and it needs all hands on deck if it going to survive,” DiNapoli said. “Management has made poor financial decisions that often times weren’t justified by economic conditions. As a result, the hospital is hemorrhaging millions of dollars every week.”

DiNapoli said Downstate was losing $3 million a week last year, or an estimated $200 million.

DiNapoli claimed the hospital’s acquisition of Long Island College Hospital and Victory Hospitalwere mistakes. Downstate’s University hospital is in East Flatbush, LICH is in Cobble Hill and the former Victory Memorial is in Bay Ridge.

A state panel had recommended the closure of Victory Memorial because it was underutilized. LICH had massive operating losses and consulting studies recommending Downstate’s merger with LICH were based on “flawed and unrealistic business assumptions,” DiNapoli said.

But the report also said Downstate suffered from cuts in government aid, including Medicaid funding – matters out of their control.

Downstate, which has 8,000 staff and faculty, did not dispute the findings.

Downstate has a new leadership team that “developing a comprehensive, fiscally responsible plan to ensure medical education and quality healthcare continues for the people of Brooklyn,” said SUNY Chancellor Nancy Zimpher.

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Luxury ship damaged on Antarctic cruise

Heavy weather has slammed a Silversea cruise ship on an Antarctic voyage, causing sustained damage but no injuries among the 133 guests, the cruise line reported.

Silver Explorer, a luxury expedition ship, was damaged Jan. 12, according to statement released Thursday. The vessel has full power and control, and stabilizers are working, according to the company, and set course Jan. 13 for Ushuaia, Argentina. A spokesman for the line said no further information was available and could not say when the ship would arrive.

According to the release, four of the 113 crew members were treated aboard for minor injuries.

The cruise company, whose U.S. office is in Fort Lauderdale, said it has cancelled its Jan. 21 departure but expects to resume its Antarctic schedule on Jan. 31.

Jane Wooldridge

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Driver in Rickenbacker Causeway cyclist death to be sentenced

A motorist who killed cyclist Aaron Cohen in a hit-and-run crash on the Rickenbacker Causeway will learn his fate Wednesday.

A Miami-Dade judge on Wednesday afternoon will sentence Michele Traverso, 26, who earlier pleaded guilty for the crash that killed Cohen last February.

The fatality, and a similar hit-and-run wreck in 2010, has renewed calls for increased safety for cyclists and joggers on the popular causeway. Fellow cyclists staged a memorial ride and erected a billboard overlooking Interstate 95 in Cohen’s honor.

Members of Miami’s avid cycling community are expected to be on hand for the 1 p.m. sentencing.

Traverso, driving on a suspended license, struck Cohen and cycling partner Enda Walsh as the two rode in the northbound lanes near the crest of the bridge. Traverso surrendered to police 18 hours after the crash.

Though there were reports of Traverso drinking in Coconut Grove that night, investigators could not prove that his blood alcohol content level was above the legal limit because of the delay in turning himself in.

Traverso pleaded guilty to leaving the scene of an accident involving a death, leaving the scene of an accident with great bodily harm, and driving with a suspended license. He also pleaded guilty to earlier cocaine possession charge.

Miami-Dade Circuit Judge William Thomas could sentence him to as little as 22.8 months in prison, and as much as 35 years behind bars.

In May, Thomas told Cohen’s widow, Patricia Cohen, that he would be unlikely to deliver the maximum sentence, although he could consider “20 or 25 years” after hearing from her and Traverso’s own family at a possible sentencing.

The Cohen family is suing Traverso and his father, who owned the car.

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RIM says users line up to try new BlackBerry 10 platform

TORONTO (Reuters) – BlackBerry maker Research in Motion is helping customers prepare to switch to its soon-to-be-launched BlackBerry 10 smartphones that it hopes will help it reclaim market share from rivals such as Apple Inc.

RIM is betting that the new range of touch-screen and keyboard devices, set for a January 30 launch, will revive its fortunes.

The company was “very enthused by the engagement and response of our customer base” to a program aimed at persuading them to adopt the BlackBerry 10 devices, Bryan Lee, senior enterprise accounts director, told Reuters on Wednesday.

Indeed, whether it will be successful in clawing back market share will depend on the response from RIM’s top clients, like companies and government agencies, who have long valued the strong security features that BlackBerry devices offer.

Lee said more than 1,600 customers in North America had registered for its recently launched BlackBerry 10 Ready Program and more than a thousand were actively using the program, which offers customers access to services, information and tools to ease their transition to the BlackBerry 10 and the BlackBerry Enterprise Server 10.

RIM also said its BlackBerry Enterprise Server 10, which runs the new devices on corporate networks, was in beta testing with more than 130 major government agencies and corporations in North America.

SHARES RISE

Waterloo, Ontario-based RIM, a one-time pioneer in the now ultra-competitive smartphone industry, has bled market share to Apple’s iPhone and devices powered by Google’s market-leading Android operating system, even among enterprise clients who once used BlackBerry devices exclusively.

Early adoption of the long-awaited BlackBerry 10 devices by government and corporate clients will help breathe new life into the struggling company, whose shares are down 90 percent from an all-time high of more than $ 148 in 2008.

Still, shares of RIM, which fell as low as $ 6.22 in September, have more than doubled in value over the last four months as the BlackBerry 10 launch approaches.

Lee said clients that were beta testing the new BlackBerry Enterprise Server 10 included more than 60 Fortune 500 companies and top North American government agencies.

RIM promises that its new line of devices will be faster and smoother than existing BlackBerry phones and will boast a large catalog of apps, crucial to the success of any new line of smartphones.

Shares of RIM were up 3.8 percent at $ 15.03 in afternoon trading on the Nasdaq on Wednesday, after Visa approved the smartphone company’s method of handling secure mobile payments; the technology will potentially allow users to tap their smartphones on credit card readers and pay for purchases.

RIM’s Toronto-listed shares were up 3.9 percent at C$ 14.83.

(Editing by Janet Guttsman and Bernadette Baum)

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Pretty Little Liars Star Lindsey Shaw Talks Love Me

On last night's episode of Pretty Little Liars, I was shocked to hear Paige, of all people, making so much sense when it came to emotionally handling the recent Rosewood developments. I mean, this was a girl who previously expressed her love for Emily by trying to drown her.

And it's a good thing Paige has come a long way since then because Lindsey Shaw's latest character -- Sylvia in the thrilling Save Me -- could use a little waking up when it comes to her choices. In the new movie (now on DVD) Shaw's Sylvia falls for a mysterious young man who is later implicated in his ex-girlfriend's disappearance. But Sylvia's love overrides her rational thinking and she finds herself in a very dangerous game.

I caught up with Miss. Shaw this morning to talk about Love Me, and discovered we both had the same cinematic touchstone for the film!

ETonline: OK, so I have to tell you, Love Me reminded me so much of Fear, one of my favorite movies, ever.

Lindsey Shaw: Stop it! Stop it right now, that's exactly what I told them when I was getting driven from the airport to my first wardrobe fitting. That is exactly the vibe I got from it and I love that movie, so I'm excited to hear you say that.

RELATED - Shay Mitchell Talks Emily & Paige

ETonline: What is it about Love Me, and Fear, that appealed to you?

Shaw: It's those intense emotions you have when you're young. I'm intrigued by the naivety of a young girl wanting to believe in love and a guy wanting to give that to her, but that not being the whole story. Fear obviously goes very far in that direction, while Love Me keeps pushing the stakes and edging in that direction until the breaking point. The twisted personality and the uncertainty are appealing.

VIDEO - PLL Stars Test Their Rosewood Knowledge

ETonline: Are thrillers like this fun to make?

Shaw: Absolutely. There's no ceiling on the drama you can bring with these movies. For most people, no situation will ever get this intense in real life. so getting to go as far as you possibly can is so much fun. You get to scream and to have permission to let all those crazy and bad and weird emotions out is really cool. Then, you go home at night and are fine.

ETonline: I know you're active on Twitter, what have your fans been saying about Love Me?

Shaw: It's been great. They really support me in anything I do. Yesterday the movie was a little bit in competition with my premiere episode of PLL. But through that, I pimped out the movie, which was genius -- I hope they all check it out.

RELATED - 6 Burning PLL Questions Answered

ETonline: You know, I have to say, I was surprised by how sane and rational Paige was in last night's PLL.

Shaw: It's so funny, I didn't make that connection at first, but everyone on Twitter was saying that too. She was the voice of reason, which is so cool. Sylvia, I think she's normally the voice of reason; she just gets caught up in this intense situation. I think she plows forward in a way she normally wouldn't. Interesting juxtaposition for both of those characters.

ETonline: I thought it was refreshing, and important, to see the rawness of Paige's emotions like that.

Shaw: That is my absolute favorite thing about this whole season of PLL. We all saw what happened to her in the summer finale, but I think because of the Halloween episode people don't remember this hugely traumatic thing happened to her. She's changed so much by that, so it absolutely alters her personality and character, which is a tip to the writers. That theme continues throughout the whole season. Of course, on PLL, you only get light to get dark again, so she's only reasonable for so long [laughs].

ETonline: Would you say there's one character you've played who is closest to who Lindsey really is?

Shaw: I love every single woman I've played, but the one that synched up the most was Kat on 10 Things I Hate About You. I'm still so, so bummed about that show. I think I'll be bummed forever. To have a feeling like that is one of the most validating things I've ever been through. I was her and so empowered on that set. In a way, I'm glad it didn't last because I'm uncomfortable again, which is also fun. But Kat Stratford for sure dude, feminist all the way. I think the characters that come to you are the ones you need at that time. I've definitely learned so much about being a woman from so much about every single woman I've played. Even Jennifer Mosely. Little, pre-pubescent Jennifer Mosely.

Love Me is now available and Pretty Little Liars airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. on ABC Family.

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Man pinned by car in critical condition

A 55-year-old man is in critical condition after being pinned to a wall by a car in Brooklyn Heights, fire officials said.

The car rammed the pedestrian near Old Fulton Street and the entrance of the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway, according to the FDNY.

The victim was rushed to Lutheran Hospital in critical condition, officials said.

Shop owners and workers nearby said they did not witness the accident, which occurred near the ramp to the expressway, where the tall brick wall that the victim was pinned against obscured their view.

A traffic agent said the pedestrian was hit by a car that sped around the turn but police said they did not believe there was any criminality.

kconley@nypost.com

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Miami Dolphins bill would bring state money to aging stadiums

A bill drafted by the Miami Dolphins would give Florida sports teams $3 million a year in state money to improve older stadiums, provided the owner pays for at least half the cost of a major renovation.

Under the law, the stadium would need to be 20 years old and the team willing to put in at least $125 million for a $250 million renovation. That’s less than the $400 million redo of Sun Life Stadium that Dolphins owner Stephen Ross proposed this week, which he hopes will win state approval thanks to his offer to fund at least $200 million of the effort to modernize the 1987 facility.

Miami-Dade and Florida would fund the rest through a mix of county hotel taxes and state general funds set aside for stadiums. Sun Life currently receives $2 million a year through the program, and the Dolphins want to create a new category that would give them an additional $3 million.

While the Miami Marlins and Miami Heat both play in stadiums subsidized by county hotel taxes, the Dolphins receive no local dollars. The bill would change that by allowing Miami-Dade to increase the tax charged at mainland hotels to 7 percent from 6 percent, and eliminate the current rule that limits the money to publicly owned stadiums. Sun Life Stadium, in Miami Gardens, is privately owned but sits on county land.

The bill pits enthusiasm for one of Florida’s most popular sports teams against a lean budget climate and lingering backlash against the 2009 deal that had Miami and Miami-Dade borrow about $485 million to build a new ballpark for the Marlins. Ross also must navigate a Republican-led Legislature that has twice rebuffed his requests for public dollars.

“I would be surprised if that bill even got a hearing in committee,” said Mike Fasano, a Republican representative from the Tampa area and a critic of tax-funded sports deals. “I’m a big Dolphin fan, and have been for years. But with all due respect, we’ve got people who are struggling throughout this state right now . .. The last thing we should be doing is giving a professional sports team or facility additional tax dollars.”

While the bill would open up the $3 million subsidy to other the teams, the Dolphins see it as unlikely that another owner would be willing to put up as much money for renovations as Ross, a billionaire real estate developer.

If the bill were enacted today, any stadium opened before 1993 would be eligible for the money, provided it could show the proposed renovation would generate an additional $3 million in sales taxes.

Ross and his backers are pitching the renovation as a boon to tourism, with Sun Life a magnet for the Super Bowl, national college football games and other major events. The National Football League is considering South Florida and San Francisco for the 2016 Super Bowl, and the Dolphins say approval of renovation funding is crucial to winning the bid.

Sen. Oscar Braynon, D-Miami Gardens, who sponsored the Senate bill, said the funding makes sense because when Sun Life hosts a Super Bowl, the entire state benefits from both tourism dollars and publicity.

“It’s a small price to pay for economic development, and for all the shine we get from major sporting events,” said Braynon, whose district includes Sun Life. Rep. Eduardo “Eddy” Gonzalez, R-Hialeah, is the sponsor on the House side.

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Gov. Scott scolded by legislative black caucus

TALLAHASSEE --
Gov. Rick Scott heard a litany of complaints Tuesday from the Legislative Black Caucus, on matters ranging from judicial appointments to civil rights for ex-felons. Throughout an hour-long discussion, the Republican governor held his ground in the face of grievances from Democratic lawmakers.

Criticized for making only a handful of black appointments to the judiciary, Scott said he’s limited to the choices given him by nominating panels and won’t appoint judges who believe in “judicial activism.” He said 6.5 percent of his judges are African-American (Florida’s black population is more than twice that). But Scott broke the tension by pointing out that he has appointed the wives of Reps. Darryl Rouson, D-St. Petersburg, and Joe Gibbons, D-Hallandale Beach, to state boards.

Faulted for signing a flawed election law that cut back the days of early voting, Scott said: “We’ve got to make changes, I agree. I didn’t have anything to do with passing it.” Scott’s administration, however, did spend more than $500,000 in legal fees last year successfully defending the law against numerous legal challenges.

Black lawmakers make up about one-fifth of the Legislature’s membership. They remain angry at Scott for one of his first decisions as governor: He and the three Republican Cabinet members imposed a five-year waiting period after ex-felons leave prison before they can apply for restoration of their civil rights.

“Once you’re out as a felon, you should spend time making sure you’re doing the right thing before you get your rights back,” Scott told the group, seated around a large square table.

The meeting ended with a plea that Scott appoint a task force to look at disparities in sentencing that affect young black men. Scott did not directly respond to the request.

“It’s deja vu all over again from last year,” said Sen. Arthenia Joyner, D-Tampa, as the session ended. “He’s still stuck on judicial activism. He wants everyone to think like him. He wants to run the state like a corporation, like it’s Florida, Inc. He’s not flexible on a lot of things.”

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Vogue's Andre Leon Talley Interviews Jennifer Lopez on Sidelines of the Golden Globes

Vogue contributor Andre Leon Talley was front and center at Sunday's Golden Globe Awards and was able to snag an interview with one of the night's fashion winners, Jennifer Lopez!

In addition to complimenting the singer/actress/entrepreneur on the amazingly sheer Zuhair Murad gown she wore on the red carpet, Andre also got an update on Lopez's two children. "They're good, they're great," she said of her twins Max and Emme. "They're going to be five, and it seems like they were just born. But they are going to be five next month."

VIDEO: Andre Crowns His Best-Dressed Star at the Globes

When asked whether she also takes the famous twins on shopping trips, J.Lo confessed, "they do know Target." She also said she spends a lot of playtime with the kids outside at various parks, even while taking them on tour all over the world.

VIDEO: Stars Hit Up ET's Golden Globe Platform

Addressing her two-outfit wardrobe change during the Golden Globes, the award-winning entertainer said it's always fun to switch things up. "You know, I go through phases -- a girl has to change it up every once in a while." She then revealed: "I had to change, it was tight -- that dress -- and I needed something open."

VIDEO: Stars React to Jodie Foster's Golden Globes Speech

Watch the video to also hear Jennifer reveal to Andre her favorite Vogue cover and for a preview of her upcoming crime thriller Parker, co-starring Jason Statham.

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