A Change is Afoot

Something stinks at Palm Beach International Airport - and apparently it's the no-shoes rule through security gates.

The county airports director said at an advisory board meeting Wednesday security personnel "are complaining of odor" in the area and requested a change.

Flight delays often mean a shorter window than the airport's regular 4:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. hours provide, meaning new carpet might be a better more feasible than a good shampooing.

The county is already replacing much of the terminal tile and carpet, but nothing was immediately promised for the stinky security area.

Choose Wisely...

A woman dropped her gym bag on the tracks of a crowded Upper East Side subway station yesterday — then made the fatal decision to jump after it as screaming straphangers watched in horror, The New York Post reported.

The 48-year-old victim was crushed by a northbound No. 6 train barreling into the 77th Street Station below Lexington Avenue as she tried desperately to claw her way back to the platform.

"She had one choice to make and seconds to make it," said Alfonso McGruder, 55, of The Bronx, who witnessed the tragedy. "She didn't make the one that would have saved her life.

"She tried to go under the platform because the train was bearing down on her. Then she tried to climb onto the platform, but she couldn't do that. Then she just froze."

Rose Mankos lost her life trying to retrieve a nylon LeSportsac bag filled with exercise clothes, toiletries and her cellphone, sources said. "People were yelling at the lady on the tracks when they saw the train coming," said Hakeem Nhl, 53, a vendor on the opposite platform. "People were screaming, 'Oh, my, God! Oh, my God!'

Witnesses reported that the train operator sounded his horn eight times and attempted to brake. "I think she just went into shock knowing that the train was seconds from hitting her. It looked like she just gave up," McGruder said. Mankos died as soon as she was struck at around 3:45 p.m.

"You could see some woman with her head stuck in between the train [and the platform] and her arms sticking out," recalled witness Andrew Pistella, 30. "Some guy was screaming, 'Is this real? Is this real?' It looked like a mannequin."

It was bedlam on the platform, with children, teenagers and old ladies shrieking hysterically, witnesses said.

"Who drops their [bag] down there, then jumps down there to get it?" Pistella asked.

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May 8th - White Night

It's official!!

Betty White will host NBC's Saturday Night Live on May 8, WNBC News announced Thursday morning.

Besides featuring the "Golden Girl," who was the subject of a Facebook campaign to get her the gig, the special Mother's Day episode will also reunite six former female "SNL" cast members, most of whom happen to be moms: Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Molly Shannon, Maya Rudolph, Ana Gasteyer and Rachel Dratch.

The show's creator-producer, Lorne Michaels, told USA Today that the Facebook campaign, which kicked in after White's Super Bowl commercial for Snickers, "took on a groundswell. [White as the host] isn't something we would have said no to, [but the campaign] validated that, 'Oh, that'd be fun' ... It was the outpouring of affection from fans, and we feel the same way."

And while White, 88, has no children of her own -- except for her golden retriever, Pontiac -- Michaels justifies her Mother's Day appearance by explaining, "She's the mother of us all in comedy."

Slim Smilin'

Mexican telecom tycoon Carlos Slim is the world's richest person, jumping past Americans Bill Gates and Warren Buffett to become the first person from a developing nation to top the list, according to Forbes magazine.

The rise of Slim, the son of an immigrant shopkeeper who amassed a $53.5 billion fortune and bought a major stake in the New York Times, is part of an increased presence on the list of billionaires from emerging countries, said Forbes' reporter Keren Blankfeld.

Slim's worth surged in the past year as his cell phone holdings rebounded in value. He is the first non-American to top the list since 1994

Double Bubble

A New York mom who said her botched boob job left her looking like she had four breasts was awarded $3.5 million for pain and suffering, the New York Post reported Thursday.

"I hope this will give other women in the same position the courage to come forward," said Maria Alaimo, 47.

The jury found that Dr. Keith Berman botched her 2003 plastic surgery, which was supposed to be a breast lift and augmentation, leaving her with an embarrassing condition known as "double bubble deformities."

Describing the condition, her lawyer Michael Kuharski said, "It appears like there's two breasts (on each side) stacked on top of each other."

The bungled surgery even contributed to the end of her marriage, he said.

"She slept in a different room, she's depressed, she lost her self-esteem," said Kuharski. "She ultimately pushed her husband away to the extent that he filed for divorce."

March Madness!

You Down?

Happy 3-11

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From Tusk 'Till Dawn

Authorities are hunting for the person who stole a 15-inch walrus tusk from Theodore Roosevelt's home on Long Island.

The superintendent of the Sagamore Hill National Historic Site, Thomas Ross, says the tusk was one of a pair displayed on a fireplace mantel. It was discovered missing Feb. 22 from a second-floor guest room in the Oyster Bay, N.Y., home. The room is usually sealed off by a rope when visitors take guided tours.

Old Brookville, N.Y., police and the National Park Service are investigating. The FBI has added the tusk to its national stolen art list.

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