*New York Sen. Charles Schumer says airport delays are costing passengers, the airlines and the economy billions of dollars.

*Police are on the lookout for a well-dressed robber who steals purses from midtown lunch spots. With at least eight hand-bag heists under his belt, police describe the suspect as a one man crime wave.

*Goldman Sachs said it will not resume construction at its new lower Manhattan headquarters until new safety measures are in place. State Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver announced Sunday that Goldman has promised safety provisions beyond what the city building code requires.

*Drivers still aren’t finding any bargains at the pump, as gas prices continue to rise over the holiday weekend, averaging $3.93, according to AAA.

*A man who was carrying a pirate’s sword while at Macy’s in Manhattan is facing charges of criminal possession of a weapon. Police said 29-year-old Lawrence Jackson was brandishing the curved sword while visiting Macy’s Herald Square store on Sunday.

*Two children fell out a third-story window of a three-story walkup building in Brooklyn at about 10:30 a.m. Sunday, police said. The 3-year-old and 4-year-old suffered concussions but no broken bones. Both children were listed in stable condition at Kings County Hospital Center in Brooklyn, authorities said.

*A suspected natural gas explosion leveled a vacant house in Parsippany NJ Sunday afternoon sending debris flying hundreds of feet and causing part of Route 202 to be shut down for several hours.

*TRI-STATE WEATHER: Today; Mostly sunny and nice, high: 81. Tonight; Partly to mostly cloudy, warm, and more humid. Shower or thunderstorm in spots, low: 65.

*ROCKVILLE, Md. — Authorities have rescued six people who were swimming in the Potomac River. Captain Oscar Garcia of the Montgomery County fire and rescue service says officials got a call about a woman and man distressed in the river near Sherwin Island at about 4 p.m. Sunday. Soon after, another call came in of four people clinging to
rocks near the river’s Virginia shore. It’s not clear how they got into trouble.

*BALTIMORE, Md. —   In just one month, motorists across the Mid-Atlantic have seen gas prices jump about 40 cents a gallon. Some cope with the skyrocketing prices by staying home and driving less. AAA predicts 37.9 million Americans will travel this holiday weekend. For the first time in years, it’s a slight decrease from the previous year.

*HAGERSTOWN, Md. — A Pennsylvania man is accused of setting a fire that resulted in three firefighters and three teenagers being treated for inhalation of toxic smoke. Daniel Coulter, 21, of Green Castle, Pa., has been charged with second-degree malicious burning, and he could face additional charges. Deputy state fire marshal Joseph Zurolo said Coulter started the fire Saturday night outside an unoccupied building in Hagerstown. Coulter allegedly took a heater from inside the building and used it to ignite rolls of paper, then placed it against a drum of gear oil.

*FALLSTON, Md. — A Fallston home belonging to a state trooper has been destroyed by fire. Deputy state fire marshals said no one was home when the two-story home went up in flames shortly after 4 a.m. Sunday.

*BALTIMORE, Md. — Two Baltimore men were killed this weekend in separate early-morning shootings that occurred about a half-mile from each other. Police responded to the call of a shooting at 1:50 a.m. Saturday in the 1600 block of Normal Ave. in the Darley Park neighborhood. When investigators arrived, they discovered the body of 22-year-old Ronald Cromwell Jr., said Officer Nicole Monroe, a police spokeswoman. At 12:48 a.m. yesterday, police responded to reports of a shooting at North Avenue and Asquith Street in the Oliver neighborhood. When investigators arrived, they discovered the body of
Cedric Yarborough, 19, in the 1100 block of E. North Ave., Monroe said.

*WASHINGTON, Dc. — Some intelligence and counterterrorism officials are asking whether the Hezbollah, the Iranian-financed terror organization has grown more dangerous to the United States than al-Qaida. Though few believe Hezbollah would launch an attack in the West, continued hostility between the United States and Iran could significantly raise the threat level here, several former counterterrorism officials and analysts said – especially if the tensions evolve into full-blown conflict.

*ANNAPOLIS, Md. — Governor Martin O’Malley will be in Israel this week on a trade mission. O’Malley be leaving Monday evening to call attention to emerging business opportunities in biotechnology research in the state. O’Malley will also be meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert on Wednesday. On Thursday, he’ll meet with the Israeli High Tech and Life Science Entrepreneurs and Investors. On Friday, he will visit Yad Vashem, Israel’s national Holocaust memorial. The governor will make a trip to Masada, an ancient desert fortress on a large mesa overlooking the Dead Sea, on Saturday.

*BALTIMORE SHKIA: 8:23 (21215)

*Baltimore Weather: Today – Mostly sunny. Highs in the mid 80s. Tonight – Mostly cloudy with a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms. Lows in the mid 60s. Chance of rain 20 percent. Tomorrow: Mostly cloudy. A chance of showers and thunderstorms in the
morning…then showers and thunderstorms likely in the afternoon. Highs in the lower 80s. Chance of rain 60 percent. Tuesday Night – Showers and thunderstorms likely. Lows in the upper 50s. Chance of rain 60 percent.

*Baltimore Gas Prices: Depressing…………

(YW-MD03 / YWN DesK)