Once-broke Harlem Man in the Money

James “Jimmy” Groves — a Madison Square Garden laborer who recently defaulted on his Capital One credit-card debt — yesterday told The Post that he’s the person who won half of a $336 million Mega Millions lottery jackpot two weeks ago.

“It feels great!” said Groves, 49, near his home in the crime-riddled Grant Houses. “I’m going to Disney World!

”I was down and out, and I didn’t have a dime in my pocket. I asked for a lottery ticket, in 26 installment payments. And the next day, I won $166 million.

“Then the lottery people called me back and told me it was [actually] $168 million,” said the father of two, who has not been publicly confirmed by lottery officials as the winner.

Councilmen Unhappy With Parking Ticket Blizzard

NEW YORK — Ticket-happy traffic agents are slapping Big Apple drivers with “unfair” summonses, according to a lawmaker who wants to put the brakes on the orange blizzard.

“Over the last six months, complaints about traffic summonses have surpassed anything else in my office,” said City Councilman Peter Vallone Jr.

Parking Tix Haul Plunges $30 Million

NEW YORK — The city handed out 13,000 fewer parking summonses and saw its ticket revenues nose-dive by $30 million last fiscal year — despite a record number of traffic agents on the street.

Downtrodden motorists too broke to pay their tickets are driving the sudden plummet in revenue, driver advocates theorized.

Hudson Crash Pilot Remembered

It was a perfect summer day when Steven Altman set out from a suburban airstrip in his single-engine plane, heading up to northern New Jersey to pick up his brother and nephew and take them to the beach.

There was nothing in the weather forecast or in Altman’s aviation files to portend the horrifying accident that would happen Saturday 1,100 feet over the Hudson River, when his aircraft smashed into a tourist helicopter, killing nine people.

Welfare Recipients get $200 Back to School Stimulus

NEW YORK, NY [CHI] — Governor David A. Paterson today announced a historic collaboration with George Soros and the Open Society Institute (OSI) that will provide one-time, $200 grants to more than 800,000 children in low-income families across New York State to help purchase school supplies as they prepare to return to class in September. Families who receive public assistance or food stamps can access this one-time Back-To-School Supplement of $200 per school-aged child (ages 3 through 17) starting today. The Governor was joined by Mr. Soros and other elected officials at P.S. 208 in New York City today to make the announcement.

New NYPD Brew: Fewer Cops, more Gripes

Despite a shrinking NYPD, the number of mistreatment claims against city cops jumped 7 percent in the first six months of 2009 — a pace that would shatter the annual record filed with the Civilian Complaint Review Board, The Post has learned.

CCRB stats show 4,028 complaints filed between Jan. 1 and June 30, compared with 3,764 in the first half of ’08. At that rate, there’d be 8,056 this year, eclipsing the 2006 record of 7,663.

With more complaints usually filed in the second half of the calendar year, a CCRB official acknowledged in May that as many as 8,200, or an 11 percent rise over last year, would likely be tallied in ’09, sources said.

9 Dead After Copter and Plane Collide

A small private plane carrying three people and a New York tourist helicopter with six collided in midair and plunged into the Hudson River off Hoboken, N.J., opposite Manhattan’s West Side, just before noon on Saturday. All on board the two aircraft were killed, the authorities said.

‘Quotas’ Keep NYPD Drivers on Their Tows

It’s hook, line and stinker for city drivers.

NYPD tow-truck operators are hauling away cars at an alarming pace because of ramped-up pressure to meet a shocking four-car quota per shift — and those who fail face stiff penalties, sources told The Post.

Facing Foreclosure? Ask Bank To ‘Produce The Note’

Millions of Americans are caught up in the mortgage mess, with local foreclosure rates currently double what they were in 2008. But a little-known practice, which some attorneys believe can buy those racing to save their homes valuable time, is gaining popularity.

Kerry McConnell works in the automotive industry, and his monthly commission has taken a hit of late.

Video – Man with Fake Bomb Causes LaGuardia Scare

NEW YORK [WABC] — A judge has ordered a psychiatric evaluation for a man accused of carrying a fake bomb into LaGuardia’s Airport’s central terminal, disrupting travel plans for thousands of people.

Despite the frustrations of passengers — authorities were taking no chances as they evacuated Saturday morning.

New York City Sales Tax Increases to 8.875%

NEW YORK [NY1] — New Yorkers are now paying a little extra at the cash register.

The city sales tax hike went into effect Saturday, bumping the burden up half a percentage point, to 8.875 percent.

The ABC’s of New York

You’ve heard of Alphabet City — now meet Alphabet State.

Using Google aerial maps, a British researcher has selected Empire State images that make up all 26 letters of the alphabet.

State Senate Bans Texting While Driving

ALBANY, NY — The New York State Senate passed legislation to make texting while driving illegal across the state.

This comes after a series of fatal crashes involving teenagers in New York.

City Making it Easier to Rid Graffiti

NEW YORK, NY — Mayor Michael Bloomberg is trying to make it easier for property owners to deal with graffiti. The Mayor and the City Council are working on new legislation that would place the graffiti removal process with the city.

This new legislation would allow the city to remove graffiti on a property without permission from the owner, unless the owner specifically says otherwise.

Homeless Use Hospitals as Hotels on Your Tab

NEW YORK, NY — These bums are costing you a fortune.

Ricky Alardo, a homeless alcoholic nicknamed Ricky Ricardo, swigs cheap vodka by day at his favorite corner in Washington Heights, then calls an ambulance to chauffeur him to the hospital for a free meal and a warm place to sleep, courtesy of taxpayers who fund his Medicaid benefits.

Report: Drivers in NY Rush Hour Wasted 380 Million Hours

NEW YORK, NY — Drivers in the New York area wasted nearly 380 million hours stuck in rush-hour traffic in 2007 – second only to those in Los Angeles – according to a traffic study released Wednesday.

The average motorist in the New York area lost 44 hours in 2007 because of rush-hour traffic congestion, according to the Urban Mobility Report conducted by the Texas Transportation Institute.