by Richard Drew (via DNAinfo)

••• Former IMF head Dominique Strauss-Kahn “will be under house arrest near the World Trade Center now that he’s been booted from the UES.” As @TJA3 said on Twitter: “Maybe near Park 51—already security there.” It’s just for a few days. (DNAinfo)

••• “Dragged in for questioning in connection with a theft, Fred Lando, 44, used the NYPD’s grief over Officer Philip Chlanda’s suicide as cover for a daring escape—waltzing breezily past scores of officers to flee unnoticed in broad daylight, police sources said. Lando pulled his Houdini act at the 1st Precinct Detective Bureau in Tribeca at about 1:30 p.m., breaking into a ceiling crawl space of an interrogation room—and then dropping into a hallway, sources said. He then dashed down two flights of stairs and slipped by approximately 100 cops as they prepared for their tragic colleague’s funeral.” He was found later at home (?!) in the Bronx. (New York Post)

••• “A powerful adversary emerged Thursday to slam Mayor Bloomberg’s plan to close 20 FDNY companies—Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver. Silver, one of the most influential pols in the state, railed against the mayor’s proposal to shutter two fire companies in lower Manhattan—and accused Hizzoner of using the threatened closures as a ‘pawn’ in the budget game. ‘I think it’s inappropriate here,’ said Silver, ‘and I think it’s inappropriate to use them as a negotiating pawn each year.'” (New York Daily News)

••• The Potbelly Sandwich Shop coming to FiDi just got less special, as there will also be two locations in Midtown. (Midtown Lunch/Eater)

••• “New York Downtown Hospital isn’t just for sick people anymore. Officials held an official opening ceremony Friday for the hospital’s $7.5 million Wellness & Prevention Center, which aims to treat people before they wind up needing more serious treatment.” Step #1: Avoid Potbelly’s “A Wreck®” sandwich. (DNAinfo)