NEWS LITE : MAYOR TAKES PAGE FROM CLINTON BOOK.

New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani said at a fund-raiser this week that he was going to Arkansas. ``I'm going to say, I've never lived in Arkansas, I've never worked in Arkansas, I've never been to Arkansas, but I love Arkansas. In fact, I love it so much, I'm going to be running for the Senate. And do you know how I'm going to prepare for it? I'm going to come here and take a vacation, in Arkansas.''

Special delivery; Card puts painful stamp on widow's heart

Anticipation turned to heartbreak Wednesday when an envelope mailed nearly 57 years ago by a World War II GI finally reached his widow and all it contained was a blank postcard.

``What a dud,'' said Lenore Barnes, who had stood shaking with intense emotion outside her Covina home moments after Federal Express delivered the letter.

``Oh, my God. How awful,'' the 76-year-old widow said. ``After all these tears, I wanted an `I love you,' `I miss you' or `I wish you were in my arms.' ''

She had waited for the letter since it surfaced in the hands of a Sparks, Nev., schoolteacher who bought it at an antique paper show two months ago.

As she carefully opened the old V-mail envelope, Barnes' hands shook. Tears welled up in her eyes. Her body trembled as she saw her husband's handwriting. Then, a look of disappointment came across her face.

The USO postcard it contained was completely blank.

``I'm drained after three days of crying,'' she said. ``I had hoped it would be a mushy `I love you' one. I wished it was a love letter.''

Other than addresses and mailing notations, the only message was an old wartime security slogan printed on the envelope: ``Idle gossip sinks ships.''

Barnes said the mailing was typical of her husband, Bill, an avid envelope, stamp and coin collector. They married in 1943 and he died two years ago at age 81.

Where the envelope had been all these years remained a mystery.

The letter was addressed to ``Miss Lenore Pelka, 78 Henry St., New Brighton, Staten Island, N.Y.'' Barnes had written his name as the sender and ``Co. F 71st Infantry A.P.O. 44.'' The envelope was marked Aug. 29, 1942, 3:30 p.m., Hollywood, and bore the notation ``Received at Los Angeles, Calif., under cover from post office at Fort Lewis, Wash.''

Barnes probably never would have known about it if not for Sparks Middle School history teacher Bernard Lund, who bought it in April. He said he was intrigued by the ink stamp, and didn't realize it contained something.

He took it to school to discuss with his students.

Their urge to open the letter waned when discussion turned to how that would violate the privacy of the sender and receiver.

News of the letter leaked out, and Lund said he was contacted on Monday by a reporter who had tracked down Barnes.

But Barnes said the anticipation had taken its toll and she would send the card back to the teacher. ``I'm going to give that back to Mr. Lund and his kids. I'm going to send them some history. I'll finish it up that way.''

After flat, actress gets more misery

The Oscar-winning character actress known for inflicting ``Misery'' on a bedridden James Caan suffered a bit of her own, Los Angeles police said Wednesday.

Kathy Bates, 50, went to a bank near Sixth Street and Citrus Avenue about 3:30 p.m. Tuesday to make a withdrawal, said Mike Partain of the Los Angeles Police Department.

``After completing the transaction, she left,'' Partain said. ``As she was driving away, she noticed she had a flat tire.''

The Memphis, Tenn., native used her cell phone to call the Auto Club, and while waiting for the tow truck driver to arrive was approached by a man who offered to help, Partain said.

``She declined,'' Partain said.

``When the tow truck arrived, she was distracted momentarily, and when she went to get her AAA card, she noticed her purse was missing, along with the `good Samaritan.' ''

Police did not say how much money was in the purse.

In addition to her Oscar-winning role as Annie Wilkes opposite Caan in ``Misery,'' Bates has appeared in such films as ``Swept from the Sea,'' ``Primary Colors,'' ``Titanic,'' ``Dolores Claiborne,'' ``Waterboy.''

May motorists park in peace and safety

Pope John Paul II presided over the inauguration of an underground parking garage at Vatican City on Wednesday, invoking divine protection for the building, the cars and the people who will park there.

Workers finished the three-story garage in time for millennial celebrations that are expected to bring tens of millions of pilgrims to Rome.

The underground garage makes Vatican City a more functional and welcoming place, without lessening the amount of green space in the city, the pope said.

O.J. offer pulled after public outcry

When South Floridians complained, SuperTalk WINZ-AM (940) listened - and withdrew its offer to give O.J. Simpson a radio show.

Last week, upon hearing that O.J. was house-hunting in South Florida, SuperTalk 940 announced that it would pay him $1,000 a day to host its 10 a.m.-to-noon weekday show.

``Although we heard from many who supported the idea, the overwhelming reaction from listeners, concerned citizens and even some of our co-workers has been decidedly negative,'' Peter Bolger, SuperTalk's operations managers, said in a news release. ``We want to be good neighbors, so therefore, we are withdrawing the offer effective immediately.''

CBS eyes Oprah for morning show

MSNBC's Jeannette Walls says CBS is trying to lure Oprah Winfrey into doing its morning show with Bryant Gumbel. Winfrey doesn't need a co-host, the fame or the money, but the thinking is that the morning show would be a challenge for her.

News Lite is compiled by Karen Duffy from Daily News staff and wire reports

CAPTION(S):

3 photos

PHOTO (1) Lenore Barnes holds a long-delayed envelope.

(2) Bates

(3) John Paul II