Subway Change: In keeping with the holiday...

Subway Change: In keeping with the holiday spirit, it seems MTA board members were feeling jolly generous when they approved a severance package for resigning county transit chief Joseph E. Drew. . . . According to a document released by the agency, he will receive six weeks’ pay for every four weeks, “or portion thereof,” that he labors until an interim leader is named. The agency admits that means he need only work a single day to earn a month and a half’s paycheck, about $19,300. He gets a free apartment, too.

Cheap Critters: Here’s a shaggy-dog story: The county has slashed the price of acquiring a pet from animal shelters on Wednesday and Dec. 18 to $10. . . . The county’s Department of Animal Care and the nonprofit Mercy Crusade pick up the rest of the $40 tab, including vaccinations and neutering costs. License not included. Last year, 500 dogs and cats found new homes under the program.

Copycat Catchers: Act 1: Video store owner in Arleta allegedly buys cheap, pirated tapes to keep his business afloat. Act 2: Movie industry cops, including investigator David Dolson, above, swoop in to confiscate fakes with a court writ. Act 3: Possibly civil penalties, but certainly contrition. “I’m going to try to start over,” says the owner. B1

Guys and Dals: In a column inspired by a Disney film, Scott Harris delivers spot-news coverage of a family of Schmucks that owns a Dalmatian. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll probably be glad you don’t have one of these high-strung shedding machines in your house. B1