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Rebuilding NYC June 2004


Controversy Rages Over Jersey City's Proposed 9/11 Memorial - Jun 30, 2004
Chances are there would have been some degree of opposition sooner or later had anyone suggested building a 10-story, 175-ton nickel-surfaced teardrop suspended within a bronze-clad tower on a pier across the water from the World Trade Center site as a 9/11 memorial. (New York Times)

Pataki Asks Bush to Use Unspent Tax Breaks on Rail Link - Jun 30, 2004
Gov. George E. Pataki has asked President Bush to allow New York to use billions of dollars in unspent Sept. 11 aid to build a rail link connecting the former World Trade Center site to the Long Island Rail Road and Kennedy International Airport, according to the governor's aides. (New York Times)

New Study Confirms Harsh Economic Effects of 9/11 - Jun 30, 2004
The World Trade Center attack on Sept. 11, 2001, cost the city's economy 143,000 jobs a month and $2.8 billion in lost wages in the subsequent three months, a far greater impact than could be attributed to the recession that had begun earlier that year, according to a study to be published today by the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics. (New York Times)

Cash Found at Ground Zero Given to Victim's Father - Jun 30, 2004
A small wad of bills found in the debris of the World Trade Center has finally found its way home to the family of a firefighter who died on 9/11. The remarkable journey of these folded $10s, $5s and $1s Ă‘ a total of $74 Ă‘ ended at Police Headquarters on Monday after James Boyle received a call saying that DNA tests confirmed they belonged to his son, Michael. (New York Post )

Bush Will Not Visit Ground Zero - Jun 30, 2004
President Bush will make no visits to Ground Zero during this summer's Republican National Convention, his campaign manager said yesterday. But he was quick to note that the president's not making the trip does not indicate any lack of respect. (New York Post)

Bloomberg Asks Cheney for More Security Cash - Jun 30, 2004
Mayor Michael Bloomberg spent a half hour at the St. Regis Hotel yesterday dunning Vice President Dick Cheney for more homeland security cash before switching the subject to their childhood baseball card collections. (Newsday)

The History of Ground Zero: From 1600s to July 4, 2004 - Jun 29, 2004
When ground is broken for the Freedom Tower next Sunday, it will be just the latest chapter in nearly four centuries of rich history. (New York Times)

Train Stations Installing Bomb-Proof Garbage Cans - Jun 28, 2004
A growing number of bomb-proof garbage bins have sprouted at Grand Central Terminal and Penn Station in an effort to thwart any plans by terrorists to put explosive devices inside them, officials said. (New York Post)

New Study Looks at Cancer Link for Ground Zero's Rescue Dogs - Jun 28, 2004
After the 9/11, about 100 search dogs from across the country and Canada who participated in the cleanup were contacted by word of mouth and through dog handler groups. Through local vets, a new study looks at blood samples, X-rays and general physical attributes to judge the health of the dogs. (Philadelphia Inquirer)

Two 9/11 Groups Join Forces - Jun 28, 2004
Two Sept. 11 groupsÑSeptember Space and The World Trade Center SurvivorsÕ NetworkÑhave joined forces to collaborate on programs and outreach. The SurvivorsÕ Network is a group formed by people who worked at the WTC or were in the vicinity during the terrorist attack, and are still suffering from the affects of it. This group is now moving to 520 Eighth Ave., the headquarters for September Space, a nonprofit that provides support services to people traumatized by the attack. (Crains New York Business)

9/11 Commission: Qaeda Operatives in US Knew of 9/11 in Advance - Jun 27, 2004
The FBI long has contended that not a single al-Qaida operative in the United States collaborated with the 19 hijackers in the Sept. 11 attacks. Yet the commission investigating the attacks has identified two Muslim men who may have had advance knowledge of the plot. The commission found that two hijackers got substantial help from Mohdar Abdullah and Anwar Aulaqi after settling in California in 2000. The bipartisan panel created by Congress said it cannot discount the possibility the men knew the hijackers' plans. (Associated Press)

Assemblyman Says Governor Reroutes NYC Security Funds to Suburbs - Jun 27, 2004
A top Democrat is criticizing Gov. Pataki for redirecting millions of dollars in anti-terrorism aid from New York City and other high-need urban areas to the suburbs. Assemblyman Scott Stringer (D-Manhattan) said Pataki last year redirected as much as $19 million of the $125 million earmarked for New York City, with $12.5 million going to the MTA, and $2 million each going to the suburbs of Nassau, Suffolk and Westchester counties. (New York Post)

Brooklyn Street Renamed for Firefighter Killed on 9/11 - Jun 27, 2004
The corner of 48th Street and Seventh Avenue in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, was renamed Saturday for Firefighter David DeRubbio, one of the fallen heroes of 9/11. (NY1)

Motorola Still Under Fire for 9/11 Radio Failures - Jun 27, 2004
Motorola's most passionate critics are families of New York City firefighters who died in the World Trade Center's collapse on Sept. 11, 2001. They say many firefighters never heard orders to evacuate the burning towers because their radios weren't working properly--a charge Motorola denies. (Chicago Tribune)

Some Rebuilding Groups Shutting Down, Other Face Financial Challenges - Jun 26, 2004
In the months after Sept. 11, a wide array of organizations sprang up in the wake of the attacks with the purpose of rebuilding Ð literally, financially, culturally Ð Lower Manhattan. Over two years later, many of the organizations have folded or largely completed their projects. (Downtown Express)

Commuters Happy With Silver's Decision on South Ferry - Jun 26, 2004
South Ferry subway commuters were happy to hear that Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver had dropped his opposition to the stationÕs planned renovation Friday in exchange for $15 million worth of improvements to Battery Park. (Downtown Express)

Amidst Public Frustration, Ground Zero Environmental Panel Debates What To Do - Jun 26, 2004
Members of the public told an Environmental Protection Agency panel on Tuesday that the agency was losing time and jeopardizing their trust in its efforts to determine whether World Trade Center toxins remain in their communities. Residents and workers voiced their frustrations about the pace of the panelÕs inquiry during public comment periods at the June 22 meeting. (Downtown Express)

Son of Highest Ranking Firefighter Killed on 9/11 Becomes Lieutenant - Jun 25, 2004
Firefighter John Feehan became an FDNY lieutenant yesterday, surrounded by his family and a cadre of fellow fire-eaters. But the event was bittersweet because his father, the man who inspired him to join the FDNY, wasn't there. His dad, First Deputy Commissioner William Feehan, was the highest-ranking FDNY official killed in the 9/11 terror attack on the World Trade Center. (New York Post)

Head of Victims Compensation Fund Questions its Formula - Jun 25, 2004
With his work now complete, the special master of the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund is questioning the formula used to determine the awards. (NY1)

Freedom Tower Cornerstone: A 20 Ton Slab from Adirondacks - Jun 25, 2004
A 20-ton slab of stone from the Adirondacks will be the cornerstone of the new Freedom Tower at the World Trade Center site. (NY1)

What is the Freedom Center? - Jun 24, 2004
people behind the Freedom Center, one of the cultural institutions chosen this month to occupy ground zero, have spent much of their time so far insisting on what the nascent museum is not. What is less clear is what the institution will be. (New York Times)

New Security Push on Subways Asks Straphangers to Contribute - Jun 24, 2004
The MTA is ratcheting up its efforts to secure subways and commuter trains from terror attacks by expanding an awareness campaign encouraging riders to notify cops if they see a suspicious package or unattended bag, officials said yesterday. (New York Post )

Victims Compensation Fund Releases Final Numbers - Jun 24, 2004
The final numbers are in Wednesday, and the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund says it has authorized payouts to more than 5,000 people totaling almost $7 billion. (NY1)

Firefighter Restores Motorcycle to Honor Memory of Colleague Lost on 9/11 - Jun 24, 2004
It started with a simple wish to learn to ride a motorcycle, and when tragedy claimed the life of one of New York's Bravest, one of his brothers decided to help make his dream come true. (NY1)

Port Authority Presents "Much More Than Just a PATH Station" to Public - Jun 24, 2004
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey presented plans to the public in Jersey City Tuesday night for the permanent World Trade Center PATH station. (New Jersey Journal )

Jersey City Cools to Russian Sculptor's Offer of 9/11 Memorial - Jun 24, 2004
When an internationally known Russian sculptor offered last year to erect a 100-foot-tall Sept. 11 memorial on the waterfront opposite the World Trade Center site, the mayor of Jersey City embraced the idea as befitting a city that lost 40 residents in the attack. But with opposition from the city's new mayor and from community groups who consider the teardrop-themed sculpture simplistic and overly imposing, a resolution to accept the offer has been withheld from Wednesday night's City Council meeting, leaving its future in doubt. (WNBC)

In Continuation of Feud Over Security Funds, Congressman Rips Bloomberg - Jun 23, 2004
The Ohio congressman dissed by Mayor Bloomberg for sinking a homeland security bill lashed back yesterday. "It's unfortunate that instead of really working with the Congress on the war against terrorism, the mayor instead chooses time and again to play these silly press games," said Rep. Bob Ney's spokesman Brian Walsh. (New York Daily News)

Bloomberg Explains His Lunch Offense on Security Funds - Jun 23, 2004
Diss my city and there will be political ramifications, a tough-talking Mayor Michael Bloomberg said yesterday. The mayor was explaining why on Monday, he barred Ohio Rep. Bob Ney from a Republican congressional campaign committee get-together that had been scheduled at his Upper East Side townhouse. (Newsday)

In One Case, Proof that 9/11 Caused Health Problem - Jun 22, 2004
After the hijacked planes struck the twin towers on 9/11, Julio Roig was among thousands of downtown workers who poured into the narrow streets from nearby buildings to watch the raging fires. He is one of the few people to demonstrate a direct link between a post 9/11 illness and toxic dust from Ground Zero. (New York Daily News)

Bloomberg Cancels Republican Fundraiser in Feud over Security Funds - Jun 22, 2004
A fund-raiser in Mayor Bloomberg's home for the National Republican Congressional Committee was abruptly dropped yesterday in a growing feud over the allocation of federal funds to fight terrorism. (New York Post )

Trauma Cases Related to 9/11 Continue to Emerge - Jun 21, 2004
An average of 179 firefighters a month - new cases all - seek help from the FDNY's counseling services unit to deal with Sept. 11-related trauma, according to the unit's director, Malachy Corrigan. (New York Daily News)

South Asians Still Suffering Economically Because of 9/11 - Jun 21, 2004
The South Asian community, which is yet to recover from the economic tailspin that began after the September 11 attack, is experiencing severe economic difficulties in New York City, a study contends. (rediff.com)

A 20-ton Granite Slab Will be Focus of July 4 Ceremony at Ground Zero - Jun 20, 2004
Rather than breaking already broken ground at the World Trade Center site on July 4, Gov. George E. Pataki will instead preside as a cornerstone is laid for Freedom Tower - more than 20 tons of garnet-flecked granite from the Adirondacks. (New York Times)

Daniel Libeskind's Shrinking Role at Ground Zero - Jun 20, 2004
People involved with the redevelopment of downtown say Daniel Libeskind has ample reason to be disappointed; in the year since he was anointed Architect on High, his influence, control and stature have steadily diminished. (New York Times)

Convention Gives City a Chance to Showcase Post 9/11 Security - Jun 20, 2004
This summer's Grand Old Party - the Republican National Convention - is New York's chance to showcase its post-9/11 appeal, but the challenge will be selling that message through the noise about security and protesters. (New York Daily News)

Downtown Welcomes Back Ground Zero Farmers Market - Jun 20, 2004
On June 17, commuters and residents welcomed four farmers back to the World Trade Center site for the first time since Sept. 11, 2001. The tables of fresh strawberries, apples, blueberries, lettuce, tomatoes, squash and cherries Ñ set up on the corner of Church and Vesey Sts. immediately north of the PATH station entrance Ñ seemed to fill a void that went deeper than peopleÕs cupboards. (Downtown Express)

Planned Transportation Improvements Spur Real Estate Upswing Downtown - Jun 20, 2004
After a long lull, the commercial real estate market is gaining momentum Downtown, industry experts say. Lower ManhattanÕs comparatively low rents, planned transportation improvements and government incentives are among the factors driving the recent upswing. Shrinking office stock in Midtown has also spurred firms to expand or relocate to the area. (Downtown Express)

Chock Full O' Nuts Removes Twin Towers from its Cans - Jun 19, 2004
Half-asleep coffee drinkers may not pay much attention to what is on the coffee can, but in redesigning its product, Chock full o'Nuts removed the World Trade Center. (New York Times)

Twin Towers' Resistance to Wind Questioned in Report - Jun 19, 2004
The World Trade Center's designers may have severely underestimated the forces that wind exerted on the twin towers, leading them to design skyscrapers less able to handle the Sept. 11 attacks, a federal report says. (Associated Press)

House Votes Down New York's Security Funding Initiative - Jun 19, 2004
Mayor Bloomberg blasted an early morning House vote yesterday that rejected an effort by New York-area lawmakers to funnel homeland security dollars to high-risk cities. (New York Daily News)

NYC Drops out of National Association of Counties Over Homeland Security Dispute - Jun 19, 2004
New York City has dropped out of a national group of local governments that Mayor Michael Bloomberg accused of being a "pork barrel" lobbyist for rural areas on the issue of homeland security funding. (Newsday )

Fire, Not Planes, Caused WTC Collapse, Say Federal Investigators - Jun 19, 2004
The federal agency investigating the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center says it was likely fire, and not the impact of the hijacked planes that crashed into the twin towers, that caused the buildings to collapse. (NY1)

Victims Compensation Fund Sparks Question: Will Government Pay Next Time? - Jun 18, 2004
As the Victims Compensation Fund ends, questions linger, none graced with easy answersIs the genie out of the bottle, requiring us to compensate the unfortunate each time the monsters strike? Or may we pick and choose among victims? Whatever Congress's intention, whether to be generous to grieving families or to spare the airlines potentially ruinous lawsuits, was its hasty creation of the compensation fund a mistake? (New York Times)

Congressman Calls for Full Reopening of Statue of Liberty - Jun 18, 2004
The Statue of Liberty should be reopened to her crown - not just to her feet - by July 31, Rep. Anthony Weiner said yesterday. (New York Daily News)

Judge Denies WorkersÕ Compensation for Man Claiming Stress Caused by Watching 9/11 - Jun 18, 2004
A financial analyst who worked blocks away from Ground Zero on 9/11 and claimed he could not return to his job because of post-traumatic-stress disorder cannot collect workers' compensation, a state appeals court ruled yesterday. The state Supreme Court Appellate Division unanimously ruled that Joseph Betro's problems did not arise from his job, noting that he voluntarily hung around to watch the tragedy unfolding. (New York Post)

9/11 Widower Pushed to Make Victims Compensation Fund Fair - Jun 18, 2004
After Charles Wolf's wife, Katharine, died at the World Trade Center, he became a leading critic of the 9/11 compensation fund. Wolf even set up a Web site dubbed "Fix the Fund" to attack what he called overseer Kenneth Feinberg's stinginess. (New York Post )

Widow of Firefighter Accepts Money from Fund, Angrily - Jun 18, 2004
For Marian Fontana of Brooklyn, accepting a settlement from the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund was a deal with the devil. The widow of firefighter Dave Fontana is, of course, grateful for the nearly $1 million she received as compensation for his death. But she's still angry about the process. (New York Post )

9/11 World Trade Registry Now Largest in US History - Jun 18, 2004
The World Trade Center health registry has passed the 40,000 member mark, making it the largest public health registry in U.S. history. (NY1)

In Wrenching Detail, Commission Recounts Morning of 9/11 - Jun 18, 2004
The nation has relived that morning countless times since Sept. 11, 2001, but never with the harrowing detail and minute-by-minute drama of the staff report released Thursday by the independent commission investigating the attacks. The 29-page report recounts a frenetic 149 minutes unlike anything ever faced by the nation's aviation and military defenses. And it details moments both of unflinching calm, like actions by the air traffic controllers who managed to orchestrate the landings of all 4,500 flights aloft, and of maddening miscommunications, mangled coordination and broken chains of command. (New York Times)

9/11 Commission Questions Nearly Every Aspect of Response to 9/11 - Jun 18, 2004
For most of 2002, President Bush argued that a commission created to look into the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks would only distract from the post-Sept. 11 war on terrorism. Now, in 17 preliminary staff reports, that panel has called into question nearly every aspect of the administration's response to terror, including the idea that Iraq and Al Qaeda were somehow the same foe. (New York Times )

Administration Was Thrown Into Chaos On 9/11, Says Commission - Jun 18, 2004
Offering an extraordinary window into the government's chaotic response on Sept. 11, 2001, the commission investigating the terrorist attacks detailed on Thursday a series of communications breakdowns at the White House and the Pentagon that were so severe that military commanders did not tell fighter pilots that they had been given the authority by Vice President Dick Cheney to shoot down hijacked planes. (New York Times )

9/11 Commission: Iraq Not Involved in Attacks - Jun 17, 2004
The staff of the commission investigating the Sept. 11 attacks sharply contradicted one of President Bush's central justifications for the Iraq war, reporting on Wednesday that there did not appear to have been a "collaborative relationship" between Al Qaeda and Saddam Hussein. The assertion came in staff reports that offer a chilling, richly detailed chronology of the Sept. 11 plot and rewrite much of the history of the attacks. (New York Times)

Kevin Rampe, Consensus Builder - Jun 17, 2004
An accommodating ego, a thick skin, a Type A work ethic, an optimistic world view. If the traits, discordant as they may seem, make the man, Kevin M. Rampe appears to have the right stuff to act as chief facilitator of a 9/11-mandated mission, the reconstruction of ground zero, which should come with a warning label. Danger: prepare to get chewed out, worn out and burned out. P.S.: that's how you'll know you're doing the job right. (New York Times)

Victims Compensation Fund Ends Tasks, But Controversies Remain - Jun 17, 2004
The federal Sept. 11 Victim Compensation Fund may be closing its doors, but a number of controversies remain. Despite the fund's efforts to dissuade people from suing the airlines and others, 108 lawsuits have been filed in federal court, along with an unknown number of personal injury claims. (Newsday)

9/11 Commission Will Scrutinize Air Defense on Last Day of Hearings - Jun 17, 2004
The 9/11 commission is focusing on the nationÕs air defenses on its final day of hearings Thursday, asking whether one or more of the hijacked airliners could have been intercepted if military jets had been scrambled faster. (NY1)

9/11 Families Want More Detailed Version of Plot from Commission - Jun 17, 2004
The narrative of the Sept. 11 terrorist plot unfolded in fresh, chilling detail on Wednesday, complete with maps and photographs. But for some listeners - family members of those who lost their lives in the attacks - the story was not nearly comprehensive enough. (New York Times)

American Air Defense Was Unprepared for Attacks, Says 9/11 Commission - Jun 16, 2004
The independent commission investigating the Sept. 11 attacks has found that the Pentagon's domestic air-defense command was disastrously unprepared for a major terrorist strike on American soil and was slow and confused in its response to the hijackings that morning, according to officials who have read a draft report of the commission's findings. (New York Times)

Almost Three Years and $7 Billion Later, Victims Compensation Fund Completes Work - Jun 16, 2004
Nearly three years after establishing a fund to compensate the families of Sept. 11 victims, the federal government said yesterday that it had completed the task and that it would end up paying more than 5,000 families almost $7 billion. (New York Times)

The Man Behind the Victims Compensation Fund - Jun 16, 2004
No one lived as deeply in the emotional and financial complexities of the Sept. 11 Victim Compensation Fund as the person who designed it and became its public face: Kenneth R. Feinberg. (New York Times)

To Victims of 9/11, One Lawyer Couldn't Say No - Jun 16, 2004
Thousands of lawyers helped Sept. 11 families. Many accepted a family or two; a few took on as many as half a dozen. But Daniel Kramer accepted about two dozen cases that were submitted to the Sept. 11 Victim Compensation Fund - far more than anyone else, according to a fund official. (New York Times)

For One 9/11 Widow, Somber Acceptance of Victims Compensation Fund - Jun 16, 2004
Like many who lost loved ones in the collapse of the World Trade Center, Grissel Rodriguez-Valentin had her doubts, initially, about the Sept. 11 Victim Compensation Fund. But her gradual acceptance of the program was emblematic of how an overwhelming majority of families, in the painful end, reluctantly decided that even a program they viewed as flawed was a better option than an individual lawsuit against the airlines or the owners of the twin towers. (New York Times)

9/11 Commission Starts Last Round of Hearings - Jun 16, 2004
The commission investigating the September 11, 2001, attacks opens its final round of hearings Wednesday in Washington, focusing on the terroristsÕ planning and how the country's air defenses responded. (NY1)

Tapes From Hijacked Planes Reveal That Ground Personnel Muffled Attacks - Jun 16, 2004
Am FBI-organized briefing in New Jersey two weeks ago was attended by about 130 family members of victims. Previously unavailable calls from passengers and crew were to be played for families of victims of the four infamous flights that were turned into missiles by terrorists. Who knew what, and when? And what did the airlines and federal officials do about it? (New York Observer)

Green Market Returns to World Trade Center Site - Jun 15, 2004
New York blueberries, homegrown lettuce and fresh-baked bread are making their return to the World Trade Center site for the first time since Sept. 11, 2001. Four green market farmers will set up tables of homegrown produce on the north side of the entrance to the WTC PATH terminal starting Thursday. (New York Daily News)

Victims Compensation Fund Deadline Is Tonight at Midnight - Jun 15, 2004
With one day to go before the deadline, the fund set up to compensate victims of 9/11 has paid out close to $6 billion Ă‘ more than $3 billion more than its overseer's original estimate. The Sept. 11th Victim Compensation Fund, which closes at midnight in accordance with a congressional mandate, has authorized $5.9 billion in payments to the families of injured or killed World Trade Center workers. (New York Post)

Lincoln Center Weighed Heavily in WTC Arts Selections - Jun 15, 2004
When it came time early this month for a final decision on the cultural presence at the World Trade Center site, city and state officials' focus was in large part on what would be best for a cultural site some five miles to the north Ă‘ at Lincoln Center. (New York Times)

Janitor Tells of Encounter With 9/11 Hijacker - Jun 15, 2004
A hero janitor who helped victims escape from the World Trade Center's north tower before it collapsed told the 9/11 panel that he came across one of the hijackers in the building a few months before the attack. (New York Daily News)

Plans to Memorialize 9/11 Victims at Fresh Kills Prove Controversial - Jun 14, 2004
Fresh Kills was the world's most colossal dump when the city closed it in early 2001. And now that the Department of City Planning is developing a master plan for turning its 2,200 acres into a vast and innovative new park, it is could become the world's most controversial trash heap. The problem is not how many soccer fields to build or whether to plant oak trees or magnolias. Rather, a battle is looming over a comparatively tiny area of the vast landfill and the city's intention of preserving the painful memories of what happened here. (New York Times)

Final Round of 9/11 Commission Hearings To Be Held This Week - Jun 13, 2004
The 9/11 commission will meet Wednesday and Thursday in Washington to focus on the terrorist plot and the government's immediate response. (NY1)

Victims' Compensation Payouts Near $6 Billion - Jun 12, 2004
The fund for victims of the Sept. 11 attacks has already agreed to pay out nearly $6 billion as the unprecedented program nears its final day of operation next week. (Associated Press)

Seven World Trade Center Rises - Jun 12, 2004
Seven World Trade Center is rising rapidly. In the following report, NY1's Amanda Farinacci takes us on an exclusive tour of the under-construction building, with a view from the top and from developer Larry Silverstein. (NY1)

Chosen Arts Groups Lay Out Plans for Ground Zero - Jun 12, 2004
Four arts groups -- The Joyce dance theater, The Drawing Center, Signature Theater, and the new Freedom Center -- laid out their plans for their new downtown locations last week, after being picked by the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation to move to Ground Zero. (Downtown Express)

House Speaker Predicts More Federal Funds for 9/11 Transportation Projects - Jun 12, 2004
The speaker of the House said Monday that he thought Congress would approve additional 9/11-related money to fund Lower Manhattan transportation projects. Asked by Downtown Express if he thought there would be more aid beyond the federal $21.4 billion package for New York, Rep. J. Dennis Hastert, speaker of the House of Representatives, said: Ă’I think there will be some more. Some of that is for transportation.Ă“ (Downtown Express)

Lower Manhattan Development Corporation President Hopes for New Sources of Funding for Rail Link - Jun 12, 2004
The president of the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation gave few clues last week about how the agency might distribute its remaining $1 billion, telling Downtowners only that officials hoped little, if any, would go toward the proposed rail link to J.F.K. airport. (Downtown Express)

Cultural Institutions Picked for World Trade Center Complex - Jun 11, 2004
Pledging to reinvigorate cultural life in Lower Manhattan, state and city officials yesterday announced the selection of arts groups devoted to dance, theater and drawing, along with a museum celebrating freedom, as the cultural anchors for the World Trade Center site. (New York Times)

Judge Rebuffs 9/11 Families Looking to Sue - Jun 11, 2004
A judge yesterday barred the families of six 9/11 victims from suing. Judge Alvin Hellerstein ruled that families had waived their right to sue by filing claims with the Victims Compensation Fund. (New York Daily News)

In Arts Complex Competition, Underdogs Come out on Top - Jun 11, 2004
Failing to tap a big-name cultural institution for Ground Zero, redevelopment officials announced yesterday that four less well-known organizations were selected yesterday to occupy future new buildings at the site. (New York Post)

Sharpton Pushes For Diversity in Ground Zero Construction - Jun 11, 2004
The Rev. Al Sharpton plans to lead a march from Ground Zero to City Hall on June 21 to convince World Trade Center development officials to steer more construction jobs to blacks and Latinos. (Newsday)

Last Uniformed Officer Found Alive in WTC Retires - Jun 10, 2004
Rescuers pulled Lt. John McLoughlin from the wreckage about 22 hours after the twin towers collapsed, making him the last uniformed person rescued from the site where 2,749 others perished, said the Port Authority, which owns the trade center complex. In a ceremony punctuated by tears and cheers, McLoughlin -- leaning on a cane for support after undergoing 30 operations on his legs -- bid an emotional goodbye to his co-workers during a ceremony marking his retirement. (Associated Press)

Wall Street Firms Work With New Realities - Jun 10, 2004
In the weeks and months after 9/11, three CIOs working next door to the World Trade Center found they had to be strong leaders to get their companies back online. Now back in the city, they don't make business continuity plans. They live them. (CIO Asia)

9/11 Commission's Draft Report Avoids Criticism of Individuals, Goes After Intelligence Agencies - Jun 09, 2004
Hoping to avoid partisan attacks, the Sept. 11 commission has drafted a final report that avoids placing blame on individuals in the Bush or Clinton administrations but sharply criticizes the FBI and intelligence agencies for missteps prior to the catastrophe. (Associated Press)

On Centential of General Slocum Disaster, 9/11 Gives New Perspective - Jun 08, 2004
The fiery sinking of the paddle-wheel steamboat General Slocum was the city's deadliest disaster before the destruction of the World Trade Center. More than a thousand innocents - mostly German immigrant women and their children, on a picnic excursion - perished in the East River calamity on June 15, 1904. "For many years, this was the tragedy that we forgot,'' said Kathleen Hulser, public historian of the New-York Historical Society. "But faded memories can be renewed, and this one was, after the greater disaster of Sept. 11.'' (New York Times)

Ground is Broken at Battery Bosque, With Help of Lower Manhattan Development Corporation - Jun 08, 2004
The Lower Manhattan Development Corporation and the Parks Department broke ground Monday at the Battery Bosque, in an effort to transform the run-down area into a lush green space. More than $8.5 million has been allocated for the project, which will include money for a new carousel. (NY1)

Activists Take Up Cause of Pakistani Caught in Post-9/11 Roundups - Jun 06, 2004
On a cloudless autumn day three years ago, Ansar Mahmood, a pizza deliveryman for a Domino's near here, took a few hours off from work to snap pictures of the Hudson River amid the foliage, to send home to his family in Pakistan. That moment marked the end of Mr. Mahmood's brief American dream, as he stumbled into a vortex of fear, politics and deportation proceedings. But the moment also thrust him into the embrace of a local community of peace activists who took up his cause with a gritty intensity. (New York Times)

Cultural Institutions for Ground Zero To Be ChosenThis Week - Jun 06, 2004
Mayor Bloomberg and Gov. Pataki plan to announce this week which cultural institutions will be included at the World Trade Center site, a major breakthrough following months of contentious debate, the Daily News has learned. (New York Daily News)

Bloomberg Calls on Homeland Security Chief to Stand Up to Congress on Funds - Jun 05, 2004
Michael R. Bloomberg called yesterday on the homeland security secretary, Tom Ridge, to stand up to Congress over what the mayor has repeatedly characterized as its efforts to shortchange New York City on anti-terrorism money. (New York Times)

9/11 Families Hear Tapes from Planes' Last Moments - Jun 05, 2004
Family members who lost relatives gathered at a New Jersey hotel for the 3 1/2 hour-long, closed-door briefing with federal officials. Participants estimated that about 130 people attended. Justice Department letters sent to family members said they would hear tapes of cell phone calls between the passengers and family members or co-workers on the ground. The tapes were said to include calls made by American Airlines Flight 11 flight attendants Betty Ong and Amy Sweeney before their plane hit the World Trade Center. (Associated Press)

Police Officers Sue City for 9/11 Illnesses - Jun 05, 2004
Two NYPD detectives are claiming in a new lawsuit that the city failed to protect them from toxic fumes at Ground Zero and from 9/11 debris at Fresh Kills landfill. (New York Daily News)

Planned Barrier Between Memorial, Battery Park City Removed - Jun 05, 2004
Officials with the Lower Manhattan Development Corp. said Wednesday that the proposed wall blocking the World Trade Center memorial from Battery Park City has been removed from the design, satisfying a neighborhood concern about the plan. (Downtown Express)

Sound Booth at Memorial Center Will Preserve 9/11 Memories - Jun 05, 2004
The Lower Manhattan Development CorporationÕs board on Wednesday approved a $500,000 payment to StoryCorps and SeptemberÕs Mission to set up an oral history booth at the World Trade Center site by the three-year anniversary of the attack. The interviews will become part of the archives of the interpretive center that will be located under the W.T.C. memorial, said Anita Contini, vice president of memorial and cultural affairs for the L.M.D.C. The Library of Congress will also keep the records. (Downtown Express)

Religious Group Center Across from Ground Zero - Jun 05, 2004
The faith-based organization New York Disaster Interfaith Services, which has been involved in assisting victims of the attacks on the World Trade Center, dedicated a disaster resources and training center to the Manhattan law firm Chadbourne & Parke on May 25th following a series of donations by the company over the past two years. (Downtown Express)

For Survivor, 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund Grant is Bittersweet - Jun 04, 2004
Deborah Mardenfeld had the sad distinction of being one of the most gravely injured New Yorkers to survive the attacks of 9/11. Hit by falling debris from the second plane that slammed into the World Trade Center, she spent more than a year in hospitals, trying to regain the use of her badly damaged legs. Now, Ms. Mardenfeld has been awarded roughly $8.6 million by the federal September 11 Victim Compensation Fund, which says it is among the largest of the 4,127 payments it has agreed to make so far(they total more than $5 billion). (New York Times)

FBI Criticizes NYPD for Stealing Glory in Terrorist Arrest - Jun 04, 2004
New York's FBI director has put his anger at NYPD officials into words - firing off an internal memo that blasted them for hogging the credit for last week's terrorist arrest. (New York Daily News)

Bob Kerrey Speaks About the 9/11 Commission - Jun 04, 2004
Bob Kerrey, former U.S. senator, currently president of New School University and member of the federal 9/11 commission, gave the Greenwich Village-Chelsea Chamber of Commerce his views Tuesday on the World Trade Center attack and on his career since he came from Nebraska in 2001 to head the New School. (Downtown Express)

Fulton Street Subway Station Receives Praise - Jun 04, 2004
The $750 million design for a new subway center at Fulton St. and Broadway received glowing praise from resident leaders and transportation advocates at the opening unveiling May 26, but mixed reviews an hour later from some of the small businesses the new center will displace. (Downtown Express)

Kentucky Woman Quilts 9/11 Tribute - Jun 04, 2004
Nearly three years after the attack on the World Trade Center, Mary M. Henderson wants to let the cityÕs firefighters know she hasnÕt forgotten their sacrifice and loss. The Kentucky grandmother spent more than a year cross-stitching the names and company affiliations of all 343 firefighters who died on 9/11 onto a king-sized quilt. Now that itÕs done, Henderson, 48, would like to deliver her red-white-and-blue tribute to the firefighters in Ten House across from ground zero. (Downtown Express)

9/11 Environmental Panel Considers Next Move - Jun 04, 2004
The Environmental Protection AgencyÕs goal of retesting Lower Manhattan apartments by the end of June seemed remote as the agencyÕs expert panel grappled with how to measure lingering contamination from the World Trade Center collapse. At its third public meeting on May 24, the 17-member panel of government and independent experts continued discussing whether World Trade Center dust has a chemical fingerprint that would distinguish it from normal urban grit. This so-called signature would help scientists determine what, if any, contamination remains from the World Trade Center collapse. (Downtown Express)

Lower Manhattan Development Corporation Approves General Plan for World Trade Center - Jun 03, 2004
Lower Manhattan Development Corporation set the stage yesterday - that is, if all the needed money can be found and all the inevitable lawsuits can be won - for the full-fledged redevelopment of the World Trade Center site. The corporation board unanimously affirmed a general project plan, leaving open the possibility of restoring parts of Dey and Cortlandt Streets but perhaps turning a block of Washington Street into a truck security checkpoint. It also certified that the environmental review was complete. (Not all its critics agree, saying that the review did not sufficiently account for the impact of other large downtown projects.) (New York Times)

Advisory Council Calls for 'Powerful' Artifact to Mark Entrance to Underground Museum - Jun 03, 2004
A "powerful, visible" artifact from Ground Zero should mark the entrance to the World Trade Center Memorial Center, an advisory panel said yesterday. That recommendation was one of several made by the Memorial Center Advisory Committee in a draft released yesterday by the Lower Manhattan Development Corp. The memorial center will be located underground at the southwest corner of the memorial site. (New York Daily News)

Ground Zero Museum Should Honor Each Victim: Advisory Council - Jun 03, 2004
The Ground Zero memorial museum should include touching tributes to each victim, including their personal effects and images, an advisory panel recommended yesterday. Such personal and moving memorials would be in addition to a "factual" account of the terrorists who killed the nearly 3,000 victims. (New York Post)

Fire Chief Urges 9/11 Commission To Avoid Unfair Criticism of FDNY - Jun 03, 2004
Fire Commissioner Nicholas Scoppetta had a tough message for the 9/11 Commission during yesterday's Medal Day ceremony: Don't knock the FDNY. (New York Post)

Two More Streets May be Extended Through World Trade Center Site - Jun 03, 2004
The Lower Manhattan Development Corporation has opened the door to extending two more downtown streets through a portion of the World Trade Center site. At a meeting Wednesday, the LMDC revealed that Cortlandt and Dey streets, which at one time ran all the way through the 16-acre site, now have a shot at being extended westward to Greenwich Street, allowing greater connectivity at the site. (NY1)

Man Pleads Guilty to 9/11 Con - Jun 02, 2004
A Pennsylvania man pleaded guilty yesterday to inventing a dead wife in order to scam World Trade Center charities out of $100,000. (New York Post)

Silverstein, Libeskind Battle Over Ground Zero Cash - Jun 02, 2004
Behind the scenes at Ground Zero -- and with just one month left before construction begins on the Freedom Tower, developer Larry Silverstein finds himself entangled in a dizzying web of financial stopgaps, bitter feuds with architects and scrambling to reassure his landlord heÕs the man to rebuild. A series of letters Ñ obtained by The Observer Ñ that the Libeskinds and their lawyer sent to the Silverstein camp over the course of the last month reveal just how personal this dispute has become, and how hard feelings from last yearÕs design conflict are still lingering. (New York Observer)

West Street Tunnel Plan a Waste, Says New Study - Jun 02, 2004
The $860 million plan to build a tunnel under a four-block stretch of West Street has been deemed one of the most wasteful highway projects in the country, a new report says. (New York Post)

As New York Fumes, Wyoming Says It Needs Antiterror Funding Too - Jun 01, 2004
It is hard to imagine there are many terrorist threats in a place where tumbleweeds regularly blow down the streets, as they do in Cheyenne, Wyoming's largest city and state capital. For those who doubt, however, Wyoming officials point to the two men, thought by the state police to be white supremacists, who were stopped while carrying nine pipe bombs in the rented trailer attached to their rented truck. Wyoming officials disposed of the bombs using a robot bought with a federal antiterrorism grant. That grant was part of the very antiterrorism program that Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg recently called "pork barrel politics at its worst." (New York Times)

World of Golf to Become Transit Center's Casualty - Jun 01, 2004
The latest project unveiled for Lower Manhattan, the Fulton Street Transit Center, will connect four subway stations under a crystalline glass dome. It will also almost surely doom the World of Golf in its building at 189 Broadway. (New York Times)

9/11 Commission Exposed Problems in Rescue Effort - Jun 01, 2004
The city's response on Sept. 11, 2001 wasn't the picture of coordination that former Mayor Rudolph Giuliani and his emergency leaders painted for the 9/11 commission, the panel's staff concluded. Newsday offers a look at some of the conclusions reached, and detail developed, by the staff or in testimony before the commission in New York last month. (Newsday)

Port Authority Police Had Problems on 9/11 As Well - Jun 01, 2004
With all the focus on the city's fire and police agencies, the role of the Port Authority Police in the Sept 11, 2001 response seemed almost overlooked during the 911 Commission hearings. About 200 Port Authority cops responded to the crisis, and 37 officers and supervisors were killed -- the largest single-day loss of life for a police department in the country's history. While the department played a key role in evacuations, the 911 Commission staff found in a preliminary report that its response was hampered by the same kinds of problems that the city police and fire departments experienced. (Newsday)

Rebuilding NYC July 2003


Cut in Space at Ground Zero May Bar Home for City Opera - Jul 31, 2003
The floor space available for a performing arts center for ground zero has been reduced by about 20 percent, say officials involved in drawing up the plans, making it harder to build an opera house there. It was this reduction of the available floor space, or footprint, to between 35,000 and 37,000 square feet from some 45,000 square feet in the original Daniel Libeskind plan that led the corporation in charge of the rebuilding effort last week to say there is no room for an opera house at the World Trade Center site. Officials of the New York City Opera, which wants to leave Lincoln Center for downtown, were troubled by the comments; the opera has been talked about as the lead contender for the site's cultural anchor. (New York Times)

Poll Backs Single 9/11 Memorial - Jul 29, 2003
Half of New Yorkers living downtown believe there should be a single memorial at Ground Zero - with no special distinction for slain firefighters and rescue workers, a new poll shows. About 25% favor a memorial that honors everyone who died and "especially identifies the firefighters and rescue workers," according to the survey tobe released today by Pace University. An even smaller group, 21%, says there should be two memorials at the disaster site - one for the rescue workers and one for everyone else who died. (New York Daily News)

Trade Center Is on Track, Downtown Residents Say - Jul 29, 2003
Residents of Lower Manhattan say the effort to rebuild downtown and the World Trade Center is moving in the right direction, and they are generally satisfied with the new design for the World Trade Center site, according to a poll by Pace University released yesterday. But many downtown residents say that some of the power to make decisions about the rebuilding should be in different hands. (New York Times)

Evidence Piles Up At Trial of September 11 Con Man - Jul 29, 2003
The prosecutorial pile-on continued yesterday against an accused Queens con man charged with inventing a son, then scamming $160,000 in charity loot by pretending the son died in the World Trade Center collapse. (New York Post)

Art Groups Want in on Ground Zero Center - Jul 27, 2003
More than 75 cultural institutions, ranging from established city museums to newcomers like the Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art, want to be part of the arts center being planned for the new World Trade Center site. The Lower Manhattan Development Corp. is not asking for formal proposals yet, but it invited responses from groups around the world to see what types of institutions are interested, said LMDC spokeswoman Joanna Rose. (Associated Press)

Small WTC Firms Face New Fund Delay - Jul 28, 2003
Small businesses near Ground Zero awarded federal aid to help them rebound from the Sept. 11 attacks won't get the sorely needed money this month as promised. The state Economic Development Corp., which controls the cash, has delayed the payouts again - threatening many of the companies' survival, Crain's New York Business reports. The state has told the 2,000 businesses awaiting grant money that the funds will arrive in August. The companies, most of which applied for the grants right before a Dec. 31, 2002, deadline, were initially told they'd get the cash several months ago. (New York Daily News)

On Terror, Doubts Anew After a Scathing Report - Jul 25, 2003
The report on intelligence failures may force the Bush administration to confront a vexing question that the White House thought it put to rest months ago: how best to prevent another terrorist attack. The findings, providing an even more damning indictment of the intelligence community than many had predicted, are already prompting fresh debate over whether the federal government should create a national intelligence czar or even strip the F.B.I. of its domestic intelligence duties in favor of a wholly new agency. (New York Times)

Plans for 2 Towers Near TriBeCa Raise Concern - Jul 25, 2003
A 35-story residential building is planned for a long-vacant lot two blocks north of the World Trade Center site, and an even taller apartment tower is being considered for the adjacent parcel, leaving residents of the low-lying 19th-century buildings in nearby TriBeCa concerned about crowding. The 35-story building is being designed by Norman Foster, the British architect who, among other projects, remodeled the Reichstag in Berlin and designed London City Hall. (New York Times)

Politicans Seek Recognition for Rescue Workers on 9/11 Memorial - Jul 24, 2003
Democrats in the City Council sought yesterday to increase pressure on Gov. George Pataki to create a separate memorial for emergency officers who died responding to the World Trade Center attack. A non-binding resolution calls on the Lower Manhattan Development Corp. to recognize each uniformed rescue worker killed Sept. 11, 2001, with agency, rank, badge number and unit. (Newsday)

Preservation Group Offers Its Own Plan for the Fulton Street Transit Center - Jul 24, 2003
The Lower Manhattan Emergency Preservation Fund is acting pre-emptively to ensure that the 114-year-old Corbin Building is not eliminated by plans for the Fulton Street Transit Center, which may take over its site. Instead, the fund is offering a plan of its own, by the inventive firm SHoP/Sharples Holden Pasquarelli, that would preserve the Corbin Building's main facades on Broadway and John Streets, with tiers of bold arches, and link the old structure to the new center through a membranous, almost transparent, party wall. (New York Times)

9/11 Congressional Report Faults F.B.I.-C.I.A. Lapses - Jul 24, 2003
The Sept. 11 attacks were preventable, but the plot went undetected because of communications lapses between the F.B.I. and C.I.A., which failed to share intelligence related to two hijackers, a Congressional report to be released on Thursday says. The report, by a joint committee of the House and Senate intelligence panels, found that for nearly two years before the attacks, the Central Intelligence Agency knew about the terror connections between the two men, Khalid al-Midhar and Nawaq Alhazmi, who in 2000 moved to San Diego, frequenting Muslim circles that the Federal Bureau of Investigation had infiltrated. (New York Times)

Public Hearings Held on WTC Plan - Jul 24, 2003
Plans for rebuilding at the World Trade Center site drew an array of concerns yesterday - from worries that too much was going to be packed onto the 16-acre site to questions about the memorial and even some distress that birds might collide with the proposed new skyscrapers. About 200 people from across the city spoke or listened at public hearings yesterday discussing the environmental impact of the proposed World Trade Center memorial and redevelopment plans in back-to-back public hearings. (Newsday)

Congress Calls for Probe of 9/11 Fund - Jul 24, 2003
Nearly two years after the Sept. 11 attack, a group of congressional leaders is demanding an inquiry into the state's Project Liberty mental health program, charging that officials have failed to distribute millions of dollars in federal funds for counseling and left thousands of traumatized people in need of treatment. (Newsday)

Bus Parking Garage Proposed Near Trade Center - Jul 23, 2003
Hoping to settle a dispute with the families of Sept. 11 victims, officials involved in the rebuilding of Lower Manhattan said yesterday that they had found an alternative site to park the buses that will bring tourists to the World Trade Center memorial. The Lower Manhattan Development Corporation and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey said they had begun discussions with the Battery Park City Authority about building an underground parking garage on an undeveloped parcel of land along West Street between Vesey and Murray Streets. Officials had originally suggested building the garage underneath the memorial, but many of the victims' families objected. (New York Times)

9/11 Payment Issues Are Argued in Appeal - Jul 23, 2003
A small army of lawyers took the long-running battle over insurance claims at the World Trade Center to the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit yesterday as they argued over issues that will determine how much money is available for rebuilding the vast commercial complex. Larry A. Silverstein, the developer who controls the World Trade Center lease, has argued that he is entitled to a double payment of nearly $7 billion because two planes hit two towers in what he describes as two separate "occurrences" on Sept. 11. (New York Times)

Affordable Housing in Lower Manhattan Gets $50M Boost - Jul 22, 2003
About $50 million in federal aid will be set aside to add hundreds of new units of affordable housing in lower Manhattan, officials said yesterday. (Newsday)

Planned Tower Is Likely to Stay at Northwestern Corner of Site - Jul 22, 2003
Gov. George Pataki cast doubt yesterday on the possibility that the 1,776-foot tower proposed for the World Trade Center site by Daniel Libeskind will be moved to another location on the property, as has been proposed by Larry A. Silverstein, the developer who will build the tower. In response to a question from a reporter at a news conference in Lower Manhattan, Mr. Pataki said that while rebuilding officials will consider "any alternatives" for the location of the tower, "there's going to have to be a compelling reason" to move the tower or to otherwise disrupt the layout of buildings proposed by Mr. Libeskind. (New York Times)

Arts Groups Hurry Proposals for Ground Zero Cultural Center - Jul 22, 2003
More than 10 well-known New York arts and cultural institutions are working on plans to be part of the new center that will be built at Ground Zero. The proposals, from institutions ranging from off-Broadway theaters to museums, are in response to the Lower Manhattan Development Corp.&squot;s recent request for formal expressions of interest from cultural groups that wish to be part of the site. (Crain's New York Business)

WTC Family Leader Leaves Coalition - Jul 22, 2003
The outspoken leader of a group of 9/11 families yesterday angrily pulled out of a powerful coalition of victims' relatives - saying its members had unfairly criticized Gov. Pataki over plans to build on the WTC's "footprints." Monica Iken, founder of September's Mission, ripped leaders of the larger Coalition of 9/11 Families for their "name-calling" of Pataki in a Post story Sunday. In the article, Coalition members said Pataki was "duplicitous" because he broke his promise of protecting the site. (New York Post)

At Helm of Trade Center Site, as He Always Planned to Be - Jul 21, 2003
Last week, Mr. Silverstein's high hopes of early 2001 seemed, if anything, too modest. He emerged victorious in the struggle for control of ground zero, elbowing aside Daniel Libeskind, the architect whose design for the trade center site was chosen by Gov. George E. Pataki. Suddenly he seems to have ascended to the lofty circles occupied by real estate giants with names like Durst, Resnick, Ross, Roth, Rudin and Zuckerman. (New York Times)

9/11 Counseling Still Available From Red Cross - Jul 20, 2003
The American Red Cross wants to make sure those still feeling the effects of September 11, 2001, attacks get the help they need. Volunteers took to the streets Saturday to make sure New York City residents know psychological counseling is still available. As part of a four-week outreach campaign, the volunteers will put up posters in businesses and in high-traffic areas. (NY1)

A Waterfall at the WTC? - Jul 21, 2003
Far from some quixotic idea, a 150-foot waterfall facing the WTC memorial area is part of the approved site plan by architect DanielLibeskind. It is without a doubt the largest, least-talked-about aspect of the Libeskind scheme. (Downtown Express)

Where the WTC stands: Financing clouds original vision - Jul 19, 2003
Three months ago, Gov. Pataki stood before business leaders in lower Manhattan and set an aggressive timetable for rebuilding Ground Zero. He wanted architects to begin designing Daniel Libeskind's 1,776-foot spire by this month. The steel for the tower would be in place by Sept. 11, 2006, the fifth anniversary of the attacks. Pataki acknowledged the goals would be tough to meet. Here's a rundown of where things stand and what major decisions lie ahead: (New York Daily News)

9/11 Kin Rip PATH For 'Tainting' Holy Ground - Jul 20, 2003
A group representing 9/11 victims' families says Gov. Pataki has allowed construction on the footprints of the Twin Towers and wants Sens. Chuck Schumer and Hillary Rodham Clinton to sponsor a federal law to prevent further "desecration" of the World Trade Center site. (New York Post)

WTC Counseling Program Makes Push - Jul 18, 2003
Organizers of a program that provides counseling to people affected by the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks said Friday they are boosting their efforts to publicize the program. (Newsday)

Libeskinds Get A Raise - Jul 18, 2003
Ground Zero architect Daniel Libeskind and his wife and partner, Nina, just got a hefty raise. Under a contract signed last week to refine his master plan for the World Trade Center site, Libeskind is charging the Port Authority and the Lower Manhattan Development Corp. $300 an hour ‹ up $25 from his previous rate. (New York Post)

DA: Man Concocted Dead Son For 9/11 Scam - Jul 18, 2003
An employee of the American Red Cross testified yesterday that the charity gave a Queens man more than $132,000 for living expenses and counseling after his son went missing in the World Trade Center terrorist attack - a son who prosecutors allege never existed. (Newsday)

Compromise to Build On; Developer Gets His Say in Ground Zero Design - Jul 17, 2003
Larry A. Silverstein was not in the room as the two renowned architects, Daniel Libeskind and David M. Childs, worked out an agreement early yesterday morning to collaborate on the design of the 1,776-foot tower that will be the first office building to rise at the World Trade Center site. But Mr. Silverstein, the developer of the site, nevertheless secured the right to put his imprint on the Lower Manhattan skyline when rebuilding officials agreed to appoint Mr. Childs, his handpicked architect, as the lead designer and project manager on the tower. (New York Times)

5,200 Have Designs on WTC Memorial - Jul 17, 2003
The competition for the World Trade Center memorial attracted 5,200 submissions from 62 nations and every state except Alaska, making it the largest design competition in history, development officials said today. (Newsday)

Architects Will Now Have to Reconcile Clashing Visions - Jul 17, 2003
The two world-class architects who shook hands yesterday over plans to design the world's tallest building at Ground Zero now have to face the hard part - figuring out a way to reconcile their clashing visions for the site's iconic tower. (New York Post)

A Profile of Architect David Childs - Jul 17, 2003
At the height of his career, architect David Childs is a free spirit trapped in a corporate suit, friends say. On the one hand, the man who will design the Freedom Tower at Ground Zero would like to create buildings in his own style. On the other, he can't bring himself to leave Skidmore Owings & Merrill, one of the nation's most powerful architectural firms. (New York Post)

Developer Wants 9/11 Bonds for Times's Project in Midtown - Jul 17, 2003
The New York Times Company's development partner in building the newspaper's new headquarters on Eighth Avenue has asked city officials for $400 million in tax-exempt bonds that were designated for rebuilding New York after the attack on the World Trade Center. The developer, Forest City Ratner, has told city and state officials that it needs the special federal financing, known as Liberty Bonds, because it is nearly impossible in the current economic environment to obtain a conventional construction loan for its portion of the planned 52-story tower. (New York Times)

Why Top Architects Skipped 9/11 Memorial Contest - Jul 17, 2003
Many of the people most qualified to design a memorial at ground zero Ñ eminent architects Ñ didnÕt even bother to try out for the opportunity to commemorate the September 11 victims. Renowned architects from Frank Gehry, who created the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, to Bernard Tschumi, who designed ParisÕ Parc de la Villette and Columbia UniversityÕs Alfred Lerner Hall, to Richard Meier, who designed the Getty Center, didnÕt submit plans in the Lower Manhattan Development CorporationÕs ongoing memorial contest. Architects say they avoided the biggest memorial design contest ever because Daniel LibeskindÕs master plan proved constraining to people used to leading creative efforts. (New York Sun)

Officials Reach Agreement on Rebuilding Downtown - Jul 16, 2003
The architect with the winning design for the World Trade Center site and the developer who will rebuild the office space there agreed early this morning to collaborate on the design and construction of the 1,776-foot tower that will anchor the redeveloped site both on the ground and in the Lower Manhattan skyline. The agreement between the architect, Daniel Libeskind, and the developer, Larry A. Silverstein, came during an eight-hour negotiating session that stretched from Tuesday afternoon into Wednesday morning. (New York Times)

Low-key Tribute Likely for 9/11 Anniversary - Jul 16, 2003
The second anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks will be commemorated in New York - but the tribute likely will be more subdued than last year's. State and city officials are beginning to prepare for Sept. 11, and will meet privately today with victims' families to gather ideas. Officials have held a handful of meetings in the last few weeks to discuss how to observe the solemn day. Several sources acknowledged that this year's tribute probably will be less ambitious than last year's. The first anniversary of the attacks were marked with a morning ceremony at Ground Zero attended by thousands and with coordinated evening activities in all five boroughs. (New York Daily News)

Libeskind Secures Architect's Licence - Jul 16, 2003
Daniel Libeskind has already secured what has been called "the commission of the century." He has the plans, the contracts to carry them out and the backing of important patrons, from Gov. George E. Pataki on down. And now, Mr. Libeskind has one more thing that could help him make his vision for the World Trade Center site a reality: an architect's license. (New York Times)

Architect and Developer Clash Over Plans for Trade Center Site - Jul 15, 2003
With pressure increasing to begin the rebuilding at ground zero, the architect with the winning design for the World Trade Center site plans to meet today with representatives of the developer to try to resolve clashing visions of what will be built. The meeting between the architect, Daniel Libeskind, and senior aides to the developer, Larry A. Silverstein, is the latest attempt by rebuilding officials to force an agreement over the future of the site and the degree of Mr. Libeskind's influence in the design and placement of the commercial office buildings there. (New York Times)

Officials Favor Larger Site for Trade Center Complex - Jul 15, 2003
ruggling to solve an urban-planning Rubik's Cube, the Port Authority is now inclined to expand the World Trade Center redevelopment site to the south by acquiring the property on which the doomed Deutsche Bank tower stands. Since planning began last year, it has never been clear how the trade center superblock alone could comfortably accommodate 10 million square feet of commercial space Ă‘ roughly what used to be there Ă‘ and also provide room for a memorial, transportation and cultural centers, new streets, shops and the space and infrastructure below ground needed to make it work. (New York Times)

At Ground Zero, Greenwich Street Will Be Restored, but Looking Thinner - Jul 13, 2003
After the destruction of the World Trade Center, the opportunity arose Ă‘ and was embraced by many community leaders and city planners Ă‘ to reopen Greenwich Street for the missing five-block length. The result was described as a planning victory. But it turns out that the new Greenwich Street will actually be 60 feet wide between Vesey and Barclay Streets. And 7 World Trade Center will be 171 feet wide, 11 feet wider than the buildings that occupied the block until the 60's. (New York Times)

Rebuilding Officials Consider Cutting Amount of Office Space at Ground Zero - Jul 11, 2003
Development officials are considering slashing the amount of office space to be built at Ground Zero Ă‘ reopening a potentially rancorous debate over one of the key issues at the World Trade Center site, sources told The Post. The Port Authority and the Lower Manhattan Development Corp. are weighing a 20 percent reduction Ă‘ placing some 8 million square feet of office space at the trade center site instead of the 10 million square feet destroyed on 9/11. Sources said even some top officials at the PA who had fought against scaling back the office space now realize the site can't hold 10 million square feet. (New York Post)

Bill Extends Deadline For 9/11 Suits - Jul 8, 2003
Relatives of those killed in the Sept. 11 attack on the World Trade Center will have an extra six months to file wrongful death suits under a bill signed into law Tuesday by Gov. George Pataki. The measure extends the two-year statute of limitations for filing suits, previously set to expire Sept. 11, 2003, to March 11, 2004. The bill was approved by the Legislature before it completed its regular 2003 session last month. (Newsday)

Judge Says Police Are ÔHeavy HandedÕ On Park Row - Jul 10, 2003
A state judge said the city appears to have closed down more streets than necessary to secure the area around police headquarters and has taken Òa very, very heavy-handed approachÓ with people living nearby. The judge however also said he doesnÕt think there is much he can do about it under the law. Ò[The] city has [secured] aÉgreater area than apparently is necessary to provide security for One Police Plaza,Ó said State Supreme Court Justice Walter Tolub at a court hearing June 27. (Downtown Express)

Downtown Divided Over West St. - Jul 1, 2003
The State Dept. of Transportation last week released new details about the proposal to build an $860 million tunnel under West St. while downtowners remained divided over whether it is the best option for the six-lane roadway. A recent poll of lower Manhattan residents showed that people living in Battery Park City were the most likely to say they were against building the tunnel, 42 percent, but a third of the residents either said building the vehicular tunnel between Vesey and Liberty Sts. is very important or should be a top priority. (Downtown Express)

9/11 Commission Says U.S. Agencies Slow Its Inquiry - Jul 9, 2003
The federal commission investigating the Sept. 11 terror attacks said today that its work was being hampered by the failure of executive branch agencies, especially the Pentagon and the Justice Department, to respond quickly to requests for documents and testimony. (New York Times)

Relatives Say Plans Infringe on Twin Towers' Footprints - Jul 9, 2003
Several structures now being built within the excavated World Trade Center site encroach on the footprints of the former twin towers, a development that has drawn the ire of a group of relatives of people killed in the Sept. 11 terrorist attack. Many victims' relatives view those areas as sacred representations of where their loved ones died and want it free from any new development Ă‘ a position that has been embraced, at least in part, by Gov. George E. Pataki and other rebuilding officials. (New York Times)

Chinatown Struggles To Overcome Triple Blow - Jul 9, 2003
In Chinatown, a series of random blows has struck in recent months. First came the Sept. 11th terrorist attacks, which led to a lockdown for rescue efforts that sealed off the neighborhood's narrow and usually crowded streets. Then, the economic downturn and war in Iraq took their toll on businesses. The neighborhood took another hit this spring when the SARS virus began spreading to other parts of the world from the Far East and visitors to Chinatown started staying away yet again. (Newsday)

Coalition Urges Memorial Panel to Ignore the Rules - Jul 9, 2003
Some relatives of World Trade Center victims want the panel choosing plans for a permanent Ground Zero memorial to think a little outside the boxes. The Coalition of 9/11 Families mailed letters to all 13 jurors on the committee, asking them to allow for a tribute that exceeds the guidelines set out for judging ideas submitted for the tribute. (New York Daily News)

Former Windows on the World Workers Hope to Open New Restaurant - Jul 9, 2003
Former workers at the World Trade Center establishment Windows on the World hope to open their own restaurant, tentatively titled Windows on TriBeCa, within sight of ground zero. (New York Times)

Outdoor Cafe Plans For Former Cab Area - Jul 8, 2003
A former Grand Central Terminal taxi pickup area - shut down after 9/11 because of security concerns - will be converted to an outdoor cafe area in mid-July, following a sprucing-up, MTA officials said yesterday. (Newsday)

A Signal of Rebirth Downtown - Jul 8, 2003
The fanfare will come another day. So, too, the speeches and ribbon cuttings. For now, let it be noted that the horizon at ground zero has been broken for the first time since the ruins of the World Trade Center were hauled away. Two slender 60-foot-tall structures Ă‘ twins, really Ă‘ stand today like sentinels at the foot of Fulton Street, forming a new gateway to the site. (New York Times)

9/11 party gets raided - Jul 8, 2003
Dozens of cops descended on Rockaway Beach on the Fourth of July and broke up a fund-raiser for memorials to 9/11 victims, angry partygoers charged yesterday. (New York Daily News)

FEMA Closes Temporary Office In Lower Manhattan - Jul 7, 2003
The Federal Emergency Management Agency office in Lower Manhattan that administered aid following the World Trade Center attack is closing Monday. (NY1)

Bikers On Their Way Upstate In Ground Zero Independence Ride - Jul 5, 2003
Bikers were off to an early start for the "Second Annual Ground Zero Independence Ride." The ride reunites construction workers and union members who worked side by side for 10-months during rescue and recovery operations at the site. (NY1)

WTC Family Members Debate Where To Put Bus Depot - Jul 3, 2003
A memorial at the World Trade Center site is expected to attract millions of visitors from all over the world each year, and the question of where to house tourist buses they'll use to get there has some family members offering alternatives. (NY1)

Graffitied WTC Panels Removed - Jul 3, 2003
Panels detailing the history of the World Trade Center site, defaced by graffiti, were removed from the fence surrounding Ground Zero Friday. Replacement panels should be in place before Labor Day, in a higher position on the fence than before, according to Port Authority spokesman Steve Coleman. (Newsday)

WTC Graffiti Fix Still On Hold - Jul 3, 2003
Weeks after the Port Authority vowed to replace vandalized panels describing the twin towers' history, the tribute is still marred with graffiti messages - some well-meaning, some crude - from Ground Zero visitors. (New York Daily News)

Trade center beam begins journey to North Carolina - Jul 3, 2003
Firefighters dedicated a 3,000-pound beam from the World Trade Center on Thursday and sent it by convoy to Camp Lejeune, N.C., where it will become the centerpiece of a Sept. 11 memorial in a July Fourth ceremony. (Newsday)

Rebuilding NYC March 2004


Security Tightened for Passover - Mar 30, 2004
Elite squads of counterterrorism cops will safeguard potential targets in Jewish communities as part of a massive NYPD effort to protect the city during Passover. (New York Daily News)

Mayor Donates $100,000 for Statue of Liberty Security - Mar 30, 2004
Lady Liberty has a new man in her life and, just like her, he has lots of green. Mayor Bloomberg, one of the richest men in the world, has donated $100,000 to help reopen the shuttered Statue of Liberty, the Daily News has learned. (New York Daily News)

Clash Between Police, Firefighters Risks Homeland Security Funds - Mar 30, 2004
Cops and firefighters still have not agreed on how to work together during major emergencies, putting millions of dollars in federal anti-terror funds at risk, city officials said yesterday. The plan, known as citywide incident command system, must be in place by October - or else Homeland Security Department grants will dry up. (New York Daily News)

Fire Department Presents New Counter-Terrorism Plan - Mar 30, 2004
Thirty months after it lost 343 firefighters on Sept. 11, 2001, the Fire Department has produced a sweeping plan that lays out a two-year strategy to better prepare the department for future terrorist attacks. (New York Times)

Daniel Pearl's Wife Files For 9/11 Victims Compensation Fund - Mar 30, 2004
A federal Victims Compensation Fund application was filed on behalf of Daniel Pearl, the Wall Street Journal reporter who was kidnapped in Pakistan, then beheaded by Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, once Al Qaeda's top operational commander and the alleged mastermind of the Sept. 11 hijackings. (New York Times)

Artist Who Worked With Ground Zero Dust Honored - Mar 29, 2004
A New York-based artist became the first winner of a new British art prize on Sunday for a work made from dust collected from the streets of Manhattan after the Sept. 11 terror attacks. (Associated Press)

Metropolitan Transportation Authority Doubles Police Budget - Mar 29, 2004
The MTA has nearly doubled its police budget over the last three years in an effort to beef up security at its sprawling transportation network, guarding against a terror attack, officials said. (New York Post)

Federal Government Criticized For Leaving 9/11 Rescue Workers Without Medical Care - Mar 29, 2004
Hundreds of Ground Zero workers have lingering illnesses, but the government isn't paying for their care, said a leading doctor and two federal lawmakers. Of 700 workers in a treatment program at Mount Sinai Medical Center, three-quarters still suffer from upper-respiratory problems brought on by work at the World Trade Center site, said Dr. Robin Herbert, co-director of the hospital's Center for Occupational and Environmental Medicine. More than 40% suffer post-traumatic stress, said Herbert. (New York Daily News)

Fire Department To Focus On Counterterrorism - Mar 29, 2004
Counterterrorism training will be the FDNY's top priority for the next two years, according to a landmark plan prompted by the Sept. 11 attacks and slated for release today. (New York Daily News)

At Ground Zero, Retail Development Must Step Carefully - Mar 29, 2004
At the new World Trade Center, an area of six acres will be set aside for mourning and remembering. And in the surrounding buildings and concourses, an area of 650,000 square feet - almost 15 acres - will be set aside for shopping and dining. The retail space poses planning challenges rivaling those faced by the memorial, the Freedom Tower and the combined PATH terminal and transportation hub. (New York Times)

Rice: Bush Asked Clarke To Look Into 9/11 Iraq Link - Mar 29, 2004
The White House acknowledged Sunday that on the day after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, President Bush asked his top counterterrorism adviser, Richard A. Clarke, to find out whether Iraq was involved. Mr. Bush wanted to know "did Iraq have anything to do with this? Were they complicit in it?" Condoleezza Rice, the president's national security adviser, recounted in an interview on CBS' "60 Minutes." Mr. Bush was not trying to intimidate anyone to "produce information," she said. Rather, given the United States' "actively hostile relationship" with Iraq at the time, he was asking Mr. Clarke "a perfectly logical question," Ms. Rice said. (New York Times)

9/11 Families Can't Recover Possessions of Loved Ones - Mar 28, 2004
About a third of 9/11 families are still hoping to claim loved ones' missing belongings, but the NYPD won't let them see the thousands of yet-unidentified pieces of jewelry, watches and other objects remaining in storage. (New York Post)

9/11 Families Accuse Clarke Of Exploiting 9/11 - Mar 28, 2004
A group of New York families of 9/11 victims came out swinging against Richard Clarke yesterday, accusing the former White House anti-terror chief of cashing in on the tragedy with his explosive book. (New York Post)

Kerry Assaults Bush On 9/11 - Mar 28, 2004
Joining a debate that has dominated Washington for days, Senator John Kerry on Saturday accused the Bush administration of "character assassination" against critics and said that the national security adviser, Condoleezza Rice, should publicly testify under oath about the Sept. 11 attacks. (New York Times)

White House Backs Down on Some 9/11 Claims - Mar 27, 2004
A member of the 9/11 commission said yesterday that national security adviser Condoleezza Rice indicated in a private session she was wrong to have once stated no one expected terrorists to use planes as missiles. The White House reportedly also backpedaled yesterday on whether President Bush pressed counterterror czar Richard Clarke the day after the attacks to find evidence that Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein was involved. (New York Daily News)

New Bill Would Expand Services For Those Affected By 9/11 Dust Cloud - Mar 27, 2004
Thousands of people who live or work in Lower Manhattan and were exposed to the dust plume after the World Trade Center attack would be eligible to undergo health screening under a bill expected to be introduced in Congress on Monday. The legislation would greatly expand an existing health monitoring program that covers New York City firefighters and about 12,000 others who responded to the attacks. (New York Times)

In Informal Deal, Bloomberg Cedes Control of Ground Zero to Pataki, Takes Lead On Far West Side - Mar 27, 2004
Gov. George E. Pataki and Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg have each carved out a piece of Manhattan on which to fasten their economic development visions, with one another's blessing. Mr. Bloomberg has laid claim to the development of the far West Side. Mr. Pataki wants credit for the rebirth of Lower Manhattan. (New York Times)

9/11 Scammer Sentenced to Rikers - Mar 26, 2004
Everybody's working for the weekend - except millionaire 9/11 charity scammer Beatrice Kaufman. Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Roger Hayes yesterday sentenced Kaufman to spend the next 52 weekends in Rikers Island for bilking relief organizations out of $78,000 and trying to scam them out of hundreds of thousands dollars more. (New York Post )

Statue of Liberty Will Reopen To Public - Mar 26, 2004
You can almost see the twinkle in the lady's eye. Federal officials revealed yesterday that the Statue of Liberty, which has been shuttered for more than two years, is about to reopen to the public. (New York Daily News)

New Process to Guide Historical Preservation at Ground Zero - Mar 26, 2004
Criticized by preservationists and victims' relatives for indifference to the physical remnants of the World Trade Center, the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation proposed yesterday to create a review procedure that would guide the treatment of historical elements at the site for 10 years. The corporation's proposal would open future decisions about structural remains to review by preservationists, civic groups, architectural and planning organizations and relatives' representatives. Those remains include column footings from the twin towers, the foundation wall, smoke-scarred ruins of the underground parking garage, the tubes and terminal of the Hudson & Manhattan Railroad and a stairway leading to the vanished plaza. (New York Times)

Environmental Protection Agency Report: Apartment Clean-up Downtown Was Successful - Mar 26, 2004
A report by the federal Environmental Protection Agency shows that the agency's efforts to clean up thousands of apartments in Lower Manhattan after the World Trade Center attack were successful in removing asbestos and other harmful materials. But a critic of the program said the report, released yesterday, confirmed nothing more than the inadequacies of the cleanup and the need for further testing. (New York Times)

Rice Will Meet With 9/11 Commission Again - Mar 26, 2004
Under mounting pressure from Democrats about its response to the investigation into the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, the White House offered Thursday to have Condoleezza Rice, the national security adviser, answer more questions from the Sept. 11 panel. At the same time, President Bush forcefully denied accusations that he had ignored the severity of the threat from Al Qaeda. (New York Times)

Profile Of 9/11 Commission - Mar 25, 2004
The bi-partisan commission established by the US Congress to investigate the attacks of 11 September 2001 has received scant public attention outside Washington. But, with recent allegations by former anti-terror aide Richard Clarke that the Bush administration has done a "terrible job" in confronting terrorism, the panel has been thrust into the limelight. High-profile figures from the Clinton and Bush administrations have been testifying on how they confronted terror threats. (BBC News)

Richard Clarke:Terrorism Was Not Urgent For Bush - Mar 25, 2004
Former top counterterrorism adviser Richard A. Clarke told a special commission today that the Bush administration initially did not treat terrorism as "an urgent issue" and sidetracked his proposals to deal with the threat more aggressively. Clarke, appearing before the bipartisan commission investigating the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, also criticized the FBI's performance in assessing domestic threats from the al Qaeda terrorist network before the attacks and called for the creation of a new domestic intelligence agency. (Washington Post )

City Wonders Whether It Will Ever Get Promised 9/11 Insurance Funds - Mar 25, 2004
A long-running legal stalemate between New York City and federal emergency authorities surfaced at a congressional hearing Wednesday, as New York officials questioned when a promised $1 billion insurance fund will be established. City officials have been frustrated by the yearlong talks with the Federal Emergency Management Agency over the agency's position that the city may have to pay $350 million in legal claims brought by workers at ground zero before the government steps in to pick up the rest. (Newsday )

Red Cross Extends 9/11 Health Insurance Program - Mar 25, 2004
The American Red Cross is extending its health insurance program for survivors of those who died in the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and people who were hurt. As part of its national Sept. 11 Recovery Program, the Red Cross will pay their health insurance premiums for two years instead of the current 12 months. (Newsday )

Metropolitan Transportation Authority Lags On Security Measures - Mar 25, 2004
Improvements to two of the MTA's biggest security concerns Ă‘ lighting and emergency radio communication in subway tunnels Ă‘ are behind schedule due to unexpected problems, officials said Wednesday. Both issues have surfaced recently as NYC Transit focuses on its counter-terrorism preparedness and evacuation procedures. (Newsday)

Suveillence Cameras Planned For Buses, Subways - Mar 25, 2004
Transportation officials are considering putting surveillance cameras in buses and subways, the Daily News has learned. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which has been boosting security since the terror attacks, has been in discussions with a French-based company that is outfitting Paris-area buses with surveillance equipment, sources said. (New York Daily News)

Designers Struggle To Avoid Windswept Plaza Of World Trade Center - Mar 25, 2004
Austin J. Tobin Plaza was the official name of the vast open space at the World Trade Center. But most New Yorkers knew it as the Barren Windswept Plaza. There is a chance they will recognize its successor, too, just by the gusts. "Typically, pedestrian-level wind conditions will be in the comfortable range," the draft environmental impact statement said about the planned World Trade Center redevelopment. "However, during some limited time periods, uncomfortable conditions may occur and activities like sitting, standing and walking may be impeded." (New York Times)

For Four Mothers Of 9/11 Victims, Hearing Leaves Questions Unanswered - Mar 24, 2004
Four moms from New Jersey, the World Trade Center widows whose tireless advocacy produced the broad investigation into the failures around the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, had high hopes for this weekÕs hearings, which are focused on policy failures. Instead, packed into the car at 4 a.m. in what has become a ritual for them, their hearts were heavy. The Four Moms had submitted dozens of questions they have been burning to ask at these hearings. Mr. Rumsfeld is a particular thorn in their sides. (New York Observer)

9/11 Commission: Bush, Clinton Adminstrations Both Failed on Terror - Mar 24, 2004
Both the Bush and Clinton administrations missed diplomatic and military opportunities to capture or kill Osama bin Laden before Sept. 11, 2001, according to reports yesterday by a federally appointed commission investigating the attacks. (Newsday )

Silverstein Testifies in Insurance Trial - Mar 24, 2004
Just a day or two after the Twin Towers fell on 9/11, a friend warned World Trade Center landlord Larry Silverstein that he "was facing a major insurance] problem," the developer told a jury yesterday. After six weeks of testimony from witnesses for 13 insurance companies fighting over the size of his WTC payout, a subdued Silverstein took the stand for 24 minutes in his $7 billion lawsuit against the insurers. Silverstein said he started to focus on the insurance ramifications of the disaster on Sept. 12 or Sept. 13. (New York Post)

9/11 Families Criticize Staten Island Memorial - Mar 24, 2004
Many unhappy families of World Trade Center victims are refusing to articipate in Staten Island's 9/11 memorial after hearing that some preliminary sketches of the victims don't look like their loved ones. The $2 million waterfront memorial, entitled "Postcards," will be covered with 9-by-11-inch tablets featuring facial profiles of Staten Island's 268 victims etched in granite. To create the initial paper and pencil sketches, families have been asked to submit pictures of the victims by April 1. But about 15 families have said the sketches are inaccurate or unflattering, said Dennis McKeon, who runs St. Clare's WTC Outreach Committee, a group that includes most Staten Island victims' families. (New York Post)

Answering Republican Criticism, Silver Proposes Anti-Terrorism Plan - Mar 24, 2004
A week ago, Gov. George E. Pataki and a chorus of Republican leaders accused the Democratic State Assembly of endangering the welfare of all New Yorkers by failing to act on a set of antiterrorism laws they have been pushing for two years. On Tuesday, Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver shot back, proposing his own wide-ranging set of laws that he said would combat terrorism by doing everything from cracking down on money laundering to tightening gun laws. (New York Times)

At 9/11 Commission Hearing, Terrorism Transcends Politics - Mar 24, 2004
Yes, election-year politics crackled in the air. Yes, Republican members of the 9/11 Commission prodded and scolded Bill Clinton's cabinet members, and Democrats did the same to President Bush's. But the secretaries themselves often agreed with one other, regardless of party, and their public presence was a powerful sign that terrorism transcends politics Ă‘ and that blame abounds for failing to fully face the threat in time. (New York Times)

Mayor Meets With Senate Majority Leader To Discuss Security - Mar 23, 2004
Mayor Bloomberg had an unannounced private meeting with Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist at City Hall yesterday to talk about homeland-security funding and the upcoming Republican National Convention. The hush-hush get-together comes as some observers claim the Republican mayor seeks to distance himself from his party as he plans his re-election campaign in the heavily Democratic city. Ed Skyler, the mayor's press secretary, said of the half-hour meeting, "They discussed federal aid for New York City, homeland-security funds, preparations for the Republican National Convention and transportation issues." (New York Post)

Killing Of Hamas Leader Has New Yorkers Worried About Security - Mar 23, 2004
The NYPD stepped up security across the city yesterday as members of the Hamas terrorist group vowed revenge for the killing of its founder by Israel, Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said. NYPD patrol cars were outside mosques and synagogues, and security was visibly increased at the UN and in front of the Israeli Consulate. (New York Daily News)

Silverstein Avoids Contempt of Court Charge - Mar 23, 2004
The developer Larry A. Silverstein narrowly escaped a civil contempt charge yesterday in the seventh week of a trial pitting him against his insurers for billions of dollars he seeks to rebuild the World Trade Center. (New York Times)

Downtown Residents Approve Of Rebuilding, Distrust Environmental Protection Agency - Mar 22, 2004
Things are looking up Downtown, according to a new poll of Downtown residents, but the distrust of the Environmental Protection Agency has climbed to 72 percent. (Downtown Express)

Rebuilding Funds Going To Organizations Run By Lower Manhattan Development Corporation Board - Mar 22, 2004
The Lower Manhattan Development Corporation board has handed out at least $19.6 million in the past year to organizations run by LMDC board members Ñ raising questions about the federally funded corporationÕs ethics and priorities. When former New York Stock Exchange CEO Richard Grasso was on the LMDC board, the corporation gave the stock exchange about $10 million to get rid of its jersey barriers and put up attractive security systems, like the iron gates Governor Pataki and Mayor Bloomberg unveiled this winter. In July, the LMDC board voted to give $4 million to the Alliance for Downtown New York for Òstreetscape improvementsÓ from Battery Park up to City Hall Park. Carl Weisbrod, an LMDC board member, runs the Downtown Alliance. (New York Sun)

Unprecedented Security Measures on Subways - Mar 22, 2004
In the wake of the commuter train bombings in Madrid that claimed 202 lives, the NYPD has mounted an unprecedented security effort in the city's subway system in the hopes of thwarting a massive terror attack here. (New York Post)

Taking Souvenirs From Ground Zero Common Practice For FBI Agents - Mar 21, 2004
Everbody does it. That's the response Jane Turner got when she told federal investigators that a fellow FBI agent had stolen a Tiffany globe found at the World Trade Center after the Sept. 11 terror attacks. (New York Post )

9/11 Families Sickened Over Ground Zero Souvenirs - Mar 21, 2004
Families of 9/11 victims are sickened that their loved ones' belongings and other Ground Zero remains may now be strangers' trophies. (New York Post )

Disagreement Over How To Spend $1.2 Billion In Federal Rebuilding Funds - Mar 21, 2004
here is only $1,163,955,348.58 left. Though that sounds like a lot, it is not enough to cover the many claims on the federal grants for rebuilding Lower Manhattan. These competing claims expose something of a divide between the established downtown, an unalloyed business hub, and the emerging downtown, with its residential overlay. It is not that businesses and residents disagree on the broad goal of creating a lively mixed-use area. But they may struggle over the spending needed to get there. (New York Times)

Clinton Officials To Tell 9/11 Panel That They Warned Bush Of Terror Threat - Mar 20, 2004
Senior Clinton administration officials called to testify next week before the independent commission investigating the Sept. 11 attacks say they are prepared to detail how they repeatedly warned their Bush administration counterparts in late 2000 that Al Qaeda posed the worst security threat facing the nation Ă‘ and how the new administration was slow to act. (New York Times)

Judge Bans Silverstein From Insurance Trials - Mar 19, 2004
A Manhatan Federal Court judge barred World Trade Center leaseholder Larry Silverstein from being a spectator at his $7 billion insurance trial after the developer violated a gag order. Chief Judge Michael Mukasey said he was holding Silverstein in civil contempt for conducting a news conference Monday. (New York Daily News)

Council Says Metropolitan Transportation Authority Is Wasting Terror Funds - Mar 19, 2004
With the train bombings in Madrid fresh in their minds, City Council members grilled city transportation officials yesterday over why they have not put nearly $600 million in federal anti-terror funds to use. Metropolitan Transportation Authority bosses appeared at a City Council budget hearing yesterday, but offered little information about what the agency plans to do with $591 million it received from the feds last summer. (New York Daily News)

Federal Hall, Damaged On 9/11, Is Rehabilitated - Mar 18, 2004
Federal Hall, a 162-year-old Greek Revival landmark at Wall and Broad Streets, is undergoing repairs. Last summer, a dangerously undermined corner was shored up. Later this year, two other corners and part of the east wall will be shored up. Cracks will be stabilized and patched. And a new heating, ventilating and air-conditioning system will be installed. The $16 million rehabilitation can be traced directly to the attack on New York. (New York Times)

New Yorkers Happy With Rebuilding Process, Poll Finds - Mar 18, 2004
People who live in Lower Manhattan appear to approve of the direction rebuilding plans are taking there, according to a new poll released Wednesday. (New York 1)

Agencies Clashed Over Terror Drill - Mar 18, 2004
When the city's Office of Emergency Management was scouting a location to test response to an attack with a weapon of mass destruction, it first settled on Penn Station. But the various sides, who in a real emergency would be expected to work together to save lives, couldn't agree on how to carry out the drill without disrupting riders and commerce. (Newsday)

Anti-Terror Money For Metrpolitan Transportation Authority Goes Unspent - Mar 18, 2004
The MTA has not spent any of the nearly $600 million in counter-terrorism funds that it received nine months ago, officials acknowledged Wednesday, explaining that building security projects takes time. (Newsday)

Senators Tell FBI Director To Return Ground Zero Souvenir - Mar 18, 2004
Four senators are calling on the FBI to return a Tiffany globe lifted from Ground Zero to the mother of the 9/11 victim it belonged to, The Post has learned. The letter, to be sent today to Attorney General John Ashcroft and FBI Director John Mueller, also demands the return of "every other souvenir that FBI agents took from the rubble of Ground Zero," officials said. (New York Post)

Design Approved For 1993 Trade Center Memorial - Mar 17, 2004
A design for a temporary memorial to the six victims killed in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing will include a piece of the original memorial destroyed in the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, authorities said. The Port Authority received final approval for the design last week from victims' relatives, PA spokesman Steve Coleman said yesterday. (New York Post)

Silverstein Faces Contempt Of Court Charge In Insurance Trial - Mar 17, 2004
World Trade Center developer Larry Silverstein's big mouth has landed him in hot water with the federal judge who's overseeing his $7 billion insurance lawsuit. Judge Michael Mukasey will hold a contempt-of-court hearing tomorrow to see if comments the real-estate honcho made about the case broke a gag order barring him from talking to the press. (New York Post)

Police Extend Stay In Spain - Mar 17, 2004
New York's anti-terrorism detectives dispatched to Spain after the fatal train bombings last week will stay there as long as necessary, Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said yesterday. (New York Daily News)

Raw Confrontation In Albany Over Terror Bill - Mar 17, 2004
Against the backdrop of the terrorist bombings in Madrid, which Governor Pataki and Senate Republicans seized on as evidence that New York remains at risk, the emotional exchange showed how even two and a half years after the World Trade Center was destroyed, the issue can trigger a welter of strong feelings and tricky political equations. While Mr. Pataki has made the new terrorism laws, which were passed by the Senate on Tuesday, a priority of his administration, similar legislation was passed by the Senate last year only to die in the Assembly. The bills deal with everything from cyberterrorism to money laundering to safeguarding crops. This year, both because it is an election year for the lawmakers and because events overseas may serve as a reminder of the terrorist threat, Republicans are hoping the dynamic is different. (New York Times)

Calls For More In-Depth Analysis In Responses To Environmental Impact Statement - Mar 17, 2004
It is hard to imagine a 2,000-page document missing anything. But critical comments on the draft environmental impact statement for the World Trade Center rebuilding project generally fault it more for what it does not say than for what it does. The comments, which were due Monday but kept trickling in yesterday to the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation, urged officials to assess more carefully and comprehensively the cumulative effects of several big projects - the office towers and memorial, the PATH terminal, the Fulton Street Transit Center and the reconstruction of West Street-Route 9A - that have been separated for public review. (New York Times)

Bush Aides To Testify At 9/11 Panel Next Week - Mar 17, 2004
Senior officials of the Bush and Clinton administrations will testify next week before the independent commission investigating the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks and they will be asked to explain their decisions on terrorist threats and "how they handled the most pressing security threat to our country," the panel said Tuesday. (New York Times)

Whistle-Blower Group Wants Rumsfeld Investigated For Taking Ground Zero Souvenirs - Mar 16, 2004
Law enforcement agencies should investigate Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and FBI agents for possessing mementos from the World Trade Center and other sites of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, a group of attorneys said Monday. (Associated Press)

After 9/11 Charity Draws Fire, Mayor Cautions New Yorkers Think Before Donating - Mar 16, 2004
Amid questions of a Sept. 11 charity's philanthropy, Mayor Bloomberg cautioned the public yesterday to do its homework before making donations. (New York Daily News )

Money From One 9/11 Charity Going To Its Lawyer -- Not Needy - Mar 15, 2004
A lawyer for the charity created by the three firefighters in the iconic flag-raising photograph at Ground Zero has reaped more than $500,000 in legal fees while the charity has given just $73,000 to the needy, the Daily News has learned. (New York Daily News)

Terror Drill At Shea Stadium Provides Training - Mar 15, 2004
ith the specter of coordinated terrorist bombings on railroads in Madrid looming in the background, New York City staged one of the largest mock terrorist attacks in the nation at Shea Stadium yesterday morning. The drill began at 11 a.m., when the city's Office of Emergency Management detonated an unspecified type of fake weapon of mass destruction inside the stadium. Soon after, fire trucks and ambulances straggled through gridlock in the parking lot toward the stadium, while rescuers inside coped with fake rubble and terrorist suspects as they rushed mock victims to safety. (New York Times)

New York Gives Politicians Lessons on Mixing 9/11 And Politics - Mar 15, 2004
The nation is on the threshold of a long and potentially nasty contest for the White House and for the first time it is being forced to consider 9/11 in purely political terms, terms the Republicans would like to frame around the notions of leadership and security, and the Democrats around exploitation and outrage. But while this is all new and raw on the national stage, it is a dynamic that has played out in New York - especially during the governor's race in 2002 - and continues to influence the thrust and parry of local politics at the highest levels. In that regard, New York's experience provides insight into the benefits and pitfalls Democrats and Republicans risk as they continue to play the Sept. 11 card in this year's contest for the presidency. (New York Times)

Artists Struggling After 9/11, Survey Finds - Mar 15, 2004
They are, to a large extent, the same worries that have always been voiced by New York City artists: the rents are too high, the pay is too low, and if things don't get better soon, I'm going to have to go. But according to a new survey released last week, those problems have only grown in the two and a half years since the 2001 terrorist attack on the World Trade Center. (New York Times)

Downtown Street Corner To Be Named After Two Brothers Who Died on 9/11 - Mar 14, 2004
In a reversal of its earlier position on naming streets after 9/11 victims, a Community Board 1 committee voted to co-name the northeast corner of Beach St. for two Tribeca brothers who died in the collapse of the World Trade Center. Mark and Stephen Colaio, third-generation Downtowners, worked together at Cantor Fitzgerald and lived close to one another in Tribeca. Their sister, Jean Colaio Steinbach, and MarkÕs wife, June, appeared before the board on March 4 to request that a street corner where Mark lived at 260 W. Broadway be co-named ÒColaio Way.Ó (Downtown Express)

Ground Zero Architect, Memorial Juror To Discuss "Building Memory" At Jewish Museum - Mar 14, 2004
ÒRemember, never forget.Ó The words on the wall of New YorkÕs Museum of Jewish Heritage in Lower Manhattan will come to life this month when the museum hosts a half-day symposium exploring how Holocaust memories are preserved and passed down from generation to generation. The symposium will feature three separate panels. Daniel Libeskind and James Young will discuss building and rebuilding memory in the symposiumÕs closing session at 4 p.m. Libeskind, the son of Holocaust survivors, designed the master site plan for the World Trade Center and Young, a Holocaust scholar, was one of 13 members of the jury that evaluated entries in the World Trade Center site memorial competition. (Downtown Express)

Schumer Calls For Tighter Security On Trains - Mar 14, 2004
The Madrid train bombings should serve as a wake-up call to protect the subway and American railways from terrorist attacks, Sen. Charles Schumer said Sunday. Standing on the uptown platform of the No. 6 train at 33rd Street, Schumer called on the federal government to speed up development of bomb-detecting sensors for subway and rail stations. (Newsday)

Building The Freedom Tower on Site Full of Fear - Mar 14, 2004
ight now, the designers of the Freedom Tower are struggling to master three colossal forces that are at work in the stark, empty sky above the World Trade Center site: gravity, wind and, perhaps most formidably, fear. Any architect or engineer who works on a tall structure is morally and professionally obligated to become something of a safety obsessive. The steel and concrete of every Manhattan skyscraper has to resist hurricane-force winds, for example, as well as the downward pull of the Earth. But only the Freedom Tower will rise over a patch of ground that is forever shaken with the terror and paranoia of the worst building catastrophe in the history of the planet. (New York Times)

Officials Tell New Yorkers To Stay Calm After Madrid Attacks - Mar 13, 2004
A day after nearly 200 people were killed in a horrific train bombing in Madrid, Gov. Pataki reassured jittery New Yorkers yesterday that they were safe from terrorism. "Go about your lives just as if it were prior to Sept. 11," Pataki said at a hastily arranged press conference at Grand Central Terminal. Hours earlier, Metropolitan Transportation Authority Chairman Peter Kalikow had ridden with subway riders cheek by jowl, inspecting the heightened security measures put in place after the Madrid attack. (New York Daily News)

Security Remains High On Trains, As Police Team Gathers Information In Spain - Mar 13, 2004
For the second straight day, the police maintained a heightened presence in the New York City region's subways, commuter railroads and transit hubs. Meanwhile, New York police officials sent representatives to Madrid to learn about the attacks. The team will be looking for clues on a variety of issues, including where the explosive devices were placed and how they were detonated, he said. The information will be put into training materials and new programs as quickly as possible, he said. (New York Times)

Mayor Defends Bush's Ads -- And Kerry's - Mar 13, 2004
Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg refused to be drawn into the partisan politics of the looming presidential race yesterday, jumping in to defend first President Bush and then his main Democratic rival, Senator John Kerry, on his weekly radio show. Mayor Bloomberg was asked by the radio show's host, John Gambling, about the Bush campaign ads focusing on the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. The mayor, a Democrat who switched to the Republican Party to run for office, responded by saying that he supported the campaign strategies of both candidates, even though the question was about only one of them. (New York Times)

Rumsfeld, High FBI Officials, Took Souvenirs From Ground Zero - Mar 13, 2004
The removal of souvenir debris from the scenes of the Sept. 11 attacks reached the highest levels of government, including Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld and FBI Director Robert Mueller's chief of anti-terrorism, a Justice Department investigation has found. The practice was so widespread inside the FBI that it even forced prosecutors in Minnesota to drop plans to prosecute a company that had taken a fire truck door from the World Trade Center, according to a still-confidential report obtained by The Associated Press. (Associated Press)

Madrid Bombings Cause Concerns About US Train Security - Mar 13, 2004
In the hours after the attacks, officials busily moved to put more bomb-detection teams, electronic devices and other measures in place from Washington to New York to Seattle. Transportation experts said, however, that the Madrid bombings underscored the fact that rail security had lagged woefully behind aviation improvements since the 9/11 attacks. And Democrats in Congress quickly proposed a $500 million commitment for rail security to help narrow the gap. Federal officials were most concerned about subway and train systems in and around New York City, Washington and other major Eastern cities. (New York Times)

Tribeca Film Festival Receives $3 Million Pledge From Lower Manhattan Development Corporation - Mar 12, 2004
The Lower Manhattan Development Corporation Thursday announced a two-year, $3 million commitment to the Tribeca Film Festival, which was the first major event to be held in Lower Manhattan after the September 11th attacks and has attracted hundred-of-thousands of visitors and millions of dollars in revenue to the downtown area since it debuted in 2002. (Newsday)

City Cops Head To Madrid After Bombing - Mar 12, 2004
The subway bomb massacre yesterday in Madrid prompted new precautions in New York, as police heightened patrols on subways and commuter lines and sent intelligence officers to Spain. Two NYPD officers, one with an Interpol background, were to arrive in Madrid "for information gathering," said one official. (Newsday)

New York Drops Out Of Anti-Terrorism Database - Mar 12, 2004
New York has dropped out of a multistate crime database program that civil-liberties groups have criticized as an invasion of privacy, state officials said yesterday. Questions over federal funding for the Matrix database and its potential benefits led state officials to withdraw from the program, said Lynn Rasic, a spokeswoman for the state Office of Public Security. State officials had also previously cited privacy issues as a concern. (New York Post)

President Dedicates Long Island 9/11 Memorial - Mar 12, 2004
President Bush wept with 9/11 families yesterday as he helped break ground on Long Island for a memorial to honor those killed in the Twin Tower attacks. Anti-Bush protesters marched outside Eisenhower Park in East Meadow, but the flap over the brief shots of Ground Zero in Bush's recent TV ads seemed far away as hundreds of family members lined up, each with a single white rose pinned to a lapel. (New York Post)

Subway Security Up After Madrid Bombing - Mar 12, 2004
Hours after deadly terrorist bombings at Madrid's train stations, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg said yesterday that police and transportation officials had taken steps to increase security in New York's subways. (New York Times)

Judge Dismisses Lawsuit Claiming That Firefighters Had Faulty Radios On 9/11 - Mar 11, 2004
A judge dismissed a lawsuit yesterday that alleged firefighters who responded to the World Trade Center on 9/11 were equipped with faulty radios. (New York Daily News)

Buildings For Ground Zero Now Planned To Be Shorter Than Originally Intended - Mar 11, 2004
As plans for ground zero assume their final form, it is more apparent than ever that what New York will get - at least in the near future - is a far cry from the renderings by Studio Daniel Libeskind that captivated and puzzled the public a year ago. (New York Times)

Class Action Suit Filed Against Environmental Protection Agency For Misleading Post-9/11 Statements - Mar 10, 2004
Residents and workers in lower Manhattan and Brooklyn sued the Environmental Protection Agency on Wednesday, saying the agency improperly let thousands of people return to their homes and businesses after the World Trade Center collapsed. The lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Manhattan accused the agency of making misleading statements about air quality after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. (Associated Press)

Asthma Linked to Ground Zero - Mar 10, 2004
Children with asthma who lived within five miles of the World Trade Center had more severe illness after the Sept. 11 terrorist attack, seeing the doctor more often and taking more medication the year after the attack than the year before, researchers found. There were no significant differences in care for asthmatic children farther away. (Newsday)

GOP Head "Insults" 9/11 Families Who Oppose Bush's 9/11 Ads - Mar 10, 2004
The head of the Republican Party angered 9/11 families again yesterday by saying only a "small segment ... who are very anti-war" objected to President Bush's use of Ground Zero scenes in his reelection ads. The father of one 9/11 victim called the comment "insulting." (New York Daily News)

Bush Agrees To Answer All 9/11 Commission's Questions - Mar 10, 2004
The White House said Tuesday that President Bush would privately answer all questions raised by the federal commission investigating the Sept. 11 attacks and suggested that the interview might go beyond the one-hour limit originally offered to the panel. (New York Times)

White House Vs. 9/11 Commission - Mar 09, 2004
Ever since first opposing the 9/11 commission's formation, the Bush administration has clashed with the 10-member bipartisan panel over a range of access issues, including aviation records and presidential intelligence briefings. (Washington Post )

Brothers Become Firefighters To Honor Friend Killed On 9/11 - Mar 09, 2004
Brothers Salvatore and Randy Ranieri grew up admiring their friend Kenny Watson, a firefighter who died Sept. 11. And yesterday, they made good on their vow to honor his memory when they became the newest members of New York's Bravest. (New York Post)

Brooklyn Unveils 9/11 Memorial - Mar 09, 2004
It'll be a tribute in light and a warning in bronze. The winning design for Brooklyn's official Sept. 11 memorial, unveiled yesterday, is a 25-foot-tall pillar that was inspired by the trumpets blown by turn-of-the-century firefighters as they rushed to burning buildings. A spotlight on top will shine every night from 9 to 11 p.m. (New York Post)

Passengers Tried To Stop Plane From Crashing Into Towers - Mar 09, 2004
The widow of a Gulf War veteran aboard doomed United Airline Flight 175 revealed for the first time yesterday that passengers tried to stop hijackers from crashing the plane into one of the Trade Center towers. (New York Daily News)

Downtowners React To Law Banning Vendors From Ground Zero - Mar 08, 2004
Downtowners on both sides of the selling tables had strong reactions to the ground zero vending ban approved by lawmakers on Monday, March 1. (Downtown Express)

Senator Clinton, Environmental Protection Agency, Announce Panel To Examine 9/11 Response - Mar 08, 2004
A panel of government and independent experts will review the Environmental Protection AgencyÕs response to the World Trade Center disaster in an attempt to bolster public confidence in the cleanup process, officials announced on Monday, March 1. (Downtown Express)

Brooklyn's 9/11 Memorial To Be Unveiled Today - Mar 08, 2004
The winning design for Brooklyn's official Sept. 11 memorial will do more than honor the hundreds of residents who died on that awful day - it will provide a spiritual connection to one of America's greatest triumphs. Artist Robert Ressler's winning design will be forged at the same Greenpoint foundry that produced the famous statue in Arlington, Va., of six Marines planting the American flag at Iwo Jima. Ressler's design will be unveiled this morning at the 69th Street Pier in Bay Ridge, where it will be installed this summer. The group backing the memorial still must raise $35,000 to maintain it. Checks can be sent to: Brooklyn Remembers, 9201 4th Ave., Brooklyn, NY 11209. (New York Post)

Group of 9/11 Families Issue Letter Supporting Bush's Ads - Mar 07, 2004
More than a dozen families who lost relatives in the Sept. 11 attacks released an "Open Letter to America" Saturday declaring their support for President Bush and his use of images of the destroyed World Trade Center in campaign ads. (Associated Press)

Bush Defends Ground Zero Scene In First Public Comments About Controversial Ads - Mar 07, 2004
In his first direct comments on the advertisements with Sept. 11 images, President Bush showed no sign of backing down. The White House has been embroiled all week in criticism from families of some victims of the attacks, as well from Mr. Kerry and his allies, that the commercials have crassly politicized a tragedy. (New York Times)

Responses To Calatrava's Proposed Tower Downtown - Mar 06, 2004
Architect Santiago Calatrava, who wowed many Downtowners with his design for the World Trade Center train station when it was unveiled in January, may be on his way to doing the same with his proposed 835-foot slender tower design in the Seaport announced on Wednesday. The residential design described as Òtownhouses in the skyÓ received favorable reviews from some local residents who have opposed other large-scale projects in the neighborhood. (Downtown Express)

Advocates Ask That Federal Money Be Used For Housing, Jobs - Mar 06, 2004
Community members rallied at the headquarters of the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation on Feb. 27, urging the corporation to direct some of its remaining $1.2 billion towards jobs and affordable housing. (Downtown Express)

Mayor Declines To Criticize Ground Zero Ads - Mar 06, 2004
Walking a fine political line, Mayor Michael Bloomberg refused Friday to criticize political ads being aired by President George W. Bush, a fellow Republican, that some Bush critics said was creating political capital out of 9/11. (Newsday)

Pataki Signs Law Banning Vendors From Ground Zero - Mar 06, 2004
Gov. Pataki yesterday signed into law legislation reinstating restrictions on peddlers in Midtown Manhattan while also barring vendors from around Ground Zero. The law takes effect immediately. (New York Post)

Owners Of Flag Planted At Ground Zero Sue City For Losing It - Mar 06, 2004
The owners of the flag that was planted in the rubble of Ground Zero claim the city has lost it and are suing for more than $500,000 (New York Daily News)

Opinions Vary On Which Parts Of Ground Zero Are Historic - Mar 06, 2004
A debate with few precedents in American historic preservation - what are the meaningful physical remnants of a place that was all but destroyed? - has turned into a confrontation between preservationists and state officials. Yesterday, the National Trust for Historic Preservation called on the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation to let the keeper of the National Register of Historic Places determine which remnants of the World Trade Center deserved heightened scrutiny; for example, the severed cast-iron PATH tubes or the smoke-scarred ruins of an underground parking garage. (New York Times)

Green In Lower Manhattan: An Interview With Architect Bruce Fowle - Mar 05, 2004
MetropolisMag editor Julie Taraska spoke with architect Bruce Fowle about Ground ZeroÕs environmental opportunities: the chance to readdress the siteÕs density, to explore renewable power sources, and to utilize green roofs. The discussion occurred in January 2004, days before the LMDC released its Draft Generic Environmental Impact Statement (DGEIS) for the WTC Memorial and Redevelopment Plan. (Metropolis Magazine)

Bush Campaign Will Use Giuliani To State Its Case On 9/11 - Mar 05, 2004
Former Mayor Rudolph Giuliani will be used by the Bush campaign to get its side across in the national debate over the Sept. 11 attacks, top White House advisers said. (New York Post)

New Design Guidelines For Ground Zero Are Less Restrictive - Mar 05, 2004
A confidential draft of the new desing guidelines for buildings at Ground Zero, obtained yesterday by the Daily News, shows guidelines for building heights and construction materials that are less restrictive than an earlier version. (New York Daily News)

Ground Zero Photo Used To Promote Credit Card - Mar 05, 2004
A photograph that became an enduring symbol of patriotism and firefighter resolve at Ground Zero is being used to promote a credit card. (New York Daily News)

New Design Guidelines For Ground Zero - Mar 05, 2004
Building setbacks, the proportion of towers to their bases, the angle of the rooftops, facade materials, paving and landscaping, the width of sidewalks, even the color and typography of signs - are all covered by the proposed design guidelines for Ground Zero. However, the current draft still leaves open the significant question of who would administer the rules over the many years it may take to complete the reconstruction. (New York Times)

4 Finalists Picked In Competition To DesignHoboken's 9/11 Memorial - Mar 05, 2004
On Thursday, the Hoboken Sept. 11 Memorial Fund, which the mayor organized three months after the attack, announced that four designs had been selected as finalists in the competition for a memorial. A final design for a memorial that will be erected at Pier A Park along the waterfront will be chosen by May, Mayor David Roberts said. (New York Times)

- Mar 05, 2004
On Thursday, the Hoboken Sept. 11 Memorial Fund, which the mayor organized three months after the attack, announced that four designs had been selected as finalists in the competition for a memorial. A final design for a memorial that will be erected at Pier A Park along the waterfront will be chosen by May, Mayor David Roberts said. (New York Times)

Veil Removed From Historic Skyscraper Next To Ground Zero, Revealing Wounds - Mar 05, 2004
Veiled in its 23-story shroud and braced in scaffolding for more than two years, the cherished little skyscraper at 90 West Street has been a building in mourning. To those living and working near ground zero, it has been a grimly persistent reminder of the terrorist assault on the World Trade Center. Now the cloak is gone. The scaffolding is down. And while the horrific wounds on its northern facade are finally - and shockingly - visible, Joachim Fiebich, a construction supervisor at the site, said that "it is as if 90 West has come back to life.'' (New York Times)

Bush Campaign Defends Ground Zero Ads - Mar 04, 2004
The Bush re-election campaign and the White House stepped up today their defense of three new advertisements that use images of the smoldering remains of the World Trade Center, arguing that the device is appropriate in an election campaign that will be waged, in part, on the candidates' abilities to fight the war on terror. (New York Times)

Bush Television Ads Feature Ground Zero -- Angering Families Of Victims - Mar 04, 2004
The Bush reelection campaign yesterday unveiled its first three campaign commercials showcasing Ground Zero images, angering some 9/11 families who accused President Bush of exploiting the tragedy for political advantage. (New York Daily News)

Arad Demands Full Control Of Memorial, Creating Tension With Officials - Mar 04, 2004
Ground Zero memorial designer Michael Arad is pushing to gain total control of the projectÕs $350 million budget, as well as the power to personally hire construction and engineering firms, determine the treatment of the western slurry wall that was a feature of architect Daniel LibeskindÕs plan for the site, and make all long-term scheduling decisions, according to several sources close to the rebuilding effort. (New York Observer)

Plan For Underground Walkways Downtown Sparking Debate - Mar 04, 2004
Seduced by the distinctive architecture planned around the World Trade Center site, it is easy to forget that one of the most important transformations of Lower Manhattan will be almost invisible, at least from the street. A series of passageways being planned, including underground concourses, would permit pedestrians to make a sheltered journey, uninterrupted by traffic, from Vesey Street and North End Avenue in Battery Park City to Broadway and John Street. (New York Times)

Two New Documentary Films Look Back On 9/11 - Mar 04, 2004
In the two and a half years since they occurred, the events of Sept. 11, 2001, have become so enmeshed in politics, speculation and debate that in looking back one can be distracted from the trauma of the terrorist attacks themselves. Two documentaries, "Collateral Damages" and "The First 24 Hours," both by Ć’tienne Sauret, return to the primal events. (New York Times)

Long A Dream, Skyscraper Museum Will Become A Reality - Mar 03, 2004
For most people skyscrapers are just part of the visual furniture that makes New York New York. For Carol Willis, they are infinitely more: "the most important contribution of American culture to the history of architecture," she says. It seemed obvious to her that there ought to be a museum about them. And on April 2, due to efforts, there will be. (New York Times)

Refusing White House Conditions, 9/11 Commission Calls For Bush, Cheney To Testify In Public - Mar 03, 2004
The independent commission investigating the Sept. 11 attacks is refusing to accept strict conditions from the White House for interviews with President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney and is renewing its request that Mr. Bush's national security adviser testify in public, commission members said Tuesday. (New York Times)

Reluctantly, Jury Convicts Firefighter Of Removing Items From Ground Zero - Mar 03, 2004
It wasn't exactly a scene out of "Twelve Angry Men" - a juror put his arm around a former firefighter and apologized to him yesterday minutes after he helped convict him of filching personal items from the smoldering ruins of the World Trade Center. (New York Post)

Arad: Dispute Over Control Threatens Memorial - Mar 03, 2004
Ground Zero memorial designer Michael Arad has warned development officials in a letter that an escalating dispute over how to run the $350 million project could "prevent" his design from being built, sources told The Post. (New York Post)

Calatrava Designs Residential Tower For Lower Manhattan - Mar 03, 2004
resh from causing a sensation with his avian design for the World Trade Center transportation hub, the architect and artist Santiago Calatrava is ready to make a second startling mark on the Lower Manhattan skyline with a residential tower unlike any New York has ever seen. It would take the form of an offset stack of 45-foot glass cubes, a dozen in all, each intended to house only one or two families. (New York Times)

Firefighter Says Items He Took From Ground Zero Were 'Garbage' - Mar 02, 2004
A retired fireman accused of stealing "souvenirs" while working at Ground Zero told a Manhattan jury yesterday that the items were all "garbage" - even the ID cards of two World Trade Center workers who died in the tragedy. (New York Post)

Vendors Banned From Streets Near Ground Zero - Mar 02, 2004
Legislators voted yesterday to limit the number of vendors who can hawk their wares on crowded Manhattan sidewalks, and to ban street sales near Ground Zero. (New York Daily News)

Breaking Silence, City Planning Commission Weighs In On Trade Center Site Plan - Mar 02, 2004
Breaking its conspicuous public silence on the World Trade Center redevelopment plan, the City Planning Department called yesterday for many changes that would open more of the streets, sidewalks and public spaces on the site. (New York Times)



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