August 2004

Procession of Convention Speakers Evoke 9/11 - Aug 31, 2004
The Republican Party opened its convention yesterday with a searing evocation of the Sept. 11 attacks that leveled the World Trade Center three years ago, as former Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani of New York asserted that Senator John Kerry did not have the fortitude to lead the nation through a war on terror. A procession of speakers - including a former New York City police commissioner, the current mayor of New York and a former terrorism prosecutor - invoked Mr. Bush's leadership after Sept. 11, 2001, in the city where the attacks took their greatest toll to recount the tragedy that the president's aides view as the linchpin to his re-election (New York Times )

With 9/11 as Focus, GOP Treads Delicate Line - Aug 31, 2004
There is only the finest of lines between invoking a disaster in which all New Yorkers , and all Americans, regardless of party, felt such a devastating stake, and exploiting it for partisan advantage. From morning to night, the Republicans strode proudly, even defiantly, right up to that line - if not over it - and the delegates responded with roaring approval. (New York Times )

For New Visitors, An Emotional Tour of Ground Zero - Aug 31, 2004
The difficulty of visiting ground zero is more than emotional and spiritual, though it is certainly that. After all, this is where 2,749 people died on Sept. 11, 2001. The difficulty is also practical. There is no one place to take it all in, no public vantage that offers an all-encompassing panorama of the World Trade Center site and neighboring towers, some of which Ñ it may shock you to see Ñ are almost as ravaged now as they were that Tuesday morning. (New York City)

Delegates Find Emotion and Debate at Ground Zero - Aug 31, 2004
Even more than usual, cultures clashed at ground zero. Ruled off limits to formal political protests or organized patriotic parades, the edges of the scarred 17 acres became a place for people to act out the stresses and strains that are natural when a tidal wave of Republicans washes up on a rocky Democratic shore. (New York Times )

Giuliani Boldly Uses 9/11 to Defend Bush in Convention Speech - Aug 31, 2004
President Bush must be re-elected because the nation owes it to the victims of 9/11 to continue his unrelenting war on terrorism, Rudy Giuliani declared last night. (New York Post )

Bloomberg, Thanking Bush for Help After 9/11, Gets Mixed Reception at Convention - Aug 31, 2004
Former Democrat Mayor Bloomberg yesterday welcomed Republicans to their convention, removing any doubt about where his political allegiances lie. He threw his support behind President Bush and thanked the GOP for aiding New York in the wake of 9/11. (New York Post )

September 11 Fund Prepares to Close - Aug 31, 2004
The September 11th Fund will close in December, having awarded more than $500 million in grants to 100,000 people affected by the 2001 terrorist attacks. (Associated Press)

Bloomberg: City Has Recovered from 9/11 - Aug 31, 2004
Mayor Michael Bloomberg welcomed delegates to the Republican National Convention on Monday by proclaiming that the city has fully recovered from the World Trade Center attack and thanking Republicans for choosing New York. (Newsday )

Delegates See Ground Zero as Bush Symbol - Aug 31, 2004
The politicking is taking place at Madison Square Garden, but for many Republican delegates gathered for the convention, the key to re-electing President George W. Bush actually lies a little farther south. (Newsday )

Some 9/11 Families Say GOP Exploiting Attacks - Aug 31, 2004
As Republicans begin their convention Monday, they remember those who lost their lives on September 11, 2001, and the Bush administration's response to the attacks (NY1)

Republicans Will Feature 9/11 Prominently at Convention - Aug 30, 2004
Republican leaders said yesterday that they would repeatedly remind the nation of the Sept. 11 attacks as their convention opens in New York City today, beginning a week in which the party seeks to pivot to the center and seize on street demonstrations to portray Democrats as extremist. (New York Times )

9/11 Aid for Small Businesses Going Unused - Aug 30, 2004
With four months remaining in a 9/11 program intended to pour $155 million into small businesses that move to or stay in Lower Manhattan, a third of the money remains to be awarded or pledged. (New York Times )

One Tribute to 9/11 Victims Has Never Been Seen by Public - Aug 30, 2004
One of the most moving tributes to the victims of Sept. 11 has never been seen in public Ñ a 30-foot flag emblazoned with images of the victims. (New York Post )

Delegates Drawn to Ground Zero - Aug 30, 2004
Convention delegates who visited the former site of the Twin Towers said they felt compelled to see Ground Zero. Sept. 11, they said, was a turning point for the country and for them, deepening their patriotism and desire to see the nation swiftly defended. (Newsday )

Religious Group Call for More Aid to 9/11 Victims, Families - Aug 30, 2004
A local religious organization says it wants more help for victims and families of 9/11. (NY1)

With Ground Zero as GOP Backdrop, 9/11 Families Express Raw Emotion - Aug 29, 2004
With the third anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks coming little more than a week after the convention, a survey by The New York Times shows that those with the most personal connection to 9/11 - those who lost a loved one - differ from the public at large on some political and national issues: They are more skeptical about national safety and less impressed with the administration's efforts before and after the attacks. (New York Times)

9/11 Families Approach Convention From Different Perspectives - Aug 29, 2004
Jimmy Boyle, who lost his firefighter son Michael at the World Trade Center, will be attending the Republican National Convention. David Potorti, whose brother James was also killed on Sept. 11, is in the city for the event as well. But the two men are driven by very different motivations and will play very different parts. (Newsday)

Toys Showing Airplane Flying into Twin Towers are Recalled - Aug 28, 2004
Bags of candy left a sour taste when parents found it included a grotesque toy - an airplane flying into the World Trade Center. (New York Daily News)

Anti-War Signs Face Ground Zero - Aug 28, 2004
Convention delegates and tourists who venture down to the World Trade Center site to pay their respects to the victims of 9/11 will also see a series of anti-war signs in condominiums owned by rap mogul Russell Simmons and two of his former neighbors. (Downtown Express)

Protesters to Ring Bells and Form Ring Around Ground Zero - Aug 28, 2004
In a dimly lit room in the back of Cafe Figaro on Bleecker St. on a recent Sunday afternoon, Christian Herold and nine other individuals were getting down to details. (Downtown Express)

Ground Zero Artifacts to be Preserved in Transit Hub - Aug 27, 2004
A 66-foot-long, travertine-paved remnant of the original World Trade Center concourse - still used every day by hundreds of commuters walking between the Eighth Avenue subway platforms and the PATH station - will be permanently preserved as part of the new trade center transportation hub, the Port Authority said yesterday. (New York Times)

Preservationists File Suit Over WTC Development - Aug 27, 2004
A coalition of 9/11 families sued the Lower Manhattan Development Corp. and the Port Authority yesterday, alleging the agencies are violating a federal law requiring them to preserve historical artifacts Ñ a move that could halt construction at Ground Zero. (New York Post )

Port Authority Looks for JFK Ferry Link - Aug 27, 2004
The Port Authority invited ferry operators Thursday to submit proposals for boat connections between Lower Manhattan and Kennedy International Airport. (Newsday)

Speaker's Comments Anger New York Democrats - Aug 26, 2004
Some of New York's Congressional Democrats yesterday denounced what they saw as House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert's negative portrayal of their efforts to secure federal aid after the Sept. 11 terror attacks, accusing him of partisan politics less than a week before the Republican National Convention begins here. (New York Times)

City Security is Ready for Convention, Says Homeland Security Chief - Aug 26, 2004
"The city is secure." That was the message from Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge during a Republican National Convention security briefing at NYPD Headquarters yesterday. (New York Post )

Maloney Calls for Reopening Victims Compensation Fund - Aug 26, 2004
A bill on its way to Congress calls for reopening the federal Victim Compensation Fund. (NY1)

Fire Testing is Questioned in Findings on Twin Towers - Aug 26, 2004
For more than two years, federal investigators have been struggling to resolve a critical and contentious question concerning the collapse of the World Trade Center towers: was the spray-on fireproofing initially placed on the twin towers' innovative lightweight floors sufficient to protect them in a major fire? Now, a series of federally sponsored tests that ended here today has produced a provocative but complex finding: the fireproofing, as it was installed during the construction of the trade center in the 1960's, met the standards of the day. (New York Times )

House Leader Charges NY Officials With 9/11 Money-Grubbing in New Book - Aug 25, 2004
House Speaker Dennis Hastert is charging in a new book that New York lawmakers' attempts to win financial aid after the 9/11 attacks amounted to an "unseemly scramble" for money. (New York Post )

Ferry Riders Against Naming Boat "September 11" - Aug 25, 2004
Most Staten Island Ferry riders say naming a new boat the "September 11th" in honor of those killed in the terror attacks is "a bad idea," a new survey says. (New York Post )

Comptroller Warns of Shortfall in Federal 9/11 Aid - Aug 25, 2004
Comptroller William Thompson asserted Tuesday that the city may not receive as much as $5.2 billion in World Trade Center aid. In a report issued days before the start of the Republican National Convention here, Thompson says the funding is in jeopardy because of long-term delays and a "failure to monitor the progress" of parts of the aid package. (Newsday)

Ground Zero Ad Removed - Aug 24, 2004
The MTA has decided to remove a bright electronic advertising screen at the top of the Cortlandt Street subway station, near Ground Zero, after a lawmaker argued it would interfere with ceremonies marking the anniversary of 9/11. (New York Post)

Port Authority Announces 9/11 Plans - Aug 24, 2004
The Port Authority, which lost 84 employees in the 2001 attack on the World Trade Center, will hold a memorial service this Sept. 11 in a church near the Twin Towers site. (Newsday)

9/11 Commission Publishes Two Extra Reports - Aug 24, 2004
The 9/11 Commission has released two additional reports, one on terrorism financing and the other on customs failures. (NY1)

9/11 Search Dogs Dying of Cancer, But Scientists See No Link - Aug 22, 2004
Fourteen search and rescue dogs have died since their exposure to toxic rubble from the Sept. 11 terrorist attack - including eight from cancer, according to a study by the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine. But researchers believe there is no connection between the deaths and the chemicals they were exposed to. (New York Daily News)

Bikers Complete Fundraising Ride to Ground Zero - Aug 22, 2004
Hundreds of motorcycle riders completed an annual fundraising trek from Washington, D.C., to the World Trade Center site Saturday. About 1,200 bikers completed the trip. While there's no word yet on how much money was raised, last year organizers were able to buy four fully-equipped police motorcycles, which were donated to police departments around the country. One was given to the Port Authority Police Department. (NY1)

9/11 Commission Formally Disbands - Aug 21, 2004
The Sept. 11 commission was to close down Saturday, but its members plan to continue testifying before Congress and traveling the country to try to get the government to improve homeland security. (Associated Press)

Citigroup Atrium Reopens After Terror Warning - Aug 21, 2004
Until Thursday, Citigroup Center at Lexington Avenue and 53rd Street had been off-limits to visitors and shoppers following the Aug. 1 warning that the building was a terrorist target. It was only Friday that nontenants were finally allowed to enter the building and visit some 20 shops on its ground and underground levels. (Newsday)

9/11 Families Support Immigrant Driver's License Restrictions - Aug 20, 2004
Families of Sept. 11th victims backed yesterday a controversial state plan to revoke driver's licenses from hundreds of thousands of undocumented immigrants who got them using fake Social Security numbers. (New York Daily News)

Flag Found in Ground Zero Rubble Flies Over Reopened Post Office - Aug 20, 2004
An American flag that flew over the post office across from the World Trade Center was returned to Ground Zero yesterday during a rededication ceremony for the newly restored postal facility. The flag, found in the rubble of the WTC after 9/11, will be mounted in the lobby of the post office at 90 Church St. as a memorial. (New York Post )

Muslim FBI Agent Sues US, Charging Post 9/11 Bias - Aug 20, 2004
The FBI's legal attache to seven countries including Saudi Arabia during and after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks sued the Department of Justice on Thursday, saying the FBI all but sabotaged his efforts in a petty campaign to discredit him. According to his lawsuit, Rattigan was subjected to harassment and discrimination because he turned to the Islamic religion in December 2001. (Newsday )

Post Office Closed on 9/11 Reinaugerated - Aug 19, 2004
Church Street Station reopened Monday, Aug. 2. Today, Postmaster General John E. Potter will formally reinaugurate the 67-year-old post office, at 90 Church Street, by unveiling an American flag that last flew there on Sept. 11, 2001. Folded and encased, the flag was displayed at Postal Service headquarters in Washington. (New York Times)

Advertising Arrives at Ground Zero - Aug 19, 2004
Having mournfully contemplated the place where 2,749 people perished on Sept. 11, 2001, you may be ready to plan your next ski vacation. If so, you can read all about the All for One Pass, which entitles you - for as little as $349 - to admission at six New England resorts, including Killington and Mount Snow. The information is displayed about 25 feet from the viewing wall at ground zero, animated and bright as daylight, atop a stairway to the Cortlandt Street subway station. You can\'t miss it. (New York Times)

Environmentalists Accuse President of Misleading Residents on Air Quality - Aug 19, 2004
The Bush administration repeatedly misled New Yorkers on air quality around Ground Zero and played down the health problems suffered by residents and workers after the 9/11 attacks, an environmental group charged yesterday. (New York Daily News)

New York Democrats: Bush Exploits 9/11 - Aug 18, 2004
Congressional Democrats from New York Tuesday said President George Bush has exploited the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks for political gain. (Washington Times)

Parents to Lead Ceremony Honoring 9/11 Victims - Aug 17, 2004
The ceremony commemorating the third anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attack will closely follow the script for last year's event. But officials said yesterday that there would be a change in the cast: instead of the victims' children taking center stage, the victims' parents and grandparents will. (New York Times)

Name Added to 9/11 Death List - Aug 17, 2004
This name has been added to the list of confirmed dead in the World Trade Center attacks: Meredith Lynn Whalen, 23. (New York Post )

Plans for 9/11 Anniversary Ceremony Announced - Aug 17, 2004
The parents and grandparents of the 2,749 people lost in the Sept. 11, 2001, World Trade Center attack will read the names of victims at the third anniversary of the tragedy, officials announced yesterday. (Newsday)

Construction on Staten Island's 9/11 Memorial Begins - Aug 17, 2004
Workers started installing a memorial to the September 11 victims on Staten Island Monday. (NY1)

Senate Continues Hearings on 9/11 Commission Report - Aug 17, 2004
Two Senate committees held hearings Monday on the recommendations of the 9/11 Commission. (NY1)

Many Companies Haven't Increased Security Since 9/11 - Aug 16, 2004
Thomas E. Cavanagh set out last spring to answer a basic question: were executives of midsize companies - including potentially vulnerable industries like transportation, financial services, utilities and telecommunications - spending more on security than they did before 9/11? The results were not without surprises: almost half the roughly 100 companies on which he gained information had not increased annual spending on security at all after Sept. 11. (New York Times)

In Texas, Bits of Ground Zero - Aug 15, 2004
They were riveted by the remnants from ground zero, and they could see them from just inches away without having to leave Cleburne, Tex. The people were at an exhibition in Cleburne, population 28,000, about 30 miles south of Fort Worth. It was the latest stop for the New York State Museum's traveling exhibition about the effort to recover human remains and personal objects from the rubble of the World Trade Center after the debris was brought to the Fresh Kills landfill on Staten Island. (New York Times)

Scientologists Offer 9/11 Detox Program for $5,000 - Aug 15, 2004
The managers of a Scientology-based detox program that's been free for those officially involved in the 9/11 rescue effort now want to offer the service to thousands of other Ground Zero victims Ñ for $5,000 each. (New York Post )

Reopening of Ground Zero Post Office Makes Life Easier Downtown - Aug 15, 2004
Downtowners living and working near the World Trade Center now have a shorter trek to make when sending packages and picking up mail Ñ the Church St. post office reopened earlier this month after a three-year closing caused by damage from the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks. (Downtown Express)

Hudson Yards Will Not Affect Downtown Development, Says Planner - Aug 15, 2004
Vishaan Chakrabarti, director of the Department of City PlanningÕs Manhattan Office, insisted that the Hudson Yards would not threaten Downtown. "We're working with the Lower Manhattan Development Corp. to make the rebuilding of Downtown happen," he said. "Some companies will choose Midtown and some will choose Downtown," he said, "But the World Trade Center will redevelop first before you see a single skyscraper on the West Side." (Downtown Express)

Watchdog Group Recommends Diversifying Lower Manhattan Development Corporation Board - Aug 15, 2004
The Lower Manhattan Development Corporation has failed to allocate its federal 9/11 recovery funds in a transparent way and has given undue preference to big businesses and organizations with ties to its board members, according to a report released this week by a budget watchdog organization. (Downtown Express)

Council Will Run Ads on Security Funding During Convention - Aug 13, 2004
Council and labor union officials will run newspaper ads just before the Republican National Convention to call for more federal money for local antiterrorism and education programs, Council officials said yesterday. (New York Times)

Muslim Cabdriver Attacked in 9/11-Related Bias Crime - Aug 13, 2004
A taxi driver was punched in the face by a pedestrian near the World Trade Center site Wednesday night in what police are investigating as a possible bias incident. (Newsday)

With 9/11 As His Tool, Giuliani Works to Promote Bush - Aug 12, 2004
Just weeks before the Republican National Convention hits his hometown, Rudolph W. Giuliani is emerging as a central player in the Bush re-election effort, attacking John Kerry, racing around the country campaigning and directly leveraging the events of Sept. 11 in ways that President Bush and many of his closest allies have not dared. (New York Times)

Lower Manhattan Development Corporation Favors Corporate Interests, Says Report - Aug 12, 2004
A budget watchdog group said yesterday that the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation had favored corporate interests and had approved millions of dollars in contracts with organizations connected to the corporation board. (New York Times)

Tourist or Terrorist? - Aug 12, 2004
The family pictures depict what relatives say is the real Kamran Akhtar: a loving family man, not a video-shooting potential terrorist. (New York Daily News)

9/11 Tree to be Cast in Bronze - Aug 12, 2004
A sycamore tree shielded St. Paul's Church from falling debris from the World Trade Center collapse on September 11, 2001. Now, the tree's root system is being made into a sculpture that will rest on the church grounds. (NY1)

City Well on Its Way to Receiving Its $20 Billion in Federal Aid - Aug 12, 2004
Less than three weeks before the Republican National Convention comes to town, a report released yesterday says the Bush administration is well on the way to providing all the $20.5 billion it promised the city after the World Trade Center attacks. (Jersey Journal)

Will WTC Cultural Center Be Built on Greenwich and Fulton, or Somewhere Else? - Aug 12, 2004
"RISK-TAKING." That is a quality that the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation says it will seek in choosing architects for the cultural buildings at the new World Trade Center. The question is whether any architect will risk a prospective commission by challenging the current planning orthodoxy which requires that the museum complex be located within the memorial precinct. (New York Times )

Pataki Signs Lower Manhattan Construction Act - Aug 11, 2004
New rules are being implemented for construction projects in downtown Manhattan, with the intention of ensuring high-quality work is done in a timely manner. (NY1)

Queens Street Named for 9/11 Victim - Aug 11, 2004
Hundreds of family, friends, rescue workers and city officials gathered in Queens Sunday as a street was renamed for a man killed in September 11, 2001, attacks. (NY1)

For Bush, No Trips to Ground Zero During Convention - Aug 11, 2004
There will be no formally sanctioned commemorations at the site of the former World Trade Center during the Republican National Convention, convention planners and government officials have told The Observer. (New York Observer)

Couples Avoid September 11 Weddings - Aug 10, 2004
For the first time since the terror attacks of 2001, Sept. 11 falls on a Saturday this year. September has become a popular month for brides - second only to June - but people who plan weddings say that some prospective brides and bridegrooms are avoiding the day and the overtones of the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. They do not want grief-laden memories of loss and fear dimming the joy and hope that will come with saying "I do," running the gantlet of rice-throwing guests and dancing their first dance as a married couple. (New York Times)

Son of Firefighter Who Died on 9/11 Becomes Firefighter - Aug 10, 2004
The FDNY's graduation for 170 probies yesterday was bittersweet for its class valedictorian Ñ the young man's beloved dad, a firefighter who perished on 9/11, wasn't there to see him accept his certificate. (New York Post )

Responding to Warning, Feds Take Over Helicopter Security - Aug 10, 2004
Federal security officers will take over the screening of all passengers on helicopter tours in New York City, after officials found that suspected Qaeda operatives in Pakistan had photographs, a brochure and other information about the tours. (New York Times)

Al Qaeda Files Show City's Vulnerabilities - Aug 09, 2004
Computers and disks seized from an Al Qaeda operative contain chilling details of how vulnerable some landmarks are and how terrorists could use limo bombs, hijacked helicopters and other diabolical schemes to destroy them. (New York Daily News)

Terror Threat "Constant" Says Police Commissioner - Aug 09, 2004
The terror threat to the city is "fairly constant" - but New Yorkers should not shrug off heightened alerts, Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said. (New York Daily News)

City Using New Technology to Identify 9/11 Remains - Aug 09, 2004
Of the 2,749 victims of 9/11, investigators identified 738 using dental records and 827 through traditional DNA testing, according to the medical examiner's office. The city just hired Affymetrix, a California-based genetics company, that has developed a new technology officials say could succeed where others have failed. (New York Post )

City Faces Biggest Security Challenge Yet at End of August - Aug 08, 2004
The NYPD's counterterrorism playbook will face its biggest, and most expensive, test in only three weeks. Hosting the Republican National Convention would be taxing enough. But cops also will be playing defense for the U.S. Open, the Yankees and Mets when the GOP comes to town. (New York Daily News)

Verizon Receives $77 Million in 9/11 Funds - Aug 08, 2004
Verizon Communications Inc. received another $77 million in federal funds earmarked for restoring utilities and rebuilding infrastructure damaged in the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, according to a regulatory filing Friday. (Newsday)

Wall Street Exodus Leaves Country's Financial Markets Safer - Aug 08, 2004
America's financial markets are more insulated from the effects of a terrorist attack because the nation's financial hub is expanding beyond Wall Street to the New York City metropolitan area, principally into New Jersey. The result of the scattering of financial offices throughout the metro area is that it is unlikely a limited-scale terrorist attack would bring the American financial industry to its knees, as it did in the days following the Sept. 11 attacks. (Allentown Morning Call )

Libeskind Will Be Among Architects Competing to Design Cultural Buildings - Aug 07, 2004
aniel Libeskind, who devised the master plan for the World Trade Center site but has not yet fully designed a building there, will be among the architects competing to design one or both of the cultural complexes planned for the redevelopment. In issuing a request for proposals this week, the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation painted the fullest picture to date of what visitors might find when the two complexes are completed in 2009. (New York Times)

Bloomberg Knew About Terror Warning in Advance - Aug 07, 2004
Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg said yesterday that he knew of the terror alerts concerning financial institutions in Washington and the New York region two days before the Bush administration publicly released the information. But Mr. Bloomberg, speaking on his weekly radio program, added that he decided not to alert city residents immediately because he wanted to give city officials time to make preparations and to respond to public concerns that would be raised. The alert was publicly issued on Sunday. (New York Times)

A Cartoonist's Account of 9/11 - Aug 07, 2004
Unlike most cartoonists, the Pulitzer Prize winner Art Spiegelman, 56, tends to focus on the big traumas of contemporary history and their impact on his life. Mr. Spiegelman's graphic novels about how his Polish-Jewish parents survived the fires of World War II, "Maus I" and "Maus II," sold 1.8 million copies in the United States, according to his publisher, Pantheon Books. Next month Pantheon is releasing "In the Shadow of No Towers," Art Spiegelman's artistic response to the attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, as well as an expression of his deep opposition to the war in Iraq. (New York Times)

Bin Laden May Have Sent Man to Case NY Buildings - Aug 07, 2004
A terror suspect jailed in London may have been sent by Osama Bin Laden to personally case New York City buildings that are now the subject of heightened orange alert security measures. (New York Daily News)

New York's Share of Security Funds Dropped This Year - Aug 07, 2004
Despite ominous new threats of attacks, New York state's share of federal anti-terror money actually went down this year, according to a startling new congressional report released yesterday. (New York Post)

Mayor: Get Used to Tight Security - Aug 07, 2004
As police continued their tight grip on the city, Mayor Michael Bloomberg told New Yorkers on Friday to get used to the extra security because it's going to be around for some time. (Newsday)

Russell Simmons' Signs at Ground Zero Cause Controversy - Aug 07, 2004
Signs posted on the windows of millionaire music mogul Russell Simmons' apartment reading "No More War, "Peace," and "No More Lies" are causing a bit of controversy. The apartment overlooks Ground Zero. (NY1)

Downtowners React to Terror Warning - Aug 07, 2004
It wasn't quite business as usual on Monday, as Downtowners went about their routines amid heightened security in response to terror threats against the Citigroup buildings and the New York Stock Exchange. But many residents and workers greeted the alert with resolve, saying it would not cause them to change their behavior. (Downtown Express)

Health Registry Prepares for Final Registration Push - Aug 07, 2004
The World Trade Center Health Registry has become the largest registry in U.S. history, but the more than 50,000 enrollees still fall short of the city's expectations for the program. In the three weeks remaining before the Aug. 31 cutoff, officials hope to enroll many more people, particularly Lower Manhattan residents. The effort aims to track the long-term physical and mental health consequences of the World Trade Center disaster. (Downtown Express)

WTC Cultural Institutions Tell Residents What to Expect - Aug 07, 2004
Representatives from the four cultural institutions selected for the arts and museum complex at the redeveloped World Trade Center site told residents what kinds of amenities they could expect when the complex opens in five years. (Downtown Express)

City Gains Control of Streets at Trade Center Site - Aug 06, 2004
New York City - and not the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey - will own and control the streets and sidewalks that run through the World Trade Center site, under an agreement that lifts a 37-year-old cloud over ownership of the property. (New York Times)

Maryland Man Guilty of $450,000 9/11 Fraud - Aug 06, 2004
A Maryland man pleaded guilty yesterday to stealing $450,000 in federal funds targeted for downtown businesses affected by the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the Manhattan U.S. Attorney's Office announced yesterday. (New York Post)

Traffic from Terror Alerts Costing City - Aug 06, 2004
Mayor Michael Bloomberg expressed concern yesterday that grinding traffic from terror-related restrictions on bridges and tunnels might have affected the city's finances. (Newsday)

9/11 Commission Urges Americans to Vote on Report - Aug 05, 2004
The chairman of the Sept. 11 commission said on Wednesday that voters in November's presidential election should weigh how President Bush and Senator John Kerry respond to the commission's final report in determining how they vote. (New York Times)

City Works on Skyscraper Evacuation Plans - Aug 05, 2004
More than 11 years after terrorists first struck at the World Trade Center, the city is still struggling to complete guidelines for evacuating high-rise buildings where thousands of workers would face vital questions of what to do if their skyscraper were to come under attack. (New York Times)

Restrictions on Trucks Entering Manhattan Eased - Aug 05, 2004
Three days after sharply increasing security in response to a federal alert about possible terrorist plots, the New York City Police Department last night partly lifted its ban on trucks and vans entering Manhattan. (New York Times)

Tourists Not Letting Terrorists Win - Aug 05, 2004
The tourists aren't letting the terrorists win. New York City welcomed a record 37.8 million visitors in 2003, bringing more than an estimated $16 billion into the local economy, Mayor Bloomberg said yesterday. (New York Daily News)

Police Make $1.5 Million in Overtime This Week, Due to Security Measures - Aug 05, 2004
Safety measures prompted by this week's increased security alert will drive the Police Department's anti-terrorism-related overtime to about $1.5 million for the week, a 50 percent increase over the norm, officials said yesterday. (Newsday)

Bloomberg Takes Current Threat More Seriously Than Previous Ones - Aug 04, 2004
Since the day Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg took office, his responses to numerous federal warnings about possible terrorist attacks have been almost identical. Without exactly being dismissive, he has told New Yorkers to leave security concerns "to the professionals," and then promptly cantered around the city, spreading the word that the city is safe and open for business. This week, however, while continuing his breakneck tours of the five boroughs, Mr. Bloomberg has taken a slightly different tack, viewing the latest alert issued by the Department of Homeland Security in a very sober light. During a television interview yesterday, (New York Times)

After Terror Alert, How Long to Keep Extra Security in Place? - Aug 04, 2004
Just two days after the new terror alerts, questions - and even resentment - arose from inside the cross hairs, and police officials coordinating stepped-up security measures were looking ahead to when it would be possible to step back down. (New York Times)

FBI Fears Qaeda Operatives Are in New York - Aug 04, 2004
The FBI is monitoring suspected Al Qaeda operatives and members of two allied terror groups in the New York City area, the FBI's New York director said yesterday. (New York Daily News)

Security Slows Brooklyn Traffic - Aug 04, 2004
Anti-terror roadblocks turned Brooklyn into a parking lot yesterday morning, pushing drivers to the breaking point and forcing police to retool their traffic strategy for today. (New York Daily News)

Straining With Security Costs, City Officials Remind Washington of Funding Needs - Aug 04, 2004
The city's stepped-up security, which includes posting cops outside major financial firms and checking trucks for possible explosives, is costing New York an estimated $5 million a week, NYPD sources said. But don't expect the feds to pick up much of the tab, which comes amid new evidence Al Qaeda plotted to blow up the New York Stock Exchange and the Citigroup building. (New York Daily News)

Statue of Liberty Reopens Under Heavy Security - Aug 04, 2004
Lady Liberty is back as a beacon for huddled masses of tourists after being closed for nearly three years following the 9/11 terror attacks. (New York Daily News)

Mayor Tried to Spin 9/11 Commission Report - Aug 04, 2004
More than a month before the 9/11 Commission released its final report, Mayor Michael Bloomberg tried to persuade the commission to craft its findings in a way that would portray the city in a better light, according to a memo obtained by Newsday. (Newsday)

More Than 50,000 Enroll in WTC Health Registry - Aug 04, 2004
Mental health problems and respiratory ailments top the list of short-term effects on those who were in lower Manhattan on Sept. 11, 2001, according to a preliminary review of the Health Department's World Trade Center registry. More than 50,000 people have enrolled so far in the registry, which will monitor the long-term impacts of exposure. The deadline for enrollment is Aug. 31. (Newsday)

9/11 Families Want Legislation Passed on Commission Report by Year's End - Aug 04, 2004
Relatives of those killed on Sept. 11 brought the fight over intelligence reforms to Congress's doorstep Tuesday, challenging lawmakers to act quickly to pass reform legislation by the end of the year. (Associated Press)

Another Day, Another Security Alert - Aug 04, 2004
New Yorkers adjusted their schedules and continued to cope on the second business day of terrorist-inspired threats that officials described as real, albeit based partially on old information. (Newsday)

Working to Calm New Yorkers During Terror Alert - Aug 04, 2004
What's happening behind closed doors at the Pentagon, the C.I.A. and the White House is above our security clearance. And the complex engineering and construction work required to secure buildings like the Citigroup tower against terrorist attack is beyond our layman's understanding. But Laura Bush sitting in the atrium of the Citigroup Center, joined by Mayor Bloomberg and Governor PatakiÑespecially in the weeks leading up to the Republican National ConventionÑas armed gunmen trawl Manhattan's streets, is something that we all can understand. (New York Observer)

Intelligence Leading to Terror Warning Was Years Old - Aug 03, 2004
Much of the information that led the authorities to raise the terror alert at several large financial institutions in the New York City and Washington areas was three or four years old, intelligence and law enforcement officials said on Monday. They reported that they had not yet found concrete evidence that a terrorist plot or preparatory surveillance operations were still under way. But the officials continued to regard the information as significant and troubling because the reconnaissance already conducted has provided Al Qaeda with the knowledge necessary to carry out attacks against the sites in Manhattan, Washington and Newark (New York Times)

Following 9/11 Commission's Recommendation, Bush Endorses New Intelligence Czar - Aug 03, 2004
President Bush on Monday generally endorsed the two main recommendations of the 9/11 commission, saying he would support creation of a potentially powerful post, national intelligence director, and the establishment of a counterterrorism center to coordinate intelligence analysis and efforts to thwart attacks. (New York Times)

For New York, Terror Alert Has Economic Consequences - Aug 03, 2004
Prompted by warnings from Washington that Al Qaeda might try to strike New York's financial heart again, more-visible security measures returned to New York yesterday as the city responded to apparent threats against specific buildings for the first time. The stepped-up measures led to worries that the security delays and psychological effects of the terrorism threat will act as a brake on a city economy that is just beginning to rev up after a prolonged slump. (New York Times)

Statue of Liberty Reopens For First Time Since 9/11 - Aug 03, 2004
On the way to the Statue of Liberty National Monument yesterday, visitors could pick up glossy brochures featuring a cutaway diagram of the statue's interior, complete with an image of tiny tourists ascending the spiral stairs to the crown. But when the base of the statue reopens to the public today for the first time since Sept. 11, 2001, people will have to be content with only their memories, or imaginings, of making the long, claustrophobic climb to the top. Like the torch, which was closed in 1916 after being damaged by a saboteur's bomb, the crown is now off limits. (New York Times)

New Yorkers Carry On Despite Terror Alert - Aug 03, 2004
New Yorkers forged on in the face of the latest Al Qaeda terror threat yesterday as the First Lady and her daughters made a morale-boosting mission to the jittery city. (New York Daily News)

Bloomberg Takes His Own Advice on Terror Alert - Aug 03, 2004
Mayor Bloomberg took his own advice yesterday and went about his day as usual - riding the subways, breaking ground on a new office tower, even hosting a relaxed barbecue at Gracie Mansion for city workers. (New York Daily News)

Security Measures Not So Hard on Traffic, After All - Aug 03, 2004
Light traffic met heavy security yesterday on New York streets, where new checkpoints and road closings caused only isolated backups, officials said. (New York Daily News)

Terror Alert Means Busy Day for Police - Aug 03, 2004
A day after a chilling federal warning of a possible terror strike, reports of unattended bags had edgy cops racing from call to call throughout the city. Skittish residents watched with curiosity and fear. (New York Daily News)

On Wall Street, Traders Ignore Terror Alert - Aug 03, 2004
Traders at the New York Stock Exchange yesterday defied the terror warnings and went about their business Ñ the business of making money. (New York Post)

First Lady, Daughters Visit Citibank Building - Aug 03, 2004
First Lady Laura Bush and her twin daughters paid a surprise visit to the Citigroup Center yesterday, joining Mayor Bloomberg and Gov. Pataki to cheer on employees who ignored the terror threat and reported for work. (New York Post)

Names Added to 9/11 Death List - Aug 03, 2004
These names were added yesterday to the list of confirmed dead in the World Trade Center attacks: Melissa C. Doi, 32, and Heinrich Kimmig, 43. (New York Post)

Metropolitan Transportation Authority Earmarks $495 Million for Security - Aug 03, 2004
The MTA has earmarked $495 million toward "enhancing security readiness" in an effort to protect the region's vast rail network, officials said yesterday. (New York Post)

Attack is Planned for Early September, Says Qaeda Operative - Aug 03, 2004
More financial institutions than previously disclosed may be at risk of attack, and an al-Qaida operative has told British intelligence that the group's target date is early September, intelligence sources said yesterday. (Newsday)

Warnings Won't Affect Convention - Aug 03, 2004
New warnings about possible terrorist attacks on Manhattan financial institutions won't affect security for the upcoming Republican National Convention, authorities and security experts said Monday. (Newsday)

Security Increased in New York, New Jersey, Washington - Aug 02, 2004
New York City, Washington, the State of New Jersey and major financial institutions in Manhattan and northern New Jersey stepped up security yesterday to the highest levels since the terrorist attacks of three years ago after the Bush administration warned of alarming new intelligence reports targeting buildings and organizations at the heart of capitalism in America. (New York Times)

President Bush Preparing to Address 9/11 Commission's Recommendations - Aug 02, 2004
President Bush is prepared to announce within days a package of steps to carry out recommendations of the Sept. 11 commission, possibly including the creation of a new post of national intelligence director, but he is wary of following the panel's recommendation that the official work within the White House, senior administration officials said Friday. (New York Times)

Jitters Spread With News of Terror Warning - Aug 02, 2004
Security guards gathered around a radio in the lobby of the Citicorp Center yesterday as Homeland Security czar Tom Ridge named the building as a potential terror target. Cops welded shut manhole covers and searched trucks near the Wall St. home of the New York Stock Exchange. Across the river in Newark, police in flak jackets erected concrete barriers in front of the Prudential Plaza, yet another possible target. (New York Daily News)

Terror Warnings Will Bring Traffic Troubles - Aug 02, 2004
Terror fears are expected to bring traffic headaches throughout the city this morning, as police impose restrictions on bridges and tunnels, as well as streets around potential targets. (New York Daily News)

Statue of Liberty Under Guard at Time of Planned Reopening - Aug 02, 2004
Although officials cited only financial institutions in their latest terrorist warning, authorities will pay close attention to the Statue of Liberty, which opens to the public tomorrow for the first time since 9/11. (New York Post)

Bloomberg on Warnings: Go About Your Business - Aug 02, 2004
Go about your business. That was the message from Mayor Bloomberg yesterday. (New York Post)

Ground Zero Post Office Reopens - Aug 02, 2004
A post office heavily damaged in the World Trade Center attack finally reopens Monday. The 67-year-old facility is located at 90 Church Street, right across the street from the World Trade Center site. (NY1)

NYPD Heightens Security in Response to Threats - Aug 01, 2004
The New York Police Department, responding to new information that terrorists may be planning to attack corporations or large public institutions in the city, advised building managers and corporate security personnel on Saturday night to step up their procedures to guard against vehicles rigged with explosives and against chemical agents placed in ventilation systems. (New York Times )

Feds Warn of Possible Attack on NYC "Icons" - Aug 01, 2004
(Associated Press)

Feds Plan to Extend Environmental Testing - Aug 01, 2004
Community members and scientific experts applauded an Environmental Protection Agency proposal to expand testing for 9/11 contaminants to residences and workplaces north of Canal St. (Downtown Express)