July 2002

Condemnation Powers Could Change WTC Rebuild - Jul 31, 2002
The state or federal governments, as well as the Port Authority, could eliminate Larry Silverstein's ability to rebuild the World Trade Center. Silverstein's 99-year lease contains a provision saying his right to rebuild would end if the property is condemned. Exercising a right to condemn the property could change the entire course of rebuilding Ground Zero. (New York Daily News)

State Could Take Over Land Around Trade Center Site - Jul 31, 2002
Gov. Pataki yesterday said planners could consider using the state's sweeping "eminent domain" powers to take over land around Ground Zero to expand the site. It was the first time Pataki, who has tremendous influence over the process, has raised eminent domain, where the state would condemn the land and then pay to take it over. (New York Post)

Bomb Fears Could Prompt Street Closings Downtown - Jul 31, 2002
Security fears at the main federal building in Lower Manhattan have prompted talks between city and federal governments about closing Broadway and three other streets. (New York Sun)

September 11 Cost City $1.6 Billion in Tax Revenue - Jul 31, 2002
The Sept. 11 terror attacks cost the city $1.6 billion in lost tax revenue - and things will only get worse, the General Accounting Office reported yesterday. (New York Daily News)

Wednesday Last Day for WTC Memorial Service Ideas - Jul 30, 2002
City officials planning ceremonies to commemorate the anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks say they have received more than 4,000 suggestions, ranging from a candlelight vigil in Central Park, to a parade down Broadway honoring rescue workers, to a nationwide moment of silence. Wednesday is the final day to offer ideas.Suggestions for the ceremonies can be made on the cityÕs Web site at www.nyc.gov, or by calling 212-788-7799. (Newsday)

More Designers Might Be Invited to Submit Ideas on Ground Zero - Jul 30, 2002
Responding to criticism of the plans to rebuild Lower Manhattan, officials said yesterday that they wanted to open up the design effort to more architects, including smaller design firms and foreign teams.Many such groups were excluded from consideration for the first design contract because of their relative lack of experience working on big projects in New York. (New York Times)

9/11 Memories Cast Shadow on Primary - Jul 30, 2002
Analysts predict that the closeness of this year's primaries to Sept. 11 will influence everything from the candidates' advertising to the tenor of stump speeches. (New York Times)

Senator Clinton Presses For More WTC Funds - Jul 30, 2002
Sen. Hilary Rodham Clinton Monday urged President Bush to release an additional $90 million in federal funding that would allow thousands of World Trade Center rescue workers to receive free medical screenings and follow-up exams for the next 20 years. (Newsday)

Saying No to Free 9/11 Aid, Many Families Hire Lawyers - Jul 29, 2002
Many relatives of victims who were killed on Sept. 11 have turned down free legal advice offered by lawyers because of delays, confusion, and cynical perceptions. Now at least 500 families have hired paid lawyers who could collect fees of up to 25 percent of the awards paid by the federal Victim Compensation Fund. (New York Times)

Silverstein Still Planning to Rebuild - Jul 29, 2002
Public pressure to reduce the size of the new World Trade Center could affect the amount of insurance won by lease-holder Larry Silverstein. Silverstein wants $7 billion from insurance companies to rebuild. His lease requires him to build exactly what was lost - 11 million square feet. (New York Post)

Alcohol Is Cited in Toppling of a Crane Near Ground Zero - Jul 29, 2002
A crane being used on one of the first major reconstruction projects near ground zero toppled into the street yesterday morning, delaying traffic for hours in Lower Manhattan. By the afternoon, the crane operator was arrested after the police said that he had consumed enough alcohol to have impaired his control of the crane. (New York Times)

Wall Street Journal Returning To Offices Near WTC - Jul 29, 2002
Scattered in offices from South Brunswick, N.J., to midtown Manhattan and Soho since the Wall Street Journal's headquarters were severely damaged in the Sept. 11 terrorist attack, editors and reporters at America's financial newspaper will begin returning to their offices in the World Financial Center on Monday. (Associated Press)

At Trade Center Site, a Wealth of Ideas - Jul 28, 2002
A tangle of interests is at work in lower Manhattan, seeking to influence the rebuilding of the World Trade Center and, more broadly, the structure and methods of the downtown economy. The political, aesthetic and commercial interests that are involved in the effort bring with them such a dizzying array of positions and agendas that it is often quite difficult to keep track of who wants what. (New York Times)

Dilemma Over How to Mark Sept. 11 - Jul 28, 2002
With just six weeks left until the first anniversary of Sept. 11, national, state and local leaders haven't announced any concrete plans on how they're marking the day of remembrance, leaving puzzled businesses and institutions to fill the void. (New York Post)

Pataki Suggests Broadening Scope of Lower Manhattan - Jul 27, 2002
Answering criticism that proposals for redeveloping the World Trade Center site are small-minded and unimaginative, Gov. George Pataki said Friday that plans should be expanded beyond ground zero. Pataki urged government planners "to look beyond just the 16 acres" of the trade center complex. (Associated Press)

Report on 9/11 Finds Flaws in Response of Police Dept. - Jul 27, 2002
The New York Police Department's response to the Sept. 11 attack was effective in many areas but suffered from lapses in leadership and coordination and a lack of proper planning and training, according to a draft report by an independent consultant for the department. (New York Times)

For Some, FEMA Aid Slow to Arrive - Jul 27, 2002
It took eight months, but displaced financial consultant Jack Freedman finally got two months of rent money, or $4,000, from the federal disaster agency. Freedman has lived with relatives since dust from the World Trade Center attacks forced him to abandon his apartment at 45 Wall St. in mid-November, and had heard from the outset he could receive 18 months of rent. (Newsday)

Wall Street in Suburbia? A Bad Idea, Mayor Says - Jul 26, 2002
Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg said yesterday that talk of moving some of the New York Stock Exchange's operations from Wall Street to Westchester made little business sense and would play into the hands of the terrorists who attacked Lower Manhattan. (New York Times)

Two of the Six Plans Were Switched at Last Minute - Jul 26, 2002
Two of the six World Trade Center site plans unveiled last week were included over the strenuous objections of key planning officials and had been voted down by a rebuilding task force. Several officials at the Lower Manhattan Development Corp. were "furious" about the changes, sources said. (New York Post)

WTC Victim's Wife Given Green Card - Jul 26, 2002
A British woman who lost her right to live in the U.S. when her husband was killed in the World Trade Center attack was granted a green card yesterday. (New York Daily News)

Report Finds Fault with how Police Dept. Responded - Jul 26, 2002
An independent study of how the Police Department reacted the day the World Trade Center was attacked is heavily critical of how the department responded, a top police source told Newsday yesterday. The report was prepared by McKinsey & Co., a Manhattan-based business management consultant that operates globally. (Newsday)

WTC Developer Willing to Make Concessions - Jul 25, 2002
The leaseholder of New York's destroyed World Trade Center said on Wednesday he was willing to make concessions in areas that are holding up redevelopment of the devastated site. Larry Silverstein, the property magnate who took control of the twin towers a year ago on Wednesday, said in an interview he wanted to restore all the office space he previously controlled. But he acknowledged growing public concern that plans for the site were overly commercial. "In the end, we'll do what is best for New York." (Financial Times)

Downtown "Grand Central Station" Is Already Derailed - Jul 25, 2002
Ground Zero planners have been calling for a "Grand Central Station South," even saying itÕs an essential element of any program to rebuild lower Manhattan. But when the transportation-planning firm Parsons Brinckerhoff, charged by the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation with developing plans for a new downtown transportation network, makes its proposals public later this summer, they are likely to shed light on a competing network of interests, agencies, advocates and organizations as tangled as the connection from the IRT to the IND in the Fulton Street subway station. (New York Observer)

WTC Subway Tunnel To Open Ahead of Schedule - Jul 25, 2002
The subway tunnel destroyed by the World Trade Center attacks is being rebuilt ahead of schedule and will reopen by mid-September. When the tunnel directly through Ground Zero is reopened, the 1, 2, 3, and 9 trains will return to their old routes. (New York Post)

WTC Plans Flexible - Jul 25, 2002
The World Trade Center site could be redeveloped with or without leaseholder Larry Silverstein, while the Dec. 1 deadline for choosing a site plan could be delayed by three months, Charles Gargano, a Port Authority of New York and New Jersey board member said Wednesday. Participating in an Internet chat held by Gotham Gazette.com, Lower Manhattan Development Corp. president Lou Tomson said he too would like a one-to-three-month extension. (Newsday)

Congress Approves More NY Aid - Jul 25, 2002
Congress has approved $5.5 billion in additional Sept. 11 aid for New York, surpassing the pledge of $20 billion President Bush made to the city in the days after the terrorist attacks. (Associated Press)

Counter-terrorism Summit Held - Jul 25, 2002
In an event accompanied by tight security, state officials lobbied police chiefs from around the state yesterday on the importance of the governorÕs anti-terror agency. The Counter-Terrorism Summit was sponsored by the state Office of Public Security, created by Gov. George Pataki after Sept. 11 to help improve information sharing among law enforcement agencies and address gaps in the security network. (Newsday)

Federal Hall Exhibit Opens - Jul 25, 2002
They didn't like most of what they saw, but hundreds of people opted for an up-front look yesterday at the six Ground Zero land-use options that went on display at Federal Hall. (New York Post)

Downtown, An Exodus That Cash Can't Stop - Jul 24, 2002
City and state officials are finding that cheaper rents in Lower Manhattan and millions of dollars in cash grants and tax breaks from the government are not enough to keep companies like Aon, Pillsbury Winthrop, Dresdner Kleinwort Wasserstein and ABN Amro from defecting to more expensive quarters in Midtown, or to space in Brooklyn and Jersey City. (New York Times)

Silverstein Won't Go - Jul 24, 2002
World Trade Center real-estate mogul Larry Silverstein won't give up the lease that gives him the right to rebuild the destroyed office complex, his spokesman said yesterday. "Larry has no intention of backing out of this," said Howard Rubenstein. (New York Post)

PA is Talking Flexibility on WTC Land Use - Jul 24, 2002
A top Port Authority official conceded yesterday that the agency may not be able to rebuild all 11 million square feet of office space lost in the World Trade Center attacks. And if that means the PA will get less than the $124 million in rents it collects annually at the Trade Center site, then so be it, PA Chairman Jack Sinagra said. (New York Daily News)

You're Too Kind, Firefighters Say, Truly Meaning It - Jul 24, 2002
The New York City Fire Department department wants everyone to know that it is grateful for the nation's overwhelming generosity. After 343 firefighters died in the terrorist attack on Sept. 11, people sent statues, rakes, teddy bears, letters, paintings, crystal flags, ceramic flowers, painted eggs, pennies, books, shovels, megaphones, sculptures and socks. But the department is running out of storage space. (New York Times)

Exhibits Re-examine WTC Tragedy - Jul 24, 2002
Four artists and a group of students throughout the city are using art to preserve the innocence stripped away on Sept. 11 and the emotions thereafter. The New-York Historical Society on Tuesday unveiled four new exhibits related to the World Trade Center. (Newsday)

Even Critics Say Some Designs for Downtown Aren't So Bad - Jul 23, 2002
Even as the six initial designs for the rebuilding of the World Trade Center site have come under fire in the past week as unimaginative, certain design elements appear to have captured the imagination of a diverse public audience. The idea of a memorial promenade stretching to Battery Park, providing impressive views throughout its length of those other American landmarks, the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, was widely admired. (New York Times)

WTC Designer Says Concerns Deserve Attention - Jul 23, 2002
A top architect hired to reimagine the World Trade Center site said yesterday the much-criticized rebuilding plans could be overhauled as victims' families vowed to work separately on alternative ideas. John Beyer, whose firm Beyer Blinder Belle prepared the initial plans under a tight deadline, said the reaction to the six designs at a Saturday forum deserves great attention. (New York Daily News)

WTC Lease Could Be Cancelled, But Not Without Silverstein's Consent - Jul 23, 2002
Under fire for its design plans, the Port Authority has said it will have to negotiate a new lease agreement to allow for less than the 11 million square feet of office space it wanted to replace. Changing priorities for rebuilding Ground Zero could lead to canceling the property lease held by Larry Silverstein -- creating an opening for other developers to enter the project, Port Authority officials said yesterday. But officials stressed that the lease could be cancelled only with Silverstein's consent. (New York Post)

As New Yorkers Brace for 9/11 Anniversary, Shrinks Go On Vacation - Jul 23, 2002
As Manhattan's therapists prepare to disappear to their own secure, undisclosed locations for the month of August, their patients are already bracing for that daunting September ordeal, the anniversary of the terrorist attacks. (New York Magazine)

Fresh Visions of Ground Zero Could Delay Lower Manhattan's Recovery - Jul 22, 2002
Officials charged with overseeing the rebuilding of Lower Manhattan said this weekend that the public's call for a slower planning process and less commercial space on the World Trade Center site could delay plans for an expanded transportation center connecting the subway and commuter rail lines downtown. (New York Times)

Less of a Jersey Tilt on Plans for WTC - Jul 22, 2002
Since rebuilding talks began, the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation, stocked with New York state and city appointees -- has been responsive to the demands of the Port Authority, an agency controlled equally by the Empire and Garden states. Many officials on this side of the Hudson River have feared that New Jersey's financial interests were playing too large a role in what rises in lower Manhattan. It looks like the power balance has now tipped firmly in New York's favor. (New York Daily News)

Mending the Hearts Broken on Sept. 11 Is as Difficult as Explaining the Cost - Jul 22, 2002
Charity officials are struggling to prove that money allocated for providing mental health care to those traumatized by the Sept. 11 attacks is being well spent. (New York Times)

3,000 To Attend Today's Meeting on WTC Plans - Jul 22, 2002
Another town hall meeting will be held at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center today for people to express their opinions on rebuilding lower Manhattan in the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attack. The meeting, which is expected to draw 3,000 people, comes on the heels of a similar gathering on Saturday at the Javits Center during which officials -- stung by criticism about the initial six proposals for redeveloping the World Trade Center -- said they might extend the timeline for producing a final plan. (Newsday)

Officials Rethink Building Proposal for Ground Zero - Jul 21, 2002
Officials charged with rebuilding Lower Manhattan in the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attack on the World Trade Center said yesterday that they would consider new options for the site, including scaling back the amount of commercial space.The changes, the officials said, were in response to a broad array of criticism of the six initial designs for rebuilding the trade center site, including unfavorable appraisals at a town hall meeting in Manhattan yesterday. (New York Times)

Forum on WTC Designs: Try Again - Jul 21, 2002
If there was an overarching message sent by an estimated 5,000 people attending the ambitious town hall meeting yesterday on the future of the World Trade Center site, it was this: Get back to the drawing board. (Newsday)

Many Ideas to Mark Mournful Anniversary - Jul 21, 2002
A silent parade from Ground Zero to Central Park. Fireworks. Individual air balloons representing every victim. Rivers nationwide dyed red. Those are among the hundreds of suggestions people from around the globe have made given in the month since Mayor Bloomberg created a Web site and a voice mailbox for ideas about how best to mark the one-year anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks. (New York Post)

A Forum on Rebuilding Lower Manhattan - Jul 20, 2002
When more than 5,000 people gather today at the Javits Convention Center to talk about the rebuilding of Lower Manhattan, plenty of people, Gov. George E. Pataki among them, are likely to be listening closely. Since Tuesday, when the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey released six initial proposals for the redesign of the World Trade Center site, a wave of negative commentary has flowed from architects, urban designers, politicians and journalists. (New York Times)

Mayor: More Housing at WTC Site - Jul 20, 2002
Mayor Bloomberg yesterday said he'd like to see more housing -- and less office space -- at Ground Zero, after six designs for site called for massive commercial buildings. (New York Post)

Head of Stock Exchange Boycotting Rebuild Panel - Jul 20, 2002
The head of the New York Stock Exchange has skipped nearly every meeting of the Lower Manhattan Development Corp. since February because he's miffed at City Hall for scuttling plans for a new stock exchange headquarters, sources told The Post. (New York Post)

State Has Paid $32 Billion to 9/11 Families - Jul 20, 2002
The state Crime Victims Board has paid $32 million to Sept. 11 terror victims and their families for lost salaries and burial expenses, it was revealed yesterday. The board, whose mission is to provide financial help to victims of all crimes, has so far settled 5,361 Sept. 11-related claims, officials said. (New York Post)

WTC Public Hearing Set Tomorrow - Jul 19, 2002
More than 5,000 people, including at least 300 relatives of victims of the Sept. 11 terror attacks, will converge on the Javits Center tomorrow to comment on lower Manhattan redevelopment proposals at a high-tech town hall meeting. "Listening to the City," an all-day event, will feature 10- to 12-person roundtable groups that will use wireless technology to vote on what they'd like to see in a memorial and rebuilding at Ground Zero. (New York Daily News)

Congress OKs $5.5B For NYC - Jul 19, 2002
The last chunk of federal money promised to New York by President George W. Bush as the nation was still reeling from the Sept. 11 World Trade Center attack fell into place yesterday when House and Senate negotiators agreed on the final $5.5-billion installment for the city.The deal brings to $21.3 billion the amount of federal money going to New York, topping the president's pledge of $20 billion made two days after terrorists crashed two airliners into the Twin Towers. (Newsday)

9/11 Families Coalition Waiting to Comment - Jul 19, 2002
A coalition of 9/11 victims' relatives has decided to wait until after a major public forum tomorrow before commenting on the six Ground Zero designs. Lee Ielpi, a retired firefighter who lost his son Jonathan, said coalition members decided to listen to feedback from other people at the "Listening to the City" event at the Javits Convention Center tomorrow. (New York Post)

Designs for Trade Center Raise Financing Questions - Jul 18, 2002
The proposals unveiled Tuesday to rebuild Lower Manhattan include a number of high-cost projects, including the burying of West Street and the creation of a new subway and commuter rail hub. But how those projects--which will require the investment of hundreds of millions, if not billions, of dollars--will be paid for remains unclear. (New York Times)

City Split on Redeveloping 'Sacred Ground' - Jul 18, 2002
New Yorkers are evenly divided over whether it is appropriate to build on the "footprints" of the Twin Towers--an area that some have called sacred ground, according to a poll released yesterday. (New York Post)

WTC Plans Put Homes in Jeopardy - Jul 18, 2002
Tenants of two buildings on the south edge of Ground Zero said they were shocked when they examined World Trade Center site redevelopment plans and found their homes were not part of the picture. The 11-story buildings at 125 Cedar St. and 114 Liberty St., next door to the Engine 10/Ladder 10 firehouse, were depicted within a larger area marked for new apartment buildings or a museum in the site plans released Tuesday. (Newsday)

Critics See Plans as Dull and Tinged With Greed - Jul 18, 2002
Dreary, dense, listless and just plain greedy. Those are some of the comments being used to bludgeon the six redevelopment proposals for the World Trade Center site. Yet the criticism didn't seem to bother the board of the Lower Manhattan Development Corp. at a meeting yesterday. (New York Daily News)

Bloomberg Has Own Ideas - Jul 18, 2002
Mayor Bloomberg's strong comments about the Ground Zero plans mark one of the few times he has used the bully pulpit to drive the agenda on a major issue. Beginning Saturday and continuing yesterday, Bloomberg has made it clear he wasn't thrilled by any of the six designs, and that he had his own ideas (New York Post)

Development Corporation Architect Issues Challenge to Profession - Jul 18, 2002
The Lower Manhattan Development Corp. board's lone architect, Billie Tsien, yesterday challenged her profession to examine every detail of the six proposals for the World Trade Center site. (Newsday)

LIRR Seen for Downtown Hub - Jul 18, 2002
A new Long Island Rail Road station underneath Liberty St. could be part of the massive transportation hub envisioned for lower Manhattan, officials said yesterday. The LIRR expansion and a plan for a new ferry terminal are expected to be included in a broad set of transportation proposals set for release next month by the Lower Manhattan Development Corp (New York Daily News)

Senator Clinton Calls For Account of Sept. 11 FEMA Funds - Jul 18, 2002
The Federal Emergency Management Agency should keep a scorecard of money it's spending to help New York recover from the Sept. 11 attacks, Sen. Hillary Clinton said yesterday. About one-third of the $6 billion in FEMA aid earmarked for the city has been parceled out. (New York Daily News)

WTC Designs Site Logs 40 Million Visitors - Jul 18, 2002
The official Web site featuring the six World Trade Center designs got roughly 40 million visits within its first three hours, officials said yesterday. (New York Post)

Memorial Promenade is Favorite Among Post Readers - Jul 18, 2002
New York Post readers overwhelmingly voted for the Memorial Promenade as their favorite among the six proposals for Ground Zero. The plan includes a pair of buildings with tall spires, evoking the Twin Towers. (New York Post)

Six Plans for Ground Zero, All Seen as a Starting Point - Jul 17, 2002
On the day that six proposals for the redevelopment of the World Trade Center site were unveiled, the chairman of the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation said yesterday that the public could consider a seventh possibility, a new design without some of the requirements for office and retail space that shaped the initial proposals. (New York Times)

Plans for WTC Site Include Memorial, Offices, Hotel and Retail Space - Jul 17, 2002
The plans show the skyline of lower Manhattan restored, spires higher than the Twin Towers, parks and memorials -- and many office buildings of varying sizes and shapes. They envision transportation improvements and include new housing, but they ignore surrounding neighborhoods. (Newsday)

Commercial Space Mix Could Affect Revenues and Race for Governor - Jul 17, 2002
John C. Whitehead, chairman of the group overseeing the rebuilding of Lower Manhattan, brought a long-simmering backroom debate into the open yesterday when he said the group might scrap the six plans for the World Trade Center site, and with them, the Port Authority's demand for dense commercial development. (New York Times)

Politicians Reserve Judgment on Plans - Jul 17, 2002
In an appearance with Gov. George Pataki in lower Manhattan, Mayor Michael Bloomberg downplayed the significance of the six World Trade Center site design proposals issued Tuesday as an indication of the ultimate product. (Newsday)

Giuliani: Don't Build on the Footprints - Jul 17, 2002
Former Mayor Rudy Giuliani yesterday gave a thumbs-down to those Ground Zero plans that call for building on the Twin Towers' footprints, saying the swaths of land are a "burial ground" that should be kept intact. (New York Post)

From Ashes and Loss, Firehouse 10 Will Return - Jul 17, 2002
City and federal officials announced yesterday that the Federal Emergency Management Agency would grant $1.45 million to restore and reopen 10 House, the Liberty Street firehouse that was home to the fire units stationed closest to the World Trade Center. It was severely damaged on Sept. 11. (New York Times)

9/11 Tape: Families May Hear It, but Not Tell of It - Jul 17, 2002
Fire officials said yesterday that the families of the 343 firefighters who died on Sept. 11 would be allowed to listen to radio transmissions that were recorded in the World Trade Center on the morning of the attack. But the families, like fire officials who have listened to a tape of the transmissions, will be required to sign confidentiality agreements that will prevent them from disclosing anything they hear. (New York Daily News)

Preliminary Trade Center Plans Scheduled To Be Released Today - Jul 16, 2002
In what will be the beginning of a process of debate and refinement lasting at least through the end of the year, the six designs, developed by planners for the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, are scheduled to be released to the public today at a news conference at the Federal Hall National Memorial, the landmark building on Wall Street. The designs have undergone several stages of revision even as they have been reviewed with public officials and others in recent days, people involved in the process say (New York Times)

Skyscraper in WTC Plans - Jul 16, 2002
A towering skyscraper, a "memorial pavilion" over the spot where one of the Twin Towers once stood, and a museum atop a covered-over West Street are among the elements in the Ground Zero plans to be released today, sources said. (New York Post)

Execs Say 10M Square Feet for Offices Not Needed Downtown - Jul 16, 2002
Even before today's release of six plans for redevelopment of the World Trade Center site, real estate industry executives say they're concerned that the various proposals leaked to the press call for building 10 million square feet of office space in an area choking on empty space. (Newsday)

A Grim Job Done, as Dust Is Returned Unto Dust - Jul 16, 2002
For the workers at the Fresh Kills landfill who sifted through 1.62 million tons of rubble from the World Trade Center for remains of those killed on Sept. 11 and for clues about those responsible for the attack, the official end of their job yesterday seemed a sad graduation of sorts. Politicians joined them, along with the family members of some of the victims, for a solemn ceremony at the landfill in Staten Island at the completion of an operation that had continued nearly nonstop since Sept. 12. (New York Times)

Flap Erupts Over Downtown Shelter Plans - Jul 16, 2002
A not-in-my-backyard flap has erupted over the decision by a leading homeless advocacy group to relocate closer to the heart of the lower Manhattan rebuilding zone. The Coalition for the Homeless bought the five-story building at 129 Fulton St. from Collegiate Reformed Church for $10.5 million. It plans to move there next year. But a Community Board 1 subcommittee voted to oppose the plan at a July 9 meeting. (Newsday)

Victims' Group Calls For Inquiry Into 9/11 Communications Breakdown, - Jul 15, 2002
A group representing families and friends of World Trade Center victims called yesterday for an independent inquiry into reports that the Fire Department's failing radio system and a lack of communication among the agencies that responded to the attack hampered the rescue efforts on Sept. 11. Members of the group, the Skyscraper Safety Campaign, sent letters yesterday to Gov. George E. Pataki, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and Gifford Miller, the City Council speaker, asking for meetings and for an independent investigation of the rescue effort. (New York Times)

Search for Remains Ends With Ceremony - Jul 15, 2002
The city will mark the end of its efforts to recover human remains from the rubble of the World Trade Center today with a ceremony at the Fresh Kills landfill on Staten Island, where more than a million and a half tons of debris have been sifted for clues (New York Times)

Assembly Speaker Silver Rips Governor Pataki Over Downtown Job Drain - Jul 15, 2002
Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, the state's most powerful Democrat, is accusing Gov. Pataki of damaging downtown recovery efforts by planning to send jobs out of the area. (New York Post)

Terror Makes All the World a Beat for New York Police - Jul 15, 2002
As it moves ahead in a post-Sept. 11 world, the New York Police Department is taking on many jobs that were once the sole province of federal authorities, from posting officers abroad to creating a medical staff to analyze the potential impact of weapons of mass destruction. (New York Times)

Port Authority Says Money Isn't Its Main Motivation in Rebuilding - Jul 14, 2002
With an array of stake-holders ready to square off this week over design options for a rebuilt World Trade Center, Port Authority officials say there is room for compromise on planning goals, but not without a cost to the agency's other programs. Port Authority officials have said that financial constraints are pushing the agency to restore its income from the trade center, which was about 10 percent of the agency's operating cash flow. (New York Post)

Half of New Yorkers Want to Rebuild the Twin Towers - Jul 14, 2002
A New York Post survey of 609 people in the five boroughs revealed that 48 percent are in favor of rebuilding the World Trade Center towers, while 50 percent oppose it. Two percent were undecided. Sizable majorities in Queens, Staten Island and The Bronx were against rebuilding, as were residents of the West Side. But there was strong support on the East Side, in Midtown and in Brooklyn. Downtown and Chinatown were almost evenly split. (New York Post)

WTC Site: Mayor Has Own Ideas - Jul 14, 2002
After reviewing the six preliminary plans for the World Trade Center site, Mayor Bloomberg declined to embrace any of them, and pledged yesterday to submit his own redevelopment ideas. (New York Daily News)

PATH Project Halted - Jul 14, 2002
The Port Authority's controversial plan to build two new exits at PATH train stations in the West Village may be over. The Federal Emergency Management Agency has stopped the project for at least three months, saying it's unclear whether the $29.6 million construction job is a wise use of Sept. 11 relief funds. (New York Post)

At Morgue, Ceaselessly Sifting 9/11 Traces - Jul 14, 2002
Since Sept. 11, medical examiners have tried to identify thousands of victims from six times as many body parts recovered at ground zero. (New York Times)

Defining Limit of Sept. 11 Generosity - Jul 13, 2002
Within the next two weeks, Kenneth R. Feinberg, the man responsible for distributing billions of taxpayer dollars in the federal Victim Compensation Fund to thousands of families who lost relatives in the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks will decide two dozen test cases that will at last establish the rough boundaries for the sizes of the awards. (New York Times)

More Than 800 Victims May Never Be Identified - Jul 13, 2002
The remains of more than 800 victims of the World Trade Center attack may never be identified, the medical examiner's office said yesterday. The arduous process of sifting through nearly 20,000 body parts has yielded the identification of 1,229 victims over the last 10 months: less than half of the 2,823 people believed killed in the Twin Towers on Sept. 11. (New York Post)

Fire Union Frees Sept. 11 Funds - Jul 13, 2002
Blasted for sitting on more than $60 million in donations that flowed in after Sept. 11, the Uniformed Firefighters Association announced plans yesterday to give out most of the money immediately. (New York Daily News)

Ruling Favors Limited Access to 9/11 Data - Jul 13, 2002
A federal judge, acknowledging national security concerns, ruled yesterday that the government should have a say in what is turned over to the families that have sued airlines, security firms, and others in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 terror attacks. (New York Times)

$200 Million More in Sept. 11 Aid Is Allocated - Jul 12, 2002
One of the largest charities to emerge in response to the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon unveiled its plans yesterday for distributing its remaining $200 million of donations, including an allocation of $45 million to $55 million for mental health care. (New York Times)

Historic Art Also A Casualty of Sept. 11 - Jul 12, 2002
Lost in the Sept. 11 terror attacks were innumerous valuable artistic, cultural and historic items worth tens of millions of dollars. But the real significance is that the material, including Helen Keller's letters, sculpture by Auguste Rodin and artifacts from the African Burial Ground, can never be replaced. (New York Daily News)

U.S. Judge Clears Detention of Witnesses for Grand Jury - Jul 12, 2002
A federal judge in Manhattan ruled yesterday that prosecutors may detain witnesses to testify before grand juries, a decision that will be seen as a powerful endorsement of a major investigative tool used by law enforcement since the Sept. 11 attacks. (New York Times)

6 Plans for Ground Zero Share Striking Similarities - Jul 11, 2002
The six official proposals for rebuilding the World Trade Center site, which will be released next Tuesday, all took as a given the need for office space, a hotel, and retail shopping. None of the plans, which will be released to the public next Tuesday, include residential apartments. Although all of the designs set aside space for a memorial, four of them call for construction on the site of the south tower, which goes against the wishes of many family victims groups and Governor George Pataki. (New York Times)

Sept. 11 Tape Heard in Secret in Fire Inquiry - Jul 11, 2002
Amid concern about the scope and depth of an inquiry by the Fire Department into its Sept. 11 response, Mayor Michael Bloomberg said yesterday that fire officials would immediately listen to taped radio transmissions among firefighters at the World Trade Center that were discovered five or six months ago but never played. (New York Times)

Ceremony to Signify End of Search for Remains at Staten Island Landfill - Jul 11, 2002
The end of the search for human remains from the World Trade Center will be marked by a police department ceremony at Fresh Kills landfill on Monday, officials said. Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Police Commissioner Ray Kelly and trade center victims' families all are expected to attend the 9:30 a.m. ceremony. (Newsday)

Survivors of 3 Officers Sue Union Over Charity - Jul 11, 2002
The families of three police officers who died in the attack on the World Trade Center are suing the Patrolmen's Benevolent Association in an escalation of a dispute over the union's handling of the millions of dollars in donations it received after Sept. 11. (New York Times)

Students Studying Near Ground Zero Score Highest - Jul 11, 2002
Students at elementary schools closest to Ground Zero earned the highest scores on English exams this year despite enduring the horrific terrorist attacks and months of disruptions. (New York Post)

First Panels of Project to Honor 9/11 Victims on Display Saturday - Jul 11, 2002
The first 60 panels of a quilt honoring Sept. 11 victims go on display this weekend in Central Park. Nearly 400 families and friends of those who died Sept. 11 have each agreed to make a 3-foot-by-6-foot panel. (Newsday)

Strong Reactions to the Marketing of Ground Zero - Jul 10, 2002
As officials begin to plan for a permanent memorial, the site already draws thousands of tourists daily. But the vacuum created by the absence of a permanent memorial has brought what many residents say is a tawdry commercialization to the site. The throngs of visitors have also highlighted the concern of some residents that Lower Manhattan could become a memorial spot instead of a thriving community. (Downtown Express)

Hundreds of 9/11 Families File for Right to Sue Port Authority - Jul 10, 2002
More than 450 families who lost relatives on Sept. 11 have filed legal papers preserving their right to sue the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey over alleged safety lapses and poor evacuation procedures at the World Trade Center. (New York Times)

Search for Sept. 11 Remains Set to End - Jul 10, 2002
The search for human remains in World Trade Center debris at Staten Island's Fresh Kills landfill will end Monday, concluding the 10-month recovery effort, officials said yesterday. (New York Daily News)

Critics Say "Different" WTC Plans All Alike - Jul 10, 2002
A week before officials unveil a series of design proposals for a rebuilt World Trade Center, the plans are already drawing heat from critics who complain they're too much alike: with each restoring all of the office and retail space lost Sept. 11. (New York Post)

Sept. 11 Tape Could Hold Clues to Firefighters' Deaths - Jul 10, 2002
Ten months after the Sept. 11 attacks that left 343 firefighters dead, and five months after fire officials undertook a study of just what happened, the Fire Department has yet to review a potentially critical trove of information: a tape of radio transmissions among firefighters at the World Trade Center that morning. The tape, in the end, may provide answers to some of the lingering questions about what happened to fire companies that perished after ascending into the tower. (New York Times)

International Theater in the Post 9/11 Era - Jul 10, 2002
International theater festivals have become a staple of summer, yet foreign artists wishing to perform in the U.S. have never had a tougher time entering the country. Nigel Redden, director of the Lincoln Center Festival, understands the current imperatives and challenges as well as anyone. Having invited an Iranian troupe of 28 to perform Ta'ziyeh, a multipart traditional music drama, he's had to contend with visa denial for 10 members. (Village Voice)

Bank of New York Returns To Its Downtown Home - Jul 10, 2002
It's been taking place with little fanfare for weeks: employees of the Bank of New York trickling back to 101 Barclay St., just north of the World Trade Center site. Already, 2,500 of the approximately 4,000 operations and technical staffers at the bank, one of the nation's largest, have returned to a building that was badly damaged Sept. 11. (Newsday)

Lobbying On the Rise After Sept. 11 - Jul 10, 2002
Business, government and civic groups trying to recover from the collapse of the World Trade Center have spent tens of thousands of dollars on Washington lobbyists to help tap into federal aid flowing from Capitol Hill. (Newsday)

Career Profiles of 9/11 Dead Arouse Anxiety - Jul 9, 2002
The staff of Cantor Fitzgerald have prepared a detailed accounting of the performances and prospects of the firm and its 658 lost employees. The book is meant to arm families of Sept. 11 victims in their fight for federal compensation awards. But as both those who are assembling the Cantor document and those about to open it realize, it could well be yet one more minefield for a bruised and fragile population of survivors. The document and other similarly detailed packages being prepared by the companies with the greatest losses at the World Trade Center are a kind of emotionally loaded statistical yearbook. (New York Times)

Revised Rebuild Plan Calls for Housing, Parks - Jul 9, 2002
Revised rebuilding guidelines for lower Manhattan call for the creation of a magnificent neighborhood that will be "a symbol of New York City recognized around the world." The updated plans, released yesterday by the Lower Manhattan Development Corp., generally adhere to the original blueprint unveiled in April. But there are significant changes, including proposals to build more housing, parks, hospitals, and schools. (New York Daily News)

Senator Clinton: Extend 9/11 Benefit - Jul 9, 2002
Sen. Hillary Clinton announced yesterday she is pushing for a second 13-week extension of Sept. 11 unemployment benefits. Aides to Clinton said the new extension would cost about the same as the last one: about $8 billion. (New York Daily News)

FEMA to Fund WTC Health Registry - Jul 9, 2002
Federal officials on Monday said they will create a registry to track the health effects of the World Trade Center collapse on those exposed to hazardous materials at the cleanup site. The Federal Emergency Management Agency will provide $20 million to start the registry. (Newsday)

Chinatown Plans to Study Sept. 11 Impact - Jul 9, 2002
Chinatown leaders announced Monday they will use a $100,000 grant from Freddie Mac, the mortgage company, to measure the impact of Sept. 11 on the still distressed neighborhood. ChinatownÕs economy is still suffering from the Sept. 11 attack. (Newsday)

Artists' 9/11 Reflections On Display - Jul 9, 2002
An exhibition of works by American artists seeking to use art to express their feelings about Sept. 11 opens today at the National Arts Club. "True Colors: Meditations on the American Spirit" includes more than 60 paintings, drawings, photographs and even a cartoon. (New York Daily News)

9/11 Victims Need $768 Million in Aid Into 2003, Study Says - Jul 8, 2002
Meeting the continuing needs of direct and indirect victims of the World Trade Center attack will cost $768 million over the next year, according to a consultant's study to be released today. Addressing job and income loss will make up by far the largest portion of that cost, but mental health treatment is likely to be the most costly need in the long term, according to the survey, which was conducted by McKinsey & Company for the 9/11 United Services Group Inc., a nonprofit consortium of 13 charities founded to help coordinate private assistance to victims of Sept. 11. (New York Times)

9/11 Exposed Deadly Flaws in Rescue Plan - Jul 7, 2002
After months of grief, both the Fire and Police Departments are approaching the end of delicate internal reviews of their responses to the attack. Those reviews have concluded that major changes are needed in how the agencies go about their work and prepare for the next disaster, senior officials say. A six-month examination by the New York Times found that the rescuers' ability to save themselves and others was hobbled by technical difficulties, a history of tribal feuding and management lapses that have been part of the emergency response culture in New York City and other regions for years. (New York Times)

Federal Hall to Show Exhibit of Plans for Trade Center Site - Jul 7, 2002
As many as six preliminary land-use plans for the World Trade Center site are to be announced in a news conference at Federal Hall early next week. The plans will be shown in the Federal Hall National Memorial at Wall and Nassau Streets, a crossroads of history since the 18th century and no stranger to the devastation of Sept. 11., from July 22 through the first week of September. (New York Times)

WTC Aid Not Reaching Small Businesses, Others In Need - Jul 7, 2002
The twenty-one billion, four hundred million dollars in federal aid coming to New York City after Sept. 11 makes up nearly half the city's annual budget. But it's not enough to satisfy everyone Ñ no matter how the pot of cash is divvied up. The clear winners, thus far, are corporate giants and real estate developers. They may be getting aid at the expense of thousands of small companies, mom-and-pop businesses, school kids and children traumatized by Sept. 11 and in need of mental health services. (New York Daily News)

Ground Zero Workers Bike for Charity - Jul 7, 2002
More than a thousand Ground Zero construction workers climbed aboard their motorcycles yesterday to raise money for the children who lost their parents in the World Trade Center (New York Post)

At Camp for Sept. 11 Children, Grief Is Close - Jul 6, 2002
There are dozens of summer camps running programs for families shattered by Sept. 11. Some have built-in bereavement programs. Others are simply intended to let children get away and have fun. But all the programs are grappling with a common obstacle: while many children could benefit from a getaway in the country, many are not ready to be away from their remaining parents. (New York Times)

Tears, Vows Mark July 4 Holiday at WTC Site - Jul 5, 2002
A somber procession of thousands came to Ground Zero yesterday to pay homage to those who died in one of the saddest chapters in the nation's 226-year history. Yesterday, the area surrounding the site at Church and Liberty streets was often three deep with onlookers, who no longer need a ticket to view the site. (Newsday)

Giant Sept. 11 quilt displayed - Jul 5, 2002
A giant American flag being decorated with quilted squares from around the country was unveiled in the park on the nation's birthday. The September 11th Quilt Project was begun as a way to bring New Yorkers and the rest of the country together to heal after the terror attacks on the World Trade Center, said project co-founder Alexis Owen of Denver. (New York Daily News)

Enjoying July 4 Holiday With 9/11 in Mind - Jul 5, 2002
Despite the usual holiday routines tied to the Fourth of July, a different date Ñ Sept. 11 Ñ inevitably crept into the minds of many. Mayor Bloomberg started his day with a sobering visit to Staten Island's Rescue Co. 5, which lost 11 members Sept. 11. (New York Daily News)

Stamp Tribute to 9/11 Heroes - Jul 5, 2002
This week, the Postal Service presented a tiny yet powerful memorial to Sept. 11 Ñ the Heroes of 2001 Stamp.The stamp features the Thomas Franklin photograph of three firefighters raising the American flag at Ground Zero and is available nationwide. It sells for 45 cents, 8 cents of which will be donated to the September 11th Victims' Fund. (New York Daily News)

Downtown Shops Stay Loyal to Area - Jul 4, 2002
Despite slumping revenues and thousands of dead or displaced clients, dozens of businesses near Ground Zero are struggling through tough times out of loyalty for the neighborhood. Though most are not draping themselves in red, white and blue, they are patriotic, and they want to support their country and community. (Newsday)

Sept. 11 Inspires a Rush to City's Volunteer Fire Squads - Jul 4, 2002
Dozens of men and women have joined the city's obscure brigade of volunteer firefighters since Sept. 11, driven, they say, by the desire to protect their neighborhoods, become part-time heroes and players, however minor, in the nation's fight against terrorism. (New York Times)

Maya Lin "Quietly" Talking to Ground Zero Officials - Jul 3, 2002
The artist who designed the much-praised Vietnam Memorial in Washington says she has "quietly" been talking to officials involved in the Ground Zero tribute. Architect Maya Lin is also reportedly worried that average New Yorkers won't have as big a say as 9/11 victims' relatives in the Ground Zero memorial. (New York Post)

Executive to Handle 9/11 Memorial Construction - Jul 2, 2002
A Merrill Lynch executive long involved in downtown cultural events will oversee the building of a memorial to the victims of Sept. 11. Anita Contini, 58, will be named vice president and director for memorial cultural and civic programs today by the Lower Manhattan Development Corp. (New York Daily News)

Ground Zero Formally Returned to Port Authority - Jul 2, 2002
The city turned over control of Ground Zero to the Port Authority yesterday, marking another step in its transition from crime scene to construction site. The city's Office of Emergency Management and Department of Design and Construction had supervised the arduous recovery work at Ground Zero after Sept. 11 and also controlled access. But yesterday, without fanfare, the city returned the 16-acre site to its owner, the Port Authority. (New York Post)

9/11 Cleanup Moves Inside - Jul 1, 2002
The Environmental Protection Agency is to begin within the next few weeks the mammoth task of cleaning and testing thousands of apartments in Lower Manhattan that were caught in harm's way last September by the ash and dust from the World Trade Center. But deciding whether or not to register for the federal cleaning is not easy. (New York Times)

Families Might Sue Port Authority Over 9/11 Losses - Jul 1, 2002
Dozens of families who lost loved ones Sept. 11 are set to serve notice today they might sue the Port Authority Ñ charging the agency failed to promptly evacuate the south tower after the north tower was attacked. The deadline for filing notices of claim against the Port Authority is July 10. (New York Daily News)

Silver: Slow Down the Process - Jul 1, 2002
Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, the state's most powerful Democrat, took exception yesterday to Gov. Pataki's weekend pledge not to build on the Twin Towers' two-acre "footprints." Silver, whose lower Manhattan district includes Ground Zero, said he was against any "quick determination, " including Pataki's, as to what kind of a memorial should be built at the site. (New York Post)

Ground Zero Faces Strike - Jul 1, 2002
Thousands of carpenters, steamfitters, and cement and concrete workers could walk off the job Ñ and possibly out of Ground Zero Ñ this morning. Sources said work agreements between several building trade unions and general contractors were to expire last night (New York Daily News)