Gotham Gazette

The Place for New York Policy and politics

Subway Stations Near World Trade Center Site To Reopen By November - Apr 30, 2002
A subway station on the eastern edge of Ground Zero is expected to reopen by November, a top transit official said. The N and R Cortlandt St. station was closed because entrances in the World Trade Center complex were destroyed Sept. 11. The Transit Authority also hopes to reopen the Rector St. and South Ferry stations on the 1 and 9 line by Nov. 1. A new tunnel is under construction. (New York Daily News)

Federal Agency Criticized For Not Reimbursing New York City Schools After 9/11 - Apr 28, 2002
City schools are being shortchanged $110 million by the federal agency charged with helping pay for recovery efforts after Sept. 11, two New York members of Congress charge. The Federal Emergency Management Agency has refused to pay for classroom time lost after the terrorist attacks, yet when a 1994 earthquake closed Los Angeles schools for a week, the U.S. Education Department offered $45 million in aid. (New York Daily News)

Fire Chiefs Less Likely To Send Firefighters To Top Floors To Battle Skyscraper Fires - Apr 28, 2002
Strategies for battling high-rise blazes probably won't change much due to the World Trade Center attacks, but fire chiefs might be reluctant to send firefighters to upper floors, New York City's former fire commissioner Thomas Von Essen said yesterday. He also stressed the need for better communication between firefighters. (New York Daily News)

Ground Zero Minority Workers' Ailments Persist Months After September 11 - Apr 28, 2002
More than 400 immigrant workers hired to clean buildings near the World Trade Center site continued to suffer respiratory and other symptoms months after their first exposure to the dust, a Queens College physician reported yesterday. Dr. Steven Markowitz, who supervised a medical monitoring van near Ground Zero for two months, gave preliminary results of examinations of 415 building cleanup workers. In late February, nearly all the workers still had health symptoms, which either first appeared or had worsened after Sept. 11, Markowitz said. (Newsday)

Street Fairs Delayed By September 11 Back On Track - Apr 28, 2002
After an autumn in which all but 4 of the nearly 100 street fairs scheduled after Sept. 11 were canceled, New Yorkers are seeing the earliest of about 400 such events, ranging from a single block to more than 20, that are to be held through November. (New York Times)

Underground World Trade Center Shopping Mall Can Be Rebuilt - Apr 27, 2002
The entire shopping mall that was lost in the World Trade Center attack can be rebuilt below the site, a top Port Authority official said yesterday. The 460,000 square-foot retail mall that was beneath the trade center complex can be rebuilt as part of the "grand concourse" that the Port Authority, which owns the land, is looking at - with most of the shops in the area between Church Street and Greenwich Street. (New York Post)

State to Ask for More Money for Rebuilding From Congress - Apr 27, 2002
New York will ask Congress for more than the $21.3 billion it has already been promised to help rebuild Lower Manhattan, Senator Charles E. Schumer told a conference of civic and urban-planning groups on Friday. Mr. Schumer told reporters after his address that more money would probably be needed for the repair and revitalization of Lower Manhattan's transportation system and the redevelopment of its waterfront. (New York Times)

14 Major Companies Pledge To Stay Downtown - Apr 26, 2002
Fourteen companies announced Friday that they would remain in Lower Manhattan, signing long-term agreements that would retain more than 10,000 jobs downtown. In exchange for their commitments to stay in New York, the companies are eligible for $32.9 million in grants under the federally funded Job Creation and Retention Program, Gov. George Pataki said in a news release. Among the companies are Century 21, Deloitte and Touche, Media Planning Group, and Pace University. (Newsday)

One-Stop Commuting For Lower Manhattan Is Key, Says Member of Rebuilding Agency - Apr 26, 2002
A one-stop commuter ride to lower Manhattan will guarantee the neighborhood's future, according to one board member of the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation, while downtown's success would serve as the "ultimate retort" to the terroists who destroyed the World Trade Center on Sept. 11. (Newsday)

Cancer Risk From World Trade Center Asbestos "Relatively Low," Says One Expert - Apr 26, 2002
For the thousands of people who were exposed to World Trade Center dust and debris on Sept. 11, the risk of developing asbestos-related cancer is relatively low, a leading physician said yesterday. Dr. Stephen Levin, medical director of the Mount Sinai-Irving J. Selikoff Occupational Health Center, said that although more than 20,000 people are at risk of developing the rare, insidious cancer known as malignant mesothelioma as a result of inhaling asbestos and other substances after the collapse, few are likely to come down with the disease. (Newsday)

New Yorkers More Fearful of Terrorism Than Residents of Other Cities - Apr 26, 2002
New Yorkers are more worried about future terrorism than other Americans, a new poll shows. 22% of New Yorkers worry a great deal about another attack, according to a survey by the Center for Public Policy at the University of Houston. By contrast, 14% in Chicago and 13% in Los Angeles and Houston worry a lot about the possibility of attacks on their cities, the center said. (New York Daily News)

Federal September 11 Relief Lags Behind Aid Given For Other Disasters - Apr 26, 2002
Almost eight months after the Sept. 11 attacks on the World Trade Center, the Federal Emergency Management Agency has doled out less than $65 million to help needy families in the disaster area pay their bills, avoid eviction and buy food -- only a fraction of what the nation's frontline relief agency distributed in the months after other major catastrophes. (New York Times)

Barges Near Stuyvesant High School To Stop Transportation of Ground Zero Debris Next Month - Apr 25, 2002
The first of the barges which have towed away Ground Zero debris and have been the source of many complaints over the last seven months is about to be moved, possibly as soon as April 29. By all accounts, all three barges should be tugged out of the Hudson for good before the end of May. (Downtown Express)

Head of City-State Rebuilding Authority Maintains Everyone Has Final Say - Apr 25, 2002
The head of the downtown rebuilding agency yesterday insisted his board has equal say in what gets built at Ground Zero - a day after the Port Authority said it alone will make the final call. "I think everybody has the final say," said John Whitehead, chairman of the Lower Manhattan Development Corp., adding that "both boards" will approve the plans for the 16-acre World Trade Center site, which is owned by the Port Authority. Whitehead spoke just a day after the Port Authority board approved a memorandum of understanding with the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation that clearly laid out each agency's role - with the Port Authority having "primary" responsibility over the site and the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation doing outreach and overseeing the permanent memorial. (New York Post)

Memorial May Need Two Years For A Design - Apr 25, 2002
Mayor Bloomberg said yesterday it could take as long as two years to come up with a fitting design for a World Trade Center memorial. Bloomberg made his comments a day after development officials said they hoped to have a master plan for the disaster site by Dec. 1 -- but conceded it could take longer to design a permanent memorial to the victims of the Sept. 11 attacks. (New York Daily News)

United Way Report Details Those Left Unemployed After 9/11 And Their Lack Of Relief - Apr 25, 2002
A United Way of New York study released yesterday said that an estimated 50,000 city workers lost their jobs due to September 11 and can't receive relief set aside for Sept. 11 victims because they did not work in lower Manhattan. Nine thousand New York City people lost jobs related to the aviation industry as a direct result of the terrorist attacks, but are ineligible for help from Sept. 11 charities because they worked in Queens. The report also said social service agencies were likely to see significant increases in appeals for rent assistance, other housing help, and mental health services, due to the lack of relief available to these 50,000. (New York Daily News)

Ground Zero Cleanup To Cost Less Than Previously Estimated - Apr 25, 2002
Cleaning up and rebuilding downtown Manhattan is expected to cost up to $29 billion, $6 billion less than previously estimated, according to a report released yesterday by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. One reason the cost estimate has dropped since fall is that the cleanup of the World Trade Center site has gone more rapidly than expected. The report also said that 50,000 private jobs were lost in the immediate aftermath of Sept. 11, and 20,000 more were lost in early 2002. An additional 100,000 city workers were displaced by the attacks. (New York Daily News)

Risk Of Post-9/11 Job Loss Could Hurt New York City Long-Term, Says Federal Report - Apr 24, 2002
The risk of New York City permanently losing thousands of jobs has placed a premium on expediting the reconstruction downtown, according to a new study by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. The report highlighted the impact of more than $10 billion in lost tax revenues for the city and state this year and next, and warned that budget cuts "could entail policies that may lead to a long-term decline in the attractiveness of the city." (Newsday)

Timeline Set For Development Of World Trade Center Site - Apr 24, 2002
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which owns the trade center site, and the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation, which is overseeing much of the downtown redevelopment, jointly issued a request for proposals for a design for the site, including space for offices, a hotel, retail stores and services, and an analysis of transportation projects. A deadline of July 1 was set for initial plans, and a final proposal for the development of the site is due by Sept. 1, according to the timetable laid out yesterday. Final transportation plans and an urban design for the broader downtown area are to be completed by Dec. 1, the agencies said. Would-be planners must apply by May 6, less than two weeks away. (New York Times)

Gay Partner Seeks World Trade Center Benefits - Apr 23, 2002
A gay man who lost his partner in the World Trade Center is asking the state workers’ compensation board to consider him as the man’s spouse. It is the first case brought by a gay partner seeking workers’ compensation coverage in New York. (Newsday)

Federal Government To Reimburse NYC Schools For Post-September 11 Expenses - Apr 23, 2002
Brad Gair, federal recovery officer for the World Trade Center disaster, told the Daily News on Friday he expected the Federal Emergency Management Agency to reimburse city schools for full damage -- including ongoing environmental testing at lower Manhattan schools. Until Gair's comments Friday, school officials said the feds balked at reimbursing millions in expenses — including a $3 million asbestos cleanup of the two high schools closest to the World Trade Center. (New York Daily News)

As Recovery Effort Ends, Disappointment Among Some Recovery Workers - Apr 23, 2002
The overwhelming feeling at Ground Zero is not animosity or anger, say the laborers, machine operators, cops, and firefighters. It is frustration -- that many of those who died on Sept. 11 will never be found. "Over 2,800 people perished," said one recovery worker. "We've found about 900 of them. We had hoped to find more." (New York Daily News)

Confusion Reigns As Port Authority Argues It Has Control Over World Trade Center Site - Apr 23, 2002
The Port Authority is asserting control over the World Trade Center site, saying it -- and not the Lower Manhattan Development Corp. -- is ultimately responsible for rebuilding the 16-acre parcel. The bistate agency began soliciting proposals Friday for a master building plan for Ground Zero. The Port Authority owns the disaster site. The plan being commissioned by the agency will deal with transportation infrastructure, a memorial, retail and office space, parking, and pedestrian and traffic flow. Proposals must be submitted by May 6. Adding to the confusion, developer Larry Silverstein, who holds the lease on the twin towers site, also has hired a firm to come up with a plan. (New York Daily News)

DNA Research Pushed To Limits By Identification of World Trade Center Victims - Apr 22, 2002
The identification of the remains of the World Trade Center victims has now become the largest forensic investigation in United States history. It is an investigation that is pressing the limits of biomedical research even as it brings a painful mixture of relief and fresh grieving to families. A third of the 2,824 victims of the World Trade Center attack have now been identified, a number far beyond what many had thought would be possible. The goal now, experts involved in the effort say, is to use new scientific techniques to identify half or even two-thirds of the victims, despite the miserably deteriorated state of many of the remains being pulled from ground zero. To date, 18,937 body parts have been recovered, along with 287 whole bodies. (New York Times)

Footbridge Over West Street Reopened - Apr 21, 2002
A bridge over West St. that once allowed pedestrians to walk from the World Financial Center to a spot just across from the World Trade Center was reopened yesterday after being repaired and extended. Formerly called the South Bridge, the covered walkway from Battery Park City was closed after it was damaged by cascading debris from the twin towers on Sept. 11. It has been renamed the Liberty St. Bridge. (New York Daily News)

Feds Warn of Threat Against Northeast Banks - Apr 20, 2002
Banks in New York and across the Northeast could be the next terror targets, the FBI warned yesterday after receiving information extracted from one of Osama bin Laden's top aides. The threat - which was branded "credible but unspecific" by U.S. officials - came from Abu Zubaydah, the highest-ranking al Qaeda figure in U.S. custody. (New York Post)

$7.4 Billion Cost For Rebuilding Transportation Downtown - Apr 20, 2002
Rebuilding lower Manhattan's shattered transportation network will cost about $7.4 billion, the city-state agency leading the effort has revealed. Lou Tomson, executive director of the Lower Manhattan Development Corp., unveiled the rough price tag Thursday for the first time during meetings with several key lawmakers in Washington, sources said yesterday. The delegation estimated it would cost $2 billion to sink West St. from Chambers St. to the Battery Tunnel; $2 billion for a new PATH terminal with airport-style moving sidewalks to nearby subways; $1.3 billion for security improvements in subways; $750 million for a new transit hub at Fulton St., and $400 million to expand the antiquated South Ferry subway station. (New York Daily News)

New Construction Already Beginning At Ground Zero - Apr 19, 2002
New steel has finally begun to rise at Ground Zero - even as workers continue to haul tons of twisted steel from the ruins of the destroyed World Trade Center. Construction crews have started putting up structural steel supports for the tunnel that will cover the rebuilt Nos. 1 and 9 subway tracks, running along the fringe of the trade center site. (New York Post)

Ceremony Will Mark End of Recovery Effort - Apr 19, 2002
The Bloomberg administration is working with relatives of victims to plan a ceremony honoring the end of the Ground Zero recovery work - possibly in three weeks - family members and sources said yesterday. (New York Post)

Giuliani Finally Takes Control of Twin Towers Fund - Apr 19, 2002
After months of haggling, former Mayor Rudy Giuliani has finally gained control of the Twin Towers Fund. A state Supreme Court justice signed off Tuesday on the transfer of the fund from the city to Giuliani's new organization. The city will transfer the $100 million left in the fund to the Giuliani-controlled charity. The money will be dispersed over the next 60 days. (New York Post)

Amish Market Suing Airlines and Security Firms For September 11 Economic Losses - Apr 19, 2002
The owners of a popular supermarket damaged in the World Trade Center attacks sued American and United Airlines and two airport security firms yesterday. The suit, filed in Manhattan Federal Court, is believed to be the first filed by a business against an airline related to the Sept. 11 attacks. (New York Daily News)

Victims' Relatives Not To Be Penalized For Pension Benefits, Says Victims Fund Manager - Apr 19, 2002
The families of firefighters and cops killed Sept. 11 will now be able to keep some pension benefits -- in addition to their payout from the federal government, a top official said yesterday. Surviving families had angrily complained that the government's plan to deduct the amount of their pension payments from any federal money they got was unfair. But Kenneth Feinberg, overseer of the federal compensation fund, reversed course on the controversial issue. (New York Daily News)

A Census of the September 11 Victims Released By Department Of Health - Apr 19, 2002
The New York City Department of Health has released a census of the September 11 victims. It is the first detailed look at the age, gender, and national origins of the 2,617 who are officially counted as having died on that day. (Several hundred more are still classified as missing). Forty-three percent of the dead were from New York City, with Manhattan accounting for the greatest number, followed by Brooklyn and then Queens. One out of five was a foreign-born resident living in the city, with the toll from Latin America exceeding that of more populous countries like Russia and Italy. (New York Times)

Greenwich Street May Be Extended - Apr 18, 2002
The state and city plan to condemn land near the 7 World Trade Center site to preserve the possibility of extending Greenwich Street, sources close to the process said yesterday. The condemnation would allow for a 60-foot wide Greenwich Street and reconstruction of 7 World Trade's Class-A office space and the Con Edison substation that had been housed on eight floors of the old building. (Newsday)

Tomb Of Unknowns Could Be Part of Ground Zero Memorial - Apr 18, 2002
A proposal for a tomb of unknown victims -- reminiscent of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia --has been steadily gaining favor at meetings among victims' relatives, Mayor Bloomberg and the Lower Manhattan Development Corp. officials, family members said yesterday. The tomb of unknown victims would hold the unidentified remains of hundreds killed Sept. 11. (New York Daily News)

Stuyvesant High School Parents May Sue Board of Ed Over Ventilation System - Apr 18, 2002
The Stuyvesant HS Parents Association said yesterday it's prepared to sue the Board of Ed for allegedly failing to properly clean the school's ventilation system. (New York Post)

Less Than 10 Percent Of Victims' Relatives Applying For Federal Aid - Apr 18, 2002
Less than 10 percent of the relatives of people killed in the Sept. 11 attacks have sought sought compensation through the federal government's victims fund. Only 265 applications from relatives of the 3,054 people killed have been received, according to Justice Department figures. The lag is due in part to confusion about the fund's rules, and awards from charities that have bought families time to weigh their options, victims groups say. (New York Post)

Ground Zero Wall May Have Views Of Site - Apr 18, 2002
The wall that will be built around the perimeter of Ground Zero may include see-through panels to allow people to view what's going on - and sections where memorial tributes can be left, sources said yesterday. (New York Post)

Firefighters And Emergency Workers To Receive More From Federal Compensation Fund - Apr 17, 2002
Firefighters and other public-safety officers will be eligible for more money from the federal government's Sept. 11 victims' compensation fund under a more generous interpretation of guidelines expected to be announced this week. The fund's special master, Kenneth Feinberg, said yesterday that he would soon make it clear that not all uniformed officers' government pension would count against a fund award. The exact percentage is still being worked out, he said. (New York Post)

Leading Congressmember Sees Problems With Idea Of Joint Congress Session in New York City - Apr 17, 2002
A key House Republican yesterday poured cold water on the idea of bringing Congress to New York one day this year -- likely marking the end of a crusade that began after 9/11. Rep. Dick Armey told The New York Post that the obstacles to holding a one-day congressional session in the Big Apple on or around Sept. 6 are "insurmountable" and outweigh any symbolic benefits -- especially given the estimated $1 million price tag. Support for the idea is even weaker in the Senate, where the idea has languished since Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) introduced a resolution last Nov. 15. Only nine senators have co-sponsored the measure. (New York Post)

Dispatchers Still Haunted by the Voices of Sept. 11 - Apr 17, 2002
Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly recognized 192 police communications workers yesterday for the vital service they provided on Sept. 11. Many recounted their troubling stories. In many cases, their voices were the last voices the victims heard. There were more than 3,000 calls within the first 18 minutes; more than 57,000 calls in the 24 hours after the first plane hit at 8:46 a.m. It was the single busiest day ever for the dispatchers, with nearly twice the average number of calls logged. (New York Times)

Girder From World Trade Center Will Help Provide Insight Into Collapse - Apr 16, 2002
Recovery workers this week found a mauled, 4-ton column of steel that stretched from the 100th to 103rd floors of the north tower of the World Trade Center. Thick bolts fastened to the column more than 30 years ago -- securing it to a much thinner structural plate -- were still in place. But the plate ripped apart. The National Institute of Standards and Technology, which investigates building collapses after disasters, will get the column -- along with about 60 other steel beams from important areas in the towers. (New York Daily News)

Ads Push New Yorkers to Have Say in Rebuilding - Apr 16, 2002
Celebrity New Yorkers are asking city residents to “imagine” the future of the city and to do something about it. In a public service announcement that hit the TV airwaves recently, local stars such as Kevin Bacon, Bebe Neuwirth, Harvey Keitel and Yoko Ono recite lines from John Lennon’s song “Imagine.” The campaign is sponsored by the Municipal Arts Society and aims to get the public involved in the process of rebuilding Lower Manhattan. (Newsday)

New York City Still Puts A Premium On Tolerance, Bucking A National Trend Post-September 11 - Apr 15, 2002
While some surveys find as many as two-thirds of Americans in favor of limiting immigration and sixty percent favoring an expansion of police wiretapping capabilities, New York City residents are going against the national grain. According to a recent Hunter College poll, "residents of the nation's largest city [are] far more reluctant to see any erosion of basic civil liberties" than people in other localities in the country. They are also firm in their belief that immigration should not be curtailed. (New York Daily News)

Tribute In Light Ends As Spotlights Fade Into Dawn - Apr 15, 2002
The twin pillars of light that rose as an ethereal monument to the losses of Sept. 11 ended their monthlong illumination early yesterday morning, the 88 searchlights silently blending into the hazy dawn before a police officer pressed a button and cut off the 616,000 watts of power. "They aren't turning them off," said a security guard at the scene. "They are fading off in the morning light." (New York Times)

September 11 Aftermath Leads To More Greeting Cards - Apr 14, 2002
After the September 11 attacks, greeting-card company Hallmark rushed cards with patriotic themes to 20,000 of its 47,000 outlets, including seven new cards with stronger references to Sept. 11. Though the majority of the seven billion greeting cards sold annually in the United States celebrate Christmas or birthdays, Hallmark expects the demand for patriotic cards to rise for this year's Memorial and Veterans Day holidays. (New York Times)

Rebuilding By Autocracy Less Likely For Downtown Than In The Past - Apr 14, 2002
Today, it is less likely that a plan for rebuilding downtown will emerge by autocratic fiat, as might have been the case a generation or two ago, when master builders like Robert Moses presented the fruits of their wisdom with little room or patience for criticism. The master builder is out. Consensus and process are in. (New York Times)

Businesses Dependent on Foreign Tourism Still Suffering After September 11 - Apr 14, 2002
Although many New York businesses report improvements since Sept. 11, local businesses that depend on foreign tourism say that they are still in pain. Foreigners make up about 18 percent of the annual tourists to New York, but generate 42 percent of the revenue in the industry, according to NYC & Company, the city's convention and visitors bureau. The organization also reports that the average foreign visitor spends about $1,040 per trip to New York, compared with $319 per visit from domestic tourists. Explanations range from cultural differences to media focus on Ground Zero as representative of New York after September 11 to economic problems in other countries. (New York Times)

Hundreds Downtown Bear Witness End of Tribute In Light - Apr 14, 2002
Hundreds of people traveled to lower Manhattan yesterday to view the last night of the Tribute in Light. Police said crowds were greater than at any time since the twin shafts of light were turned on March 11, the six-month anniversary of the attack on the World Trade Center. (New York Daily News)

Queens Public School Receives Solidary Quilt From California Elementary School Students - Apr 14, 2002
Students at Public School 206 in Rego Park received a "solidarity quilt" made by children at an elementary school in California as a show of support for city school kids in the aftermath of Sept. 11. (New York Daily News)

Injuries Few Among Crews at Towers Site - Apr 12, 2002
As the cleanup at ground zero draws to a close, federal records show that only 35 of the more than 1,500 workers assigned to help clear debris from the World Trade Center site were seriously injured in more than six months of work there. None of these injuries were classified as life-threatening. The resulting injury rate, given the estimated three million hours of contractor labor invested in the site since Sept. 11, means that the job has turned out to be far less dangerous than an average demolition job in the United States, according to federal statistics. (New York Times)

Tighter Security Planned for New York Airports - Apr 12, 2002
Gov. George E. Pataki plans to begin a sweeping program to sharpen security at New York City's area airports, going beyond some new federal regulations by requiring criminal background checks of workers in airport shops, the governor's senior aides said today. He also wants to install fingerprint scanners quickly for all airport employees and do away with simple plastic passes. (New York Times)

Questions Remain Over Lack Of Safety Authorities In Sky Lobbies of Twin Towers - Apr 11, 2002
On June 2, 1997, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey removed certified deputy fire safety directors from the 44th- and 78th-floor sky lobbies in each tower, records show. The fire safety specialists had been placed there as one in a series of reforms after the 1993 bombing. Survivors' accounts suggest that confusion on the sky lobby floors may have resulted from the absence of these safety workers. (Newsday)

$600,000 In Donations To City Schools After September 11 Still Unaccounted For - Apr 11, 2002
More than 3,000 people from around the world sent about $4 million to city schools after Sept. 11 — but officials were unable to say exactly how nearly $600,000 of the money was spent.Some $579,976 was spent on "school needs," said Board of Education officials, who were unable to give a breakdown. Another $1.4 million hasn't been touched yet, they said. (New York Daily News)

Tribute In Light Going Dark After This Weekend - Apr 11, 2002
Two pillars of light that have stood sentry in the night sky over Ground Zero will go dark this weekend as planned, officials said yesterday. Although the Tribute in Light has captivated New Yorkers and visitors with its uplifting effect and some have called for keeping the tribute going, the memorial will shine for the last time Saturday. (New York Daily News)

Plans for a Makeover of Lower Manhattan in a Blueprint of Downtown - Apr 10, 2002
The Lower Manhattan Development Corporation yesterday made public a blueprint for a commercial and cultural makeover of downtown Manhattan, an outline that includes a new Freedom Park with memorial and museum, and a transit hub connecting subway, commuter rail and ferry lines. While the outline issued yesterday was only a general document, with few specifics or timetables, John C. Whitehead, chairman of the development corporation, said the proposals should serve as evidence that the rebuilding process has begun. (New York Times)

Head of Rebuilding Authority Asks For Money To Keep Tribute In Light Going - Apr 10, 2002
Downtown rebuilding czar John Whitehead yesterday asked businesses to donate $100,000 to keep the Tribute of Lights burning beyond this weekend, when it is scheduled to go dark. (New York Post)

Mapping Ground Zero's Future - Apr 10, 2002
The Daily News presents a visual representation of the ideas presented yesterday in the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation's blueprint and principles for rebuilding. (New York Daily News)

Mayor Appoints Four Members To Board of City-State Rebuilding Authority - Apr 9, 2002
Mayor Bloomberg announced today four of his appointees to the Board of the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation. Two of Bloomberg's appointees are women, including an Asian-American (architect Billie Tsien) and a Latin-American (attorney Sally Hernandez-Piñero). E. Stanley O'Neal, President and COO of Merrill Lynch, will be the second African-American on the Board. Bloomberg also named Carl Weisbrod, President of the Alliance for Downtown New York. Their appointments signal a response to criticisms of the Board's lack of gender and ethnic diversity. (Gotham Gazette)

City-State Rebuilding Agency Approves Preliminary Blueprint For Redevelopment - Apr 9, 2002
The Lower Manhattan Development Corporation on Tuesday morning approved a preliminary blueprint for rebuilding lower Manhattan. The board -- charged with distributing roughly $2 billion in federal aid and with overseeing downtown rebuilding -- approved a redevelopment plan that includes proposals for “a museum of freedom and remembrance” near the World Trade Center site and a redesign of the downtown street grid to improve pedestrian access and link neighborhoods. (Associated Press)

South Ferry Station To Be Rebuilt - Apr 9, 2002
The cramped, century-old South Ferry subway station is on track for a major renovation to be paid for mostly with federal dollars, sources said yesterday. The proposed $400 million makeover of the station could include new connections to the Whitehall St. stop of the N and R lines, as well as nearby ferry terminals, sources said. Officials said they expect to receive as much as $300 million in federal money for the project, money which will come from the $1.8 billion in federal aid the state got last month to rebuild transit lines damaged by the terrorist attacks. (New York Daily News)

Rebuilding Authority Set To Expand Incentive Program For Downtown Residents - Apr 9, 2002
A cash-incentive program designed to entice people to live near Ground Zero is expected to get sweeter today, as a state-city agency is set to increase the total payouts and widen eligibility. There will be new one-time payments, including funds for those living as far north as Delancey St., and bonus grants to families with children under 18. And the maximum grant will be available to more people, as the boundaries in the immediate impact zone have been expanded. (New York Daily News)

Mayor Will Not Name A Relative of September 11th Victim To Board of Rebuilding Authority - Apr 9, 2002
Mayor Bloomberg angered families of Sept. 11 attack victims last night by refusing to budge on his decision to not appoint any of them to the agency charged with rebuilding lower Manhattan. John Whitehead, head of the development corporation, tried to reassure the families by promising them more involvement in the agency's work. But many are increasingly concerned that they will be shut of the process — particularly the planning of a permanent memorial. (New York Daily News)

New York Times Wins 6 Pulitzer Prizes For September 11 Reporting - Apr 9, 2002
The New York Times won a record seven Pulitzer Prizes yesterday, including six for its news coverage of the terrorist attack of Sept. 11, its victims, its causes and its aftermath, all transformative events in the modern history of the United States. The attacks and the war on terrorism were the focus of 8 of the 14 Pulitzer Prizes awarded for journalism. (New York Times)

Questions Linger About Paying For Rebuilding - Apr 8, 2002
A vast array of costly projects has been proposed for an extensive makeover of lower Manhattan - but very little has been said about who'll pay for a massive rebuilding that reaches far beyond the World Trade Center site. With insurance payouts and federal aid added together, there is an initial rebuilding pot of $11 to $18 billion. However, other than $1.8 billion in funds designated for a possible transit hub in the federal aid package, virtually no money is directly earmarked for long-term rebuilding. $9 billion allocated to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which has disbursed $965 million so far, can only be used to restore things as they were, not for new building. There are hopes that some of this money will be diverted, however, for longer-term rebuilding. (New York Post)

Transportation Hub Could Be One of First Approved Projects For Downtown - Apr 8, 2002
A gleaming new transit hub connecting PATH and subway trains and ferry terminals is likely to be the first multibillion-dollar project approved for a rebuilt downtown. The Lower Manhattan Development Corp. says a transit hub will be the subject of the agency's first set of concrete proposals, to be issued in May. (New York Post)

State Legislature Proposes Extending Workers Comp for Ground Zero Workers - Apr 8, 2002
A new bill in the State Legislature would extend workers' compensation benefits to rescue and recovery personnel at the World Trade Center in an effort to deal with any long-term health effects from debris. The bill would classify any ailment linked to the trade center as an occupational disease, providing the same benefits as if a worker had suffered an injury on the job. A preliminary list of possible health problems includes pulmonary fibrosis, interstitial lung disease, bronchitis, cancer and gastrointestinal disorders. (Associated Press)

Five More Appointees Will Balance City and State Power In Rebuilding Authority - Apr 8, 2002
The board of the state-city agency charged with rebuilding lower Manhattan will expand this week by five people -- two more than had been expected, a source said yesterday. Mayor Bloomberg will name four new members to the Lower Manhattan Development Corp. and Gov. Pataki will add one, a source close to the decision said, giving the city and state an even share of appointees on the board. At least one of the new appointees is expected to be a victim's family member. (New York Daily News)

Cycling Championship Coming To Lower Manhattan This Year - Apr 8, 2002
The New York Cycling Championship, which last year failed to find a sponsor in time to come together, will be held on Sunday, Aug. 4, in Lower Manhattan. The course will consist of a circle around Lower Manhattan, and the race will feature roughly 65 professional teams, including Mr. Armstrong's United States Postal Service racers. (New York Times)

Towers' Collapse Raises New Doubts About Fire Tests - Apr 8, 2002
The fiery collapse of three World Trade Center skyscrapers has led scientists, engineers and building officials to question the century-old practice of relying on fire tests conducted in low-tech furnaces to determine if building materials will survive out-of-control blazes. (New York Times)

Security Upgraded At LaGuardia Airport - Apr 7, 2002
Sweeping tarmac-level security measures designed to thwart a terror attack are being implemented at La Guardia Airport and could become a model for airports around the nation. Among the changes will be pop-up barriers at three or four entrances to the airfield used by ground crews, caterers, repairmen and others who have access to airliners. The barriers will prevent trucks from entering the tarmac. Improved lighting, new fencing and bomb-sniffing dogs are also part of the program, sources said. (New York Post)

Movie Theater To Reopen Near Ground Zero - Apr 7, 2002
In another sign that life is bouncing back around Ground Zero, a shuttered movie megaplex across the street will reopen soon. The United Artists Battery Park City Stadium 16, which closed after sustaining severe exterior damage from the attacks on the World Trade Center towers Sept. 11, will reopen in time for the first TriBeCa Film Festival, scheduled for May 8-12. (New York Post)

494 Foreign Victims Killed In World Trade Center Attacks - Apr 7, 2002
Nearly 500 foreigners were killed in the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, according to a new city tally that shows the terror attack claimed a significant portion of its victims from countries all over the world. The tally, the most complete to date, shows foreigners account for more than 17 percent of the estimated 2,830 who were killed. The 494 foreign victims came from 91 different countries. (Associated Press)

People Still Experiencing Trauma Throughout New York Metro Region - Apr 7, 2002
A new report released today from the Red Cross finds residents across the New York region are continuing to experience increased symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder. The survey, conducted by Strategic Surveys International, is the first report to document the widespread prevalence of trauma beyond Manhattan. Researchers found 30 percent of those interviewed were at increased risk for post-traumatic stress disorder. In addition, 43 percent expressed feelings of hopelessness and fear about the future. Thirty-one percent said they worried about the ongoing threat of terrorism or that more people could die, and 22 percent feared for the safety and security of their families. (Newsday)

Long Island Man Charged With September 11th Charity Fraud - Apr 7, 2002
A Long Island man was charged yesterday with soliciting donations by falsely claiming they were for the children of a firefighter killed at the World Trade Center, then using the money to buy crack cocaine, Suffolk County police said. (New York Daily News)

Cleaning Set for Exteriors Near September 11 Site - Apr 6, 2002
Within a few weeks, efforts will begin to clean the exteriors of hundreds of buildings around the World Trade Center site, to keep pollutants like asbestos from blowing off them and into apartments, city and federal officials said today. "While the streets were cleaned up, the outsides of the buildings themselves were not cleaned up," said Christie Whitman, head of the Environmental Protection Agency. She said the buildings would be cleaned using giant vacuum cleaners equipped with high-efficiency particulate air, or HEPA, filters, just as the Lower Manhattan streets were cleaned in the months after the Sept. 11 attack. (New York Times)

Towering TV Transmission Antenna Planned To Replace One Lost On September 11 - Apr 6, 2002
A skyscraping 2,000-foot-tall TV and radio transmission tower is being planned to replace the one lost in the World Trade Center attacks. The new tower would be 250 feet taller than the one that stood atop the trade center's north tower. He goes on to mention several waterfront locations within 3.2 miles of the trade center site, including downtown Manhattan, Brooklyn, Jersey City and Governors Island. (New York Post)

Thousands Still Visiting Ground Zero - Apr 5, 2002
The throngs of visitors to Ground Zero are reaching unforeseen levels, defying predictions that crowds would thin out as the excavation and recovery efforts wound down. The number of tickets issued for the Church St. viewing platform has doubled in the last two months to 7,700 a day. That's prompted city officials to consider adding platforms to meet the demand, which is expected to surge further with the warmer weather. (New York Daily News)

Report Says 10 Percent of Jobs Lost Post-Sept. 11 Were in Chinatown - Apr 5, 2002
The effects of the World Trade Center attack on Chinatown included layoffs of about one-fourth of the area's 34,000 workers, and economic ripples in Queens and Brooklyn, according to a report by the Asian American Federation released yesterday. Furthermore, Chinatown accounts for 10 percent of the jobs lost in the city in the three months after Sept. 11, the report said. That amounts to about 7,500 of the 75,000 jobs lost in that period, the authors of the report said. This report is arguably the most comprehensive economic analysis in the history of the more than 150-year-old neighborhood. (New York Times)

Downtown Rent Subsidy Plan To Expand Coverage Area - Apr 4, 2002
Downtown planners have revised a proposal for rent rebates for lower Manhattan residents in a way that would expand coverage to hundreds of apartment dwellers affected by the Sept. 11 terror attack. The new plan enlarges the boundaries of the so-called immediate-impact zone of residents near the demolished trade center by pushing the eastern line from Broadway to Nassau Street, said sources familiar with the proposal. (New York Post)

Schools Trying To Attract September 11 Heroes To Speak - Apr 4, 2002
Institutions of higher learning are dangling honorary degrees, medals and other awards before Giuliani and Ground Zero heroes so they'll give commencement addresses in June. Instead of celebrities, campuses are choosing to seek New York firefighters, police officers, and former mayor Rudy Giuliani to speak to their graduating classes. (New York Daily News)

Celebrities To Promote Imagine New York - Apr 4, 2002
Harvey Keitel, Kevin Bacon, Bebe Neuwirth and Yoko Ono will appear in public service announcements touting "Imagine New York," a Municipal Art Society campaign to solicit comment in the next few weeks on what should be done with the 16-acre parcel. (New York Daily News)

Bronx Businesses Hurt By September 11 - Apr 4, 2002
A newly released survey of 151 local businesses by the South Bronx Overall Economic Development Corp. found that sales by local businesses plunged 36%, wiping out 11% of the jobs at those businesses in the months after Sept.11. The report also found that 93% of the businesses surveyed were unaware of post-Sept.11 assistance available to Bronx firms. The federal Small Business Association has distributed 56 loans in the Bronx so far, totaling $4.94 million. (New York Daily News)

Three New Staff Hired For Rebuilding Authority - Apr 3, 2002
The Lower Manhattan Development Corporation, the joint State-City corporation formed to oversee the revitalization of Lower Manhattan, announced today the appointment of three key executives to its staff. Irene Chang was named Vice President for Legal Affairs, Patrice Derrington was named Vice President for Corporate Development and Amy Peterson was named Program Administrator. (Gotham Gazette)

Fire Department Seeks To Expand Staff, Equipment - Apr 3, 2002
The post-Sept. 11th New York Fire Department hopes to double its hazardous materials squad, stockpile equipment and medical supplies and boost training, the fire commissioner told a City Council committee at City Hall yesterday. If anticipated federal funding comes through the department would create an Emergency Mobilization Cache that would stockpile the specialized tools and equipment used by its highly trained five rescue companies and seven squads. It would also add to its fleet of backup engines, ladders and speciality vehicles "in the event that another major disaster results in the heavy loss of vehicles." (Newsday)

Rebuilding Agency Could Become Permanent - Apr 3, 2002
The Lower Manhattan Development Corp. could remain beyond the initial redevelopment of lower Manhattan, if the agency does its job well. Before Sept. 11, different agencies had the technical expertise to solve the city's problems, said executive director Louis Tomson, but they didn't have a neutral meeting place. With an equal number of state and city board members, billions of dollars and a renewed spirit of cooperation, the corporation has the potential to be "a meeting place for ideas." (Newsday)

Explosives-Detecting Dogs In Use At JFK Airport - Apr 3, 2002
Dogs are trained to hit on 13 different scents found in explosives are now working the terminals at JFK Airport. The dogs recognize TNT, nitroglycerin, fuses, powders and other bomb-making materials. Unlike the barking rescue dogs who were so visible sniffing in the rubble at the of the World Trade Center after Sept. 11, the explosive-detecting canines do not bark or react with excitement when they hit on something. (New York Post)

Museum of Television & Radio To Focus On September 11 - Apr 2, 2002
The Museum of Television & Radio will spotlight September 11 and its aftermath for its third annual Television Documentary Festival, unspooling May 1-19 in New York, Variety reports. The festival will open May 1 with a panel discussion, to be headed by "60 Minutes" producer Don Hewitt, that will debate moral responsibility in capturing 9/11-related images. Other participants for the session, titled "To Testify or to Sanitize: Portraying 9-11," include filmmaker Jon Alpert and HBO original programming executive Lisa Heller. (Reuters)

Americans Slept Less After September 11 - Apr 2, 2002
Almost seven out of 10 Americans experienced some sleep disturbance after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, says a survey that also shows almost half the people say their sleep is only fair or poor. (Associated Press)

Websites Cover Rebuilding - Apr 2, 2002
Whether you use www.renewnyc.org or www.renewnyc.com, both addresses will take you to the Lower Manhattan Development Corp.'s new Web site. Other nonprofit groups have already launched downtown oriented Web sites, including the Alliance for Downtown New York, the area's business improvement district. Their site can be found at www.downtownny.com. The Citizens Union Foundation's Gotham Gazette provides information about various redevelopment plans and coalitions. (Newsday)

First Federal Assessment Of Twin Tower Collapse Cites "Spray-Applied Fireproofing" And Other Flaws Common To Modern Skyscrapers - Apr 2, 2002
The first federal assessment of the trade center disaste has made clear that there may have been no reasonable precautions that could have stopped the towers from collapsing once they were struck and huge fires broke out. "Spray-applied fireproofing may be vulnerable to damage from blasts and impacts," says a draft of the FEMA report, adding that failure of support structures protected with this fireproofing "is likely critical to the ultimate building failure." (New York Times)