Transit lines are life blood

Greening the Empire State: Exploring New York's Energy Options

Transit Lines are Life Blood
Gotham Gazette
Gotham Gazette Web
Baruch School of Public Affairs
Rebuilding NYC


Focus on Governance


•  A Look at the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation
•  The Federal Government's Role


•  Carl McCall on What Albany Must Do


Current News
All News



9/11 In Arts And Culture
The Anniversary
Rebuild Downtown
The Memorial
Governance
Impact on New Yorkers
Economic Rebuilding
Security
Charities
Ground Zero









All Governance News

Claims Linger for 9/11 Victims - Sep 12, 2004
Mayor Michael Bloomberg recently proclaimed the city "back in business," three years after the devastating World Trade Center attack of Sept. 11, 2001. Still, few New Yorkers would deny the lingering effects of the attacks. (Newsday )

Suspending Campaigns, Kerry, Bush Mark 9/11 Anniversary - Sep 12, 2004
On a day reserved for remembrance, President Bush and Sen. John Kerry stepped off the campaign trail Saturday to mark the three-year anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks with warm words for the victims' families. (Chicago Tribune )

Fundraising For Memorial Has Yet to Begin - Sep 11, 2004
Eight months after the World Trade Center memorial design was unveiled, Gov. Pataki and Mayor Bloomberg have yet to find a prominent person willing to lead the foundation that's raising the money to build it. (New York Daily News)

Bush Now Supports Larger Role for New Intelligence Post - Sep 9, 2004
President Bush said on Wednesday that he wanted to give a new national intelligence director "full budgetary authority,'' a sharp shift from an earlier position and an acquiescence to a major recommendation of the Sept. 11 commission. (New York Times )

Bipartisan Bill Would Adopt All Recommendations of 9/11 Commission - Sep 8, 2004
An influential bipartisan group of members of Congress, backed by leaders of the Sept. 11 commission, said on Tuesday that they were offering a bill in the House and Senate to enact virtually all the commission's recommendations, including its call for a national intelligence director to oversee all of the government's spy agencies. (New York Times )

New York Officials Reject New Homeland Security Funding Plan - Sep 8, 2004
A Republican plan to give New York more anti-terror funding in time to mark Saturday's 9/11 anniversary hit a wall yesterday after Mayor Bloomberg and other lawmakers said the proposal is useless. (New York Post )

On Eve of Anniversary, A Look at Rebuilding Progress - Sep 8, 2004
The past year has seen plans move forward in re-developing the World Trade Center site, including the start of work on the Freedom Tower. In the following report, NY1’s Roger Clark takes a look at the progress as we close in on the third anniversary of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. (NY1)

9/11 Commission Bill Among Priorities of Congress - Sep 7, 2004
House and Senate leaders are planning to advance legislation that carries out recommendations from the Sept. 11 commission report that was issued just before Congress recessed for six weeks. (New York Times )

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

New York's Share of Security Funds Dropped This Year - Aug 7, 2004
Despite ominous new threats of attacks, New York state's share of federal anti-terror money actually went down this year, according to a startling new congressional report released yesterday. (New York Post)

Health Registry Prepares for Final Registration Push - Aug 7, 2004
The World Trade Center Health Registry has become the largest registry in U.S. history, but the more than 50,000 enrollees still fall short of the city’s expectations for the program. In the three weeks remaining before the Aug. 31 cutoff, officials hope to enroll many more people, particularly Lower Manhattan residents. The effort aims to track the long-term physical and mental health consequences of the World Trade Center disaster. (Downtown Express)

Bloomberg Knew About Terror Warning in Advance - Aug 7, 2004
Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg said yesterday that he knew of the terror alerts concerning financial institutions in Washington and the New York region two days before the Bush administration publicly released the information. But Mr. Bloomberg, speaking on his weekly radio program, added that he decided not to alert city residents immediately because he wanted to give city officials time to make preparations and to respond to public concerns that would be raised. The alert was publicly issued on Sunday. (New York Times)

Mayor: Get Used to Tight Security - Aug 7, 2004
As police continued their tight grip on the city, Mayor Michael Bloomberg told New Yorkers on Friday to get used to the extra security because it's going to be around for some time. (Newsday)

WTC Cultural Institutions Tell Residents What to Expect - Aug 7, 2004
Representatives from the four cultural institutions selected for the arts and museum complex at the redeveloped World Trade Center site told residents what kinds of amenities they could expect when the complex opens in five years. (Downtown Express)

City Gains Control of Streets at Trade Center Site - Aug 6, 2004
New York City - and not the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey - will own and control the streets and sidewalks that run through the World Trade Center site, under an agreement that lifts a 37-year-old cloud over ownership of the property. (New York Times)

9/11 Commission Urges Americans to Vote on Report - Aug 5, 2004
The chairman of the Sept. 11 commission said on Wednesday that voters in November's presidential election should weigh how President Bush and Senator John Kerry respond to the commission's final report in determining how they vote. (New York Times)

City Works on Skyscraper Evacuation Plans - Aug 5, 2004
More than 11 years after terrorists first struck at the World Trade Center, the city is still struggling to complete guidelines for evacuating high-rise buildings where thousands of workers would face vital questions of what to do if their skyscraper were to come under attack. (New York Times)

Restrictions on Trucks Entering Manhattan Eased - Aug 5, 2004
Three days after sharply increasing security in response to a federal alert about possible terrorist plots, the New York City Police Department last night partly lifted its ban on trucks and vans entering Manhattan. (New York Times)

Straining With Security Costs, City Officials Remind Washington of Funding Needs - Aug 4, 2004
The city's stepped-up security, which includes posting cops outside major financial firms and checking trucks for possible explosives, is costing New York an estimated $5 million a week, NYPD sources said. But don't expect the feds to pick up much of the tab, which comes amid new evidence Al Qaeda plotted to blow up the New York Stock Exchange and the Citigroup building. (New York Daily News)

Mayor Tried to Spin 9/11 Commission Report - Aug 4, 2004
More than a month before the 9/11 Commission released its final report, Mayor Michael Bloomberg tried to persuade the commission to craft its findings in a way that would portray the city in a better light, according to a memo obtained by Newsday. (Newsday)

Bloomberg Takes Current Threat More Seriously Than Previous Ones - Aug 4, 2004
Since the day Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg took office, his responses to numerous federal warnings about possible terrorist attacks have been almost identical. Without exactly being dismissive, he has told New Yorkers to leave security concerns “to the professionals,” and then promptly cantered around the city, spreading the word that the city is safe and open for business. This week, however, while continuing his breakneck tours of the five boroughs, Mr. Bloomberg has taken a slightly different tack, viewing the latest alert issued by the Department of Homeland Security in a very sober light. During a television interview yesterday, (New York Times)

9/11 Families Want Legislation Passed on Commission Report by Year's End - Aug 4, 2004
Relatives of those killed on Sept. 11 brought the fight over intelligence reforms to Congress's doorstep Tuesday, challenging lawmakers to act quickly to pass reform legislation by the end of the year. (Associated Press)

Following 9/11 Commission's Recommendation, Bush Endorses New Intelligence Czar - Aug 3, 2004
President Bush on Monday generally endorsed the two main recommendations of the 9/11 commission, saying he would support creation of a potentially powerful post, national intelligence director, and the establishment of a counterterrorism center to coordinate intelligence analysis and efforts to thwart attacks. (New York Times)

Metropolitan Transportation Authority Earmarks $495 Million for Security - Aug 3, 2004
The MTA has earmarked $495 million toward "enhancing security readiness" in an effort to protect the region's vast rail network, officials said yesterday. (New York Post)

Statue of Liberty Reopens For First Time Since 9/11 - Aug 3, 2004
On the way to the Statue of Liberty National Monument yesterday, visitors could pick up glossy brochures featuring a cutaway diagram of the statue's interior, complete with an image of tiny tourists ascending the spiral stairs to the crown. But when the base of the statue reopens to the public today for the first time since Sept. 11, 2001, people will have to be content with only their memories, or imaginings, of making the long, claustrophobic climb to the top. Like the torch, which was closed in 1916 after being damaged by a saboteur's bomb, the crown is now off limits. (New York Times)

Bloomberg Takes His Own Advice on Terror Alert - Aug 3, 2004
Mayor Bloomberg took his own advice yesterday and went about his day as usual - riding the subways, breaking ground on a new office tower, even hosting a relaxed barbecue at Gracie Mansion for city workers. (New York Daily News)

Terror Alert Means Busy Day for Police - Aug 3, 2004
A day after a chilling federal warning of a possible terror strike, reports of unattended bags had edgy cops racing from call to call throughout the city. Skittish residents watched with curiosity and fear. (New York Daily News)

Warnings Won't Affect Convention - Aug 3, 2004
New warnings about possible terrorist attacks on Manhattan financial institutions won't affect security for the upcoming Republican National Convention, authorities and security experts said Monday. (Newsday)

Bloomberg on Warnings: Go About Your Business - Aug 2, 2004
Go about your business. That was the message from Mayor Bloomberg yesterday. (New York Post)

Feds Plan to Extend Environmental Testing - Aug 1, 2004
Community members and scientific experts applauded an Environmental Protection Agency proposal to expand testing for 9/11 contaminants to residences and workplaces north of Canal St. (Downtown Express)

White House to Direct $2 Billion to Rail Link - Jul 30, 2004
The White House has agreed to let New York use $2 billion in Sept. 11 aid to help build a $6 billion rail link connecting the World Trade Center site to the Long Island Rail Road and Kennedy International Airport. (New York Times)

Spitzer Warns GOP Against Using 9/11 for Political Gain - Jul 30, 2004
New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer had a blunt warning Thursday for Republicans opening their national convention late next month in New York City: Don't politicize the 9/11 terrorist attacks. (Newsday)

9/11 Commission Seeks Private Funding to Continue Work - Jul 30, 2004
The leaders of the Sept. 11 commission said Thursday that they were seeking private, charitable donations and intended to open a small office in Washington that would continue the commission's work when its government money runs out at the end of next month. (New York Times)

Senate to Hear 9/11 Commission’s Proposals - Jul 30, 2004
With the momentum of last week's Sept. 11 commission report behind it, the Senate Government Affairs Committee is weighing politically touchy proposals to make massive changes to the intelligence community. (Associated Press)

9/11 Families Plan to Hold Congress to Commission's Recommendations - Jul 29, 2004
Families of Sept. 11 victims vowed yesterday to keep a "watchdog" list of any members of Congress who oppose legislation implementing changes recommended by the 9/11 commission. (Newsday)

Kerry Seeks Extension of 9/11 Commission - Jul 28, 2004
Democrats sought yesterday to capitalize on the Sept. 11 commission recommendations and inject a new urgency into their adoption as congressional leaders announced a stepped-up schedule of hearings that will start tomorrow. (Newsday)

9/11 Commission Chair: Attacks Could Have Been Prevented - Jul 27, 2004
The chairman of the 9/11 commission, Thomas Kean, said Sunday that he believes the attacks could have prevented. (NY1)

Cantor Fitzgerald Finds New Home in Midtown - Jul 27, 2004
Nearly three years after 658 Cantor Fitgerald employees were killed in the attack on the World Trade Center, the stock and bond trading company has found a new home five miles from ground zero, on the East Side of Manhattan. Cantor signed a lease last week to move into space now occupied by Bloomberg L.P., the business information company founded by Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, at Park Avenue and 59th Street, where Cantor plans to erect a monument to the co-workers who died in the Sept. 11 attack. (New York Times)

Group Looks to Turn 9/11 Into Day of Volunteerism - Jul 26, 2004
Sept. 11 will always be a day of mourning, but in the near future it could also be a day of charity, volunteering and community service for every American. One Day's Pay, a nationwide non-profit organization that facilitates volunteering in memory of the Sept. 11 victims, has launched a campaign to recruit 2 million volunteers to go out on the next anniversary of the attacks to read to the blind, cook for the homeless or tutor children. (Newsday)

Representative Weiner Criticizes Bush Administration on Security Funding - Jul 25, 2004
Rep. Anthony Weiner slapped at the Bush administration yesterday, charging New York has gotten $61 million less in federal security cash since the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks. The Queens-based Democrat and likely mayoral hopeful used the dollar figure to highlight Bloomberg's Republican registration. (New York Daily News)

Congress Will Hold Hearings to Discuss 9/11 Commission's Proposed Reforms - Jul 25, 2004
Senate and House committees will hold an unusual round of August hearings on intelligence reform after leaders of the Sept. 11 commission warned that America remained vulnerable to another deadly terror strike. (Associated Press)

Vets Protest Iraq War at Ground Zero - Jul 25, 2004
Flashing peace symbols and yelling “Congress has spoken, the people have spoken: No more Vietnams,” eight members of Veterans for Peace came to the World Trade Center Site for about 20 minutes Tuesday to protest the war in Iraq. None of them made any mention of Sept. 11 during the protest. (Downtown Express)

9/11 Commission Finds Much Wrong With Convention Wisdom about Attacks - Jul 24, 2004
When the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States set to work early last year to prepare the definitive history of the events of Sept. 11, 2001, it seemed that much of the hard work of the so-called 9/11 commission was already done, because so much of the horrifying story seemed to be known. But 19 months later, the commission released a final, unanimous book-length report last Thursday that, in calling for a overhaul of the way the government collects and shares intelligence, showed that much of what had been common wisdom about the Sept. 11 attacks at the start of the panel's investigation was wrong. (New York Times)

Bloomberg Says 9/11 Commission Wrong About City's Emergency Response - Jul 24, 2004
Mayor Bloomberg vehemently disagreed with the 9/11 commission's assessment that his administration has failed to establish clear lines of command among city agencies responding to a future terrorist attack. (New York Daily News)

Senator Clinton Criticizes Bush on Security Funding - Jul 24, 2004
Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton said Friday that President Bush has been an ineffective leader who "dithered" in supplying anti-terrorism money to the most threatened states. (Associated Press)

9/11 Commissioners Will Make Report Election-Year Issue - Jul 24, 2004
The five Republicans and five Democrats on the September 11th commission are vowing to make their unanimous recommendations an election-year issue. (NY1)

Firefighters Have Mixed Reactions to Report - Jul 24, 2004
City firefighters say they are still concerned about communication problems mentioned in the 9/11 commission report, but they agree with the panel's recommendation that cities which are prime terror targets should receive more homeland security funding. (NY1)

9/11 Commission Final Report Calls for Intelligence Overhaul - Jul 23, 2004
The bipartisan commission that investigated the Sept. 11 attacks concluded in its unanimous final report on Thursday that the attacks "were a shock but they should not have come as a surprise." It warned that without a historic restructuring of the nation's intelligence agencies and a new emphasis on diplomacy, the United States would leave itself open to an even more catastrophic attack. (New York Times)

9/11 Commission Criticizes New York’s Emergency Response, But Praises Individuals’ Improvised Rescue - Jul 23, 2004
In its chronicle of the blunders, lapses and shortsightedness that permitted hijackers to attack New York, the Sept. 11 commission found that the city's emergency response was plagued by many of the same failures of imagination and preparedness that it cited in the nation's antiterrorism policies. Yet that cascade of systemic failures and institutional weaknesses, while leading to its awful toll in human life, was overcome in part by the vigorous, improvised response in New York, where thousands of people escaped from the World Trade Center, the commission found. (New York Times)

New York City Not Getting Needed Security Cash, Says 9/11 Commission - Jul 23, 2004
New York City's anti-terror resources are being grossly underfunded by the White House and Congress, which treat the critical money as "pork-barrel spending," the new 9/11 report charges. (New York Post )

9/11 Families Ambivalent About Commission Report - Jul 23, 2004
As the nation digested a 567-page report detailing the failures of intelligence agencies, politicians and first responders before and on Sept. 11, 2001, many of those most directly affected by the terror attacks that killed nearly 3,000 found yesterday that they weren't particularly interested in its conclusions. (Newsday)

9/11 Commission Report to be Made Public Today - Jul 22, 2004
The 9/11 Commission's final report, scheduled to be made public on Thursday, will detail the intelligence and law-enforcement failures that preceded the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. (New York Times)

Study Determines Location of Deaths on 9/11 - Jul 22, 2004
Now, nearly three years after the attack, federal investigators with the National Institute of Standards and Technology have come up with the most comprehensive, but still not final, tally of just who died where on Sept. 11, 2001. (New York Times)

Judge Tells WTC Developer, Architect, to Settle Dispute Through Mediation - Jul 22, 2004
A judge yesterday ordered World Trade Center leaseholder Larry Silverstein and disgruntled architect Daniel Libeskind to submit their $800,000 fee dispute to mediation. (New York Daily News)

Video Show Hijackers in Airport on September 11 - Jul 22, 2004
Surveillance video from Washington Dulles International Airport the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, shows four of the five hijackers being pulled aside to undergo additional scrutiny after setting off metal detectors but then permitted to board the fateful flight that crashed into the Pentagon. (Associated Press)

Business Leaders Lobby White House for Rail Link - Jul 22, 2004
A group of local business leaders took their case for the proposed Lower Manhattan to JFK Airport rail link to the White House Wednesday. (NY1)

Victims' Families Briefed on 9/11 Commission Report - Jul 22, 2004
Victims’ family members, Bush administration officials and lawmakers are being briefed on the 9/11 commission’s final report Wednesday, a day before the findings will be made public. (NY1)

9/11 Commission Not Expected to Say Attacks Could Have Been Prevented - Jul 21, 2004
The final report from the federal commission investigating the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks is due out in two days, and there's word Tuesday the panel will not conclude the attacks could have been prevented. (NY1)

9/11 Commissioner to President: Act Fast on Security - Jul 20, 2004
The head of the 9/11 commission urged the President yesterday to act quickly on the panel's recommendations to safeguard the country. (New York Daily News)

In Book, Firefighter Calls for Probe of 9/11 Radios - Jul 20, 2004
More than three years after a $14-million radio system for the city's firefighters failed in the field, no formal investigation of how the radios were purchased has been conducted. Now, a just-published book, co-authored by a city Fire Department captain, says the truth about the purchase of the Motorola XTS-3500 model radios never may be known without a full probe. (Newsday)

A Look at the 9/11 Commission's Work - Jul 20, 2004
The attack was unprecedented. So too was the investigation. Later this week, the federal commission investigating the September 11, 2001 terror attacks will release to the public its final report. What questions will be answered? What recommendations made. NY1’s John Schium takes a look back at the commission's work the past year and a half. (NY1)

New York Slow to Fix 9/11 Flaws, Says Commission - Jul 19, 2004
New York still has not fixed some of the crucial problems faced by city cops and firefighters on 9/11, the commission probing the 2001 terrorist attacks will say this week. (New York Daily News)

9/11 Commission Will Push Its Recommendations - Jul 18, 2004
Members of the independent Sept. 11 commission say they will mount an aggressive nationwide lobbying campaign to pressure the White House and Congress to overhaul the nation's intelligence agencies, an effort they say will begin this week with release of a unanimous final report criticizing virtually every element of the way the government collects and shares intelligence. (New York Times)

CIA Director Criticizes 9/11 Commission's Call for New Intelligence Post - Jul 18, 2004
Acting CIA Director John McLaughlin says he doesn't think the country needs a new cabinet-level post to oversee the nation's 15 intelligence agencies. (NY1)

Governor Open to Scrapping West Street Tunnel Plan - Jul 17, 2004
With his clothes still wet after kayaking to Tribeca, Gov. George Pataki indicated for the first time that he was open to not building a West St. tunnel. Pataki told Downtown Express that he would let the Lower Manhattan Development Corp. make the decision on the tunnel and he thought the state-city agency would also make significant investments on Downtown’s proposed commuter-airport rail link and the Hudson River Park. (Downtown Express)

9/11 Commission to Recommend Overhaul of Intelligence - Jul 17, 2004
The final report of the commission investigating the Sept. 11 attacks will recommend the creation of a cabinet-level post to oversee the nation's intelligence agencies, a position that would take power away from the C.I.A., the F.B.I., the National Security Council, the Pentagon and other agencies that face blistering criticism from the panel, government officials who have seen the report said. (New York Times)

Memo Reveals Asbestos Cover-Up After 9/11 - Jul 16, 2004
An Environmental Protection Agency memo claims city and federal officials concealed data that showed lower Manhattan air was clouded with asbestos after the World Trade Center collapse. And officials sat on the alarming information even as they told the public it was safe to return downtown, the internal memo says. (New York Post)

City Urges People to Sign up for Health Registry - Jul 16, 2004
The World Trade Center Health Registry is just seven weeks away from closing the enrollment books, and a new campaign is urging people to sign up while they still can. (NY1)

Over 700 Employees Prepare for Move Downtown - Jul 16, 2004
The revitalization continues in Lower Manhattan, as 730 state employees get set to move their offices downtown. (NY1)

Same-Sex Domestic Partner of 9/11 Victim Entitled to Payout - Jul 14, 2004
A lesbian who lost her life partner in the World Trade Center attacks is entitled to an award from the federal 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund, a Brooklyn judge has ruled. (New York Daily News)

Family Members, Survivors Want 9/11 Commission Briefings in NYC - Jul 14, 2004
The 9/11 Commission is set to release some of its findings this month and plans to brief families in Washington, despite the fact that the bulk of the victims of the attacks died in the New York City area. Family members of New York victims are trying to persuade the members of the federal Sept. 11 commission to hold briefings for the relatives of the victims and survivors of the attacks in New York as well as in Washington. (Newsday)

City Opens Lab to Combat Bioterrorism - Jul 14, 2004
Nearly three years after anthrax attacks in New York City brought home the danger that bioterrorism poses to the world, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg yesterday announced the opening of a $16 million high-security laboratory to help detect and deal with future threats. (New York Times)

Workers Prepare for Demolition of Last Structural Obstacle to Freedom Tower - Jul 12, 2004
Deep within the smoke-blackened ruins of an underground parking garage, 30 workers are installing tendonlike bundles of steel cable, called tiebacks, to anchor the concrete perimeter foundation wall to bedrock. This will permit the demolition in coming months of the last major structural vestige of the old World Trade Center. (New York Times)

9/11 Commission May Finish Report This Week - Jul 11, 2004
Working in secret, the Sept. 11 commission is finishing a final report that several members believe will be done by week's end and have unanimous support. (New York Post)

Silverstein Wants to Use Remaining Liberty Bonds for Ground Zero - Jul 9, 2004
World Trade Center developer Larry Silverstein wants all of the $3.5 billion or so that's left of the Liberty Bonds to go directly toward rebuilding the site. He may need it. (New York Daily News)

Grants Coming for Ground Zero Cultural Institutions - Jul 8, 2004
The agency leading the Ground Zero rebuilding is expected today to approve $1.5 million in grants for the creation of a cultural center at the site, sources said. (Newsday)

On Cornerstone, Inscription Speaks with Local Accent - Jul 8, 2004
It could have been imperial Trajan. Or elegant Bodoni. Or generic Helvetica. But the search for the ideal typeface to be inscribed on the Freedom Tower cornerstone at the World Trade Center site ended simply, in Gotham. (New York Times)

Lower Manhattan Development Corporation Appoints New Board Member - Jul 8, 2004
Robert Balachandran has been appointed to the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation's Board of Directors. (NY1)

9/11 Commission Rebukes Cheney's Intelligence Claims - Jul 7, 2004
The leaders of the commission investigating the Sept. 11 attacks on Tuesday disputed Vice President Dick Cheney's suggestion that he probably had access to more intelligence than the commission did about possible ties between the Qaeda terrorist network and Iraq. (New York Times )

I Had to Settle Family Feuds, Says 9/11 Fund Chief - Jul 6, 2004
The man who divvied up the $6 billion compensation fund to relatives of the Sept. 11 attacks said he had to resolve some pretty prickly disputes among feuding family members. (New York Daily News)

Ceremony Marks Symbolic Start to Ground Zero Construction - Jul 5, 2004
New York took the first tangible step to recover its place at the pinnacle of the global skyline in a ceremony that was held within the trade center's foundation, in bright sunshine but far below street level, where bedrock begins. With many questions unanswered, symbolism was the order of the day at the hourlong ceremony. (New York Times)

For One Junior High Student, Groundbreaking Ceremony Meant a Big Performance - Jul 5, 2004
Julian Davis tried to focus on the words on the page as he took the stage at Ground Zero yesterday, and declared in a strong, clear voice "that all men are created equal." The 12-year-old, whose dad, Port Authority cop Clinton Davis, was killed on 9/11, read from the Declaration of Independence before a crowd of hundreds at the laying of the cornerstone of the Freedom Tower. (New York Daily News)

Mayor Backs Governor on Converting 9/11 Cash - Jul 1, 2004
Michael R. Bloomberg will support Gov. George E. Pataki's proposal to use billions of dollars in unspent Sept. 11 aid on building a rail link to connect the former World Trade Center site to the Long Island Rail Road and Kennedy International Airport, the mayor's aides said yesterday. Mr. Pataki has personally lobbied President Bush, a fellow Republican, to provide hard cash in place of a $5 billion tax-break package that Washington established to help spur construction in Lower Manhattan after the terrorist attacks. (New York Times)

Silverstein Executive Wants to Use Liberty Bonds at Ground Zero - Jul 1, 2004
During testimony at the first in a series of City Council hearings on funding for Lower Manhattan redevelopment, John Lieber, senior vice president of World Trade Center LLC, a Silverstein Properties company, issued a call that the funds remaining in the Liberty Bond pool should be allocated and preserved for the rebuilding of the World Trade Center site. That call was echoed by Community Board 1 and the Downtown Alliance. (Globe St. )

Pedestal of Statue of Liberty to Open August 3rd - Jul 1, 2004
Visitors will be able to again enter the Statue of Liberty on Aug. 3, after being closed for nearly three years of safety and security improvements, the National Parks Service said yesterday. (New York Times)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Cultural Institutions for Ground Zero To Be ChosenThis Week - Jun 6, 2004
Mayor Bloomberg and Gov. Pataki plan to announce this week which cultural institutions will be included at the World Trade Center site, a major breakthrough following months of contentious debate, the Daily News has learned. (New York Daily News)

Planned Barrier Between Memorial, Battery Park City Removed - Jun 5, 2004
Officials with the Lower Manhattan Development Corp. said Wednesday that the proposed wall blocking the World Trade Center memorial from Battery Park City has been removed from the design, satisfying a neighborhood concern about the plan. (Downtown Express)

Bloomberg Calls on Homeland Security Chief to Stand Up to Congress on Funds - Jun 5, 2004
Michael R. Bloomberg called yesterday on the homeland security secretary, Tom Ridge, to stand up to Congress over what the mayor has repeatedly characterized as its efforts to shortchange New York City on anti-terrorism money. (New York Times)

9/11 Environmental Panel Considers Next Move - Jun 4, 2004
The Environmental Protection Agency’s goal of retesting Lower Manhattan apartments by the end of June seemed remote as the agency’s expert panel grappled with how to measure lingering contamination from the World Trade Center collapse. At its third public meeting on May 24, the 17-member panel of government and independent experts continued discussing whether World Trade Center dust has a chemical fingerprint that would distinguish it from normal urban grit. This so-called signature would help scientists determine what, if any, contamination remains from the World Trade Center collapse. (Downtown Express)

FBI Criticizes NYPD for Stealing Glory in Terrorist Arrest - Jun 4, 2004
New York's FBI director has put his anger at NYPD officials into words - firing off an internal memo that blasted them for hogging the credit for last week's terrorist arrest. (New York Daily News)

Bob Kerrey Speaks About the 9/11 Commission - Jun 4, 2004
Bob Kerrey, former U.S. senator, currently president of New School University and member of the federal 9/11 commission, gave the Greenwich Village-Chelsea Chamber of Commerce his views Tuesday on the World Trade Center attack and on his career since he came from Nebraska in 2001 to head the New School. (Downtown Express)

Kentucky Woman Quilts 9/11 Tribute - Jun 4, 2004
Nearly three years after the attack on the World Trade Center, Mary M. Henderson wants to let the city’s firefighters know she hasn’t forgotten their sacrifice and loss. The Kentucky grandmother spent more than a year cross-stitching the names and company affiliations of all 343 firefighters who died on 9/11 onto a king-sized quilt. Now that it’s done, Henderson, 48, would like to deliver her red-white-and-blue tribute to the firefighters in Ten House across from ground zero. (Downtown Express)

Lower Manhattan Development Corporation Approves General Plan for World Trade Center - Jun 3, 2004
Lower Manhattan Development Corporation set the stage yesterday - that is, if all the needed money can be found and all the inevitable lawsuits can be won - for the full-fledged redevelopment of the World Trade Center site. The corporation board unanimously affirmed a general project plan, leaving open the possibility of restoring parts of Dey and Cortlandt Streets but perhaps turning a block of Washington Street into a truck security checkpoint. It also certified that the environmental review was complete. (Not all its critics agree, saying that the review did not sufficiently account for the impact of other large downtown projects.) (New York Times)

Fire Chief Urges 9/11 Commission To Avoid Unfair Criticism of FDNY - Jun 3, 2004
Fire Commissioner Nicholas Scoppetta had a tough message for the 9/11 Commission during yesterday's Medal Day ceremony: Don't knock the FDNY. (New York Post)

As New York Fumes, Wyoming Says It Needs Antiterror Funding Too - Jun 1, 2004
It is hard to imagine there are many terrorist threats in a place where tumbleweeds regularly blow down the streets, as they do in Cheyenne, Wyoming's largest city and state capital. For those who doubt, however, Wyoming officials point to the two men, thought by the state police to be white supremacists, who were stopped while carrying nine pipe bombs in the rented trailer attached to their rented truck. Wyoming officials disposed of the bombs using a robot bought with a federal antiterrorism grant. That grant was part of the very antiterrorism program that Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg recently called "pork barrel politics at its worst." (New York Times)

Port Authority Police Had Problems on 9/11 As Well - Jun 1, 2004
With all the focus on the city's fire and police agencies, the role of the Port Authority Police in the Sept 11, 2001 response seemed almost overlooked during the 911 Commission hearings. About 200 Port Authority cops responded to the crisis, and 37 officers and supervisors were killed -- the largest single-day loss of life for a police department in the country's history. While the department played a key role in evacuations, the 911 Commission staff found in a preliminary report that its response was hampered by the same kinds of problems that the city police and fire departments experienced. (Newsday)

9/11 Commission Exposed Problems in Rescue Effort - Jun 1, 2004
The city's response on Sept. 11, 2001 wasn't the picture of coordination that former Mayor Rudolph Giuliani and his emergency leaders painted for the 9/11 commission, the panel's staff concluded. Newsday offers a look at some of the conclusions reached, and detail developed, by the staff or in testimony before the commission in New York last month. (Newsday)

9/11 Commissioner Apologizes for Comments At Hearing, Says Giuliani - May 28, 2004
A week after saying that communication failures between the Police and Fire departments on 9/11 were "not worthy of the boy scouts," 9/11 commission member John Lehman apologized in person to former Mayor Rudy Giuliani this week. At least, that's the version offered yesterday by Giuliani, who said Lehman came to his Giuliani Partners office on Wednesday to meet with him and two top aides, former Fire Commissioner Thomas Von Essen and former Office of Emergency Management Chief Richard Sheirer. (New York Daily News)

Mistress of 9/11 Victim Sues His Widow For Greater Share of Benefits - May 28, 2004
The mistress of a Port Authority officer who died in the attack on the World Trade Center is suing his widow, seeking a greater share of benefits for a child from their affair (New York Post)

City, Federal Government Debate Use of $4 Billion in Rebuilding Funds - May 27, 2004
The White House, city officials and lawmakers have held private talks to see if they can reallocate unused money President Bush promised the city after the 9/11 attacks, The Daily News has learned. The secret negotiations have focused on giving the city more flexibility to spend some $4 billion in unused funds. (New York Daily News)

Officials Tell New Yorkers Not to Worry About Warnings - May 27, 2004
Relax, New York - and leave the worrying to us. That was the message of calm delivered yesterday by Gov. Pataki, Mayor Bloomberg and Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly, even as the White House warned of possible terror attacks against the U.S. in the coming months. (New York Daily News)

News Program Offers Cops Federal Terrorism Information - May 26, 2004
Cops on the beat in New York and Vermont will be able to instantly check suspects against the U.S. government's terrorist watch lists under a first-of-its-kind, FBI-coordinated program announced Tuesday. FBI Director Robert Mueller said the system will give state and local police a way of checking 12 databases maintained by federal agencies, and provide officers with a direct line to federal agents to report suspicious activities. (Associated Press)

Governor Nominates 9/11 Widow for Port Authority Board - May 26, 2004
Christine Ferer, widowed when the 9/11 terror attacks took the life of Port Authority chief Neil Levin, was nominated yesterday by Gov. Pataki for a seat on the 12-member PA board. Levin, killed in the collapse of the Twin Towers, was executive director of the PA at the time. Before that, he served as state banking superintendent and later as state insurance commissioner. Ferer is currently a Pataki-appointed board member of Lower Manhattan Development Corp., which was created to oversee rebuilding in the wake of the attacks. She also serves as liaison for Mayor Bloomberg to families who lost relatives on 9/11. (New York Post)

Ridge Warns of Summer Attacks; Does Not Name NYC Specifically - May 26, 2004
Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge said Wednesday that new information on a terrorist threat against the United States "talks about an attack" but said there is no need to raise the national alert level. New York Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said city officials had not been advised that terrorists were plotting an attack there. (Associated Press)

'Missing' Radio Worker Will Testify for 9/11 Commission - May 25, 2004
The World Trade Center official accused of failing to answer letters asking him to testify at the 9/11 commission hearings says he'll meet with commission members today. Lloyd Thompson, deputy fire safety director at 1 World Trade Center, insists he never got the panel's invitations. (New York Post )

1,700 Cops, Firefighters Sue City Over 9/11 Sicknesses - May 24, 2004
In a dramatic sign of escalating health problems stemming from 9/11, more than 1,700 cops and firefighters have filed lawsuits against the city claiming they were sickened by work at Ground Zero or the Fresh Kills landfill. To handle the unprecedented legal overload, the city's Law Department set up a special division to tackle 9/11 claims and appointed attorney Kenneth Becker as chief of the World Trade Center unit. (New York Daily News)

Kelly, Bloomberg Question 9/11 Commission's Judgement - May 24, 2004
Police Commissioner Ray Kelly took a parting shot at the 9/11 commission, labeling comments by panel member and former Navy Secretary John Lehman as "ludicrous" during a TV interview aired Sunday. Mayor Michael Bloomberg, speaking at Sunday's Salute to Israel Parade on Fifth Avenue, questioned the panel's right to pass judgment on New York officials. (Newsday)

Developing New Standards for Emergency Preparedness after 9/11 - May 24, 2004
Newsweek’s Jennifer Barrett spoke with Arthur E. Cote, of the American National Standards Institute and the National Fire Protection Association two groups working together to establish national emergency preparedness standards. Cote spoke about what went wrong on September 11 and how the new standards will address those problems. Excerpts: (Newsweek)

In Time of Terror, Police Commissioner Gains Power - May 24, 2004
At a time when New York finds itself on the front lines in the worldwide battle with terror, Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly is emerging as the city's top general, a city official with unparalleled influence in the Bloomberg administration. Perhaps the most powerful police commissioner in a generation, he wields enormous clout in City Hall as he strives to oversee the city's response to the terror threat and the safety of its streets, say former city officials and senior aides to Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg. (New York Times)

It May Take 2nd Attack To Fix Intelligence Problems, Says 9/11 Commissioner - May 23, 2004
It may take another catastrophic attack on America before there is the political will to fix problems with the nation's intelligence and counterterrorism efforts, the chairman of the 9/11 commission told the Daily News. The commission, which completed two days of emotional hearings in Manhattan last week, is drafting a blueprint for how Congress and President Bush can revamp the system that allowed 19 hijackers to conduct the most deadly terror attack in U.S. history. (New York Daily News)

Commission Believes City Still Isn't Prepared - May 23, 2004
Hard feelings persist in the wake of the 9/11 hearings in Manhattan, with one panel member insisting that the city's disaster planning "sucked." The two days of emotional hearings last week were punctuated with outbursts from audience members, tense exchanges between former city officials and the commissioners, even spats among people in the audience. (New York Daily News)

Senator Recommends Military-Like Communication for NYC's First Responders - May 23, 2004
Police, firefighters and EMTs should adapt military communication techniques and technology when responding to emergencies, Sen. Chuck Schumer said yesterday. Schumer is introducing a bill to establish a new agency responsible for keeping rescue workers on the same wavelength. (New York Post)

Man Sought by 9/11 Commission Emerges to Speak of Chaos - May 22, 2004
For several months, the national commission investigating the Sept. 11 attacks has been searching in vain for a man it believes could help answer some of the most critical questions of what happened inside the World Trade Center that day. His name is Lloyd Thompson, and for much of that morning two and a half years ago he was posted at the epicenter of chaos. Yesterday, weeks after the commission began sending him letters, interviewing former colleagues and checking with employers, Mr. Thompson emerged to tell his story. (New York Times)

Police Commissioner Criticized 9/11 Commission - May 22, 2004
Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly has slammed the Sept. 11 commission's criticisms of the city as "uninformed." New York's top cop also said the city was prepared for further terrorism - and that the likelihood of another attack has increased. (New York Daily News)

9.11 Commissioner Admits that Giuliani Got Off Easy in Hearing - May 21, 2004
A member of the Sept. 11 commission expressed regret yesterday over the questioning of former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani on Wednesday and said the panel should have pressed him on failures in the city's response to 9/11 instead of praising him so lavishly. (Newsday)

City Tests Inter-Agency Radio for Emergencies - May 21, 2004
The city's emergency agencies have begun to test a device touted as a possible solution to radio communication gaps revisited in this week's 9/11 Commission hearings. (Newsday)

NYPD on Alert for Truck Bombers - May 21, 2004
Cops will begin checking trucks entering the Big Apple and other major cities today after the FBI received information that terrorists may use truck bombs to attack high-profile targets like the Empire State Building, The Post has learned. NYPD and Port Authority cops will check trucks entering the city via bridges and tunnels, sources said. They will also check trucks already in the city if they look suspicious. (New York Post )

'Missing' Fire Safety Officer From 9/11 Hiding in Plain Sight - May 21, 2004
A World Trade Center fire safety officer the 9/11 commission couldn't find — but who could shed light on why a crucial FDNY radio channel appeared to fail — is hiding in plain sight. "I live right here and I go to work every morning," said Lloyd Thompson, 48, outside his apartment in a large complex in Yonkers yesterday. (New York Post )

Giuliani Defends City's Response to 9/11 - May 20, 2004
Rudolph Giuliani's appearance yesterday before the 9/11 Commission was the first time that, under public inspection, the finely wrought legacy that he had acquired could be called into question. But Mr. Giuliani's measured and courtly performance, unruffled by conspicuously gentle questioning from the commission, left his reputation essentially unscathed. In unscripted testimony, he led the panel through his personal Sept. 11, a poignant narrative that captivated the audience. Every question from the panel was framed with praise and expressions of gratitude (New York Times)

Bloomberg: Lack of Funding Increases Likelihood of Terrorist Attack - May 20, 2004
Michael R. Bloomberg told the independent commission investigating the Sept. 11 attacks yesterday that the federal government is placing New York City in greater danger by providing too little money to defend the city against future terrorist attacks. Describing the nation's counterterrorism budget as "pork barrel politics at its worst,'' Mr. Bloomberg told the commission that under current spending formulas, states and cities with little threat of being attacked are getting far more in federal subsidies per capita than New York. "It's the kind of shortsighted 'me first' nonsense that gives Washington a bad name,'' the mayor said, and "has the effect of aiding and abetting those who hate us and plot against us." (New York Times)

Giuliani: Firefighers Heard Evacuation Order, But Stayed to Help Civilians - May 20, 2004
In the epic accounts of Sept. 11 provided over the last two days by former Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani and his aides, the Police and Fire Departments bravely worked together, and no catastrophic failure to communicate doomed scores of firefighters inside the World Trade Center. Instead, Mr. Giuliani testified, those firefighters heard an evacuation order, but still did not leave the building. They were "standing their ground" to make sure civilians got out, he said. (New York Times)

9/11 Families Object to Congratulatory Tone at Hearing - May 20, 2004
Families of Sept. 11 victims are furious at what they call the failure of the 9/11 commission to investigate the disaster that cost more than 2,700 lives. "Today was a joke," widow Beverly Eckert said of yesterday's wrap-up of two days of hearings into how city officials responded to the World Trade Center attacks. (New York Post)

Giuliani Recounts 9/11 in Vivid Detail - May 20, 2004
Rudy Giuliani held the 9/11 commission spellbound yesterday as he recounted a day in New York City that began like any other - "a clear, beautiful day" - and ended in untold horror. In a detailed and moving recollection of Sept. 11, 2001, the former mayor said he'd just had breakfast with an aide and was headed to City Hall when he got the word. (New York Post)

Giuliani Concedes Flaws - May 20, 2004
The panelists' questions were nothing but deferential, and his own benedictions about the heroes of that day were lengthy. But several times before the Sept. 11 commission, former Mayor Rudolph Giuliani starkly conceded planning and communication flaws in the city's response to the World Trade Center attack. The acknowledgments came almost off-handedly, with the rationale that "no one ever had encountered an attack like this." (Newsday)

Fire Union Complains of Being Ignored by 9/11 Commission - May 20, 2004
The federal commission investigating the 2001 terrorist attacks left here Wednesday without hearing public testimony from a single firefighter, police officer or other city emergency worker who was at the site that day. Fire union officials were particularly angry at what they considered a snub. They argued that if commission members wanted to get to the bottom of what happened, they should have let emergency workers tell them and the public about problems at the scene. (Newsday)

9/11 Commission Criticizes Emergency Response on 9/11 - May 19, 2004
The independent federal commission investigating the Sept. 11 attacks came to New York yesterday and offered the most detailed public accounting yet of how the heroic response of police officers and firefighters was undermined by poor planning, inadequate equipment, faulty communication and generations-old interagency rivalries. At an emotional hearing about a mile from the site of the catastrophe, several members of the commission said the city's emergency-response plan was badly flawed at the time of the attack and suggested that 32 months after the attacks, the nation's largest city remains dangerously unprepared to deal with another terrorist strike. (New York Times)

For Deputy Fire Chief, Panel Hearing Highlights Tragic Decision - May 19, 2004
As the television and radio murmurs of the 9/11 commission hearing flowed through Fire Department headquarters in Brooklyn yesterday, no one listened more intently than one thin, unassuming man with a notebook in his lap. Sometimes he jotted notes, sometimes he nodded and sometimes he just shook his head. In many ways, Sept. 11 now defines this man, Deputy Assistant Chief Joseph W. Pfeifer. He witnessed the first jet hit the north tower, and immediately reported that "it looks like the plane was aiming toward the building." He arrived very early on the scene, and stayed long after. At one point, he and his only brother gazed at each other for a few moments before Fire Lt. Kevin Pfeifer went up some stairs, never to return. (New York Times)

Panel Assails Agency Turf Battle and Lack of Communication - May 19, 2004
The 9/11 commission took a hard look at how the city handled the World Trade Center attack and found systemic flaws may have proved fatal that day. The commission discovered bravery and courage, but they also found communication breakdowns and dysfunctional coordination within and between agencies. (New York Daily News)

Former Fire, Police Chiefs React With Anger to Criticism at Hearing - May 19, 2004
The 9/11 commission hearing yesterday in Manhattan turned into a series of angry finger-pointing exchanges — and one panel member ripped the city's response to the World Trade Center attack as "not worthy of the Boy Scouts." The over-the-top charge from commissioner John Lehman drew a furious response from former Fire Commissioner Thomas Von Essen, who branded it "outrageous" and "despicable." (New York Post)

Family Members Suffer Through 9/11 Once More - May 19, 2004
Grieving relatives of Sept. 11 victims yesterday were pierced once again with unspeakable pain and raging anger as the 9/11 commission presented graphic evidence about the World Trade Center attack. As family members braced themselves by holding hands or wrapping their arms around each other, the hearing began with a minute-by-minute reconstruction of the catastrophe, including video of the planes' impact with the towers and the skyscrapers' collapse. (New York Post)

Giuliani Left in Tough Spot After Testimony From His Former Commissioners - May 19, 2004
Three top aides to Rudolph Giuliani left the ex-mayor with much to explain today when he faces the Sept. 11 commission. Giuliani's last police, fire and emergency management chiefs bumped and weaved their way through the panel's questions, in the bureaucratic style they once honed before the City Council. (Newsday)

Questions About Radios Go Unanswered as Operator Cannot Be Found - May 19, 2004
The communication failures in the north tower on Sept. 11 have been widely blamed on technical problems. But the cause of the radio failure may have more to do with human error, not mechanical - and the human's name may be Lloyd Thompson. The only problem is, Thompson is nowhere to be found. Thompson is a former fire patrol officer for a private security company hired by the managers of the World Trade Center at the time of the attacks. (