Dispute Swirling Around Toxic Building At Ground Zero Coming To An End

It’s been almost nine years since the 9/11 attacks and four years since workers started dismantling the heavily damaged Deutsche Bank building, but good news. The companies who insured the building are nearing a deal with the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation that could potentially end a long standing dispute over how much they will be required pay out to cover the costs of demolition, and more importantly, eliminate another symbol of national disgrace at the WTC site. Progress baby! |NYT|

Obama Starting to Cave on 9/11 Trial Venue

In another potentially disastrous, back-bending move, Obama, who were going to start referring to as President Gumby if he keeps this up, has reportedly contacted Attorney General Eric Holder to discuss the possibilities of changing the venue for the 9/11 trial from Downtown Manhattan to another location amidst all the political fallout. This comes on the heels of Mayor Bloomberg’s about-face, he says it will cost too much money, a statement teeming with irony for a politician who just spent over $100 million to maintain the throne of NYC. Read more »

Proposed Ground Zero Mural Will Not Be Installed At Ground Zero

Despite holding a competition and selecting a winner to create a mural that would cover part of a perimeter fence at Ground Zero, the DOT announced that it won’t be installed at the World Trade Center site, but some park instead. This can’t be good for architecture firm Sage and Coombe, who won the contest, especially with a spokesman from the Port Authority describing their less than satisfactory designs as thus: Read more »

Shameless Marketing Will Rise With Construction of WTC

Sure, there’s been a massive crater in downtown Manhattan for over eight years now and it will probably take till forever to build the so called Freedom Tower, but at least one company is taking advantage of the gross ineptitude at Ground Zero. Read more »

Diane Sawyer’s Ground Zero Tenaciousness

So it’s 8:45 p.m. or so, the night of 9/11, and Diane Sawyer taps me on the shoulder. I’m standing in front of Pace University, and I guess she saw the shitty camcorder I’m holding. Diane asks me to join her film crew; there’s evidently a “media blackout” around Ground Zero, and they need some guerrilla camera work. They give me a paper towel roll to conceal the camera, and I tuck it under my arm and basically shoot from the hip. Read more »

9/11 Boutique Opening

All the construction at Ground Zero is way behind schedule, but at least tourists will be able to buy pins and other memorabilia in an official souvenir shop? That’s right. 9/11 fans will be able to score “memorial pins, books, and DVDs.” Located north of the World Trade Center, there will also be live webcams for construction voyeurs and recording booths for the public to lay down their September 11th stories. All the proceeds will be used to fund the National September 11 Memorial and Museum, which shockingly is now resorting to retail sales to raise money. |AP|

Air Force One’s Official Terror Flight Gallery

Months after Air Force One’s low-flying photoshoot struck fear in the hearts of New Yorkers, forced White House Military Office director Louis Caldera to resign, and inspired a bunch of Photoshopped fakes, new photos of the flight were released, forcibly. The Pentagon, in response to a Freedom of Information Act request, made 146 shots from the $357,000 photo op public along with related documents. Like the last official Air Force one photo over the Statue of Liberty, they’re all yellowed, so enjoy our color corrected selection below. Read more »

Prince Harry’s (Not So) Private Moment At Ground Zero

Symbolic Freemason and British royal trophy, Prince Harry, has officially arrived in New York City. And judging from his itinerary, he’s doing more charity events than a Red Cross worker. As part of the prince’s two-day public relations blitz, he stopped to solemnly pay his respects at the World Trade Center site. |Gothamist|