September 9th - September 15th, 2005

New Grant Funds Second 9/11 Outreach Center

Friday, September 9:The World Cares Center, Inc., which runs the September Space social services program at 520 Eighth Avenue, will open a second outreach center downtown thanks to a $320,000 grant from the Red Cross Liberty Disaster Relief Fund, Crain's New York Business reported.

Intended to serve residents and construction workers in Lower Manhattan, the new center will be located at 11 Broadway. Similar to its Eighth Avenue operation, which has attracted an estimated 2,500 people since it opened two years ago, World Cares plans to provide a host of free services, including acupuncture, yoga, social activities, and group therapy, Crain's explained.

The grant from the Red Cross will allow the program to operate for one year. World Cares also receives funding from Andor Capital Management and EMCOR Group, Crain's added.

Tribute Center Launches New WTC Volunteer Guide Program

Friday, September 9: Gov. George Pataki, Mayor Michael Bloomberg, and former Mayor Rudy Giuliani announced the launch of the Tribute Center's new Volunteer Guide Program, which provides tours of the World Trade Center site given by specially trained guides, many of whom were directly impacted by the September 11 attacks.

The volunteer tour guides -- which include survivors, family members of those who died in the attacks, local residents and business owners, employees of former WTC companies, firefighters, police, and recovery workers -- will be trained to tell the story of the attacks on February 26, 1993, and September 11, 2001, as well as to incorporate details of the site's history and future development.

"While we build the Memorial and Memorial Museum, the Tribute's visitors' center and docent tours led by individuals directly and intimately affected by the tragedy will ensure that those who visit the site and we as a nation will never forget those who perished," Pataki said in a statement.

Organized by the Tribute Center, which will be located at 120 Liberty Street near the edge of Ground Zero, the tours are scheduled to begin in October. For more information, visit the Tribute Center website.

LMDC Appoints Freedom Center Mediator

Friday, September 9: The Lower Manhattan Development Corporation (LMDC) appointed attorney Peter Woodin to mediate ongoing discussion between the increasingly controversial International Freedom Center planned for Ground Zero and 9/11 family members who oppose its plans, Newsday reported.

Woodin, the former deputy special master for the September 11th Victims Compensation Fund, will work with the LMDC to develop a process that "allows the parties to express their concerns and interests in a nonadversarial process," LMDC President Stefan Pryor told the paper.

The International Freedom Center, which has come under fire for exhibits that some say detract from commemorating the events and victims of the 9/11 attacks, has until September 23 to submit a detailed plan of its programs to the LMDC for approval.

Federal Report Cites Failure to Monitor 9/11 Workers

Saturday, September 10: According to a new report issued by the federal Government Accountability Office (GAO), many federal workers involved in cleanup efforts at Ground Zero may have never been examined or treated for related health problems, the New York Times reported.

The report criticizes the Department of Health and Human Services for suspending it efforts to screen and monitor employees in March 2005, after seeing only 394 of the estimated 10,000 federal workers who responded to Ground Zero. Additionally, only $177,977 of the $3.74 million provided to the department was spent on examinations, the paper said.

The Department of Health and Human Services responded, saying that the program was closed because they lacked a comprehensive list of eligible workers, did not have the authority to help Ground Zero responders who later left federal positions, and were unsure how to handle the illnesses they diagnosed -- a problem also reported by other screening programs, the Times explained.

The GAO report also found that New York State programs for employees who worked at Ground Zero experienced problems, closing in November 2003 after screening about 1,700 of the estimated 9,800 state workers who responded, the paper added.

Fourth Anniversary Marked by Remembrance of Lives

Sunday, September 11: The names of the 2,749 victims who perished in the terrorist attack on the twin towers resounded in the empty space known as Ground Zero Sunday morning as the siblings of those lost led the solemn ceremony to mark the fourth anniversary of September 11, 2001. For complete coverage, click here.

Former Windows of World Staff Launches New Eatery

Sunday, September 11: Exactly four years after the collapse of the former World Trade Center's famous Windows of the World restaurant, a group of the eatery's former employees unveiled a new restaurant called Colors, the Post reported.

Located at 417 Lafayette Street, the new 125-table establishment is run by a team of cooperative owners, including 50 former waiters, busboys, cooks, chefs, and other workers of Windows on the World, the paper said.

Colors, which will not officially open to the public until late October or early November, will feature American cuisine with an international flair that will include monthly specials highlighting the cuisines of different countries, the Post added.

Diving Program Displays Revival of Hudson Marine Life

Tuesday, September 13: More than 200 people gathered at downtown's Pier 26 for a live look at life under the Hudson River as captured by two divers equipped with underwater cameras and microphones, the New York Times reported.

Two large projection screens erected on the pier displayed the abundance of blue crabs, oysters, and fish, among other items, filmed by both divers as they explored the pier's nearby waters. The evening program was sponsored by the River Project, a nonprofit marine science field station at Pier 26 that works to improve the water quality of the Hudson, the paper explained.

The program is just another sign that marine life is rejuvenating in the Hudson River as a result of a concerted effort to decrease pollution and strictly enforce environmental laws, the paper noted.