9/11 News

A summary of news and opinion on the current state of the 9/11 community.

9/11 Memorial Pools Now Framed in Steel

The two signature reflecting pools for the 9/11 Memorial were at last completely framed in steel

Wed, March 31st, 2010 @ 3:13am

MILESTONE: The Memorial's two signature reflecting pools were at last completely framed in steel. (Mario Tama/Getty Images)

NEW YORK—Nearly nine years after the 9/11 attacks occurred, the two signature reflecting pools for the 9/11 Memorial were at last completely framed in steel, announced the National September 11 Memorial and Museum and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey on Monday.

At this point, 99.8 percent of the steel for the project has been installed and almost two-thirds of the concrete has been poured. Once complete, the total amount of steel will weigh 8,151 tons—more than that was used for the Eiffel Tower—and the amount of concrete will be 49,900 cubic yards.

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So, You Still Want to Close Gitmo?

Judge’s order to release 9/11 jihadist is a sign of things to come.

Thu, March 25th, 2010 @ 11:15am

Mohamedou Slahi is responsible for the murder of thousands of Americans. He was a core member of the 9/11 conspiracy — the recruiter of Mohamed Atta and the other ringleaders. If he’d had his druthers, even more Americans would have been killed: He is almost certainly the al-Qaeda middle manager who activated the Canadian cell that attempted to bomb Los Angeles International Airport. On the scale of war criminals, he edges toward the Khalid Sheikh Mohammed range, as bad as it gets.

A federal judge has ordered that he be released.

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Suffering 9/11 heroes applaud Judge Alvin Hellerstein’s ruling to renegotiate settlement

Sat, March 20th, 2010 @ 11:39pm

Judge Alvin Hellerstein tore up a $575M settlement agreement for sick 9/11 workers, sending laywers back to renegotiate a better deal.

Some of the sick 9/11 workers say they have a new hero - Judge Alvin Hellerstein.

They expressed surprised gratitude Friday night after he stood up to the lawyers and said victims deserve a better deal.

Former NYPD Det. Richard Volpe said he was “proud” of the bravery the judge showed on Friday.

"I'm very proud of the compassion and bravery the judge has shown," said Richard Volpe, 42, a former NYPD detective who had to retire after his kidneys failed.

Volpe said he felt Hellerstein was really listening when he told the judge he had to quit a job he loved at age 34.

"I don't know what the next step is. I don't know if the judge knows. But it is a good step."

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Mount Sinai researchers are the first to identify heart abnormalities in World Trade Center workers

Researchers from Mount Sinai School of Medicine are presenting more than 20 ground-breaking studies at the American College of Cardiology (ACC) 59th annual scientific session (ACC.10) in Atlanta. Their research includes data showing that the World Trade Center (WTC) collapse has caused potentially dangerous heart problems in responders on-site.

Tue, March 16th, 2010 @ 12:11pm

Jacqueline Moline, MD, Vice Chair, Department of Preventive Medicine, Mount Sinai School of Medicine leads The World Trade Center Medical Monitoring and Treatment Program. The Program provided federal funding for two WTC heart studies, of which Dr. Moline is the primary investigator. Lori Croft, MD, Assistant Professor of Medicine and Mary Ann McLaughlin, MD, Associate Professor, Medicine and Cardiology, conducted the analyses of 1,236 workers who participated in the program from January 2008 to June 2009.

Dr. Croft's study, "First Documentation of Cardiac Dysfunction Following Exposure to the World Trade Center Disaster," showed that responders have impaired diastolic function of both the right and left ventricle, meaning their hearts do not relax normally, which can put them at risk for heart problems such as shortness of breath and heart failure. More than 50 percent had abnormal relaxation of the left ventricle compared to only seven percent of people of a similar age in the general population. Greater than 60 percent had isolated impaired diastolic function in the right ventricle of the heart, which pumps blood to the lungs.

Dr. Croft and her colleagues suspect that debris inhaled from the WTC site may have contributed to these heart abnormalities, however, caution that there is no comparison data of people working in a similar urban community plagued by air pollution and life and emotional stresses who were not exposed to the WTC.

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Lawmakers Push For Lifetime Healthcare for 9/11 Responders, Say $657M Settlement Not Enough

Tue, March 16th, 2010 @ 3:02am

Sept. 11 first responder Marvin Bethea, at a 2007 press conference, displayed the medications he took following work at the World Trade Center. (Marvin Bethea/Getty Images)

MANHATTAN — Federal lawmakers claim the city's $657 million settlement with ailing 9/11 first responders doesn't cover all their needs and will instead push for lifetime healthcare coverage with a bill that will be introduced Monday.

Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-Manhattan/Astoria), and Jerrold Nadler (D-Manhattan/Brooklyn) have co-authored the $11 billion James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act, which will go before a House subcommittee Monday.  

The bill, which was named after a New York cop who died in 2006 after inhaling toxic World Trade Center dust, would provide medical monitoring and treatment to WTC responders and community members for the rest of their life.

At a Ground Zero rally, Nadler said that the legislation would give continuing health care as opposed to a one-time payment to "the thousands and thousands who lost their health at the World Trade Center.

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