Were safety concerns about the Deutsche Bank's demolition ignored by aides to Governors Pataki and Spitzer and Mayor Bloomberg? That's what the NY Post is reporting, as the investigation into the August fire that claimed two firefighters lives continues. more ›

Oh, SNAP! In year-after-Katrina interview with 60 Minutes, New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin mentions the lack of development at Ground Zero when pressed by reporter Byron Pitts about post-Katrina New Orleans progress. And it's an effective smack to city and state officials. Here's how the CBS News site explains the exchange:

On a tour of the decimated Ninth Ward, Nagin tells Pitts the city has removed most of the debris from public property and it’s mainly private land that’s still affected – areas that can’t be cleaned without the owners' permission. But when Pitts points to flood-damaged cars in the street and a house washed partially into the street, the mayor shoots back. "That’s alright. You guys in New York can’t get a hole in the ground fixed and it’s five years later. So let’s be fair."

The lawsuit trying to stop the building of the WTC Memorial has been thrown out by a state Supreme Court justice. Victims' families group was upset that the memorial design would not preserve the footprints of the World Trade Center, and said the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation didn't consult with them. Justice Shirley Kornreich disagreed, saying the LMDC "exhaustive[ly]" worked with other groups during the process. As the AP reports, Kornreich's ruling states, "[The agency continues to consult with family members] in what can only be described as a commendable and sensitive manner, despite the fact that the obligation to consult ended long ago.'' Well, that's one bit of good news for the LMDC - and now this means the foundation for the memorial, which will be offset from the footprints, can get its concrete, although Gothamist suspects with all the memorial problems, there are still some design changes to come. more ›

Almost two years ago, Governor George Pataki helped to lay the 20-ton, Adirondack granite cornerstone for the Freedom Tower. And it wasn't until just this past month that the financial bickering between Larry Silverstein and the Port Authority were finally sorted out so construction could begin in earnest. more ›

Governor George Pataki, realizing even in the waning months as a potential lame duck governor that he needs to take action with the rebuilding of the World Trade Center, has installed one of his aides to lead the effort. Other aides say that yesterday's announcement that John P. Cahill would be moving from Albany to help jumpstart the rebuilding, which has taken its fair share of knocks in the past year, from Goldman Sachs deciding not to move to the site and the NYPD's criticism of Freedom Tower's safety, was meant to restore confidence. Cahill will also be drumming up more fundraising efforts to attract money to the project. Gothamist would like Cahill to know that we wish him luck - you better get everything straightened out before Pataki's term is over. more ›

NY1 reports that the WTC Memorial, Reflecting Absence, has been tested by a fountain consultant. The consultant constructed a "full-scale mock-up of some fountain configurations" to look for "potential problems with freezing and winter conditions"; the design has two pools in the footprints of the old World Trade Center Towers, with waterfalls around them. Outgoing Lower Manhattan Development Corportation President Kevin Rampe says that memorial groundbreaking is still "on track" for 2006, even in spite of the Ground Zero issues. You can learn more about Reflecting Absence at the LMDC. more ›

Could the rebuilding of the World Trade Center be any more...weird? NY1 reports that Governor Pataki and Mayor Bloomberg might try to wrest control of the WTC site from developer Larry Silverstein by claiming eminent domain. (Eminent domain, according to Wikipedia, "is the power of the state to appropriate private property for its own use without the owner's consent.") What's interesting is that Governor Pataki and Mayor Bloomberg's greater political goals (national office and a second term as mayor, respectively) might be making Silverstein look like an attractive and necessary thing to step on in order to get things rolling. The Mayor, however, emphasized that Freedom Tower, the centerpiece of the development plan, must be built in as safe a manner as possible. Funny, you don't hear the Mayor trying to take time with the West Side Stadium. There's also the thought that the 10 million square feet of projected office space is too much and the Governor and Mayor should get Silverstein to lower that amount. more ›

: In possibly another sign that the WTC rebuilding totally sucks, the president of the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation, Kevin Rampe, has resigned today. NY1 says he'll still serve on the foundation, but this sounds sketchy to us. Additionally, an appeals court threw out a lawsuit against Motorola that relatives of firefighters killed during September 11 brought forth, claiming Motorola's faulty radios caused their deaths. more ›