September 11, 2013 -- I Remember Lt. Col. Jerry Don Dickerson Jr.

Since its inception, I have participated in Project 2,996, a tribute to the 2,996 innocent victims of 9/11, where bloggers eulogize each victim. Previously, I have remembered Mary Lenz Wieman, Mark Francis Broderick, Capt. Patrick J, Brown, Hagay Shefi, Alison Marie Wildman, Daniel Thomas Afflitto, and Donna Bernaerts-Kearns. Please check out these tributes as well today, as they deserve

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12 Years Later: Remembering 9/11

September 11, 2001. New Yorkers were heading to the polls to vote on the next mayor of the city. It was a morning full of promise and baseball fans were excited about the Yankees' chances of making the playoffs, the Mets thinking about the future, and the start of the new football season. In other words, it was a day not much different than those September days we've been experiencing in the New

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The Rebuilding of Ground Zero, Part 169

Yesterday's commemoration of the 11th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks also coincided with news reports about a deal struck to resume construction on the National 9/11 Museum, which had been in limbo since the Port Authority and Memorial Foundation fought over who was responsible for construction costs.

The Port Authority claimed that the Foundation owed it $300 million, but ended up settling for

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New Jersey Goes After 9/11 Scammers Who Fooled Everyone, Including Gov. Christie

I've got to go back through my catalog of photos taken in and around Ground Zero, because I recall seeing these guys out there on a semi-regular basis. They have a very distinctive 9/11 themed pickup truck, and onlookers would frequently pose with the drivers near the WTC Memorial Preview Center on Vesey as well as on Dey Street and other locations surrounding Ground Zero.

They managed to fool

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The Rebuilding of Ground Zero, Part 164

President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama will be visiting the World Trade Center site this afternoon to view progress at the site as part of a trip to New York City that includes two fundraisers for the 2012 campaign.

The trip will disrupt the commutes of tens of thousands of people who use the PATH station at the WTC (myself included), but the President needs to do more than just

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The Rebuilding of Ground Zero, Part 158

It looks like the Port Authority and the National Sept. 11 Memorial and Museum have come to an agreement on construction costs. Payments will begin going out to subcontractors starting today, but the deal still requires finalization and approval by the Port Authority's Board. The subcontractors were caught in the middle of a dispute between the Port, which owns the World Trade Center site, and

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The Rebuilding of Ground Zero, Part 156

1 WTC (the Freedom Tower) is poised to be the tallest building in New York City within the next two weeks. It's just a matter of time before the steel perimeter reaches its apex and work can proceed on the roof and antenna levels. "The World Trade Center perimeter steel is up the 100th floor," said Foye, at a press conference following the authority's monthly board meeting today. "I think if not

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Health Panel Indicates Intention To Cover First Responders' Cancer Under Zadroga Act

This is a big deal to many emergency personnel and construction crews who worked in and around Ground Zero following the 9/11 attacks and have since been diagnosed with cancer. The health care panel created by Congress to determine whether ailments should or shouldn't be covered under the James Zadroga Act voted to cover cancer under the Act's compensation provisions:Hundreds of 9/11 first

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The Rebuilding of Ground Zero, Part 154

While the Freedom Tower (1WTC) is closing in on being topped out later this year, the financial picture for the World Trade Center redevelopment is grim. In fact, grim isn't quite the word. It's downright scary and awful. An audit demanded by both New York and New Jersey governors Andrew Cuomo and Chris Christie shows just how bleak the situation is.

The Port Authority has so severely mismanaged

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The Rebuilding of Ground Zero, Part 153

The cost for the Freedom Tower (aka 1WTC) is now expected to top out at nearly $3.8 billion dollars. That's $700 million more than the last estimate given, and billions more than the originally estimated cost for the tower. It now ranks as the most expensively constructed skyscraper in the world.

Much of the cost is due to the increased and enhanced security and safety measures built into the

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