August 25th - August 31st, 2006

Approval Given to Deutsche Bank Search Methods

Saturday, August 26^th: A report issued by Brown University forensic archaeologist Richard Gould determined that the search for human remains at 130 Liberty Street is being conducted as thoroughly as possible, the New York Times reported. "Based on archaeological work I have done earlier at disaster scenes, I think the work being performed here is the best possible under the circumstances," Gould wrote in the report. "Realistically, it may be less than 100 percent, but I do not see much, if any, room for improvement," he continued.

The report provides a detailed account of the search including descriptions of the way workers are searching for remains while dressed in hazardous-material suits, boots, gloves, and equipped with respirators, the Times continued. Crews have been preparing the building for demolition during the past year and have found 760 body parts, mostly small bone fragments, in addition to wreckage from 2 World Trade Center, the Times added.

Gould did express a need for better communication, stating, "The 9/11 families, in particular, would have been reassured to know more about the fine work being done on their behalf, and I am sorry that they are only finding out about this now," according to the Times. The Lower Manhattan Development Corporation (LMDC), which has been overseeing the building's deconstruction, will hand over responsibility for the project's safe completion to the Lower Manhattan Construction Command Center when the rebuilding agency shuts down next month, the Times reported.

Survivors Guide Tours of WTC

Monday, August 28^th: A year ago, the Tribute WTC Visitors Center began offering tours of the World Trade Center site to visitors, led by guides that include 9/11 survivors, emergency workers, people who lost loved ones, and other volunteers, the Associated Press reported. The tours are usually led by two guides each and go along the WTC perimeter fence and into nearby buildings to provide a view the site, the AP continued.

According to the AP, the costs associated with building the Visitors Center have amounted to $6 million thus far, with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation each covering half. The center, which doesn't officially open until September 6^th, has already attracted enough visitors to fill dozens of tours and estimates that by the end of September its more than 120 guides will have led more than 20,000 people around Ground Zero, the AP reported.

Lynn Tierney, president of the center, told the AP, "The people who were coming here not only want information about what happened but they want to pay their respects to somebody. It's terribly intense interaction." Her goal is to eventually have more than 300 guides and to increase the frequency of tours from the current two on weekdays and four on weekends, she continued. Tickets cost $10 each and are available online at www.tributewtc.org.

Paramount Pictures Donates to WTCMF

Tuesday, August 29^th: Oliver Stone's movie World Trade Center had a successful opening weekend, bringing in more than $26 million. This is good news for Paramount Studios and great news for four local charities that will receive ten percent of the movie's profit from the first five days. The World Trade Center Memorial Foundation will receive half of the total donation, or $1.3 million, and the other $1.3 million will be divided between Tuesday's Children, the Tribute WTC Visitor Center, and the New York Police and Fire Widow's and Children's Benefit Fund. For more on this story, click here.

Future for Lower Manhattan Hospitality Industry Looking Bright

Thursday, August 31^st: The future looks bright for downtown's hospitality industry, according to the New York Sun and a report from the Alliance for Downtown New York. The paper reported that several new developments are planned for Lower Manhattan, including two hotels on Greenwich Street that are scheduled to open next year. Additionally, two new sites have been zoned for hotels, one on Pearl Street and another at the corner of Beekman and William Streets. For more on this story, click here.

9/11 Ad Campaign Is in Full Swing

Thursday, August 31^st: The World Trade Center Memorial Foundation, which launched an advertising campaign in July to raise money for memorial construction, recently revealed a new set of advertisements to coincide with the fifth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, the Associated Press reported. "Where were you on September 11^th?" the new ads ask, going on to feature responses from people around the world who remember the details of the terrorist attacks, the AP continued.

The Memorial Foundation hopes through the new ads to create a connection between the historical event and the personal experience, the newswire reported. Since the campaign's launch, the average number of new donors has increased dramatically, according to Memorial Foundation Acting President Joseph Daniels. According to the AP, advertising agency TBWA/Chiat/Day has donated its time to develop the ads and media outlets have donated airtime and ad space, resulting in an ad campaign that would otherwise have cost $11 million to this point.