August 31st - September 7th, 2007

The New York Water Taxi Begins Service

September 5^th:   The New York Water Taxi began its new service between Rockland County and Lower Manhattan this week. On Tuesday, the new shuttle service commenced with trips from Haverstraw in North Rockland to the City of Yonkers in Westchester County, then to its final destination at Pier 11 at Wall Street's World Financial Center, reports the Mid Hudson News

The new service is expected to be well received by residents of Rockland County who are expected to "embrace" this new way of commuting, according to the report in the News. The president and CEO of New York Water Taxi Tom Fox explained this week that the commute is only supposed to take 90 minutes to get from Haverstraw to Manhattan. He also added that the new boats are designed to minimize environmental impact, and will use hospital-grade mufflers to lessen engine noise, reports the News.

Fares range from $15 one-way from Haverstraw to Lower Manhattan to $450 for a 40-trip package.  Rides from Yonkers to Manhattan start at $7 one-way.

Iconic Artifact Chosen for pavilion of WTC Memorial

September 4^th: Tagged the "trident true symbol" by the New York Post, the two steel trident beams of the World Trade Center that stood in the aftermath of 9/11 will return to Memorial Plaza at Ground Zero. The beams will be erected inside the museum pavilion, the Post reports.

Since designs first began for the memorial, designers have been asked time and time again to incorporate an "iconic artifact." Their history and symbolic value make the tridents a perfect fit for the memorial, which is why the 9-story-tall steel beams have been chosen to grace the museum pavilion.

The tridents were formed by massive steel beams that rose from the base of the World Trade Center towers along the outside of the walls, the Post reports. Following the attacks, the tridents were still standing at the site and were only later removed.

NYC Firefighter Released From Hospital

September 1^st: A firefighter injured at the old Deutsche Bank building at 130 Liberty was released from the hospital this week, according to reports by The Associated Press.

William Corbetis, 50, of Queens, New York, was released from the hospital after sustaining injuries at the site. Mr. Corbetis underwent surgery to remove his spleen and has been enjoying an uncompromised recovery to date.

The second man injured, Neil Nally, 35, of Commack, was released from the hospital on the same day as the accident, August 24^th.