~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
From Google News
9/11 Anniversary Will Mark Rise of New Buildings, But No Museum
by Jim O'Grady -- WNYC
Some family members of the victims of the September 11 attacks are angry that The National September 11 Memorial Museum will not have its planned opening on Tuesday, the 11th anniversary of the attacks. Construction of the building has been halted since last December, when a multi-million dollar dispute broke out between the museum and the Port Authority, the site's owner.
Bill Doyle, whose son Joseph died in Tower One, says the fight over money is causing an inexcusable delay. "How long did it take to build Pearl Harbor? How long did it take to do the Vietnam War Memorial? Why — ten years, eleven years later — it's still not done?" he asked.
The Port Authority of NY-NJ, headed by Governors Andrew Cuomo and Chris Christie, says the private foundation running the museum owes hundreds of millions of dollars in construction costs. The foundation, which is chaired by Mayor Michael Bloomberg, disputes the claim.
Museum spokesman Michael Frasier said that although there is no opening date for the museum, the staff continues to collect artifacts for display. "We're gathering photos from victims' family members, badges and equipment from first responders, items like that," he said.
He added that the memorial site, with reflecting pools, has drawn 4.5 million visitors since it opened last year on the 10th anniversary of the attacks, exceeding projections by 1.5 million.
Building continues on the site. One World Trade Center is scheduled to take its place as New York's tallest building next year. It'll be joined by Tower Four on the site's southeastern corner.
http://culture.wnyc.org/articles/features/2012/sep/10/world-trade-center-anniversary-will-mark-rise-new-buildings-no-museum/
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
From the White House
Paying Tribute with Service
In today's Weekly Address, President Obama talks about one of the legacies of September 11, 2001.
"Instead of turning inward with grief," he said, "we've honored the memory of those we lost by giving back to our communities, serving those in need, and reaffirming the values at the heart of who we are as a people."
That's why we mark each September 11th as a National Day of Service and Remembrance -- an act that Congress made official in 2009 and which President Obama signed into law.
The Corporation for National and Community Service is charged with overseeing that effort, and this year, they hope to make it one of the largest days of charitable service in U.S. history.
Last year, for the 10th anniversary -- the First Family, President Obama, the First Lady, Malia, and Sasha -- all pitched in at the DC Central kitchen, preparing meals for those in need.
This year, you can sign up for a service opportunity near you at Serve.gov.
As President Obama says, "We are one American family. And we look out for each other – not just on the difficult days, but every day."
http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2012/09/08/paying-tribute-service
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
From the Department of Homeland Security
DHS and Simon Property Group Team Up to Keep Shoppers Safe
At DHS, we believe that homeland security begins with hometown security. Security is a shared responsibility, and each citizen has a role to play in identifying and reporting suspicious activities.
We're all safer when everyone is alert and engaged, and that's what the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) “If You See Something, Say Something™” public awareness campaign is all about. If you see something that doesn't look right, report it to local authorities.
On Thursday, September 6, I joined Simon Property Group Executive Vice President of Property Management Tim Earnest to announce a new partnership with the Simon Property Group as a part of the “If You See Something, Say Something™” campaign.
This new partnership will take the campaign to shopping malls and retail centers across the United States. By providing signs in hallways and service areas that are used by Simon and tenant employees, DHS will encourage employees to say something when they see something suspicious. This could be an unattended package or suspicious behavior, like a person entering a restricted area that shouldn't be there or leaving an item under a bench or behind a trash can.
Materials for employees will initially be in 20 Simon locations in Indiana and Virginia, and we're working with Simon to expand to other properties in the future.
Originally developed by the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority, "If You See Something, Say Something™" is a simple and effective program to engage the public and key frontline employees to raise awareness of indicators of terrorism, and emphasize the importance of reporting suspicious activity to the proper authorities.
DHS has expanded the program by partnering with cities, states, universities and private businesses, including the transportation, hospitality and retail sectors. In each sector, we have provided materials and collaborated on advertisements to help engage and educate the public as well as those working behind the scenes. And our new partnership with the Simon Property Group will allow us to continue expanding the program across the country.
We have seen the value of public vigilance in thwarting terrorism and crime time and again. Last year, a concerned gun store owner in Killeen, Texas called authorities after becoming suspicious of a customer's purchases and helped to prevent a likely attack at Fort Hood. And a concerned citizen's report helped to foil a planned attack against a Martin Luther King, Jr. Day parade route in Washington State in 2010.
When we each do our part, we keep our nation safe, one hometown at a time.
http://www.dhs.gov/blog/2012/09/09/dhs-and-simon-property-group-team-keep-shoppers-safe
