Woman's Death the First Linked to 9/11 Dust

Fears sum won't be enough, and lawyers get too much

(NEWSER) - A federal judge put the kibosh today on New York City’s deal to set aside as much as $657 million for 10,000 workers sickened by toxic debris at the World Trade Center site. Alvin Hellerstein thinks it’s not enough money, would leave out other first responders to the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks—and that lawyers are getting too much of it, the Daily News reports. More»

(AP) - Britain's Prince Harry bowed his head in prayer at ground zero today, then toured the Sept. 11 attack site and shook New Yorkers' hands in his first official visit to the US. “Big question—when is this supposed to be finished?" the 24-year-old asked officials showing him rebuilding plans for the World Trade Center site. The prince laid a wreath at a spot overlooking the memorial under construction. More»

Though some are 'disgusted,' witnessing the 'Falling Man' is vital, author says

(NEWSER) - The “Falling Man” photo reproduced worldwide has disappeared from respectable media, Tom Junod writes in Esquire, but to avert our eyes is to pretend the horrific choices made Sept. 11, 2001, don’t exist. “We have somehow taken it upon ourselves to deem their deaths unworthy of witness,” Junod writes of “the jumpers,” “because we have somehow deemed the act of witness, in this one regard, unworthy of us.” More»

Those who covered Ground Zero report breathing problems, other ailments

(NEWSER) - The helicopter ride through the burning World Trader Center's thick, chemical-laden smoke won Keith Meyers' 9/11 photos a share of the Pulitzer, but he says it cost him his health and career. "I could feel my skin tingling and burning," recalls the former New York Times photographer. Like Meyers, many journalists suffer illnesses matching those of Ground Zero workers, but their plight has drawn less attention—even in the media, reports Photo District News. More»

Way out of horror for thousands of survivors will be part of memorial

(NEWSER) - A potent symbol of survival on 9/11—a 37-step staircase used by thousands to escape the Twin Towers—was temporarily moved yesterday as part of a compromise plan that will incorporate the structure into the World Trade Center memorial. The stairs were hoisted on a flatbed and shifted to another part of the site while rebuilding continues, reports WNBC-Channel 4 in New York. The stairs are the last remnant of the towers above ground. More»