We were saddened by the latest bombings in Amman, Jordan this week. Our prayers are with those who perished, and we offer our condolences to their families and friends. Our hearts also go out to all those who were injured or suffered emotional trauma.

These senseless attacks, which killed mostly native Jordanians, shows again that no nation or group is immune to the danger of terrorism. VOICES joins all people of good will in condemning this latest assault on innocent lives; and we reaffirm our conviction that people of all nations must join together to fight this common threat.

We want to remind you that the 9/11 Commission is holding a panel on Monday, November 14th in Washington, D.C. Details on the panel are listed below. We encourage family members and other interested individuals to attend.

As our nation pauses today on Veteran's Day to honor those who have served in America's armed forces, VOICES extends out thoughts to the brave men and women currently in harm's way in Iraq and Afghanistan. We wish them a safe and timely return home.

Warm Regards,

When: Saturday, November 12, 2005 from 6:00 - 10:00 pm
Where: Asphalt Green Aqua Center, New York, NY
Contact: Visit the website for more information

Join the friends and family of Andrew Fisher and Doug Irgang, two Masters swimmers, to benefit their memorial scholarship fund. This year's event will include a lap swimming aqua-thon, activities for kids, a silent auction, food and drinks, and time to meet Rowdy Gaines and other Olympians up close. Please visit the website for more information.

Please click here to send us information on your memorial or foundation event. The information will be posted on the VOICES website and included in upcoming e-Newsletters.

WTC Memorial landscape architect Peter Walker promised that the above ground plaza area of the memorial site will be open to visitors at all times. Hundreds of white oak and other trees will be planted on the site, as well as a group of liquidambar trees, which turn a brilliant red around mid-September. Walker also stated that the plaza will likely be closed to animals to preserve a respectful atmosphere. The slurry wall, which holds great significance for 9/11 families, will be visible from a line of skylights on ground level. It will also be visible "when one goes down the memorial arrival ramp and will also form one wall of the separate Memorial Museum, which lies basically below the Memorial," Walker is quoted in a New York Daily News article describing the online feedback session held Tuesday on the WTC Memorial Foundation's website. A full transcript of questions from the public and Walker’s answers is available by clicking here.

After an overwhelming victory in his reelection campaign, New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg plans to take a greater role in the future of the WTC site, according to aides quoted in a New York Daily News article this week. As a candidate last month, the mayor dramatically entered the debate at Ground Zero by claiming that downtown needed more retail and residential space for “24-7” use rather than the planned 10 million square feet of office space. He also called for control of WTC reconstruction to be taken away from Larry Silverstein, claiming the developer and lease-holder of the site did not have the city’s best interests at heart. Bloomberg’s outspokenness has alienated Governor George E. Pataki, who so far has taken the lead on Downtown issues. Pataki and Bloomberg disagree on Silverstein’s role, the level of commercial development, and the controversial Freedom Tower, according to a recent New York Times article.

Bloomberg’s first job is to fill four seats on the LMDC board intentionally left empty pending his re-election. The LMDC is facing many thorny issues, including finding a tenant for the planned cultural building. Designed by the Norwegian firm Snohetta, the building was to house the International Freedom Center until Governor Pataki removed the Center from the site in late September. Pataki’s action was seen to publicly undermine the LMDC’s authority to supervise reconstruction. However, Pataki still sees an important role for the LMDC, including responsibility for building the 9/11 memorial, memorial museum, and performing arts center on the WTC site as well as allocating more than $400 million in remaining federal redevelopment grants, according to another New York Times article.

The first concrete was poured last week on a temporary train track that will allow construction of the new PATH terminal at the WTC site to proceed without interrupting commuter rail service. Construction on the terminal, designed by Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava, is scheduled for early 2007. Though news of progress at Ground Zero is encouraging, VOICES is committed to making sure that all construction proceeds in a manner that respects the sanctity of the site. We are waiting for the outcome of a suit filed by the Coalition of 9/11 Families, including VOICES, that the terminal’s design violates a federal law requiring that historic sites not be used for transportation projects unless there are no alternatives. "Our focus has always been to ensure the maximum preservation and access to the remains of the footprints for the American people and future visitors to the site," Coalition member Anthony Gardner, who lost his brother in the attacks, is quoted in a New York Times article on the start of construction.

The holidays are often a hectic time but there can be added stress for those affected by 9/11. To help you cope and share your thoughts and feelings, VOICES has scheduled a drop in teleconference group on Friday November 18 from 12:00 -1:00 pm EST. The teleconference group will be facilitated by VOICES mental health professional Judy Stotz, LPC. The group is open to any family members, witnesses, and survivors. Prior registration is required by calling the VOICES office at (203) 966-3911 or toll-free at (866) 505-3911. If you would like to participate but are unavailable at this time, please contact dwestfal@voicesofsept11.org. Additional call in times will be scheduled.

The U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has produced an informative booklet for parents and caregivers entitled: “Helping Your Children Navigate Their Teenage Years.” The information is general, but certainly applicable to 9/11 families with older children facing ongoing bereavement issues. The pamphlet offers tips and suggestions to help parents identify depression in their teens and a list of agencies offering help. The pamphlet and other valuable mental health resources are available on the SAMHSA website.

Who: 9/11 Public Discourse Project (the former 9/11 Commissioners)
What: Report card on government reform based on the Commission's recommendations in
the areas of foreign policy, public diplomacy, and nonproliferation.
When: Monday, November 14, 10:00 am
Where: 6th floor auditorium at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars,
1300 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW in Washington, DC
More Information: Please click here to view a press release from the 9/11 PDP

New York’s Congressional delegation and leaders of the Police, Fire, and EMT units that responded so heroically on 9/11 are demanding that the government not take back $125 million appropriated for the ongoing mental and physical health needs of first responders. President Bush proposed taking back the funds, appropriated as part of the emergency 9/11 recovery aid, because it has not yet been spent. The House of Representatives added the president's request to its version of the Labor and Health and Human Services Department Appropriations bill for FY 2006. An article in the New York Post describes NYC Firefighters traveling to Washington this week to press Congress to salvage the money.

New York Senators Clinton and Schumer were able to attach an amendment to the Senate version of the bill that would protect the $125 million. In the House, Reps. Fossella, Maloney and the NY delegation secured an agreement from Congressional leadership to resolve this issue in conference negotiations between the House and the Senate. The fate of the money will be determined in the conference, according to a bi-partisan press release from New York’s Congressmen. VOICES firmly supports this effort and believes keeping the appropriation is not only the right thing to do—it’s absolutely necessary. We know from experience that 9/11 first responders still face significant mental and physical health impairments from their experiences on 9/11. The government should respect the sacrifices and the needs of our brave first responders and look elsewhere to trim the fat from the budget. "We know people suffer, I see them all the time. They deserve this help, they've earned this help, and the money is for them." Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY) is quoted in an Associated Press article.

The agency established to facilitate intelligence sharing between federal state and local counter-terrorism agencies needs more resources to do its job effectively, John Russack, the head the National Information Sharing Office, told the House Homeland Security Intelligence Subcommittee this week. Russack said the agency would need at least $30 million next year to streamline information exchange. The Office was created by Congress as part of the reorganization of America’s intelligence services last year and given $9.6 million to begin operations. The Intelligence reform legislation was prompted by the 9/11 Commission's report, which found that "poor information sharing was the single greatest failure of our government in the lead-up" to the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, former Commission Vice-Chairman Lee Hamilton testified at the hearing on Tuesday. Both Hamilton and William Crowell, a member of the Markle Task Force on National Security in the Information Age, said the office needs more money, more authority, and a greater sense of urgency, according to a Congress Daily article covering the hearing. For more information, please see the testimonies of Hamilton and Crowell , as well as John Russack on the subcommittee’s website.