A recent Rutgers study identified factors that may put people who responded to the 9/11 terrorist attacks at the World Trade Center (WTC) at increased risk for cancers of the head and neck, such as oral cavity, oropharyngeal, and laryngeal cancers. The study was the first of its kind to examine the impact of WTC-related exposure and behavioral risk factors, like smoking and alcohol use, on head and neck cancer risk among WTC general responders.

City education officials are attempting to contact all 19,000 former students who attended public schools near Ground Zero on 9/11 to let them know they could be eligible for free medical care. The ex-students would qualify for coverage under the federal government’s Victims Compensation Fund if they are certified as having suffered any of 68 9/11-related cancers or dozens of respiratory diseases by the World Trade Center Health Program. More.

Kelly Hynes, a fifth-grade teacher at Love Creek Elementary, has a unique perspective on the tragedy of 9/11. “Being from New York, I unfortunately was a witness to the towers being struck and falling,” said Hynes. “I watched the events of 9/11 unfold through my classroom window.” Although 9/11 is an emotional day for all Americans, including Hynes, she made it her goal this year to help her students understand and remember the importance and significance 9/11 has had on the country.

Mayor de Blasio has proposed a bill that would establish parity for the families of all city employees who were part of the response and recovery efforts at the World Trade Center site and subsequently died of a 9/11-related illness by providing special health coverage to them. Its backing by City Council Speaker Corey Johnson, who said, "we look forward to seeing the bill," virtually assures it will become law.

For students from elementary to high school, the Sept. 11 terrorist attack isn't a memory. It's history. A new HBO documentary that debuts on the event's 18th anniversary treats it that way. The necessity of her project, "What Happened on September 11," struck filmmaker Amy Schatz when a third grade girl told her about a playdate where she and a friend Googled "Sept. 11 attacks." More.

Michael O’Connell was a New York City firefighter in his early 30s with his first child on the way when he woke up one morning in 2007 “feeling like someone came into the room that night and beat me up with a baseball bat.” Hours later, doctors told O’Connell he had a rare disease called sarcoidosis, the growth of tiny collections of inflammatory cells — commonly found in the lungs and lymph nodes. More.

The 9/11 Memorial & Museum selected Las Vegas, Pittsburgh and Greece as recipients of this year’s “Survivor Tree” seedlings. The communities, which have recently been impacted by extreme disaster or violence, have committed to nurturing these trees to serve as landmarks symbolizing resiliency and hope. More.

The FBI has documents that could help prove Saudi officials were involved in the 9/11 terror attacks, an attorney representing several families of Twin Tower victims who are suing the Saudi government told Tucker Carlson Wednesday. Jim Kreindler said the two previous administrations, along with former FBI directors James Comey and Robert Mueller, "fought against the families ... to cover up the FBI's own intelligence failures." More.