While the battle over the San Bernardino shooter’s phone continues to play out in the lower courts, the possibility for a case reaching the U.S. Supreme Court becomes more likely with each passing day. Until this happens, members of Congress are scrambling to figure out how they can have an impact in the process. More.
Warner proposes 9/11 Commission-style solution to encryption
Grace Farms Foundation Announces Grants of Program Space
Grace Farms has announced its first round of space grants that will allow local, state and national not-for-profit organizations to use the facilities of the 80-acre space. The grants were awarded to 42 not-for-profit organizations whose programs focus nature, arts, community, justice and faith. More.
Obama Sends Plan to Close Guantánamo to Congress
President Obama sent Congress a plan on Tuesday to close the United States military prison at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, his latest attempt to deliver on an unfulfilled promise of his presidency, which faces near-certain rejection by Congress. The prison has come to symbolize the darker side of the nation’s antiterrorism efforts, but the series of steps that Mr. Obama outlined at the White House were as much an acknowledgment of the constraints binding him during his final year in office as they were a practical blueprint for transferring prisoners.
Bill to Federally Fund, Preserve 9/11 Memorial Passes House
New Jersey Congressman Tom MacArthur announced on Tuesday that his legislation to designate the 9/11 Memorial as a national memorial has passed the U.S. House of Representatives. MacArthur introduced the National 9/11 Memorial at the World Trade Center Act that will authorize a grant to help secure the memorial site. More.
9/11 Victim Compensation Fund Triples Payments In Past Year
The September 11th Victim Compensation Fund said it has offered financial support to nearly 6,000 victims’ families and first responders who became sick because of 9/11 in the past year. An annual report released by the VCF Tuesday says that’s nearly triple the number of payments the fund awarded the year before. More.
MacArthur Legislation to Preserve the 9/11 Memorial Passes Out of Committee
Congressman Tom MacArthur today announced that his legislation to protect and preserve the National September 11 Memorial at the World Trade Center in New York has passed out of the Natural Resources Committee. The National 9/11 Memorial at the World Trade Center Act will designate the 9/11 outdoor Memorial Plaza as a National Memorial. More.
Theresa Tobin, NYPD officer, honored in 9/11 arts project
On Sept. 11, 2001, NYPD Lt. Theresa Tobin was caught in the collapse of the South Tower. As debris fell, shards of glass sprayed into her back and a piece of concrete pierced her special ballistic helmet before lodging in her skull. Miraculously, Tobin, now a deputy chief, was among the fortunate first responders who survived. More.
The Rev. John Romas, Leader of Greek Church at Ground Zero, Dies at 86
After St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church in Lower Manhattan was destroyed on Sept. 11, 2001, by the collapse of the World Trade Center nearby, the Rev. John D. Romas held his small congregation together as its worship services moved to Brooklyn and instilled in his parishioners the hope that they would live to see their church rebuilt. More.