Ground Zero | featured news

Lawyers for the city and about 10,000 rescue and cleanup workers at ground zero have negotiated a new settlement.

A federal judge rejected a multimillion dollar settlement for people sickened by ash and dust from the World Trade Center, saying the deal to compensate 10,000 police officers, firefighters and other laborers didn't contain enough money.

U.S. District Judge Alvin Hellerstein on Friday rejected a legal settlement that would have given at least $575 million to the victims, saying the deal shortchanged ground zero workers whom he called heroes.

A settlement has been reached in the cases of thousands of rescue and cleanup workers who sued the city over damage to their health, according to city officials.

More than 800 first responders have staged a disaster drill at the World Trade Center PATH station. The mock explosion happened Sunday morning in the PATH tunnel linking lower Manhattan to New Jersey. Hundreds of firefighters, police officers and members of other New York City agencies took part in the drill.
They secured the scene and then brought the pretend victims out of the tunnel.

The 150 volunteers playing victims wore makeup simulating blood and grime.