Updated: 9/18/01

Recent Developments:

• A "Call to Remembrance" memorial service was held yesterday for the 44 victims of United Airlines Flight 93 near the Somerset County, PA crash site. First Lady Laura Bush and Pennsylvania Governor Tom Ridge were among those speaking at the memorial service to honor the victims and comfort the 250 family members who were in attendance. Last week Pennsylvania's two senators, Republicans Arlen Specter and Rick Santorum, brought a flag to fly over the crash site that had previously flown over the U.S. Capitol. They also said on Friday that they are checking into the possibility of having the nation's highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, posthumously given to anyone on the jet who fought the hijackers.
  Further Details: Daily American of Somerset County
   
• Pittsburgh welcomed the New York Mets to PNC Park last night for the first Major League baseball game to be played since the tragedies of last Tuesday. The series was originally scheduled for Shea Stadium, but was moved to Pittsburgh because of the relief efforts in New York. The Mets/Pirates series postponed from last week (the one scheduled to begin September 11, the day of the attack) will be played Oct. 1-3 in New York. The Mets won last night's game 4-1 after a three-run ninth inning, yet Pittsburgh fans weren't too upset. Instead they strongly supported the New York team by giving them a loud ovation before the game, wearing "I Love NY" buttons (passed out by the Pirates), holding up signs of support for New York and its rescue workers and contributing about $100,000 (about $10 per fan) for the New York police and fire rescue fund.
  Further Details: Associated Press at Pittsburgh.com
   
• Initial attempts by the National Transportation Safety Board to extract information from the two black boxes recovered from United Airlines Flight 93 proved fruitless and the units were sent to the manufacturer, Honeywell International, because the cockpit voice recorder was damaged and the flight data recorder's software was not compatible with NTSB's software. Although claiming that some information was retrieved off the recorders, the FBI and Honeywell are not yet saying what information was recovered. Data from the Pittsburgh "black boxes" is considered crucial by investigators as the Pittsburgh recorders are the only ones from the four airplanes which were not subjected to a prolonged fire. Investigators at the PA crash scene found both the flight data recorder and the voice recorder in the wreckage of United Airlines Flight 93. The cockpit voice recorder, which may have picked up conversations in the cockpit during the crucial final 30 minutes of the flight, was found Saturday evening buried 25-feet below the surface of the crater created when the plane struck the ground in Stonycreek Township, Somerset County. The flight data recorder, which records information about the aircraft's speed, altitude, position and other information, was found in roughly the same spot on Thursday. The two "black boxes" were both initially sent to the NTSB offices in Washington D.C. for analysis.
  Further Details: CBS News
   
• USAirways stock tumbled 52% on Monday as the New York Stock Exchange opened for its first day of trading since last Tuesday's tragedy and the airline announced that it expects to lay off 11,000 employees, or 24 percent of its work force, and cut nationwide service by approximately 23 percent. It is not yet known how many of those layoffs will come from the 11,000+ employees based here in Pittsburgh. All U.S. airlines have been very hard hit, with United Airlines and US Airways teetering only days away from bankruptcy.
  Further Details: US Airways
   
• The extraordinary security measures at Pittsburgh International Airport have required all airport eateries to remove knives (including plastic knives) from both the kitchens and dining areas. TGI Friday's even had to remove steak from its menu, in response to the new rules. Stores in the AirMall have also removed potential weapons such as pocketknives from their shelves. The airport is also eerily silent as USAirways reports that passengers are only numbering about 25% of normal.
  Further Details: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
   
• On Sunday, President Bush confirmed that he gave orders last Tuesday for military planes to shoot down hijacked commercial planes, if necessary. Vice President Dick Cheney confirmed that the order came after World Trade Center and Pentagon had been hit, and a fourth plane appeared to be on course for the capital. United Airlines Flight 93 crashed outside of Pittsburgh, PA before the military had to make that horrible decision, however.
  Further Details: CNN
  
   
• Pittsburgh Police Chief Robert McNeilly is among the 45 local U.S. Coast Guard reservists who have been called up for active duty. Deputy Chief Charles Moffat will take over for McNeilly until he returns home.
  Further Details: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
   

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