New Thorn for 9/11 Families: Ground Zero Museum Delay

Families of 9/11 victims are dismayed that a financial dispute has indefinitely delayed completion of the museum at Ground Zero. The museum, a companion to the 9/11 memorial, was supposed to be finished by this year's 11th anniversary, but officials now say that's not possible. The holdup stems from a financial battle between the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and the foundation that controls the memorial and museum, reports the AP. The Port Authority says the foundation owes it $300 million for infrastructure and updated project costs; the foundation counters that the port owes it money because of project delays.

Personal items that families have donated to the museum are stuck in storage while the dispute, which has slowed down work since late last year, drags on. "We were supposed to get a contemplative area nearby where we could sit and pray, visit," says one woman whose sister worked on the 101st floor of the World Trade Center's south tower. No trace of her sister was ever identified, and she wants the museum to open so she can visit the thousands of fragments of human remains that could not be identified. Officials say progress has been made toward resolving the dispute, but family members say they have not been kept apprised of the progress. (More Ground Zero stories.)