National September 11 Memorial & Museum

Denver Mayor Mike Johnston announced that Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates (MVVA), the firm behind New York's Brooklyn Bridge Park, Tulsa's Gathering Place and the landscaping around Chicago's Obama Presidential Center, will lead the redesign of Park Hill Park. The 155-acre site has been at the center of years of political debate over its future, and the selection marks a major step toward turning it into a signature public green space for the city.

Johnston said the project drew global interest, with firms behind Sydney's Olympic grounds, the 9/11 Memorial and the Washington Monument redesign among the applicants. MVVA stood out for its vision and community ties, and founder Michael Van Valkenburgh has committed a notable share of his time personally to the project. Plans outlined in city procurement documents include athletic fields, sports courts, playgrounds, water features and drought-tolerant native plantings reflecting a distinctly Colorado character. The project has a $100 million budget, partly funded by voter-approved bonds, with the design contract expected before City Council in December. Design work is slated for 2027, with construction beginning in 2028.

Westfield, Massachusetts held two ceremonies on Sept. 11, 2026 to mark the 25th anniversary of the terrorist attacks, honoring first responders and residents lost that day. At a 10 a.m. gathering at the Westfield Fire Department, Fire Chief Eric Bishop led tributes to the 343 firefighters killed in New York, joined by Mayor Michael McCabe, state and federal lawmakers, and department members. Four firefighters present that morning had also been on duty 25 years earlier and took part in bell-ringing, bagpipe, and flag-lowering traditions.

An 11 a.m. service at the city's 9/11 Memorial Park drew U.S. Rep. Richard Neal and other officials alongside families of Westfield residents killed in the attacks: Tara Shea Creamer, Brian Joseph Murphy, and Daniel Patrick Trant, as well as New York firefighter Thomas Holohan, whose family later relocated to Westfield. Relatives spoke of enduring grief and gratitude toward the community for sustained remembrance. The Sons of Erin held an additional evening ceremony. The events reflect broader national commemorations of the attacks' quarter-century mark.

Ahead of the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks, communities across the country continue to maintain memorials honoring the nearly 3,000 people killed and the first responders who died in the response. Beyond the National September 11 Memorial & Museum in New York, the Flight 93 National Memorial in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, and the Pentagon Memorial in Arlington, Virginia, dozens of smaller tributes exist in states far from the attack sites, including Kansas, Arizona, California, Texas and Illinois. Many incorporate recovered steel or artifacts from the World Trade Center, donated to towns that raised funds or built connections with New York agencies in the aftermath.

New additions mark the anniversary, including a Brooklyn wall dedicated this year honoring retired FDNY members who died from WTC-related illnesses, underscoring that the attacks' death toll has continued to grow over the past 25 years. Organizers and artists behind the memorials say the goal is to keep the tragedy personal rather than abstract, ensuring the scale of loss doesn't obscure the individual lives behind it.

New York City officials are announcing a new investment in 9/11 education programs for public school students as the nation approaches the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks. Mayor Zohran Mamdani, City Council Speaker Julie Menin, and other officials unveiled the initiative at the Oculus at the World Trade Center in partnership with the 9/11 Memorial & Museum, followed by a wreath-laying ceremony honoring the nearly 3,000 people killed in the attacks. The funding aims to help future generations understand 9/11's significance and lasting impact.

The announcement follows a ceremony honoring FDNY firefighters who died from illnesses linked to Ground Zero work, where 36 recently deceased members' names were added to the FDNY Memorial Wall; more than 600 FDNY members have died from 9/11-related illnesses. Next week's commemorations at the National September 11 Memorial are expected to draw former Presidents Clinton, Bush, Obama, and Biden. Trump is not expected to attend but will host a separate event on September 8 featuring a recovered World Trade Center steel beam.