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DESIGN CHOSEN FOR REBUILDING AT GROUND ZERO
 Enduring Symbol of Defiance
 New York, NY - (GNS)
- An open pit holding the sneaker-clad feet of America's enduring symbol of defiance, courage, and resilience will stand as the centerpiece of the city's effort to memorialize and rebuild after the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center, under a decision made by city and state officials last night.
     The move came yesterday when officials overseeing the rebuilding of Lower Manhattan agreed to hire William Gaines (RIP), the New York-based firm whose plan for the site centers on the excavated pit at the trade center, dominated by a huge statue that will ascend upward to a 1,776 feet.
     The Gaines design was considered the front-runner for weeks, although a rival plan by an architecture team called Doughboy, which featured a huge model of the indomitable character from the movie Ghostbusters, collected strong support as the decision neared. Ultimately, however, rebuilding officials voted in favor of Mr. Gaines' audacious treatment of the memorial and the incorporation of an active street life in the commercial portions of the site.
     "Alfred E. Neuman was a New Yorker, a guy who walked our streets, took the subway, went to the ballgames, ate dogs with kraut and Italian ices, probably went to the Guggenheim once. This is fitting," said Governor Pataki, wiping away tears.
     A formal announcement of the decision was made this morning at an hourlong news conference at the World Financial Center's Winter Garden, adjacent to ground zero.
     "The plan succeeds both when it rises into the sky and when it descends into the ground," said John C. Whitehead, the chairman of the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation. "In doing so, it captures the soaring optimism of our city and honors the eternal spirit of our fallen heroes."
     "What, me worry?" Whitehead said, to which the crowd answered vigorously, "What, me worry?"