Statue Of Liberty

The lofty crown of the Statue of Liberty, closed to the public since the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, will reopen July 4, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar announced Friday. Salazar made the announcement on NBC's "Today" show in an appearance standing inside the statue's crown, which he said gave him "goose bumps." Admission will be "egalitarian," the secretary said.

The National Park Service is considering reopening Lady Liberty's crown for the first time since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, according to documents released by U.S. Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-N.Y.). Liberty Island was closed for security reasons after the 2001 attacks. The statue's base, pedestal and lower observation deck reopened in August 2004, after a $20-million effort to improve fire safety. But the crown and its interior observation deck, which soar about 265 feet above New York Harbor, remained closed because park officials said there was no way to evacuate people safely in an emergency.

The Statue of Liberty, one of the world's most recognized symbols of freedom, will reopen in July after extensive security upgrades -- but visitors won't be allowed to climb to its crown. Authorities closed the 118-year-old national monument immediately after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. "This impressive statue has always been a beacon to our shores," Interior Secretary Gale A. Norton said at a news conference Tuesday on Liberty Island, where she announced renewed public access to the statue.

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg on Monday asked the federal government to completely reopen the Statue of Liberty to visitors, thus sending a message to the world that terrorists can't win. "This is a symbol of America," Bloomberg said. "Let's stand up and have some guts.... Let's get it open." The statue has been closed to the public for security reasons since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. In a ceremony on Liberty Island last week, Interior Secretary Gale A.

Sandwich chain Subway Restaurants on Monday said it was ending a promotion at its German franchises that used an image of an obese Statue of Liberty. The promotion had sparked outrage from a leader in the U.S. Congress. Subway spokesman Kevin Kane said the promotion, which ended Monday, may have been pulled ahead of schedule. "The staff over in Germany has been contacting us daily because they feel bad," Kane said. "They may have said, 'OK, let's wrap this up.'

The Statue of Liberty opened to the public Tuesday for the first time since the Sept. 11 attacks, with Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg setting the tone by telling visitors: "We are not going to be intimidated. To reopen this beloved landmark is another way to send that message."

Vandals in Bordeaux, France, scorched a replica of the Statue of Liberty and cracked the pedestal of a plaque honoring victims of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, officials said. The crowned head of the 8-foot-tall statue was blackened by fire and its eyes were marked with red paint, apparently to symbolize tears of blood, an official at the mayor's office said. Mayor Alain Juppe condemned the attack. The Lady Liberty standing in New York Harbor was a gift from France.

A nonprofit group is looking for private donations to fund security improvements needed to reopen the Statue of Liberty, which has been off-limits to the public since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. The federal government has spent millions of dollars on upgrades, but about $5 million worth of security measures still are needed before visitors can go inside the 151-foot-high statue, National Park Service spokesman Brian Feeney said.

Martin Scorsese offered his moviemaking talent Tuesday to a campaign to reopen the Statue of Liberty to the public. The "Gangs of New York" director will produce and narrate a television documentary on Lady Liberty to air in January, as part of an effort to raise money for new security measures. The federal government has spent millions on upgrades, but about $5 million in work must still be done before visitors can again climb inside the statue.

Since last year's terrorist attacks, tourism has plummeted at the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, across the harbor from the World Trade Center site. Some foreigners are staying away from New York, domestic visitors are spending less time and tight security remains in effect at Liberty Island, considered a target for terrorists. In the last year, an estimated 2.