New York City

WTC developers reach agreement on new site

Officials overseeing the rebuilding of the World Trade Center site have reached a key agreement on where to locate the centerpiece tower, one that favors the site’s designer over the developer.

The agreement frees up the space where architect Daniel Libeskind wants to locate the 1,776-foot tower. Larry Silverstein, the private developer who holds the lease to the two towers, had wanted the tower located about 500 feet closer to a transit hub.

Seymour said the agency, city officials, Libeskind and Gov. George Pataki agreed that the place designated by Libeskind was the best for the tower because it was closer to the Hudson River and wouldn’t be crowded by other structures at the site.

A master plan for the site is expected in the fall.

New York City

Lawsuit: Illegal donation sought for Clinton

A lawsuit against Democratic fund-raiser Denise Rich alleges that she asked an employee to make an illegal donation to Sen. Hillary Clinton, newspaper reports said Saturday.

Jimmy Hester, who worked for Rich’s record company until February 2002, reportedly filed the $30 million lawsuit Friday in federal court. The suit also alleges that Rich fired him after he told her he had HIV.

The suit, reported in the Daily News and the New York Post, claims Rich told Hester to donate $2,000 to Clinton’s Senate campaign in October 1999 and said she would reimburse him.

Filings for Clinton’s campaign show that Hester made two $1,000 donations, the News said. Federal law bans campaign contributions disguised in the name of another person.

Federal authorities have been investigating former President Clinton’s pardon of Rich’s husband, fugitive financier Marc Rich, who fled the country after being charged with tax evasion and fraud.

Washington, D.C.

New DEA leader targets drug-trafficking groups

Karen Tandy, the first woman to run the Drug Enforcement Administration, said Friday her main goal was to focus on dismantling larger international drug trafficking organizations and choke off their money supply.

Tandy, a prosecutor and senior Justice Department official, was confirmed for the top DEA post in a unanimous Senate vote Thursday night. She replaces Asa Hutchinson, who is now undersecretary for border security and transportation at the Homeland Security Department.