Flight 93 Familes Turn to Washington

Relatives of those who died aboard United Airlines Flight 93 want the Bush Administration to seize the land needed for a memorial where the plane crashed. The Families of Flight 93 sent a letter two weeks ago asking President George W. Bush to empower the Secretary of the Interior to take the land needed to finish the permanent memorial site. Svonavec Inc. owns the land that includes the impact zone. The company has been unwilling to sell. The families offered $750-thousand for the land but were rebuffed. Families of Flight 93 Vice President Patrick White says Svonavec asked for $10-million but the company disputes that. Company Treasurer Mike Svonavec says the Park Service has not done enough to negotiate a deal and he is just looking for a fair price. An independent assessment of the land is to be completed a week from Monday. The land in question is an abandon strip mine. White says ground must be broken early next year in time for a memorial to be built for the 10th anniversary of the crash in 2011.