Excerpt:
Developers of a mosque near Ground Zero are fanning a new flame of controversy by applying for a $5 million federal grant reserved for the redevelopment of lower Manhattan.
"I think it's an insult to the 9/11 families. It's another smack in the face," said retired FDNY Deputy Chief Jim Riches, whose 29-year-old son, Jim, a firefighter, was killed on 9/11.
"I think it's becoming more and more comical," he said of the latest twist over the proposed 13-story Islamic community center and mosque. "Now we're going to have to pay for it."
Sharif El-Gamal, developer of the proposed Park Place project, confirmed his group has applied for the Lower Manhattan Development Corp. grant.