If you feared that your hero, the $30 hot dog guy, had been defeated by the forces of Mayor Lex “Bill DeBlasio” Luthor, dry your tears. Although Ahmed Mohammed lost his job selling $30 wieners and priceless life lessons (same thing) to tourists near Ground Zero, a new hero has risen to take his place.

The last piece of the spire at One World Trade Center was hoisted into place over a temperate Manhattan today. The building now stands at a symbolic 1,776 feet—or does it?

Yesterday, with the raising of its mast, One World Trade Center—the "Freedom Tower"—symbolically kicked bin Laden's dead ass by reaching a soaring, magnificent 1,776 feet into the sky. Sort of. Probably.

The Associated Press checked in with 325 charities founded in the wake of 9/11, many of which are still active. Most of them were doing nice things! But a bunch were doing ethically dubious, borderline fraudulent things, frittering away millions of benevolently bestowed dollars.

You know how much we love a time-lapse video of New York! Here's one of the work done on the 9/11 memorial between 2004 and 2011. Why doesn't this thing have the dramatic soundtrack and whirling lights we're used to?

At a wreath-laying ceremony at Ground Zero, the 14-year-old daughter of a man who died in the Twin Towers told President Obama that she wanted to meet Justin Bieber. "I know Justin," Obama reportedly replied. "Maybe I could set something up."

Did you hear that Barack Obama demanded a massive American flag be removed from Ground Zero while he was there yesterday? It's not true! At all.

New York City police officers tackled and took away for questioning a "suspicious man" outside Ground Zero today, where President Obama was leading a wreath-laying ceremony. The man was walking his bike towards the World Trade Center area and saying, "Secret Service, Secret Service coming through," after which cops tackled him and searched through his messenger bag. And according to the New Jersey Star-Ledger, "witnesses say may have pulled a gun out of a backpack as President Barack Obama's motorcade passed."

Here's President Obama's relatively subdued appearance at Ground Zero, where he laid a wreath to honor the victims of 9/11 and then chatted up a nice police officer. No soaring speeches today, it seems. Before the ceremony he stopped at a local firehouse, and now he's meeting privately with 9/11 victims' families.

George W. Bush turned down an Obama administration invitation to appear by his side at Ground Zero today, claiming he wants to stay out of the spotlight and that he already plans to be there for the 10th anniversary memorial in September. Fair enough! But this doesn't mean Team Bush won't leak bitchy comments to the Daily News just in time for Obama's visit, anyway.

Sometimes it seems like our nation's been holding its breath for an entire decade. Since 9/11, New Yorkers have adopted a strange, heretofore unknown mood of somber respect when walking by Ground Zero, that tragic hole in the ground.

Former President George W. Bush declined President Obama's invitation to hang out with him at Ground Zero on Thursday, saying through a spokesman that he "appreciated the invite, but has chosen in his post-presidency to remain largely out of the spotlight." Obama is visiting the World Trade Center site to meet with families of 9/11 victims and buy one of those "Go SEALs!" t-shirts; he extended the invitation to Bush after the guy from Five for Fighting Tweeted about it—and we all know how much Obama loved "Superman." [NYT; image via AP]

Last night as news of Osama bin Laden's death was announced to the nation, crowds in New York and D.C. rushed to Ground Zero and the White House to celebrate. Here are some photos of the revelry.

Park51, the proposed Islamic community center and mosque in downtown Manhattan, has applied for federally-funded grants, prompting shrill cries that the "Ground Zero mosque" is looking for a taxpayer handout.

Poor St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church, which sat right down by the World Trade Center, was destroyed on 9/11. It still hasn't been rebuilt. You know whose fault that is? That's right: hateful Muslins and their Muslin-loving supporters.

Hey, look: Ground Zero has a Yelp page. And it's only got four stars! We know Yelpers can be harsh, but can't the site of one of the century's defining moments catch a break?

Tonight, Jon Stewart continued his skull-violation of Fox News' coverage of the "Ground Zero Mosque" and Imam Rauf. Most notably, Stewart cut footage of Rauf's reasoned Larry King Live interview with that of Fox's ridiculous reaction to it. Video inside.

You've seen footage of the ground zero protests, but you may not have seen the incredible number of cameras used to document the demonstrations. From still to video to even a 16mm film camera, check out what's behind the scenes.

[Allison Low of Fayetteville, Arkansas, holds a picture of her sister, Sara Low, during a memorial for 9/11 victims near Ground Zero. Photo via AP]

Well, Pastor Terry Jones officially called off his 'International Burn a Koran Day.' We haven't been happier to hear about something being canceled since Wild Hogs 2. But, still, Korans are being burned—on YouTube, and near Ground Zero.