One of the challenges in covering a fast-moving story like the murder of Yale grad student Annie Le is separating rumor from fact and getting confirmation of developments in time for our often hourly live on-the-air updates.

Many but not all of the rumors in this case have proven true, including the fact that a lab technician has emerged as the “person of interest”, which as far as I can tell is modern time’s politically correct terminology for “suspect”.

Rumors that proved untrue: Annie’s body was in the trash compactor, and the prime suspect was a student.

Things I’ve heard and have been reported but police won’t confirm: Raymond Clark had scratches on his chest and failed a lie detector test; the blood-stained clothes found in the lab are his; he was angry at Annie for her treatment of lab animals, specifically mice and exchanged emails with her about the issue.

We’ve worked more than 60 hours over the past four days and still have a few hours left on this shift. It seems every time we think we’re done for the night there’s a new development and we have to rush back on the job. We’re all pretty beat but committed to seeing this story through to it’s conclusion, hopefully the arrest of Annie’s killer.

At a news conference late this afternoon, New Haven Police Chief James Lewis sounded confident but careful. If there’s a DNA match to Clark, an arrest warrant will be issued within a couple hours and “we know where Clark is at all times.”

He also insisted there is no tunnel vision and they’re not ruling anyone else out yet.

A straight shooter, Lewis had a quick response to a question about a prominent lawyer suggesting the search and seizure warrant already served on Clark might be unconstitutional.

“You get three attorneys in a room,” the Chief said “you get five different opinions.”

Keep checking back to FOX News Channel for the latest on the case!

It’s the one story that still gives me chills.

I can’t watch the video or even talk about my experiences that day without getting goosebumps and a wave of emotions.

I was there that crisp beautiful September morning, just four blocks from the scene, dealing with shock, uncertainty and anger like everyone else, trying to shelve the strongest emotions so I could clearly report on the awful and surreal events unfolding before my eyes.

I left my midtown office soon after the first reports filtered in of a small plane accidentally hitting one of the towers.  When I emerged at Canal Street I found hundreds of dazed New Yorkers standing like statues on every corner, staring wordlessly towards the smoke rising above lower Manhattan.

Just four months after surgery to repair a torn ACL in my right knee, I wasn’t able to run the mile or so to the scene (my train stopped short of ground zero because of the tragedy unfolding there) so I hopped and half-ran, flashing my press credentials to police as I got close, ending up just a block north of the North Tower where I first realized BOTH towers were on fire and our nation was under attack.

Our satellite truck was around the corner and engineer Pat Butler was already running cable and hooking up a camera and microphone when I found him.  Moments later we began broadcasting live from the scene and moments after that, the first tower came crashing down.

I visited the site just days before this 8th anniversary for an up-close look at the progress being made and an interview with developer Larry Silverstein who finalized a deal to lease the World Trade Center property just six weeks before the planes hit.  He’s been demonized by some who blame him for the slow pace of development but I don’t think that’s fair.  He actually built a new Tower 7 in four years, starting not long after the smoke cleared from the pit.  He’s started construction on Tower 4 and says he’s ready to begin buildings 2 and 3 but at Ground Zero, nothing is easy.

Silverstein, who’s 78, calls the past eight years the “most frustrating” of his life, dealing with a laundry list of hurdles, complications, lawsuits (some filed by him) and arbitration battles with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, a government agency that owns the 16 acre property.  Both sides say they hope to resolve the latest battle soon.  In the meantime, the P.A. is hard at work on Tower One, formerly known as “Freedom Tower”, which is finally rising above ground next to a platform that will be home to a park, museum and twin waterfalls in the footprints of the Twins that fell.  Tower One is expected to be finished in 2013.  The Memorial should be open on the tenth anniversary in 2011, the Museum in 2012.  Completion dates for the rest of the project are murky and dependant on many things, including the economy.

9/11 affected me deeply and changed my life in many ways.  Reliving it is difficult but I agree with so many others who argue it’s imperative we never forget the events of that day, the sacrifices made and the remarkable contributions that followed.

Don’t miss the primetime special “FOX News Reporting: 9/11: Timeline of Terror” airing Friday, September 11 at 10p/ 1a et.

This will air commercial-free thanks to Rosland Capital.

We were among just a handful of press outside the Underhill, Vermont home of Captain Richard Phillips at 6:30 this morning.  ABC, NBC, CBS and CNN weren’t here, just one other satellite truck and camera crew providing a pool (shared) feed to the 3 broadcast nets, plus a reporter and photographer from the NY Post .

The home sits on a rural two lane road surrounded by fields of grass, thick stands of trees and mountains in every direction,  including Vermont’s tallest peak, Mount Mansfield.  The town of Underhill has a population of just over 3000.

I spoke twice at length with Gina Coggio, a sister-in-law of the Captain, who told me the family was staying optimistic and positive and had reason to believe the situation would turn out well.

The family knew Richard had a dangerous job but he’s “amazing at it”, they weren’t surprised he’d offer himself as hostage because “he’s that kind of man” and it shouldn’t be necessary to arm ships, “especially when they’re carrying relief to people who desperately need it.”

“It’s a scary situation, a sad situation and a real situation” she said, and everyone is “doing the best they can to insure everyone’s safe and it ends peacefully.”

We thanked her for her time and promised not to bother her, instead waiting for the family to approach us when they had an update.

The media crowd grew slowly throughout the morning, then started to mushroom. Three large satellite trucks rolled in along with a total of nearly two dozen cars, lining the roads and field across the street.

A dozen cameras set up on tripods on the other side of the Phillips’ weathered white picket fence.

The family asked the press to respect their privacy and stay off the yard and across the street but many weren’t listening, running to the property whenever there was a sign of activity, like when friends used a yellow ribbon to tie flowers to a tree.

Finally, at 4 pm, family friend and neighbor Michael Willard approached a podium set up for Andrea Phillips and addressed the assembled mass of cameras, microphones and news people.

“I have a very brief statement from Mrs. Phillips. She has decided she does not want to make a statement now… until this is resolved, and would like you to respect her privacy. She has stated she would like you off of her premises and away from her house by tomorrow morning.”

Since the Phillips family owns the property across the street too, this meant we wouldn’t be able to speak to ANY family or friends coming or going to and from the house.

“Could you be more specific?” I asked. “You mean the entire area?  She doesn’t want any media anywhere near her house?”

“That’s correct” he said. “She’s… She’s done very well under the circumstances and, uh, I think this is getting a little bit out of hand for her so…”

“She understands the world is concerned?” I asked.

“She’s fully aware of that but you know, she’s under enormous strain and she’d just like her privacy respected… Right now she’s just overwhelmed and she just can’t deal with this right now. She’s upset enough about her husband and his situation and just needs her privacy.”

He thanked us and left and we will of course do exactly as the family has asked.

One house appears dry behind sandbag dike, building to the right is lost in Oakport Township, MN

Oakport Township didn’t fare as well as Fargo when the Red River reached its record high.  120 people had to be rescued by boat when the river overwhelmed a connecting creek and poured into the streets.

There are dozens of homes compromised, with skating rinks in the front yards and water in the basements.

One house belonging to an elderly couple was protected by a sandbag wall but burned to the ground in a blaze apparently sparked by a propane leak. Firefighters could only get within 200 feet of the property because of the flood.

We met Fargo Police Officer Dale Stoll wading out of the water on his flooded street, in uniform headed to work another 12 hour shift. His son is fighting in Afghanistan and learned their house was in trouble via facebook.

“Water hit the electrical outlets so we gotta rewire” Dale told me. ” We have to replace the wood and the hot water heater and furnace…”.

He told me he bought flood insurance March 3rd but it takes 30 days to kick in.

He said it could’ve been worse and he’s trying to stay focused on serving the people of his community and he’s glad to have a job that can help take his mind off his own troubles, but at the same time it’s hard to concentrate knowing all the work that needs to be done at home.

Power crews work on lines as flood waters slowly recede in Oakport.

We watched a power crew in a bucket truck work on electric lines and some guys with a bulldozer and flatbed preparing to replace “road closed” signs with more permanent concrete barricades.

And we met Roger Fremo, who has a strange and eerie shelf of ice at bumper level across his garage marking the flood’s high water mark. He managed to keep most of the river out of his house with a couple pumps running around the clock.

“We had water coming in thru the windows. It was a real battle … but we won”.

He said he was scared when they issued the red alert but decided to stick it out. The neighbors who heeded the warnings and left, he said, were more likely to have suffered in the end.

Check out this pic!

Ice shelf: Original flood line still frozen inside garage