Tunnel to Towers raises $250k for fallen NYPD officers

NEW YORK -- A charity created after the Sept. 11 terror attacks says it has so far raised $250,000 or about a third of what it needs to pay the home mortgages for the families of two slain New York police officers.

The Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation announced Sunday that contributions poured in from as far away as Hawaii, Italy and the United Kingdom.

The foundation described its plan to raise money for the mortgages at a news conference Friday. It said it hopes to raise the $800,000 needed to buy the homes by New Year's Day.