Construction to begin on King memorial in DC

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Construction can finally begin on the long-delayed Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial slated for the National Mall in Washington, D.C.

The construction permits were being issued Thursday. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar joined King’s sister Christine King Farris, Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.) and others from the Congressional Black Caucus to sign off on the project. A private foundation will build the memorial before turning it over to the National Park Service.

A disagreement over how to secure the site against domestic terrorism delayed the project for a year, but a federal planning agency signed off on a compromise this week.

Organizers are celebrating the building phase of a monument that has been 11 years in the making. They hope to complete construction in 2011.

-- Associated Press