CNN - Josh Levs, 7/04/13
The Statue of Liberty from above in 2007.
The Statue of Liberty's reopening was a sign of recovery from Superstorm Sandy's devastation last fall and a big bright spot generally on an Independence Day dampened by soaking rains in a large swath of the country and limited by the across-the-board federal budget cuts known as the sequester, which left numerous military bases without annual fireworks displays.
"It is hard to imagine a more appropriate or powerful way to commemorate our nation's founding than to reopen the Statue of Liberty, which is a symbol throughout the world of the freedom America cherishes," Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell said during a ribbon-cutting ceremony at Liberty Island, which was hard hit by Superstorm Sandy in October.
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