The effects of yesterday’s terrorist acts have rippled into Ithaca and Tompkins County, hindering travel and interfering with politics for local residents.
The Ithaca-Tompkins Regional Airport closed yesterday under direction from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), which placed a ban on all national air traffic following the hijackings around 9 a.m. and crashes of four commercial flights.
The FAA will allow air travel to resume at noon EDT today, at the earliest. Passengers will already encounter such security changes as more security officers and random security checks, and will no longer be allowed to check their luggage at curbside, according to Transportation Secretary Norman Y. Mineta.
All New York State primary elections scheduled for yesterday were postponed until further notice, delaying the highly publicized New York City mayoral race as well as several local elections.
The Tompkins County Board of Elections learned at 12:15 p.m. yesterday that primaries for Tompkins County, the City of Ithaca, and towns of Ithaca, Enfield and Newfield would be postponed.
Primaries of interest to the Cornell community include the race between democrats Patricia Leary and Kathy Luz-Herrera for the Tompkins County Representative seat in Legislative District Five; the democrat and green party races for City of Ithaca Common Council Member, Ward Two; and the four-way contest for three Town of Ithaca Council Member positions.
Archived article by Heather Schroeder