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Copyright 2001 Akron Beacon Journal
All Rights Reserved
Akron Beacon Journal (Ohio)
September 11, 2001 Tuesday 1 STAR EDITION
SECTION: OHIO; Pg. AE3
LENGTH: 1067 words
HEADLINE: CHAOS SPREADS TO OHIO BOEING JET MAKES EMERGENCY LANDING IN
CLEVELAND.
BUILDINGS EVACUATED, OFFICES SHUT, MEETINGS CANCELED
BYLINE: Mary Ethridge, Beacon Journal business writer, Beacon, Journal
staff
writers Katie Byard, Jim Carney, Bob Downing, Bob Dyer,, Andale Gross,
Kymberli
Hagelberg John Higgins, Betty Lin-Fisher, Jim, Mackinnon, Doug
Oplinger, Cheryl
Powell, John Russell, Paula Schleis,, George Thomas, Thrity Umrigar,
Stephanie
Warsmith, Tracy Wheeler and, Dennis J. Willard contributed to this
report.
BODY:
The mind-numbing chaos that descended with the terrorist attacks on
the
Northeast United States spread this morning to Northeast Ohio.
Cleveland Mayor Michael White said at a news conference this morning
that a
Boeing 767 out of Boston made an emergency landing at Cleveland Hopkins
International Airport because of fears a bomb was aboard.
He reported that air traffic controllers could hear screaming aboard
the
plane.
The 200 passengers were reportedly released from the plane at 11:15
a.m.,
though White said the pilot was still concerned that a bomb remained.
White reported that another plane was diverted from Hopkins toward
Toledo.
The attacks terrified Akron area residents, forced the shutdown of
area
airports, major universities, government buildings and some schools.
Area
business leaders were taking unprecedented and dramatic safety
precautions.
A Boeing 757 crashed just north of the Somerset County Airport in
Pennsylvania, emergency officials said.
The plane, United Airlines Flight 93, crashed about 10 a.m. about 8
miles
east of Jennerstown, according to county 911 dispatchers, WPXI said. It
was en
route from Newark, N.J., to San Francisco.
The University of Akron and Kent State University and the College of
Wooster
were closed. Akron Public Schools remained open, but parents were
allowed to
pick up their children.
The Federal Building in downtown Akron was closed and extra guards
were
posted outside. The Summit County Courthouse closed about 11 a.m.
Summit on
alert
The Summit County Sheriff's Department sent its bomb squad and SWAT
team to
Akron-Canton Regional Airport as an extra security precaution. The
sheriff's
department also ordered a lockdown at the Summit County Jail to get
more
deputies out on the street. "Our eyes are open," said Summit County
Sheriff Drew
Alexander. "Everything could be a disaster."
Officials at Cleveland's Anthony J. Celebrezze Federal Building at
1290 E.
Ninth St. ordered the evacuation of government offices about 10:30 a.m.
In Ohio's state capital, the state House and Senate sessions were
canceled.
Shortly after 10 a.m., downtown Columbus streets were noisy with a
dozen or more
police cruisers racing with sirens on toward City Hall.
Upon arrival, the cruisers began circling the building and
redirecting
traffic. City Hall, the Columbus police headquarters and the U.S.
District Court
are in the same area.
Cleveland Hopkins International Airport shut down about 10 a.m.,
forcing
travelers to leave the airport in droves.
No cars were allowed into the airport grounds. Airline passengers
and crew
members were walking onto the highway to find their rides as no cars
were
allowed into the passenger drop off and pick up areas. Burke Lakefront
Airport
in Cleveland was also closed.
Fred Krum, director of aviation for Akron-Canton Regional Airport,
said this
morning that airport officials have been told that no aircraft can take
off for
at least the next several hours. He said aircraft were still being
permitted to
land; the airport is prepared to accept diverted planes from the region
including those scheduled to land at Pittsburgh International Airport.
The Ohio National Guard immediately increased security at all
facilities but
by late morning there had been no activation of units, according to
spokeswoman
Denise Varner.
Kathleen Chandler, vice president of the board of the Portage County
commissioners, said the county had not decided to shut down its
operations as of
late this morning, but would re-evaluate as events unfolded.
"Something like this shows us how vulnerable we all can be,"
Chandler said.
Officials in Medina and Stark counties said they, too, were simply
watching
and waiting.
"At this point, we're not putting out any alerts," said Marc Warner,
the
Stark County Common Pleas Court's general division administrator.
"We're keeping
abreast of what's happening nationally, but we're not doing anything
here yet."
Security at hospitals
Security staff at Akron City and St. Thomas hospitals were "in a
state of
heightened alert," said Thomas R. Neumann, director of corporate
communications
for Summa Health System, which owns both hospitals.
"The entire security staff has been made aware of the situation just
to be
sure nothing unusual is occurring," Neumann said. "We're still
absorbing it all,
the same as the rest of the world right now. We do have good security
measures
in place."
Richard Miller, chief financial officer of global jewelry retailer
Sterling
Inc. headquartered in Akron, said the company was tightening its
security. "We
're taking some extraordinary precautions," Miller said. "Our security
is
already very tight, but we're taking extra steps."
Induction ceremonies for the National Inventors Hall of Fame have
been
canceled.
"Out of respect for what happened, we just can't go forward with the
celebration at this time," Inventure Place spokeswoman Judi Shapiro
said.
Schools groped to cope with the morning's events. At North Canton
Middle
School, officials turned the cafeteria into a counseling area,
providing a place
for students to talk with counselors.
At public places across the region, weeping viewers crowded around
every
available television to witness the horrors as they unfolded.
"There's a lot of chatter in the hallway, about friends who live in
New York
and relatives who might work for the airline industry," Neumann said.
"It has
everybody's top attention."
Many stranded travelers watched the startling news unfold from
televisions in
Akron-Canton Regional Airport. Instead of being angry about delayed or
canceled
flights, Krum said most people appeared to be relieved.
At UA, student Kyle Kiltau, 18, thought the news was a sick joke
until she
saw television news reports. Driving in his car, on his way to UA, he
had heard
irreverent radio personality Howard Stern talk about the two planes
hitting the
World Trade Center.
The predictable, but all true cliches were on the tops of peoples'
minds at
UA.
"I'm shocked. I can't believe this could happen right here . . . in
New York,
" said Chand Midha, chair of UA's statistics department, as he joined
the others
at the student center to watch CNN's Headline News.
"Lord God Almighty!" said UA student Christopher White, to no one in
particular as he watched the TV news shift from New York to Washington,
to
broadcast the smoke billowing from the Pentagon.
NOTES: This was an EXTRA! edition
GRAPHIC: PHOTO: (2) Paul Tople (1) Lew Stamp, Akron Beacon
Journal photos;
1) University of Akron freshman Shellie Blake of Green cries as she
watches TV
coverage of Pentagon explosion.
2) Airline passengers walk out of the
terminal
area at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport. Like all airports
across the
country, Hopkins was closed after the destruction in New York and
Washington
. 3)
University of Akron students said in unison, "Oh, my God," when news of
the
airplane crashing into the Pentagon flashed on TV screens at Gardner
Student
Center.
LOAD-DATE: October 31, 2001
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