Barkely Tower to Stay Open Through September

WKMS | By Whitney Jones

Published May 10, 2013 at 3:36 PM CDT

Barkley Regional Airport tower is staying open through September instead of closing June 15.

The Federal Aviation Administration announcement affects 149 small airports and comes after President Barack Obama signed the Reducing Delays Act May 1. The bill originally allowed the FAA to divert $253 million from other funding sources to end furloughs and keep the towers open. But keeping towers open became optional when Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid objected to the provision. Barkley Airport Manager Richard Roof says he is optimistic that support for the towers will carry over into the 2014 budget and will cease to be an issue.

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Government & Politics barkley regional airport

Whitney Jones

Whitney grew up listening to Car Talk to and from her family’s beach vacation each year, but it wasn’t until a friend introduced her to This American Life that radio really grabbed her attention. She is a recent graduate from Union University in Jackson, Tenn., where she studied journalism. When she’s not at WKMS, you can find her working on her backyard compost pile and garden, getting lost on her bicycle or crocheting one massive blanket.

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