February 12, 2009 10:02 PM
Small plane pilots flying near Chicago this weekend will need to learn the ways of Washington: Be well aware of flight restrictions for miles around a sitting president or be prepared to be escorted from the area by an F-16 fighter jet.
Starting before Friday evening's arrival of President Barack Obama and lasting until his planned departure Monday, temporary flight restrictions will be in place for an area 60 nautical miles wide, centered roughly on his South Side home.
Such restrictions are commonplace over Washington and have also been used above other presidential retreats, including former President George Bush's ranch near Crawford, Texas.
Aviation sources say the Secret Service will evaluate the weekend to see if restrictions should be expanded or reduced in the future. Obama and his family are expected to arrive at O'Hare International Airport as part of their first trip to Chicago on Air Force One.
The restrictions do not affect commercial airlines, but they will dramatically affect small-plane pilots, including those who might enjoy a casual flight along the lakefront.
Private aircraft will still be able to use Midway Airport, but the rules require significant advanced planning and security provisions that general aviation pilots typically have not had to follow until now, aviation officials said.
"You can get into Midway, which is about 2 miles inside the no-fly zone. But it will take a lot of work to make that happen," said Chris Dancy, spokesman for the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association.
A no-fly zone with a 10-mile radius will be in place, with exceptions allowed for commercial service as well as law enforcement, military and air ambulance flights.
Those flying in the larger restricted space will need to submit applications at least 48 hours in advance and will be subject to searches not typically required for small planes. Three area airports outside the boundaries have been designated for planes to land and have pilots and passengers screened before continuing into the area.
Controllers at Midway predicted the measures will reduce the number of general aviation flights to the Southwest Side airport.
Rob Mark, a Chicago-area flight instructor and former airline pilot, said pilots he has talked to about the restrictions are frustrated by the inconvenience they will create. "You have to protect the president, but I think this is a little silly," he said.
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Thursday, February 12, 2009
Barack Obama's homecoming adds flight limits
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Winds are a blowing!
National Weather issued a Wind Advisory for DC,VA,and MD starting tonight at 2AM until Friday AM. Tomorrow with winds of 20 t0 30 and gusting up to 50 MPH. Tonight Mostly cloudy. Showers likely with isolated thunderstorms this evening then a chance of showers after midnight.
Monday, February 9, 2009
BiPartisan Apparently Equals 3 Votes
Feb 9, 7:04 PM (ET)
By DAVID ESPO
WASHINGTON (AP) - An $838 billion economic stimulus bill backed by the White House survived a key test vote in the Senate on Monday despite strong Republican opposition, and Democratic leaders vowed to deliver legislation for President Barack Obama's signature within a few days.
The vote was 61-36, one more than the 60 needed to advance the measure toward Senate passage on Tuesday. That in turn, will set the stage for possibly contentious negotiations with the House on a final compromise on legislation the president says is desperately needed to tackle the worst economic crisis in more than a generation.
The Senate vote occurred as the Obama administration moved ahead on another key component of its economic recovery plan. Officials said Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner would outline rules on Tuesday for $350 billion in bailout funds designed to help the financial industry as well as homeowners facing foreclosure.
Monday's vote was close but scarcely in doubt once the White House and Democratic leaders agreed to trim about $100 billion on Friday.
As a result, Republican Sens. Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe of Maine and Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania broke ranks to cast their votes to advance the bill.
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Thursday, February 5, 2009
Another Nominee Means More Trouble
Solis Senate Session Postponed in Wake of Husband's Tax Lien Revelations
Updated 3:30 p.m.
By Michael A. Fletcher
A Senate committee today abruptly canceled a session to consider President Obama's nomination of Rep. Hilda Solis to be labor secretary in the wake of a report saying that her husband yesterday paid about $6,400 to settle tax liens against his business -- including liens that had been outstanding for as long as 16 years.
The report, by USA Today, came just before the Senate's Health Education Labor and Pensions Committee was slated to meet to consider Solis's nomination, which had been delayed by questions over her role on the board of the pro-labor organization American Rights at Work. A source said that committee members did not learn about the tax issue until today.
"Today's executive session was postponed to allow members additional time to review the documentation submitted in support of Representative Solis's nomination to serve in the important position of Labor Secretary," read a joint statement issued by Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.), the panel's chairman, and Mike Enzi (Wyoming), the committee's ranking Republican. "There are no holds on her nomination and members on both sides of the aisle remain committed to giving her nomination the fair and thorough consideration that she deserves. We will continue to work together to move this nomination forward as soon as possible."
No new date has been set for the hearing. The disclosure about Solis's husband comes after tax problems caused trouble for three of Obama's top appointees, leading two of them -- HHS-nominee Tom Daschle and Nancy Killefer, who was to be chief performance officer -- to withdraw.
Asked about the USA Today report at the White House daily briefing, press secretary Robert Gibbs emphasized that the nominee's tax returns are in order.
"Well, I read the story in USA Today, and it quotes somebody that works here, so obviously we've -- we know about this story. I'll say this. We reviewed her tax returns, and her tax returns are in order," said Gibbs.
"The story denotes that her husband had some issues with paying a business tax, and obviously that tax is -- should be paid. He's -- she's not a partner in that business, Gibbs continued. "So we're not going to penalize her for her husband's business mistakes. Obviously, her husband, I think, has and should pay any taxes that he owes. "
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Senator Gregg Will Not Vote On Stimulus
Senator Judd Gregg, nominated to head the Commerce Department in the Obama White House, delivered a double blow to the prospects of a stimulus bill passing the Senate when he let it be known on Wednesday that he generally supported the measure but would not vote on its passage.
"I have recused myself from voting during the pendency of my nomination," Gregg, a New Hampshire Republican, told CNBC.
Earlier in the program he said he was "not really engaged in the stimulus bill," but that he did believe "we need one."
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