National parks reopen, flights normalize following shutdown

MINNEAPOLIS — Park rangers were once again greeting visitors at some national parks, and flight operations at major airports were returning to normal Saturday, one day after a partial government shutdown came to an end.

While there were signs that some government machinery was grinding back to life after a record 35 days without funding, many federal workers and their families approached the end of the shutdown cautiously, saying they were relieved they would receive paychecks again, but they would continue to restrict their spending amid fears that another shutdown could happen in weeks.

“You can only be so happy because you just have to know that it could happen again,” said Rachel Malcom, whose husband serves in the Coast Guard in Rhode Island. “We’re going to be playing catch-up, so I don’t want to overspend.”

President Donald Trump signed a short-term deal Friday to end the shutdown, which caused 800,000 federal employees to miss two paychecks. The administration asked department heads to reopen offices in a “prompt and orderly manner.”

Many government agencies still had notices on their websites Saturday saying they were not fully operating due to the lack of appropriations. Calls to several agencies also went unanswered, with voicemails saying the offices were closed due to the shutdown. But many parks — from the U.S. Virgin Islands to Minnesota — were glad to open their doors to weekend visitors.

John Anfinson, superintendent of the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area, said it felt great to tell his employees to open the Mississippi River Visitor’s Center. He texted his manager and said, “Roll up the gate!”

“They were just waiting for the green light,” he said. Park ranger Sharon Stiteler posted a video to Twitter that showed the center’s gates opening with the word: “Weeeee!”

In the New York area, airport operations were returning to normal, just a day after LaGuardia Airport and Newark Liberty International Airport experienced at least 90-minute delays in takeoffs because of the shutdown, causing a ripple effect throughout the system.