LOCAL/STATE The Michigan Daily - Wednesday, September 12, 2001- 5 IGHER ED Woman would. have been on hijacked flight MINNEAPOLIS - Ally Carnes, originally from Cape Cod, Mass., understands the weight of yesterday's events more so than many other trav- elers. Carnes was originally scheduled to be on the flight - from Boston to Los Angeles - believed to be the one that crashed into the World Trade renter in New York. "I wanted to get out earlier and be in L.A. earlier so I switched to a flight an hour earlier," she said. "My entire family thought I was dead." In an unprecedented event, all air travel in North America has been halt- ed in an event dubbed "Operation Ground Stop." Travelers at Minneapo- lis-St. Paul International Airport were stranded as all flights coming and loing were grounded. As many as 10 planes were diverted to Minneapolis-St.Paul International after the Federal Aviation Administra- tion issued the grounding. Pay phones at the airport had lines close to 30 minutes long, Carnes said. Ticket lines were also extremely long as airline personnel attempted to accommodate people grounded in the Twin Cities. *Penn State student caught near World Trade Center blast UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Penn State student John Raynar huddled over a neighbor's computer wearing a pro- tective mask in the shadow of the dev- astated World Trade Center yesterday. The senior telecommunications major painted the chaotic scene for a reporter the only way he could - via AOL Instant Messenger. "This morning, I was laying in bed just waking up when I heard what sounded like a very low flying mili- tary plane," Raynar typed. "Then I heard a huge explosion. I looked out my window and saw scores of people running in away from the explosion. I then looked up and saw it was in flames." Raynar woke up just one and a half blocks from the Trade Center in an apartment building on John Street. He's in New York City on a pair of internships with MTV and the Howard Stern Show. About half an hour after the second plane exploded into the Trade Center, he decided to jump in the shower to prepare to escape north, away from dhe tip of Manhattan. But he didn't get the chance to leave. "That's when they collapsed. ... It was like Ghostbusters. The entire sky turned pitch black," Raynar said. "Unfortu- nately, my windows were left open." Dust and debris from the collapse piled up about three inches thick around Raynar's apartment, and came in through the open windows, he said. Oklahoma State students react to bombing tragedy STILLWATER, Okla. - State and local officials and Oklahoma State University students responded locally amid the nationwide chaos yesterday. Students filled empty chairs throughout campus, watching televi- sion news reports in stunned silence s symbols of America smoldered and gruesome pictures of the thousands of dead and injured unfolded on screen. "This is the terrorist equivalent of Pearl Harbor," said L.G. Moses, pro- fessor of history at Oklahoma State. "The implications of this attack are much greater the (Oklahoma City bombing). This is not an act of domestic terrorism," he said. Gov. Frank Keating ordered all state office buildings closed following the events in New York City and Wash- O ngton and asked Oklahomans to "pray for the nation."~ "This is a day of agony and infamy in America;' Keating said. "Oklahomans obviously know well the impact of ter- rorism - we will be vigilant." International U. Utah students Wear backlash University of Utah administrators are acting with caution when it comes to providing crisis counseling to inter- national students, following the terror- ist attacks against major landmarks in New York City and Washington. The university does not want to point fingers at any racial, ethnic or national group, and therefore has remained vague. Travelers stranded at Detroit Metro Hotels near Michigan's largest airport raise prices as demand for rooms grows By Jon Fish and Rachel Green Daily Staff Reporters ROMULUS - Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport and airline officials struggled to accommodate hundreds of stranded passengers following yesterday's order from the Federal Aviation Administra- tion grounding all flights across the country. About 10 planes bound for other destina- tions were rerouted to Detroit after the can- cellation order at about 9:45 a.m. Flights en route to Detroit were also diverted to the nearest airport. More than one thousand flights from 18 major air carriers take off and land at Detroit Metro every day, most of them by Northwest Airlines. The airport expects to resume its flight services at noon today. At the Northwest baggage claim, hundreds of passengers searched for their luggage. Northwest employees, toting bullhorns and passenger lists, handed out the bags one by one. Some passengers diverted to the airport were bewildered to find themselves in Detroit. One man, who was traveling from Minnesota to Boston, said the pilot of his flight had not even announced that the flight was landing in Detroit or the reason why. "They said nothing," said Mathieu Roy of Quebec. "I got off the plane and thought I was in Boston. But I looked up at the sign and said, 'Oh boy."' Tim Matsuura of St. Cloud, Minn., was heading to Hanover, N.H., for his freshman orientation at Dartmouth College. "We were told we would be circling near (Detroit) and they didn't say anything on the flight," he said. "It wasn't until we got off that a lady told us what was up." Northwest tried to secure hotel rooms for its passengers but was soon forced to hand out blankets, pillows and overnight toiletry cases. Hotel rooms around the airport became substantially more expensive as the day pro- gressed. A single room at the Days Inn in Romulus normally costs about $80 a night, according to its website. Last night, the hotel was charging $140 for a single room. A North- west employee, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said the nearby hotel chains began refusing the airline rooms at their con- tracted, discounted rate. Robert Ball, vice-president of customer service ground operations for Northwest, said at an afternoon press conference that the MARJORIE MARSHALL/Daily Agents at the American Airlines counter of Detroit Metropolitan Airport look out over the empty terminal yesterday afternoon following the Federal Aviation Administration order grounding air travel nationwide. Two American passenger jets were among the four planes hijacked by terrorists. airline was able to accommodate most of its passengers. The airline waived all ticket change fees for stranded travelers and is offering refunds or transportation credits for passengers who were unable to fly out yester- day. Northwest, he said, has no concerns over the extra costs that the day's shutdown will create for the airline. While the airline was kept busy with its own passengers, Ball said it was also assist- ing the other airlines. Special sympathies, he said, are extended to United and American airlines, who lost two planes each to the ter- rorist attack. In this situation, he said, "the only emotion missing is (the relief) that your plane wasn't it." "The airline community is very close and we're doing everything possible to help our comrades," he said. Wayne County was no exception to the nationwide shutdowns in response to the attacks in Washington D.C. and Manhattan. The county activated its Emergency Opera- tions Center and maintained its highest state of alert. Mark Sparks, the county's director of emergency management, said "we are at the maximum level of preparedness we could be in Wayne County." Emergency personnel, ranging from struc- tural engineers to medical examiners could be sent to New York or New Jersey to aid in the relief effort, he said. Sparks also implored residents to contact the Red Cross to donate blood. In Detroit, the Coleman A. Young Munici- pal Center, City Hall and the U.S. District Court building were all closed for the day. A voluntary evacuation was issued for the Renaissance Center, which houses the head- quarters of General Motor Co., and security across the border to Canada was tightened. The Windsor-Detroit tunnel was temporarily closed and the Ambassador Bridge was closed for the day. All Detroit offices are expected to reopen today, along with the bridge. Closings in Michigan At Michigan's tallest building, Detroit's Renaissance Center, General Motors Corp. gave its 6,000 headquarters employees the day off. Ford Motor Co. closed its world headquarters in Dearborn. Security was tightened at all U.S.-Canada border crossings, including the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel and the Ambassador Bridge. Security was heightened for Great Lakes shipping, with the closing of the U.S. section of the St. Lawrence Seaway. The Coast Guard was inspecting ships at the St. Marys River, which links Lakes Huron and Superior, before they entered the Soo Locks. Wayne County declared a state of emergency. The Detroit Tigers-Minnesota Twins game at Comerica Park Tuesday night was canceled, as were all major league baseball games. Sanborn defeats Jaye in primary MOUNT CLEMENS (AP) - State Rep. Alan Sanborn Yvon the Republican primary in the 12th Senate District yesterday, ending expelled Sen. David Jaye's bid to have voters return him to the Sen- ate. With 87 percent of precincts reporting, Sanborn had 10,531 votes, or 48 percent, former Rep. Sue Rocca of Sterling Heights had 4,975 votes, or 23 percent, and Jaye had 4,183 votes, or 19 percent. "The special interests won this election," said Jaye, who conceded. He thanked voters for getting to the polls despite the tragedies in Washington and New York. Sanborn said he outworked Jaye. "I think he got out of touch with his district," Sanborn said. "They didn't want to be bogged down by controversy anymore." Thirteen candidates ran in the GOP primary for Michigan's 12th Senate District that takes in north- ern and western Macomb County. At Virgil Grissom Middle School, Joe Rubino said he voted to make sure Jaye did not get re-elected. Jaye, of Washington Township, was expelled from the Senate in May on a 33-2 vote for behavior that includ- ed three drunken driving convic- tions and accusations - but no charges - that he assaulted his fiancee. "He's a low-life character who shouldn't get back into office," said Rubino, a 47-year-old truck driver. Helen and George Jarzab said they voted for Jaye because they disagreed with his expulsion. The Senate "did an injustice to him," Helen Jarzab said. "It was very important to vote today." Jaye was elected to the seat in a 1997 special election to replace the late Republican Sen. Doug Carl and re-elected in 1998. His fiancee defended him during the Senate investigation that led to his expul- sion and denied several times that he ever hit her. (FAO FRATERNITY There are those whojoin...... and there are those who lead. The newly established Phi Delta Theta Fraternity is looking for leaders for an experi- ence unlike any other on the University ofMichigan campus. Have you ever wondered what it would be like to start you own Fraternity???? We would like the opportunity to show you! Event: Informational Session Place: Trotter House (1443 Washtenaw Ave.) When: September 17th, 7:00 pm Who's invited? You Are! Come see what all the talk is about. Representatives from Phi Delta Theta Fraternity are on campus now to recruit men just like yourself to join one of the oldest and most respected social fraternities in the nation. E-mail Jacob Heuser at: jacob@phideltatheta.org Drivers wait in line for gas despite LANSING (AP) - Panic over yes- terday's terrorist attacks in New York and Washington was causing long lines and high prices at Michigan gas stations. In East Lansing, Mobil station owner Jim Little said he was selling 1,500 gallons per hour yesterday. He normally sells no more than 3,000 gal- lons per day. Little, who has been in the business for 31 years, said yesterday's reaction was similar to a rush on gasoline after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. People panic during a national crisis and buy more gas, Little said. In addi- price hikes Cirigliano said late yesterday. "We have ample supplies. We're trying to avoid an artificial shortage." But Little said he planned to raise his price from $1.98 a gallon because he would sell out of gas otherwise. "I've got guys calling me and telling me I'm the lowest price in town," he said. "I've got to raise my prices or I'm going to go out of business." As many as 25 cars were lined up at each of three gas stations in the Lans- ing area. Little said a friend in Kala- mazoo was charging $4 a gallon. At a Shell station in Detroit, manag- er Mike Sabra said the station was