The landing strip and runway of the Chattanooga Metropolitan AirportAirport weather office extended
The federal contract weather office at Chattanooga Airport has received an extension through June 1, permitting the monitoring facility to remain open at least until then, an official said.
Charles Starrett, the office's acting supervisor, said he learned Tuesday about the contract extension.
"After that, who knows?" he said.
Starrett earlier expressed worries that federal budget sequestration may result in laying off of the six weather observers who provide data to the air traffic control tower, potentially affecting safety at Lovell Field.
TractManager employed coach
The head coach of the Cinderella team in the men's NCAA basketball tournament was one of the early employees of a company that has a major presence in Chattanooga.
Andy Enfield, who has coached Florida Gulf Coast University into the tournament's Sweet 16, was the seventh or eighth employee of contract management business TractManager, company founder and CEO Tom Rizk told SI.com.
Rizk said Enfield was not a co-founder but was involved in the early stages of the company and invested a modest amount of his own money into the business. TractManager, with headquarters in New Jersey, takes up two floors of the SunTrust building in downtown Chattanooga and has more than 65 employees here.