As information about the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks began to spread, newsrooms across the country worked diligently to ensure that their local audiences were kept up to date with the latest news.
The following is a look back at how the Kenosha News initially covered the events of that day in a special edition published the same afternoon. Extended space was added to each edition in following days and weeks as expanded coverage continued.
ATTACKED
That was the headline in large bold type that ran across the front page of a six-page extra edition of the Kenosha News printed and distributed on the afternoon of Sept. 11, 2001.
Below it was a photo of people running from the collapse of one of the two towers at the World Trade Center in New York City, and two images taken from television showing a second plane as it approached a tower and fire exploding from the building after it was struck.
People are also reading…
Across the bottom of the page: American tragedy: Series of attacks rocks nation.
Below that were smaller headlines alerting readers to stories on the inside pages:
- All planes nationwide are grounded
- Jet slams into Pentagon; car bomb outside State Department
- Tragedy forces shutdown of government offices, theme parks, schools
- Plane goes down in western Pennsylvania
Another photo of people running from the collapse of one of the World Trade Center towers appeared at the top of page A2.
Below the photo, a story from the Associated Press spelled out what had happened: "In a horrific act of apparent terrorism, two planes crashed into the upper levels of the World Trade Center as the workday started this morning, collapsing both towers and sending debris throughout lower Manhattan and tremendous black smoke billowing throughout the city.
"Another plane hit the Pentagon in Washington shortly thereafter. In Washington, there were reports of explosions on Capitol Hill at the State Department. A fourth plane crashed in Pittsburgh.
"The number of injuries and deaths were unknown."
A second story on the page offered eyewitness accounts of the tragedy: 'I just saw the top of Trade Two come down.'
There also were three more photos showing the planes approaching the towers and the aftermath.
At the bottom right of the page readers were informed about what would be coming in Wednesday's Kenosha News:
- Complete coverage of terrorists attacks
- Residents await word on fate of love ones
- Full local reaction
- In-depth, expert analysis
- More photos
Local reaction
The top of page A3 was filled with a photo of faculty, students and staff at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside's Union Rec Center watching television as the tragedy unfolded.
The headline for the story below read "Area residents react with shock, disbelief."
Kenosha County Sheriff Larry Zarletti ordered increased security around government buildings "so people have a little more sense of security around them."
That included placing deputies outside the courthouse and administration building, and inside the safety building.
Zarletti said the increased law enforcement presence was not meant to alarm people "but to give them some sense of calm."
While security was being tightened, residents were desperately trying to reach loved ones in New York.
One of them was Myra Adkins of Silver Lake.
"I have a brother who works a block away from the World Trade Center and I haven't been able to get through," she said. "I've called at least 20 times and nothing. I guess all I can do is pray until I hear."
Others stopped what they were doing to learn more about what had happened.
That included workers at a construction site in Paddock Lake, who were sitting on a truck tailgate listening to a radio broadcasting news accounts.
"New York, Washington, the entire country is under attack," Danny Miller said. "You never think it could happen here, but this all shows how vulnerable we all really are."
And it wasn't just the civilian population trying to come to terms with what had happened.
Lt. Commander John Wallach at Great Lakes Naval Station described the emotions of the military personnel on the base as "shock, horror, anger … every emotion in the gamut."
"I have many, many friends at the Pentagon," he said. "Many good friends in that building, and obviously I am very concerned."
There also was concern locally about whether the terror could reach Kenosha County.
Zarletti said that even though Kenosha is a long way from the northeast, "we should never say it can't happen here."
The somber mood extended to Madison, where the Capitol building was closed to everyone except employees.
"We're all concerned about people's families and friends," state Rep Samantha Starzyk said. "Everyone is just trying to stay on top of information."
The impact also was being felt in local classrooms.
At Westosha Central High School, where classes were canceled the day before because of a bomb threat, students learned how serious such an act can be.
Televisions were on in various areas of the school and teachers discussed the the event with their students.
"When you walk in the hallway, you can hear a pin drop," a school secretary said. "The kids are all aware of what is going on."
Students at Wheatland Center School also were kept informed.
"We have televisions in the media center on," secretary June Weimer said. "Some parents have come to pick their children up. Others have called to let their children know that family members who were en route to various locations by airplane are safe.
Lakewood School took a different approach.
One television was tuned in at the school for the adults to watch. However, none of the information was being shared with students.
"We are trying to be as normal as possible," said Rebecca Vail, the school's administrator.
Groundings and closures
Stories on page A4 showed the impact of the attacks on airports and prominent places.
A photo at the top of the page showed passengers encountering heightened security at Oakland International Airport in Oakland, California.
Below that, were the headlines "Air traffic halted after terrorist attack" and "Only military aircraft allowed to fly; thousands stuck in airports' above a story providing information about the attacks' impact on aviation.
A second story on the page was headlined "High alert, evacuations, closures across nation after terrorist attacks in U.S."
In addition to federal and state office buildings that had been closed and military bases nationwide that had been put on alert, the story listed several tourist attractions that had been closed, including Disney World in Florida, Seattle's Space Needle, the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, Knott's Berry Farm in southern California and the Museum of Tolerance in Los Angeles.
More local, regional news
A list of local briefs ran in a single column from the top to the bottom of page A5.
- Brighton cancels open house tonight
- Bristol School Board cancels activities
- Governor cancels all public appearances
- Red Cross issues telephone information
- FAA limits access to area airports
- Prayer vigil set in Silver Lake
- Unified schools remain open
The lead story on the page reported on the Sears Tower in Chicago being evacuated and state offices in Illinois being closed.
At the bottom of the page was a story about airports in Wisconsin being closed and Milwaukee buildings being evacuated — along with a list of previous terror attacks on U.S. targets.
Images in a Day of Terror
Page A6 was dedicated to showing what had happened visually.
Photos showed how the twin towers of the World Trade Center looked in 1999. Others showed the towers burning and one of the towers collapsing, and rescue personnel responding following the first explosion at the World Trade Center.
There also were two maps showing the location of the World Trade Center and a graphic with the following information about the seven-building complex.
- Number of stories in each tower: 110
- Height of the towers: 1,250 feet
- Base length of each towe