Mount Rainier National Park reopened Thursday morning to visitors after a budget stalemate between Congress and the White House ended Wednesday with an agreement that ended a 16-day shutdown of the federal government. The park was open at 8:30 a.m., giving the public access to all major roads and any visitor centers and other facilities that are normally open this time of year, said park spokeswoman Patti Wold. The park, as were all other national parks, was closed throughout the shutdown and its 190 employees were furloughed. A small number of them who were considered essential personnel, such as law enforcement rangers, continued working. Not all employees were back on the job right away Thursday. Their return would be "gradualGÇ¥ over perhaps several days, particularly if any were out of town or not available to start working immediately, Wold said. (Read more in the Oct. 23 print edition of The Dispatch)
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