Gosh, who would have thought the FAA might object to an 80-story tower right across the harbor from Logan?

Ask him if his name is Patrick. Patrick Mannion, an 18-year-old from Lynn, has just started blogging about what it's like to become a transportation security officer at everybody's favorite East Boston airport:

... The other checkpoints had large bottles of hairspray along with shaving cream and the like and some bottles found were actually under the limit. But there was still booze mixed in... plus a broken mercury thermometer.

We also collected the various confiscated weapons.. most of which are pocket knives which are given to collection agencies and state agencies who sell them on eBay. So don't worry folks, the TSA and the feds aren't making a dime off your confiscated materials (the spray cans and such are recycled)...

Today's best sunrise photo, taken toward Logan from Long Wharf.

OK, maybe I'm not cut out to write headlines for Channel 7. Still, will be interesting to see how they play the case of their general manager, whom the Herald reports was arrested at Logan for "unruly behavior." She says a male passenger on her inbound flight tried to fondle her and that she got upset when the flight attendant told her to "calm down." One thing led to another and State Police wound up cuffing her on the ground.

The Globe paints a slightly different picture, one involving an out-of-control angry drunk threatening a trooper's job.

John Daley reports:

While running through Logan airport yesterday, I was chased by a TV reporter who wanted to get my angry response to the delays involved with flying American. Before he could set up the shot I told him that, although I had to fly a day late, my experience was very positive. ...

At which point the reporter began chasing somebody else to find some outrage. John doesn't say which station or reporter (darn polite bloggers!).

Channel 4 reports the Web site showed no problems even as zillions of frazzled passengers demanded vengeance at the American Airlines counter for cancelled flights.

UPDATE: Judge continued case to May 23; see comments below.

An East Boston District Court judge is expected to rule today on a request by Star Simpson to dismiss those Logan bomb-scare charges, the Suffolk County DA's office advises.

Geoff Edgers talks to one of those guys detained at Logan despite not being a terrorist, and now he's vowing to fight the T over the whole mess. The T basically says: Tough, that's the price of freedom in a post-9/11 world.

Earlier:
The man who wasn't a terrorist.

The Globe interviews one of the two guys a woman thought she overheard discussing bombs, drugs and Logan on the Red Line. Although T officials declare themselves happy with the outcome, which involved shutting down the Red Line at Park Street and detaining the two guys at Logan, he begs to differ:

... "The most disturbing thing about it was the apparent randomness of it," Watchorn, 50, said. He said he wonders how easy it would be to subject others to what he considers hoaxes and to disrupt the transit system, based on an unsubstantiated tip. ...

Oh, and he was heading to Logan to fly to Buffalo. Naturally, his detention meant he missed his plane. The story also notes how the nefarious travelers managed to evade a police manhunt until they got to Logan: The woman reported the two were wearing fatigues, but:

MacMillan said transit police could not find the men because they were not wearing fatigues.

Train stopped and searched at Park Street this morning; no indication (in the story) if the MBTA actually found the two alleged guys in fatigues talking loudly enough about "explosives" at Central Square to get a nearby woman to say something or whether they activated the urban assault vehicle.

This just in from T spokesman Joe Pesaturo:

The witness believed the individuals made reference to narcotics and explosives and that they were headed to Logan International Airport. The witness stated that subjects were carrying a small backpack and bag.

Red Line service was briefly suspended while Transit Police searched subway cars at Park. Boston Police, Mass. State Police, and the FBI were advised of the incident and subjects' descriptions. A short time later (8:08 a.m.), both subjects were spotted as they got off the Silver Line at Logan Airport's Terminal B.

Transit and State Police interviewed both subjects and inspected their belongings. Both subjects were identified and cleared of malicious intent.