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TSA lists fines for people who refuse to wear a mask while traveling

(AP Photo/Elaine Thompson, File)HOUSTON – The Transportation Security Administration said Friday that it has changed language in its face mask requirement to include specific fines -- which could range from $250 to $1,500 or more -- for people who refuse to wear a mask while traveling. Based on substantial aggravating or mitigating factors, TSA may seek a sanction amount that falls outside these ranges. TSA has provided transportation system operators specific guidance on how to report violations so that TSA may issue penalties to those who refuse to wear a face mask. The requirement extends to wearing masks in airports, bus and rail stations, as well as while on planes, public transportation, passenger railroads, and buses. Read more in the news release from TSA.

TSA to enforce mask-wearing mandate starting Tuesday

ROANOKE, Va – Starting Tuesday, the Travel Security Administration (TSA) will begin enforcement of President Biden’s mask mandate. President Biden’s Executive Order requires a mask or face covering for everyone except those covered by the Americans with Disabilities Act or under the age of two. While not every state has had a mask mandate in place, the TSA said the change is coming as a direct order from the White House. “So if you’re not wearing a mask, TSA will offer you one or ask you to put one and if you declined to do so the TSA will not let you submit a checkpoint, can’t get through the checkpoint can’t get on the plane,” TSA Spokesperson Lisa Farbstein said. TSA is also considering implementing fines for those who choose not to comply with the executive order.

Acrylic shields installed at Lynchburg, Roanoke airports to protect passengers and TSA

LYNCHBURG, Va. – Local airports now have plexiglass shields designed to keep you safe before you fly. The TSA just installed the acrylic shields at Lynchburg Regional Airport. Lynchburg airport officials told 10 News the protectors add another layer of safety. All of these work together to help keep the traveling public safe,” said Cedric Simon, assistant director of the Lynchburg Regional Airport. The Roanoke-Blacksburg Regional Airport also installed the shields.

Most major US airlines ban guns in luggage for DC flights

Delta, United and Alaska airlines said Thursday, Jan. 14, 2021 they will bar passengers flying to Washington from putting guns in checked bags. The moves follow the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol by supporters of President Donald Trump and politically tinged confrontations on some flights. American Airlines is bringing back a ban on serving alcohol on flights to and from the Washington area — flights go dry starting Saturday through next Thursday. Price also said that it is “a good idea” to prohibit passengers from putting guns in checked bags if they are flying to Washington. Federal law allows passengers to put guns in checked baggage if they are unloaded and in a locked, hard-sided case, although airlines have the discretion to ban guns.

Loaded gun found in Salem mans carry-on bag at Roanoke airport

ROANOKE, Va. Officers stopped a Salem man from taking a handgun onto a plane at Roanokes airport on Thursday, according to the TSA. They found a .22-caliber handgun, loaded with five bullets, in the mans carry-on bag during a TSA checkpoint screening. Airport police confiscated the weapon after being alerted by the TSA agents. It is a law that has been in place long before TSA even existed, said Federal Security Director for the airport Chuck Burke. Our TSA officers are very skilled at detecting firearms and other prohibited items.A typical first offense for carrying a loaded handgun into a checkpoint is $4,100 and can go as high as $13,669 depending on any mitigating circumstances, according to the TSA.

Woman caught with loaded handgun in carry on at Lynchburg airport

A Danville woman was stopped after a loaded handgun was found in her carry on at Lynchburg Regional Airport on Tuesday, according to TSA officials. Officials say a TSA agent found a .38 caliber handgun loaded with five bullets in her bag as it entered the checkpoint X-ray machine. TSA officials then contacted local police who took the gun and detained the woman for questioning before issuing her a summons. She reportedly told officials that she forgot she had her loaded gun with her.

California man stopped at Roanoke-Blacksburg Regional Airport with loaded gun in carry-on

ROANOKE, Va. - A California man was stopped by TSA Tuesday morning at Roanoke-Blacksburg Regional Airport after bringing a loaded gun in his carry-on through security, according to TSA. A TSA officer found the gun inside the man's carry-on bag as it went through the security checkpoint's X-ray monitor, according to TSA. Airport police confiscated the gun and cited the man on a weapons charge, according to TSA. Across the U.S., officers found 4,239 guns in carry-on bags at security checkpoints in 2018. 86% of them were loaded and nearly 34% had a bullet in the chamber, according to TSA.

TSA stopped a traveler after finding a toilet-paper 'gun' in his bag

John Moore/Getty Images(CNN) - TSA agents at New Jersey's Newark Liberty International Airport were prepared to give a traveler crap when they spotted a revolver in his carry-on bag. But upon closer inspection, what they thought was a gun was really a gun-shaped toilet paper holder. "Yes, this most unusual revolver was not designed to spin bullets," TSA joked in a press release on Thursday. "It was designed to spin toilet paper." The "realistic replica gun" triggered an alarm when the bag it was in went through an X-ray machine.

Local man stopped with gun at Roanoke-Blacksburg Regional Airport

The Transportation Security Administration says an official discovered a loaded handgun in a carry-on bag at a Virginia airport. A news release from the TSA says the gun loaded with six bullets was found Tuesday at the Roanoke-Blacksburg Regional Airport. Airport police cited the man and confiscated the gun. Farbstein says this is the fourth gun the agency has detected at the airport this year. Nationwide, the TSA says more than 4,000 guns were discovered in carry-on bags at security checkpoints last year and 86% were loaded.

TSA trauma for transgender travelers

Still, he recalls one instance a few years ago in which TSA agents waved the phallus in the air in plain view of other travelers. When asked whether TSA agents asking passengers to show their genitals was against protocol, Burke relayed, "TSA does not conduct strip searches." According to Burke, TSA agents also undergo official sensitivity training as part of their annual requirement. The TSA said in April it is exploring updating the body scanners to help streamline security for all travelers. The TSA offers some information for transgender travelers on its website, including a note saying the agency is committed to ensuring transgender travelers are met with courtesy and respect.

Why Are There So Many Bags of Cheetos in This Woman's Carry-On?

Why are there so many Cheetos in this woman's carry-on bag? TSA agents assigned to the Los Angeles International Airport unpacked bag after bag of Cheetos from social media influencer Emily Mei. Perplexed by the sheer volume of snacks, they even swabbed the packages, apparently convinced something was afoot. But Mei says she's just a huge fan of Cheetos and they are hard to get in South Korea. Even though she's an influencer, Mei says that she's not being paid for any kind of Cheetos endorsement.

TSA stops Florida man with loaded gun at Roanoke-Blacksburg airport

ROANOKE, Va. - A Transportation Security Administration officer at Roanoke-Blacksburg Regional Airport stopped a Florida man who brought a loaded gun through a security checkpoint Sunday. The TSA officer who was working the checkpoint's X-ray monitor spotted a 9 mm handgun inside the man's carry-on bag, according to TSA. TSA says officials discovered the gun was loaded with seven bullets, including one in the chamber. Officials notified airport police, who confiscated the handgun and cited the man on a weapons charge, according to TSA. This is the third gun that officers have detected at the Roanoke-Blacksburg Regional Airport so far this year, according to TSA.

TSA bans Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge 'thermal detonator' Coke bottles

Disney and Coca Cola partnered to make these specialty soda cans for the new Star Wars land. (CNN) - To commemorate your visit to Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge, you can bring home a $200 lightsaber, a Chewbacca backpack, or a puppet Porg. The bottles, which are for sale exclusively inside Star Wars lands in Anaheim and Orlando, are shaped like small orbs that resemble either a droid or a thermal detonator, depending on your point of view. Scott Trowbridge, the lead Imagineer on the Galaxy's Edge project, said the design of the bottle looked "cool, kind of thermal detonator-ish" on a panel earlier this year. At $5.49, the bottles are one of the cheapest souvenirs available at Galaxy's Edge -- and popular: Disney has limited guests to three bottles per transaction to prevent hoarding.

Traveler in wheelchair says she was 'humiliated' at TSA checkpoint

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - She came to Nashville just for a doctor's visit, but when she left she said she was humiliated by TSA agents at Nashville International Airport. She says she was leaving Nashville after a doctor visit when she was at the TSA checkpoint at BNA on July 3. It was there that Coulston says an agent explained they needed to inspect her wheelchair seat cushion before letting her through, in addition to her typical pat-down. The incident was caught on camera, and she said that kind of experience has never happened to her before at a TSA checkpoint. Two years ago, police in Knoxville arrested a man after TSA agents found a handgun hidden inside his wheelchair seat cushion at a TSA Checkpoint.

Toddler injured after ride on airport baggage conveyor belt

(CNN) - A toddler was injured after he climbed onto a baggage conveyor belt behind a ticket counter at Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson airport and rode it all the way to the TSA bag room, authorities said. The boy had climbed onto the conveyor belt and was taken back to the TSA bag room, where agents saw him and stopped the belt. Vega said she was told her son was on the belt for about five minutes. "He just went a long ride away, I couldn't even catch up," Vega told CNN affiliate WSB. "The child was able to access a back baggage area via a bag belt and sustained some injuries.

DHS secretary on TSA delays: We're not going to compromise aviation security

This Memorial Day weekend, an estimated 2.6 million people are expected to travel by air. The TSA is racing to add hundreds of workers to brace for the influx of passengers, but relief may not come fast enough. Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson joins "CBS This Morning" to discuss what he is doing to address TSA security delays, the EgyptAir flight 804 investigation and why his name is spelled Jeh, not Jay.

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