The new light-rail train, linking Queens and Brooklyn, would signal a shift in the city’s center of gravity, toward one less tethered to the office towers of Midtown.

© Nick Underwood for The New York Times

New programs cannot turn out the numbers needed to make up for the controller shortfall. But they hope to have a higher success rate than the Federal Aviation Agency’s official academy.

© Hiroko Masuike/The New York Times

The F.A.A. warned that a lack of certified air traffic controllers in Orlando could cause delays throughout the East Coast.

© Stefani Reynolds/Bloomberg

Much of the rainfall came in an intense 20-minute period in the afternoon, officials said. A record two inches fell at LaGuardia Airport.

© Vincent Alban/The New York Times

If the shutdown continues, administration officials predicted, air traffic controllers going without pay will start to leave the job just in time for the holiday travel season.

© Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

One million residents of Guangdong, in southern China, were evacuated before the powerful storm made landfall on Wednesday. At least 18 people have been killed along its path this week.