Photo gallery: Pushing the envelope at ONA14

Friday opened with breaking news for people at at ONA14 — a fire at a regional FAA radar center caused widespread cancellation of flights, forcing conference organizers to start considering alternate plans in case stranded presenters were unable to get to Chicago.

The Chicago skyline is reflected in the airline update monitor in the lobby of the ONA14 conference hotel, the Sheraton Chicago.

More than 1,200 flights were canceled and 200 delayed, after a fire at a Chicago-area air traffic control center that led to hundreds of flight cancellations at both O’Hare and Midway international airports, according to FlightAware.com. The travel disruption caused some ONA14 panelists to miss their sessions and delayed a Friday keynote speaker. (Story: Airport shutdowns impact ONA travelers)

Justin Galicz of University of Florida engages in a conversation with Margaret Holt, standards editor of the Chicago Tribune, during a visit to the media company Friday morning. Photo by Akash Ghai

Learning opportunities abounded Friday at ONA14, not all scheduled. In workshops and on field trips, older journalists took advantage of their proximity to a younger generation to ask questions about how they get and share news. (Story: Millennials make their mark on the media)