BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) — Federal employees are turning on office lights and computers and reopening national parks and museums for the first time in weeks, but others employed by government contractors face still more uncertainty over when they'll resume work or whether they'll ever be paid for time lost to the stalemate over President Donald Trump's border wall.

For the hundreds of thousands of people who work for private companies that support government, the future will be decided in part by how quickly federal agencies get running after the record 35-day shutdown, the fine print of contract...