OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Two people have now been arrested in connection with the disappearance of Athena Brownfield, a 4-year-old Oklahoma girl whose 5-year-old sister was discovered wandering alone outside by a postal worker, state investigators said Friday.

Arizona authorities arrested 36-year-old Ivon Adams on Thursday, and he is being held in the Maricopa County jail in Phoenix pending extradition to Oklahoma, the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation said in a news release.

Authorities earlier arrested Alysia Adams, 31, on two counts of child neglect, the bureau&nbsp;<a href="https://nixle.us/E7FY5">said in a statement late Thursday</a>. Alysia Adams remained jailed in Oklahoma's Caddo County on Friday.

The bureau released no further details about the arrests or what the suspects' relationship is. It was not known if either Adams had an attorney to comment on their behalf.

A bureau spokesperson did not immediately respond to messages seeking comment Friday.

The arrests are related to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/oklahoma-city-1b331093878a39b70fccfdc6ba2e47dc">the search for Athena</a>, who was reported missing Tuesday in Cyril, about 70 miles&nbsp; southwest of Oklahoma City, the bureau said.

The postal carrier found Athena’s sister wandering alone outside Adams' home Monday afternoon and alerted Cyril police. Authorities then determined that Athena was missing.

The girls had been in the care of Adams and her husband, and Athena's sister was taken into protective custody, the bureau said Wednesday.

Authorities said they believe Athena was wearing a hoodie with a butterfly design when she disappeared.

The bureau said it was working with other law enforcement agencies and volunteers in the search, which included a helicopter, boats, all-terrain vehicles, a specially trained ground team, and a review of surveillance video from around Cyril.

The city of Cyril has also suspended trash service as investigators search for clues.

The bureau said agents were following up on tips coming from Oklahoma and other states.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/1/1673617381405.png" alt="Adams-photo Caddo&nbsp; County, Oklahoma" />
 <figcaption>Adams-photo Caddo&nbsp; County, Oklahoma</figcaption>
 </figure>OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Two people have now been arrested in connection with the disappearance of Athena Brownfield, a 4-year-old Oklahoma girl whose 5-year-old sister was discovered wandering alone outside by a postal worker, state investigators said Friday.Arizona authorities arrested 36-year-old Ivon Adams on Thursday, and he is being held in the Maricopa County jail in Phoenix pending extradition to Oklahoma, the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation said in a news release.Authorities earlier arrested Alysia Adams, 31, on two counts of child neglect, the bureau&nbsp;<a href="https://nixle.us/E7FY5">said in a statement late Thursday</a>. Alysia Adams remained jailed in Oklahoma's Caddo County on Friday.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/1/1673636085787.png" alt="Adams photo Maricopa County" />
 <figcaption>Adams photo Maricopa County</figcaption>
 </figure>The bureau released no further details about the arrests or what the suspects' relationship is. It was not known if either Adams had an attorney to comment on their behalf.A bureau spokesperson did not immediately respond to messages seeking comment Friday.The arrests are related to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/oklahoma-city-1b331093878a39b70fccfdc6ba2e47dc">the search for Athena</a>, who was reported missing Tuesday in Cyril, about 70 miles&nbsp; southwest of Oklahoma City, the bureau said.The postal carrier found Athena’s sister wandering alone outside Adams' home Monday afternoon and alerted Cyril police. Authorities then determined that Athena was missing.The girls had been in the care of Adams and her husband, and Athena's sister was taken into protective custody, the bureau said Wednesday.Authorities said they believe Athena was wearing a hoodie with a butterfly design when she disappeared.The bureau said it was working with other law enforcement agencies and volunteers in the search, which included a helicopter, boats, all-terrain vehicles, a specially trained ground team, and a review of surveillance video from around Cyril.The city of Cyril has also suspended trash service as investigators search for clues.The bureau said agents were following up on tips coming from Oklahoma and other states.

2nd arrest in case of missing 4-year-old; search continues

SEDGWICK COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a couple after an accidental shooting in their home.

Just after 11:30a.m. Thursday, police&nbsp;were dispatched to a shooting in the 1200 block of North Lorraine in Wichita, according to Officer Chad Ditch.

 While Officers were en route to the scene, on suspect identified as 25-year-old Marlon Jones fled on foot to a residence in the 3000 block of East 11th Street. As Officers arrived, they saw Jones walking back from the area of that residence.

Officers then located 22-year-old Kianna Nweji inside her residence on North Lorraine with a gunshot wound to her foot. EMS transported her&nbsp; to a local hospital for treatment.

The investigation revealed that Nweji and Jones were both lying in bed when their 2-year-old child found a gun and accidentally shot Nweji. Jones took the gun to the 11th Street address where an acquaintance of his lives, according to Ditch. Investigators located the gun and found an AR-15 that belonged to nobody in the residence and the individuals in the house did not know how it got there.

Police arrested Nweji and Jones on requested charges of Aggravated Endangering of a child.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/1/1673627717579.png" alt="Jones-photo Sedgwick County" />
 <figcaption>Jones-photo Sedgwick County</figcaption>
 </figure>SEDGWICK COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a couple after an accidental shooting in their home.Just after 11:30a.m. Thursday, police&nbsp;were dispatched to a shooting in the 1200 block of North Lorraine in Wichita, according to Officer Chad Ditch. While Officers were en route to the scene, on suspect identified as 25-year-old Marlon Jones fled on foot to a residence in the 3000 block of East 11th Street. As Officers arrived, they saw Jones walking back from the area of that residence.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/1/1673627653047.png" alt="Nweji photo Sedgwick Co." />
 <figcaption>Nweji photo Sedgwick Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>Officers then located 22-year-old Kianna Nweji inside her residence on North Lorraine with a gunshot wound to her foot. EMS transported her&nbsp; to a local hospital for treatment.The investigation revealed that Nweji and Jones were both lying in bed when their 2-year-old child found a gun and accidentally shot Nweji. Jones took the gun to the 11th Street address where an acquaintance of his lives, according to Ditch. Investigators located the gun and found an AR-15 that belonged to nobody in the residence and the individuals in the house did not know how it got there.Police arrested Nweji and Jones on requested charges of Aggravated Endangering of a child.

Police: 2-year-old shot mother in the foot at Kansas home

JEWELL COUNTY —A fifth-grade student died in an accident just after 7:30a.m. Friday in Jewell County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2011 USD 107-Rock Hills Chevy Suburban driven by&nbsp;Audra Wilburn, 43, Portsmouth, Virginia, was northbound on 250th Road eight and one half miles north of the city of Randall

The SUV entered the east ditch, traveled through the ditch, reentered the roadway and overturned.&nbsp; The SUV came to rest on its top in the west ditch.&nbsp;The fifth grader died. EMS transported Wilburn to the hospital in Mankato for treatment of minor injuries. Four other children in the SUV were not injured.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a USD 107-Rock Hills SUV with a driver and 5-students were involved in a rollover crash on Randall Road a mile south of U.S. 36 near Mankato.

The fifth grader died. The KHP reported there were no other injuries.

The KHP Critical Highway Accident Response Team (CHART) responded to assist in diagramming the scene.&nbsp; Check the Post for additional details as they become available.

JEWELL COUNTY —A fifth-grade student died in an accident just after 7:30a.m. Friday in Jewell County.The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2011 USD 107-Rock Hills Chevy Suburban driven by&nbsp;Audra Wilburn, 43, Portsmouth, Virginia, was northbound on 250th Road eight and one half miles north of the city of RandallThe SUV entered the east ditch, traveled through the ditch, reentered the roadway and overturned.&nbsp; The SUV came to rest on its top in the west ditch.&nbsp;The fifth grader died. EMS transported Wilburn to the hospital in Mankato for treatment of minor injuries. Four other children in the SUV were not injured.---------JEWELL COUNTY —A fifth-grade student died in an accident just after 7:30a.m. Friday in Jewell County.The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a USD 107-Rock Hills SUV with a driver and 5-students were involved in a rollover crash on Randall Road a mile south of U.S. 36 near Mankato.The fifth grader died. The KHP reported there were no other injuries.The KHP Critical Highway Accident Response Team (CHART) responded to assist in diagramming the scene.&nbsp; Check the Post for additional details as they become available.

UPDATE KHP: 5th grade student dies after SUV rollover crash

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly and the Republican-controlled Kansas Legislature are headed toward big fights over spending on special education programs, pay raises for government workers and how much the cash-flush state should sock away for worse economic times.

Kelly released budget proposals Thursday that include depositing $500 million into the state's rainy day fund, giving state workers a 5% pay increase across the board and phasing in a 61% increase in spending on programs in K-12 public schools for children with special needs.

Top Republican lawmakers want Kansas to set aside at least $1 billion of its current surplus as a hedge against future budget shortfalls. The GOP chairs of the House and Senate budget committees had strong misgivings Thursday about giving an across-the-board pay raise to state workers, and the chair of a House committee on education spending questioned whether the extra money for special education is necessary.

The governor's budget director, Adam Proffitt, told the House and Senate budget committees that Kelly is “looking across the horizon” to ensure that both tax cuts and government programs can be sustained into the future. Kansas endured persistent budget shortfalls during&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/e4f794cd96cb488cb04ab1cd48b1458d">a 2012-2017 Republican experiment</a>&nbsp;in slashing income taxes.

“We’re building a better Kansas for working families and retirees -- all while maintaining a balanced budget," Kelly said in a statement.

Kelly, who won a second term in November, already was headed toward a clash with Republican legislators over&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-politics-kansas-us-republican-party-05b571d0069ae9adc73f0a9a57e2d57e">how best to cut taxes</a>. The state is projecting $3.2 billion in surplus cash in its treasury at the end of June 2024 and nearly $1 billion more already in the rainy day fund. The Legislature is set to remain in session until early May.

Kelly's biggest tax proposal is eliminating the state's 4% sales tax on groceries, while GOP leaders want to create a “flat” income tax, rather than having multiple tax brackets for filers.

Putting a larger amount of the current projected surplus into the rainy day fund for future use limits lawmakers’ options for tax cuts or new spending.

Kelly proposed&nbsp;<a href="https://budget.kansas.gov/wp-content/uploads/FY2024_GBR-Vol1-01.12.2023.pdf">a $24.1 billion spending blueprint</a>&nbsp;for state government for the 2024 budget year, which begins July 1. That's $1.2 billion, or 5.3%, more than the current&nbsp;<a href="https://budget.kansas.gov/wp-content/uploads/FY-2023_Comparison_Report-07.14.2022.pdf">$22.9 billion budget approved by lawmakers last year.</a>

Proffitt expressed confidence that the state's revenue projections will hold up through June 2024.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/december-2022-inflation-report-72bb938a443ab0500bd72d23f62214ad">Inflation has eased</a>&nbsp;over the past six months from decades-high levels, but the head of the Legislature's research staff, J.G. Scott, told the budget committees Thursday that eventually, it and the U.S. Federal Reserve's&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/inflation-business-jerome-powell-government-and-politics-875599570f2b3bfc132963010a404f09">increases in interest rates</a>&nbsp;to contain it will cause “a lot of cooling in the economy.”

“We keep hearing the word ‘uncertainty,’” said Democratic state Sen. Jeff Pittman, of Leavenworth.

Proffitt argued that setting aside another $500 million — to build the rainy day fund up to a total of $1.5 billion — would be enough to cover even the worst year's decline in revenues.

But several Republicans said they want the state to have $2 billion on hand, enough to plug $1 billion a year into the budget for two years. Senate President Ty Masterson, an Andover Republican, told reporters this week that he wants Kansas ready for economic problems as bad as or worse than those of the Great Recession of 2007-08.

“I don’t want us to take that hit like we did last time,” Masterson said.

Kelly's proposed pay increases for government workers would help short-staffed agencies recruit and retain employees, Proffitt said. But Republicans said they want to concentrate first on boosting the pay of workers whose salaries are at least 5% below those of people holding similar jobs with private companies.

Meanwhile, educators are focusing on boosting spending on special education programs after years of increases in the state's general aid to local school districts. Kansas law sets a target of having the state cover 92% of the additional costs tied to special education, but the current spending of $546 million covers only 76%.

With special education costs typically rising each year, Kelly's plan would boost the state's spending by $336 million over five years, bringing it to $882 million for the 2028 budget year.

But state Rep. Kristey Williams, an Augusta Republican who chairs the House's committee on K-12 spending, has repeatedly questioned how the state calculates excess special education costs and the dollars available to cover them.

And she said Thursday, “Money's not always the answer to every problem.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/1/1673627321881.png" alt="The governor's budget director, Adam Proffitt, told the House and Senate budget committees that Kelly is “looking across the horizon” to ensure that both tax cuts and government programs can be sustained into the future" />
 <figcaption>The governor's budget director, Adam Proffitt, told the House and Senate budget committees that Kelly is “looking across the horizon” to ensure that both tax cuts and government programs can be sustained into the future</figcaption>
 </figure>TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly and the Republican-controlled Kansas Legislature are headed toward big fights over spending on special education programs, pay raises for government workers and how much the cash-flush state should sock away for worse economic times.Kelly released budget proposals Thursday that include depositing $500 million into the state's rainy day fund, giving state workers a 5% pay increase across the board and phasing in a 61% increase in spending on programs in K-12 public schools for children with special needs.Top Republican lawmakers want Kansas to set aside at least $1 billion of its current surplus as a hedge against future budget shortfalls. The GOP chairs of the House and Senate budget committees had strong misgivings Thursday about giving an across-the-board pay raise to state workers, and the chair of a House committee on education spending questioned whether the extra money for special education is necessary.The governor's budget director, Adam Proffitt, told the House and Senate budget committees that Kelly is “looking across the horizon” to ensure that both tax cuts and government programs can be sustained into the future. Kansas endured persistent budget shortfalls during&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/e4f794cd96cb488cb04ab1cd48b1458d">a 2012-2017 Republican experiment</a>&nbsp;in slashing income taxes.“We’re building a better Kansas for working families and retirees -- all while maintaining a balanced budget," Kelly said in a statement.Kelly, who won a second term in November, already was headed toward a clash with Republican legislators over&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-politics-kansas-us-republican-party-05b571d0069ae9adc73f0a9a57e2d57e">how best to cut taxes</a>. The state is projecting $3.2 billion in surplus cash in its treasury at the end of June 2024 and nearly $1 billion more already in the rainy day fund. The Legislature is set to remain in session until early May.Kelly's biggest tax proposal is eliminating the state's 4% sales tax on groceries, while GOP leaders want to create a “flat” income tax, rather than having multiple tax brackets for filers.Putting a larger amount of the current projected surplus into the rainy day fund for future use limits lawmakers’ options for tax cuts or new spending.Kelly proposed&nbsp;<a href="https://budget.kansas.gov/wp-content/uploads/FY2024_GBR-Vol1-01.12.2023.pdf">a $24.1 billion spending blueprint</a>&nbsp;for state government for the 2024 budget year, which begins July 1. That's $1.2 billion, or 5.3%, more than the current&nbsp;<a href="https://budget.kansas.gov/wp-content/uploads/FY-2023_Comparison_Report-07.14.2022.pdf">$22.9 billion budget approved by lawmakers last year.</a>Proffitt expressed confidence that the state's revenue projections will hold up through June 2024.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/december-2022-inflation-report-72bb938a443ab0500bd72d23f62214ad">Inflation has eased</a>&nbsp;over the past six months from decades-high levels, but the head of the Legislature's research staff, J.G. Scott, told the budget committees Thursday that eventually, it and the U.S. Federal Reserve's&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/inflation-business-jerome-powell-government-and-politics-875599570f2b3bfc132963010a404f09">increases in interest rates</a>&nbsp;to contain it will cause “a lot of cooling in the economy.”“We keep hearing the word ‘uncertainty,’” said Democratic state Sen. Jeff Pittman, of Leavenworth.Proffitt argued that setting aside another $500 million — to build the rainy day fund up to a total of $1.5 billion — would be enough to cover even the worst year's decline in revenues.But several Republicans said they want the state to have $2 billion on hand, enough to plug $1 billion a year into the budget for two years. Senate President Ty Masterson, an Andover Republican, told reporters this week that he wants Kansas ready for economic problems as bad as or worse than those of the Great Recession of 2007-08.“I don’t want us to take that hit like we did last time,” Masterson said.Kelly's proposed pay increases for government workers would help short-staffed agencies recruit and retain employees, Proffitt said. But Republicans said they want to concentrate first on boosting the pay of workers whose salaries are at least 5% below those of people holding similar jobs with private companies.Meanwhile, educators are focusing on boosting spending on special education programs after years of increases in the state's general aid to local school districts. Kansas law sets a target of having the state cover 92% of the additional costs tied to special education, but the current spending of $546 million covers only 76%.With special education costs typically rising each year, Kelly's plan would boost the state's spending by $336 million over five years, bringing it to $882 million for the 2028 budget year.But state Rep. Kristey Williams, an Augusta Republican who chairs the House's committee on K-12 spending, has repeatedly questioned how the state calculates excess special education costs and the dollars available to cover them.And she said Thursday, “Money's not always the answer to every problem.”

Fight over Kan. budget surplus: GOP leaders propose flat income tax

SHAWNEE COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating the death of a child and have made an arrest.

On January 4, investigators with the Topeka Police Department&nbsp;became aware of a child abuse case that involved a child who was being&nbsp; treated at a local hospital, according to Lt. Donna Eubanks. The 16-month-old boy died at the hospital on Sunday.

As a result of the investigation, on Thursday,&nbsp; police arrested 40-year-old Dustin J. Kelley, 40 of Topeka on requested charges of Murder in the 1st Degree, Abuse of a Child and Aggravated Endangering a Child.

The child and Kelley were known to one another, according to Eubanks.

Kelley has previous convictions for aggravated battery and burglary, according to the Kansas Dept. of Corrections. He had been discharged from the state department of corrections in October.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/1/1673572924426.png" alt="Kelley has previous convictions for aggravated battery and burglary, according to the Kansas Dept. of Corrections-photo Shawnee Co." />
 <figcaption>Kelley has previous convictions for aggravated battery and burglary, according to the Kansas Dept. of Corrections-photo Shawnee Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>SHAWNEE COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating the death of a child and have made an arrest.On January 4, investigators with the Topeka Police Department&nbsp;became aware of a child abuse case that involved a child who was being&nbsp; treated at a local hospital, according to Lt. Donna Eubanks. The 16-month-old boy died at the hospital on Sunday.As a result of the investigation, on Thursday,&nbsp; police arrested 40-year-old Dustin J. Kelley, 40 of Topeka on requested charges of Murder in the 1st Degree, Abuse of a Child and Aggravated Endangering a Child.The child and Kelley were known to one another, according to Eubanks.Kelley has previous convictions for aggravated battery and burglary, according to the Kansas Dept. of Corrections. He had been discharged from the state department of corrections in October.

Kansas man accused in abuse death of 16-month-old

By CELIA LLOPIS-JEPSEN <a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2023-01-13/the-keystone-operator-must-repay-some-not-all-of-the-tax-dollars-spent-on-its-kansas-oil-spill">Kansas News Service</a>

When the Keystone pipeline burst in rural Kansas last month, county workers rushed to build an emergency dam on Mill Creek.

Meanwhile, federal agencies dispatched pipeline and environmental experts to the scene.

And the state set about sampling water and searching for injured animals.

All
 of this costs taxpayers — from transporting and housing workers to 
cladding them in waders that require special disposal because the gear 
becomes permanently contaminated.

TC Energy, the Canadian company 
behind the spill, will have to repay some, but not all, of the public 
money spent on handling it.

This week, several government agencies expressed confidence that they will ultimately recover their expenses.

In the case of the federal and state governments, laws and binding orders apply.

Washington
 County emergency manager Randy Hubbard said that he isn’t aware of any 
laws that require TC Energy to reimburse a local government, but the 
company has vowed to do so.

“From day one TC Energy has been very 
adamant and forthcoming about offering to cover any County related 
expenses,” he said in an email, “including but not limited to labor, 
resources or materials.”

TC Energy reported an annual revenue of more than $13.3 billion and a net income of more than $2 billion in its most recent <a href="https://www.tcenergy.com/siteassets/pdfs/investors/reports-and-filings/annual-and-quarterly-reports/2021/tc-2021-annual-report.pdf" target="_blank">yearly report</a>.

The
 Keystone is the company’s biggest pipeline system for oil and carries 
crude from Canada to refineries in the Midwest and the Gulf Coast. The 
system has <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2022/12/13/keystone-pipeline-has-history-of-spills-warnings-and-fines-kansas-spill-is-largest-yet/" target="_blank">spilled numerous times</a>, but the rupture in Kansas that released an estimated 588,000 gallons of tar sands crude oil was the biggest spill to date.

A wide array of government agencies responds to inland oil spills.

At least two Kansas agencies say they can get TC Energy to reimburse for their efforts responding to the spill.

<a href="https://www.ksrevisor.org/statutes/chapters/ch65/065_001_0071v.html" target="_blank">By state law</a>,
 TC Energy must repay the Kansas Department of Health and Environment. 
If the company fails to pay, the same law instructs the attorney general
 to sue.

The Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks said it, too,
 will recuperate its costs. The agency is tracking staff time, mileage 
and equipment.

The federal government, meanwhile, could rack up 
costs not just through the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, but 
also for support from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the U.S. Army 
Corps of Engineers, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration,
 the U.S. Department of Transportation and more.

Some of that spending of tax dollars will get repaid.

This month, TC Energy agreed to an EPA order that binds the company 
to reimburse direct and indirect costs within 30 days of being billed.

That
 includes, for example, the federal government monitoring TC Energy 
workers and contractors pulling oil from the creek. And the 
reimbursement order applies retroactively to costs dating back to the 
spill more than a month ago.

But other federal activities fall outside the order — such as sending pipeline safety enforcers to Washington County.

USDOT’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration said it doesn’t have the authority to seek reimbursement.

The
 county has already submitted documentation of its costs to the company,
 Hubbard said. (The Kansas News Service has filed a public information 
request for the records.)

County emergency workers provided boots on the ground critical to a swift response.

At
 about 12:30 a.m. on Dec. 8, TC Energy called in a possible leak to a 
federal hotline for oil spills. By about 1:30 a.m., Hubbard and the 
county’s road supervisor got involved. The county worked with the 
company to dam Mill Creek, where thousands of barrels of oil were 
sliding downstream.

“A better part of the first day was spent 
building this dam,” Hubbard said in an email. “Additionally, our Road 
and Bridge crew spent a better part of the first 2 days putting down 
rock and prepping/grooming roads in the immediate area to better support
 the anticipated arrival of heavy equipment for the response.”

Hubbard
 praised TC Energy’s efforts, saying he had witnessed its commitment to 
remediating the area, keeping workers safe and communicating with 
landowners.

“TC Energy has been great to work with throughout the 
entirety of this unfortunate event,” he said. “Additionally, TC Energy 
has used, and continues to use local contractors whenever possible.”

The
 company announced it would donate $7,500 to equip local emergency 
responders with better mobile and radio equipment. It also said it would
 match donations made by the public to Washington County Hospital.

1.
 State environment officials are now finding less benzene and other 
chemicals downstream from the four-mile stretch of creek that TC Energy 
isolated last week.

That stretch had already been dammed to 
hold back floating oil but water continued to flow downstream beneath 
the surface. As of last week, TC Energy is temporarily diverting water 
from upstream of the spill, allowing it to bypass and seal off four 
miles of stream while the cleanup continues.

This week, the state 
announced that contamination is decreasing downstream in Mill Creek and 
the river it feeds into, the Little Blue. However, it says people 
shouldn’t touch Mill Creek anywhere downstream of the spill site. They 
should keep their pets and livestock away, too.

The Kansas News Service has asked the state for the results of weekly water sampling.

Families
 who rely on private wells in the area or who use water from Mill Creek 
or the Little Blue for livestock and ponds can ask TC Energy to test 
their water. (Email public_affairs_us@tcenergy.com or call 
1-855-920-4697.)

2. Oil-soaked animals get treated at a rehabilitation shelter.

“This
 area is heated, covered, protected, and staffed by a team of wildlife 
rehabilitation professionals and biologists,” a spokesman for the EPA 
said by email. “The lead in this response has over 20 years of 
experience in wildlife rehabilitation and oiled wildlife response.”

Reporters
 have not been allowed to visit the spill site or the animal 
rehabilitation shelter, or interview the Fish and Wildlife Service, 
which works on wildlife matters at the site.

The total number of dead animals isn’t clear, but includes at least one beaver that succumbed despite attempts to treat it.

Scores
 of fish died, even though oil spills in water bodies generally don’t 
take the same toll on fish as they do on turtles, birds and mammals that
 penetrate the oil slick to enter and leave the water. Scientists say 
the impact on fish increases when oil spills happen in <a href="https://response.restoration.noaa.gov/oil-and-chemical-spills/oil-spills/how-oil-spills-affect-fish-and-whales.html" target="_blank">shallow water</a>.

3.
 Neither the state nor the federal government have released photos of 
injured, dead or rehabilitated animals that the Kansas News Service has 
asked for. Kansas says it is withholding the photos because it is 
investigating the oil spill.

4. TC Oil signed a consent order this month with the EPA that requires it to clean up Mill Creek and its banks.

The
 company has to recover the spilled oil from the creek and its banks, 
and remove contaminated soil and plants that could lead to more 
chemicals reaching the water.

This oil recovery has to continue until the EPA and Natural Resource Trustee Agencies agree the company is finished.

TC Energy also has to monitor for contamination downstream, but the order doesn’t specify what methods it should use. <a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2022-12-15/not-just-any-oil-spill-the-keystone-pipeline-dumped-notoriously-hard-to-clean-dilbit-in-kansas" target="_blank">The Keystone spilled dilbit</a>
 in Kansas, a special product from the Canadian tar sands that doesn’t 
behave like traditional crude oil. A National Academies of Sciences 
study found little in the way of reliable options to detect dilbit once 
it begins moving below the surface in moving water.

The federal 
consent order makes no mention of special requirements related to 
cleaning up dilbit, though top scientists have urged the federal 
government to change its policies and procedures to distinguish dilbit 
spills from regular crude oil spills.

5. It's unclear whether the federal government considers the consent order to apply to the entire spill site.

When
 the pipeline burst, it spewed crude oil into the air that splattered 
across acres of agricultural land, in addition to the oil that poured 
into the creek.

The Kansas News Service asked whether the EPA’s 
consent order applies to all land affected by the spill, not just the 
creek and its banks.

The EPA replied: “The current order is issued
 pursuant to the Clean Water Act. It requires the Respondent to conduct 
removal actions to abate and mitigate the imminent and substantial 
threat to Mill Creek and adjoining shorelines that is presented by the 
discharge of oil from the ruptured pipeline.”

But the EPA added that it “continues to coordinate with KDHE on a comprehensive cleanup strategy.”

The EPA also says KDHE may require TC Energy to perform work “that is beyond EPA’s Clean Water Act authority.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/1/1673624080128.png" alt="Crews work on oil recovery at Mill Creek on Dec. 28, 2022. EPA" />
 <figcaption>Crews work on oil recovery at Mill Creek on Dec. 28, 2022. EPA</figcaption>
 </figure>By CELIA LLOPIS-JEPSEN <a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2023-01-13/the-keystone-operator-must-repay-some-not-all-of-the-tax-dollars-spent-on-its-kansas-oil-spill">Kansas News Service</a>When the Keystone pipeline burst in rural Kansas last month, county workers rushed to build an emergency dam on Mill Creek.Meanwhile, federal agencies dispatched pipeline and environmental experts to the scene.And the state set about sampling water and searching for injured animals.All
 of this costs taxpayers — from transporting and housing workers to 
cladding them in waders that require special disposal because the gear 
becomes permanently contaminated.TC Energy, the Canadian company 
behind the spill, will have to repay some, but not all, of the public 
money spent on handling it.This week, several government agencies expressed confidence that they will ultimately recover their expenses.In the case of the federal and state governments, laws and binding orders apply.Washington
 County emergency manager Randy Hubbard said that he isn’t aware of any 
laws that require TC Energy to reimburse a local government, but the 
company has vowed to do so.“From day one TC Energy has been very 
adamant and forthcoming about offering to cover any County related 
expenses,” he said in an email, “including but not limited to labor, 
resources or materials.”TC Energy reported an annual revenue of more than $13.3 billion and a net income of more than $2 billion in its most recent <a href="https://www.tcenergy.com/siteassets/pdfs/investors/reports-and-filings/annual-and-quarterly-reports/2021/tc-2021-annual-report.pdf" target="_blank">yearly report</a>.The
 Keystone is the company’s biggest pipeline system for oil and carries 
crude from Canada to refineries in the Midwest and the Gulf Coast. The 
system has <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2022/12/13/keystone-pipeline-has-history-of-spills-warnings-and-fines-kansas-spill-is-largest-yet/" target="_blank">spilled numerous times</a>, but the rupture in Kansas that released an estimated 588,000 gallons of tar sands crude oil was the biggest spill to date.<h2>State and federal expenses</h2>A wide array of government agencies responds to inland oil spills.At least two Kansas agencies say they can get TC Energy to reimburse for their efforts responding to the spill.<a href="https://www.ksrevisor.org/statutes/chapters/ch65/065_001_0071v.html" target="_blank">By state law</a>,
 TC Energy must repay the Kansas Department of Health and Environment. 
If the company fails to pay, the same law instructs the attorney general
 to sue.The Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks said it, too,
 will recuperate its costs. The agency is tracking staff time, mileage 
and equipment.The federal government, meanwhile, could rack up 
costs not just through the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, but 
also for support from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the U.S. Army 
Corps of Engineers, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration,
 the U.S. Department of Transportation and more.Some of that spending of tax dollars will get repaid.This month, TC Energy agreed to an EPA order that binds the company 
to reimburse direct and indirect costs within 30 days of being billed.That
 includes, for example, the federal government monitoring TC Energy 
workers and contractors pulling oil from the creek. And the 
reimbursement order applies retroactively to costs dating back to the 
spill more than a month ago.But other federal activities fall outside the order — such as sending pipeline safety enforcers to Washington County.USDOT’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration said it doesn’t have the authority to seek reimbursement.<h2>County government expenses</h2>The
 county has already submitted documentation of its costs to the company,
 Hubbard said. (The Kansas News Service has filed a public information 
request for the records.)County emergency workers provided boots on the ground critical to a swift response.At
 about 12:30 a.m. on Dec. 8, TC Energy called in a possible leak to a 
federal hotline for oil spills. By about 1:30 a.m., Hubbard and the 
county’s road supervisor got involved. The county worked with the 
company to dam Mill Creek, where thousands of barrels of oil were 
sliding downstream.“A better part of the first day was spent 
building this dam,” Hubbard said in an email. “Additionally, our Road 
and Bridge crew spent a better part of the first 2 days putting down 
rock and prepping/grooming roads in the immediate area to better support
 the anticipated arrival of heavy equipment for the response.”Hubbard
 praised TC Energy’s efforts, saying he had witnessed its commitment to 
remediating the area, keeping workers safe and communicating with 
landowners.“TC Energy has been great to work with throughout the 
entirety of this unfortunate event,” he said. “Additionally, TC Energy 
has used, and continues to use local contractors whenever possible.”The
 company announced it would donate $7,500 to equip local emergency 
responders with better mobile and radio equipment. It also said it would
 match donations made by the public to Washington County Hospital.<h2>More about the oil spill</h2>Here are more details about the spill.1.
 State environment officials are now finding less benzene and other 
chemicals downstream from the four-mile stretch of creek that TC Energy 
isolated last week.That stretch had already been dammed to 
hold back floating oil but water continued to flow downstream beneath 
the surface. As of last week, TC Energy is temporarily diverting water 
from upstream of the spill, allowing it to bypass and seal off four 
miles of stream while the cleanup continues.This week, the state 
announced that contamination is decreasing downstream in Mill Creek and 
the river it feeds into, the Little Blue. However, it says people 
shouldn’t touch Mill Creek anywhere downstream of the spill site. They 
should keep their pets and livestock away, too.The Kansas News Service has asked the state for the results of weekly water sampling.Families
 who rely on private wells in the area or who use water from Mill Creek 
or the Little Blue for livestock and ponds can ask TC Energy to test 
their water. (Email public_affairs_us@tcenergy.com or call 
1-855-920-4697.)<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/1/1673624165345.png" alt="This map shows where TC Energy will divert Mill Creek to avoid a four-mile stretch that needs intensive cleanup. TC Energy" />
 <figcaption>This map shows where TC Energy will divert Mill Creek to avoid a four-mile stretch that needs intensive cleanup. TC Energy</figcaption>
 </figure>2. Oil-soaked animals get treated at a rehabilitation shelter.“This
 area is heated, covered, protected, and staffed by a team of wildlife 
rehabilitation professionals and biologists,” a spokesman for the EPA 
said by email. “The lead in this response has over 20 years of 
experience in wildlife rehabilitation and oiled wildlife response.”Reporters
 have not been allowed to visit the spill site or the animal 
rehabilitation shelter, or interview the Fish and Wildlife Service, 
which works on wildlife matters at the site.The total number of dead animals isn’t clear, but includes at least one beaver that succumbed despite attempts to treat it.Scores
 of fish died, even though oil spills in water bodies generally don’t 
take the same toll on fish as they do on turtles, birds and mammals that
 penetrate the oil slick to enter and leave the water. Scientists say 
the impact on fish increases when oil spills happen in <a href="https://response.restoration.noaa.gov/oil-and-chemical-spills/oil-spills/how-oil-spills-affect-fish-and-whales.html" target="_blank">shallow water</a>.3.
 Neither the state nor the federal government have released photos of 
injured, dead or rehabilitated animals that the Kansas News Service has 
asked for. Kansas says it is withholding the photos because it is 
investigating the oil spill.4. TC Oil signed a consent order this month with the EPA that requires it to clean up Mill Creek and its banks.The
 company has to recover the spilled oil from the creek and its banks, 
and remove contaminated soil and plants that could lead to more 
chemicals reaching the water.This oil recovery has to continue until the EPA and Natural Resource Trustee Agencies agree the company is finished.TC Energy also has to monitor for contamination downstream, but the order doesn’t specify what methods it should use. <a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2022-12-15/not-just-any-oil-spill-the-keystone-pipeline-dumped-notoriously-hard-to-clean-dilbit-in-kansas" target="_blank">The Keystone spilled dilbit</a>
 in Kansas, a special product from the Canadian tar sands that doesn’t 
behave like traditional crude oil. A National Academies of Sciences 
study found little in the way of reliable options to detect dilbit once 
it begins moving below the surface in moving water.The federal 
consent order makes no mention of special requirements related to 
cleaning up dilbit, though top scientists have urged the federal 
government to change its policies and procedures to distinguish dilbit 
spills from regular crude oil spills.5. It's unclear whether the federal government considers the consent order to apply to the entire spill site.When
 the pipeline burst, it spewed crude oil into the air that splattered 
across acres of agricultural land, in addition to the oil that poured 
into the creek.The Kansas News Service asked whether the EPA’s 
consent order applies to all land affected by the spill, not just the 
creek and its banks.The EPA replied: “The current order is issued
 pursuant to the Clean Water Act. It requires the Respondent to conduct 
removal actions to abate and mitigate the imminent and substantial 
threat to Mill Creek and adjoining shorelines that is presented by the 
discharge of oil from the ruptured pipeline.”But the EPA added that it “continues to coordinate with KDHE on a comprehensive cleanup strategy.”The EPA also says KDHE may require TC Energy to perform work “that is beyond EPA’s Clean Water Act authority.”

Keystone operator must repay some, not all, tax dollars spent on oil spill

JOHNSON COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a potential road-rage death on a Kansas highway.

Just before 6a.m. Thursday, police responded to the report of a single vehicle off the roadway on southbound Interstate 435 highway at the K-10 highway interchange, according to a media release.

First responders found a white Jeep Grand Cherokee that crashed into a light pole in the ditch. The driver and sole occupant of the Jeep, an adult male, was dead inside the vehicle.

Just after 6a.m., the Kansas Highway Patrol responded to work the crash. It was later determined that the man inside the vehicle had sustained a gunshot wound. 

The Lenexa Police Department continues conducting a death investigation to include the circumstances leading up to this incident. Police have not released the identity of the driver.

Anyone who may have information about this incident, including any possible road rage behaviors observed between a white Jeep Grand Cherokee and another vehicle on southbound I-435 highway at around 5:45 A.M. Thursday is asked to call the Lenexa Police Department at 913-825-8040 or the KC Crimestoppers TIPS Hotline at 816-474-TIPS (8477).

Southbound I-435 was shut down from 87th Street to K-10&nbsp; during the investigation.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/1/1673621539075.png" alt="Southbound I-435 was shut down from 87th Street to K-10 during the investigation-photo courtesy KCTV" />
 <figcaption>Southbound I-435 was shut down from 87th Street to K-10 during the investigation-photo courtesy KCTV</figcaption>
 </figure>JOHNSON COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a potential road-rage death on a Kansas highway.Just before 6a.m. Thursday, police responded to the report of a single vehicle off the roadway on southbound Interstate 435 highway at the K-10 highway interchange, according to a media release.First responders found a white Jeep Grand Cherokee that crashed into a light pole in the ditch. The driver and sole occupant of the Jeep, an adult male, was dead inside the vehicle.Just after 6a.m., the Kansas Highway Patrol responded to work the crash. It was later determined that the man inside the vehicle had sustained a gunshot wound. The Lenexa Police Department continues conducting a death investigation to include the circumstances leading up to this incident. Police have not released the identity of the driver.Anyone who may have information about this incident, including any possible road rage behaviors observed between a white Jeep Grand Cherokee and another vehicle on southbound I-435 highway at around 5:45 A.M. Thursday is asked to call the Lenexa Police Department at 913-825-8040 or the KC Crimestoppers TIPS Hotline at 816-474-TIPS (8477).Southbound I-435 was shut down from 87th Street to K-10&nbsp; during the investigation.

Police: Driver who died in Kan. crash had gunshot wound

CYRIL, Oklahoma (AP) — Oklahoma authorities searching for a missing 4-year-old girl say they have arrested a caretaker of the child for investigation of child neglect.

Alysia Adams, 31, was arrested at the Grady County Sheriff’s Office and booked into jail in Caddo County on two counts of child neglect, the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation&nbsp;<a href="https://nixle.us/E7FY5" target="_blank">said in a statement late Thursday</a>.

The bureau said the arrest is related to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/oklahoma-city-1b331093878a39b70fccfdc6ba2e47dc">the ongoing search for Athena Brownfield</a>, who was first reported missing on Tuesday from her home in Cyril, about 70 miles southwest of Oklahoma City.

A postal carrier found Athena’s 5-year-old sister wandering alone outside Adams’ home on Monday afternoon and alerted Cyril police. Authorities later determined Athena was missing. The girls were in the care of Adams and her husband, and Athena’s sister was taken into protective custody, the bureau said Wednesday.

The bureau released no additional information about Adams’ arrest, and it was not immediately known if she had an attorney who could comment for her.

Authorities said they believe Athena was wearing a hoodie with a butterfly design when she went missing.

The bureau said it was working with other law enforcement agencies and volunteers in the search, which included using a helicopter and a specially trained ground team as well as reviewing surveillace video from around Cyril. It said agents were following up on tips coming from Oklahoma and other states.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/1/1673617381405.png" alt="Adams-photo Caddo County" />
 <figcaption>Adams-photo Caddo County</figcaption>
 </figure>CYRIL, Oklahoma (AP) — Oklahoma authorities searching for a missing 4-year-old girl say they have arrested a caretaker of the child for investigation of child neglect.Alysia Adams, 31, was arrested at the Grady County Sheriff’s Office and booked into jail in Caddo County on two counts of child neglect, the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation&nbsp;<a href="https://nixle.us/E7FY5" target="_blank">said in a statement late Thursday</a>.The bureau said the arrest is related to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/oklahoma-city-1b331093878a39b70fccfdc6ba2e47dc">the ongoing search for Athena Brownfield</a>, who was first reported missing on Tuesday from her home in Cyril, about 70 miles southwest of Oklahoma City.A postal carrier found Athena’s 5-year-old sister wandering alone outside Adams’ home on Monday afternoon and alerted Cyril police. Authorities later determined Athena was missing. The girls were in the care of Adams and her husband, and Athena’s sister was taken into protective custody, the bureau said Wednesday.The bureau released no additional information about Adams’ arrest, and it was not immediately known if she had an attorney who could comment for her.Authorities said they believe Athena was wearing a hoodie with a butterfly design when she went missing.The bureau said it was working with other law enforcement agencies and volunteers in the search, which included using a helicopter and a specially trained ground team as well as reviewing surveillace video from around Cyril. It said agents were following up on tips coming from Oklahoma and other states.

Caretaker arrested, search for missing Okla. toddler continues

OSAGE COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a burglary that occurred at the Santa Fe Trail High School, 15701 S. California Road in Carbondale during the early Thursday morning, according to Sheriff Chris Wells.&nbsp;

USD 434 dismissed high school students early Thursday to allow deputies to investigate. The high school will resume classes on Friday.

The Osage County Sheriff’s Office ask that anyone with information please contact the Osage County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigations Unit at 785-828-3121, email tips@oscosheriff.org, or to remain anonymous contact Osage County Crime Stoppers at (877) OSCRIME.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/1/1673573355483.png" alt="Security camera image Osage Co. Sheriff" />
 <figcaption>Security camera image Osage Co. Sheriff</figcaption>
 </figure>OSAGE COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a burglary that occurred at the Santa Fe Trail High School, 15701 S. California Road in Carbondale during the early Thursday morning, according to Sheriff Chris Wells.&nbsp;USD 434 dismissed high school students early Thursday to allow deputies to investigate. The high school will resume classes on Friday.The Osage County Sheriff’s Office ask that anyone with information please contact the Osage County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigations Unit at 785-828-3121, email tips@oscosheriff.org, or to remain anonymous contact Osage County Crime Stoppers at (877) OSCRIME.

Kan. school district dismissed students early following burglary

BUTLER COUNTY—Two people died in an accident just after 7:30p.m. Thursday in Butler County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2009 Toyota Prius driven by Bradley&nbsp;Condit, 35, Andover, was southbound on Southwest Butler Road one mile west of Benton. The driver failed to yield right of way the intersection of Kansas 254.

A westbound 2001 Ford F150 driven b Scott H. Henning, 43, Benton, struck the Prius on the driver's side. Both vehicles left the roadway and entered the center median.

EMS transported Condit to Kansas Medical Center in Andover where he died. EMS transported Henning and a passenger in the Prius identified as Ronald D. Condit, 61, Wichita, to Wesley Medical Center where Condit died. None of those involved were wearing seat belts, according to the KHP.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/1/1673579752155.png" alt="First responders on the scene of the fatal crash-photo courtesy KWCH" />
 <figcaption>First responders on the scene of the fatal crash-photo courtesy KWCH</figcaption>
 </figure>BUTLER COUNTY—Two people died in an accident just after 7:30p.m. Thursday in Butler County.The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2009 Toyota Prius driven by Bradley&nbsp;Condit, 35, Andover, was southbound on Southwest Butler Road one mile west of Benton. The driver failed to yield right of way the intersection of Kansas 254.A westbound 2001 Ford F150 driven b Scott H. Henning, 43, Benton, struck the Prius on the driver's side. Both vehicles left the roadway and entered the center median.EMS transported Condit to Kansas Medical Center in Andover where he died. EMS transported Henning and a passenger in the Prius identified as Ronald D. Condit, 61, Wichita, to Wesley Medical Center where Condit died. None of those involved were wearing seat belts, according to the KHP.

2 Kansas men dead, 1 seriously injured after 2-vehicle crash 

CASS COUNTY —The search for one of two inmates who escaped Dec. 12 from&nbsp;the jail in Cass County, Missouri south of Kansas City continues.

Authorities took 33-year-0ld Trevor Sparks of Kansas City into custody Dec. 30, in the 400 Block of Olive Street, according to the FBI.

The U.S. Marshals Service continues to offer a reward of up to $5,000 for information that leads directly to the capture of 43-year-old Sergio Perez- Martinez of Panorama City, Calif.&nbsp; The FBI is also offering $10k for anyone who can provide information leading to his capture.&nbsp;

Perez Mertinez&nbsp; was being held for possession of dangerous drugs. Sparks was jailed on money laundering charges, according to the Cass County sheriff's office.

A third individual, Steven Lydell Williams, Sr., 64, Kansas City, has been charged&nbsp; with aiding or assisting in the escape.

Anyone with any information is urged to contact the Cass County Sheriff’s Office at (816) 380-5200, or call 911.&nbsp; Submit a tip to the Marshals<a href="https://www.usmarshals.gov/tips/index.htm?fbclid=IwAR2np8V0SoqQyr6Znkz_ykiw2FsK7SY3PkQN_uuUCJz41bCD_XDGusIXZJw"> here</a>&nbsp; or contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI or online at <a href="https://t.co/49eEgggFOb" target="_blank">http://tips.fbi.gov</a>.&nbsp;&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/12/1670539649262.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>CASS COUNTY —The search for one of two inmates who escaped Dec. 12 from&nbsp;the jail in Cass County, Missouri south of Kansas City continues.Authorities took 33-year-0ld Trevor Sparks of Kansas City into custody Dec. 30, in the 400 Block of Olive Street, according to the FBI.The U.S. Marshals Service continues to offer a reward of up to $5,000 for information that leads directly to the capture of 43-year-old Sergio Perez- Martinez of Panorama City, Calif.&nbsp; The FBI is also offering $10k for anyone who can provide information leading to his capture.&nbsp;Perez Mertinez&nbsp; was being held for possession of dangerous drugs. Sparks was jailed on money laundering charges, according to the Cass County sheriff's office.A third individual, Steven Lydell Williams, Sr., 64, Kansas City, has been charged&nbsp; with aiding or assisting in the escape. Anyone with any information is urged to contact the Cass County Sheriff’s Office at (816) 380-5200, or call 911.&nbsp; Submit a tip to the Marshals<a href="https://www.usmarshals.gov/tips/index.htm?fbclid=IwAR2np8V0SoqQyr6Znkz_ykiw2FsK7SY3PkQN_uuUCJz41bCD_XDGusIXZJw"> here</a>&nbsp; or contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI or online at <a href="https://t.co/49eEgggFOb" target="_blank">http://tips.fbi.gov</a>.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Search continues for inmate who escaped jail near Kansas City

KANSAS CITY (AP) —U.S. air travel returned mostly to normal Thursday, a day after a computer system that sends safety information to pilots broke down and grounded traffic from coast to coast.

By midafternoon on the East Coast, about 150 flights had been canceled and more than 3,700 delayed — much lower figures than on Wednesday, when more than 1,300 flights were scrubbed and 11,000 delayed.

Attention turned to the federal agency where the technology failure apparently started hours before it inconvenienced more than 1 million travelers.

The Federal Aviation Administration said a damaged database file appeared to have caused the outage in the safety-alert system. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg promised a thorough examination to avoid another major failure.

“Our immediate focus is technical — understanding exactly how this happened, why the redundancies and the backups that were build into the system were not able to prevent the level of disruption that we saw,” Buttigieg told reporters.

Buttigieg said there was no indication that the outage was caused by a cyberattack but that officials would not rule that out until they know more.

The FAA said late Thursday that a preliminary analysis showed the breakdown came after “a data file was damaged by personnel who failed to follow procedures.”

The massive disruption was the latest black eye for the agency, which has traded blame with airlines over who has inconvenienced passengers more. Critics, including airline and tourism leaders, say agency technology is underfunded.

“Investment is going to be required, no doubt,” American Airlines CEO Robert Isom told CNBC. “It’s going to be billions of dollars, and it’s not something that is done overnight.”

United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby has been critical of the FAA on a variety of issues, including staffing of air traffic controllers. He says the agency makes “a heroic effort” and does well most of the time but can be overwhelmed during busy travel times.

“They need more investment for technology,” Kirby said at a U.S. Chamber of Commerce event in September. “They have been saying it."

Rep. Rick Larsen of Washington state, the top Democrat on a House aviation subcommittee, said the outage shows the weakness of the FAA's technology and that the agency needs to make significant improvements.

“It's one thing to get things up and going on the old software,” Larsen said in an interview. “It's another thing to invest in the new software platforms that are necessary to ensure this doesn't happen again.”

Mike McCormick, a former FAA manager of airspace security who retired in 2017 after about 35 years at the agency, was more confident in FAA technology. He said the agency modernized computer systems over the past 15 years and is 95% up to date, having upgraded to next-generation satellite-based systems for navigation, flight tracking and communication.

“Software, hardware, the final upgrades, were completed in the last three years, so now they’re actually working on the next generation beyond that and the enhancements to the systems,” said McCormick, who now teaches air-traffic management at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.

The system that generates&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/science-federal-aviation-administration-business-9e277db75130cc7e4d4b6c6a7bdaad7c">NOTAMs — or Notice to Air Missions</a>&nbsp;— also was upgraded, but the outage happened as an engineer was working on the main system and the database somehow became corrupted, McCormick said, citing conversations with people at the FAA.

When they switched to the backup system, its database also was corrupted, McCormick said. The system then had to be rebooted.

“Things can still go wrong,” McCormick said. “You can still have human error, you can still have procedural errors, you can still have technological errors.”

Michael Huerta, FAA administrator from 2013 to 2018, said the systems need to be updated constantly to keep up with technology. Nothing in the FAA system is so old that it's in danger of failing, he said, especially the system that tracks and communicates with planes.

“The public should definitely be confident that the air traffic control system is safe,” he said.

But the NOTAM system is about a decade old when systems reach the point where vendors don't support it or the platform that it runs on has been upgraded.

“It's not a one-and-done type of event,” he said. “It's not very many years that go by before you have to upgrade it.”

The outage came at a bad time for both the FAA and Buttigieg.

The FAA is trying to repair its reputation after being widely criticized for the way it approved the Boeing 737 Max without fully understanding a flight-control system that malfunctioned and played a key role in two crashes that killed 346 people. The agency took a more hands-on approach when considering — and eventually improving — changes that Boeing made to get the plane back in the air.

The meltdown at an agency overseen by the Transportation Department could also undercut Buttigieg’s moral authority to chastise airlines when they cancel or delay flights. He has gone after the airlines since last summer, most recently over disruptions at Southwest Airlines.

Wednesday's breakdown showed how much American air travel depends on the computer system that generates NOTAMs.

Before a plane takes off, pilots and airline dispatchers must review the notices, which include details about weather, runway closures or other temporary factors that could affect the flight. The system was once telephone-based but moved online years ago.

Buttigieg said when the system broke down Tuesday night, a backup system went into effect. The FAA tried a complete reboot of the main system Wednesday morning, but that failed, leading the FAA to take the rare step of preventing planes from taking off.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/3/1647058235139.png" alt="The Federal Aviation Administration said a damaged database file appeared to have caused the outage in the safety-alert system." />
 <figcaption>The Federal Aviation Administration said a damaged database file appeared to have caused the outage in the safety-alert system.</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY (AP) —U.S. air travel returned mostly to normal Thursday, a day after a computer system that sends safety information to pilots broke down and grounded traffic from coast to coast.By midafternoon on the East Coast, about 150 flights had been canceled and more than 3,700 delayed — much lower figures than on Wednesday, when more than 1,300 flights were scrubbed and 11,000 delayed.Attention turned to the federal agency where the technology failure apparently started hours before it inconvenienced more than 1 million travelers.The Federal Aviation Administration said a damaged database file appeared to have caused the outage in the safety-alert system. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg promised a thorough examination to avoid another major failure.“Our immediate focus is technical — understanding exactly how this happened, why the redundancies and the backups that were build into the system were not able to prevent the level of disruption that we saw,” Buttigieg told reporters.Buttigieg said there was no indication that the outage was caused by a cyberattack but that officials would not rule that out until they know more.The FAA said late Thursday that a preliminary analysis showed the breakdown came after “a data file was damaged by personnel who failed to follow procedures.”The massive disruption was the latest black eye for the agency, which has traded blame with airlines over who has inconvenienced passengers more. Critics, including airline and tourism leaders, say agency technology is underfunded.“Investment is going to be required, no doubt,” American Airlines CEO Robert Isom told CNBC. “It’s going to be billions of dollars, and it’s not something that is done overnight.”United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby has been critical of the FAA on a variety of issues, including staffing of air traffic controllers. He says the agency makes “a heroic effort” and does well most of the time but can be overwhelmed during busy travel times.“They need more investment for technology,” Kirby said at a U.S. Chamber of Commerce event in September. “They have been saying it."Rep. Rick Larsen of Washington state, the top Democrat on a House aviation subcommittee, said the outage shows the weakness of the FAA's technology and that the agency needs to make significant improvements.“It's one thing to get things up and going on the old software,” Larsen said in an interview. “It's another thing to invest in the new software platforms that are necessary to ensure this doesn't happen again.”Mike McCormick, a former FAA manager of airspace security who retired in 2017 after about 35 years at the agency, was more confident in FAA technology. He said the agency modernized computer systems over the past 15 years and is 95% up to date, having upgraded to next-generation satellite-based systems for navigation, flight tracking and communication.“Software, hardware, the final upgrades, were completed in the last three years, so now they’re actually working on the next generation beyond that and the enhancements to the systems,” said McCormick, who now teaches air-traffic management at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.The system that generates&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/science-federal-aviation-administration-business-9e277db75130cc7e4d4b6c6a7bdaad7c">NOTAMs — or Notice to Air Missions</a>&nbsp;— also was upgraded, but the outage happened as an engineer was working on the main system and the database somehow became corrupted, McCormick said, citing conversations with people at the FAA.When they switched to the backup system, its database also was corrupted, McCormick said. The system then had to be rebooted.“Things can still go wrong,” McCormick said. “You can still have human error, you can still have procedural errors, you can still have technological errors.”Michael Huerta, FAA administrator from 2013 to 2018, said the systems need to be updated constantly to keep up with technology. Nothing in the FAA system is so old that it's in danger of failing, he said, especially the system that tracks and communicates with planes.“The public should definitely be confident that the air traffic control system is safe,” he said.But the NOTAM system is about a decade old when systems reach the point where vendors don't support it or the platform that it runs on has been upgraded.“It's not a one-and-done type of event,” he said. “It's not very many years that go by before you have to upgrade it.”The outage came at a bad time for both the FAA and Buttigieg.The FAA is trying to repair its reputation after being widely criticized for the way it approved the Boeing 737 Max without fully understanding a flight-control system that malfunctioned and played a key role in two crashes that killed 346 people. The agency took a more hands-on approach when considering — and eventually improving — changes that Boeing made to get the plane back in the air.The meltdown at an agency overseen by the Transportation Department could also undercut Buttigieg’s moral authority to chastise airlines when they cancel or delay flights. He has gone after the airlines since last summer, most recently over disruptions at Southwest Airlines.Wednesday's breakdown showed how much American air travel depends on the computer system that generates NOTAMs.Before a plane takes off, pilots and airline dispatchers must review the notices, which include details about weather, runway closures or other temporary factors that could affect the flight. The system was once telephone-based but moved online years ago.Buttigieg said when the system broke down Tuesday night, a backup system went into effect. The FAA tried a complete reboot of the main system Wednesday morning, but that failed, leading the FAA to take the rare step of preventing planes from taking off.-------

US air travel returns to normal after technology breakdown

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Mega Millions players will have another chance Friday night to end months of losing and finally win a jackpot that has grown to $1.35 billion.

Plenty of people have won smaller prizes in the lottery game, but no one has matched all six numbers and won the grand prize since Oct. 14. Those 25 straight drawings without a winner have allowed the top prize to roll over and grow larger for three months.

It's now the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/california-lotteries-490f479fa200c10ceb97547b648f9483">fourth-largest lottery prize</a>&nbsp;in U.S. history. If there isn't a winner Friday night, the jackpot will inch closer to the record&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/lotteries-iowa-36ef3aefbbc37a15e1c5f172129fa6a6">$2.04 billion Powerball prize</a>&nbsp;won last November in California.

The long stretch without a Mega Millions jackpot winner is because of the game’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/iowa-6bdd1553e09dd6b8bb947b5a37e4c8fc">steep odds of 1 in 302.6 million</a>.

The $1.35 billion prize is for a winner who&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/powerball-jackpot-annuity-vs-cash-0e741f164106c0f4dba89707c5763c99">chooses an annuity</a>&nbsp;with annual payments over 29 years. Winners almost always take the cash option, which for Friday night’s drawing would be an estimated $707.9 million.

Mega Millions is played in 45 states as well as in Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Mega Millions players will have another chance Friday night to end months of losing and finally win a jackpot that has grown to $1.35 billion.Plenty of people have won smaller prizes in the lottery game, but no one has matched all six numbers and won the grand prize since Oct. 14. Those 25 straight drawings without a winner have allowed the top prize to roll over and grow larger for three months.It's now the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/california-lotteries-490f479fa200c10ceb97547b648f9483">fourth-largest lottery prize</a>&nbsp;in U.S. history. If there isn't a winner Friday night, the jackpot will inch closer to the record&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/lotteries-iowa-36ef3aefbbc37a15e1c5f172129fa6a6">$2.04 billion Powerball prize</a>&nbsp;won last November in California.The long stretch without a Mega Millions jackpot winner is because of the game’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/iowa-6bdd1553e09dd6b8bb947b5a37e4c8fc">steep odds of 1 in 302.6 million</a>.The $1.35 billion prize is for a winner who&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/powerball-jackpot-annuity-vs-cash-0e741f164106c0f4dba89707c5763c99">chooses an annuity</a>&nbsp;with annual payments over 29 years. Winners almost always take the cash option, which for Friday night’s drawing would be an estimated $707.9 million.Mega Millions is played in 45 states as well as in Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

$1.35B Mega Millions prize drawing set for Friday night

WEST HILLS, Calif. (AP) —Lisa Marie Presley, the only child of Elvis Presley and a singer-songwriter dedicated to her father’s legacy, died Thursday after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/health-lisa-marie-presley-priscilla-elvis-los-angeles-4cbc26cfe1a7bf0b41f21f0f0f6c677b?utm_source=homepage&amp;utm_medium=TopNews&amp;utm_campaign=position_02">being hospitalized for a medical emergency</a>. She was 54.

Her death in a Los Angeles hospital was confirmed by her mother, Priscilla, a few hours after her daughter was rushed to the hospital after having a medical emergency at home.

“It is with a heavy heart that I must share the devastating news that my beautiful daughter Lisa Marie has left us,” Priscilla Presley said in a statement. “She was the most passionate, strong and loving woman I have ever known.”

Presley, the only child of Elvis and Priscilla Presley, shared her father's brooding charisma — the hooded eyes, the insolent smile, the low, sultry voice — and followed him professionally, releasing her own rock albums in the 2000s, and appearing on stage with Pat Benatar and Richard Hawley among others.

She even formed direct musical ties with her father, joining her voice to such Elvis recordings as “In the Ghetto" and “Don't Cry Daddy," a mournful ballad which had reminded him of the early death of his mother (and Lisa Marie's grandmother), Gladys Presley.

“It’s been all my life," she told The Associated Press in 2012, speaking of her father's influence. “It’s not something that I now listen to and it’s different. Although I might listen closer. I remain consistent on the fact that I’ve always been an admirer. He’s always influenced me.”

Her birth, nine months exactly after her parents' wedding, was international news and her background was rarely far from her mind. With the release last year of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/cannes-film-festival-politics-entertainment-travel-f0701fa8575090d933af97a35df759d2">Baz Luhrmann's</a>&nbsp;major&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/elvis-movie-review-b18e59c1b13c603e0fdd55adcea53f4d">musical feature “Elvis,”</a>&nbsp;Lisa Marie and Priscilla Presley had been attending red carpets and award shows alongside stars from the film.

She was at the Golden Globes on Tuesday, on hand to celebrate&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/0bdb61563b5b4e74a6503baa08f6124a">Austin Butler's award</a>&nbsp;for playing her father. Just days before, she was in Memphis at Graceland — the mansion where Elvis lived, and died — on Jan. 8 to celebrate her father's birth anniversary.

Presley lived with her mother, an actor known for “Dallas" and the “Naked Gun" movies, in California after her parents split up in 1973. She recalled early memories of her dad during her visits to Graceland, riding golf carts through the neighborhood and seeing his daily entrances down the stairs.

“He was always fully, fully geared up. You’d never see him in his pajamas coming down the steps, ever,” she told The Associated Press in 2012. “You’d never see him in anything but 'ready to be seen’ attire.”

Elvis Presley died in August 1977, when he was just 42, and she 9 years old. Lisa Marie was staying at Graceland at the time and would recall him kissing her goodnight hours before he would collapse and never recover. When she next saw him, the following day, he was lying face down in the bathroom.

“I just had a feeling," she told Rolling Stone in 2003. “He wasn't doing well. All I know is I had it (a feeling), and it happened. I was obsessed with death at a very early age."

She would later make headlines of her own. Struggles with drugs and some very public marriages. Her four husbands included&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/cf12b086ebd9c32f2bc6d16befe7b142">Michael Jackson</a>&nbsp;and Nicolas Cage.

Jackson and Presley were married in the Dominican Republic in 1994, but the marriage ended two years later and was defined by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/6c75bbc78ed93c77f3494394c5d5de70">numerous awkward public appearances</a>, including an unexpected kiss from Jackson during the MTV Video Music Awards and a joint interview with Diane Sawyer when she defended her husband against allegations he had sexually abused a minor.

Her other celebrity marriage was even shorter: Cage filed for divorce after four months of marriage in 2002.

WEST HILLS, Calif. (AP) —Lisa Marie Presley, the only child of Elvis Presley and a singer-songwriter dedicated to her father’s legacy, died Thursday after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/health-lisa-marie-presley-priscilla-elvis-los-angeles-4cbc26cfe1a7bf0b41f21f0f0f6c677b?utm_source=homepage&amp;utm_medium=TopNews&amp;utm_campaign=position_02">being hospitalized for a medical emergency</a>. She was 54.Her death in a Los Angeles hospital was confirmed by her mother, Priscilla, a few hours after her daughter was rushed to the hospital after having a medical emergency at home.“It is with a heavy heart that I must share the devastating news that my beautiful daughter Lisa Marie has left us,” Priscilla Presley said in a statement. “She was the most passionate, strong and loving woman I have ever known.”Presley, the only child of Elvis and Priscilla Presley, shared her father's brooding charisma — the hooded eyes, the insolent smile, the low, sultry voice — and followed him professionally, releasing her own rock albums in the 2000s, and appearing on stage with Pat Benatar and Richard Hawley among others.She even formed direct musical ties with her father, joining her voice to such Elvis recordings as “In the Ghetto" and “Don't Cry Daddy," a mournful ballad which had reminded him of the early death of his mother (and Lisa Marie's grandmother), Gladys Presley.“It’s been all my life," she told The Associated Press in 2012, speaking of her father's influence. “It’s not something that I now listen to and it’s different. Although I might listen closer. I remain consistent on the fact that I’ve always been an admirer. He’s always influenced me.”Her birth, nine months exactly after her parents' wedding, was international news and her background was rarely far from her mind. With the release last year of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/cannes-film-festival-politics-entertainment-travel-f0701fa8575090d933af97a35df759d2">Baz Luhrmann's</a>&nbsp;major&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/elvis-movie-review-b18e59c1b13c603e0fdd55adcea53f4d">musical feature “Elvis,”</a>&nbsp;Lisa Marie and Priscilla Presley had been attending red carpets and award shows alongside stars from the film.She was at the Golden Globes on Tuesday, on hand to celebrate&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/0bdb61563b5b4e74a6503baa08f6124a">Austin Butler's award</a>&nbsp;for playing her father. Just days before, she was in Memphis at Graceland — the mansion where Elvis lived, and died — on Jan. 8 to celebrate her father's birth anniversary.Presley lived with her mother, an actor known for “Dallas" and the “Naked Gun" movies, in California after her parents split up in 1973. She recalled early memories of her dad during her visits to Graceland, riding golf carts through the neighborhood and seeing his daily entrances down the stairs.“He was always fully, fully geared up. You’d never see him in his pajamas coming down the steps, ever,” she told The Associated Press in 2012. “You’d never see him in anything but 'ready to be seen’ attire.”Elvis Presley died in August 1977, when he was just 42, and she 9 years old. Lisa Marie was staying at Graceland at the time and would recall him kissing her goodnight hours before he would collapse and never recover. When she next saw him, the following day, he was lying face down in the bathroom.“I just had a feeling," she told Rolling Stone in 2003. “He wasn't doing well. All I know is I had it (a feeling), and it happened. I was obsessed with death at a very early age."She would later make headlines of her own. Struggles with drugs and some very public marriages. Her four husbands included&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/cf12b086ebd9c32f2bc6d16befe7b142">Michael Jackson</a>&nbsp;and Nicolas Cage.Jackson and Presley were married in the Dominican Republic in 1994, but the marriage ended two years later and was defined by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/6c75bbc78ed93c77f3494394c5d5de70">numerous awkward public appearances</a>, including an unexpected kiss from Jackson during the MTV Video Music Awards and a joint interview with Diane Sawyer when she defended her husband against allegations he had sexually abused a minor.Her other celebrity marriage was even shorter: Cage filed for divorce after four months of marriage in 2002.“I had to sort of run into many walls and trees," she told the AP in 2012. “But now I can also look back at it and tell you all the stuff that was going on around me and all the different people around me and all the awww — and it was not a good situation anyway. That wasn’t helping. Either way, it was a growing process. It was just in a different way. It was just out in front of everybody all the time. Because it’s all documented of course.”Lisa Marie became involved in numerous humanitarian causes, from anti-poverty programs administered through the Elvis Presley Charitable Foundation to relief efforts after Hurricane Katrina. She would receive formal citations from New Orleans and Memphis, Tennessee for her work.Presley had two children, actor Riley Keough, born in 1989, and Benjamin Keough, born in 1992, with her former husband Danny Keough. She also had twin daughters, Harper and Finley Lockwood, with&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/03104a9d504640eca8d197d9b4a62ea6">ex-husband Michael Lockwood</a>&nbsp;in 2008.Her marriage to Lockwood would end in a combative and protracted divorce that began in 2016 and still was not resolved when she died, though they were declared single in 2021. The fight saw the girls, now 15, put temporarily in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/1ce2e6f9b1b747eb909a7e9617a1f33a">protective custody</a>&nbsp;in 2017. Presley and Lockwood later had joint custody, but were still at odds over the issue, with Lockwood seeking more child support from Presley.Benjamin Keough&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/us-news-ap-top-news-ca-state-wire-danny-keough-music-77998ac9b00390de449443dcdde2f840">died by suicide in 2020</a>&nbsp;at 27. Presley was vocal about her grief, writing in an essay last August that she had “been living in the horrific reality of its unrelenting grips since my son’s death two years ago.”“I’ve dealt with death, grief and loss since the age of 9 years old. I’ve had more than anyone’s fair share of it in my lifetime and somehow, I’ve made it this far,” she wrote in an essay shared with People magazine.“But this one, the death of my beautiful, beautiful son? The sweetest and most incredible being that I have ever had the privilege of knowing, who made me feel so honored every single day to be his mother? Who was so much like his grandfather on so many levels that he actually scared me? Which made me worry about him even more than I naturally would have?" the essay continued. "No. Just no ... no no no no ...”Lisa Marie became the sole heir of the Elvis Presley Trust after her father died. Along with&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/6d24f34fe8a84258abe9630a7b15a21b">Elvis Presley Enterprises,</a>&nbsp;the trust managed Graceland and other assets until she sold her majority interest in 2005. She retained ownership of Graceland Mansion itself, the 13 acres around it and items inside the home. Her son is&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/lisa-marie-presley-california-travel-elvis-presley-memphis-bd0032e7758187cfbd0117d6416cd109">buried there, along with her father</a>&nbsp;and other members of the Presley family.Lisa Marie Presley is a former Scientologist — her son was born in 1992 under guidelines set by Church of Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard,&nbsp;<a href="https://newsroom.ap.org/%E2%80%B3The%20baby%20was%20delivered%20naturally%20and%20in%20complete%20silence%20in%20a%20calm%20and%20supportive%20environment%E2%80%B3%20under%20guidelines%20set%20out%20by%20the%20Church%20of%20Scientology%E2%80%99s%20founder,%20L.%20Ron%20Hubbard,%20in%20his%20book%20%E2%80%B3Dianetics,%E2%80%B3%20Bloch%20said.%20ADVERTISEMENT%20ADVERTISING%20%E2%80%B3The%20book%20states%20that%20whatever%20is%20said%20at%20birth%20can%20affect%20the%20child%E2%80%99s%20mental%20health%20in%20later%20life,%E2%80%B3%20the%20spokesman%20said.">according to an AP story at the time</a>&nbsp;— but later&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/harvey-weinstein-entertainment-paul-haggis-danny-masterson-kevin-spacey-e0be56c71bab5282e21bea0c92604e5a">broke with Scientology.</a>Lisa Marie and Priscilla Presley&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/9067ed77fe79caf85cf6bc7f473d3440">would make regular trips to Graceland</a>&nbsp;during&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/0bdb61563b5b4e74a6503baa08f6124a">huge fan celebrations</a>&nbsp;on the anniversaries of Elvis' death and birthday. One of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ae5d6f3780df4114a9174d7d45b73226">the two airplanes at Graceland</a>&nbsp;is named the Lisa Marie.After her first album “To Whom It May Concern,” in 2003, some fans came out to see her perform just out of curiosity given her famous family, she told the AP in 2005.“First I had to overcome a pre-speculated idea of me,” she said of the barriers to becoming a singer-songwriter.“I had to sort of burst through that and introduce myself, and that was the first hurdle, and then now sing in front of everybody, and then that was the second one, and I’m the offspring of — you know, who I’m the offspring of — I had a few hurdles to get through, no doubt about it," she continued. “But the scales never tipped in the other direction too much.”----