NEW YORK (AP) — Barbara Walters, the intrepid interviewer, anchor and program host who led the way as the first woman to become a TV news superstar during a network career remarkable for its duration and variety, has died. She was 93.

Walters' death was announced by ABC on air Friday night and also by her publicist.

“Barbara Walters passed away peacefully in her home surrounded by loved ones. She lived her life with no regrets. She was a trailblazer not only for female journalists, but for all women,” said publicist Cindi Berger in a statement.

During nearly four decades at ABC, and before that at NBC, Walters’ exclusive interviews with rulers, royalty and entertainers brought her celebrity status that ranked with theirs, while placing her at the forefront of the trend in broadcast journalism that made stars of TV reporters and brought news programs into the race for higher ratings.

Walters made headlines in 1976 as the first female network news anchor, with an unprecedented $1 million annual salary that drew gasps and criticism (while lost in the outcry were her additional duties extending beyond news). Her drive was legendary as she competed — not just with rival networks, but with colleagues at her own network — for each big “get” in a world jammed with more and more interviewers, including female journalists who had followed on the trail she blazed.

“I never expected this!” Walters said in 2004, taking measure of her success. “I always thought I’d be a writer for television. I never even thought I’d be in front of a camera.”

But she was a natural on camera, especially when plying notables with questions.

“I’m not afraid when I’m interviewing, I have no fear!” Walters told The Associated Press in 2008.

Walters is survived by her only daughter, Jacqueline Danforth.

NEW YORK (AP) — Barbara Walters, the intrepid interviewer, anchor and program host who led the way as the first woman to become a TV news superstar during a network career remarkable for its duration and variety, has died. She was 93.Walters' death was announced by ABC on air Friday night and also by her publicist.“Barbara Walters passed away peacefully in her home surrounded by loved ones. She lived her life with no regrets. She was a trailblazer not only for female journalists, but for all women,” said publicist Cindi Berger in a statement.During nearly four decades at ABC, and before that at NBC, Walters’ exclusive interviews with rulers, royalty and entertainers brought her celebrity status that ranked with theirs, while placing her at the forefront of the trend in broadcast journalism that made stars of TV reporters and brought news programs into the race for higher ratings.Walters made headlines in 1976 as the first female network news anchor, with an unprecedented $1 million annual salary that drew gasps and criticism (while lost in the outcry were her additional duties extending beyond news). Her drive was legendary as she competed — not just with rival networks, but with colleagues at her own network — for each big “get” in a world jammed with more and more interviewers, including female journalists who had followed on the trail she blazed.“I never expected this!” Walters said in 2004, taking measure of her success. “I always thought I’d be a writer for television. I never even thought I’d be in front of a camera.”But she was a natural on camera, especially when plying notables with questions.“I’m not afraid when I’m interviewing, I have no fear!” Walters told The Associated Press in 2008.Walters is survived by her only daughter, Jacqueline Danforth.

Barbara Walters, a superstar and pioneer in TV news, dies

KANSAS CITY– The owner of the Rockstar Burgers restaurant in Kansas City, Mo., has pleaded guilty in federal court to allowing his former restaurant building to be used in a drug trafficking conspiracy that is alleged to have distributed more than 150 kilograms of methamphetamine and more than 10 kilograms of heroin, valued at more than $1.7 million, according to the United State's Attorney.

Brian Douglas Smith, 45, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Roseann Ketchmark, to maintaining a drug-involved premises.

By pleading guilty, Smith admitted that he made the building in the city’s West Bottoms, which housed Rock Star Burgers, his part-time residence, a loft, and associated spaces, available to a drug-trafficking organization. Smith knew the drug-trafficking organization used the building for storing and distributing methamphetamine, collecting for methamphetamine sales, and other methamphetamine distribution activities, including the possession, storage, and use of firearms.

Smith’s role, according to the plea agreement, was only in maintaining the building premises for the drug-trafficking organization’s use.

Smith is among 17 defendants in this case who have pleaded guilty or have guilty pleas scheduled. Two of those co-defendants have been sentenced and the rest await sentencing. One co-defendant is scheduled to go to trial on June 5, 2023.

Matthew John Fabulae, 33, of Kansas City, Mo., was sentenced on March 14, 2022, to 15 years in federal prison without parole. The court also ordered Fabulae to forfeit to the government $44,000 based on his distribution of at least five kilograms of methamphetamine during the conspiracy. Fabulae pleaded guilty to his role in the drug-trafficking and money-laundering conspiracies; he also pleaded guilty to one count of possessing firearms in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime, one count of being a drug user in possession of a firearm, and one count of possessing methamphetamine with the intent to distribute.

Amy Leann Nieman, 51, of Moorseville, Mo., was sentenced on Feb. 25, 2022, to nine years in federal prison without parole after pleading guilty to her role in the drug-trafficking and money-laundering conspiracies and to possessing firearms during a drug-trafficking crime.

Under federal statutes, Smith is subject to a sentence of up to 20 years in federal prison without parole. Under the terms of his plea agreement, the government and Smith will recommend to the court that he pay a $15,000 fine in lieu of a money judgment or other financial assessments or forfeitures. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Bruce Rhoades, Robert Smith, Maureen Brackett, and Byron Black.&nbsp; It was investigated by the Springfield and Kansas City, Mo., Police Departments, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Buchanan County Drug Strike Force, the Missouri State Highway Patrol, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Clay County, Mo., Sheriff's Department.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/12/1672264763269.png" alt="Smith-photo Platte Co." />
 <figcaption>Smith-photo Platte Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY– The owner of the Rockstar Burgers restaurant in Kansas City, Mo., has pleaded guilty in federal court to allowing his former restaurant building to be used in a drug trafficking conspiracy that is alleged to have distributed more than 150 kilograms of methamphetamine and more than 10 kilograms of heroin, valued at more than $1.7 million, according to the United State's Attorney.Brian Douglas Smith, 45, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Roseann Ketchmark, to maintaining a drug-involved premises.By pleading guilty, Smith admitted that he made the building in the city’s West Bottoms, which housed Rock Star Burgers, his part-time residence, a loft, and associated spaces, available to a drug-trafficking organization. Smith knew the drug-trafficking organization used the building for storing and distributing methamphetamine, collecting for methamphetamine sales, and other methamphetamine distribution activities, including the possession, storage, and use of firearms.Smith’s role, according to the plea agreement, was only in maintaining the building premises for the drug-trafficking organization’s use.Smith is among 17 defendants in this case who have pleaded guilty or have guilty pleas scheduled. Two of those co-defendants have been sentenced and the rest await sentencing. One co-defendant is scheduled to go to trial on June 5, 2023.Matthew John Fabulae, 33, of Kansas City, Mo., was sentenced on March 14, 2022, to 15 years in federal prison without parole. The court also ordered Fabulae to forfeit to the government $44,000 based on his distribution of at least five kilograms of methamphetamine during the conspiracy. Fabulae pleaded guilty to his role in the drug-trafficking and money-laundering conspiracies; he also pleaded guilty to one count of possessing firearms in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime, one count of being a drug user in possession of a firearm, and one count of possessing methamphetamine with the intent to distribute.Amy Leann Nieman, 51, of Moorseville, Mo., was sentenced on Feb. 25, 2022, to nine years in federal prison without parole after pleading guilty to her role in the drug-trafficking and money-laundering conspiracies and to possessing firearms during a drug-trafficking crime.Under federal statutes, Smith is subject to a sentence of up to 20 years in federal prison without parole. Under the terms of his plea agreement, the government and Smith will recommend to the court that he pay a $15,000 fine in lieu of a money judgment or other financial assessments or forfeitures. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Bruce Rhoades, Robert Smith, Maureen Brackett, and Byron Black.&nbsp; It was investigated by the Springfield and Kansas City, Mo., Police Departments, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Buchanan County Drug Strike Force, the Missouri State Highway Patrol, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Clay County, Mo., Sheriff's Department.

KC restaurant owner made building available to drug traffickers

PAWNEE COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating two suspects on drug charges after a late night traffic stop.

Just after 11p.m. Thursday, a deputy with the Pawnee County Sheriff's Office conducted a traffic stop on US 56 Highway within Pawnee County for a traffic infraction, according to a media release.

During the course of the traffic stop, Pawnee County K-9 Noa was deployed and indicated to the odor of narcotics within the vehicle. Deputies found 47 vacuum-sealed bags within two separate suitcases concealing more than 50 pounds of marijuana.

The driver and passenger were arrested on requested charges of speeding, conspiracy to distribute marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of THC and no drug tax stamp. The Barton County Sheriff's Office assisted with the arrest.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/12/1672415938369.jpeg" alt="Photo Pawnee Co. Sheriff" />
 <figcaption>Photo Pawnee Co. Sheriff</figcaption>
 </figure>PAWNEE COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating two suspects on drug charges after a late night traffic stop.Just after 11p.m. Thursday, a deputy with the Pawnee County Sheriff's Office conducted a traffic stop on US 56 Highway within Pawnee County for a traffic infraction, according to a media release.During the course of the traffic stop, Pawnee County K-9 Noa was deployed and indicated to the odor of narcotics within the vehicle. Deputies found 47 vacuum-sealed bags within two separate suitcases concealing more than 50 pounds of marijuana.The driver and passenger were arrested on requested charges of speeding, conspiracy to distribute marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of THC and no drug tax stamp. The Barton County Sheriff's Office assisted with the arrest.

Sheriff: Kan. suspects hid 50 pounds of pot in suitcases

CASS COUNTY —One of two inmates who escaped Dec. 12 from&nbsp;the jail in Cass County, Missouri south of Kansas City is in custody, according to the FBI.&nbsp;

Authorities took 33-year-0ld Trevor Sparks of Kansas City into custody early Friday in the 400 Block of Olive Street.&nbsp;

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 —One of two inmates who escaped Dec. 12 from&nbsp;the jail in Cass County, Missouri south of Kansas City is in custody, according to the FBI.&nbsp;Authorities took 33-year-0ld Trevor Sparks of Kansas City into custody early Friday in the 400 Block of Olive Street.&nbsp;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;<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/12/1670539680558.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>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;

FBI captures 1 of 2 inmates who escaped jail near Kansas City

By NATE KING Salina Post

Respiratory syncytial virus, RSV, COVID-19 and the seasonal flu, these three diseases are being commonly referred to as "the tripledemic." Hospitals and health centers all over the country are experiencing this triple threat, and according to Dr. Rob Freelove, chief medical officer for Salina Regional Health Center, RSV cases in Salina are lessening.&nbsp;

"In the last couple of weeks we have seen less of RSV and more seasonal flu, COVID-19, and other respiratory illness cases," Freelove said.&nbsp;

Freelove also said that the health center's urgent care unit and STAT Care center were seeing more than 120 patients daily. That number is nearly double what the hospital sees in urgent care and STAT Care on a "normal day." The higher patient volume also is creating wait times that can exceed five hours, he said.

"The most important things I can say are things I have said for the past two years, wear a mask if you are going to be in a crowded indoor area, wash your hands, avoid touching your face, and talk with your primary care doctor about getting the COVID-19 vaccine," said Freelove.&nbsp;

As of Dec. 19, the seven-day average COVID-19 case count for Saline County is 14 cases per day. The seven-day average at the end of December last year was also 14 cases per day. Freelove mentioned that he is concerned about the level of cases Saline County might see in January and February.&nbsp;

Freelove implored people in the community to seek out the most appropriate level of care and contact their primary care physician if it is not an emergency.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/12/1672413055924.png" alt="Dr. Rob Freelove-&nbsp;Photo courtesy SRHC" />
 <figcaption>Dr. Rob Freelove-&nbsp;Photo courtesy SRHC</figcaption>
 </figure>By NATE KING Salina PostRespiratory syncytial virus, RSV, COVID-19 and the seasonal flu, these three diseases are being commonly referred to as "the tripledemic." Hospitals and health centers all over the country are experiencing this triple threat, and according to Dr. Rob Freelove, chief medical officer for Salina Regional Health Center, RSV cases in Salina are lessening.&nbsp;"In the last couple of weeks we have seen less of RSV and more seasonal flu, COVID-19, and other respiratory illness cases," Freelove said.&nbsp;Freelove also said that the health center's urgent care unit and STAT Care center were seeing more than 120 patients daily. That number is nearly double what the hospital sees in urgent care and STAT Care on a "normal day." The higher patient volume also is creating wait times that can exceed five hours, he said."The most important things I can say are things I have said for the past two years, wear a mask if you are going to be in a crowded indoor area, wash your hands, avoid touching your face, and talk with your primary care doctor about getting the COVID-19 vaccine," said Freelove.&nbsp;As of Dec. 19, the seven-day average COVID-19 case count for Saline County is 14 cases per day. The seven-day average at the end of December last year was also 14 cases per day. Freelove mentioned that he is concerned about the level of cases Saline County might see in January and February.&nbsp; Freelove implored people in the community to seek out the most appropriate level of care and contact their primary care physician if it is not an emergency.&nbsp;

Tripledemic: Salina urgent care wait times exceed 5 hours 

JACKSON COUNTY—Authorities are working to determine the cause of house fire in Jackson County, Kansas.

Just before 2a.m. Friday, the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office received a report of a house fire located at 2348 270th Road, Soldier, according to Sheriff Tim Morse.

The house was not occupied and is believed to have been vacant in recent months. Crews continued into daylight hours extinguishing hot spots.&nbsp;

The Kansas State Fire Marshal's office, Soldier and Holton Fire Departments and Jackson County EMS responded to the scene.

If anyone has any information regard this fire, they are asked to contact the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office at 785-364-2251.

JACKSON COUNTY—Authorities are working to determine the cause of house fire in Jackson County, Kansas.Just before 2a.m. Friday, the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office received a report of a house fire located at 2348 270th Road, Soldier, according to Sheriff Tim Morse.The house was not occupied and is believed to have been vacant in recent months. Crews continued into daylight hours extinguishing hot spots.&nbsp;The Kansas State Fire Marshal's office, Soldier and Holton Fire Departments and Jackson County EMS responded to the scene.There were no injuries.If anyone has any information regard this fire, they are asked to contact the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office at 785-364-2251.

Officials investigating cause of fire at rural Kansas home

WASHINGTON —Southwest Airlines returned to a relatively normal flight schedule Friday, as the focus shifts to making things right with what could be well more than a million passengers who missed family connections or flights home during the holidays, and many of whom are still missing luggage.

The Dallas carrier, which had canceled thousands of flights every day this week after a winter storm last weekend, reported less than 40 cancellations early Friday.

The U.S. Department of Transportation says it will continue to support the traveling public. According to a statement from Secretary&nbsp;Pete Buttigieg, "If your Southwest flight was delayed or canceled, and you are denied compensation for flights not taken or expenses like meals, hotels, and ground transport, please submit a complaint to the Dept. of Transportation.

Before you contact DOT for help with an air travel problem, you should give the airline a chance to resolve it.&nbsp; Airlines have trouble-shooters at the airports, usually called Customer Service Representatives, who can take care of many problems on the spot.&nbsp; They may be able to arrange meals and hotel rooms for stranded passengers, write checks if you’re bumped from your flight, help with baggage issues, and settle other routine claims or complaints.

If you can’t resolve the problem at the airport, you may want to file a complaint with the airline. &nbsp;DOT requires airlines to acknowledge consumer complaints within 30 days of receiving them and to send consumers written responses addressing these complaints within 60 days of receiving them. &nbsp;DOT also requires airlines to let consumers know how to complain to them.

It’s often best to email or write to the airline’s consumer office at its corporate headquarters.&nbsp; DOT requires airlines that fly to, from, or within the United States to state on their websites how and where complaints can be submitted.&nbsp; There may be a form on the airline’s website for this purpose.&nbsp; <a href="https://www.southwest.com/traveldisruption/?clk=CALLVOLUME_HPHERO_221227&amp;fbclid=IwAR0SKcCpcT6GdozvyXMNGoSsL0whMtEGvrkElL-G4dZYjrwheCbUTZuAbuI">Click here&nbsp;</a>to request a refund and other services you are entitled to from Southwest Airlines.

If you feel that the airline does not resolve the issue to your satisfaction, you may want to file a complaint with DOT.&nbsp; You may also file a complaint with DOT if you feel that you experienced unlawful discriminatory treatment in air travel by airline employees or the airline’s contractors on the basis of disability or on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex (including gender identity and sexual orientation), religion, or ancestry.&nbsp;

If you wish to submit a complaint to DOT via written letter, please feel free to do so using the contact information below.&nbsp; When mailing a letter, please include your full address and phone number as well as complete and accurate information about your trip and the problem you had or are having.

For Disability and Discrimination Complaints

Complaints from consumers help DOT spot problem areas and trends in the airline industry.&nbsp; Complaints can lead to enforcement action against an airline when a serious violation of the law has occurred.&nbsp; Complaints may also be the basis for rulemaking actions.

WASHINGTON —Southwest Airlines returned to a relatively normal flight schedule Friday, as the focus shifts to making things right with what could be well more than a million passengers who missed family connections or flights home during the holidays, and many of whom are still missing luggage. The Dallas carrier, which had canceled thousands of flights every day this week after a winter storm last weekend, reported less than 40 cancellations early Friday.The U.S. Department of Transportation says it will continue to support the traveling public. According to a statement from Secretary&nbsp;Pete Buttigieg, "If your Southwest flight was delayed or canceled, and you are denied compensation for flights not taken or expenses like meals, hotels, and ground transport, please submit a complaint to the Dept. of Transportation.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Our department will continue to support the traveling public. If your Southwest flight was delayed or canceled, and you are denied compensation for flights not taken or expenses like meals, hotels, and ground transport, please submit a complaint to DOT ➡️ <a href="https://t.co/V7aIX9IFW1">https://t.co/V7aIX9IFW1</a> <a href="https://t.co/pHzEioLvOc">pic.twitter.com/pHzEioLvOc</a>&mdash; Secretary Pete Buttigieg (@SecretaryPete) <a href="https://twitter.com/SecretaryPete/status/1608598972192657409?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 29, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Before you contact DOT for help with an air travel problem, you should give the airline a chance to resolve it.&nbsp; Airlines have trouble-shooters at the airports, usually called Customer Service Representatives, who can take care of many problems on the spot.&nbsp; They may be able to arrange meals and hotel rooms for stranded passengers, write checks if you’re bumped from your flight, help with baggage issues, and settle other routine claims or complaints.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">My letter to Southwest’s CEO reiterates what we are requiring them to do when it comes to reimbursements for flights, baggage, ground transport, hotels, and meals. We will follow through to make sure these promises are kept. <a href="https://t.co/JNLzhbhPX5">https://t.co/JNLzhbhPX5</a>&mdash; Secretary Pete Buttigieg (@SecretaryPete) <a href="https://twitter.com/SecretaryPete/status/1608610764163801091?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 29, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>If you can’t resolve the problem at the airport, you may want to file a complaint with the airline. &nbsp;DOT requires airlines to acknowledge consumer complaints within 30 days of receiving them and to send consumers written responses addressing these complaints within 60 days of receiving them. &nbsp;DOT also requires airlines to let consumers know how to complain to them.It’s often best to email or write to the airline’s consumer office at its corporate headquarters.&nbsp; DOT requires airlines that fly to, from, or within the United States to state on their websites how and where complaints can be submitted.&nbsp; There may be a form on the airline’s website for this purpose.&nbsp; <a href="https://www.southwest.com/traveldisruption/?clk=CALLVOLUME_HPHERO_221227&amp;fbclid=IwAR0SKcCpcT6GdozvyXMNGoSsL0whMtEGvrkElL-G4dZYjrwheCbUTZuAbuI">Click here&nbsp;</a>to request a refund and other services you are entitled to from Southwest Airlines.If you feel that the airline does not resolve the issue to your satisfaction, you may want to file a complaint with DOT.&nbsp; You may also file a complaint with DOT if you feel that you experienced unlawful discriminatory treatment in air travel by airline employees or the airline’s contractors on the basis of disability or on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex (including gender identity and sexual orientation), religion, or ancestry.&nbsp;<ul>
 <li>If you have a concern about airline safety (airline and airplane safety, emergency exit seating, low-flying aircraft, pilot licensing&nbsp;and related issues), please visit&nbsp;the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) website to&nbsp;<a href="http://www.faa.gov/about/office_org/headquarters_offices/aae/programs_services/faa_hotlines/">report a safety-related issue</a>. &nbsp;</li><li>If you have a concern about aviation security (passenger screening, the “no-fly” list, the baggage screening process, and related issues), call the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) toll-free at 1-866-289-9673 or&nbsp;<a href="mailto:TSA-ContactCenter@dhs.gov?subject=Safety%20and%20Security%20Complaint">email TSA</a>.&nbsp; For additional information,&nbsp;<a href="http://www.tsa.gov/traveler-information" target="_blank">visit the TSA website</a>. &nbsp;</li>
 </ul>If you wish to submit a complaint to DOT via written letter, please feel free to do so using the contact information below.&nbsp; When mailing a letter, please include your full address and phone number as well as complete and accurate information about your trip and the problem you had or are having.<ul>
 <li>Contact us by phone&nbsp;– You may contact DOT by phone at 202-366-2220.&nbsp; Please know that in order for a case to be processed as a complaint, it must be submitted in writing.</li>
 </ul><ul>
 <li>Contact us by mail&nbsp;– To contact us by mail, please send your correspondence to the below address. Office of Aviation Consumer Protection U.S. Department of Transportation 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE Washington, DC &nbsp;20590</li><li>Office of Aviation Consumer Protection U.S. Department of Transportation 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE Washington, DC &nbsp;20590</li>
 </ul><h2>How the Complaint Process Works</h2><h2>For Disability and Discrimination Complaints</h2><ul>
 <li>A Transportation Industry Analyst will forward your complaint to the airline, and the airline will be required to respond to you and the DOT.&nbsp; &nbsp;</li><li>Once the airline’s response is received, a DOT analyst will review your complaint and the airline’s response to determine if a violation occurred.&nbsp; After the analyst reviews your case, it will be given to an attorney for review.&nbsp; Once your case is reviewed by an attorney, an analysis with our findings will be mailed to you.&nbsp; Please note that due to the volume of cases received, and the thoroughness of this process, it may take some time to fully process your case.</li>
 </ul><h2>For All Other Complaints</h2><ul>
 <li>A Transportation Industry Analyst will forward your complaint to the airline and the airline will be required to provide you with a response.&nbsp; The analyst will ask the airline to provide a copy of the response to DOT only if it falls under one of the areas DOT enforces.&nbsp; The DOT analyst will then review the case to determine whether a violation occurred.&nbsp; If your complaint does not appear to fall under any of the laws that we enforce, it will still be logged in our database.&nbsp; &nbsp;</li><li>Every month, DOT publishes its&nbsp;<a href="https://www.transportation.gov/airconsumer/air-travel-consumer-reports">Air Travel Consumer Report</a>, which contains information about the number of complaints we receive about each airline and what problems people are having.&nbsp; This report is made available to the public so that consumers and air travel companies can compare the complaint records of individual airlines and tour operators.&nbsp; In addition to complaints, the report also contains statistics that the airlines file with us on flight delays, cancellations, bumping, mishandled baggage, and other helpful information.</li>
 </ul><h2>How Do Consumer Complaints Help DOT?</h2>Complaints from consumers help DOT spot problem areas and trends in the airline industry.&nbsp; Complaints can lead to enforcement action against an airline when a serious violation of the law has occurred.&nbsp; Complaints may also be the basis for rulemaking actions.

🎥 Transportation Secretary stands up for travelers in airline mess

SHAWNEE COUNTY —One person died in an accident just after 2a.m. Friday in Shawnee County.

According to Topeka Police spokesperson Rosie Nichols, a passenger car was westbound in the 100 Block of SE 37th Street.&nbsp;

The car left the road, struck a utility pole and came to rest in a nearby front yard.&nbsp; One occupant identified as Brett M. Joynt, 23, of Topeka died from his injuries.&nbsp; Two others were injured.

Police have not reported who was driving or additional details. The accident remain under investigation.

SHAWNEE COUNTY —One person died in an accident just after 2a.m. Friday in Shawnee County.According to Topeka Police spokesperson Rosie Nichols, a passenger car was westbound in the 100 Block of SE 37th Street.&nbsp;The car left the road, struck a utility pole and came to rest in a nearby front yard.&nbsp; One occupant identified as Brett M. Joynt, 23, of Topeka died from his injuries.&nbsp; Two others were injured.Police have not reported who was driving or additional details. The accident remain under investigation.

Kan. man dies after car strike utility pole, lands in front yard of home

WYANDOTTE COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a fatal officer-involved shooting at 95 and Parallel Parkway in Kansas City, Kansas

Just after 8a.m., police responded to a call of an individual who had car trouble at the 92nd and Parallel, according to police.

As the officer approached the disabled vehicle, it appeared abandoned. A man then approached the officer on foot and pointed a gun at the officer. The officer took cover. The individual then entered the police vehicle and drove away.

The officer notified other police units in the area who caught up to and conducted a traffic stop on the police vehicle. The driver got out of the police vehicle and pointed a gun at the officers. There was an exchange of gunfire. Multiple officers fired weapons, according to KCK police. The man was pronounced dead at the scene.&nbsp;

No officers were injured in the exchange of gunfire.

Traffic was blocked on Parallel both east and westbound from 91st-98th.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/12/1672416403765.png" alt="Police on the scene of the investigation -photo courtesy KCTV" />
 <figcaption>Police on the scene of the investigation -photo courtesy KCTV</figcaption>
 </figure>WYANDOTTE COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a fatal officer-involved shooting at 95 and Parallel Parkway in Kansas City, KansasJust after 8a.m., police responded to a call of an individual who had car trouble at the 92nd and Parallel, according to police.As the officer approached the disabled vehicle, it appeared abandoned. A man then approached the officer on foot and pointed a gun at the officer. The officer took cover. The individual then entered the police vehicle and drove away.The officer notified other police units in the area who caught up to and conducted a traffic stop on the police vehicle. The driver got out of the police vehicle and pointed a gun at the officers. There was an exchange of gunfire. Multiple officers fired weapons, according to KCK police. The man was pronounced dead at the scene.&nbsp;No officers were injured in the exchange of gunfire.Traffic was blocked on Parallel both east and westbound from 91st-98th.&nbsp;Police released no additional details.

KCPD officers shoot, kill man who drove off in a patrol car

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The major questions doctrine holds that courts should not defer to agency statutory interpretations that concern questions of "vast economic or political significance."

In late June, the Supreme Court issued a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/21pdf/20-1530_n758.pdf">ruling</a>&nbsp;stating that the Environmental Protection Agency cannot put state-level caps on carbon emissions under the 1970 Clean Air Act, calling that a 'major question'.

Roger A. McEowen is the Professor of Agricultural Law and Taxation at Washburn University School of Law in Topeka. McEowen notes that this is a case where the administration at the time tried to make changes without asking Congress.

"What this was, was an attempt by the Obama EPA to basically rewrite and say, we're going to just shift to regulating out of existence coal-fired plants, fossil fuel generated electricity and we're going to regulate them out. They were doing this by regulation, so this would never come up for a vote in Congress and people wouldn't see it. It would just happen."

Now the follow up to the use of the&nbsp;major questions doctrine is, naturally, how do you define what a major question is?

"What the regulatory body is trying to do, when does it impact the entire economy?" McEowen said. "Of course, the Supreme Court doesn't tell us that. They just decide that on a case by case basis. Here they said that changing the manner in which energy is produced is national. That was kind of an easy one for them. There will be harder questions that will come up in the future, because the various administrations and agencies will try to push the envelope."

One area that will be constantly monitored by lawyers is that of the Waters of the U.S. rule, because the regulation of waterways will likely always be a source of contention for as long as humans need clean water to drink and plants and animals need water to survive. The two agencies tasked with figuring out how to interpret WOTUS are the EPA and the Army Corps of Engineers.&nbsp;

"There's a case before the U.S. Supreme Court on this out of Idaho," McEowen said. "That was also argued in October. We will probably see an opinion, I'm thinking February or March on this, to again try to define what a water of the United States is that gives the federal government jurisdiction to regulate it. It's a huge issue for agriculture, because we use a lot of water in agriculture for irrigation purposes, for livestock watering purposes. We don't want to have a puddle in a farm field defined as a wetland that the government can regulate, because that impacts farming activities."

In this particular case, the court appears to be looking to decide what test it should use to apply the WOTUS portion of the Clean Water Act, rather than calling it a major question that needs further clarification from Congress, even though almost every living thing uses water.

However, Congress could clarify future applications of law more generally if they would take up large concepts like air and water as a legislative body on a regular basis, at least once per Presidential Administration, rather than leaving it to courts and agencies to fight, or choose not to, based on who is in the White House.

<a href="https://hutchpost.com/download" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to download the Hutch Post mobile&nbsp;app. <a href="https://hutchpost.com/posts/5e73b532afae0f4d5f5d90ea" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to sign up for the daily Hutch Post email news update.&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/3/1584977157818.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>NICK GOSNELL Hutch PostHUTCHINSON, Kan. — The major questions doctrine holds that courts should not defer to agency statutory interpretations that concern questions of "vast economic or political significance."In late June, the Supreme Court issued a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/21pdf/20-1530_n758.pdf">ruling</a>&nbsp;stating that the Environmental Protection Agency cannot put state-level caps on carbon emissions under the 1970 Clean Air Act, calling that a 'major question'.Roger A. McEowen is the Professor of Agricultural Law and Taxation at Washburn University School of Law in Topeka. McEowen notes that this is a case where the administration at the time tried to make changes without asking Congress."What this was, was an attempt by the Obama EPA to basically rewrite and say, we're going to just shift to regulating out of existence coal-fired plants, fossil fuel generated electricity and we're going to regulate them out. They were doing this by regulation, so this would never come up for a vote in Congress and people wouldn't see it. It would just happen."Now the follow up to the use of the&nbsp;major questions doctrine is, naturally, how do you define what a major question is?"What the regulatory body is trying to do, when does it impact the entire economy?" McEowen said. "Of course, the Supreme Court doesn't tell us that. They just decide that on a case by case basis. Here they said that changing the manner in which energy is produced is national. That was kind of an easy one for them. There will be harder questions that will come up in the future, because the various administrations and agencies will try to push the envelope."One area that will be constantly monitored by lawyers is that of the Waters of the U.S. rule, because the regulation of waterways will likely always be a source of contention for as long as humans need clean water to drink and plants and animals need water to survive. The two agencies tasked with figuring out how to interpret WOTUS are the EPA and the Army Corps of Engineers.&nbsp;"There's a case before the U.S. Supreme Court on this out of Idaho," McEowen said. "That was also argued in October. We will probably see an opinion, I'm thinking February or March on this, to again try to define what a water of the United States is that gives the federal government jurisdiction to regulate it. It's a huge issue for agriculture, because we use a lot of water in agriculture for irrigation purposes, for livestock watering purposes. We don't want to have a puddle in a farm field defined as a wetland that the government can regulate, because that impacts farming activities."In this particular case, the court appears to be looking to decide what test it should use to apply the WOTUS portion of the Clean Water Act, rather than calling it a major question that needs further clarification from Congress, even though almost every living thing uses water.However, Congress could clarify future applications of law more generally if they would take up large concepts like air and water as a legislative body on a regular basis, at least once per Presidential Administration, rather than leaving it to courts and agencies to fight, or choose not to, based on who is in the White House.<a href="https://hutchpost.com/download" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to download the Hutch Post mobile&nbsp;app. <a href="https://hutchpost.com/posts/5e73b532afae0f4d5f5d90ea" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to sign up for the daily Hutch Post email news update.&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;

Ag Law Prof: EPA questions continue before Supreme Court

FINNEY COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating&nbsp; a Kansas man for an alleged threat&nbsp;

Just after 1p.m. Thursday, police&nbsp;were dispatched to the Garden City Administrative Center, 301 N. 8th Street, after report of a criminal threat. 

Officers learned that 53-year-old Charles Holt of Garden City called City Administrative staff and made threatening comments about having the power at his residence restored promptly.

 Officers responded to the 900 block of Theron Place to assist City Electric personnel while they replaced a meter and restored power to Holt’s residence. 

At the scene, Holt began yelling at Officers and City Electric personnel. When the work was completed, Holt stood in the doorway with a firearm and motioned he was going to shoot Officers. 

Officers immediately took cover, and Holt barricaded himself inside the residence. Officers attempted to negotiate with Holt, but Holt refused to exit his residence and surrender to police. 

During negotiations, a search warrant was obtained for the residence. After approximately 2 1/2 hours, Holt surrendered to police and was taken into custody without incident.

 Officers searched the residence and located three loaded firearms within reach of Holt, including the firearm previously seen by Officers. 

During the incident, the Garden City/Finney County SWAT team, Kansas Highway Patrol, and the State Fire Marshal’s Office responded to assist.

Holt is being held in the the Finney County Jail on the requested charges of Aggravated Assault LEO x 2, Criminal Threat, and Interference Law enforcement officer.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/12/1672415278809.png" alt="Holt photo Finney County" />
 <figcaption>Holt photo Finney County</figcaption>
 </figure>FINNEY COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating&nbsp; a Kansas man for an alleged threat&nbsp;Just after 1p.m. Thursday, police&nbsp;were dispatched to the Garden City Administrative Center, 301 N. 8th Street, after report of a criminal threat. Officers learned that 53-year-old Charles Holt of Garden City called City Administrative staff and made threatening comments about having the power at his residence restored promptly. Officers responded to the 900 block of Theron Place to assist City Electric personnel while they replaced a meter and restored power to Holt’s residence. At the scene, Holt began yelling at Officers and City Electric personnel. When the work was completed, Holt stood in the doorway with a firearm and motioned he was going to shoot Officers. Officers immediately took cover, and Holt barricaded himself inside the residence. Officers attempted to negotiate with Holt, but Holt refused to exit his residence and surrender to police. During negotiations, a search warrant was obtained for the residence. After approximately 2 1/2 hours, Holt surrendered to police and was taken into custody without incident. Officers searched the residence and located three loaded firearms within reach of Holt, including the firearm previously seen by Officers. During the incident, the Garden City/Finney County SWAT team, Kansas Highway Patrol, and the State Fire Marshal’s Office responded to assist.Holt is being held in the the Finney County Jail on the requested charges of Aggravated Assault LEO x 2, Criminal Threat, and Interference Law enforcement officer.

SW Kan. man threatens city staff, police during home power outage 

WASHINGTON (AP) —Democrats in Congress released six years of former President Donald Trump’s tax returns on Friday, the culmination of a yearslong effort to learn about the finances of a onetime business mogul who broke decades of political precedent when he&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/be17fb95a8564a88996d1331ebaf763b">refused to voluntarily release the information</a>&nbsp;as he sought the White House.

<a href="https://waysandmeans.house.gov/sites/democrats.waysandmeans.house.gov/files/wysiwyg_uploaded/Attachment_E.zip">Click here to download and read</a> the massive file

The returns, which include redactions of some personal sensitive information such as Social Security and bank account numbers, are from 2015 to 2020. They span nearly 6,000 pages, including more than 2,700 pages of individual returns from Trump and his wife, Melania, and more than 3,000 pages in returns for Trump's business entities.

Their release follows a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/videos-9ac33a7c71844b45bd2a88f8969929ce">party-line vote</a>&nbsp;in the House Ways and Means Committee last week to make the returns public. Committee Democrats argued that transparency and the rule of law were at stake, while Republicans countered that the release would set a dangerous precedent with regard to the loss of privacy protections.

Trump had refused to release his returns when he ran for president and had waged a legal battle to keep them secret while he was in the White House. But the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/us-supreme-court-donald-trump-business-john-roberts-congress-8ea516dace48875ad7c5dd472dd16dcf">Supreme Court ruled</a>&nbsp;last month that he had to turn them over to the tax-writing Ways and Means Committee.

Trump blasted the decision, arguing it would further divide the country.

“The Democrats should have never done it, the Supreme Court should have never approved it, and it’s going to lead to horrible things for so many people," he said in a statement. “The radical, left Democrats have weaponized everything, but remember, that is a dangerous two-way street!”

He said the returns "once again show how proudly successful I have been and how I have been able to use depreciation and various other tax deductions as an incentive for creating thousands of jobs and magnificent structures and enterprises.”

The release, just days before Trump’s fellow Republicans retake control of the House from the Democrats, raises the potential of new revelations about Trump’s finances, which have been shrouded in mystery and intrigue since his days as an up-and-coming Manhattan real estate developer in the 1980s. The returns could take on added significance now that Trump has&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-2024-updates-cd5339d48064a149527e8f9a1aa7614e">launched a campaign</a>&nbsp;for the White House in 2024.

They are likely to offer the clearest picture yet of his finances during his time in office.

Trump, known for building skyscrapers and hosting a reality TV show before winning the White House, did give some limited details about his holdings and income on mandatory disclosure forms. He has promoted his wealth in the annual financial statements he provides to banks to secure loans and to financial magazines to justify his place on rankings of the world’s billionaires.

Trump’s longtime accounting firm has since disavowed the statements, and New York Attorney General Letitia James has&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-sued-new-york-letitia-james-ec6b3b91b6c8594495ada7d0a2b80a2f">filed a lawsuit</a>&nbsp;alleging Trump and his Trump Organization inflated asset values on the statements as part of a yearslong fraud. Trump and his company have denied wrongdoing.

It will not be the first time Trump's tax returns have been under scrutiny.

In October 2018, The New York Times published a Pulitzer Prize-winning series based on leaked tax records that showed that Trump received a modern-day equivalent of at least $413 million from his father’s real estate holdings, with much of that money coming from what the Times called “tax dodges” in the 1990s.

A second series in 2020 showed that Trump paid just $750 in federal income taxes in 2017 and 2018, as well as no income taxes at all in 10 of the past 15 years because he generally lost more money than he made.

In its report last week, the Ways and Means Committee indicated the Trump administration may have disregarded a post-Watergate requirement&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-donald-trump-richard-neal-c697c4e300948a9e2638d0d9fbbe2f96">mandating audits of a president’s tax filings</a>.

The IRS only began to audit Trump’s 2016 tax filings on April 3, 2019 — more than two years into his presidency — when the committee chairman, Rep. Richard Neal, D-Mass., asked the agency for information related to the tax returns.

By comparison, there were audits of President Joe Biden for the 2020 and 2021 tax years, said Andrew Bates, a White House spokesperson. A spokesperson for former President Barack Obama said Obama was audited in each of his eight years in office.

A report from Congress’ nonpartisan Joint Committee on Taxation raised multiple red flags about aspects of Trump’s tax filings, including his carryover losses, deductions tied to conservation and charitable donations, and loans to his children that could be taxable gifts.

The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-donald-trump-775097263d0e3526a35723f0952e8d0f">House passed a bill</a>&nbsp;in response that would require audits of any president’s income tax filings. Republicans strongly opposed the legislation, raising concerns that a law requiring audits would infringe on taxpayer privacy and could lead to audits being weaponized for political gain.

The measure, approved mostly along party lines, has little chance of becoming law anytime soon with a new Republican-led House being sworn in in January. Rather, it is seen as a starting point for future efforts to bolster oversight of the presidency.

Republicans have argued that Democrats will regret the move once Republicans take power next week, and they warn that the committee’s new GOP chair will be under pressure to seek and make public the tax returns of other prominent people.

Rep. Don Beyer, chairman of the congressional Joint Economic Committee and a Ways and Means Committee member, presided over the routine pro forma session in the House as the tax returns were released. Beyer, D-Va., said the release was delayed as committee staff worked to redact Tpersonal and identifying information, a promise Democrats made to Republicans during a closed meeting last week.

“We’ve been trying to be very careful to make sure that we weren’t ‘weaponizing’ the IRS returns,” he said.

Every president and major-party candidate since Richard Nixon has voluntarily made at least summaries of their tax information available to the public. Trump bucked that trend as a candidate and as president, repeatedly asserting that his taxes were “under audit” and couldn’t be released.

Trump’s lawyers were repeatedly denied in their quest to keep his tax returns from the House committee. A&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-personal-taxes-congress-government-and-politics-386ef94dc8c41c75ea77d02d36afe446">three-judge federal appeals court panel in August</a>&nbsp;upheld a lower-court ruling granting the committee access.

Trump’s lawyers also tried and failed to block the Manhattan district attorney’s office from getting Trump’s tax records as part of its investigation into his business practices, losing twice in the Supreme Court.

Trump’s longtime accountant, Donald Bender, testified at the Trump Organization’s recent Manhattan criminal trial that Trump&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-new-york-manhattan-donald-trump-896e245936aaf71d26b1c29c0070c8eb">reported losses on his tax returns every year</a>&nbsp;for a decade, including nearly $700 million in 2009 and $200 million in 2010.

Bender, a partner at Mazars USA LLP who spent years preparing Trump’s personal tax returns, said Trump’s reported losses from 2009 to 2018 included net operating losses from some of the many businesses he owns through the Trump Organization.

The Trump Organization was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-new-york-manhattan-donald-trump-government-and-politics-86177401a887c85ab50d8b78eb1ed397">convicted earlier this month</a>&nbsp;on tax fraud charges for helping some executives dodge taxes on company-paid perks such as apartments and luxury cars.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/12/1672416879967.png" alt="Copies of former President Donald Trump and former first lady Melania Trump individual tax returns for the years 2015 to 2020, released by the Democratic-controlled House Ways and Means Committee, are photographed Friday, Dec. 30, 2022. The returns, which include redactions of some personal sensitive information such as Social Security and bank account numbers, span nearly 6,000 pages, including more than 2,700 pages of individual returns, and more than 3,000 pages in returns for Trump's business entities. (AP Photo/Jon Elswick)" />
 <figcaption>Copies of former President Donald Trump and former first lady Melania Trump individual tax returns for the years 2015 to 2020, released by the Democratic-controlled House Ways and Means Committee, are photographed Friday, Dec. 30, 2022. The returns, which include redactions of some personal sensitive information such as Social Security and bank account numbers, span nearly 6,000 pages, including more than 2,700 pages of individual returns, and more than 3,000 pages in returns for Trump's business entities. (AP Photo/Jon Elswick)</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) —Democrats in Congress released six years of former President Donald Trump’s tax returns on Friday, the culmination of a yearslong effort to learn about the finances of a onetime business mogul who broke decades of political precedent when he&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/be17fb95a8564a88996d1331ebaf763b">refused to voluntarily release the information</a>&nbsp;as he sought the White House.<a href="https://waysandmeans.house.gov/sites/democrats.waysandmeans.house.gov/files/wysiwyg_uploaded/Attachment_E.zip">Click here to download and read</a> the massive fileThe returns, which include redactions of some personal sensitive information such as Social Security and bank account numbers, are from 2015 to 2020. They span nearly 6,000 pages, including more than 2,700 pages of individual returns from Trump and his wife, Melania, and more than 3,000 pages in returns for Trump's business entities.Their release follows a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/videos-9ac33a7c71844b45bd2a88f8969929ce">party-line vote</a>&nbsp;in the House Ways and Means Committee last week to make the returns public. Committee Democrats argued that transparency and the rule of law were at stake, while Republicans countered that the release would set a dangerous precedent with regard to the loss of privacy protections.Trump had refused to release his returns when he ran for president and had waged a legal battle to keep them secret while he was in the White House. But the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/us-supreme-court-donald-trump-business-john-roberts-congress-8ea516dace48875ad7c5dd472dd16dcf">Supreme Court ruled</a>&nbsp;last month that he had to turn them over to the tax-writing Ways and Means Committee.Trump blasted the decision, arguing it would further divide the country.“The Democrats should have never done it, the Supreme Court should have never approved it, and it’s going to lead to horrible things for so many people," he said in a statement. “The radical, left Democrats have weaponized everything, but remember, that is a dangerous two-way street!”He said the returns "once again show how proudly successful I have been and how I have been able to use depreciation and various other tax deductions as an incentive for creating thousands of jobs and magnificent structures and enterprises.”The release, just days before Trump’s fellow Republicans retake control of the House from the Democrats, raises the potential of new revelations about Trump’s finances, which have been shrouded in mystery and intrigue since his days as an up-and-coming Manhattan real estate developer in the 1980s. The returns could take on added significance now that Trump has&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-2024-updates-cd5339d48064a149527e8f9a1aa7614e">launched a campaign</a>&nbsp;for the White House in 2024.They are likely to offer the clearest picture yet of his finances during his time in office.Trump, known for building skyscrapers and hosting a reality TV show before winning the White House, did give some limited details about his holdings and income on mandatory disclosure forms. He has promoted his wealth in the annual financial statements he provides to banks to secure loans and to financial magazines to justify his place on rankings of the world’s billionaires.Trump’s longtime accounting firm has since disavowed the statements, and New York Attorney General Letitia James has&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-sued-new-york-letitia-james-ec6b3b91b6c8594495ada7d0a2b80a2f">filed a lawsuit</a>&nbsp;alleging Trump and his Trump Organization inflated asset values on the statements as part of a yearslong fraud. Trump and his company have denied wrongdoing.It will not be the first time Trump's tax returns have been under scrutiny.In October 2018, The New York Times published a Pulitzer Prize-winning series based on leaked tax records that showed that Trump received a modern-day equivalent of at least $413 million from his father’s real estate holdings, with much of that money coming from what the Times called “tax dodges” in the 1990s.A second series in 2020 showed that Trump paid just $750 in federal income taxes in 2017 and 2018, as well as no income taxes at all in 10 of the past 15 years because he generally lost more money than he made.In its report last week, the Ways and Means Committee indicated the Trump administration may have disregarded a post-Watergate requirement&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-donald-trump-richard-neal-c697c4e300948a9e2638d0d9fbbe2f96">mandating audits of a president’s tax filings</a>.The IRS only began to audit Trump’s 2016 tax filings on April 3, 2019 — more than two years into his presidency — when the committee chairman, Rep. Richard Neal, D-Mass., asked the agency for information related to the tax returns.By comparison, there were audits of President Joe Biden for the 2020 and 2021 tax years, said Andrew Bates, a White House spokesperson. A spokesperson for former President Barack Obama said Obama was audited in each of his eight years in office.A report from Congress’ nonpartisan Joint Committee on Taxation raised multiple red flags about aspects of Trump’s tax filings, including his carryover losses, deductions tied to conservation and charitable donations, and loans to his children that could be taxable gifts.The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-donald-trump-775097263d0e3526a35723f0952e8d0f">House passed a bill</a>&nbsp;in response that would require audits of any president’s income tax filings. Republicans strongly opposed the legislation, raising concerns that a law requiring audits would infringe on taxpayer privacy and could lead to audits being weaponized for political gain.The measure, approved mostly along party lines, has little chance of becoming law anytime soon with a new Republican-led House being sworn in in January. Rather, it is seen as a starting point for future efforts to bolster oversight of the presidency.Republicans have argued that Democrats will regret the move once Republicans take power next week, and they warn that the committee’s new GOP chair will be under pressure to seek and make public the tax returns of other prominent people.Rep. Don Beyer, chairman of the congressional Joint Economic Committee and a Ways and Means Committee member, presided over the routine pro forma session in the House as the tax returns were released. Beyer, D-Va., said the release was delayed as committee staff worked to redact Tpersonal and identifying information, a promise Democrats made to Republicans during a closed meeting last week.“We’ve been trying to be very careful to make sure that we weren’t ‘weaponizing’ the IRS returns,” he said.Every president and major-party candidate since Richard Nixon has voluntarily made at least summaries of their tax information available to the public. Trump bucked that trend as a candidate and as president, repeatedly asserting that his taxes were “under audit” and couldn’t be released.Trump’s lawyers were repeatedly denied in their quest to keep his tax returns from the House committee. A&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-personal-taxes-congress-government-and-politics-386ef94dc8c41c75ea77d02d36afe446">three-judge federal appeals court panel in August</a>&nbsp;upheld a lower-court ruling granting the committee access.Trump’s lawyers also tried and failed to block the Manhattan district attorney’s office from getting Trump’s tax records as part of its investigation into his business practices, losing twice in the Supreme Court.Trump’s longtime accountant, Donald Bender, testified at the Trump Organization’s recent Manhattan criminal trial that Trump&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-new-york-manhattan-donald-trump-896e245936aaf71d26b1c29c0070c8eb">reported losses on his tax returns every year</a>&nbsp;for a decade, including nearly $700 million in 2009 and $200 million in 2010.Bender, a partner at Mazars USA LLP who spent years preparing Trump’s personal tax returns, said Trump’s reported losses from 2009 to 2018 included net operating losses from some of the many businesses he owns through the Trump Organization.The Trump Organization was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-new-york-manhattan-donald-trump-government-and-politics-86177401a887c85ab50d8b78eb1ed397">convicted earlier this month</a>&nbsp;on tax fraud charges for helping some executives dodge taxes on company-paid perks such as apartments and luxury cars.___

Read 6-years of former President Trump's tax returns 

KINGSHILL, U.S. Virgin Islands (AP) — President Joe Biden on Thursday signed a $1.7 trillion spending bill that will keep the federal government operating through the end of the federal budget year in September 2023, and provide tens of billions of dollars in new aid to Ukraine for its fight against the Russian military.

Biden had until late Friday to sign the bill to avoid a partial government shutdown.

The Democratic-controlled&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kevin-mccarthy-nancy-pelosi-ed54dbd327c4362ee052f851f497fcd4">House passed the bill</a>&nbsp;225-201, mostly along party lines, just before Christmas. The House vote came a day after the Senate, also led by Democrats, voted 68-29 to pass the bill with significantly more Republican support.

Biden had said passage was proof that Republicans and Democrats can work together.

Rep. Kevin McCarthy, the House Republican leader who hopes to become speaker when a new session Congress opens on Jan. 3, argued during floor debate that the bill spends too much and does too little to curb illegal immigration and the flow of fentanyl into the U.S. from Mexico.

“This is a monstrosity that is one of the most shameful acts I’ve ever seen in this body,” McCarthy said of the legislation.

McCarthy is appealing for support from staunch conservatives in the GOP caucus, who have largely blasted the bill for its size and scope. Republicans will have a narrow House majority come Jan. 3 and several conservative members have vowed not to vote for McCarthy to become speaker.

The funding bill includes a roughly 6% increase in spending for domestic initiatives, to $772.5 billion. Spending on defense programs will increase by about 10%, to $858 billion.

Passage was achieved hours before financing for federal agencies was set to expire. Lawmakers had approved two short-term spending measures to keep the government operating, and a third, funding the government through Dec. 30, passed last Friday. Biden signed it to ensure services would continue until Congress sent him the full-year measure, called an omnibus bill.

The massive bill, which topped out at more than 4,000 pages, wraps together 12 appropriations bills, aid to Ukraine and disaster relief for communities recovering from natural disasters. It also contains scores of policy changes that lawmakers worked to include in the final major bill considered by that session of Congress.

Lawmakers provided roughly $45 billion for Ukraine and NATO allies, more than even Biden had requested, an acknowledgment that future rounds of funding are not guaranteed when Republicans take control of the House next week following the party's gains in the midterm elections.

Though support for Ukraine aid has largely been bipartisan, some House Republicans have opposed the spending and argued that the money would be better spent on priorities in the United States.

McCarthy has warned that Republicans will not write a “blank check” for Ukraine in the future.

The bill also includes about $40 billion in emergency spending, mostly to help communities across the U.S. as they recover from drought, hurricanes and other natural disasters.

Biden signed the bill Thursday in the U.S. Virgin Islands, where he is spending time with his wife, Jill, and other family members on the island of St. Croix. The Bidens are staying at the home of friends Bill and Connie Neville, the White House said. Bill Neville owns US Viking, maker of ENPS, a news production software system that is sold by The Associated Press.

Also in the bill are scores of policy changes that are largely unrelated to spending, but lawmakers worked furiously behind the scenes to get the added to the bill, which was the final piece of legislation that came out of that session of Congress. Otherwise, lawmakers sponsoring these changes would have had to start from scratch next year in a politically divided Congress in which Republicans will return to the majority in the House and Democrats will continue to control the Senate.

One of the most notable examples was a historic revision to federal election law to prevent a future president or presidential candidate from trying to overturn an election.

The bipartisan overhaul of the Electoral Count Act is a direct response to-then President Donald Trump’s efforts to persuade Republican lawmakers and then-Vice President Mike Pence to object to the certification of Biden’s victory on Jan. 6, 2021, the day of the Trump-inspired insurrection at the Capitol.

Among the spending increases Democrats emphasized: a $500 increase in the maximum size of Pell grants for low-income college students, a $100 million increase in block grants to states for substance abuse prevention and treatment programs, a 22% increase in spending on veterans' medical care and $3.7 billion in emergency relief to farmers and ranchers hit by natural disasters.

The bill also provides roughly $15.3 billion for more than 7,200 projects that lawmakers sought for their home states and districts. Under revamped rules for community project funding, also referred to as earmarks, lawmakers must post their requests online and attest they have no financial interest in the projects. Still, many fiscal conservatives criticize the earmarking as leading to unnecessary spending.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/12/1672362667413.png" alt="The bill provided roughly $45 billion for Ukraine and NATO allies, more than even Biden had requested-White House photo" />
 <figcaption>The bill provided roughly $45 billion for Ukraine and NATO allies, more than even Biden had requested-White House photo</figcaption>
 </figure>KINGSHILL, U.S. Virgin Islands (AP) — President Joe Biden on Thursday signed a $1.7 trillion spending bill that will keep the federal government operating through the end of the federal budget year in September 2023, and provide tens of billions of dollars in new aid to Ukraine for its fight against the Russian military.Biden had until late Friday to sign the bill to avoid a partial government shutdown.The Democratic-controlled&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kevin-mccarthy-nancy-pelosi-ed54dbd327c4362ee052f851f497fcd4">House passed the bill</a>&nbsp;225-201, mostly along party lines, just before Christmas. The House vote came a day after the Senate, also led by Democrats, voted 68-29 to pass the bill with significantly more Republican support.Biden had said passage was proof that Republicans and Democrats can work together.Rep. Kevin McCarthy, the House Republican leader who hopes to become speaker when a new session Congress opens on Jan. 3, argued during floor debate that the bill spends too much and does too little to curb illegal immigration and the flow of fentanyl into the U.S. from Mexico.“This is a monstrosity that is one of the most shameful acts I’ve ever seen in this body,” McCarthy said of the legislation.McCarthy is appealing for support from staunch conservatives in the GOP caucus, who have largely blasted the bill for its size and scope. Republicans will have a narrow House majority come Jan. 3 and several conservative members have vowed not to vote for McCarthy to become speaker.The funding bill includes a roughly 6% increase in spending for domestic initiatives, to $772.5 billion. Spending on defense programs will increase by about 10%, to $858 billion.Passage was achieved hours before financing for federal agencies was set to expire. Lawmakers had approved two short-term spending measures to keep the government operating, and a third, funding the government through Dec. 30, passed last Friday. Biden signed it to ensure services would continue until Congress sent him the full-year measure, called an omnibus bill.The massive bill, which topped out at more than 4,000 pages, wraps together 12 appropriations bills, aid to Ukraine and disaster relief for communities recovering from natural disasters. It also contains scores of policy changes that lawmakers worked to include in the final major bill considered by that session of Congress.Lawmakers provided roughly $45 billion for Ukraine and NATO allies, more than even Biden had requested, an acknowledgment that future rounds of funding are not guaranteed when Republicans take control of the House next week following the party's gains in the midterm elections.Though support for Ukraine aid has largely been bipartisan, some House Republicans have opposed the spending and argued that the money would be better spent on priorities in the United States.McCarthy has warned that Republicans will not write a “blank check” for Ukraine in the future.The bill also includes about $40 billion in emergency spending, mostly to help communities across the U.S. as they recover from drought, hurricanes and other natural disasters.Biden signed the bill Thursday in the U.S. Virgin Islands, where he is spending time with his wife, Jill, and other family members on the island of St. Croix. The Bidens are staying at the home of friends Bill and Connie Neville, the White House said. Bill Neville owns US Viking, maker of ENPS, a news production software system that is sold by The Associated Press.Also in the bill are scores of policy changes that are largely unrelated to spending, but lawmakers worked furiously behind the scenes to get the added to the bill, which was the final piece of legislation that came out of that session of Congress. Otherwise, lawmakers sponsoring these changes would have had to start from scratch next year in a politically divided Congress in which Republicans will return to the majority in the House and Democrats will continue to control the Senate.One of the most notable examples was a historic revision to federal election law to prevent a future president or presidential candidate from trying to overturn an election.The bipartisan overhaul of the Electoral Count Act is a direct response to-then President Donald Trump’s efforts to persuade Republican lawmakers and then-Vice President Mike Pence to object to the certification of Biden’s victory on Jan. 6, 2021, the day of the Trump-inspired insurrection at the Capitol.Among the spending increases Democrats emphasized: a $500 increase in the maximum size of Pell grants for low-income college students, a $100 million increase in block grants to states for substance abuse prevention and treatment programs, a 22% increase in spending on veterans' medical care and $3.7 billion in emergency relief to farmers and ranchers hit by natural disasters.The bill also provides roughly $15.3 billion for more than 7,200 projects that lawmakers sought for their home states and districts. Under revamped rules for community project funding, also referred to as earmarks, lawmakers must post their requests online and attest they have no financial interest in the projects. Still, many fiscal conservatives criticize the earmarking as leading to unnecessary spending.

Biden signs $1.7 trillion funding bill, $45 billion for Ukraine 

Kansas City (AP) — A judge has rejected Missouri lawmaker's effort to stop Planned Parenthood from receiving any public funding.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch&nbsp;<a href="https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/planned-parenthood-wins-court-fight-over-missouri-medicaid-reimbursements/article_c3630962-802c-58a4-b424-2bc97eb340af.html">reports</a>&nbsp;that Cole County Judge Jon Beetem ruled Wednesday that the funding restrictions were unconstitutional.

At issue issue was a bill passed by the Republican-led Legislature and signed by GOP Gov. Mike Parson in February to stop reimbursing Planned Parenthood for health care for low-income Medicaid patients.

While the state’s Medicaid program doesn’t reimburse for abortions, Planned Parenthood did seek reimbursements for other medical procedures. The group said&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/planned-parenthood-columbia-missouri-medicaid-lawsuits-b013490373261987759c06f9cc34c418">in March</a>, when it sued the state, that Missouri was ending reimbursements for birth control, cancer screenings, sexually transmitted disease testing and treatment, and other non-abortion care.

Yamelsie Rodríguez, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood of the St. Louis Region and Southwest Missouri, celebrated the decision, which Planned Parenthood said affirmed a 2020 ruling by the Missouri Supreme Court.

“The Missouri legislature’s open disregard for precedent and state law has failed, again,” she said in a statement.

Chris Nuelle, a spokesman for the attorney general’s office, did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the Post-Dispatch or The Associated Press.

Kansas City (AP) — A judge has rejected Missouri lawmaker's effort to stop Planned Parenthood from receiving any public funding.The St. Louis Post-Dispatch&nbsp;<a href="https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/planned-parenthood-wins-court-fight-over-missouri-medicaid-reimbursements/article_c3630962-802c-58a4-b424-2bc97eb340af.html">reports</a>&nbsp;that Cole County Judge Jon Beetem ruled Wednesday that the funding restrictions were unconstitutional.At issue issue was a bill passed by the Republican-led Legislature and signed by GOP Gov. Mike Parson in February to stop reimbursing Planned Parenthood for health care for low-income Medicaid patients.While the state’s Medicaid program doesn’t reimburse for abortions, Planned Parenthood did seek reimbursements for other medical procedures. The group said&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/planned-parenthood-columbia-missouri-medicaid-lawsuits-b013490373261987759c06f9cc34c418">in March</a>, when it sued the state, that Missouri was ending reimbursements for birth control, cancer screenings, sexually transmitted disease testing and treatment, and other non-abortion care.Yamelsie Rodríguez, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood of the St. Louis Region and Southwest Missouri, celebrated the decision, which Planned Parenthood said affirmed a 2020 ruling by the Missouri Supreme Court.“The Missouri legislature’s open disregard for precedent and state law has failed, again,” she said in a statement.Chris Nuelle, a spokesman for the attorney general’s office, did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the Post-Dispatch or The Associated Press.

Judge hands Planned Parenthood a Medicaid win

WORTH COUNTY, Missouri—One person died in an accident just before 3p.m. Thursday in Worth County.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 1991 Ford Crown Victoria driven by Billie F. Wake, 99, Grant City, was westbound on MO 246 three miles east of Sheridan, approximately 2 hours north of Kansas City.

The car struck a pedestrian identified as Brit L. Fisher, 28, Sheridan, who was walking with traffic in the westbound lane.

Fisher was pronounced dead at the scene and was transported to Andrews Hann Funeral Home. Wake was not injured and properly restrained, according to the MSHP.

WORTH COUNTY, Missouri—One person died in an accident just before 3p.m. Thursday in Worth County.The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 1991 Ford Crown Victoria driven by Billie F. Wake, 99, Grant City, was westbound on MO 246 three miles east of Sheridan, approximately 2 hours north of Kansas City.The car struck a pedestrian identified as Brit L. Fisher, 28, Sheridan, who was walking with traffic in the westbound lane.Fisher was pronounced dead at the scene and was transported to Andrews Hann Funeral Home. Wake was not injured and properly restrained, according to the MSHP.

Car driven by 99-year-old strikes, kills 28-year-old woman 

ATCHISON COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities investigating a home burglary have made an arrest.

On November 3 police officers investigated an unlawful entry that had been made into a vacant residence in the 600 block South 4th Street in Atchison and an identification card was taken, according to Police Chief Mike Wilson.

Just after 4:30a.m. Thursday, police arrested 49-year-old Jesse D. Cox of Atchison&nbsp;in the 500 block U.S.73 on a warrant for burglary and theft.

He remains jailed on a $30,000 bond, according to online jail records.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/12/1672328006534.png" alt="Cox-photo Atchison County" />
 <figcaption>Cox-photo Atchison County</figcaption>
 </figure>ATCHISON COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities investigating a home burglary have made an arrest.On November 3 police officers investigated an unlawful entry that had been made into a vacant residence in the 600 block South 4th Street in Atchison and an identification card was taken, according to Police Chief Mike Wilson.Just after 4:30a.m. Thursday, police arrested 49-year-old Jesse D. Cox of Atchison&nbsp;in the 500 block U.S.73 on a warrant for burglary and theft.He remains jailed on a $30,000 bond, according to online jail records.

Kansas man accused of taking ID card during home burglary

JACKSON COUNTY— A Kansas City man charged in the October double-murder of Chantell Gipson and Austin Scott is now in custody, according to a statement from Kansas City Police.

Glenn A. Pulluaim II, 28, faces two Murder 1st Degree charges and two Armed Criminal Action charges, according to Jackson County. Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker.

According to court records, on Oct. 17, Kansas City police&nbsp; were dispatched to the 8700 block of Chestnut Circle to check on the welfare of an individual. 

Inside an apartment, police officers found the body of Chantell Gipson. She had been shot. In another bedroom they found the second victim, Austin Scott, Gipson's cousin. 

Witnesses helped identify Pulluaiam. His DNA profile was founnd&nbsp; on spent shells found at the crime scene.

Pulluaim fled the scene im the victim's vehicle. Police recovered the vehicle and have exhausted all leads in an attempted to find him until Thursday.&nbsp; Police have released no additional details on the arrest.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/12/1671103315937.png" alt="Pulluaim-photo KCPD" />
 <figcaption>Pulluaim-photo KCPD</figcaption>
 </figure>JACKSON COUNTY— A Kansas City man charged in the October double-murder of Chantell Gipson and Austin Scott is now in custody, according to a statement from Kansas City Police.Glenn A. Pulluaim II, 28, faces two Murder 1st Degree charges and two Armed Criminal Action charges, according to Jackson County. Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker.According to court records, on Oct. 17, Kansas City police&nbsp; were dispatched to the 8700 block of Chestnut Circle to check on the welfare of an individual. Inside an apartment, police officers found the body of Chantell Gipson. She had been shot. In another bedroom they found the second victim, Austin Scott, Gipson's cousin. Witnesses helped identify Pulluaiam. His DNA profile was founnd&nbsp; on spent shells found at the crime scene.Pulluaim fled the scene im the victim's vehicle. Police recovered the vehicle and have exhausted all leads in an attempted to find him until Thursday.&nbsp; Police have released no additional details on the arrest.

Police catch man wanted for double-murder in Kansas City

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A pipeline operator put a damaged section in Kansas back into service Thursday, a little more than three weeks after a spill dumped 14,000 bathtubs' worth of crude oil into a rural creek.

Canada-based T.C. Energy announced that it had completed repairs, inspections and testing on its Keystone pipeline in northeast Kansas to allow a “controlled restart" of the section from Steele City, Nebraska, near the Kansas line, to Cushing, in northern Oklahoma. The 2,700-mile (4,345-kilometer) Keystone system carries heavy crude oil extracted from tar sands in western Canada to the Gulf Coast and to central Illinois.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/oil-spills-business-texas-canada-kansas-34d8391337583fc242407141d24d66c2">A spill on Dec. 7</a>&nbsp;shut down the Keystone system after dumping 14,000 barrels of crude oil into a creek running through rural pastureland in Washington County, about 150 miles (240 kilometers) northwest of Kansas City. Each barrel is 42 gallons, the size of a household bathtub.

The U.S. Department of Transportation's pipeline safety arm&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-nebraska-kansas-climate-and-environment-f4894d09430ac4a0ca32b65a44a42358">gave TC Energy permission last week</a>&nbsp;to restart the section of pipeline after telling the company that it would have to operate it at lower pressure than before. The company's announcement disclosed that it still is working to determine the cause of the spill.

“We recognize that incidents like this raise questions. We have questions too. We are committed to asking those tough questions, fully investigating and sharing our learnings and actions,” Richard Prior, the company's president for liquids pipelines, said in an online message.

The company reported that as of last week, it had recovered almost 7,700 barrels of the spilled crude oil, or a little more than half. The company and government officials have said drinking water supplies were not affected. No one was evacuated, and most of the Keystone system was back in operation in eight days.

The spill was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/oil-spills-business-texas-kansas-us-environmental-protection-agency-eda391fc0924b34a08ff840615a7bc58">the largest onshore in nine years</a>&nbsp;and larger than 22 previous spills on the Keystone system combined, according to U.S. Department of Transportation data.

“We will not rest until we have recovered and remediated the areas affected by this incident," Prior said in his message. "No incident is ever acceptable to us.”

Concerns that spills could pollute waterways spurred opposition to plans by TC Energy to build another crude oil pipeline in the same system, the 1,200-mile (1,900-kilometer) Keystone XL, across Montana, South Dakota and Nebraska. President Joe Biden’s cancelation of a permit for the project led the company to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-joe-biden-keystone-pipeline-canada-environment-and-nature-141eabd7cca6449dfbd2dab8165812f2">pull the plug</a>&nbsp;on the project last year.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/12/1670881926358.png" alt="photo courtesy U.S. Environmental Protection Agency" />
 <figcaption>photo courtesy U.S. Environmental Protection Agency</figcaption>
 </figure>By JOHN HANNA&nbsp;TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A pipeline operator put a damaged section in Kansas back into service Thursday, a little more than three weeks after a spill dumped 14,000 bathtubs' worth of crude oil into a rural creek.Canada-based T.C. Energy announced that it had completed repairs, inspections and testing on its Keystone pipeline in northeast Kansas to allow a “controlled restart" of the section from Steele City, Nebraska, near the Kansas line, to Cushing, in northern Oklahoma. The 2,700-mile (4,345-kilometer) Keystone system carries heavy crude oil extracted from tar sands in western Canada to the Gulf Coast and to central Illinois.<a href="https://apnews.com/article/oil-spills-business-texas-canada-kansas-34d8391337583fc242407141d24d66c2">A spill on Dec. 7</a>&nbsp;shut down the Keystone system after dumping 14,000 barrels of crude oil into a creek running through rural pastureland in Washington County, about 150 miles (240 kilometers) northwest of Kansas City. Each barrel is 42 gallons, the size of a household bathtub.The U.S. Department of Transportation's pipeline safety arm&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-nebraska-kansas-climate-and-environment-f4894d09430ac4a0ca32b65a44a42358">gave TC Energy permission last week</a>&nbsp;to restart the section of pipeline after telling the company that it would have to operate it at lower pressure than before. The company's announcement disclosed that it still is working to determine the cause of the spill.“We recognize that incidents like this raise questions. We have questions too. We are committed to asking those tough questions, fully investigating and sharing our learnings and actions,” Richard Prior, the company's president for liquids pipelines, said in an online message.The company reported that as of last week, it had recovered almost 7,700 barrels of the spilled crude oil, or a little more than half. The company and government officials have said drinking water supplies were not affected. No one was evacuated, and most of the Keystone system was back in operation in eight days.The spill was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/oil-spills-business-texas-kansas-us-environmental-protection-agency-eda391fc0924b34a08ff840615a7bc58">the largest onshore in nine years</a>&nbsp;and larger than 22 previous spills on the Keystone system combined, according to U.S. Department of Transportation data.“We will not rest until we have recovered and remediated the areas affected by this incident," Prior said in his message. "No incident is ever acceptable to us.”Concerns that spills could pollute waterways spurred opposition to plans by TC Energy to build another crude oil pipeline in the same system, the 1,200-mile (1,900-kilometer) Keystone XL, across Montana, South Dakota and Nebraska. President Joe Biden’s cancelation of a permit for the project led the company to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-joe-biden-keystone-pipeline-canada-environment-and-nature-141eabd7cca6449dfbd2dab8165812f2">pull the plug</a>&nbsp;on the project last year.___

Pipeline section in Kansas with oil spill is back in service

WASHINGTON (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jan-6-committee-final-report-trump-bcfea6162fe9cfa0d120e86d069af0e4">The House Jan. 6 committee</a>&nbsp;has dropped its subpoena against former President Donald Trump as it wraps up work and prepares to dissolve next week.

Mississippi Rep. Bennie Thompson, the committee's Democratic chairman, wrote in a letter to Trump lawyer David Warrington on Wednesday that he is formally withdrawing the subpoena.

“As you may know, the Select Committee has concluded its hearings, released its final report and will very soon reach its end,” Thompson wrote. “In light of the imminent end of our investigation, the Select Committee can no longer pursue the specific information covered by the subpoena.”

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-subpoena-jan-6-committee-2d63a2ba74c1874ef6ef0d8ae6d788c1">The committee had voted to subpoena Trump</a>&nbsp;during its final televised hearing before the midterm elections in October, demanding testimony and documents from the former president as it has investigated his role in the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol insurrection and efforts to overturn his 2020 defeat.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/10/1665779973146.png" alt="-Former President Trump as shown from Dec. 2, 2020, in the Jan. 6 committee hearing video&nbsp;" />
 <figcaption>-Former President Trump as shown from Dec. 2, 2020, in the Jan. 6 committee hearing video&nbsp;</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jan-6-committee-final-report-trump-bcfea6162fe9cfa0d120e86d069af0e4">The House Jan. 6 committee</a>&nbsp;has dropped its subpoena against former President Donald Trump as it wraps up work and prepares to dissolve next week.Mississippi Rep. Bennie Thompson, the committee's Democratic chairman, wrote in a letter to Trump lawyer David Warrington on Wednesday that he is formally withdrawing the subpoena.“As you may know, the Select Committee has concluded its hearings, released its final report and will very soon reach its end,” Thompson wrote. “In light of the imminent end of our investigation, the Select Committee can no longer pursue the specific information covered by the subpoena.”<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/10/1665779185751.png" alt="Trump's response to the Jan. 6 panel following the Oct. subpoena vote" />
 <figcaption>Trump's response to the Jan. 6 panel following the Oct. subpoena vote</figcaption>
 </figure><a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-subpoena-jan-6-committee-2d63a2ba74c1874ef6ef0d8ae6d788c1">The committee had voted to subpoena Trump</a>&nbsp;during its final televised hearing before the midterm elections in October, demanding testimony and documents from the former president as it has investigated his role in the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol insurrection and efforts to overturn his 2020 defeat.<a href="https://cdn.nucleusfiles.com/27/27b7896f-01c5-4609-93c7-742e5cb22e96/830-am-final-january-6th-committee-letter14446.pdf?utm_medium=email_hf&amp;utm_source=ncl__&amp;utm_campaign=20221014___sa&amp;utm_content=__6167&amp;_nlid=test123&amp;_nhids=TEST">CLICK here to read</a>&nbsp;the full letter Trump sent in October to the Jan. 6 committee&nbsp;Lawmakers on the panel have acknowledged the subpoena would be difficult to enforce, especially as Republicans are poised to take over the House in January. But the move had political and symbolic value.“We are obligated to seek answers directly from the man who set this all in motion,” Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney, the panel’s vice chairwoman and one of two Republicans on the nine-member committee, said at the time. “And every American is entitled to those answers.”<a href="https://apnews.com/article/capitol-siege-donald-trump-lawsuits-subpoenas-congress-d4318c5a2622f8f973b966e834a5631e">Trump then sued the panel</a>&nbsp;in November to avoid cooperating. The lawsuit contended that while former presidents have voluntarily agreed to provide testimony or documents in response to congressional subpoenas in the past, “no president or former president has ever been compelled to do so.”The committee’s request for documents was sweeping, including personal communications between Trump and members of Congress as well as extremist groups. Trump’s attorneys said it was overly broad and framed it as an infringement of his First Amendment rights.While the panel never gained Trump's testimony, the committee interviewed more than 1,000 witnesses, including most of his closest White House aides and allies. Many of those witnesses provided substantive detail about his efforts to sway state legislators, federal officials and lawmakers to help him overturn his defeat. And White House aides who were with him on Jan. 6 told the panel about his resistance to tell the violent mob of his supporters to leave the Capitol after they had broken in and interrupted the certification of President Joe Biden's victory.In its final report issued last week, the committee concluded that Trump engaged in a “multi-part conspiracy” to upend the 2020 election and failed to act on the violence. The panel also recommended that the Justice Department investigate the former president for four separate crimes, including aiding an insurrection.On social media Wednesday evening, Trump and his lawyers construed the move as a victory. “They probably did so because they knew I did nothing wrong, or they were about to lose in Court,” Trump wrote on his social media site. He called the panel “political Thugs.”On Twitter, Trump lawyer Harmeet Dhillon said the panel had “waved the white flag."