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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Caretaker arrested, search for missing Okla. toddler continues

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

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

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

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

Kan. school district dismissed students early following burglary

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Search continues for inmate who escaped jail near Kansas City

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

US air travel returns to normal after technology breakdown

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

$1.35B Mega Millions prize drawing set for Friday night

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“I had to sort of run into many walls and trees," she told the AP in 2012. “But now I can also look back at it and tell you all the stuff that was going on around me and all the different people around me and all the awww — and it was not a good situation anyway. That wasn’t helping. Either way, it was a growing process. It was just in a different way. It was just out in front of everybody all the time. Because it’s all documented of course.”

Lisa Marie became involved in numerous humanitarian causes, from anti-poverty programs administered through the Elvis Presley Charitable Foundation to relief efforts after Hurricane Katrina. She would receive formal citations from New Orleans and Memphis, Tennessee for her work.

Presley had two children, actor Riley Keough, born in 1989, and Benjamin Keough, born in 1992, with her former husband Danny Keough. She also had twin daughters, Harper and Finley Lockwood, with&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/03104a9d504640eca8d197d9b4a62ea6">ex-husband Michael Lockwood</a>&nbsp;in 2008.

Her marriage to Lockwood would end in a combative and protracted divorce that began in 2016 and still was not resolved when she died, though they were declared single in 2021. The fight saw the girls, now 15, put temporarily in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/1ce2e6f9b1b747eb909a7e9617a1f33a">protective custody</a>&nbsp;in 2017. Presley and Lockwood later had joint custody, but were still at odds over the issue, with Lockwood seeking more child support from Presley.

Benjamin Keough&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/us-news-ap-top-news-ca-state-wire-danny-keough-music-77998ac9b00390de449443dcdde2f840">died by suicide in 2020</a>&nbsp;at 27. Presley was vocal about her grief, writing in an essay last August that she had “been living in the horrific reality of its unrelenting grips since my son’s death two years ago.”

“I’ve dealt with death, grief and loss since the age of 9 years old. I’ve had more than anyone’s fair share of it in my lifetime and somehow, I’ve made it this far,” she wrote in an essay shared with People magazine.

“But this one, the death of my beautiful, beautiful son? The sweetest and most incredible being that I have ever had the privilege of knowing, who made me feel so honored every single day to be his mother? Who was so much like his grandfather on so many levels that he actually scared me? Which made me worry about him even more than I naturally would have?" the essay continued. "No. Just no ... no no no no ...”

Lisa Marie became the sole heir of the Elvis Presley Trust after her father died. Along with&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/6d24f34fe8a84258abe9630a7b15a21b">Elvis Presley Enterprises,</a>&nbsp;the trust managed Graceland and other assets until she sold her majority interest in 2005. She retained ownership of Graceland Mansion itself, the 13 acres around it and items inside the home. Her son is&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/lisa-marie-presley-california-travel-elvis-presley-memphis-bd0032e7758187cfbd0117d6416cd109">buried there, along with her father</a>&nbsp;and other members of the Presley family.

Lisa Marie Presley is a former Scientologist — her son was born in 1992 under guidelines set by Church of Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard,&nbsp;<a href="https://newsroom.ap.org/%E2%80%B3The%20baby%20was%20delivered%20naturally%20and%20in%20complete%20silence%20in%20a%20calm%20and%20supportive%20environment%E2%80%B3%20under%20guidelines%20set%20out%20by%20the%20Church%20of%20Scientology%E2%80%99s%20founder,%20L.%20Ron%20Hubbard,%20in%20his%20book%20%E2%80%B3Dianetics,%E2%80%B3%20Bloch%20said.%20ADVERTISEMENT%20ADVERTISING%20%E2%80%B3The%20book%20states%20that%20whatever%20is%20said%20at%20birth%20can%20affect%20the%20child%E2%80%99s%20mental%20health%20in%20later%20life,%E2%80%B3%20the%20spokesman%20said.">according to an AP story at the time</a>&nbsp;— but later&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/harvey-weinstein-entertainment-paul-haggis-danny-masterson-kevin-spacey-e0be56c71bab5282e21bea0c92604e5a">broke with Scientology.</a>

Lisa Marie and Priscilla Presley&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/9067ed77fe79caf85cf6bc7f473d3440">would make regular trips to Graceland</a>&nbsp;during&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/0bdb61563b5b4e74a6503baa08f6124a">huge fan celebrations</a>&nbsp;on the anniversaries of Elvis' death and birthday. One of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ae5d6f3780df4114a9174d7d45b73226">the two airplanes at Graceland</a>&nbsp;is named the Lisa Marie.

After her first album “To Whom It May Concern,” in 2003, some fans came out to see her perform just out of curiosity given her famous family, she told the AP in 2005.

“First I had to overcome a pre-speculated idea of me,” she said of the barriers to becoming a singer-songwriter.

“I had to sort of burst through that and introduce myself, and that was the first hurdle, and then now sing in front of everybody, and then that was the second one, and I’m the offspring of — you know, who I’m the offspring of — I had a few hurdles to get through, no doubt about it," she continued. “But the scales never tipped in the other direction too much.”

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

Lisa Marie Presley, singer and daughter of Elvis, dies at 54

SHAWNEE COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities investigating a New Year's Eve shooting released security camera images on Jan. 9 asking for help to ID a suspect. On Thursday, the Shawnee County Sheriff's office reported the public assisted in helping them identify the individual.

Just before 2a.m. Saturday, December 31, 2022, deputies were dispatched to a business inmthe 5300 block of SW Topeka Boulevard for a disturbance, according to deputy Abigail Christian.

A physical altercation began near the entrance of the business and continued into the parking lot. During the fight, multiple gunshots were fired and one person was struck. That person was taken to a local hospital with non-lifethreatening injuries.

The sheriff's office has not released details on the suspect or a possible arrest in their investigation.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/1/1673301016811.png" alt="image Shawnee Co. Sheriff" />
 <figcaption>image Shawnee Co. Sheriff</figcaption>
 </figure>SHAWNEE COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities investigating a New Year's Eve shooting released security camera images on Jan. 9 asking for help to ID a suspect. On Thursday, the Shawnee County Sheriff's office reported the public assisted in helping them identify the individual.Just before 2a.m. Saturday, December 31, 2022, deputies were dispatched to a business inmthe 5300 block of SW Topeka Boulevard for a disturbance, according to deputy Abigail Christian.A physical altercation began near the entrance of the business and continued into the parking lot. During the fight, multiple gunshots were fired and one person was struck. That person was taken to a local hospital with non-lifethreatening injuries.The sheriff's office has not released details on the suspect or a possible arrest in their investigation.

Suspect in New Year's Eve shooting in Kan. identified

TOPEKA —Governor Laura Kelly does not have COVID-19, according to a statement from her office and the Kansas Department of Health.

“On Tuesday, after experiencing cold-like symptoms, Governor Laura Kelly tested positive for COVID-19. In order to be safe and transparent with Kansans, the Governor then shared the news publicly, self-isolated, and worked from home."

'She continued to test, and after several subsequent negative tests, her physician and experts at the Kansas Department of Health and Environment have determined that she does not have COVID and that the original test was a false positive. She has been cleared to work in-person starting Friday.”

According to Joan Duwve, M.D., State Health Officer, Kansas Department of Health and Environment,&nbsp;After receiving a positive result on a COVID test, Governor Kelly followed all protocols by self-isolating at home while continuing to work. With the increased time indoors this winter, anytime Kansans are not feeling well they should follow the infection prevention protocols, get tested for respiratory viruses such as COVID-19 or influenza, and stay home until they are no longer experiencing symptoms.”

Gov. Kelly is fully vaccinated. The governor rescheduled the State of the State address to Tuesday, January 24, at 6:30pm. The Governor’s Budget was released Thursday to the legislature as planned.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/1/1673381691929.png" alt="-Members of the Prairie Band Potawatomi nation presented a gift to Gov Kelly during the inauguration ceremony on Monday-courtesy Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation" />
 <figcaption>-Members of the Prairie Band Potawatomi nation presented a gift to Gov Kelly during the inauguration ceremony on Monday-courtesy Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation</figcaption>
 </figure>TOPEKA —Governor Laura Kelly does not have COVID-19, according to a statement from her office and the Kansas Department of Health.“On Tuesday, after experiencing cold-like symptoms, Governor Laura Kelly tested positive for COVID-19. In order to be safe and transparent with Kansans, the Governor then shared the news publicly, self-isolated, and worked from home."'She continued to test, and after several subsequent negative tests, her physician and experts at the Kansas Department of Health and Environment have determined that she does not have COVID and that the original test was a false positive. She has been cleared to work in-person starting Friday.”According to Joan Duwve, M.D., State Health Officer, Kansas Department of Health and Environment,&nbsp;After receiving a positive result on a COVID test, Governor Kelly followed all protocols by self-isolating at home while continuing to work. With the increased time indoors this winter, anytime Kansans are not feeling well they should follow the infection prevention protocols, get tested for respiratory viruses such as COVID-19 or influenza, and stay home until they are no longer experiencing symptoms.”Gov. Kelly is fully vaccinated. The governor rescheduled the State of the State address to Tuesday, January 24, at 6:30pm. The Governor’s Budget was released Thursday to the legislature as planned.

KDHE: Governor Kelly's COVID test was false positive

GREECE, N.Y. (AP) — A young woman and her boyfriend have pleaded guilty to fatally shooting the woman's mother in her upstate New York home in 2020.

Hannah Thomas, who was 17 years old at the time of the killing and is now 19, pleaded guilty Wednesday to first-degree manslaughter for causing the death of Ottilia Piros. Thomas' boyfriend, Richard Avila, 16 when the murder occurred and now 18, pleaded guilty to the same charge on Tuesday.

Each face 25 years in prison and five years of post-release supervision, according to a statement Wednesday by the Monroe County District Attorney's Office.

Both are scheduled to be sentenced on Feb. 28.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/new-york-shootings-greece-b5e6b77f051b8380d18222c9052aa5c7">The couple</a>&nbsp;were pulled over for speeding on Dec. 29, 2020, by police in Missouri, who attempted to contact the teens' family members. When police arrived at Otillia's home in Greece, N.Y., they found the 36-year-old dead from a gunshot wound.

The pair were extradited to New York to face charges in the death.

“Richard Avila and Hannah Thomas murdered Hannah’s mother without provocation or reason,” Assistant District Attorney Kevin Sunderland said in a statement. “This senseless murder not only took the life of Ottilia Piros but will also ruin the lives of both Hannah Thomas and Richard Avila."

District Attorney Sandra Doorley called Piros' murder “heartbreaking” and a “violent act of betrayal."

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/1/1673540762722.png" alt="Thomas was jailed in Pulaski County, Missouri after a traffic stop for speeding" />
 <figcaption>Thomas was jailed in Pulaski County, Missouri after a traffic stop for speeding</figcaption>
 </figure>GREECE, N.Y. (AP) — A young woman and her boyfriend have pleaded guilty to fatally shooting the woman's mother in her upstate New York home in 2020.Hannah Thomas, who was 17 years old at the time of the killing and is now 19, pleaded guilty Wednesday to first-degree manslaughter for causing the death of Ottilia Piros. Thomas' boyfriend, Richard Avila, 16 when the murder occurred and now 18, pleaded guilty to the same charge on Tuesday.Each face 25 years in prison and five years of post-release supervision, according to a statement Wednesday by the Monroe County District Attorney's Office.Both are scheduled to be sentenced on Feb. 28.<a href="https://apnews.com/article/new-york-shootings-greece-b5e6b77f051b8380d18222c9052aa5c7">The couple</a>&nbsp;were pulled over for speeding on Dec. 29, 2020, by police in Missouri, who attempted to contact the teens' family members. When police arrived at Otillia's home in Greece, N.Y., they found the 36-year-old dead from a gunshot wound.The pair were extradited to New York to face charges in the death.“Richard Avila and Hannah Thomas murdered Hannah’s mother without provocation or reason,” Assistant District Attorney Kevin Sunderland said in a statement. “This senseless murder not only took the life of Ottilia Piros but will also ruin the lives of both Hannah Thomas and Richard Avila."District Attorney Sandra Doorley called Piros' murder “heartbreaking” and a “violent act of betrayal."

Woman, boyfriend jailed in Missouri plead guilty to killing her mother 

SHAWNEE COUNTY—A Topeka firefighter was injured  after being struck by a car while working an accident on icy Interstate 470 on Thursday.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 1999 Honda CRV driven by Robert Gary Cooper, 57, Topeka, was eastbound on Interstate 470 at Huntoon in&nbsp; lane 2.&nbsp;

The driver lost control of the SUV. It exited the roadway, rolled down the embankment and struck a first responder identified as 45-year-old Ty Colin Forshee.&nbsp; A Captain with 21-year-of service for the Topeka Fire Department, according to Fire Chief Randy Phillips.

American Medical Response transported Forshee to Stormont Vail for treatment of serious injuries. He was alert and being evaluated according to Chief Phillips.

Cooper was not injured and properly restrained, according to the KHP.

SHAWNEE COUNTY—A Topeka firefighter was injured&nbsp; after being struck by a car while working an accident on icy Interstate 470 on Thursday.

Just before 8a.m. police and fire crews responded to a non-injury accident on westbound Interstate 470 near Huntoon, according to city spokesperson Gretchen Spiker.

A few minutes later, a vehicle not involved in the original accident, struck the firefighter who was working the accident. Personnel on scene provided immediate care to the firefighter. 

American Medical Response transported the firefighter to a local hospital with serious injuries. The firefighter is alert at the hospital, according to Spiker.

The drivers involved in both accidents were treated on scene for minor injuries that did not require transport.

The Kansas Highway Patrol is investigating both accidents. Westbound Interstate 470 was shut down at Huntoon during the investigation. Officials did not release the name of the injured firefighter.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/1/1673536228071.png" alt="American Medical Response transported the firefighter to a local hospital-photo courtesy WIBW TV" />
 <figcaption>American Medical Response transported the firefighter to a local hospital-photo courtesy WIBW TV</figcaption>
 </figure>SHAWNEE COUNTY—A Topeka firefighter was injured after being struck by a car while working an accident on icy Interstate 470 on Thursday.The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 1999 Honda CRV driven by Robert Gary Cooper, 57, Topeka, was eastbound on Interstate 470 at Huntoon in&nbsp; lane 2.&nbsp;The driver lost control of the SUV. It exited the roadway, rolled down the embankment and struck a first responder identified as 45-year-old Ty Colin Forshee.&nbsp; A Captain with 21-year-of service for the Topeka Fire Department, according to Fire Chief Randy Phillips.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/1/1673536255787.png" alt="KHP is in charge of the investigation -photo courtesy WIBW TV" />
 <figcaption>KHP is in charge of the investigation -photo courtesy WIBW TV</figcaption>
 </figure>American Medical Response transported Forshee to Stormont Vail for treatment of serious injuries. He was alert and being evaluated according to Chief Phillips.Cooper was not injured and properly restrained, according to the KHP.--------------SHAWNEE COUNTY—A Topeka firefighter was injured&nbsp; after being struck by a car while working an accident on icy Interstate 470 on Thursday.Just before 8a.m. police and fire crews responded to a non-injury accident on westbound Interstate 470 near Huntoon, according to city spokesperson Gretchen Spiker.A few minutes later, a vehicle not involved in the original accident, struck the firefighter who was working the accident. Personnel on scene provided immediate care to the firefighter. American Medical Response transported the firefighter to a local hospital with serious injuries. The firefighter is alert at the hospital, according to Spiker.The drivers involved in both accidents were treated on scene for minor injuries that did not require transport.The Kansas Highway Patrol is investigating both accidents. Westbound Interstate 470 was shut down at Huntoon during the investigation. Officials did not release the name of the injured firefighter.

KHP IDs firefighter struck by car while working crash 

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden acknowledged on Thursday that a document with classified markings from his time as vice president was found in his “personal library” at his home in Wilmington, Delaware, along with other documents found in his garage, days after it was disclosed that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-classified-documents-updates-e506a5c4094356cf4c7d11f8fb3d23b4">sensitive documents were also found</a>&nbsp;at the office of his former institute in Washington.

(Click below to watch the President's comments)

Attorney General Merrick Garland on Thursday appointed a special counsel to investigate the presence of documents.&nbsp;Robert Hur, the former Trump-appointed U.S. attorney in Maryland, will lead the investigation, taking over from the top Justice Department prosecutor in Chicago, John Lausch, who was earlier assigned by the department to investigate the matter and who recommended to Garland last week that a special counsel be appointed. Hur is to begin his work soon.

Biden told reporters at the White House that he was “cooperating fully and completely” with a Justice Department investigation into how classified information and government records were stored. He did not say when the latest series of documents were found, only that his lawyers’ review of potential storage locations was completed Wednesday night. Lawyers found the first set on Nov. 2, days before the midterm elections, but publicly revealed that development only on Monday.

<a href="https://twitter.com/iansams46/status/1613555584837484545?s=46&amp;t=8xALB1vkwvyczi8synQw1w">Richard Sauber</a>, a special counsel to the president, said after the initial documents were found by Biden's personal lawyers, they examined other locations where records might have been shipped after Biden left the vice presidency in 2017.

Sauber said a “small number” of documents with classified markings were found in a storage space in Biden's garage in Wilmington, with one document being located in an adjacent room. Biden later revealed that the other location was his personal library.

Biden said the Department of Justice was “immediately notified” after the documents were located and that department lawyers took custody of the records. The first batch of documents had been turned over to the National Archives and Records Administration.

Regardless of the Justice Department review, the revelation that Biden potentially mishandled classified or presidential records is proving to be a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-politics-us-national-security-council-donald-trump-united-states-government-e8c56297702daf253b9e0fcb45e17b6c">political headache for Biden</a>, who said&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-classified-documents-trump-side-by-side-fb2c4ebccdbdbb9039c1c5e227b1da53">former President Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;was “irresponsible” for keeping hundreds of such records at his private club in Florida.

New House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, a California Republican, said of the latest news: “I think Congress has to investigate this."

“Here’s an individual that sat on ‘60 Minutes’ that was so concerned about President Trump’s documents locked in storage, and now we find that this is a vice president keeping it for years out in the open for different locations.”

The top Republican on the House Intelligence Committee has requested that intelligence agencies conduct a “damage assessment” of potentially classified documents. Ohio Rep. Mike Turner on Thursday also requested briefings from Attorney General Merrick Garland and the director of national intelligence, Avril Haines, on their reviews by Jan. 26.

“The presence of classified information at these separate locations could implicate the President in the mishandling, potential misuse, and exposure of classified information," Turner wrote the officials.

Earlier this week, the White House confirmed that the department was reviewing “a small number of documents with classified markings” found at the Washington office. Biden’s lawyers had discovered the material at the offices of the Penn Biden Center and then immediately called the National Archives about the discovery, the White House said. Biden kept an office there after he left the vice presidency in 2017 until shortly before he launched his Democratic presidential campaign in 2019.

The revelation that additional classified documents were uncovered by Biden’s team came hours after White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre dodged questions about Biden’s handling of classified information and the West Wing’s management of the discovery.

(Click below to watch the White House Press Sec. answer questions on the documents)

She had said Wednesday that the White House was committed to handling the matter in the “right way,” pointing to Biden’s personal attorneys’ immediate notification of the National Archives.

But she refused to say when Biden himself had been briefed, whether there were any more classified documents potentially located at other unauthorized locations, and why the White House waited more than two months to reveal the discovery of the initial batch of documents.

The Justice Department is reviewing the records that were found at the Penn Biden Center and Garland has asked John Lausch, the U.S. attorney in Chicago, to review the the matter, a person familiar with the matter told The Associated Press this week. That person also was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.

Lausch is one of the few U.S. attorneys to be held over from Trump’s administration.

Biden has said he was “surprised to learn that there are any government records that were taken there to that office” but his lawyers “did what they should have done” when they immediately called the National Archives.

The revelation also may complicate the Justice Department’s consideration of whether to bring charges against Trump. The Republican is trying to win back the White House in 2024 and has repeatedly claimed the department’s inquiry into his own conduct amounted to “corruption.”

There are significant differences between the Trump and Biden situations, including the gravity of an ongoing grand jury investigation into the Mar-a-Lago matter.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/1/1673546739694.png" alt="Biden backing his Corvette into the garage next to stacks of boxes&nbsp; where classified documents were found-image from a&nbsp; 2020 Biden for President campaign ad&nbsp;" />
 <figcaption>Biden backing his Corvette into the garage next to stacks of boxes&nbsp; where classified documents were found-image from a&nbsp; 2020 Biden for President campaign ad&nbsp;</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden acknowledged on Thursday that a document with classified markings from his time as vice president was found in his “personal library” at his home in Wilmington, Delaware, along with other documents found in his garage, days after it was disclosed that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-classified-documents-updates-e506a5c4094356cf4c7d11f8fb3d23b4">sensitive documents were also found</a>&nbsp;at the office of his former institute in Washington.(Click below to watch the President's comments)<div><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?height=314&href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FWhiteHouse%2Fvideos%2F936521110846739%2F&show_text=false&width=560&t=521" width="560" height="314" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowFullScreen="true"></iframe></div>Attorney General Merrick Garland on Thursday appointed a special counsel to investigate the presence of documents.&nbsp;Robert Hur, the former Trump-appointed U.S. attorney in Maryland, will lead the investigation, taking over from the top Justice Department prosecutor in Chicago, John Lausch, who was earlier assigned by the department to investigate the matter and who recommended to Garland last week that a special counsel be appointed. Hur is to begin his work soon.Biden told reporters at the White House that he was “cooperating fully and completely” with a Justice Department investigation into how classified information and government records were stored. He did not say when the latest series of documents were found, only that his lawyers’ review of potential storage locations was completed Wednesday night. Lawyers found the first set on Nov. 2, days before the midterm elections, but publicly revealed that development only on Monday.<a href="https://twitter.com/iansams46/status/1613555584837484545?s=46&amp;t=8xALB1vkwvyczi8synQw1w">Richard Sauber</a>, a special counsel to the president, said after the initial documents were found by Biden's personal lawyers, they examined other locations where records might have been shipped after Biden left the vice presidency in 2017.Sauber said a “small number” of documents with classified markings were found in a storage space in Biden's garage in Wilmington, with one document being located in an adjacent room. Biden later revealed that the other location was his personal library.Biden said the Department of Justice was “immediately notified” after the documents were located and that department lawyers took custody of the records. The first batch of documents had been turned over to the National Archives and Records Administration.Regardless of the Justice Department review, the revelation that Biden potentially mishandled classified or presidential records is proving to be a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-politics-us-national-security-council-donald-trump-united-states-government-e8c56297702daf253b9e0fcb45e17b6c">political headache for Biden</a>, who said&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-classified-documents-trump-side-by-side-fb2c4ebccdbdbb9039c1c5e227b1da53">former President Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;was “irresponsible” for keeping hundreds of such records at his private club in Florida.New House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, a California Republican, said of the latest news: “I think Congress has to investigate this."“Here’s an individual that sat on ‘60 Minutes’ that was so concerned about President Trump’s documents locked in storage, and now we find that this is a vice president keeping it for years out in the open for different locations.”The top Republican on the House Intelligence Committee has requested that intelligence agencies conduct a “damage assessment” of potentially classified documents. Ohio Rep. Mike Turner on Thursday also requested briefings from Attorney General Merrick Garland and the director of national intelligence, Avril Haines, on their reviews by Jan. 26.“The presence of classified information at these separate locations could implicate the President in the mishandling, potential misuse, and exposure of classified information," Turner wrote the officials.Earlier this week, the White House confirmed that the department was reviewing “a small number of documents with classified markings” found at the Washington office. Biden’s lawyers had discovered the material at the offices of the Penn Biden Center and then immediately called the National Archives about the discovery, the White House said. Biden kept an office there after he left the vice presidency in 2017 until shortly before he launched his Democratic presidential campaign in 2019.The revelation that additional classified documents were uncovered by Biden’s team came hours after White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre dodged questions about Biden’s handling of classified information and the West Wing’s management of the discovery.(Click below to watch the White House Press Sec. answer questions on the documents)<div><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?height=314&href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FWhiteHouse%2Fvideos%2F1178795769445405%2F&show_text=false&width=560&t=613" width="560" height="314" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowFullScreen="true"></iframe></div>She had said Wednesday that the White House was committed to handling the matter in the “right way,” pointing to Biden’s personal attorneys’ immediate notification of the National Archives.But she refused to say when Biden himself had been briefed, whether there were any more classified documents potentially located at other unauthorized locations, and why the White House waited more than two months to reveal the discovery of the initial batch of documents.The Justice Department is reviewing the records that were found at the Penn Biden Center and Garland has asked John Lausch, the U.S. attorney in Chicago, to review the the matter, a person familiar with the matter told The Associated Press this week. That person also was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.Lausch is one of the few U.S. attorneys to be held over from Trump’s administration.Biden has said he was “surprised to learn that there are any government records that were taken there to that office” but his lawyers “did what they should have done” when they immediately called the National Archives.The revelation also may complicate the Justice Department’s consideration of whether to bring charges against Trump. The Republican is trying to win back the White House in 2024 and has repeatedly claimed the department’s inquiry into his own conduct amounted to “corruption.”There are significant differences between the Trump and Biden situations, including the gravity of an ongoing grand jury investigation into the Mar-a-Lago matter.

🎥Biden admits classified documents found in his garage

COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — A man accused of assaulting several people at a mobile home park was fatally shot by police after a long standoff when he rushed at officers with a knife, police said.

Two officers fired at Jordan Pruyn, 28, Wednesday night, Columbia Police spokesman Christian Tabak said at a news conference Thursday.

Officers initially responded to a report that a man had assaulted several people near the Stonegate Mobile Home Community. Tabak said Pruyn discarded a firearm when officers arrived but efforts to deescalate the situation were unsuccessful and he barricaded himself inside a mobile home.

Pruyn stopped communicating for several hours, but then came out and ran toward officers with a knife, Tabak said. He was declared dead at a hospital.

Columbia Police Chief Geoff Jones said one of the officers has 18 years of experience and the other about four years.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol will investigate the shooting and Columbia police will conduct an internal investigation, the chief said.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/1/1673554939594.png" alt="Crime scene photo by Lucy Caile courtesy KOMU" />
 <figcaption>Crime scene photo by Lucy Caile courtesy KOMU</figcaption>
 </figure>COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — A man accused of assaulting several people at a mobile home park was fatally shot by police after a long standoff when he rushed at officers with a knife, police said.Two officers fired at Jordan Pruyn, 28, Wednesday night, Columbia Police spokesman Christian Tabak said at a news conference Thursday.Officers initially responded to a report that a man had assaulted several people near the Stonegate Mobile Home Community. Tabak said Pruyn discarded a firearm when officers arrived but efforts to deescalate the situation were unsuccessful and he barricaded himself inside a mobile home.Pruyn stopped communicating for several hours, but then came out and ran toward officers with a knife, Tabak said. He was declared dead at a hospital.Columbia Police Chief Geoff Jones said one of the officers has 18 years of experience and the other about four years.The Missouri State Highway Patrol will investigate the shooting and Columbia police will conduct an internal investigation, the chief said.

Man with knife dies in Missouri officer-involved shooting

GEARY COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating an alleged abduction and now asking the public for help to find three children.

According to Junction City Police, on December 21, Jeana Foley abducted her children identified as 6-year-old Rosie Peterson, 5-year-old Camden Peterson and 3-year-old Genevieve Peterson

On Jan. 5, a felony warrant was issued for Foley's arrest. On Wednesday, Junction City police asked the public to call 911 if you have any&nbsp; information to help bring these kids home. Police released no additional details in the case.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/1/1673546045642.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>GEARY COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating an alleged abduction and now asking the public for help to find three children.According to Junction City Police, on December 21, Jeana Foley abducted her children identified as 6-year-old Rosie Peterson, 5-year-old Camden Peterson and 3-year-old Genevieve PetersonOn Jan. 5, a felony warrant was issued for Foley's arrest. On Wednesday, Junction City police asked the public to call 911 if you have any&nbsp; information to help bring these kids home. Police released no additional details in the case.

Police ask for help to find children abducted by their mother

SEDGWICK COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating alleged aggravated criminal solicitation of children and have made an arrest.

Just after 7:30p.m. on Wednesday, police were flagged down at the intersection of Yale and Dunham by a family member stating three girls, ages 7-13, were solicited for sex by&nbsp;43-year-old Damien Henderson, according to Officer Chad Ditch.

The suspect fled from the scene before officers arrived. None of the girls were physically injured. The girls are known to each other.

The investigation revealed that the three girls were walking in the neighborhood together when Henderson walked up to them and solicited all of them for sex. The girls ran and informed their parents. 

Officers were already in the neighborhood when the adult flagged them down. Officers were given Henderson’s description and a short time later located him near 31st and K-15. 

<a href="https://ssc.sedgwickcounty.org/sheriffinmates/SheriffInmateDetail.aspx?nameId=20053750">Henderson was detained</a> without incident and is being held on requested charges of indecent solicitation of a child, failure to appear, failure to comply and domestic violence battery, according to online jail records.

Police notified Wichita Public Schools of the incident.&nbsp;This case will be presented to the District Attorney’s office.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/1/1673528900779.png" alt="Henderson-photo Sedgwick County" />
 <figcaption>Henderson-photo Sedgwick County</figcaption>
 </figure>SEDGWICK COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating alleged aggravated criminal solicitation of children and have made an arrest.Just after 7:30p.m. on Wednesday, police were flagged down at the intersection of Yale and Dunham by a family member stating three girls, ages 7-13, were solicited for sex by&nbsp;43-year-old Damien Henderson, according to Officer Chad Ditch.The suspect fled from the scene before officers arrived. None of the girls were physically injured. The girls are known to each other.The investigation revealed that the three girls were walking in the neighborhood together when Henderson walked up to them and solicited all of them for sex. The girls ran and informed their parents. Officers were already in the neighborhood when the adult flagged them down. Officers were given Henderson’s description and a short time later located him near 31st and K-15. <a href="https://ssc.sedgwickcounty.org/sheriffinmates/SheriffInmateDetail.aspx?nameId=20053750">Henderson was detained</a> without incident and is being held on requested charges of indecent solicitation of a child, failure to appear, failure to comply and domestic violence battery, according to online jail records.Police notified Wichita Public Schools of the incident.&nbsp;This case will be presented to the District Attorney’s office.

Police: Kansas man approached 3 juveniles for sex 

WASHINGTON —Thousands of flights across the U.S. were canceled or delayed Wednesday after a system that offers safety information to pilots failed.  

On Wednesday afternoon, Congresswoman Nancy Mace of South Carolina filed a bill in response to the recent Southwest and FAA flight cancellations and technology failures.

The bill, titled “Commercial Cabins for Cabinet Members, “would require the Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg to only fly commercial, just like every other American, until the FAA reauthorization is completed. This should provide enough time to also investigate Southwest and the FAA, according to a media release.

According to Rep. Mace, "in the past six months Sec. Buttigieg has flown private approximately 20 times. So, until the issues with Southwest and the FAA are investigated and resolved, he and his staff should be required to fly commercial just like every other American. "

“If according to Sec. Buttigieg, on MSNBC on Wednesday, the FAA systems are constantly being updated, and if they’re so good, then why is he flying private all the time?”&nbsp;said Rep. Mace.&nbsp;

“Until we see the Southwest Airlines debacle investigated; until the FAA software glitches are fixed; and until we complete the FAA reauthorization later this year, the Secretary of Transportation should be required to fly commercial just like everyone else.”&nbsp;

Read the full text of the bill here&nbsp;<a href="https://mace.house.gov/sites/evo-subsites/mace.house.gov/files/evo-media-document/commercial-cabins-for-cabinet-members.pdf">Commercial Cabins for Cabinet Members Act</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/10/1666233119638.png" alt="In October, Sec. of Transportation Pete Buttigieg was in Kansas with Democrat Senate candidate Mark Holland." />
 <figcaption>In October, Sec. of Transportation Pete Buttigieg was in Kansas with Democrat Senate candidate Mark Holland.</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON —Thousands of flights across the U.S. were canceled or delayed Wednesday after a system that offers safety information to pilots failed. On Wednesday afternoon, Congresswoman Nancy Mace of South Carolina filed a bill in response to the recent Southwest and FAA flight cancellations and technology failures.The bill, titled “Commercial Cabins for Cabinet Members, “would require the Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg to only fly commercial, just like every other American, until the FAA reauthorization is completed. This should provide enough time to also investigate Southwest and the FAA, according to a media release.According to Rep. Mace, "in the past six months Sec. Buttigieg has flown private approximately 20 times. So, until the issues with Southwest and the FAA are investigated and resolved, he and his staff should be required to fly commercial just like every other American. "“If according to Sec. Buttigieg, on MSNBC on Wednesday, the FAA systems are constantly being updated, and if they’re so good, then why is he flying private all the time?”&nbsp;said Rep. Mace.&nbsp;“Until we see the Southwest Airlines debacle investigated; until the FAA software glitches are fixed; and until we complete the FAA reauthorization later this year, the Secretary of Transportation should be required to fly commercial just like everyone else.”&nbsp;Read the full text of the bill here&nbsp;<a href="https://mace.house.gov/sites/evo-subsites/mace.house.gov/files/evo-media-document/commercial-cabins-for-cabinet-members.pdf">Commercial Cabins for Cabinet Members Act</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;

Bill would force Buttigieg to fly commercial until FAA fiasco solved

SHAWNEE COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating a suspect on drug allegations.

On Tuesday, members of the Topeka Police Department Narcotics Unit and Shawnee County Drug Task Force served a search warrant in the 500 Block SE 37th Street, according to Lt. Ronnie Connell.

&nbsp;While conducting the search warrant, officers located Phencyclidine (PCP), marijuana and drug paraphernalia. They arrested 28-year-old Shawntez Holmes of Topeka on requested charges of of&nbsp;Distribution of certain hallucinogenic, drug paraphernalia with intent,&nbsp;Aggravated child endangerment, Possession of marijuana, Unlawful to acquire proceeds from drug transaction and Driving while license is suspended.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/1/1673522475002.png" alt="Holmes-photo Shawnee County" />
 <figcaption>Holmes-photo Shawnee County</figcaption>
 </figure>SHAWNEE COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating a suspect on drug allegations.On Tuesday, members of the Topeka Police Department Narcotics Unit and Shawnee County Drug Task Force served a search warrant in the 500 Block SE 37th Street, according to Lt. Ronnie Connell.&nbsp;While conducting the search warrant, officers located Phencyclidine (PCP), marijuana and drug paraphernalia. They arrested 28-year-old Shawntez Holmes of Topeka on requested charges of of&nbsp;Distribution of certain hallucinogenic, drug paraphernalia with intent,&nbsp;Aggravated child endangerment, Possession of marijuana, Unlawful to acquire proceeds from drug transaction and Driving while license is suspended.

Police arrest man after finding PCP, children at Kansas home

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas' pro-life Republican attorney general is asking the state's highest court to reconsider a landmark decision protecting access to abortion months after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-primary-elections-kansas-abortion-b6d62a852c2ce4617f2c03589fbb523e">a decisive statewide vote</a>&nbsp;affirming abortion rights.

Attorney General Kris Kobach said Wednesday that one reason for the Kansas Supreme Court to reconsider its 2019 ruling is the U.S. Supreme Court's&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-supreme-court-decision-854f60302f21c2c35129e58cf8d8a7b0">decision in June overturning Roe v. Wade</a>&nbsp;and declaring that the U.S. Constitution doesn't grant a right to abortion access. The Kansas court is set to consider that issue and others in two abortion cases on Jan. 30, though Kobach said he is likely to ask for a few weeks' delay because&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/politics-kansas-state-government-kris-kobach-10c88b6f25b565b962fb75947ff9e4fb">he took office</a>&nbsp;only Monday.

The Kansas Supreme Court&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/3f479b218a6140719e1694fcfcdb8036">declared in 2019</a>&nbsp;that access to abortion is a matter of women's bodily autonomy and a “fundamental” right under the state's own Bill of Rights. The decision came in the first stage of a lawsuit challenging a 2015 state law banning the most common second-trimester abortion procedure, and the court is now considering the question of whether that not-yet-enforced law violates the state constitution. It also is considering the validity of extra health and safety regulations for abortion providers.

In August, Kansas voters in August rejected a proposed amendment to the state constitution pushed by Republican legislators to overturn the 2019 Kansas court decision and allow lawmakers to ban abortion. That 2019 decision inspired two self-described abortion “abolitionists” to protest Wednesday at the Statehouse before and during Kansas Supreme Court Justice Marla Luckert's annual&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NrY3ARbUOQA">State of the Judiciary address</a>&nbsp;to legislators.

Democratic state Rep. John Carmichael, a Wichita attorney and abortion rights supporter, said he doubts the Kansas Supreme Court will reverse itself. Following the vote against the anti-abortion measure in August, six of the seven justices, including Luckert, faced yes-or-no votes in November on whether they would stay on the bench for another six years, and all were retained by wide margins.

“The court made the right decision based on the facts and the law, and to that extent, yes, the people vindicated that decision," Carmichael said, though he added, “I don't expect that to impact the court in its judicial decision-making.”

Kobach is inheriting the state's defense of existing abortion restrictions from his predecessor, Republican Derek Schmidt, who left office Monday after losing the race for governor in November.

Kobach noted not only the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling in June but also an Iowa Supreme Court decision the week before,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-health-iowa-supreme-court-government-and-politics-0074e14defa4a6699e65d921f0edbc58">overtuning its own 2018 ruling</a>&nbsp;that protected abortion rights.

“One of the things that affects any court reconsidering any precedence is intervening events,” Kobach said. “There have been intervening events.”

The two Statehouse protesters, Clifton Boje and Kevan Myers, from the Kansas City, Kansas, area, had signs calling for banning abortion and describing themselves as “ambassadors of Jesus Christ.”

Myers argued that the Kansas Supreme Court's 2019 decision violates a provision of the&nbsp;<a href="https://kslib.info/826/Kansas-Bill-of-Rights">state's Bill of Rights</a>&nbsp;guaranteeing “natural rights,” including “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” The court said in 2019 that the provison protected bodily autonomy.

As lawmakers admitted Luckert and her fellow justices into the House chamber for her address, Myers said, “Oh, friends, there's no right to murder."

Afterward, Luckert told reporters after her speech that she heard the protesters' messages but, “I don't take an opinion poll before I make my decision.”

Asked whether August's statewide vote vindicated the court, Luckert said, “Vindication is not a part of my job. My job is to uphold the law, and regardless of what that vote had been, I made my legal decision based on the law."

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/1/1673288684737.png" alt="Kansas Attorney General Kobach took the oath of office on Monday&nbsp;" />
 <figcaption>Kansas Attorney General Kobach took the oath of office on Monday&nbsp;</figcaption>
 </figure>TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas' pro-life Republican attorney general is asking the state's highest court to reconsider a landmark decision protecting access to abortion months after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-primary-elections-kansas-abortion-b6d62a852c2ce4617f2c03589fbb523e">a decisive statewide vote</a>&nbsp;affirming abortion rights.Attorney General Kris Kobach said Wednesday that one reason for the Kansas Supreme Court to reconsider its 2019 ruling is the U.S. Supreme Court's&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-supreme-court-decision-854f60302f21c2c35129e58cf8d8a7b0">decision in June overturning Roe v. Wade</a>&nbsp;and declaring that the U.S. Constitution doesn't grant a right to abortion access. The Kansas court is set to consider that issue and others in two abortion cases on Jan. 30, though Kobach said he is likely to ask for a few weeks' delay because&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/politics-kansas-state-government-kris-kobach-10c88b6f25b565b962fb75947ff9e4fb">he took office</a>&nbsp;only Monday.The Kansas Supreme Court&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/3f479b218a6140719e1694fcfcdb8036">declared in 2019</a>&nbsp;that access to abortion is a matter of women's bodily autonomy and a “fundamental” right under the state's own Bill of Rights. The decision came in the first stage of a lawsuit challenging a 2015 state law banning the most common second-trimester abortion procedure, and the court is now considering the question of whether that not-yet-enforced law violates the state constitution. It also is considering the validity of extra health and safety regulations for abortion providers.In August, Kansas voters in August rejected a proposed amendment to the state constitution pushed by Republican legislators to overturn the 2019 Kansas court decision and allow lawmakers to ban abortion. That 2019 decision inspired two self-described abortion “abolitionists” to protest Wednesday at the Statehouse before and during Kansas Supreme Court Justice Marla Luckert's annual&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NrY3ARbUOQA">State of the Judiciary address</a>&nbsp;to legislators.Democratic state Rep. John Carmichael, a Wichita attorney and abortion rights supporter, said he doubts the Kansas Supreme Court will reverse itself. Following the vote against the anti-abortion measure in August, six of the seven justices, including Luckert, faced yes-or-no votes in November on whether they would stay on the bench for another six years, and all were retained by wide margins.“The court made the right decision based on the facts and the law, and to that extent, yes, the people vindicated that decision," Carmichael said, though he added, “I don't expect that to impact the court in its judicial decision-making.”Kobach is inheriting the state's defense of existing abortion restrictions from his predecessor, Republican Derek Schmidt, who left office Monday after losing the race for governor in November.Kobach noted not only the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling in June but also an Iowa Supreme Court decision the week before,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-health-iowa-supreme-court-government-and-politics-0074e14defa4a6699e65d921f0edbc58">overtuning its own 2018 ruling</a>&nbsp;that protected abortion rights.“One of the things that affects any court reconsidering any precedence is intervening events,” Kobach said. “There have been intervening events.”The two Statehouse protesters, Clifton Boje and Kevan Myers, from the Kansas City, Kansas, area, had signs calling for banning abortion and describing themselves as “ambassadors of Jesus Christ.”Myers argued that the Kansas Supreme Court's 2019 decision violates a provision of the&nbsp;<a href="https://kslib.info/826/Kansas-Bill-of-Rights">state's Bill of Rights</a>&nbsp;guaranteeing “natural rights,” including “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” The court said in 2019 that the provison protected bodily autonomy.As lawmakers admitted Luckert and her fellow justices into the House chamber for her address, Myers said, “Oh, friends, there's no right to murder."Afterward, Luckert told reporters after her speech that she heard the protesters' messages but, “I don't take an opinion poll before I make my decision.”Asked whether August's statewide vote vindicated the court, Luckert said, “Vindication is not a part of my job. My job is to uphold the law, and regardless of what that vote had been, I made my legal decision based on the law."