PHILLIPS COUNTY—One person died in an accident just before 6a.m. Monday in Phillips County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2005 Chevy Impala driven by Faith R&nbsp;Larington, 30, Arapahoe, NE., was&nbsp; traveling northeast on Kansas Highway 383 four miles southwest of U.S. 183.&nbsp; 

The car traveled left of center and struck 2015 Kenworth semi driven by Shoe Lee Anderson, 47, Holdredge, Nebraska.

Larington was pronounced dead at the scene and was transported to&nbsp;Oliff-Boeve Funeral home. Anderson was not injured. Larington was not wearing a seat belt, according to the KHP.

PHILLIPS COUNTY—One person died in an accident just before 6a.m. Monday in Phillips County.The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2005 Chevy Impala driven by Faith R&nbsp;Larington, 30, Arapahoe, NE., was&nbsp; traveling northeast on Kansas Highway 383 four miles southwest of U.S. 183.&nbsp; The car traveled left of center and struck 2015 Kenworth semi driven by Shoe Lee Anderson, 47, Holdredge, Nebraska.Larington was pronounced dead at the scene and was transported to&nbsp;Oliff-Boeve Funeral home. Anderson was not injured. Larington was not wearing a seat belt, according to the KHP.

Nebraska woman dies after crash with semi in Kansas

HOUSTON (AP) — A federal judge has not issued a ruling following a court hearing Dec. 23 on the fate of a U.S. program shielding immigrants brought to the country illegally as children.

During a nearly 3 1/2 hour hearing, Texas and eight other states asked U.S. District Judge Andrew Hanen to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, or DACA, which provides limited protections to about 650,000 people. The program was enacted by former President Barack Obama in 2012.

The states, represented by the Texas Attorney General’s Office, argued DACA violates the Constitution by circumventing Congress’ authority on immigration laws. The states also argued that DACA illegally awards benefits such as work authorization to recipients and has increased states’ costs, including $250 million a year for social services to DACA recipients in Texas.

“President Obama overstepped his authority when his administration issued the DACA memorandum in 2012,” Todd Disher, a lawyer with the Texas Attorney General’s Office, told Hanen.

A group of DACA recipients represented by the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, or MALDEF, and the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office asked Hanen to dismiss the lawsuit. They argued Obama had the authority to institute DACA.

Nina Perales, a lawyer for MALDEF, told Hanen that the states lack standing to sue because they weren’t harmed by DACA, as benefits such as work authorization for recipients were not given by DACA but authorized under other programs and regulations that had previously been created.

The states’ case “is like a doughnut. The center is empty,” said Perales.

Hanen is expected to rule at a later date.

The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/4d9ce48241c4a881adea4849b50b7f83">U.S. Supreme Court</a>&nbsp;previously ruled President Donald Trump’s attempt to end DACA in 2017 was unlawful. A New York judge in December&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/us-news-immigration-courts-deferred-action-for-childhood-arrivals-program-ab070236efdcadce2659800f88b68507">ordered</a>&nbsp;the Trump administration to restore the program.

But the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-donald-trump-houston-immigration-courts-9feda217f7a8a129be77c52466bc40d2">Houston case</a>&nbsp;directly targets the original terms under which DACA was created.

Suing alongside Texas are Alabama, Arkansas, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nebraska, South Carolina, and West Virginia — states that all have Republican governors or state attorneys general.

President-elect Joe Biden has pledged to protect DACA, but a ruling against the program could limit his ability to keep the program or something similar in place.

“DACA has to be replaced by a legislative approach,” said MALDEF’s president, Thomas Saenz.

But Congress has not taken any action related to DACA in recent years.

While DACA is often described as a program for young immigrants, many recipients have lived in the U.S. for a decade or longer after being brought without permission or overstaying visas. The liberal Center for American Progress says roughly 254,000 children have at least one parent relying on DACA. Some recipients are grandparents.

Hanen rejected Texas’ request in 2018 to stop the program through a preliminary injunction, but he has said he believes DACA as enacted by Obama is unconstitutional. In 2015, Hanen ruled Obama could not expand DACA protections or institute a program shielding their parents.

Hanen said Tuesday’s hearing was not about discussing border security or whether DACA is good or bad policy, but “whether DACA was legally created.”

HOUSTON (AP) — A federal judge has not issued a ruling following a court hearing Dec. 23 on the fate of a U.S. program shielding immigrants brought to the country illegally as children.During a nearly 3 1/2 hour hearing, Texas and eight other states asked U.S. District Judge Andrew Hanen to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, or DACA, which provides limited protections to about 650,000 people. The program was enacted by former President Barack Obama in 2012.The states, represented by the Texas Attorney General’s Office, argued DACA violates the Constitution by circumventing Congress’ authority on immigration laws. The states also argued that DACA illegally awards benefits such as work authorization to recipients and has increased states’ costs, including $250 million a year for social services to DACA recipients in Texas.“President Obama overstepped his authority when his administration issued the DACA memorandum in 2012,” Todd Disher, a lawyer with the Texas Attorney General’s Office, told Hanen.A group of DACA recipients represented by the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, or MALDEF, and the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office asked Hanen to dismiss the lawsuit. They argued Obama had the authority to institute DACA.Nina Perales, a lawyer for MALDEF, told Hanen that the states lack standing to sue because they weren’t harmed by DACA, as benefits such as work authorization for recipients were not given by DACA but authorized under other programs and regulations that had previously been created.The states’ case “is like a doughnut. The center is empty,” said Perales.Hanen is expected to rule at a later date.The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/4d9ce48241c4a881adea4849b50b7f83">U.S. Supreme Court</a>&nbsp;previously ruled President Donald Trump’s attempt to end DACA in 2017 was unlawful. A New York judge in December&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/us-news-immigration-courts-deferred-action-for-childhood-arrivals-program-ab070236efdcadce2659800f88b68507">ordered</a>&nbsp;the Trump administration to restore the program.But the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-donald-trump-houston-immigration-courts-9feda217f7a8a129be77c52466bc40d2">Houston case</a>&nbsp;directly targets the original terms under which DACA was created.Suing alongside Texas are Alabama, Arkansas, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nebraska, South Carolina, and West Virginia — states that all have Republican governors or state attorneys general.President-elect Joe Biden has pledged to protect DACA, but a ruling against the program could limit his ability to keep the program or something similar in place.“DACA has to be replaced by a legislative approach,” said MALDEF’s president, Thomas Saenz.But Congress has not taken any action related to DACA in recent years.While DACA is often described as a program for young immigrants, many recipients have lived in the U.S. for a decade or longer after being brought without permission or overstaying visas. The liberal Center for American Progress says roughly 254,000 children have at least one parent relying on DACA. Some recipients are grandparents.Hanen rejected Texas’ request in 2018 to stop the program through a preliminary injunction, but he has said he believes DACA as enacted by Obama is unconstitutional. In 2015, Hanen ruled Obama could not expand DACA protections or institute a program shielding their parents.Hanen said Tuesday’s hearing was not about discussing border security or whether DACA is good or bad policy, but “whether DACA was legally created.”___

Families wait for judge's ruling on fate of DACA program

WASHINGTON (AP) —The massive, year-end catchall bill that President Donald Trump signed into law Sunday combines $900 billion in COVID-19 aid with a $1.4 trillion omnibus spending bill and reams of other unfinished legislation on taxes, energy, education and health care.

Highlights of the measure with overall funding amounts and specific amounts for some but not necessarily all initiatives.

Unemployment insurance ($120 billion). Revives supplemental federal pandemic unemployment benefits but at $300 per week — through March 14 — instead of the $600 per week benefit that expired in July. Extends special pandemic benefits for “gig” workers and extends the maximum period for state-paid jobless benefits to 50 weeks.

Direct payments ($166 billion). Provides $600 direct payments to individuals making up to $75,000 per year and couples making up to $150,000 per year — with payments phased out for higher incomes —- with $600 additional payments per dependent child.

Paycheck Protection Program ($284 billion). Revives the Paycheck Protection Program, which provides forgivable loans to qualified businesses. Especially hard-hit businesses that received PPP grants would be eligible for a second round. Ensures that PPP subsidies are not taxed.

Vaccines, testing, health providers ($69 billion). Delivers more than $30 billion for procurement of vaccines and treatments, distribution funds for states, and a strategic stockpile. Adds $22 billion for testing, tracing and mitigation, $9 billion for health care providers, and $4.5 billion for mental health.

Schools and universities ($82 billion). Delivers $54 billion to public K-12 schools affected by the pandemic and $23 billion for colleges and universities; $4 billion would be awarded to a Governors Emergency Education Relief Fund; nearly $1 billion for Native American schools.

Rental assistance ($25 billion). Provides money for a first-ever federal rental assistance program; funds to be distributed by state and local governments to help people who have fallen behind on their rent and may be facing eviction.

Food/farm aid ($26 billion). Increases stamp benefits by 15% for six months and provides funding to food banks, Meals on Wheels and other food aid. Provides an equal amount ($13 billion) to farmers and ranchers.

Child Care ($10 billion). Provides $10 billion to the Child Care Development Block Grant to help families with child care costs and help providers cover increased operating costs.

Postal Service ($10 billion). Forgives a $10 billion loan to the Postal Service provided in earlier relief legislation.

The omnibus measure wraps 12 spending bills into one and funds agency operating budgets through Sept. 30 of next year. It combines Democratic priorities such as a $12.5 billion increase over existing budget limits for domestic programs while cutting Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention and removal costs by $431 million. COVID-19 has contributed to sharply lower costs. Republicans supported sustained defense spending, energy provisions and longstanding bans on federal funding of abortion. The measure also provides President Donald Trump with a last, $1.4 billion installment for a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border.

The measure also contains more than 3,000 pages of miscellaneous legislation, such as:

Surprise medical billing. Includes bipartisan legislation to protect consumers from huge surprise medical bills after receiving treatment from out-of-network providers.

Community health centers. Reauthorizes, for three years, funding for community health centers and extends a variety of expiring health care policies, including reimbursement rates for various health care providers and procedures under Medicare and Medicaid

Tax extenders. Extends a variety of expiring tax breaks, including lower excise taxes on craft brewers and distillers. Renewable energy sources would see tax breaks extended, as would motorsport facilities, and people making charitable contributions. Business meals would be 100% deductible through 2022 and out-of-pocket health care costs would be deductible after they reach 7.5% of income. It would also extend favorable tax treatment for “look through” entities of offshore subsidiaries of U.S. corporations.

Water projects. Includes an almost 400-page water resources bill that targets $10 billion for 46 Army Corps of Engineers flood control, environmental and coastal protection projects.

Clean energy. Boosts “clean energy” programs like research and development, efficiency incentives and tax credits. Phases out “superpollutant” hydrochlorofluorocarbons.

Education. Includes a bipartisan agreement to forgive about $1.3 billion in federal loans to historically Black colleges and universities and simplify college financial aid forms. Boosts the maximum Pell Grant for low-income college students by $150 to $6,495. Offers “second chance” Pell Grants to incarcerated prisoners.

Horse racing “doping.” Adds bipartisan legislation by Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., to create national medication and safety standards for the horse racing industry as lawmakers move to clamp down on the use of performance-enhancing drugs that can lead to horse injuries and deaths.

New Smithsonian museums. Establishes the Women’s History Museum and the National Museum of the American Latino as new Smithsonian museums located near the National Mall.

Pipeline safety. Folds in pipeline safety legislation reauthorizing operating grants and safety standards for oil and gas pipelines.

Aircraft safety. Adds, after the scandal involving Boeing 737 MAX crashes, legislation to beef up the Federal Aviation Administration’s aircraft certification process. Addresses human factors, automation in the cockpit, and international pilot training while authorizing nearly $275 million over the next five years to carry out the legislation.

Intelligence programs. Reauthorizes intelligence programs for 2021.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/4/1588075781384.png" alt="The bill revives the Paycheck Protection Program, which provides forgivable loans to qualified businesses." />
 <figcaption>The bill revives the Paycheck Protection Program, which provides forgivable loans to qualified businesses.</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) —The massive, year-end catchall bill that President Donald Trump signed into law Sunday combines $900 billion in COVID-19 aid with a $1.4 trillion omnibus spending bill and reams of other unfinished legislation on taxes, energy, education and health care.Highlights of the measure with overall funding amounts and specific amounts for some but not necessarily all initiatives.COVID-19 RELIEFUnemployment insurance ($120 billion). Revives supplemental federal pandemic unemployment benefits but at $300 per week — through March 14 — instead of the $600 per week benefit that expired in July. Extends special pandemic benefits for “gig” workers and extends the maximum period for state-paid jobless benefits to 50 weeks.Direct payments ($166 billion). Provides $600 direct payments to individuals making up to $75,000 per year and couples making up to $150,000 per year — with payments phased out for higher incomes —- with $600 additional payments per dependent child.Paycheck Protection Program ($284 billion). Revives the Paycheck Protection Program, which provides forgivable loans to qualified businesses. Especially hard-hit businesses that received PPP grants would be eligible for a second round. Ensures that PPP subsidies are not taxed.Vaccines, testing, health providers ($69 billion). Delivers more than $30 billion for procurement of vaccines and treatments, distribution funds for states, and a strategic stockpile. Adds $22 billion for testing, tracing and mitigation, $9 billion for health care providers, and $4.5 billion for mental health.Schools and universities ($82 billion). Delivers $54 billion to public K-12 schools affected by the pandemic and $23 billion for colleges and universities; $4 billion would be awarded to a Governors Emergency Education Relief Fund; nearly $1 billion for Native American schools.Rental assistance ($25 billion). Provides money for a first-ever federal rental assistance program; funds to be distributed by state and local governments to help people who have fallen behind on their rent and may be facing eviction.Food/farm aid ($26 billion). Increases stamp benefits by 15% for six months and provides funding to food banks, Meals on Wheels and other food aid. Provides an equal amount ($13 billion) to farmers and ranchers.Child Care ($10 billion). Provides $10 billion to the Child Care Development Block Grant to help families with child care costs and help providers cover increased operating costs.Postal Service ($10 billion). Forgives a $10 billion loan to the Postal Service provided in earlier relief legislation.___OMNIBUS APPROPRIATIONS ($1.4 TRILLION)The omnibus measure wraps 12 spending bills into one and funds agency operating budgets through Sept. 30 of next year. It combines Democratic priorities such as a $12.5 billion increase over existing budget limits for domestic programs while cutting Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention and removal costs by $431 million. COVID-19 has contributed to sharply lower costs. Republicans supported sustained defense spending, energy provisions and longstanding bans on federal funding of abortion. The measure also provides President Donald Trump with a last, $1.4 billion installment for a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border.___MISCELLANEOUSThe measure also contains more than 3,000 pages of miscellaneous legislation, such as:Surprise medical billing. Includes bipartisan legislation to protect consumers from huge surprise medical bills after receiving treatment from out-of-network providers.Community health centers. Reauthorizes, for three years, funding for community health centers and extends a variety of expiring health care policies, including reimbursement rates for various health care providers and procedures under Medicare and MedicaidTax extenders. Extends a variety of expiring tax breaks, including lower excise taxes on craft brewers and distillers. Renewable energy sources would see tax breaks extended, as would motorsport facilities, and people making charitable contributions. Business meals would be 100% deductible through 2022 and out-of-pocket health care costs would be deductible after they reach 7.5% of income. It would also extend favorable tax treatment for “look through” entities of offshore subsidiaries of U.S. corporations.Water projects. Includes an almost 400-page water resources bill that targets $10 billion for 46 Army Corps of Engineers flood control, environmental and coastal protection projects.Clean energy. Boosts “clean energy” programs like research and development, efficiency incentives and tax credits. Phases out “superpollutant” hydrochlorofluorocarbons.Education. Includes a bipartisan agreement to forgive about $1.3 billion in federal loans to historically Black colleges and universities and simplify college financial aid forms. Boosts the maximum Pell Grant for low-income college students by $150 to $6,495. Offers “second chance” Pell Grants to incarcerated prisoners.Horse racing “doping.” Adds bipartisan legislation by Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., to create national medication and safety standards for the horse racing industry as lawmakers move to clamp down on the use of performance-enhancing drugs that can lead to horse injuries and deaths.New Smithsonian museums. Establishes the Women’s History Museum and the National Museum of the American Latino as new Smithsonian museums located near the National Mall.Pipeline safety. Folds in pipeline safety legislation reauthorizing operating grants and safety standards for oil and gas pipelines.Aircraft safety. Adds, after the scandal involving Boeing 737 MAX crashes, legislation to beef up the Federal Aviation Administration’s aircraft certification process. Addresses human factors, automation in the cockpit, and international pilot training while authorizing nearly $275 million over the next five years to carry out the legislation.Intelligence programs. Reauthorizes intelligence programs for 2021.

Highlights of COVID-19, government funding law 

AP - Months before people started getting vaccinated for COVID-19, endangered black-footed ferrets in northern Colorado were injected with an experimental coronavirus vaccine. 

Kaiser Health News reports that about 120 animals at the National Black-footed Conservation Center near Fort Collins got the vaccine in late summer. 

There haven't been any cases of COVID-19 there but ferrets are feared to be highly vulnerable to the disease. 

Experts say vaccinating vulnerable species against the disease is important for humans too. 

When animals contract the virus from humans, it can mutate as it spreads rapidly, posing a new threat if it spills back to people. 

Ferrets were rescued from the brink of extinction after some were discovered in Wyoming four decades ago.

AP - Months before people started getting vaccinated for COVID-19, endangered black-footed ferrets in northern Colorado were injected with an experimental coronavirus vaccine. Kaiser Health News reports that about 120 animals at the National Black-footed Conservation Center near Fort Collins got the vaccine in late summer. There haven't been any cases of COVID-19 there but ferrets are feared to be highly vulnerable to the disease. Experts say vaccinating vulnerable species against the disease is important for humans too. When animals contract the virus from humans, it can mutate as it spreads rapidly, posing a new threat if it spills back to people. Ferrets were rescued from the brink of extinction after some were discovered in Wyoming four decades ago.

Endangered ferrets get experimental COVID-19 in Colorado

RAPID CITY, S.D. (AP) — A Rapid City man convicted of murdering his wife and mother-in-law in 1983 will argue before a South Dakota judge that he should be granted a  new criminal trial based on DNA testing. 

The Rapid City Journal reports that George Luna, 71, has maintained that he is innocent of killing his wife, Lynn Luna, and mother-in-law, Helen Thomas. 

George Luna has been granted a civil habeas corpus trial. 

His lawyers argue that DNA testing performed by the Minnesota Innocence Project in 2016 shows hairs found in Lynn Luna's hand could have belonged to another suspect in the case, but not George Luna.

RAPID CITY, S.D. (AP) — A Rapid City man convicted of murdering his wife and mother-in-law in 1983 will argue before a South Dakota judge that he should be granted a new criminal trial based on DNA testing. The Rapid City Journal reports that George Luna, 71, has maintained that he is innocent of killing his wife, Lynn Luna, and mother-in-law, Helen Thomas. George Luna has been granted a civil habeas corpus trial. His lawyers argue that DNA testing performed by the Minnesota Innocence Project in 2016 shows hairs found in Lynn Luna's hand could have belonged to another suspect in the case, but not George Luna.

Rapid City man convicted of murders asks for retrial based on DNA test

DENVER (AP) — Katrina Eschweiler has 3,000 hungry diners to satisfy every day of the year. It's an enviable client base for any eatery in these turbulent times. But these diners are the year-round inhabitants of the Denver Zoo, and feeding more than 450 species is a painstaking, serious business.

 The coronavirus has made the task more daunting.

 The zoo was closed for nearly three months early in the pandemic. 

That has cut into revenue and led the Denver Zoo to ask supporters for donations to cover its nearly $1 million annual food budget.

DENVER (AP) — Katrina Eschweiler has 3,000 hungry diners to satisfy every day of the year. It's an enviable client base for any eatery in these turbulent times. But these diners are the year-round inhabitants of the Denver Zoo, and feeding more than 450 species is a painstaking, serious business. The coronavirus has made the task more daunting. The zoo was closed for nearly three months early in the pandemic. Today, it allows reduced crowd sizes. That has cut into revenue and led the Denver Zoo to ask supporters for donations to cover its nearly $1 million annual food budget.

Denver Zoo struggles in pandemic to feed hungry animals

RAPID CITY, S.D. (AP) — Authorities say a 63-year-old man died in a rollover crash in western South Dakota.

 The Rapid City Journal reports the crash happened early Sunday morning east of Keystone on state Highway 40.

 Authorities say the man’s vehicle went off the road, hit a ditch and rolled.

 The driver was pronounced dead at the scene.

 South Dakota’s Highway Patrol is investigating the crash.

RAPID CITY, S.D. (AP) — Authorities say a 63-year-old man died in a rollover crash in western South Dakota. The Rapid City Journal reports the crash happened early Sunday morning east of Keystone on state Highway 40. Authorities say the man’s vehicle went off the road, hit a ditch and rolled. The driver was pronounced dead at the scene. He was the vehicle’s only occupant. South Dakota’s Highway Patrol is investigating the crash.

Man killed in rollover crash in western South Dakota

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Two separate lawsuits are asking the city of Omaha to pay in the deaths of women killed in separate accidents in 2018.

 The Omaha World-Herald reports that in the first case, 25-year-old Patty Leahy’s car was struck by an unlicensed driver who ran a red light on Oct. 8, 2018. 

The wrongful death lawsuit questions whether Jeffries had difficulty seeing the stoplight because of a pedestrian overpass nearby. 

Two weeks later, 76-year-old Marjorie Thurber fell on the sidewalk. 

A city attorney says the property owner — not the city — must maintain the sidewalk.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Two separate lawsuits are asking the city of Omaha to pay in the deaths of women killed in separate accidents in 2018. The Omaha World-Herald reports that in the first case, 25-year-old Patty Leahy’s car was struck by an unlicensed driver who ran a red light on Oct. 8, 2018. The wrongful death lawsuit questions whether Jeffries had difficulty seeing the stoplight because of a pedestrian overpass nearby. The city wants the case dismissed. Two weeks later, 76-year-old Marjorie Thurber fell on the sidewalk. She died five days later. A city attorney says the property owner — not the city — must maintain the sidewalk.

City of Omaha dealing with 2 separate wrongful death suits

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — President Donald Trump signed a $900 billion pandemic relief package Sunday, ending days of drama over his refusal to accept the bipartisan deal that will deliver long-sought cash to businesses and individuals and avert a federal government shutdown.

<a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/statement-from-the-president-122720/">Click here to read</a> the full statement from President Trump.

The massive bill includes $1.4 trillion to fund government agencies through September and contains other end-of-session priorities such as an increase in food stamp benefits.

The signing, at his private club in Florida, came amid escalating criticism over his eleventh-hour demands for larger, $2,000 relief checks and scaled-back spending even though the bill had already passed the House and Senate by wide margins. The bill was passed with what lawmakers had thought was Trump’s blessing, and after months of negotiations with his administration.

His foot-dragging resulted in a lapse in unemployment benefits for millions struggling to make ends meet and threatened a government shutdown in the midst of a pandemic.. But signing the bill into law prevents another crisis of Trump’s own creation and ends a standoff with his own party during the final days of his administration.

It was unclear what, if anything, Trump accomplished with his delay, beyond angering all sides and empowering Democrats to continue their push for higher relief checks, which his own party opposes.

<a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/statement-from-the-president-122720/">In his statement,</a> Trump repeated his frustrations with the COVID-19 relief bill for providing only $600 checks to most Americans instead of the $2,000 that his fellow Republicans already rejected. He also complained about what he considered unnecessary spending by the government at large.

“I will sign the Omnibus and Covid package with a strong message that makes clear to Congress that wasteful items need to be removed,” Trump said in the statement.

While the president insisted he would send Congress “a redlined version” with items to be removed under the rescission process, those are merely suggestions to Congress. The bill, as signed, would not necessarily be changed.

Democrats, who have the majority in the House, immediately vowed to prevent any cuts. Democrats “will reject any rescissions” submitted by the president, said Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Nita Lowey, D-N.Y. , in a statement.

Lawmakers now have breathing room to continue debating whether the relief checks should be as large as the president has demanded. The Democratic-led House supports the larger checks and is set to vote on the issue Monday, but it’s expected to be ignored by the Republican-held Senate where spending faces opposition. For now, the administration can only begin work sending out the $600 payments.

Republicans and Democrats swiftly welcomed Trump’s decision to sign the bill into law.

“The compromise bill is not perfect, but it will do an enormous amount of good for struggling Kentuckians and Americans across the country who need help now,” said Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky. “I thank the President for signing this relief into law.”

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., called the signing “welcome news for the fourteen million Americans who just lost the lifeline of unemployment benefits on Christmas weekend, and for the millions more struggling to stay afloat during this historic pandemic and economic crisis.”

But others slammed Trump’s delay in turning the bill into law. In a tweet, Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Va., accused Trump of having “played Russian roulette with American lives. A familiar and comfortable place for him.”

Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said he would offer Trump’s proposal for $2,000 checks for a vote in Senate — putting Republicans on the spot.

“The House will pass a bill to give Americans $2,000 checks. Then I will move to pass it in the Senate,” Schumer tweeted. “No Democrats will object. Will Senate Republicans?”

Democrats are promising more aid to come once President-elect Joe Biden takes office, but Republicans are signaling a wait-and-see approach.

Congress will push ahead Monday, with the House expected to vote to override Trump’s veto of an annual must-pass Defense bill, confronting the president on another big issue in the final days of the session. The Senate is expected to follow on Tuesday.

In the face of growing economic hardship, spreading disease and a looming shutdown, lawmakers spent Sunday urging Trump to sign the legislation immediately, then have Congress follow up with additional aid. Aside from unemployment benefits and relief payments to families, money for vaccine distribution, businesses and more was on the line. Protections against evictions also hung in the balance.

“What the president is doing right now is unbelievably cruel,” said Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt. “So many people are hurting. ... It is really insane and this president has got to finally ... do the right thing for the American people and stop worrying about his ego.”

Republican Sen. Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania said he understood that Trump “wants to be remembered for advocating for big checks, but the danger is he’ll be remembered for chaos and misery and erratic behavior if he allows this to expire.”

Toomey added: “So I think the best thing to do, as I said, sign this and then make the case for subsequent legislation.”

The same point was echoed by Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, a Republican who’s criticized Trump’s pandemic response and his efforts to undo the election results. “I just gave up guessing what he might do next,” he said.

Republican Rep. Adam Kinzinger of Illinois said too much is at stake for Trump to “play this old switcheroo game.”

“I don’t get the point,” he said. “I don’t understand what’s being done, why, unless it’s just to create chaos and show power and be upset because you lost the election.”

Washington had been reeling since Trump turned on the deal. Fingers pointed at administration officials, including Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, as lawmakers tried to understand whether they were misled about Trump’s position.

“Now to be put in a lurch, after the president’s own person negotiated something that the president doesn’t want, it’s just — it’s surprising,” Kinzinger said.

Kinzinger spoke on CNN’s “State of the Union,” and Hogan and Sanders on ABC’s “This Week.”

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — President Donald Trump has signed a $900 billion pandemic relief package that will deliver long-sought cash to businesses and individuals.

A congressional Republican aide tells The Associated Press that the president has signed the measure.

According to Deputy Press Secretary Judd Deere who released a Statement from the President &nbsp;“As President, I have told Congress that I want far less wasteful spending and more money going to the American people in the form of $2,000 checks per adult and $600 per child.”

The President is sending a strong message that makes clear to Congress that wasteful items need to be removed. Sending back to Congress a redlined version, item by item, accompanied by the formal rescission request to Congress insisting that those funds be removed from the bill.&nbsp;The President is signing this bill to restore unemployment benefits, stop evictions, provide rental assistance, add money for PPP, return our airline workers back to work, add substantially more money for vaccine distribution, and much more.

"On Monday the House will vote to increase payments to individuals from $600 to $2,000. Therefore, a family of four would receive $5,200. Additionally, Congress has promised that Section 230, which so unfairly benefits Big Tech at the expense of the American people, will be reviewed and either be terminated or substantially reformed.

The Senate will start the process for a vote that increases checks to $2,000, repeals Section 230, and starts an investigation into voter fraud," according to the deputy press secretary.

The massive bill includes $1.4 trillion to fund government agencies through September and contains other end-of-session priorities such as money for cash-starved transit systems and an increase in food stamp benefits. Democrats are promising more aid to come once President-elect Joe Biden takes office, but Republicans are signaling a wait-and-see approach.

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — President Donald Trump appeared no closer to signing an end-of-year COVID relief and spending bill Sunday as unemployment aid expired, the government barrels toward a mid-pandemic shutdown and lawmakers implored him to break the impasse he created after Congress approved the deal.

Trump blindsided members of both parties with a demand for larger COVID relief checks, imperiling not only a massive package of economic and public-health assistance but the basic functions of government itself.

The package passed with wide margins in the House and Senate and with the understanding of members of both parties that Trump supported it. Now, the federal government will run out of money at 12:01 a.m. Tuesday if Trump refuses to sign the bill in time as he spends the holidays in Florida.

In the face of economic hardship and spreading disease, lawmakers urged Trump on Sunday to sign the legislation immediately, then have Congress follow up with more. Aside from unemployment benefits and relief payments to families, money for vaccine distribution, businesses, cash-starved public transit systems and more is on the line. Protections against evictions also hang in the balance.

“What the president is doing right now is unbelievably cruel,” Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont said Sunday. “So many people are hurting. ... It is really insane and this president has got to finally ... do the right thing for the American people and stop worrying about his ego.”

Republican Sen. Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania, with more measured words, agreed Trump should sign the bill, then make the case for more. “We’ve got a bill right now that his administration helped negotiate,” he said. “I think we ought to get that done.”

Trump was spending Sunday golfing at his West Palm Beach course.

He has given no indication he plans to sign the bill as he spends the last days of his presidency in a rage. Indeed, his dissatisfaction with the legislation seems only to have grown in recent days as he has criticized it both privately to club members and publicly on Twitter.

As the impasse dragged on, Dr. Anthony Fauci of the National Institutes of Health warned that the country is at a “critical point” in COVID-19 infections, with the Christmas and New Year’s holidays posing the threat of a “surge upon a surge” as people congregate with families and others, against the advice of public-health officials.

“As we get into the next few weeks, it might actually get worse,” he said on CNN’s “State of the Union.”

Days ago, Democrats said they would call House lawmakers back to Washington for a vote Monday on Trump’s proposal to send out $2,000 relief checks, instead of the $600 approved by Congress. The idea is likely to die in the Republican-controlled Senate. Democrats were also considering a vote Monday on a stop-gap measure aimed at keeping the government running until Democrat Joe Biden is inaugurated Jan. 20.

Washington has been reeling since Trump turned on the deal, without warning, after it had won sweeping approval in both houses of Congress and after the White House had assured Republican leaders that Trump would support it.

Instead, he assailed the bill’s plan to provide $600 COVID relief checks to most Americans — insisting it should be $2,000. House Republicans swiftly rejected that idea during a rare Christmas Eve session. But Trump has not been swayed despite the pandemic gripping the nation.

The impact of the sidelined aid is already being felt. Lauren Bauer of the Brookings Institution has calculated that at least 11 million people were losing aid from the programs immediately without additional relief; millions more would exhaust other unemployment benefits within weeks.

How and when people would be affected by the lapse depended on the state they lived in, the program they were relying on and when they applied for benefits.

In some states, people on regular unemployment insurance would continue to receive payments under a program that extends benefits when the jobless rate surpassed a certain threshold, said Andrew Stettner, an unemployment insurance expert and senior fellow at the Century Foundation think tank.

About 9.5 million people, however, had been relying on the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program that expired altogether Saturday. That program made unemployment insurance available to freelancers, gig workers and others who were normally not eligible. After receiving their last checks, those recipients would not be able to file for more aid, Stettner said.

The relief was attached to a $1.4 trillion government funding bill to keep the federal government operating through September, which would mean that failing to sign it by Tuesday would trigger a federal shutdown.

“Now to be put in a lurch, after the president’s own person negotiated something that the president doesn’t want, it’s just -- it’s surprising,” Kinzinger said. “But we will have to find a way out.”

Kinzinger and Fauci spoke on CNN’s “State of the Union,” and Hogan and Sanders on ABC’s “This Week.”

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Unemployment benefits for millions of Americans struggling to make ends meet lapsed overnight as President Donald Trump refused to sign an end-of-year COVID relief and spending bill that had been considered a done deal before his sudden objections.

The fate of the bipartisan package remained in limbo Sunday as Trump continued to demand larger COVID relief checks and complained about “pork” spending. Without the widespread funding provided by the massive measure, a government shutdown would occur when money runs out at 12:01 a.m. Tuesday.

“It’s a chess game and we are pawns,” said Lanetris Haines, a self-employed single mother of three in South Bend, Indiana, who stood to lose her $129 weekly jobless benefit unless Trump signed the package into law or succeeded in his improbable quest for changes.

Washington has been reeling since Trump turned on the deal after it had won sweeping approval in both houses of Congress and after the White House had assured Republican leaders that Trump would support it.

Instead, he assailed the bill’s plan to provide $600 COVID relief checks to most Americans — insisting it should be $2,000. House Republicans swiftly rejected that idea during a rare Christmas Eve session. But Trump has not been swayed in spite of the nation being in the grip of a pandemic.

“I simply want to get our great people $2000, rather than the measly $600 that is now in the bill,” Trump tweeted Saturday from Palm Beach, Florida, where he is spending the holiday. “Also, stop the billions of dollars in ‘pork.’”

President-elect Joe Biden called on Trump to sign the bill immediately as the midnight Saturday deadline neared for two federal programs providing unemployment aid.

“It is the day after Christmas, and millions of families don’t know if they’ll be able to make ends meet because of President Donald Trump’s refusal to sign an economic relief bill approved by Congress with an overwhelming and bipartisan majority,” Biden said in a statement. He accused Trump of an “abdication of responsibility” that has “devastating consequences.”

“I’ve been talking to people who are scared they’re going to be kicked out from their homes, during the Christmas holidays, and still might be if we don’t sign this bill,” said Rep. Debbie Dingell, a Michigan Democrat.

Lauren Bauer, a fellow in economic studies at the Brookings Institution, has calculated that 11 million people would lose aid from the programs immediately without additional relief; millions more would exhaust other unemployment benefits within weeks.

Andrew Stettner, an unemployment insurance expert and senior fellow at the Century Foundation think tank, said the number may be closer to 14 million because joblessness has spiked since Thanksgiving.

“All these folks and their families will suffer if Trump doesn’t sign the damn bill,” Heidi Shierholz, director of policy at the liberal Economic Policy Institute, tweeted Wednesday.

How and when people would be affected by the lapse depended on the state they lived in, the program they were relying on and when they applied for benefits. In some states, people on regular unemployment insurance would continue to receive payments under a program that extends benefits when the jobless rate surpassed a certain threshold, Stettner said.

While payments could be received retroactively, any gap would mean more hardship and uncertainty for Americans who had already grappled with bureaucratic delays, often depleting much of their savings to stay afloat while waiting for payments to kick in.

They were people like Earl McCarthy, a father of four who lives in South Fulton, Georgia, and had been relying on unemployment since losing his job as a sales representative for a luxury senior living community. He said he would be left with no income by the second week of January if Trump refused to sign the bill.

McCarthy said he already burned through much of his savings as he waited five months to begin receiving about $350 a week in unemployment benefits.

“The entire experience was horrifying,” said McCarthy. “I shudder to think if I had not saved anything or had an emergency fund through those five months, where would we have been?”

He added, “It’s going to be difficult if the president doesn’t sign this bill.”

The bill, which was in Florida awaiting Trump’s signature, would also activate a weekly $300 federal supplement to unemployment payments.

Sharon Shelton Corpening had been hoping the extra help would allow her 83-year-old mother, with whom she lives, to stop eating into her social security payments to make their $1,138 rent.

Corpening, who lives in the Atlanta area, had launched a freelance content strategy business that was just taking off before the pandemic hit, prompting several of her contracts to fall through. She was receiving about $125 a week under the pandemic unemployment program and says she would be unable to pay her bills in about a month. This, despite her temporary work for the U.S. Census and as an elections poll worker.

“On the brink,” Corpening, who lobbies for Unemployment Action, a project launched by the Center for Popular Democracy to fight for relief, said of her predicament. “One more month, if that. Then, I run out of everything.”

In addition to the unemployment benefits that have already lapsed, Trump’s continued refusal to sign the bill would lead to the expiration of eviction protections and put on hold a new round of subsidies for hard-hit businesses, restaurants and theaters, as well as money for cash-starved transit systems and for vaccine distribution.

The relief was also attached to a $1.4 trillion government funding bill to keep the federal government operating through September, which would mean that failing to sign it by Tuesday would trigger a federal shutdown.

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Unemployment benefits for millions of Americans struggling to make ends meet were set to lapse at midnight Saturday unless President Donald Trump signed an end-of-year COVID relief and spending bill that had been considered a done deal before his sudden objections.

Trump’s refusal to sign the bipartisan package as he demands larger COVID relief checks and complains about “pork” spending could also force a federal government shutdown when money runs out at 12:01 a.m. Tuesday in the middle of a pandemic.

“It’s a chess game and we are pawns,” said Lanetris Haines, a self-employed single mother of three in South Bend, Indiana, who stands to lose her $129 weekly jobless benefit unless Trump signs the package into law or succeeds in his improbable quest for changes.

Washington has been reeling since Trump threw the package into limbo after it had already won sweeping approval in both houses of Congress and after the White House assured Republican leaders that Trump would support it.

Instead, he has assailed the bill’s plan to provide $600 COVID relief checks to most Americans — insisting it should be $2,000. House Republicans swiftly rejected that idea during a rare Christmas Eve session. But Trump has not been swayed.

President-elect Joe Biden called on Trump to sign the bill immediately as two federal programs providing unemployment aid were set to expire Saturday.

Pres. Trump signs virus relief bill, wants $2000 stimulus checks

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. health officials believe the coronavirus mutation that set off alarms in parts of Britain is no more apt to cause serious illness or be resistant to vaccines than the strain afflicting people in the United States but it still must be taken “very seriously,” the government’s top infectious disease expert said Sunday.

Dr. Anthony Fauci endorsed the decision of U.S. officials to require negative COVID-19 tests before letting people from Britain enter the U.S. He declined to weigh in on whether that step should have been taken sooner. He said the variant strain is something “to follow very carefully” and “we’re looking at it very intensively now.”

He said: “Does it make someone more ill? Is it more serious virus in the sense of virulence? And the answer is, it doesn’t appear to be that way.” British officials are telling their U.S. colleagues it appears that the vaccines being rolled out will be strong enough to deal with the new variant but, Fauci said, “we’re going to be doing the studies ourselves.”

Fauci said the U.S. is at a critical phase of the pandemic, with the worst probably still ahead. He predicted the general population would be getting immunized widely by late March or early April — beyond the front-line workers, older people and certain other segments of the public given priority for the vaccines.

Fauci spoke on CNN’s “State of the Union.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/12/1609155761906.png" alt="Dr. Anthony Fauci received the COVID-19 vaccine last week-image courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>Dr. Anthony Fauci received the COVID-19 vaccine last week-image courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. health officials believe the coronavirus mutation that set off alarms in parts of Britain is no more apt to cause serious illness or be resistant to vaccines than the strain afflicting people in the United States but it still must be taken “very seriously,” the government’s top infectious disease expert said Sunday.Dr. Anthony Fauci endorsed the decision of U.S. officials to require negative COVID-19 tests before letting people from Britain enter the U.S. He declined to weigh in on whether that step should have been taken sooner. He said the variant strain is something “to follow very carefully” and “we’re looking at it very intensively now.”He said: “Does it make someone more ill? Is it more serious virus in the sense of virulence? And the answer is, it doesn’t appear to be that way.” British officials are telling their U.S. colleagues it appears that the vaccines being rolled out will be strong enough to deal with the new variant but, Fauci said, “we’re going to be doing the studies ourselves.”Fauci said the U.S. is at a critical phase of the pandemic, with the worst probably still ahead. He predicted the general population would be getting immunized widely by late March or early April — beyond the front-line workers, older people and certain other segments of the public given priority for the vaccines.Fauci spoke on CNN’s “State of the Union.”

Fauci: US taking hard look at variant of coronavirus

LYONS, Neb. (AP) — A natural gas pipeline in rural Nebraska has been repaired after a rupture caused an explosion that was large enough to be seen by satellite. 

The Omaha World-Herald reports that Northern Natural Gas said in a statement Saturday that “a series of scores and gouges were found across the impacted pipeline segment, indicating that the damage may have been caused from a third party working in the area.”

 The company said exact confirmation will take several weeks. 

No injuries were reported in Thursday’s explosion. 

Northern Natural Gas crews worked “around the clock” to repair damage. 

The company said service was interrupted temporarily for three customers.

LYONS, Neb. (AP) — A natural gas pipeline in rural Nebraska has been repaired after a rupture caused an explosion that was large enough to be seen by satellite. The Omaha World-Herald reports that Northern Natural Gas said in a statement Saturday that “a series of scores and gouges were found across the impacted pipeline segment, indicating that the damage may have been caused from a third party working in the area.” The company said exact confirmation will take several weeks. No injuries were reported in Thursday’s explosion. Northern Natural Gas crews worked “around the clock” to repair damage. The company said service was interrupted temporarily for three customers.

Nebraska pipeline rupture causes explosion; no one hurt

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) — Council Bluffs Police say a Nebraska man was found dead after his vehicle drove off of Interstate 480 in Iowa near the Missouri River. 

Police said 50-year-old Stephen Johnson of Omaha, Nebraska, was found shortly after 10 a.m. Saturday after his vehicle came to rest against a tree.

 Council Bluffs Police said it wasn’t immediately clear why Johnson’s vehicle left the road.

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) — Council Bluffs Police say a Nebraska man was found dead after his vehicle drove off of Interstate 480 in Iowa near the Missouri River. Police said 50-year-old Stephen Johnson of Omaha, Nebraska, was found shortly after 10 a.m. Saturday after his vehicle came to rest against a tree. Council Bluffs Police said it wasn’t immediately clear why Johnson’s vehicle left the road.

Nebraska man found dead after his vehicle drives off road

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Authorities say the man suspected of setting off a bomb in a recreational vehicle that rocked downtown Nashville on Christmas day died in the explosion.

U.S. Attorney Don Cochran identified the suspect on Sunday as Anthony Quinn Warner. Investigators said they used DNA to determine the remains were Warner’s.

The FBI said it also matched the RV’s vehicle identification number to a registration belonging to Warner. Federal agents and police had searched a home in suburban Nashville associated with Warner. Authorities did not immediately provide details about a potential motive.

FBI special agent Douglas Korneski said there was no indication anyone else was involved in the explosion, except for Warner.

Nashville police urged nearby residents to get away as an ominous recording blared from a recreational vehicle. Suddenly the warning stopped, and Petula Clark’s 1964 hit “Downtown” started playing. Then the bomb went off.

Police officers provided harrowing details Sunday of responding to the Christmas morning explosion in downtown Nashville, at times getting choked up reliving the moments that led up to the blast and offering gratitude that they were still alive.

“This is going to tie us together forever, for the rest of my life,” Officer James Wells, who suffered some hearing loss due to the explosion, told reporters at a news conference. “Christmas will never be the same.”

Another law enforcement official, who was not authorized to discuss an ongoing investigation and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity, said authorities were investigating someone associated with the property, whom he identified as Warner.

Federal agents could be seen looking around the property, searching the home and the backyard. A Google Maps image captured in May 2019 had shown an RV similar to the one that exploded parked in the backyard, but it was not at the property on Saturday, according to an AP reporter at the scene.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Authorities say the man suspected of setting off a bomb in a recreational vehicle that rocked downtown Nashville on Christmas day died in the explosion.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">BREAKING: Law enforcement is now announcing that Anthony Warner, 63, of Bakertown Rd, is the man believed responsible for Friday&#39;s explosion. He perished in the blast. No one else is presently believed to have been involved. Thank you to our federal &amp; state partners. <a href="https://t.co/PwMa1MwHvd">pic.twitter.com/PwMa1MwHvd</a>&mdash; Metro Nashville PD (@MNPDNashville) <a href="https://twitter.com/MNPDNashville/status/1343319023107399682?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 27, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>U.S. Attorney Don Cochran identified the suspect on Sunday as Anthony Quinn Warner. Investigators said they used DNA to determine the remains were Warner’s.The FBI said it also matched the RV’s vehicle identification number to a registration belonging to Warner. Federal agents and police had searched a home in suburban Nashville associated with Warner. Authorities did not immediately provide details about a potential motive.FBI special agent Douglas Korneski said there was no indication anyone else was involved in the explosion, except for Warner.------------Nashville police urged nearby residents to get away as an ominous recording blared from a recreational vehicle. Suddenly the warning stopped, and Petula Clark’s 1964 hit “Downtown” started playing. Then the bomb went off.Police officers provided harrowing details Sunday of responding to the Christmas morning explosion in downtown Nashville, at times getting choked up reliving the moments that led up to the blast and offering gratitude that they were still alive.“This is going to tie us together forever, for the rest of my life,” Officer James Wells, who suffered some hearing loss due to the explosion, told reporters at a news conference. “Christmas will never be the same.”Another law enforcement official, who was not authorized to discuss an ongoing investigation and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity, said authorities were investigating someone associated with the property, whom he identified as Warner.Federal agents could be seen looking around the property, searching the home and the backyard. A Google Maps image captured in May 2019 had shown an RV similar to the one that exploded parked in the backyard, but it was not at the property on Saturday, according to an AP reporter at the scene.The official said federal investigators were examining Warner’s digital footprint and financial history, as well as a recent deed transfer of the home they searched in suburban Nashville.Forensic analysts were also reviewing evidence collected from the blast site to try to identify the components of the explosives as well as information from the U.S. Bomb Data Center for intelligence and investigative leads, the official said.He said federal agents were examining a number of potential leads and pursuing several theories, including the possibility that the AT&amp;T building was targeted. The bomb caused damage that affected communications in several states.Investigators shut down the heart of downtown Nashville’s tourist scene — an area packed with honky-tonks, restaurants and shops — as they shuffled through broken glass and damaged buildings to learn more about the explosion.Meanwhile, Nashville realtor Steve Fridrich told the AP in a text message that Warner had worked for his company as a computer consultant, and informed it that he was retiring earlier this month. The company has notified authorities of the past IT work, Fridrich said.There were other signs of progress in the investigation. The FBI has said it was looking at a number of individuals who may be connected to it. Officials also said no additional explosive devices have been found — indicating no active threat to the area.Investigators also said they were working to identify human remains found at the scene. Beyond that, the only known casualties were three injured people.The infrastructure damage was broadly felt, due to an AT&amp;T central office being affected by the blast. Police emergency systems in Tennessee, Kentucky and Alabama, as well as Nashville’s COVID-19 community hot line and a handful of hospital systems were impacted.The building contained a telephone exchange, with network equipment in it — but the company has declined to say exactly how many people were affected.AT&amp;T said Sunday it was rerouting service to other facilities as the company worked to restore its heavily damaged building. The company said in a statement that it was bringing in resources to help recover affected voice and data services and expects to have 24 additional trailers of disaster recovery equipment at the site by the end of the day.Restoration efforts faced several challenges, which included a fire that forced their teams to work with safety and structural engineers and drilling access holes into the building in order to reconnect power.The Federal Aviation Administration has issued a temporary flight restriction around the airport, requiring pilots to follow strict procedures until Dec. 30.