LANSING, Mich. (AP) ' Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on Tuesday signed into law a new 24% tax on marijuana sales between producers and dispensaries, creating revenue to partially fund her long-promised effort to improve the states roads.

Whitmer made road repairs her priority this year. The Legislatures fiscal agencies estimate the wholesale tax will generate $420 million in new revenue to go towards the annual $1.8 billion road funding plan. But analysts predict the additional tax will inevitably lead to a drop in sales.

'When I took office, I made a promise to fix the damn roads so Michiganders could get where theyre going faster and safer,' she said in a video. Whitmer ' long considered a potential Democratic presidential candidate, although she hinted she may not be interested in the job ' signed the budget in a closed-door meeting.

The wholesale tax will be levied on the sale of marijuana from growers and processors to retailers.

Adam Hoffer, director of excise tax policy at the Tax Foundation, said the new tax will almost certainly lead to an increase in retail prices and a decrease in sales. The Michigan Senate Fiscal Agency predicted a 14.4% sales decline. Shoppers will still also have to pay a 10% retail excise tax on marijuana, which has been in place since it was legalized in 2018, plus a 6% sales tax.

States that allow the sale of recreational marijuana tax cannabis products at different rates, so its difficult to make state-to-state comparisons, Hoffer said. But the wholesale tax will drive the amount of tax on Michigan products from the lower end of the spectrum to the higher. Minnesota, Maryland and Maine also hiked taxes on marijuana products this year.

'This massive tax increase is really going to hurt the legal market in Michigan,' Hoffer said, echoing concerns from critics who say it will encourage illicit marijuana sales.

Stuart Carter, founder of the Detroit Cannabis Industry Association, said the tax will devastate smaller businesses in particular. He called it a 'slap in the face' after the tax hike was ushered through the Legislature with little chance for public comment.

The new tax was key in the final negotiations on the road-funding plan. Michigans freezing and thawing cycle in the winter creates a continuous need for road repairs and the topic has been an issue for decades. Discussion on where to find the funds has been a source of disagreement; lawmakers usually balk at the idea of raising taxes.

The Citizens Research Council of Michigan, a nonpartisan research organization, ranks Michigan 40th in the nation for road conditions and 28th when it comes to funding road improvements.

Whitmers first plan ' a 45 cent gas tax increase ' was rejected by lawmakers in 2019. She turned to a bonding program in 2020 and the state borrowed $3.5 billion to rebuild highways and bridges. The plan created a marathon of new construction projects, but local roads did not benefit and that borrowing is coming to an end this year.

Michigans budget for fiscal year 2026, agreed after months of contentious debate, totals $81 billion, according to the governors office. Democrats control the Senate and Republicans control the House. The many disagreements between the parties sent the state barreling towards a government shutdown, and lawmakers technically did not pass a budget by the Oct. 1 deadline. But they agreed to a continuing resolution, and the full budget was passed in the early hours of Friday.

About $1 billion of the package has been dedicated to funding local road and bridge improvement projects. In addition to the marijuana tax, it will also be funded by redirecting all taxes paid at the gas pump towards roads. Previously, gasoline sales tax largely went to a fund for schools.

Lance Binoniemi, vice president of government affairs for the Michigan Infrastructure and Transportation Association, said the marijuana tax is a 'nontraditional method' of supporting roadwork funding, but lawmakers recognized the urgency of finalizing a plan.

'We think this is a big step in the right direction,' he said.

Associated Press writer David Lieb in Jefferson City, Missouri, contributed to this report.

The Associated Press women in the workforce and state government coverage receives financial support from Pivotal Ventures. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find APs standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.

BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) ' As gold prices hover at record highs, a leading Catholic leader in Perus Amazon is urging countries that are destinations for the precious metal to help stem illegal mining that is poisoning rivers with mercury.

Miguel Ángel Cadenas, an Augustinian from Spain who has lived in Perus Amazon for three decades, said illegal mining has surged since the COVID-19 pandemic, citing the Tigre, Nanay, Napo and Putumayo rivers as some areas where communities are at risk.

Tests have found mercury levels in some fish above World Health Organization limits, and hair samples from local residents analyzed by scientists and doctors also showed elevated concentrations.

'We are in a delicate situation,' Cadenas told The Associated Press. 'Given that the Amazonian diet is rich in fish, we are talking about food insecurity.'

Mercury is widely used to separate gold during small-scale mining. It contaminates water, accumulates in fish, and builds up in peoples bodies, leading to neurological and developmental harm. Cadenas said the health risks are especially acute in the Amazon, where medical services are scarce.

Research in Perus Madre de Dios region found that 43% of women of childbearing age had mercury levels above WHO safety limits, while hair samples in villages along Perus Amazon riverways showed nearly 80% of residents exceeded the threshold.

'The majority of people do not understand what is happening. There is barely any information,' Cadenas said. 'The state should first provide good information to its own population and then sources of food that allow other alternatives ' which do not exist.'

Call for gold traceability

Gold prices are soaring ' analysts expect them to average around $3,675 per ounce by late 2025 with possible gains toward $4,000 by 2026, according to JPMorgan.

Analysts say weak traceability systems make it easier for illegally mined gold to slip into global markets. Reports from Switzerland and sustainability researchers focused on environmental, social and governance (ESG) standards say gold tainted with mercury in places like the Amazon is often laundered through refineries before entering jewelry, electronics or national reserves.

Cadenas, who served as a missionary and bishop before being appointed in 2021 to lead the Apostolic Vicariate of Iquitos, stressed that Peru cannot handle the problem alone.

'As long as the price of gold continues to rise, it is very difficult for a national government to manage this situation,' he said. He pointed to gold-buying nations including China, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom and Switzerland.

'The first responsibility should be that those countries buying gold require traceability, so that it is not possible to pass illegal gold into legality so easily,' he said.

‘Extremely serious

Cadenas also warned of growing violence, especially against local environmental defenders in the Amazon region.

Across the Amazon, environmental defenders are frequently targeted ' Colombia has led the world in killings for several years, while Peru also ranks among the most dangerous places to speak out against illegal mining and logging.

'There are people who are being threatened with death, and this seems extremely serious to me,' he said, citing reports that illegal miners in remote areas are tied to armed groups, including Colombian FARC dissidents.

Peru has at times tried to rein in illegal mining and mercury use. In 2019 it launched Operation Mercury, a military-police crackdown that sharply reduced deforestation in the La Pampa mining zone, though much of the activity later shifted elsewhere. Authorities also announced record seizures of contraband mercury, including a four-ton shipment at Callao port this year.

Still, Indigenous groups say enforcement is inconsistent, and regional governments across the Amazon warn that cross-border smuggling of mercury continues to fuel illegal mining.

International action

The city of Iquitos hosted the Amazon Water Summit last week, which the vicariate helped organize. Roughly 400 people from Peru, Ecuador, Colombia and Brazil took part in 14 workshops on topics including water and extractivism, climate change and education.

Cadenas noted that Loreto, Perus largest Amazonian department, has the countrys lowest access to drinking water ' with about 60% of the population lacking potable water and sanitation. Perus Constitutional Court ruled two years ago that this amounted to an 'unconstitutional state of affairs,' but he said the judgment has yet to be fulfilled.

Cadenas, who said he knows Pope Leo XIV ' who spent years in Peru as a missionary and later bishop ' fears the situation will worsen unless international action curbs demand for illicit gold.

'Every day that passes there are more people dedicated to illegal mining. While there isnt serious international pressure, it will be very difficult,' he warned.

Still, he directed a personal plea to those driving the destruction.

'Earning money is fine, but it cannot be at the cost of injustice and the lives of the poorest,' he said.

The Associated Press climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find APs standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) ' An Australian judge on Monday sentenced triple-murderer Erin Patterson to life in prison with a non-parole period of 33 years for poisoning four of her estranged husbands relatives with death cap mushrooms.

Justice Christopher Beale told the Victoria state Supreme Court that Pattersons crimes involved an enormous betrayal of trust.

Patterson was convicted in July of murdering Don and Gail Patterson and Gails sister, Heather Wilkinson, with a lunch of beef Wellington pastries laced with foraged death cap mushrooms.

Patterson was also convicted of attempting to murder Heathers husband Ian Wilkinson, who spent weeks in a hospital.

Pattersons estranged husband, Simon Patterson, was invited but did not attend the July 2023 lunch served to her parents-in-law and her estranged husbands aunt and uncle at her home.

Murderer robbed her children of their grandparents

'Your victims were all your relatives by marriage. More than that, they had all been good to you and your children over many years, as you acknowledged in your testimony,' Beale said.

'Not only did you cut short three lives and cause lasting damage to Ian Wilkinsons health, thereby devastating extended Patterson and Wilkinson families, you inflicted untold suffering on your own children, whom you robbed of their beloved grandparents,' he added.

Both prosecution and defense lawyers had agreed that a life sentence was an appropriate punishment for the 50-year-old on three counts of murder and one of attempted murder.

But defense lawyers had asked for Patterson to become eligible for parole after serving 30 years. Prosecutors had argued she should never be considered for parole because she did not deserve the courts mercy.

Survivor calls for kindness

Ian Wilkinson did not comment on the sentence but thanked police, prosecutors and health services hed encountered since the poisonings.

'Were thankful that when things go wrong, there are good people and services and systems available to help us recover,' he told reporters outside court.

'Our lives and the life of our community depends on the kindness of others. Id like to encourage everybody to be kind to each other. Finally, I want to say thank you to the many people from across Australia and around the world who through their prayers and messages of support have encouraged us,' he added.

Beale said Patterson had also intended to kill her husband if he had accepted his invitation to lunch.

She had pretended to have been diagnosed with cancer as a reason to bring them together. She claimed to have wanted advice on how to break the news to her two children, who were not present at the lunch.

Beale accepted Ian Wilkinsons account that the guests were served grey plates while Patterson ate from an orange-tan plate. This was to ensure she didnt accidentally eat a poisoned meal, Beale said.

Only triple-killer knows her motivation

'Only you know why you committed them (the crimes). I will not be speculating about that matter,' the judge told Patterson.

Patterson showed little emotion during the sentencing hearing, which took less than an hour. She kept her eyes closed for much or it or stared directly ahead.

Patterson maintained at her trial that she had added foraged mushrooms to the meals by accident.

But she had initially denied to authorities that she fed her guests foraged mushrooms. A drug that is a specific antidote for death cap mushroom poisoning was not initially administered to her dying victims.

Beale told Patterson he inferred 'from your pitiless behavior that your intention to kill was ongoing.'

Beale noted that no psychiatric or psychological reports had been provided in her sentencing hearing. He said he had no doubt she had instructed her lawyers not to provide such evidence.

Patterson has been in custody since she was charged on Nov. 2, 2023. Her sentence is backdated until then. She has 28 days from her sentencing to appeal against her convictions and the severity of her sentence.

Patterson, who turns 51 on Sept. 30, will be 82 years old when she becomes eligible for parole in November 2056.

The case has attracted enormous public interest in Victoria, nationally and internationally. Because of this, the Victorian Supreme Court allowed for the first time a sentencing hearing to be broadcast live on television.

Beale accepted that because Patterson was classified as a 'notorious' prisoner who had to be kept separate from other inmates for her own safety, her conditions were harsher than those of a mainstream prisoner.

Patterson spends at least 22 hours a day in her cell and has never spoken to the only inmate shes allowed to. That inmate, who has an adjoining exercise yard that shares a mesh wire fence, has been convicted of terrorism offenses and has attacked other prisoners.

'I infer that, given the unprecedented media coverage of your case, and the books, documentaries and TV series about you which are all in the pipeline, you are likely to remain a notorious prisoner for many years to come, and, as such, remain at significant risk from other prisoners,' Beale said.

By a 4-1 vote, the County Counsel’s Office was instructed to draft a state of emergency declaration pertaining to federal immigration actions that could help the county find private dollars and speed up financial aid for affected immigrant families behind on rent and facing eviction. A local state of emergency can also draw in help from affected cities, as well as the state government, to augment rent relief funds and legal aid services.

Supervisors Lindsey Horvath, Hilda Solis, Janice Hahn and Holly Mitchell voted in favor. Supervisor and board chair Kathryn Barger voted no. The draft proclamation is scheduled to come back at the next board meeting, Oct. 14, for a vote.

The use of a state of emergency proclamation was used after the January wildfires devastated Altadena and the Palisades, involving the homeless crisis, and five years ago during the COVID-19 pandemic. But using emergency powers regarding the immigration raids sweeping across the county is unusual, and could be challenged by the Trump administration.

Hahn, after reading from a preliminary report from the County Counsel, said a state of emergency can be proclaimed when there’s “extreme peril to person or property,” which she indicated justifies the proposed action.

“This is clearly what’s happening now,” Hahn said. “These ICE raids are putting people in extreme peril for their safety and for their children’s safety. I think it is important to tell our immigrant community we are in this emergency with you.”

Attorneys from the County Counsel Office and others were concerned about the legality of such an emergency, since it is not in line with typical reasons, such as natural disasters, fires, floods and pandemics.

“I’m sure we will be challenged legally,” said Barger, who voted against the motion. She said she would rather arrange to put more money into rent relief for affected tenants.

Many who spoke before the board were fearful to go outside. Some said earlier today, they witnessed people scurrying to avoid ICE agents in MacArthur Park. Others said they talked to eyewitnesses of raids in other cities, such as Gardena.

“This is a moment of crisis. This is a state of emergency. Families who have lost income due to the raids need your support and need to stay housed,” said Maya Daniels, policy intern with the TransLatin@ Coalition.

Eloisa Galindo, who spoke before the board, agreed. “It is incumbent we intervene to protect our neighbors to make sure they have the resources they need,” said Galindo, a member of the Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment.

The motion came about after the board heard a report from the County Counsel on enacting a possible moratorium on evictions of those affected by immigration raids. The County Counsel said the best way to support any type of eviction moratorium is with an emergency declaration.

The approved motion for a declared emergency could be a first step toward an eviction moratorium but that is not part of the motion approved Tuesday.

The County Counsel’s Office recommended alternatives, such as increasing the funds for rent relief assistance to tenants and landlords. The report from the office also said it could raise unintended consequences if undocumented residents have to declare their immigration status to get help.

Horvath authored the motion that moves forward with the emergency declaration, saying immigration raids have hurt families who are in danger of becoming homeless, and have caused $275 billion in labor shortages and logistical delays in L.A. County.

The immigration raid ramp-up has been driven by President Trumps campaign pledge to deport the 'worst of the worst' immigrants in the country illegally and achieving the largest mass deportation in the history of the country.

Administration officials have defended the arrests, which they say are sweeping up 'dangerous criminals' who are a threat to society.

However, the arrests of long-time immigrants who own vendor push carts, or who work in construction, car washes or restaurants — and have been raising families in Southern California for decades — have spurred a backlash from ordinary citizens, immigrant rights groups, labor groups and some local Republican legislators.

One out of every three county residents are immigrants, said Horvath. “The ongoing immigration raids have wreaked havoc on the county, sowing fear and impacted our local economy.”

Supervisor Solis noted that many areas with ethnic shops and restaurants, especially Latino neighborhoods, are like ghost towns. “All you have to do is go downtown and see shops are vacant,” she said. “I support this motion. We need to get more resources.”

Francine the calico cat is back home at a Lowes store in Virginia after going missing for a few weeks, hitching a ride on a truck that turned up at a sister facility in another state.

Two employees from a Lowes in Richmond made the 90-minute drive early Monday to pick up Francine, who disappeared in September and recently was discovered at the companys distribution center in Garysburg, North Carolina.

She was back on the job Tuesday, playing with customers, posing for photos and soaking in affection.

'Francine is one of us,' store supervisor Wayne Schneider said in a telephone interview. 'Shes just amazing. What she means here to the store and the employees, you really cant imagine the outpouring that the employees and also the customers give her daily.'

Francine spends much of her time either at the customer service desk or in the stores seasonal area. But things went awry in September as the store brought in items for the upcoming Christmas season. Store general manager Mike Sida said that disruption may have prompted Francine to seek comfort elsewhere.

After store employees hadnt seen Francine for a few days, they reviewed past surveillance video. There were glimpses of her in the appliance section and then the receiving department, where she darted into a truck. An overnight manager is then seen shutting the trucks door and off it went to Garysburg, about 85 miles to the south.

'And then, of course, when she got down to the distribution center, she shot off the truck,' Sida said. 'Thats when we found out where she was and she was missing.'

An animal control office set up humane traps at the distribution center, where photos of Francine were posted throughout. The center had dozens of monitoring cameras, and Lowes brought in thermal drones to survey the area. An Instagram account unaffiliated with Lowes dedicated to finding Francine grew to more than 34,000 followers.

On Saturday, Francine was spotted on camera near the distribution center. After more humane traps were installed, a volunteer checked each trap throughout the night. Finally, one of the traps triggered and Francines meows could be heard.

Schneider and Sida got in a car early Monday and drove to get Francine.

'That ride going down, knowing that we were going to get her, was just heartwarming. Knowing shes safe and that shes coming back to the store to get off her two-week vacation,' Schneider said.

Francine was a stray when she started living at the Lowes store more than eight years ago. Cats are common sightings around feed stores and garden centers, which contain large amounts of grain and seed that can be attractive to mice and rats. In New York City, cats are beloved fixtures of the citys bodegas and delis.

At the Lowes store, Francine 'just showed up,' Sida said. 'We had a bit of a mice problem. So, of course, Im like, wow. I like this cat a lot because its helping me.'

Lowes doesnt have an official policy about cats in stores. Asked why Francine wasnt taken to someones residence after showing up, Sida said she is loved by employees and the community.

'Francine picked us. We didnt pick her,' Sida said. 'Later, we would embrace her being our store cat. But at the end of the day, she came to us. Where shes at is where she wants to be. She does whatever she wants.'

Unlike Lowes employees, Francine does not wear a vest. She had been previously outfitted with several collars but escaped them all. Now they plan on fitting her with a harness that includes identifying information.

A local brewery will host a 'Francine Fest' community event on Wednesday to celebrate the homecoming, while the store is planning its own team party.

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) ' Norwegian Crown Prince Haakon visited Minnesota on Tuesday as part of a tour marking the 200th anniversary of organized emigration from his homeland to the United States, highlighting the deep connections between the two countries.

The Upper Midwest has some of the largest concentrations of Scandinavian Americans in the U.S., and Minnesota has well over 800,000 residents who claim Norwegian ancestry, according to state demographers. Thats more than any other state. Nearly 5 million North Americans have Norwegian roots.

Haakon highlights the Norway-Minnesota connection

The crown prince began the day in Minneapolis at Norway House, which brings contemporary Norway to the U.S. through arts, commerce and culture. He was greeted by a large crowd, including women, girls and boys wearing colorful traditional bunad costumes, and others clad in more modern Norwegian sweaters.

'For generations, the United States and Norway have stood side by side,' he said at a business summit. 'Building on this partnership, we can continue to develop solutions that are sustainable, innovative and future-oriented.'

Haakon also cut a ribbon to open Norway Houses new Saga Center. Its an immersive, interactive exhibit for families to explore their connections with Norway, where they can also navigate 3D outdoor and urban landscapes to learn about the countrys friluftsliv (outdoor life) and byliv (city life).

Then pays a call on the governor

Haakon then went to the state Capitol in nearby St. Paul to meet with Gov. Tim Walz, who said his state takes deep pride in its Norwegian heritage, calling it 'foundational to what we are as Minnesotans.'

The crown prince noted that a third of Norways population left in the first 100 years of mass emigration, with 800,000 heading to the U.S.

'Some people, analysts have had a theory that everyone with any initiative left for the United States in that period,' Haakon told reporters, jokingly. 'I hope that for those of us who stayed, thats not entirely true. … I think, in Norway, we developed at the same time. And today theres very much a benefit from that history, because, of course, bonds between nations (are) bonds between persons, people.'

Stops along the way for the crown prince

The crown princes agenda also included a visit to Mindekirken, the Norwegian Lutheran Memorial Church in Minneapolis, which still holds services in Norwegian. Haakons mother, Queen Sonja, visited the church in 2022 for its 100th anniversary.

Haakon also has a visit set for Wednesday to St. Olaf College in Northfield, a school south of Minneapolis that was founded by Norwegian immigrants and has hosted several royal visits.

Haakon began his tour Monday at Vesterheim, a museum in Decorah, Iowa, that tells the story of Norwegian immigrants. He met there with three descendants of people who arrived on the Restauration, a ship carrying 52 Norwegians that left July 4, 1825, from Stavanger. One traveler gave birth on the long voyage, so 53 arrived in New York.

The Crossings 200 commemorations shift east on Thursday, the 200th anniversary of the arrival of the Restauration in New York. Haakon is due to to welcome a replica of the sloop when it sails into Pier 16, by the South Street Seaport Museum, where a Norwegian cultural celebration will also take place.

Support for the royals at home has been tested

The crown princes trip to America comes as support at home for the Norwegian royals has been tested.

Not making this trip due to a lung ailment is Crown Princess Mette-Marit, whose nonroyal son from a previous relationship, Marius Borg Høiby, was indicted in August on charges that included rape.

Haakons sister, Princess Märtha Louise, raised eyebrows when she married an American self-professed shaman last fall. Norwegian news reports say Netflix documentary on their courtship and wedding, 'Rebel Royals: An Unlikely Love Story,' which premiered last month, ruffled some royal feathers.

'I often let everybody know, always, that voting is your voice, that thats who you are, that that is what this nation is, and we dont take it lightly,' Secretary of State Shirley Weber said during the webinar.

'And so we have done everything we can to make sure that our elections are safe and secure and that you understand what youre voting for, and hopefully you will go to the polls to vote,' she added.

Voters will decide during the special election whether to approve or reject Proposition 50, which would redraw congressional districts mid-decade to give California Democrats an opportunity to pick up five more House seats in next years midterm election. The effort, led by Gov. Gavin Newsom, is in response to a similar gerrymandering effort by Texas Republicans hoping to ensure that the GOP retains control of the House in 2026.

During Tuesdays webinar, representatives from Weber’s office encouraged people to vote early ' especially if they plan on mailing in their ballots.

Due to changes to U.S. Postal mail service this year, people living more than 50 miles from a U.S. Postal Service regional mail processing hubs who drop off their ballot in a mailbox or at a post office on Election Day wont have a guarantee that their ballot will be postmarked that same day. Instead, it could be postmarked the day after ' too late for the ballot to count.

During a press conference last week, Weber and state Attorney General Rob Bonta shared a map showing six regional mail processing centers in California ' two in the Los Angeles area and one each in Santa Clarita and San Diego. The last two were in Richmond in the Bay Area and in Sacramento.

Anyone living outside a 50-mile radius of these centers could be impacted by the change to the U.S. Postal Service, they said.

Given that, both the secretary of state and attorney general’s offices are encouraging voters who plan to vote by mail to do so before Election Day to ensure their ballot gets counted.

'Voting early is always a good plan,' Cameron Petrovich, an elections outreach analyst with the Secretary of States office, said during Tuesday’s webinar.

Weber’s office advised people who want to mail in their ballot on Election Day to go inside a post office and have a postal employee stamp it immediately to ensure the ballot meets the postmark deadline.

Of course, mailing in ones ballot is not the only option.

Although all registered voters in California should be sent a vote-by-mail ballot, voters may elect to drop off their ballot at a drop box anywhere in the state, or they could vote in person.

During Tuesdays webinar, representatives from the states election office also highlighted the California Voter Bill of Rights ' which lays out who is eligible to vote and what their rights are ' key election dates, how to locate a ballot drop box or vote center, how to cast and track ones ballot as it gets processed, and how to report misinformation.

'You, the voter, are the best defense against rumors and misinformation,' Petrovich said. 'In our current climate, false election information can be very common, and our goal is to ensure that we help provide accurate sources of information while helping people identify misinformation and disinformation before it spreads.'

To report misinformation, email the Secretary of State’s office at votesure@sos.ca.gov.

For more information about the Nov. 4 special election, check out the Southern California News Groups online voter guide.

The flight tracking website FlightAware listed about a dozen weather delays at the airport Tuesday morning, Oct. 7, with the average delay lasting about 30 minutes, but by early afternoon nearly all flights were on schedule once again.

A spokesperson for the airport did not expect a repeat of the conditions that led to 56 delays and 12 cancellations Monday.

Then, a mixture of sick calls, last-minute day-off requests and staffing issues had left the airport without any air traffic controllers from 4:15 p.m. to 10 p.m., according to NBCLA.

Flights into and out of Burbank were delayed or outright canceled as the FAA’s Southern California TRACON, air controllers based in San Diego, remotely managed the airspace using radar. The average delay hit roughly 2 1/2 hours Monday night, the FAA reported.

Flights were similarly slowed in Chicago, Nashville and Dallas on Tuesday due to short staffing, according to the FAA. Nashville International Airport had an average delay of two hours as of Tuesday afternoon.

LAX, Ontario International Airport and John Wayne Airport did not appear to be impacted by the same issues seen at Burbank. None of the local airports was experiencing a large volume of delays, according to FlightAware’s Misery Map, which tracks delays and cancellations across the country.

Burbank airport spokesman Michael Christensen said that Tuesday passenger traveling forecasts were not expected to be busy. “But there’s always the possibility that yesterday’s delays and cancellations led to more passengers today,” he said. “Having said that, we don’t have any evidence yet of that statistically.”

Several travelers at the Burbank airport experienced delays due to the air traffic controller disruptions. Some were even shocked to learn about the delays after they boarded cross-country flights earlier Tuesday.

Bruce and Joy Earle from the Bakersfield area were rushing through the parking lot to catch a flight in the crowded airport backed up with cars picking up and dropping off passengers.

'At first, I panicked when heard about the situation with the air traffic controllers,' said Joy Earle, who was traveling to Denver to meet with a property management company to list their home for rent. 'I thought that our flight might be canceled.'

Altadena residents Shari Boyer and her husband boarded an American Airlines flight from Florida on Tuesday morning, and had a layover in Dallas, where they learned about the air traffic controller disruptions.

To allay their concerns, one airline flight attendant told the Boyers that flying into Burbank was no worse than landing at a small airport without air traffic controllers. That’s because smaller airports rely on the Terminal Radar Approach Control, or TRACON, to handle flights within a 50-mile radius of an airport and up to a 10,000-foot altitude.

West Hollywood resident Peter Andrews said he was scheduled to fly into Los Angeles International Airport on Monday evening, but his flight was grounded at Chicagos OHare International Airport.

The Southwest Airlines traveler was put up overnight in a hotel and flew into Burbank on Tuesday morning.

'All I knew was that they parked the plane on the tarmac while we waited. I rebooked a flight into Burbank this morning, which actually was better for me,' Andrews said.

Jamal Anderson left his home in Cincinnati last week to visit friends in Burbank, and was waiting to catch a flight back on Tuesday to the midwestern city where he works with consumer products giant Procter & Gamble.

'I wish theyd stop with the politicking in our country. This is a wake-up call to add to the list of all the other things going on in this country,' Anderson said. 'You think those people (air traffic controllers) dont want to work? They have mouths to feed. The government shutdown is affecting the livelihood of lots of people.'

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, during a news conference Monday at Newark Liberty International Airport, said sick calls and staffing shortages were ticking up across the country as air traffic controllers are being asked to work without pay amid the federal government’s shutdown.

“There’s been one facility one day, another facility another day. Some areas there’s been a 50% reduction in some of the staffing. And again we’re tracking it, and we take the appropriate action necessary to make sure our skies are safe,” Duffy said, according to CBS News.

Those who are working are facing additional stress, wondering how they will make mortgage and car payments, Duffy said.

The National Air Traffic Controllers Association warned members on its website against any “coordinated activity that negatively affects” the National Airspace System, the union and the profession.

“Participating in a job action could result in removal from federal service,” the post reads. “It is not only illegal, but it also undermines NATCAs credibility and severely weakens our ability to effectively advocate for you and your families.”

Galen Munroe, a spokesman with the NATCA, the union representing tower personnel at the Burbank airports, said the association has consistently warned that staffing shortages nationwide leave the system vulnerable, and pointed to the situation at Hollywood Burbank Airport as evidence of the need to “accelerate training and hiring.”

'It is normal for a few air traffic controllers to call in sick on any given day, and this is the latest example of how fragile our aviation system is in the midst of a national shortage of these critical safety professionals,' Munroe said. 'Nearly 11,000 fully certified controllers remain on the job, many working 10-hour shifts as many as six days a week, showing extraordinary dedication to safely guiding millions of passengers to their destinations ' all without getting paid during this shutdown.'

The delays and shortages seen at airports across the country mirror similar issues that arose during a 35-day government shutdown in 2019.  A spike in absences among air traffic controllers and Transportation Security Administration employees that year also snarled air traffic, slowed down security checkpoints and put pressure on lawmakers to end that shutdown, according to CNBC.