The U.S. Coast Guard is leading the search for the small craft, named Titan, in the North Atlantic Ocean. The remote area is where the Titanic struck an iceberg and sank in 1912, killing all but about 700 of the roughly 2,200 passengers and crew.

This was OceanGate Expeditions' third annual voyage to chronicle the deterioration of Titanic since 2021. The sunken ship is about 2.4 miles (3.8 kilometers) below the surface.

The undersea exploration company has been chronicling the ship's decay as well as the underwater ecosystem that has sprung up around it over the last century.

What we know so far:

WHEN AND WHERE DID THE TITAN GO MISSING?

The craft submerged Sunday morning, and its support vessel lost contact with it about an hour and 45 minutes later, according to the Coast Guard.

The vessel was reported overdue about 435 miles (700 kilometers) south of St. John’s, Newfoundland, according to Canada’s Joint Rescue Coordination Centre in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

The Titan was being launched from an icebreaker that was hired by OceanGate and formerly operated by the Canadian Coast Guard. The ship ferried dozens of people and the submersible craft to the North Atlantic wreck site, where the Titan makes multiple dives.

David Concannon, an adviser to OceanGate, told The Associated Press on Monday that the submersible had a 96-hour oxygen supply. He said officials are working to get a remotely operated vehicle that can reach a depth of six kilometers (3.7 miles) to the site as soon as possible.

WHO WAS ON BOARD?

The Coast Guard said there was one pilot and four “mission specialists” aboard. “Mission specialists” are people who pay to come along on OceanGate’s expeditions. They take turns operating sonar equipment and performing other tasks in the five-person submersible.

An initial group of tourists in 2021 paid $100,000 to $150,000 apiece to go on the trip. OceanGate’s website described the “mission support fee” for the 2023 expedition as $250,000 a person.

British businessman Hamish Harding, who lives in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, was one of the mission specialists, according to Action Aviation, a company for which Harding serves as chairman.

Harding is an adventurer who holds three Guinness World Records, including the longest duration at full ocean depth by a crewed vessel. In March 2021, he and ocean explorer Victor Vescovo dived to the lowest depth of the Mariana Trench. In June 2022, he went into space on Blue Origin’s New Shepard rocket.

Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman, members of one of Pakistan's most prominent families, were also on board, according to a family statement sent to the AP. Their eponymous firm invests in agriculture, industries and the health sector. Shahzada Dawood also is on the board of trustees for the California-based SETI Institute that searches for extraterrestrial intelligence.

WHAT KIND OF DEEP-SEA VESSEL WAS IT?

Titan is capable of diving four kilometers (2.4 miles) “with a comfortable safety margin,” according to documents filed by the company in April with a U.S. District Court in Virginia that oversees Titanic matters.

In a May 2021 court filing, OceanGate said the Titan had an “unparalleled safety feature” that assesses the integrity of the hull throughout every dive. At the time of the filing, Titan had undergone more than 50 test dives, including to the equivalent depth of the Titanic, in deep waters off the Bahamas and in a pressure chamber, the company said.

During its 2022 expedition, OceanGate reported that the submersible had a battery issue on its first dive and had to be manually attached to its lifting platform, according to a November court filing.

WHAT WAS THE TITAN'S MISSION?

The goal of OceanGate's expeditions has been chronicling the Titanic's deterioration as well as the underwater ecosystem that shipwrecks often spawn.

What's left of the Titanic is slowly succumbing to metal-eating bacteria that consumes hundreds of pounds of iron a day. Holes pervade the wreckage, while the crow’s nest is already gone. Some have predicted the ship could vanish in a matter of decades as holes yawn in the hull and sections disintegrate.

The company outfitted the Titan with high-definition cameras and multi-beam sonar equipment. Charting the wreck's decomposition can help scientists predict the fate of other deep-sea wrecks, including those that sank during the world wars. Another focus is the sea life: Hundreds of species have only been seen at the wreck.

"The ocean is taking this thing, and we need to document it before it all disappears or becomes unrecognizable,” Stockton Rush, president of OceanGate Expeditions, told the AP in 2021.

The vessel was reported overdue Sunday night about 435 miles (700 kilometres) south of St. John’s, Newfoundland, according to Canada's Joint Rescue Coordination Centre in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Lt. Cmdr. Len Hickey said a Canadian Coast Guard vessel and military aircraft were assisting the search effort, which was being led by the U.S. Coast Guard in Boston.

Rear Adm. John Mauger, a commander for the U.S. Coast Guard, said additional resources would arrive in the coming days.

“It is a remote area — and it is a challenge to conduct a search in that remote area," he said. "But we are deploying all available assets to make sure we can locate the craft and rescue the people on board.”

According to the Coast Guard, the craft submerged Sunday morning, and its support vessel, the Canadian research icebreaker Polar Prince, lost contact with it about an hour and 45 minutes later.

The Polar Prince will continue to do surface searches throughout the evening and Canadian P8 Poseidon aircraft will resume their surface and subsurface search in the morning, the Coast Guard said on Twitter.

The submersible was operated by OceanGate Expeditions.

David Concannon, an adviser to OceanGate, said the submersible had a 96-hour oxygen supply starting at roughly 6 a.m. Sunday. In an email to The Associated Press, Concannon said he was supposed to be on the dive but could not go due to another client matter. He said officials were working to get a remotely operated vehicle that can reach a depth of 6 kilometers (3.7 miles) to the site as soon as possible.

OceanGate’s expeditions to the Titanic wreck site include archaeologists and marine biologists. The company also brings people who pay to come along, known as “mission specialists.” They take turns operating sonar equipment and performing other tasks in the five-person submersible. The Coast Guard said Monday that there was one pilot and four “mission specialists” aboard.

OceanGate said its focus was on those aboard and their families.

“We are deeply thankful for the extensive assistance we have received from several government agencies and deep sea companies in our efforts to reestablish contact with the submersible,” it said in a statement.

U.K. businessman Hamish Harding was one of the mission specialists, according to Action Aviation, a company for which Harding serves as chairman. The company’s managing director, Mark Butler, told the AP that the crew set out on Friday.

“There is still plenty of time to facilitate a rescue mission, there is equipment on board for survival in this event,” Butler said. “We’re all hoping and praying he comes back safe and sound.”

Harding is a billionaire adventurer who holds three Guinness World Records, including the longest duration at full ocean depth by a crewed vessel. In March 2021, he and ocean explorer Victor Vescovo dived to the lowest depth of the Mariana Trench. In June 2022, he went into space on Blue Origin’s New Shepard rocket.

Harding was “looking forward to conducting research” at the Titanic site, said Richard Garriott de Cayeux, the president of The Explorers Club, a group to which Harding belonged.

"We all join in the fervent hope that the submersible is located as quickly as possible," he said in a statement.

The expedition was OceanGate’s third annual voyage to chronicle the deterioration of Titanic, which struck an iceberg and sank in 1912, killing all but about 700 of the roughly 2,200 passengers and crew. Since the wreckage’s discovery in 1985, it has been slowly succumbing to metal-eating bacteria. Some have predicted the ship could vanish in a matter of decades as holes yawn in the hull and sections disintegrate.

The initial group of tourists in 2021 paid $100,000 to $150,000 apiece to go on the trip.

Unlike submarines that leave and return to port under their own power, submersibles require a ship to launch and recover them. OceanGate hired the Polar Prince to ferry dozens of people and the submersible craft to the North Atlantic wreck site. The submersible would make multiple dives in one expedition.

The expedition was scheduled to depart from St. John’s, Newfoundland, in early May and finish up at the end of June, according to documents filed by the company in April with a U.S. District Court in Virginia that oversees Titanic matters.

CBS journalist David Pogue, who went on the trip last year, noted his vessel got turned around looking for the Titanic.

“There’s no GPS underwater, so the surface ship is supposed to guide the sub to the shipwreck by sending text messages,” Pogue said in a segment aired on CBS Sunday Morning. “But on this dive, communications somehow broke down. The sub never found the wreck.”

The submersible, named Titan, is capable of diving 4 kilometers (2.4 miles) “with a comfortable safety margin,” OceanGate said in its court filing.

It weighs 20,000 pounds (9,072 kilograms) in the air, but is ballasted to be neutrally buoyant once it reaches the seafloor, the company said.

The Titan is made of “titanium and filament wound carbon fiber” and has proven to “withstand the enormous pressures of the deep ocean,” OceanGate stated. OceanGate told the court that Titan’s viewport is “the largest of any deep diving submersible” and that its technology provides an “unrivaled view” of the deep ocean.

In a May 2021 court filing, OceanGate said the Titan had an “unparalleled safety feature” that assesses the integrity of the hull throughout every dive.

At the time of the filing, Titan had undergone more than 50 test dives, including to the equivalent depth of the Titanic, in deep waters off the Bahamas and in a pressure chamber, the company said.

During its expedition in 2022, OceanGate reported that the submersible had a battery issue on its first dive, and had to be manually attached to its lifting platform, according to a November court filing.

“In the high sea state, the submersible sustained modest damage to its external components and OceanGate decided to cancel the second mission for repairs and operational enhancements,” the filing stated.

More missions, however, followed. The company reported that 28 people visited the wreck site last year.

Experts said Monday that rescuers face steep challenges.

Alistair Greig, a professor of marine engineering at University College London, said submersibles typically have a drop weight, which is “a mass they can release in the case of an emergency to bring them up to the surface using buoyancy.”

“If there was a power failure and/or communication failure, this might have happened, and the submersible would then be bobbing about on the surface waiting to be found,” Greig said.

Another scenario is a leak in the pressure hull, in which case the prognosis is not good, he said.

“If it has gone down to the seabed and can’t get back up under its own power, options are very limited," Greig said. “While the submersible might still be intact, if it is beyond the continental shelf, there are very few vessels that can get that deep, and certainly not divers.”

Even if they could go that deep, he doubts they could attach to the hatch of OceanGate's submersible.

___

AP reporters Danica Kirka, Jill Lawless and Sylvia Hui in London, Robert Gillies in Toronto, Olga R. Rodriguez in San Francisco, and Jon Gambrell in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, contributed to this report.

The National Hurricane Center in Miami said Bret had maximum sustained winds of 40 mph (65 kph) at 11 p.m. Monday as it moved west across the Atlantic at 18 mph (30 kph). Forecasters expect it to strengthen over the next two days, reaching Category 1 hurricane strength of 74 mph (120 kph) by Wednesday night as it nears the Lesser Antilles. Because of wind shear, the storm is not expected to strengthen into a Category 2 storm.

Bret is forecast to move across the Lesser Antilles as a hurricane on Thursday and Friday and unleash flooding, heavy rainfall and dangerous storm surge and waves, the center said. It is then expected to weaken slowly while still in the eastern Caribbean region, although the center warned that its forecast “remains a low confidence prediction.”

"Everyone in the Lesser Antilles, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands should closely monitor updates to the forecast for this system and have their hurricane plan in place,” the center said.

The National Hurricane Center said there’s a possibility Bret could turn north or continue west into the Caribbean and threaten the Dominican Republic, Haiti and other islands.

“There continues to be larger than usual uncertainty,” the center said of the storm’s forecasted path.

Almost a century has gone by since a storm last strengthened into a hurricane in the tropical Atlantic in June, according to Philip Klotzbach, a meteorologist at Colorado State University. The last such storm recorded was Trinidad in 1933, he tweeted.

Tropical Storm Arlene, the first named storm of the 2023 season, formed earlier this month. It petered out after two days, never threatening landfall. Previously, a subtropical storm formed in the Atlantic Basin in January.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has forecast 12 to 17 named storms for this year's hurricane season. It said between five and nine of those storms could become hurricanes, including up to four major hurricanes of Category 3 or higher.

A tropical disturbance that is trailing Bret has a 50% chance of formation, according to the National Hurricane Center.

Breaking weeks of public silence since her husband was impeached in May, Angela Paxton did not address the accusations in a statement released by her office.

Whether Paxton will cast a vote with her husband's job on the line has raised ethical questions ahead of the looming trial in the Senate, which is set to begin no later than August. State law compels all senators to attend, but is silent on whether she must participate.

“As a member of the Senate, I hold these obligations sacred and I will carry out my duties, not because it is easy, but because the Constitution demands it and because my constituents deserve it,” Paxton said.

A spokesperson did not immediately respond Monday night when asked whether she intends to vote.

The statement was released on the eve of when rules surrounding the trial are expected to be finalized Tuesday by the Texas Senate. There are 31 senators in the chamber, which is led by Republican Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who has declined to comment on Sen. Paxton's potential participation in the trial.

Ken Paxton is temporarily suspended from office pending the outcome of the trial.

The shootings happened in cities and rural areas alike, following a surge in homicides and other violence over the past several years that accelerated during the coronavirus pandemic. Officers responded to mass shootings in Washington state, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Southern California, Milwaukee and Baltimore.

“There’s no question there’s been a spike in violence,” said Daniel Nagin, a professor of public policy and statistics at Carnegie Mellon University. “Some of these cases seem to be just disputes, often among adolescents, and those disputes are played out with firearms, not with fists.”

Researchers disagree over the cause. Theories include the possibility that violence is driven by the prevalence of guns in America, or by less aggressive police tactics or a decline in prosecutions for misdemeanor weapon offenses, Nagin said.

Only the Idaho killings fit the definition of a mass killing in which four or more people die, not including the shooter. However, the number of injured in most of the weekend cases matches the widely accepted definition for mass shootings.

Here's a look at some of the shootings this weekend:

CHICAGO

Five people were shot, two fatally on the city's South Side on Sunday evening when someone opened fire from a car that pulled up to a gathering, according to police.

Another four men were shot, one fatally, during an altercation in a garage in the West Side neighborhood of Austin around 3 a.m. Sunday, police said. Five others including a teenage girl were shot early Saturday near Lincoln Park Zoo, and two dozen more were shot in other incidents since Friday evening, city data shows.

Meanwhile in the suburbs, at least 23 people were shot, one fatally, early Sunday in a parking lot where hundreds of people had gathered to celebrate Juneteenth, authorities said.

The White House issued a statement calling the violence a tragedy and saying the president was thinking of those killed and injured. Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker said in a statement that he was monitoring the investigation.

KELLOGG, IDAHO

Police in Idaho arrested a suspect in a shooting that killed four people on Sunday at an apartment complex behind a church.

Responding officers found four people, all dead from gunshot wounds, at a residence in Kellogg that's behind the Mountain View Congregational Church, according to the Shoshone County Sheriff’s Office and news reports. Idaho State Police said a 31-year-old man was detained, KXLY-TV reported.

ST. LOUIS

An early Sunday shooting in a downtown St. Louis office building killed a 17-year-old and wounded 11 other teenagers, the city’s police commissioner said.

St. Louis Metropolitan Police Commissioner Robert Tracy identified the victim who was killed as 17-year-old Makao Moore. A spokesman said a minor who had a handgun was in police custody as a person of interest.

Teenagers were having a party in an office space when the shooting broke out around 1 a.m. Sunday.

The victims ranged from 15 to 19 years old. A 17-year-old girl was trampled as she fled, seriously injuring her spine, Tracy said.

WASHINGTON STATE

Two people were killed and two others were injured when a shooter began firing “randomly” into a crowd at a Washington state campground where many people were staying to attend a nearby music festival on Saturday night, police said.

The suspect was shot in a confrontation with law enforcement officers and taken into custody, several hundred yards from the Beyond Wonderland electronic dance music festival.

CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA

One state trooper was killed and a second critically wounded just hours apart in central Pennsylvania on Saturday after a gunman attacked a state police barracks.

The suspect drove his truck into the parking lot of the Lewistown barracks about 11 a.m. Saturday and opened fire with a large-caliber rifle on marked patrol cars before fleeing, authorities said Sunday.

Lt. James Wagner, 45, was critically wounded when he was shot after encountering the suspect several miles away in Mifflintown. Later, Trooper Jacques Rougeau Jr., 29, was ambushed and killed by a gunshot through the windshield of his patrol car as he drove down a road in nearby Walker Township, authorities said.

The suspect was shot and killed after a fierce gunbattle, said Lt. Col. George Bivens.

“What I witnessed ... was one of the most intense, unbelievable gunfights I have ever witnessed,” Bivens said, lauding troopers for launching an aggressive search despite facing a weapon that “would defeat any of the body armor that they had available to them.”

A motive was not immediately known.

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

A shooting at a pool party at a Southern California home left eight people wounded, authorities said Saturday.

Authorities were dispatched shortly after midnight in Carson, California, south of Los Angeles, KABC-TV reported.

The victims range in age from 16 to 24, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said.

BALTIMORE

Six people were injured in a Friday night shooting in Baltimore. All were expected to survive.

Officers heard gunshots in the north of the city just before 9 p.m. and found three men with numerous gunshot wounds. Medics took them to area hospitals for treatment.

Police later learned of three additional victims who walked into area hospitals with non-life-threatening gunshot wounds. The wounded ranged in age from 17 to 26.

SAN FRANCISCO

Six people were injured after a “car-to-car” shooting in the streets of San Francisco on Sunday evening, police said.

Two victims sustained gunshot wounds, one with life-threatening injuries, in the moving shootout beginning shortly before 7 p.m., San Francisco Police Chief Bill Scott said at a news conference Sunday.

Suspects in two cars, a black SUV and a white sedan, “drove very recklessly and chased each other while engaged in gunfire” near the northern waterfront, Scott said. The area includes Fisherman’s Wharf, one of the city’s busiest tourist areas.

Three victims were injured by glass shards caused by “errant gunfire,” Scott said, with none of the injuries considered to be life-threatening.

Two girls, ages 10 and 16, were struck by one of the two vehicles while walking their bicycles across the street. The younger girl was injured and transported to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries while the older girl was not injured.

PHILADELPHIA

A 4-year-old boy was among five victims of a shooting in south Philadelphia Saturday night.

Police responded to the block shortly before 8 p.m. Saturday and found a 58-year-old woman with gunshot wounds to the legs, a 54-year-old woman with gunshot wounds to her wrist and leg, and the boy, who was brought to Presbyterian Hospital with a gunshot wound to the abdomen.

A 30-year-old man also arrived at the hospital with a gunshot wound to the wrist and a 40-year-old man was brought in with a gunshot wound to the abdomen. The last victim was listed in critical condition; all others were said to be in stable condition.

MILWAUKEE

At least six teenagers were shot Monday afternoon around where Milwaukee’s Juneteenth celebration had just wrapped up.

Milwaukee Police Chief Jeffrey Norman said among the wounded was a 17-year-old who may have been a gunman himself and is in custody. Police were still seeking additional suspects who hadn’t yet been identified.

Police said the victims, four girls and two boys, ranged in age from 14-19.

Norman said the shooting may have stemmed from a fight among a number of girls and young women, but he didn’t know what sparked the dispute. The injuries of those wounded varied but did not appear life-threatening, the chief said.

—

Brown contributed from Billings, Mont. Savage is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.

While many have treated the long holiday weekend as a reason for a party, others urged quiet reflection on America's often violent and oppressive treatment of its Black citizens. Still others have remarked at the strangeness of celebrating a federal holiday marking the end of slavery in the nation while many Americans are trying to stop parts of that history from being taught in public schools.

“Is #Juneteenth the only federal holiday that some states have banned the teaching of its history and significance?” author Michelle Duster asked on Twitter, referring to measures in Florida, Oklahoma and Alabama prohibiting an Advancement Placement African American studies course or the teaching of certain concepts of race and racism.

The holiday commemorates June 19, 1865, when enslaved people in Galveston, Texas, learned they had been freed — two years after the Emancipation Proclamation was issued during the bloody Civil War. For generations, Black Americans have recognized Juneteenth, but it only became a federal holiday two years ago.

In Fort Worth, Texas, the woman known as the “grandmother of Juneteenth," Opal Lee, led her annual Walk for Freedom. The 96-year-old former teacher and activist is largely credited for rallying others behind a campaign to make Juneteenth a federal holiday. This year, Lee became only the second Black person to have her portrait hung in the Senate chamber of the Texas Capitol.

Vice President Kamala Harris said in brief remarks on a CNN special that also featured musical guests, including Miguel and Charlie Wilson, that the holiday honors Black excellence and celebrates freedom, one of the country's founding principles.

“America is a promise, a promise of freedom, liberty, and justice,” Harris said. “The story of Juneteenth, as we celebrate it, is the story of our ongoing fight to realize America’s promise, not for some, but for all.”

At a Sunday Mass in Detroit, one Roman Catholic church devoted its service to urging parishioners to take a deeper look at the lessons from the holiday.

“In order to have justice we must work for peace. And in order to have peace we must work for justice,” John Thorne, executive director of the Detroit Catholic Pastoral Alliance, said to the congregation at Gesu Catholic Church while standing before paintings of a Black Jesus and Mary.

It was important to speak about Juneteenth during the service, the Rev. Lorn Snow told a reporter.

“The struggle’s still not over with. There’s a lot of work to be done,” he said.

Most Black Americans agree, according to a recent poll. A full 70% of Black adults queried in a AP-NORC poll said “a lot” needs to be done to achieve equal treatment for African Americans in policing. And Black Americans suffer from significantly worse health outcomes than their white peers across a variety of measures, including rates of maternal mortality, asthma, high blood pressure and Alzheimer's disease.

Ryan Jones, the associate curator at the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis, Tennessee, said Juneteenth should be celebrated in the U.S. with the same emphasis that July 4 receives as Independence Day.

“It is the independence of a people that were forced to endure oppression and discrimination based on the color of their skin,” Jones said.

The museum is located at the site of the old Lorraine Motel, the former Black-owned hotel where the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. was killed in 1968. It offered free admission on the holiday. At the museum, visitors can hear recorded speeches from civil rights leaders including King, Fannie Lou Hamer, Medgar Evers and others.

Jones said the Juneteenth holiday is a time to reflect on the past.

“It acknowledges the sacrifices of those early civil rights veterans between World War I and World War II, and of course in the modern society, the protests, the demonstrations, the non-violence, the marches,” Jones said.

The Tennessee Legislature passed a bill this year making Juneteenth a state holiday.

In New York, a hybrid event in Central Park on Monday celebrated the 50th anniversary of hip-hop, with an emphasis on the local Black’s community’s impact on the genre. The event capped off a packed weekend of festivities that saw a growing number of collaborators working together to spread awareness of the holiday, according to Athenia Rodney, the founder of the nonprofit group Juneteenth NYC.

Rodney said she planned to spend Monday at home, reflecting on the historical roots of the holiday and how much has changed.

“Juneteenth isn’t just about a party or a festival, it’s about how we bring the community together under the umbrella of unity,” Rodney said.

As Americans gathered to mark the holiday, at least one event was marked by violence. In the Chicago suburb of Willowbrook, Illinois, on Saturday night, one person was killed and 22 were injured in a shooting where hundreds had gathered for a Juneteenth celebration.

And in Milwaukee, at least six teenagers were shot Monday afternoon around where the city's Juneteenth celebration had just wrapped up.

___

Associated Press writers Paul J. Weber in Austin, Texas, and Jake Offenhartz in New York contributed to this report.

The shooting happened about 4:20 p.m. outside Greater Philadelphia Church of God in Christ, according to witnesses and a Facebook Live video taken by a bystander in the immediate aftermath of the shooting, according to local media outlets.

Milwaukee Police Chief Jeffrey Norman said six teens were shot, including a 17-year-old who may have been a gunman himself and is in custody. Police were still seeking additional suspects who hadn’t yet been identified.

Police said the victims, four girls and two boys, ranged in age from 14-19.

Norman said the shooting may have stemmed from a fight among a number of girls and young women, but he didn’t know what sparked the dispute. The injuries of those wounded varied but did not appear life-threatening, the chief said.

“Milwaukee, what’s going on with our children?” Norman wondered aloud at a news conference. He noted that he has taken part in the city’s Juneteenth celebrations for eight years without any such bloody aftermath.

“Parents, guardians, elders, we need to engage in ensuring that this violence that our children are bringing these streets ceases. No handgun, no weapons of destruction, should be in the hands of our young ones.”

“This is a story that plays out too often, and it’s getting really old. Really old,” Norman said.

The violence followed a bloody weekend of shootings across the United States.

Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson stressed that Monday's Juneteenth observance itself was a safe and growing event, calling the subsequent violence “totally, totally unacceptable.”

“We had thousands and thousands of people here celebrating and bringing themselves together and having a sense of community. That’s a powerful thing. That’s the true story about what this day is,” said Johnson, a Democrat.

A man who identified himself as T. Jenkins told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that a fight between two women preceded the shooting. A young man pulled out a gun and everyone scattered, Jenkins said. The man did some of the shooting, he said.

Jenkins provided aid to a young woman with a neck wound. There was blood coming out of the left side of her neck, he said. “I applied pressure to her neck,” he said. “I tried to keep everyone calm around me.”

A Facebook Live video taken in the immediate aftermath of the shooting shows at least two young people with gunshot wounds being treated by paramedics on the pavement.

The person who filmed the Facebook Live said in the video that a teenage girl or young woman had suffered a gunshot wound to the neck. The Facebook user tried to comfort her sobbing friend, who was trying to contact her mother. Only about 20 minutes after the festival had officially ended, hundreds of people were still walking along the street.

Thousands of people packed King Drive for the festival, which ran from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Vendors selling food and wares lined the street along with community organizations offering resources, snacks and free giveaways.

Music thumped from booths and food trucks offering refreshing treats in the heat drew long lines. Youth dance groups, marching bands and drill teams entertained crowds in a parade along King Drive earlier in the day. Police officers were stationed in several places along the route.

Keith Caldwell, another vendor, described the scene this way: “I just heard commotion, gunshots, people screaming.”

On security at the event, Caldwell talked of the need for gun control.

“Right now, it’s like an uncontrollable situation,” he said.

Smith’s death was ruled a hit-and-run after his body was found in the middle of a road in 2015, but the case is now being reinvestigated.

The investigation into Smith’s death was reopened in 2021, and it was ruled a homicide in March 2023. Investigators did not reveal the news about reopening Smith's case until after the conclusion of disgraced attorney Alex Murdaugh’s murder trial. There is no known evidence linking any Murdaugh family members to Smith’s death.

Eric Bland, the attorney for the family of Smith, also said that officials hint that grand jury is empaneled.

"I think the fact that they've convened the grand jury is very promising," said criminal defense attorney Ken Belkin, who discussed the case Tuesday on NewsNation's "Banfield." "It means that someone in the prosecutor's office has been presented with evidence that they think there's probable cause to charge someone with a crime."

It's unclear what that crime is because grand jury proceedings are held in secrecy.

"Grand jury investigations needs to occur in secrecy, because they can get compromised. You've got five people that might have diverging interests. They might want to point the blame at each other," Belkin explained.

"According to Chief Keel, they (South Carolina Law Enforcement Division) have some individuals in mind who have some knowledge and responsibility, and they are issuing subpoenas and warrants," Bland recently told The Hampton County Guardian, according to a Greenville News report.

Attorneys predict a public update on Smith's case by Labor Day, according to Bland.

"I really do feel like by Labor Day, we should see some sign of movement and know some things publicly," Bland added.

"Hands to Heritage" features basket weavers from Charleston and Rwanda. The film aims to recognize the weavers for their talents and showcase the reconciliation efforts by the City of Charleston.

The "interwoven history" of the Gullah community and the City of Charleston dates back centuries, when Africans were brought over to the colonies as part of the slave trade.

People from all parts of Africa converged in Charleston, bringing bits and pieces of their cultures with them. The medley of African cultures ultimately influenced a new culture, Gullah Geechie, which lives on in the Lowcountry.

In the documentary, basket weavers from Charleston and Rwanda come together to share stories, techniques, and experiences passed down through generations.

Click here to watch the full documentary.

The main focus at Mosquito Beach is to restore the history, starting with the Pine Tree Hotel which was destroyed by a fire in 2019. Project Manager Kyle Taylor said they're hoping to finish the hotel by September, but they need the community's help to reach their goal.

"We’re on board to complete the building and have the budget for it, however, there is a strong need for funds," said Taylor.

The initial funding for the renovation project came in 2019 from the National Park Service African American Civil Rights Grant Program. Since then, developers have been working to restore the hotel, but the property manager for the Historic Charleston Foundation, Justin Schwebler said they have run into many unforeseen costs.

“Stormwater plans, the fire, a sprinkler system we have to install in the hotel, those were unaccounted-for costs when the grant was originally written,” said Schwebler

The group has started a GoFundMe to help supplement the grant money.

Despite the financial setbacks, Michael Riffert, the owner of Construction Consultants, said progress is being made.

"So to this point, we’ve got plumbing electric heating, and air in, we are waiting on our custom-built wood windows," said Riffert.

The owner of the Pine Tree Hotel, Bill "Cubby" Wilder, said he is confident the project will move forward and this is just the beginning for mosquito beach.

"Now Mosquito Beach is here, and Mosquito Beach is here to stay," said Wilder.

News 2 Sports Director Mark Morgan spoke with the Tournament Director, the 2022 winner, and two Lowcountry natives playing in the event.

In a news release late Monday afternoon, Idaho State Police said they were still investigating the shooting deaths in the small city of Kellogg, about 36 miles (58 kilometers) east of Coeur d’Alene, after working through the night.

“This is a tragic situation that will affect the Kellogg community. Detectives continue working to establish a timeline and what led to the shooting,” Lieutenant Paul Berger, a detective with the Idaho State Police, said in the news release.

“Investigators are releasing that the suspect is the neighbor of the victims,” the news release said. “However, neither the relationships between the parties nor the suspect’s motive will be confirmed by law enforcement until after the initial court appearance when records become available through the courts.”

The bodies of the four victims are in the custody of the Shoshone County Coroner's Office, according to the news release. The detained suspect was being held at the Shoshone County Jail.

Crime scene tape on Monday blocked off parts of an apartment complex in Kellogg, KXLY-TV reported. The shooting occurred at multi-dwelling units behind the Mountain View Congregational Church on Sunday, The Shoshone News-Press reported on the newspaper's Facebook page.

Around 7:20 p.m. on Sunday, the Shoshone County dispatch center received a 911 call indicating that multiple people had been killed inside a residence in Kellogg, state police said Sunday night in a news release. Law enforcement officers found four people dead when they arrived and detained a 31-year-old male believed to be connected with the deaths, according to the release.

The Shoshone County Sheriff's Office, which said in a Facebook post that it responded to the scene with the Kellogg Police Department, said the four people died of gunshot wounds.

The Kellogg Police Department did not immediately respond to an email from The Associated Press seeking additional information.

The mass shooting was part of a spate of gun violence over the weekend that killed and wounded people across the U.S., including at least 60 shot in the Chicago area alone.

State emergency workers were still working with counties to assess the damage from storms in which high temperatures and hail in some areas accompanied tornadoes. The death and injuries were reported by officials in eastern Mississippi's Jasper County.

The small, rural town of Louin bore the brunt of the damage. Drone footage and photos showed wide expanses of debris-covered terrain, decimated homes and mangled trees. At least one person was lifted from the wreckage in a stretcher.

Standing in front of his damaged home on Monday, Lester Campbell told The Associated Press that his cousin, 67-year-old George Jean Hayes, is the person who died. Reached by phone Monday, Jones County Coroner Don Sumrall said Hayes was pronounced dead at 2:18 a.m. from “multisystem trauma.”

Campbell fell asleep in his recliner Sunday evening. He was awakened around midnight after the lights went out. After he walked to the kitchen to grab something from the refrigerator, the tornado struck.

“It happened so fast," Campbell said. “It was like a train sound, a ‘roar, roar, roar.’”

He dropped to the floor and crawled to his bedroom closet, where his wife had already taken shelter. By the time he reached the closet, the tornado had passed.

Campbell said he heard calls for help across the street, where Hayes lived in a trailer home. He emerged from his home to find emergency workers carrying his cousin, with a bloodied forehead and leg, into an ambulance. She was conscious and talking when he saw her but died before reaching the hospital, he said.

Most of the people injured in Jasper County, including Hayes, were transported to the South Central Regional Medical Center in Laurel between 2 and 3 a.m., said Becky Collins, a spokesperson for the facility. About 20 people had bruises and cuts. Most were in stable condition Monday morning.

Eric Carpenter, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Jackson, said an unseasonably strong jet stream blew through the area. A tornado emerged near Louin before traveling at least 7 miles (11 kilometers) south to Bay Springs.

Tornadoes typically hit Mississippi in early to mid-spring. Carpenter called the timing of the tornadoes, along with persistent thunder and hail as well as high temperatures, “a very unusual situation.”

“This is a whole different game here," Carpenter said. "What we would typically see in March and April, we're seeing in June.”

On March 24, a vicious tornado carved a path of destruction through parts of western and northern Mississippi, killing at least 26 and damaging thousands of homes. Some towns in the rural, poverty-stricken Mississippi Delta face a daunting task to rebuild.

Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves said Monday's tornadoes also struck Rankin County, which borders the capital city of Jackson. Emergency crews were doing search and rescue missions and damage assessments, deploying drones in some areas because they were impossible to reach by vehicle due to downed power lines.

On Monday afternoon, another possible tornado struck the south Mississippi town of Moss Point. Photos showed homes with obliterated roofs and tilted power lines. As high winds and heavy rain blanketed Jackson County, WLOX-TV reported that eight people were trapped inside a bank in downtown Moss Point. They were later rescued uninjured. The county remained under a flash flood warning Monday.

In a Monday news release, the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency said more than 49,000 homes in central Mississippi were without power. Tens of thousands of people in Hinds County, the most populous area of the state, were still without power Monday morning after high winds pummeled the state early Friday.

Reeves said the state is opening command centers and shelters for those displaced by the severe weather.

After fleeing his home Monday morning, Campbell returned to survey the damage. He arrived to find that half of the roof was gone, the garage destroyed and the windows shattered. He felt lucky compared to his neighbors.

“Most of the houses are gone. They are demolished. They’re done,” Campbell said.

___

Goldberg is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues. Follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/mikergoldberg.

Attorneys for Montana's Republican attorney general laid out their defense following a week of often emotional testimony in state court from young people who sued the state in 2020.

The 16 plaintiffs, ranging in age from 5 to 22 years old, say they’re being harmed by wildfire smoke, excessive heat and other effects of climate change. They’re asking a judge to declare unconstitutional a state law that prevents agencies from considering the impacts of greenhouse gases when issuing permits for fossil fuel development.

Final arguments were expected Tuesday — days earlier than scheduled after the state did not call one expert witness who was expected to testify and sharply limited the testimony of a second expert. Plaintiffs' attorneys had questioned the credibility of the two witnesses, who said Montana's greenhouse gas contributions were of little significance versus global totals.

Scientists say greenhouse gas emissions from coal, oil and natural gas are making Earth hotter and that every additional ton makes a difference.

Montana has never denied a permit for a fossil fuel project, according to the plaintiffs' attorneys. The state's lead environmental regulator said Monday that permitting practices would not change if the young environmentalists win their case.

“We do not have the authority to not permit something that fully complies with the law,” said Department of Environmental Quality Director Chris Dorrington. “We are the ones that implement the law. We are not the ones that create the law."

State officials also drew a distinction between the law being challenged — a provision of the Montana Environmental Protection Act that they characterized as “procedural” — and regulatory acts such as the Clean Air Act of Montana.

Only regulatory acts can be used as the basis for permit rejections, and those don't allow permits to be denied in Montana based on climate impacts, said DEQ Air, Energy and Mining Division Administrator Sonja Nowakowski.

The plaintiffs testified over five days last week that climate change was marring their lives, with smoke from worsening wildfires choking the air they breathe. Drought is drying up rivers that sustain agriculture, fish, wildlife and recreation.

Olivia Vesovich, 20, a student at the University of Montana who grew up in Missoula, said she suffers from breathing problems that make wildfire smoke nearly unbearable.

As her respiratory reactions grew worse during smoke events that have shrouded Missoula, Vesovich said her mother in recent years started taking them on trips during fires in search of cleaner air — to Washington state, Idaho and elsewhere in Montana.

“It feels like it's suffocating me, like if I'm outside for minutes,” Vesovich said. “Climate change is wreaking so much havoc on our world right now and I know that will only be getting worse.”

Attorneys for the state did not closely question any of the plaintiffs' claims about the physical and psychological harms they've suffered.

An expert for the state who was expected to downplay the severity of climate change — Judith Curry with the Climate Forecast Applications Network — was not called to testify.

The plaintiffs alleged Curry has cherry-picked scientific data to minimize global warming. Emily Flower, a spokewoman for Attorney General Austin Knudsen, said the decision not to put Curry on the stand was due to “strategy changes."

In prior rulings, State District Judge Kathy Seeley significantly narrowed the scope of the case. Even if the plaintiffs prevail, Seeley has said she would not order officials to formulate a new approach to address climate change.

Instead, the judge could issue what’s called a “declaratory judgment,” saying officials violated the state constitution. That would set a new legal precedent of courts weighing in on cases typically left to the government’s legislative and executive branches.

The plaintiffs are represented by attorneys for Our Children's Trust, an Oregon environmental group that's filed similar lawsuits in every state since 2011. None had previously reached trial. A climate case filed by the group in Montana a decade ago was rejected by the state Supreme Court.

Carbon dioxide, which is released when fossil fuels are burned, traps heat in the atmosphere and is largely responsible for the warming of the climate. Carbon dioxide levels in the air this spring reached the highest they’ve been in over 4 million years, the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration said this month. Greenhouse gas emissions also reached a record last year, according to the International Energy Agency.

___

Brown reported from Billings, Mont.

Attorneys for Charleston Advancement Academy High School (CAA) have filed a motion with the South Carolina Administrative Law for a stay of the revocation decision, which is set to go into effect on June 30.

According to the school's website, CAA is "helping young adults overcome real-life challenges to earn their South Carolina state-issued high school diploma."

In a summary of the motion, attorneys claim the decision to revoke CAA's charter "was underpinned and motivated by likey unethical and illegal financial ties between SCPCSD officials and a for-profit, Chicago-based private sector company that provides school management services for a fee, Acceleration Academies (AA)."

AA was brought in as the school's education management organization when the school opened in 2018.

According to the summary of the motion filed by CAA attorneys, "When the CAA board voted to terminate AA in late 2019, that action triggered conspiratorial activities between SCPCSD and AA officials intended to undermine and eventually destroy CAA."

Before the revocation decision was made, CAA requested to transfer oversight from SCPCSD to a different charter school association. That decision was denied by SCPCSD board members, and in a letter to CAA notifying them of that decision, it was also written that the district board voted to provide a notice of revocation.

The letter to the CAA Board Chair explains the grounds for revocation are "CAA committed a material violation of the conditions, standards, performance expectations or procedures provided for in the charter school application or charter school contract; or both." And that "CAA failed to meet the academic performance standards and expectations as defined in the charter school application or charter school contract, or both."

CAA attorneys claim that SCPCSD board member's decision to revoke CAA's charter was "a process that was defective and violated multiple laws."

"There was no recommendation by district staff that it be revoked; there was no remediation that's kind of what is required -- none of that took place," explained Edward Pritchard, an attorney for CAA. "And it's our position that the charter revocation was illegal in that it didn't follow the necessary requirements in the Freedom of Information Act and the Charter Schools Act."

Pritchard said that board members never mentioned the potential for revocation leading up to the decision on January 19, 2023, and that SCPCSD did not evaluate the charter school's performance as required by law.

The motion includes several other claims including that the SCPCSD board "did not include revocation on its meeting agenda" and "did not issue any sanctions against CAA or require corrective action in the SCPCSD Superintendent's most recent annual evaluation of CAA."

Attorneys for CAA and the SCPCSD board are expected to appear for a hearing in South Carolina Administrative Court this week.

SCPCSD officials said they are unable to comment on the matter because the case is currently in litigation. They added that their response would be filed in court this week.

At least one person in Oklahoma died due to the prolonged outages, officials said.

The bulk of outages were in Oklahoma, where heavy storms Saturday night carried winds as strong as 80 mph around Tulsa, according to the National Weather Service. About 165,000 customers around the city still had no power Monday as crews scrambled to repair more than 700 broken poles and downed wires, said Amy Brown, a spokeswoman for Public Service Company of Oklahoma.

One person who used a respirator died because of the power outage, Tulsa Mayor G.T. Bynum said at a city news conference.

Power providers warned that some outages may not be fixed until the end of the week, and Bynum urged residents to keep in mind family and neighbors who are reliant on electronic medical equipment.

“Please check on them,” he said.

In all, Oklahoma, Texas and Louisiana had more than 300,000 customers without electricity as of Monday afternoon, according to PowerOutage.us.

In Louisiana, officials closed nearly two dozen state offices Monday because of the risks of severe weather. On top of the outages, a heat wave continued bringing dangerous triple-digit temperatures to Texas, and some parts of the state were under excessive heat warnings that were set to continue through at least Wednesday.

“It’s been unbearable,” Leigh Johnson, a resident of Mount Vernon, Texas, told Dallas television station KXAS. She had not had power for about three days.

“It’s been horrible because it’s like, the heat index has been so bad that literally, we’re having to sit in the cold baths to cool ourselves down. Our animals as well, we’re having to stick them in the bathtub just to keep them from having a heat stroke, it’s been that bad," she said.

About 4,000 customers were also still waiting for electricity to come back in the Texas town of Perryton after a devastating tornado ripped through last week.

Power outages also extended to Mississippi, where some people had trouble obtaining medication after power forced pharmacies and grocery stores to close, according to WLBT-TV. As crews were working to restore power in Mississippi, multiple tornadoes swept through the state overnight into Monday, killing one and injuring nearly two dozen.

___

Associated Press writer Michael Goldberg in Jackson, Mississippi contributed to this report.

Within the last week, three residents groups sued New Jersey over a key approval of its first planned wind farm; the research arm of Congress agreed to investigate the impact of offshore wind on the environment and other areas; and lawmakers in two counties most heavily impacted by wind farms stepped up their efforts to block the projects.

Save Long Beach Island, Defend Brigantine Beach, and Protect Our Coast NJ filed an appeal Friday in state Superior Court of New Jersey's determination that the Ocean Wind I project is consistent with state coastal management rules.

The project is New Jersey's first, and a U.S. subsidiary of Danish wind developer Orsted could begin construction this year if remaining approvals are obtained.

The appeal follows a decision by the investigative arm of Congress, the Congressional Accountability Office, to study the impact of offshore wind on the environment and other areas — something opponents have long wanted.

Bruce Afran, an attorney for the groups, said the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection “has acknowledged the wind turbines will destroy marine habitat, compress the seafloor, severely damage marine communities, compromise migration corridors for endangered marine mammals, cause commercial fishing stocks to decline, and injure the beach economy."

“Yet, the state persists in the bizarre belief that this massive engineering project will not injure our state’s coastal zone, one of the most important marine communities on the East Coast and the core of New Jersey’s $47 billion tourist industry,” he added.

The DEP declined and the state attorney general’s office declined comment.

Jeanne Fox, former head of the DEP, the state Board of Public Utilities and former regional head of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, called the lawsuit “a delay tactic.”

“Numerous environmental studies have been done regarding offshore wind, for this specific Ocean Wind project and in general,” she said. “The greatest threat to the ocean habitat, sea mammals and fish is the climate crisis. Offshore wind will lessen the need to burn more fossil fuels."

The project would build 98 wind turbines about 15 miles (24 kilometers) off the coast of Ocean City and Atlantic City. It is the first of three offshore wind projects to receive approval in New Jersey so far, with several more expected in years to come.

Afran cited numerous sections of the DEP's April decision on Ocean Wind I acknowledging potential negative impacts on the surf clam industry; changes to the ocean floor from wind turbine foundations and equipment; and the regular use of the area as a migratory channel by five species of whales, including the critically endangered North Atlantic right whale.

He also cited a finding by the federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management that major impacts on commercial and recreational fisheries could occur, even with mitigation measures proposed by Orsted.

Liz Thomas, a spokeswoman for Ocean Wind I, said the project has been undergoing regulatory scrutiny for 12 years from nine federal agencies, three state agencies, and over 100 consulting parties, including local towns, tribes, and community organizations.

The lawsuit comes as lawmakers in Atlantic County, which includes Atlantic City, prepare to vote Tuesday on a measure supporting calls for a moratorium on offshore wind preparation work until an investigation can be completed into a spate of whale deaths along the East Coast. Three federal scientific agencies and one on the state level say there is no evidence linking the deaths of 50 whales since December to site preparation work for offshore wind projects.

Also, lawmakers in Cape May County, which includes Ocean City, last week hired two additional law firms to help them fight offshore wind projects.

___

Follow Wayne Parry on Twitter at www.twitter.com/WayneParryAC

It was just one of several stops the former South Carolina governor is making across the state as she campaigns for the GOP nomination.

Haley answered questions from the CEOs of Berkeley Electric, Santee Cooper, and the Central Electric Cooperative during the afternoon event.

The CEO of Santee Cooper told Haley they hope to increase more green energy options, but noted that if not done correctly, it could mean higher electric bills for consumers.

“The problem is there’s a disconnect from DC to what’s happening here on the ground,” said Haley. “They want to talk about clean energy – we all want clean energy. We all want a good environment. We all want clean air, clean water. That’s not debatable. The problem is, what the Biden Administration is doing -- and I had to sue the EPA under the Obama Administration -- is they are picking winners and losers. They’re picking what kind of energy they think is the best for Americans.”

Haley also touted a recent trip to the U.S. southern border where she said border patrol officers claimed they were not being allowed to do their job.

She said that she would change that and discussed how China steals hundreds of billions of dollars in intellectual property from the United States each year, and that the Chinese military would have access to Americans’ data through tech companies that operate in China.

It's all fun and games on the beach, until you get a ticket.

"Our goal is to be safe," IOP's Police Department Lt. Robert Forsythe said.

A ticket could range from $128 dollars to over $1,000 if you have alcohol.

"There's no glass or alcohol allowed on the beach at all," Lt. Forsythe said.

The same price tag is on a ticket for not following rules pertaining to dogs.

"Right now, it's April 1st through September 14th, 5:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m., that's dogs off leash hours. Then you must also pick up excrement, that's an additional fine or citation as well," Lt. Forsythe said.

With tourist season in full swing, visitors like Justin Kuhn say they shouldn't be punished for not knowing the rules.

Kuhn said, "We did not know about any alcohol rules coming into this vacation."

He says vacations are expensive to begin with, and being ticketed for a rule he didn't know he was breaking puts a damper on his trip.

"It costs a lot of money to come down here and spend their money in the Carolinas and to not know about the alcohol rule and get a ticket," Kuhn said.

Other visitors, like Joseph Mosnan who brought his pup along, say it's up to the tourists to make themselves aware of the rules before visiting.

"It's pretty clear that there's certain hours they have to be on the leash and certain hours they can't." Mosnan said.

IOP police say they expect residents and visitors alike to read the signs and be informed, but say depending on the situation, they also give a lot grace.

"We give way more warnings than we do citations, especially at the beginning of the season, getting people acclimated to it, but it's very important," Lt. Forsythe said.

Click here to see the full list of IOP's beach rules.

Alonza Marable Jr. was found guilty of murder and assault and battery of a high and aggravated nature last week following a jury trial.

The charges stem from an April 18, 2020 shooting at the Ferndale Mobile Home Park.

According to the Solicitor's Office, Marable and his then-15-year-old accomplice drove around the park waiting for their victim to return home.

The two shot and killed 16-year-old Lanelle Reed Jr. outside of his home.

The juvenile, armed with a handgun, was likely the one that fired the shot that killed Reed. Marable was armed with a semi-automatic rifle and fired 12 rounds, one of which struck a bystander sleeping in a nearby home.

The bystander survived.

Assistant Solicitor Daniel Cooper, who was on the team that prosecuted the case, said that "Marable was the architect of this entire incident: he drove the car as they stalked and hunted the victim; he provided the weapons and ammunition used in the shooting, and, as he was three years older than his juvenile co-defendant, Marable clearly influenced the younger codefendant."

Marable was sentenced to 30 years in prison, the minimum sentence for murder.

Officials with the Dorchester County Coroner’s Office said it happened on Father’s Day at the Pine Forest Country Club in Summerville.

The coroner’s office said an autopsy has not yet been scheduled.

Details about the drowning are limited. Count on 2 for updates.

Officers with the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR) Region 3 responded to the accident Monday morning in Orangeburg County.

While one person was taken to a hospital, officials say others were treated at the scene for minor injuries. SCDNR did not say how many people were injured.

The accident is under investigation.

Bishop Jacques Fabre-Jeune, CS, commemorated Juneteenth by blessing a new memorial at St. John Cemetery, the final resting place of at least 1,000 Black Catholics.

"The cemetery fell into disrepair, and for more than 20 years the site was vacant and unmarked," officials with the Roman Catholic Diocese of Charleston said.

Very few grave markers remain.

For decades, the property remained vacant and was often used as a dog park. It wasn't until recently that the area was fenced and recognized as a cemetery.

The Diocese of Charleston removed utility poles from the property in 2022 and prepared it for landscape lighting.

Carolina Catholic Professionals, Dominion Energy, and Southland Landscape Management placed a memorial marker at the cemetery during the ceremony.

The Anderson County Sheriff's Office arrested Heather Capri Thompson and her son Owen Michael Morrison Sunday night for the murder of Paul Michael Owen, of Belton.

Deputies said the investigation began on Father's Day when investigators were responding to an unrelated call regarding vandalism on Henry Thomas Road.

While responding to the area, authorities located Owen's body outside the neighboring home.

Deputies said they had previously responded to the scene in reference to a domestic call involving Owen and Thompson.

Investigators discovered that Owen was beaten to death with an object by Morrison.

Deputies located Thompson and her son less than 24 hours after the incident inside a church on McDuffie Street.

Detectives said both individuals confessed to the homicide and were taken into custody.

Thompson and Morrison remain in custody in the Anderson County Detention Center.

Owen's death remains under investigation by the Anderson County Sheriff's Office and the Anderson County Coroner's Office.

According to the Williamsburg County Sheriff’s Office, most drug addictions start at home and among those, they say prescription drugs are the most likely to be abused.

“It's time to clean out your medicine cabinets of the unused medicines no longer needed. This will ensure the prescriptions don't end up in the wrong hands,” the sheriff's office said.

Deputies say you can bring all your unused or expired medications to the sheriff’s office so that they can be thrown away safely.

You are asked to put medications in an unmarked small plastic bag to protect your identity. Deputies say please do not use glass and all liquids should be in a sealed bottle with a lid.

The Williamsburg County Sheriff’s Office is located at 200 S Jackson St in Kingstree. Just knock on the front double doors and someone will come out to assist you.

Officials say if you can't bring your unused medications to them, send a message on their Facebook page and they will organize picking them up.

Virginia State Police said Daniel Barmak, 23, of Towson, Maryland, is charged with capital murder, two felony counts of malicious wounding and use of a firearm in the commission of a felony in the killing of Officer Mark Christopher Wagner II Friday night in Nelson County's Wintergreen community. Barmak is being held at the Albemarle-Charlottesville Regional Jail.

The shooting happened after an emergency call came into the Wintergreen Police Department about Barmak assaulting two other men at a home where they were all staying, state police said in a news release. After calling police, the two injured men, both 23, ran away.

Wagner, 31, was the first to arrive and encountered Barmak in the woods. During a struggle over Wagner’s department-issued handgun, Barmak shot and killed the officer, police said. Barmak was also shot during the encounter.

Wintergreen Police and the Nelson County Sheriff’s Office took Barmak into custody. He and the two men he allegedly assaulted were all taken to UVA Medical Center to be treated for non-life threatening injuries.

Wintergreen Police Chief Chief Dennis Russell said in a Facebook post that Wagner had been with the force since August 2020. He said Wagner enjoyed hiking and photographing nature in his spare time.

“Chris was dedicated to his job and whenever called for extra duty he was ready, willing and able. His love for the badge was evident and his commitment to the community was undeniable,” Russell said.

Wintergreen is about 100 miles (160 kilometers) west of Richmond.

The 22-year-old woman had tried to stop a 30-year-old Michigan man from allegedly assaulting her friend after luring them onto a trail leading to a viewpoint overlooking the famous castle, which draws more than a million tourists every year.

The older woman fell nearly 50 meters (165 feet) down a steep slope but was able to leave the hospital Friday, police spokesperson Holger Stabik said.

Both women were recovered by mountain rescuers shortly after the attack Wednesday, but the younger victim later died of her injuries in the hospital.

The suspect, whose name like those of the victims wasn't released due to German privacy rules, was arrested shortly after the incident. He is being held on suspicion of murder, attempted murder and attempted sexual assault.

Stabik said police have received about two dozen photos and videos on a specially created website and are appealing for anyone with additional images of the suspect and victims to come forward.

Prosecutors said the women did not know the man until the incident.

A spokesperson for the prosecutors' office in Kempten, Thomas Hörmann, said the investigation into the incident is continuing but it may be three or four months before authorities decide on an indictment.

Moore, who currently serves the 15^th district in the South Carolina House of Representatives, announced Monday his intent to serve Senate District 42.

It comes after State Senator Marlon Kimpson announced in March that he will resign from that seat to take a job on President Joe Biden’s Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations.

“I am running for state Senate because the people of Senate District 42 deserve a fighter who will put them first — someone from the community who will never give up,” said Rep. Moore in his announcement.

Rep. Moore, a Lowcountry native, has served the SC House as a Democrat since being elected back in 2018, championing affordable housing, gun reform, and crime reduction not only in his district but across the state.

According to his campaign, Moore's legislative priorities focus on improving social justice, growing the district’s infrastructure development, making progress on key educational reforms, access to affordable housing, supporting veterans, and expanding small businesses.

Moore’s campaign will bolster his commitment to the state by “boosting the prosperity of every South Carolinian and fighting for changes in our society to ensure no one is left behind.”

“Together, we'll build a brighter future for the Palmetto State,” Moore added.

State Reps. Deon Tedder and Wendell Gilliard have also declared runs for Senate District 42. Kimpson is expected to resign from the seat this month before joining the Biden Admin.

The Battery Gadsden Cultural Center will celebrate Carolina Day early on June 24 with a musket salute and remarks from local leaders.

Organizers say eventgoers will have the chance to hear the story of "the most unusual Patriot," Robert Smith, and join in raising the Moultrie Flag over the town.

Members of the Daughter of the American Revolution, the Second South Carolina Regiment, and the town mayor will make an appearance.

The free event is scheduled for Saturday at 9:00 a.m. at the Town Hall Plaza.

According to the American Boating Association, the 4th of July holiday weekend is the busiest and often deadliest time of boating season.

SCDNR is working to improve boating safety with inspections for required safety equipment and proper boat and motor registrations.

Boaters who are not in compliance with safety regulations or registration requirements will not be ticketed during the complimentary inspections.

Boating inspections will be conducted in the following Lowcountry counties:

Saturday, July 1:

• Beaufort County: Lemon Island Landing, Chechessee River, 10 a.m. to Noon
• Charleston County: Wappoo Cut Landing, Intracoastal Waterway, 10 a.m. to Noon

Sunday, July 2:

• Charleston County: Buck Hall Landing, Intracoastal Waterway, McClellanville, 10 a.m. to Noon
• Charleston County: John P. Limehouse Landing, Intracoastal Waterway/Stono River, Johns Island, 10 a.m. to Noon
• Georgetown County: Carroll A. Campbell Landing, Sampit River, Georgetown, 10 a.m. to Noon

Tuesday, July 4:

• Berkeley County: William H. Dennis Landing, Tail Race Canal, Moncks Corner, 10 a.m. to Noon
• Charleston: Remleys Point Boat Ramp, Charleston Harbor, Mt. Pleasant, 10 a.m. to Noon

Saturday, July 15

• Beaufort County: Battery Creek Boat Landing, Beaufort Water Festival, Port Royal, 10 a.m. to Noon

Many also used the opportunity to show off their personality with decor and furniture that fit their vibe. Are you partial to a luxurious fake garden? Or are you more into lawn chairs and tiki vibes?

Globally, many people may have associated the outdoor dining experience with the cafes of European cities or street food stalls in Asia. Travelers and locals alike often spend hours sipping coffee and eating delicious and cheap food. In the U.S., outdoor seating can take the form of small tables, semi-private nooks, or communal-style seating for the masses, like at a beer garden. Key to a good outdoor table is shade from the sun and, in urban settings, walls or barriers that can cut down on fumes and noise from nearby car traffic.

Restaurants may also play up other perks—like having a great view. The coronavirus pandemic also increased demand for outdoor heaters so restaurants could keep serving meals outside in the colder seasons. All these adjustments have led to more Americans rediscovering the pleasures of dining al fresco, away from the noise inside.

While a good chunk of pandemic-era outside seating may have shrunk back since the return to "normal," many restaurants still have their prized patio tables ready for patrons. Stacker compiled a list of the highest-rated restaurants with outdoor seating in Charleston using data from Yelp. Rankings factor in the average rating and number of reviews. Keep reading to see if your favorite spot made the list.

#30. Timbo's Peanuts

- Rating: 5.0/5 (31 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 2484 Ashley River Rd Charleston, SC 29414
- Categories: Street Vendors, Cajun/Creole
- Read more on Yelp

#29. Vined

- Rating: 5.0/5 (25 reviews)
- Address: 5117 Dorchester Rd Unit G North Charleston, SC 29418
- Categories: Vegan, Southern, Burgers
- Read more on Yelp

#28. Charleston Cheese

- Rating: 5.0/5 (15 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 226 Calhoun St Charleston, SC 29401
- Categories: Bubble Tea, Comfort Food, Sandwiches
- Read more on Yelp

#27. Sap Lai

- Rating: 5.0/5 (8 reviews)
- Address: 6185 D Rivers Ave North Charleston, SC 29401
- Categories: Asian Fusion, Noodles
- Read more on Yelp

#26. Sorelle Mercato

- Rating: 5.0/5 (8 reviews)
- Address: 88 Broad St Charleston, SC 29401
- Categories: American (New), Italian
- Read more on Yelp

#25. AZUR

- Rating: 5.0/5 (9 reviews)
- Address: 159 Market St Charleston, SC 29401
- Categories: Tapas/Small Plates, Desserts, Cocktail Bars
- Read more on Yelp

#24. Bistro A Vin

- Rating: 5.0/5 (74 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 40 Archdale St Charleston, SC 29401
- Categories: Wine Bars, French
- Read more on Yelp

#23. Second State Coffee

- Rating: 5.0/5 (19 reviews)
- Address: 1630 Ashley Hall Rd Charleston, SC 29407
- Categories: Coffee & Tea, Waffles, Coffee Roasteries
- Read more on Yelp

#22. Hi! Boba Tea

- Rating: 5.0/5 (10 reviews)
- Address: 5646 Rivers Ave Unit D North Charleston, SC 29406
- Categories: Bubble Tea, Juice Bars & Smoothies, Sandwiches
- Read more on Yelp

#21. Taqueria Espres

- Rating: 5.0/5 (34 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 2704 Ashley Phosphate Rd North Charleston, SC 29418
- Categories: Mexican, Food Trucks
- Read more on Yelp

#20. Bangin' Vegan Eats

- Rating: 5.0/5 (35 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: Charleston, SC 29401
- Categories: Food Trucks, Vegan
- Read more on Yelp

#19. Cold Shoulder Gourmet

- Rating: 5.0/5 (32 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 1684 Old Towne Rd Charleston, SC 29407
- Categories: Sandwiches
- Read more on Yelp

#18. Camme's International Food and Grocery

- Rating: 5.0/5 (6 reviews)
- Address: 4501 Dorsey Ave North Charleston, SC 29405
- Categories: Caribbean, Herbs & Spices, International Grocery
- Read more on Yelp

#17. The Biscuit Shed

- Rating: 5.0/5 (5 reviews)
- Address: North Charleston, SC 29406
- Categories: Breakfast & Brunch, Food Trucks
- Read more on Yelp

#16. Platia Greek Goodness

- Rating: 5.0/5 (7 reviews)
- Address: 5060 Dorchester Rd Ste 230 North Charleston, SC 29418
- Categories: Mediterranean, Greek, Food Trucks
- Read more on Yelp

#15. Chido Taco

- Rating: 5.0/5 (6 reviews)
- Address: 4707 Dorchester Rd North Charleston, SC 29405
- Categories: Food Trucks, Mexican
- Read more on Yelp

#14. Legend Deli

- Rating: 5.0/5 (7 reviews)
- Address: 41 George St Charleston, SC 29401-1464
- Categories: Sandwiches, Delis
- Read more on Yelp

#13. VIP Bistro

- Rating: 5.0/5 (11 reviews)
- Address: 616 Meeting St Ste A Charleston, SC 29403
- Categories: Breakfast & Brunch, Burgers, Southern
- Read more on Yelp

#12. Charleston Gullah Cafe

- Rating: 5.0/5 (6 reviews)
- Address: 4840 Tanger Outlet Blvd North Charleston, SC 29418
- Categories: Food Trucks, Seafood
- Read more on Yelp

#11. Dining In

- Rating: 5.0/5 (5 reviews)
- Address: 1645 Raoul Wallenberg Blvd Charleston, SC 29407
- Categories: Caterers, Kosher
- Read more on Yelp

#10. Empanada Cuisines

- Rating: 5.0/5 (5 reviews)
- Address: Charleston, SC 29407
- Categories: Food Trucks, Mexican, Empanadas
- Read more on Yelp

#9. Bistro Blue Water

- Rating: 5.0/5 (6 reviews)
- Address: 2493 Savannah Hwy Charleston, SC 29414
- Categories: American (Traditional)
- Read more on Yelp

#8. Maya del Sol Kitchen

- Rating: 5.0/5 (16 reviews)
- Address: 1813 Reynolds Ave Ste b North Charleston, SC 29405
- Categories: Mexican
- Read more on Yelp

#7. Root Note Food Truck

- Rating: 5.0/5 (5 reviews)
- Address: Charleston, SC 29412
- Categories: Food Trucks, Tacos
- Read more on Yelp

#6. Historic Charleston Supper Club

- Rating: 5.0/5 (19 reviews)
- Address: 30 Pinckney St Charleston, SC 29401
- Categories: French, Supper Clubs
- Read more on Yelp

#5. Wild Wieners

- Rating: 5.0/5 (6 reviews)
- Address: Corner Of King Street And Queen St Charleston, SC 29401
- Categories: Hot Dogs, Street Vendors
- Read more on Yelp

#4. Pure Fluff

- Rating: 5.0/5 (7 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: Charleston, SC 29401
- Categories: Desserts, Food Stands
- Read more on Yelp

#3. Alvin Ord's Sandwich Shop - James Island

- Rating: 5.0/5 (5 reviews)
- Address: 1291 Folly Rd Ste 119 Charleston, SC 29412
- Categories: Sandwiches, Delis
- Read more on Yelp

#2. Sarah's Dumps

- Rating: 5.0/5 (6 reviews)
- Address: Charleston, SC 29403
- Categories: Pop-Up Restaurants
- Read more on Yelp

#1. Gorditas Locas

- Rating: 5.0/5 (9 reviews)
- Address: Charleston, SC 29401
- Categories: Food Trucks, Tacos, Street Vendors
- Read more on Yelp

The Carolina Billfish Classic will be held on June 21 through June 24 at the Beach Club at Charleston Harbor Resort & Marina. 

The event is known as South Carolina's premier bill fishing tournament and is the third leg of the South Carolina Governor’s Cup Billfishing Series.

Eventgoers can expect world-class fishing, live music, entertainment, and advocacy programming.

The Carolina Billfish Classic is partnering with the South Carolina Boating & Fishing Alliance to "provide a platform for advocacy and discussion on critical issues facing the boating and fishing community."

“Bringing SCBFA to the Carolina Billfish Classic to discuss these issues directly with our participants assures them that they have a strong voice in the future of boating and fishing in South Carolina,"  Loyd Weston, Carolina Billfish Classic Tournament Director, said.

A live stream weigh-in will be held daily online.

“It’s really hard to top that for a Father’s Day gift,” said new dad Paul Newell. “Just to be a father at all, it’s pretty wild.”

Paul and his wife Olivia welcomed their two new precious girls while at Bon Secours St. Francis Hospital in West Ashley on Sunday afternoon.

“My wife has always talked about, like how cool would it be if we could have twins,” he said. “It was really weird too; we both wanted a girl so not only do we have twins, but we have two girls to go with it."

Paul said becoming a father has been a rollercoaster of emotions, but at the end of the day, he’s thankful.

"Very, very relieved that everything went well in there and the kids, the babies, are doing very well from what I hear, and my wife is doing great,” he said.

He said this is just the beginning of the rest of his life as a dad.

"Those two girls, that's the most important thing to me right now and I’m just so excited to see how it goes day by day,” he said.

The state GOP executive committee voted unanimously to approve the measure on Saturday, party executive director Hope Walker told The Associated Press. The selection still needs approval from the Republican National Committee to be official, and Walker said that a formal submission will be sent ahead of an October deadline.

The move comes as both major parties make moves to solidify their voting calendars ahead of the 2024 nominating process.

The RNC voted last year to maintain its voting order, with Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina and Nevada going ahead of other states. By setting South Carolina’s vote on Feb. 24, Walker told AP that candidates would have more time after Nevada votes on Feb. 6 to focus their attention on the state, where support is pivotal for Republicans competing for their party's nomination.

“This is a great opportunity for South Carolina Republicans and for our candidates and the voters in South Carolina to get to interact one on one, not just in large masses," Walker said.

Democrats continue to struggle with President Joe Biden’s plan to overhaul his party’s 2024 presidential primary schedule. On Friday, a Democratic National Committee rules panel gave New Hampshire until Sept. 1 to comply with new rules that leaders there fiercely oppose. But the committee opted not to immediately offer such an extension to another battleground state, Georgia, which hasn’t set its date for next year’s primary.

At issue is Biden’s plan to strip Iowa’s caucus of its traditional post leading off primary voting and replace it with South Carolina, which would vote on Feb. 3, 2024. New Hampshire has long held the nation’s first primary after Iowa’s caucus. But under the new calendar, it would vote next, together with Nevada, on Feb. 6 — a change New Hampshire officials have decried.

Republican candidates must file with the South Carolina GOP by Oct. 31 under the approved measure. The Republican party’s first debate is scheduled for Aug. 23.

The executive committee also set candidate filing fees for the presidential primary at $50,000, a figure Walker said tracks with inflation increases since 2016, when the party charged candidates $40,000. State law requires parties to pay $20,000 per candidate to the South Carolina Election Commission, which runs the state's primaries.

In 2015, then-South Carolina GOP Chairman Matt Moore released a study showing that the 2012 primary had boosted South Carolina's economy by nearly $20 million. Of that, campaigns and super PACs had spent more than $11 million in ads alone, on top of overall expenditures for staffing, supplies, hotel rooms and food.

“South Carolina voters are an important part of this process, and it will also help not just with the process but with the economic boom it’ll bring to our state," Walker said.

During Saturday's meeting, South Carolina GOP members also approved the selection of former President Donald Trump as the speaker at the Aug. 5 Silver Elephant Gala, the party’s signature fundraiser.

Drew McKissick, South Carolina's GOP chairman, was recently reelected to a fourth term in office. He also currently serves as national co-chairman of the RNC.

Dorchester County leaders say the grant will be allocated to purchasing weather stations to help strengthen the county’s monitoring infrastructure.

The goal is to provide stronger real-time weather data and protect citizens from potential severe weather impacts. Stations will collect temperature, humidity, wind speed and direction, precipitation, and other meteorological metrics, according to the county.

"Dorchester County is grateful to the Duke Energy Foundation for their investment in our community's resilience and safety," said Dorchester County Council Chairman Todd Friddle. "These weather stations will play a vital role in enhancing our emergency preparedness capabilities, enabling us to proactively respond to potential weather-related challenges and safeguard our residents."

Representatives from the Duke Energy Foundation will present the check to the Dorchester County Emergency Management Director Thomas McNeal and County Council Chairman Todd Friddle on Tuesday, June 20^th.

According to Awendaw-McClellanville Fire District, crews responded to a vehicle fire in the 8550 block of Old Georgetown Road near Bash Road in McClellanville Sunday.

Upon arrival, AMFD found the vehicle fully involved in flames.

The fire was extinguished by 7:10 p.m.

Charleston Fire Department was dispatched to a fire on Fishburne Street around 6:00 p.m.

News 2 has reached out to CFD to learn more about to cause of this fire. Count on 2 for updates.

According to the South Carolina Highway Patrol, a motorcycle was traveling east on Martin Luther King Road when it collided with a Kia sedan traveling west.

Reports say the Kia was attempting to make a left-hand turn.

The motorcyclist was taken to a Tidelands Waccamaw Community Hospital where he died.

Georgetown County Coroner Chase Ridgeway identified the victim as Bernard Sherman, 53, of Pawleys Island.

The driver of the Kia was not injured.

The South Carolina Highway Patrol is investigating.

The Charleston Fire Department held a memorial ceremony Sunday evening to honor the nine firefighters for the bravery and sacrifice they displayed 16 years ago.

"I appreciate the opportunity to say a few words tonight on this sixteenth remembrance of our fallen firefighters," Charleston Fire Chief Dan Curia said. "I know that the pain doesn’t go away, but it’s my hope that for the families of our nine firefighters, but also, for everyone affected by this tragedy that that perspective does shift to something happy, something pleasant, more often than when you go to the pain.”

Sunday's ceremony was held on the grounds of the Charleston 9 Memorial, which is also the site where the Sofa Super Store once stood.

Fire officials and city leaders say while this tragedy was a great lost for the community, it also served as the inspiration behind many improvements to firefighter safety procedures that have been implemented in the last 16 years.

"We've invested in state-of-the-art equipment," Charleston Mayor John Tecklenburg said. "Improved training protocols and programs and strengthened coordination between our fire department and other emergency response agencies."

With Sunday's day of remembrance falling on Father's Day, fire officials wanted to acknowledge that many of the brave men who made the ultimate sacrifice 16 years ago were fathers who were loved by many.

The Charleston Fire Department expects the Charleston 9 Memorial to be completed in the near future, and the department will welcome 42 new recruits starting next month.

Those are the first words you hear at the beginning of this month’s “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse,” an otherworldly meditation on multiple realities and how our lives might unfold. The message is clear from the get-go: We have choices. Things could be malleable. You are you, sure. But wait — you might also be you and you and you.

The world is a stressful, sometimes lonely place — and more so at a moment when “It wasn’t supposed to be this way” has become a not-uncommon mantra. But what if things could turn out another way? What if, somewhere, they had? Enter the realm of the multiverse and alternate realities, one of the most glorified canvases in popular culture's recent years — and a repository for the ache and longing of living in an era of uncertainty.

Alternate universes are everywhere these days, as the long-delayed opening weekend of “The Flash” attests with its regret-streaked, history-changing storyline (and its multiple variations of Batman). There is a deep hunger, it seems, for exploring possibilities — for seeing what might have been if just one thing had unfolded differently.

“The cultural assumption used to be that the world we live in is the way it is, and that’s the only way it could be,” says Douglas Wolk, who read 27,000 Marvel comics from across the decades for his book, “All of the Marvels.”

“What has happened in culture,” Wolk says, “is that people are saying, ‘Well, no. This consensus reality is not how things have to be.’”

The notion of exploring life’s twists and turns through alternate timelines has been around for a while, albeit in varying guises.

“It’s a Wonderful Life,” the quintessential Christmas movie from 1946, sent the affable George Bailey tumbling into a timeline where he’d never been born to reveal his true impact. “You’ve been given a great gift, George — a chance to see what the world would be like without you,” he’s told by his wannabe guardian angel, Clarence.

In the decades since, that notion has accelerated — a rise in stories that consider events both fictional and real, extrapolating different choices.

What if the South had won the Civil War (“CSA: The Confederate States of America”)? What if Germany and Japan had won World War II ( “The Man in the High Castle” )? What if John F. Kennedy hadn’t been assassinated ( “11/22/63” )? What if the Soviets had beaten the Americans to the moon (“For All Mankind”)? What if 9/11 had played out very differently (“The Mirage”)?

Fictional worlds are more malleable, though, and can yield more content. So it is that imaginary characters — particularly beloved ones with established stories — are toyed with in books, TV shows and movies that airlift them out of one life and into another. It's a concept that cuts across genres, from rom-com (1998’s “Sliding Doors,” where missing a train splits a young woman’s life into diverging paths) to near-musical (2019’s “Yesterday,” where a budding musician tumbles into a universe where the Beatles never existed).

You have the reality where Spider-Man never married Mary Jane Watson (Marvel Comics’ “Brand New Day”); the universe where one variant of Doctor Strange has gone insane ( “Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness” ); the universe where a Ben Affleck Batman never existed but the Michael Keaton Batman stuck around and got old ( “The Flash,” which we’re not spoiling since this was in the trailers).

And you have the “mirror universe” of “Star Trek,” whose dark and aggressive Terran Empire reveals the baser instincts of beloved characters. Not to mention the recent spate of “Trek” movies, which unfold in yet another reality, splintered when an aging Spock went back in time.

“It’s a way to explore a problem that’s never actually happened in the main story,” sums up Nic Lemire, 13, a California teenager who co-hosts an occasional podcast called “Marvel Mondays” with his mother, former Associated Press film critic Christy Lemire.

One crowning example of multiverse success: Last year’s “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” which showed all the different lives that Michelle Yeoh’s main character might have lived — with the point being that across the multiverse, her family remains a family. It won seven Academy Awards, including best picture.

Whatever the subject matter, these works are united by one theme: There are always possibilities, for better and for worse, and exploring them is entertaining, enlightening and escapist. That’s no small thing in a post-COVID world facing the ravages of extreme climate events, persistent racism, the rancor of political polarization and the rise of artificial intelligence — a planet where convulsive change can seem the only constant.

“Fictions have implicitly done what alternate universes seem to be doing more lately: letting us explore some reality that’s not actual, for the purpose of learning about the actual world,” says Hannah Kim, an assistant professor of philosophy at Macalester College who has researched why the multiverse resonates.

“We’re bombarded with things that seem arbitrary, random,” she says. “The number of difficult developments the past few years — the pandemic, political upheaval, effects of climate change, etc. — leave the anxiety-riddled person with the nagging feeling that this all could have been otherwise.”

Exploring the question of “what if” continues to be lucrative — to the point where there's an entire Marvel show exploring alternate realities called “What If...?” And while multiple universes are starting to feel spread thin as a plot device, the trope isn't going away any time soon in our single world, where reality is constantly called into question.

After all, if you can remix popular characters in multiple properties while retaining the potential for a reset in a “prime universe,” what is there to lose? Well, there's one thing: If everything is reversible, unlike real life as we know it, how high can the stakes really be?

“It narratively lets you have your cake and eat it, too — you can kill off the character, have an emotional death scene and then bring the character back from another universe,” says Matt Ruff, whose 9/11 novel, “The Mirage,” posits an alternate universe that flips aggressors, victims and prejudices. In its reality, it was Christian extremists who attacked the Twin Towers of the “United Arab States” in Baghdad.

“If everything’s possible, the choices are less interesting. The consequences don’t matter all that much,” Ruff says. “Part of engaging in the real world is engaging with the fact that there’s no magical solution.”

That, though, may be precisely why the notion resonates. Human beings have always wanted to try on other outfits, other outcomes, maybe even other lives. That’s what stories are about. Could we be hurtling toward a narrative era — the immersive equivalent of choose-your-own-adventure stories — where all possibilities are on the table?

Technology has enabled people to obtain most anything — customized, to boot — from the world’s bounty within 48 hours. Who in the network television days of the 1980s could have imagined that streaming would bring thousands of television shows and movies to our eyeballs with the push of a button? So why not thousands of stories with thousands of possible endings for characters and plotlines? What does that do to our relationship with our stories?

“You are looking at a piece of a bigger cultural picture that provides a constant barrage of cultural images that reinforce this idea that we can be better versions of ourselves,” says David Newman, a sociologist at Colgate University who has written a book on second chances. “People want to believe that when we have a problem, the problem is fixable.”

There’s one Marvel Comics offshoot, something called “Marvel 1602,” which chronicles a universe in which Earth’s mightiest superheroes existed at the beginning of the 17th century. In it, Reed Richards, the leader of the Fantastic Four, proposes something.

“I posit we are in a universe which favors stories,” he says. “A universe in which no story can ever truly end; in which there can only be continuances.”

However it might play out, that’s a universe full of possibilities. And judging from the past two decades in the popular culture of human beings, it’s good business as well to keep on asking: What if?

___

Ted Anthony, director of new storytelling and newsroom innovation for The Associated Press, has been writing about American culture since 1990. Follow him on Twitter at http://twitter.com/anthonyted

The zoo said Kamau was euthanized Saturday, a day after the big cat was pulled off an exhibit because of declining health due to his advanced age.

The lion was considered elderly with worsening gastrointestinal problems, "and the difficult decision to proceed with humane euthanasia was made when medical treatment options failed to provide sufficient relief from his condition," the zoo said in a statement.

The statement called Kamau one of the zoo's “most charismatic and iconic animals.”

He came to Sacramento from the San Diego Zoo in 2008 and in the years since attracted crowds who hoped to hear his impressive roar.

In 2014, the lion sired a litter of cubs. A few years later, his habitat doubled in size, and a glass viewing wall allowed guests to get “nose-to-nose” with both Kamau and his mate, Cleo, the zoo said.

Cleo, now 18, is in good health. African lions typically live 10 to 15 years, the zoo said, but they can live up to 25 years in captivity.

Authorities received the first report of the shooting shortly before 8:30 p.m. at the camping area a few hundred yards from the Gorge Amphitheater, where thousands of people were attending an electronic dance music festival, said Kyle Foreman, public information officer with the Grant County Sheriff’s Office. The Gorge is near the small city of George, about 150 miles (239 kilometers) east of Seattle.

After the initial shots were fired, the suspect started moving through the campground and “continued to shoot randomly into the crowd" until he was eventually confronted by police and taken into custody, Foreman said.

The suspect was shot in the confrontation with police, Foreman said. The suspect was hospitalized for his injuries, but no further details were immediately released.

A public alert had advised people that there was an active shooter in the area and to “run, hide or fight," but Foreman said there was no effort to evacuate the festival. The festival continued following the shooting and did not end until early Sunday morning, Foreman said.

“He was, again, on the periphery of the property. Law enforcement had eyes on him, and they were able to keep him in that area. He wasn't moving toward the venue,” Foreman said.

Yazmin Alvarez, 30, was with her husband and friend at a campsite near the amphitheater when a woman ran by and told them there was an active shooter, Alvarez told the Seattle Times.

Alvarez's group ran toward the exit, finding cover by buildings near a road, along with another dozen or so people. They saw helicopter lights as the festival carried on nearby.

“It just felt uncomfortable since we are also hearing people having a great time to the left of us,” Alvarez said. The group went back to the campground to retrieve their IDs and sweaters but left their camping gear behind.

Details on the victims would be released at a later time, Foreman said.

Organizers of the Beyond Wonderland electronic music festival said on social media that Sunday’s events at the Gorge were canceled.

Concert organizers described the shooting site as an “overflow camping area," and most people who were staying there were likely at the concert when the shooting occurred, Foreman said.

An independent oversight group, the North Central Washington Special Investigation Unit, is investigating the shooting.

A suspected tornado struck near Scranton, Arkansas early Sunday, destroying chicken houses and toppling trees onto homes, the National Weather Service said. There were no immediate reports of serious injuries.

Meteorologists said that dangerous and potentially record-breaking temperatures would continue into midweek over southern Texas and much of the Gulf Coast. Storms producing damaging winds, hail and possibly tornadoes could strike the lower Mississippi Valley.

“If you have outdoor plans this #FathersDay, don’t forget to practice heat safety! Take frequent breaks, stay hydrated, NEVER leave people/pets alone in a car!” the weather service office in Houston said on Twitter.

Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards declared a state of emergency for north and central parts of his state after strong winds and severe weather caused widespread power outages on Saturday. On Sunday evening, more than 515,000 people were without electricity in Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Arkansas, and Mississippi, according to PowerOutage.us.

Catherine Haley was hosting her six grandchildren, ages 7 to 13, in Shreveport, Louisiana when the storm knocked out electricity to her block and many surrounding neighborhoods. Haley, who has trouble breathing, said they draped damp towels around their necks to try and stay cool, but when the heat became unbearable the family took refuge at a cooling center set up by the city.

“I am so grateful. We tried the first day to stay at home and they were just so uncomfortable. And then I have COPD, and the heat really took effect on me as well,” Haley, 64, said Sunday.

She said five of the grandchildren had just arrived from Houston for the summer when the storm hit, causing widespread damage. “Nice little welcome for them,” she joked.

In Florida, the weather service issued another heat advisory Sunday, this time mainly for the Florida Keys. Forecasters said heat index readings - the combination of high temperatures and oppressive humidity - could reach between 108 degrees Fahrenheit (42 Celsius) and 112 degrees (45 C) in places such as Key Largo, Marathon and Key West.

"These conditions will cause increased risk of heat illness for people outdoors or in non-air conditioned spaces,” the weather service said in a bulletin.

In the Southwest, where fire crews are battling multiple wildfires in Arizona and New Mexico, forecasters said triple-digit temperatures and gusty winds would lead to critical fire weather over the next couple of days. Sunday promised to be the hottest day of the year in Arizona, with highs up to 110 degrees (43.5 C) in Phoenix.

Winds were forecast to gust from 30 mph to 40 mph (48-64 kph) on Sunday east of Flagstaff, Arizona along the Interstate 40 corridor and up to 50 mph (80 kph) on Monday, creating potentially critical fire weather across much of northeast New Mexico.

A large brush fire that broke out Friday afternoon south of Tucson, Arizona shut down a state highway on Saturday. Arizona 83 reopened on Sunday and no homes were in immediate danger, authorities said.

The prolonged closure took a toll on local businesses during what’s usually a busy Father’s Day weekend in an area with recreational lakes and reservoirs.

Dena Proez said the only business at her Corner Scoop ice cream shop along the highway in Sonoita was serving a few travelers who stopped to get updates on the fire “and feeding all the firefighters.”

Much of Nevada was under a high-wind advisory with gusts up to 55 mph (88 kph) with blowing dust that could hamper visibility on highways, the weather service said.

___

Associated Press writers Kim Chandler in Montgomery, Alabama; Curt Anderson in St. Petersburg, Florida; and Christopher Weber in Los Angeles contributed to this report.

TV news video showed the strip mall lot in Willowbrook filled with debris and police tape, about 20 miles (32.1 kilometers) southwest of Chicago. The DuPage County Sheriff's Office described it as a “peaceful gathering” to celebrate Juneteenth that suddenly turned violent as a number of people fired multiple shots into the crowd.

“We know of 22 victims injured and one victim killed by gunfire. Several other victims were also injured while attempting to flee the area,” the sheriff's office said in a statement. Authorities didn't immediately release the conditions of those injured.

A motive for the attack wasn’t immediately known, and no one was arrested by early evening. Sheriff's spokesman Robert Carroll said authorities were interviewing “persons of interest” in the shooting, the Daily Herald reported.

The Willowbrook shooting was just one in a string of weekend shootings across the U.S. that killed at least six people, including a Pennsylvania state trooper, and injured dozens. The shootings in Illinois, Pennsylvania, Washington state, Missouri and Maryland follow a surge in U.S. homicides over the past several years.

Police were at the strip mall before the shooting to monitor the gathering, but were called away because of a nearby fight, the sheriff's office said. “They heard gunshots and immediately returned to the scene," the sheriff's office said.

"We transported numerous victims from the scene. Others just walked into area hospitals," said Eric Swanson, deputy chief at the sheriff’s office.

Rick Wagner, who lives nearby, said there were at least 300 people in the lot by 10:30 p.m. “We’ve had multiple conversations with police" about large groups meeting there, Wagner told the Daily Herald.

A witness, Markeshia Avery, said it was a Juneteenth celebration. Monday is the federal holiday commemorating the day in 1865 when enslaved people in Galveston, Texas, learned they had been freed — two years after the Emancipation Proclamation.

"We just started hearing shooting, so we dropped down until they stopped,” Avery told WLS-TV.

Another witness, Craig Lotcie, said: “Everybody ran, and it was chaos.”

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker said in a statement that he was monitoring the investigation.

“Gathering for a holiday gathering should be a joyful occasion, not a time where gunfire erupts and families are forced to run for safety,” Pritzker said.

The White House released a statement Sunday afternoon, saying that the “President and First Lady are thinking of those killed and injured in the shooting in Illinois last night. We have reached out to offer assistance to state and local leaders in the wake of this tragedy at a community Juneteenth celebration.”

Greenwood Memorial Park and Mortuary informed the family that Sidney Cooper's body and casket were not in the plot where he was supposed to have been buried more than two decades ago. Cemetery staff discovered it was empty as they prepared to bury Cooper's wife, Thelma, who died in March.

Staff said they did not know the whereabouts of Cooper's remains, their daughter, Lana Cooper-Jones, told the San Diego Union-Tribune.

“I was absolutely distraught,” Cooper-Jones said Friday of the moment she learned her father's body was missing. “It was like losing my father again, as well as my mom.”

Greenwood said it was working to rectify the problem.

“While the placement of this family’s loved one occurred over 20 years ago under previous ownership and management, we recently discovered an issue with placement and are diligently working to confirm the placement of the loved one,” the cemetery said in a statement. “Our hope is to reunite the loved ones as intended as soon as possible.”

The lawsuit filed Friday seeks to force the cemetery to find the patriarch’s remains and compensate the children for damages. The court filing was aimed to coincide with Saturday’s Cooper Family Foundation Juneteenth Freedom Festival at San Diego's Memorial Park.

Cooper, who was 71 when he died in 2001, promoted Juneteenth for decades in his unofficial and affectionate role as “Mayor of Imperial Avenue,” near where ran businesses including a barbershop and a produce store.

The family's Juneteenth celebrations grew from small events in the parking lot of Cooper's store to larger gatherings at a city park.

After his death, the family created the foundation to carry on his legacy and celebrate the Juneteenth festival. The June 19 holiday marks the day in 1865 when word that of the Emancipation Proclamation finally reached the final slave holdout of Galveston, Texas, more than two years after President Abraham Lincoln signed the order freeing enslaved Black people.

Cooper-Jones told the Union Tribune that when her father died, they held a graveside service, but they didn’t witness his casket being lowered into the ground.

Cemetery officials have said they might have an idea where his casket was buried, according to the family's attorneys, Eric Dubin and Annee Della Donna. An underground probe detected the presence of a casket in a different plot that’s supposed to be empty, the attorneys said. The family wants that body exhumed and the DNA tested.

The shootings in suburban Chicago, Washington state, Pennsylvania, St. Louis, Southern California and Baltimore follow a surge in homicides and other violence over the past several years that experts say accelerated during the coronavirus pandemic.

“There’s no question there’s been a spike in violence,” said Daniel Nagin, a professor of public policy and statistics at Carnegie Mellon University. “Some of these cases seem to be just disputes, often among adolescents, and those disputes are played out with firearms, not with fists.”

Researchers disagree over the cause of the increase. Theories include the possibility that violence is driven by the prevalence of guns in America, or by less aggressive police tactics or a decline in prosecutions for misdemeanor weapon offenses, Nagin said.

As of Sunday evening, none of the weekend events fit the definition of a mass killing, because fewer than four people died at each location. However, the number of injured in most of the cases does match the widely accepted definition for mass shootings.

Here's a look at the shootings this weekend:

WILLOWBROOK, ILLINOIS

At least 23 people were shot, one fatally, early Sunday in a suburban Chicago parking lot where hundreds of people had gathered to celebrate Juneteenth, authorities said.

The DuPage County sheriff’s office described a “peaceful gathering” that suddenly turned violent as a number of people fired multiple shots into the crowd in Willowbrook, Illinois, about 20 miles southwest of Chicago.

A motive for the attack wasn’t immediately known. Sheriff’s spokesman Robert Carroll said authorities were interviewing “persons of interest” in the shooting, the Daily Herald reported.

A witness, Markeshia Avery, said the celebration was meant to mark Juneteenth, Monday's federal holiday commemorating the day in 1865 when enslaved people in Galveston, Texas, learned they had been freed — two years after the Emancipation Proclamation.

“We just started hearing shooting, so we dropped down until they stopped,” Avery told WLS-TV.

WASHINGTON STATE

Two people were killed and two others were injured when a shooter began firing “randomly” into a crowd at a Washington state campground where people stayed to attend a nearby music festival on Saturday night, police said.

The suspect was shot in a confrontation with law enforcement officers and taken into custody, several hundred yards from the Beyond Wonderland electronic dance music festival.

A public alert advised people of an active shooter in the area and advised them to “run, hide or fight."

The festival carried on until early Sunday morning, Grant County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Kyle Foreman said. Organizers then posted a tweet saying Sunday’s concert was canceled.

CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA

One state trooper was killed and a second critically wounded just hours apart in central Pennsylvania on Saturday after a gunman attacked a state police barracks.

The suspect drove his truck into the parking lot of the Lewistown barracks about 11 a.m. Saturday and opened fire with a large-caliber rifle on marked patrol cars before fleeing, authorities said Sunday.

Lt. James Wagner, 45, was shot and critically wounded after encountering the suspect several miles away in Mifflintown. Later, Trooper Jacques Rougeau Jr., 29, was ambushed and killed by a gunshot through the windshield of his patrol car as he drove down a road in nearby Walker Township, authorities said.

The suspect was shot and killed after a fierce gunbattle, said Lt. Col. George Bivens, who went up in a helicopter to coordinate the search for the 38-year-old suspect.

“What I witnessed ... was one of the most intense, unbelievable gunfights I have ever witnessed,” Bivens said, lauding troopers for launching an aggressive search despite the fact that they were facing a weapon that “would defeat any of the body armor that they had available to them.”

A motive was not immediately known.

ST. LOUIS

An early Sunday shooting in a downtown St. Louis office building killed a 17-year-old and wounded nine other teenagers, the city’s police commissioner said.

St. Louis Metropolitan Police Commissioner Robert Tracy identified the victim who was killed as 17-year-old Makao Moore. A spokesman said a minor who had a handgun was in police custody as a person of interest.

Teenagers were having a party in an office space when the shooting broke out around 1 a.m. Sunday.

The victims ranged from 15 to 19 years old and had injuries including multiple gunshot wounds. A 17-year-old girl was trampled as she fled, seriously injuring her spine, Tracy said.

Shell casings from AR-style rifles and other firearms were scattered on the ground.

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

A shooting at a pool party at a Southern California home left eight people wounded, authorities said Saturday.

KABC-TV reported authorities were dispatched shortly after midnight in Carson, California, south of Los Angeles.

The victims range in age from 16 to 24, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said in a statement. They were taken to hospitals, and two were listed in critical condition, the statement said.

Authorities said they found another 16-year-old boy with a gunshot wound when they responded to a call about a vehicle that crashed into a wall nearby.

BALTIMORE

Six people were injured in a Friday night shooting in Baltimore. All were expected to survive.

Officers heard gunshots in the north of the city just before 9 p.m. and found three men with numerous gunshot wounds. Medics took them to area hospitals for treatment.

Police later learned of three additional victims who walked into area hospitals with non-life-threatening gunshot wounds.

The wounded ranged in age from 17 to 26, Baltimore Police Department spokesperson Lindsey Eldridge said.

Multiple agencies assisted in the search for boaters who had become lost on the lake around 10:30 p.m., according to the Moncks Corner Rural Fire Department.

Personnel from the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources connected with a citizen who had recovered the missing boaters.

Officials say the boaters were returned to shore and evaluated by Berkeley County EMS.

Central Berkeley Fire & EMS, North Berkeley Fire District, East Berkeley Fire District, and Berkeley County Sheriff's Office also assisted in the search.

Trooper Jacques Rougeau Jr., 29, was killed and Lt. James Wagner, 45, was critically wounded in separate encounters before Brandon Stine, 38, of Thompsontown was killed, police said. Officials said they haven't been able to identify a motive for his actions.

Stine drove his truck into the parking lot of the Lewistown barracks in Juniata County about 11 a.m. Saturday and opened fire with a large-caliber rifle on marked patrol cars before fleeing, Pennsylvania State Police Commissioner Christopher Paris said Sunday.

Stine was identified shortly after the shooting, and a search began for him, he said.

Lt. Col. George Bivens, deputy commissioner of operations, who went up in a helicopter to coordinate the search, said Stine appeared to be playing a “cat and mouse” game — calling 911 to give a location and then not being there when they arrived.

“He seemed to be setting our people up for potential ambush,” Bivens said.

Wagner encountered Stine in Mifflintown about 12:45 p.m. Saturday and was shot and critically wounded, Paris said. People in the area went to his aid and used his radio to call for help, and emergency medical personnel arrived and took him to Lewistown Hospital, from which he was flown to Hershey Medical Center.

Later, Rougeau was ambushed and killed by a gunshot through the windshield of his patrol car as he drove down a road in nearby Walker Township, Bivens said. Police only found out that Rougeau had been shot immediately after the manhunt ended, and “he was beyond assistance at that point,” Bivens said.

Stine then escaped into a somewhat rural but still residential area and was seen driving through a field toward a store and small restaurant with patrons in the parking lot, Bivens said. Troopers put themselves in between the people and the suspect and forced him away from the business. After an exchange of gunfire, he drove through a yard and garden, finally getting stuck against a row of trees as police continued to engage him, Bivens said.

“What I witnessed ... was one of the most intense, unbelievable gunfights I have ever witnessed,” Bivens said, lauding troopers for launching an aggressive search despite the fact that they were facing a weapon that “would defeat any of the body armor that they had available to them.”

Rougeau, who was married, would have marked his third anniversary with the department later this month, officials said. Wagner, a 21-year veteran, is currently commander of the Bedford barracks, is a naval reservist and has three sons in the Coast Guard, officials said.

“At this point, there are no clear motives we can point to,” Paris said. “I’m struck by the level of violence … and I remain humbled and in awe of the way that our people rallied and brought the resources needed to bear to protect the community.”

Paris called it a miracle that no civilians were killed or injured on what he called “a tragic and harrowing day.”

Gov. Josh Shapiro and Paris of the state police were at the hospital where the injured trooper was being treated Saturday night. Shapiro said both thanked his colleagues for their service and prayed for his recovery. The governor said he and first lady Lori Shapiro “send our love to the family of the trooper killed today. May his memory be a blessing.”

The Fraternal Order of Police Pennsylvania State Lodge said it was devastated at the shooting of “not one but two” troopers, one of whom made “the ultimate sacrifice.”

“Bravery and honor best describe these troopers, and we will hold their heroic actions in our hearts and minds forever,” the lodge's president, Joseph Regan, said in a social media post.

President David Kennedy of the Pennsylvania State Troopers Association, an organization made up of 4,300 active and retired troopers, said the commonwealth “has lost one hero while another fights for his life.”

"The bravery of these Troopers and their loved ones will stay in our hearts forever,” he said in a post on social media.

Though a fair amount of money by normal standards, a sizable jump from DC’s last release, the “Shazam!” sequel, and enough for a first place start, it’s also muted by superhero standards where $100 million debut weekends are almost commonplace. The weekend also saw Pixar get its worst three-day opening ever with a $29.5 million bow by “Elemental."

It was a crowded weekend at the multiplex overall. In addition to “The Flash” and “Elemental," the horror-comedy “The Blackening" also opened wide. The only big win was Wes Anderson’s starry “Asteroid City” which earned $720,000 from just six theaters and the distinction of having the highest per-theater average ($132,211) since the start of the pandemic.

“The Flash” faced more complications than marketplace conditions. In addition to “The Flash” and “Elemental,” the horror-comedy “The Blackening” also opened wide. It has been in the headlines often over the past year, not because of the movie itself but because of its star Ezra Miller’s off-screen troubles, including arrests, erratic behavior and accusations of misconduct. Miller has apologized and said they are seeking mental health treatment. They also bowed out of participating in the normal publicity circuit, except for the premiere.

The studio’s leadership remained bullish on releasing their $200 million movie, however, confident in its quality and importance to future DC Studios storylines. The movie introduces the multiverse, which allowed for the return of Michael Keaton's Batman in a movie that also had Ben Affleck's Batman.

Going into the weekend analysts expected “The Flash” to earn at least $70 million in its first three days, playing in 4,234 locations domestically. Now, it's projected to net out with $64 million in its first four, including Monday's Juneteenth holiday. Internationally, it made $75 million, giving it a $139 million global start.

“I think Warners did a fantastic job of dealing with the situation they had,” said Paul Dergarabedian, the senior media analyst for Comscore. “It’s a very interesting case study of what can happen when the title character of a huge movie has these very public controversies. But it's hard to reverse engineer it to know what effect it may have had."

Another obstacle was that some of the main promotional outlets — late night talk shows — are still shut down as the Writers Strike continues. Also, with the knowledge that DC is undergoing a major reset, fans might have decided to move on and wait for that.

Critics were mixed but more positive than not, with a 67% on Rotten Tomatoes. AP’s Jocelyn Noveck wrote in her review that despite some “breezily clever and entertaining” moments, “the final act bogs down in what feels like an endless, generic CGI battle and a kitchen-sink resolution."

Audiences polled for CinemaScore only gave the film a B, which has not historically been great news for word-of-mouth potential and longevity.

But there is a bit of a gap in the schedule before the next major blockbuster comes in “ Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny,” which opens on June 30. Next week’s biggest offering is the R-rated Jennifer Lawrence comedy “ No Hard Feelings ” and the nationwide expansion of “Asteroid City.”

Second place went to “Elemental” with an estimated $29.5 million from 4,035 locations in North America – a new low for Pixar’s three-day openings. Before, that title belonged to “The Good Dinosaur” and “Onward,” which both debuted to $39 million." Previous Pixar lows were “The Good Dinosaur” and “Onward," which both debuted to $39 million.

"Elemental” was greeted positively by critics, with a 76% on Rotten Tomatoes, and audiences (A CinemaScore). AP’s Jake Coyle wrote that it’s “probably in the lower half” of the Pixar cannon but ”sincere and clever, with a splash of dazzle,” it, “comes closer to rekindling some of the old Pixar magic than some recent entries. ” Including $15 million from 17 international territories, “Elemental” launched to $44.5 million globally.

“Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” was a very close third, in its third weekend, with $27.8 million. Sony is projecting that its domestic total will have reached $285 million through Monday.

It's possible, Dergarabedian said, that Spider-Man's formidable holding power — bolstered by reviews and word of mouth — ate into “Elemental's” launch. Both are also rated PG.

“Transformers: Rise of the Beasts” dropped a steep 67% in its second weekend, adding $20 million to take fourth place. “The Little Mermaid” settled into fifth place with $11.6 million in its fourth weekend.

“The Blackening” was the other big release this weekend – a bit of counterprogramming to the bigger branded releases with an original horror-comedy about a group of friends, who are Black, who get together for a weekend away and find themselves on the run from a killer. Lionsgate and MRC acquired the $5 million movie from director Tim Story after it debuted to positive reviews at the Toronto International Film Festival. Released in 1,775 theaters, “The Blackening” made an estimated $6 million.

“This is a fantastic weekend for movie theaters because there’s a depth and breadth of content that is amazing, but that means they’re sharing the wealth," said Dergarabedian. “The collective box office was incredibly strong. But it's creating a very competitive environment.”

“Asteroid City” was an undeniable bright spot in limited release. Focus Features set up “Asteroid City” pop-up experiences at theaters in New York and Los Angeles to help draw audiences.

“Wes Anderson is the pinnacle of specialty film. He’s the Marvel," said Lisa Bunnell, Focus' president of distribution. “This is a great shot in the arm for art theaters."

Next week, “Asteroid City” jumps from 6 to about 1,500 theaters.

“After COVID, we’re trying to do things that are out of the box,” Bunnell added. “We feel like to get specialty films back on track again, you sort of need a new playbook.”

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore. Final domestic figures will be released Monday.

1. “The Flash,” $55 million.

2. “Elemental,” $29.5 million.

3. “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse,” $27.8 million.

4. “Transformers: Rise of the Beasts,” $20 million.

5. “The Little Mermaid,” $11.6 million.

6. “The Blackening,” $6 million.

7. “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3,” $5 million.

8. “The Boogeyman,” $3.8 million.

9. “Fast X,” $2 million.

10. “Adipurush,” $1.6 million.

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Follow AP Film Writer Lindsey Bahr: www.twitter.com/ldbahr.

St. Louis Metropolitan Police Commissioner Robert Tracy identified the victim who was killed as 17-year-old Makao Moore. A spokesman said a minor who had a handgun is in police custody as a person of interest.

Tracy said victims ranging in age from 15 to 19 suffered gunshot wounds. Some were shot just once or grazed; others were hit multiple times.

A 17-year-old girl was trampled as she fled, seriously injuring her spine, Tracy said.

Police believe teenagers were having a party in an office space on 14th Street and Washington Avenue when the shooting broke out around 1 a.m. Sunday. Shell casings from AR-15-style rifles and other firearms were scattered on the ground.

“It’s every parent’s worst nightmare tenfold,” St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones said during a Sunday press conference. “My heart goes out to all of the families in pain today.”

Tracy, the mayor and U.S. Rep. Cori Bush called on state lawmakers to ban minors from carrying firearms. The Republican-led legislature voted against such restrictions earlier this year.

“It should be prohibited,” Tracy said. “This is the first state and city that I come to where juveniles (are) not prohibited.”

Jones appointed Tracy last year. He previously worked at the New York City; Chicago; and Wilmington, Delaware, police departments.

Officials said young people from the surrounding suburbs have been coming to downtown St. Louis to hang out this spring, and that about half of the shooting victims are not from the city. Jones said the city is working to provide more safe spaces and activities for teenagers. She called on nearby communities to help address what she described as a regional problem.