LELAND, NC (WWAY) — We want to hear your thoughts on the latest top news topics!

Click HERE to cast your vote and let your voice be heard.

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WASHINGTON, DC (WWAY) — The Smithsonian National Museum of American History wants copies of your trips to Walt Disney World in Florida and Disneyland in California.

The museum is looking for pictures for all decades to show how the parks has changed over time.

Candid photos, posed phots, and even blurry photos are all OK and the museum wants your story behind the photos too.

Not all photos will be used due to limited space and privacy and permissions rules will be in place, but a great number are expected to be catalogued and kept for posterity.

To send your photos click here.  Don’t forget to include contact information!

 

 

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — The Omicron variant is making an already challenging year even harder for restaurants across the Cape Fear. Even the most successful shops in Wilmington say supply shortages, staffing issues, and price increases are burning local eateries.

Molly Kurnyn, co-owner of Cheesesmith says they close the restaurant Mondays to give staff a break. Though crowds are back, prices for basic supplies like to-go containers and food have gone up 25 percent.

“Everything. Cheese, bread. All the things we use in our food,” Kurnyn said.

Supply chain shortages also pushed back the brick and mortar’s opening.

She continued, “We literally were waiting to open to get refrigerators because they’re not manufacturing them.”

Kurnyn and her husband applied to the Restaurant Revitalization Fund, which according to NC Restaurant and Lodging Association’s Lynn Minges quickly ran dry last year.

“During that time, we saw about 2,500 restaurants in North Carolina receive funds,” Minges said. “But essentially there were about 6,000 that were eligible, that have not yet received funding.”

Congress will consider renewing the Restaurant Revitalization Fund (RRF) this February. In the meantime, Kurnyn and her husband take on multiple shifts to make up for labor shortages. They hope customers will support local businesses more and complain about cost less.

“A lot of people come in and think that it’s insane there’s a 13 dollar grilled cheese,” the business owner explained. “But we just take a number of what it costs for us to make it, add in labor, and come up with this little sliver that’s left. And that’s what we keep. And as soon as a pipe breaks or our heat breaks, or whatever, that profit margin gets chipped away.”

Without grants, she worries hundreds of local restaurants could shut down by winter’s end. According to the National Restaurant Association, replenishing the RRF could save 1.6 million jobs.

Kurnyn hopes in spite of COVID-19 and the typical slowdown that comes with winter, people will step up and help out.

“It’s time for a beer and a grilled cheese,” she grinned. “Right now.”

 

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — The Cameron Art Museum in Wilmington is kicking off the new year with a huge list of programming for children and adults.  The events include Martin Luther King holiday programming for kids, homeschooling help, painting classes, readings, yoga, and the return of Jazz@cam.

Here is the complete list:

January 2022

Saturday and Sunday January 15^th and 16^th

KIDS @ CAM – I Have A Dream Peace Flag weekend

In-Person: Saturday, January 15^th or Sunday, January 16^th

Cameron Art Museum honors the life and work of civil rights activist Martin Luther King with the “I Have a Dream” Peace Flag Project. We invite the community to take inspiration from King’s iconic speech from 1963 and think deeply about our own hopes and dreams for ourselves, our city, our nation, and the world. These dreams will be written on squares of cloth, emblematic of the peace prayer flags created for centuries in Tibet. Your peace flag will be included in a community installation that will be displayed around the CAM pond. Together, these flags represent our collective desire for racial unity, community healing, and peace.

Packages for classes will be available. Please check our website for registration and participation details, or email education@cameronartmuseum.org to find out ways to involve your students!

 

Sunday, January 16

2 pm

Members: $16 Nonmembers: $20 Students: $12

USCT Public Programs Series: Mary D. Williams

Join us as musician, educator, and historian Mary D. Williams explores the legacy of the USCT through song. Williams has performed and provided her voice to the soundtrack of Blood Done Sign My Name (February 2010). She has also performed at the North Carolina State Capitol and has been featured on Dick Gordon’s The Story, as well as on National Public Radio. Williams is both a scholar and a musician, whose breathtaking voice takes listeners on a journey through time.

Tuesdays, January 18 – February 8

10am – 12pm

 

Homeschool Tuesdays

Instructor: Renato Abbate

CAM member price: $108; non-member: $120

This clay class will cover all the basic hand building techniques:  pinch, coil, and slab. Students will also discuss 3-D design elements as well as bisque and glaze firing.

Tuesdays, January 18 – February 22

10am – 1pm

 

Principles of Drawing

Instructor: Todd Carignan

CAM member price: $234; non-member price: $260

The foundation of all representational art is drawing. This class covers how to start a drawing, measuring, mark-making, arranging your subject and lighting, creating texture and depth.

Tuesday, January 18 – February 8

4pm – 5:30pm

 

Create a Story

Instructor: Carolyn Faulkner

CAM member price: $85.50; non-member: $95

Draw an outline using your favorite bird, insect, animal or whatever you choose. Even an anime character that you create! Then draw a story inside using designs and/or memories. This can be make believe or something personal you wish to express. You will then color with markers or colored pencil. Your story can be hidden, by attaching another cutout layer (such as a wing on the bird). It will be like opening a book! We will continue to explore more pieces and movement on your art as time permits.

Wednesday, January 19

9 – 10 am

 

Gentle Yoga with Steve Unger

Donation $5

Wednesday, January 19

1:30 pm

 

Public Tour

Free with admission

Wednesday, January 19

 

Capturing our Colorful Coastal Skies

Instructor: Carolyn Faulkner

CAM member price: $153; non-member: $170

Living in coastal Carolina you most likely have witnessed the variety of skies; from brilliant sunrises/sunsets to threatening thunder skies and everything in between. This course will provide you with the basic concepts of achieving some of those classic features found in our colorful skies. In this class you will learn the balance between soft and hard edges while creating beautiful multi-colored sunrises, sunsets, and storm clouds, using acrylic paints. This course will provide you with the confidence to be bold with your brush and colors as you softly blend colors to achieve that memorable look. Some key features of this course are understanding that nothing is truly white in the sky and the use of a variety of colors becomes an asset. Both sky and clouds have some of the softest edges found in nature. A balance between soft and hard edges are important to the painter to describe the volume of the clouds and their translucency.

Thursday, January 20

All Day

 

Member Preview of Confluence

Member tours at 11:00 am, 1:00 pm, 5:00 pm, and 7:00 pm

Friday, January 21

 

Public Opening of Confluence

11:00 am Gallery Talk with Artist Gene Felice

CAM Member $15/ NonMember $20

Thursday, January 20

10am – 4pm

 

Watercolor Fresh Market workshop

Instructor: Janice Castiglione

CAM member price: $171; non-member: $190

Spend two days painting still lives. There’s something to be said about painting from life and having it right in front of you. Each participant will be asked to bring in a fresh fruit or vegetable to add to existing backdrops. What fun! On Day Two, we will change places to work on new compositions, so bring a camera.

 

Educators Night

Thursday, January 20^th

4pm to 7pm

FREE for teachers

Spend a fun and relaxing evening at CAM with free admission during an exclusive event for educators and view our new exhibitions. Docents in the galleries will answer your questions and provide information about the exhibitions. Our Educators Night will provide information and materials about tours, workshops, and other free resources for area educators. All educators and administrators – from Pre-K to College – welcome and encouraged to attend and explore fun ways to bring art into your classroom and spark creativity in your students.

Thursdays, January 20 – February 24

6 – 9pm

 

Thursday Night Clay

Instructor: Renato Abbate

CAM member price: $225; nonmember: $250

A fun class for all skill levels. Make your own custom plates or mugs. Work on some wild sculpture. Explore how clay can work for you and gain a new appreciation for handmade pottery.

 

Gallery Talk: Antoinette Vogt

Saturday, January 22

1pm-2pm

Artist Toni Vogt will discuss the prints by Willy Cole in the Shadow We Create exhibition.  His printing process is akin to a collagraph, where found objects are used to create a printing plate.  By using ironing boards, Cole finds a new means to explore a familiar motif.

Antoinette Angela Vogt received a B.F.A. with a concentration in Drawing from the State University of New York at Purchase and a Master of Architecture from New Jersey Institute of Technology. She worked in Architecture for several years while teaching drawing at night through Wake Technical Community College in Raleigh, NC. After moving to Norman, Oklahoma in 2011, she began volunteering at Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art assisting in the classroom for their educational programs. Antoinette also taught drawing at a small art school in Norman before moving on to teach Drawing and Art Appreciation at Oklahoma City Community College.

Sunday, January 23

2 pm

 

Reading: Jason Mott, Hell of a Book, winner of the 2021 National Book Award

CAM members $10/ Nonmembers: $15

Free for students

Admission includes entry to the galleries

***2021 NATIONAL BOOK AWARD WINNER***

Winner of the 2021 Sir Walter Raleigh Award for Fiction

Longlisted for the 2022 Carnegie Medal Fiction, the 2021 Joyce Carol Oates Prize and the 2021 Aspen Words Literary Prize

A Read With Jenna Today Show Book Club Pick!

One of Washington Post‘s 50 Notable Works of Fiction | One of Philadelphia Inquirer‘s Best Books of 2021 | One of Shelf Awareness’s Top Ten Fiction Titles of the Year | One of TIME Magazine’s 100 Must-Read Books | One of NPR.org’s “Books We Love” | EW’s “Guide to the Biggest and Buzziest Books of 2021” | One of the New York Public Library’s Best Books for Adults | One of Entertainment Weekly‘s 15 Books you Need to Read This June | On Entertainment Weekly’s “Must List” | One of The NY Post‘s Best Summer Reading books | One of GMA’s 27 Books for June | One of USA Today‘s 5 Books Not to Miss | One of Fortune‘s 21 Most Anticipated Books Coming out in the Second Half of 2021 | One of The Root‘s PageTurners: It’s Getting Hot in Here | One of Real Simple‘s Best New Books to Read in 2021 |One of The Philadelphia Inquirer‘s Best of 2021

Join National Book Award Winner Jason Mott for a reading from Hell of a Book. Hell of a Book is an astounding work of fiction from a New York Times bestselling author Jason Mott, always deeply honest, at times electrically funny, that goes to the heart of racism, police violence, and the hidden costs exacted upon Black Americans, and America as a whole. Jason Mott has published four novels. His first novel, The Returned, was a New York Times bestseller and was turned into a TV series that ran for two seasons. He has a BFA in Fiction and an MFA in Poetry, both from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington. His poetry and fiction have appeared in various literary journals, and his most recent novel, Hell of a Book, was named the winner of the National Book Award for Fiction, 2021.

Wednesday, January 26

9 – 10 am

 

Gentle Yoga with Steve Unger

Donation $5

Wednesday, January 26

1:30 pm

 

Public Tour

Free with admission

Thursday, January 27

10 am – 11 am

 

Art Explorers with Airlie Gardens

Thursday, January 27

10am – 1pm

 

The Power of Pastels Returns to CAM!

Instructor: Jerri Greenberg

CAM member price: $171; non-member: $190

Come along and explore the sheer joy of painting in pastels, learn to use different brands, softness, papers, and lighting to make the “ordinary EXTRAordinary”. Each week we will work from a still life setup or a model, to expand your repertoire and your comfort zones, working with this wonderful, immediate medium.

Thursday, January 27

6pm – 8:30pm

 

Art Buzz- Mixed Media Fashion Illustration

Instructor: Jennifer Gironda

CAM member price: $45; non-member: $50

Join us for a fashion sketching session featuring mixed media collage materials.  We will work from various images from fashion magazines (feel free to bring images from YOUR favorite runway looks!) and we will go over how to do a quick croquis and then add the garments using a variety of 2D collage materials.  An assortment of papers and adhesives will be available, but please feel free to bring any scrap papers, magazine pages or other materials for your looks!

Thursday, January 27

7 pm

 

Exhibitions After Dark: Gallery Talk with Zedrick Applin

Learn about Stephen Hayes’s exhibition Voices of Future’s Past from the unique perspective of community member Zedrick Applin, Program Manager, Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Community Involvement at nCino. Join Zedrick for this interaction conversation and grab dinner and a cocktail from CAM Café before or after. Free with admission.

Fridays, January 28 – March 4

10am – 12pm

 

Interactive color

Instructor: Lois DeWitt

CAM member price: $153; non-member: $170

Interaction of Color by Josef Albers was published by Yale University in 1963. A seminal study, it provided new perspectives on color and how it is perceived visually. Through a series of visual projects using Color-aid papers, students develop new cognitive and visual skills towards seeing and analyzing the perception of color. These skills can transfer easily to other artistic skills like painting, drawing and printmaking.  Keeping close to Alber’s instruction and projects, this six-week course leads students through a series of fascinating, unique and informative color theory using Color-aid and found papers.

Saturday, January 29

11– 4pm

 

Memory Jar – Capturing Your Past through Narrative and Assemblage

Instructor: Fritzi Huber and Dina Greenberg

CAM member price: $72; non-member: $80

Why is it so difficult to throw away all the “stuff” we accumulate? Perhaps these objects carry meaning beyond simple explanation. In this five-hour workshop: (1) We’ll first use (your chosen) objects to spark a brief work of creative writing: poetry, prose, or hybrid (2) create a three-dimensional “memory jar” to capture the meaning of your treasures.

  

February 2022

Wednesday, February 2 – 23

6pm – 8pm

 

VIRTUAL- Winter Words on Paper – Telling our Stories in Memoir

Instructor: Dina Greenberg

CAM member price: $108; non-member price: $120

You, dear writer, are uniquely qualified to tell the stories of your past, present, and perhaps even an imagined future.  This creative writing workshop in memoir for adult writers is open to community participants with varying degrees of writing expertise. The workshop follows a traditional format where group members critique one another’s work with the instructor’s guidance. Literature and craft articles will also be presented for discussion. The goal is to instill respect and compassion in the critique process while helping participants improve their writing and literary analysis.

Thursdays, February 3 – March 10

4:30 – 6:30pm

 

Foundations of Drawing: Teen and Young Adult

Instructor: Antoinette Vogt

CAM member price: $148.50; non-member: $165

Learn how to draw realistically through the study of still life. Students will develop drawing skills by understanding and improving ability to see objects in space to better represent them on the page. Learn how to see and draw objects in proportion and understand perspective. Topics covered will include working with line; blind and modified contour drawing; seeing and drawing negative space (the space around objects); visual perspective (perceiving angles using sighting technique); proportion (objects in relations to one another).

Friday, February 4^th

12pm

 

‘Resilience’ Community Screening

View the award-winning documentary ‘Resilience: The Biology of Stress and the Science of Hope’. The film screens in our spacious reception hall from 12 PM to 1 PM, followed by an optional brief discussion with other community members. Learn about the New Hanover County Resiliency Task Force. https://www.nhcbouncesback.org/

The CAM offers free screenings of ‘Resilience’ on the first Friday of each month (unless there is a holiday and then it moves to the second Friday). Feel free to grab lunch at the CAM café, or bring your own lunch!

No fee and no registration necessary.

Fridays, February 4 – 25

1pm – 3pm

 

Introduction to Ikebana

Instructor: Karen Chevrotee

CAM member price: $117; non-member: $130

IKEBANA, the Art of Japanese Flower Arranging. Originally used in Temples, simple, elegant, at once meditative. Following prescribed rules to create Beauty for your home or office with natural flowers, leaves and branches.

Friday, February 4

8-9am

 

All Levels Flow Yoga with Kim Gargiulo

Saturday & Sunday, February 5 – 6

10am – 4pm & noon – 4pm

 

Rock, Paper Stitches – Joomchi & Embroidery  – Virtual

CAM member price: $144; non-member: $160

‘Rock’ two slow-process crafts in one unique class! Day 1 will concentrate on learning an ancient Korean paper craft to create a ‘felted’ paper called joomchi. Joomchi utilizes layers of thin hanji papers that, through agitation and manipulation, create a sturdy piece that can be used alone or in other artistic endeavors. One such endeavor will be achieved on Day 2. Taking the previous day’s joomchi pieces, you’ll use simple hand stitches for mark making, to add found objects, or to stitch several joomchi together for a larger, dramatic piece of finished paper art. (This is not a paper making class.)

Thursday, February 10

7pm-8pm

 

Exhibitions After Dark: Gallery Talk with Cedric Harrison

Cedric Harrison, a Wilmington native, is the founder of both Support the Port and wilmingtoNColor. Harrison has dedicated his professional career to supporting and creating opportunities for economic growth and advancement for African Americans in the Wilmington area. He is a local historian (in his own right) and passionate about the rich history of African Americans in Wilmington, NC.

Due to his impactful efforts and work, Harrison has earned several accolades and much recognition in this space. Most recently, Harrison was a recipient of the 40 under 40 award presented by StarNews meds and Wilmington Chamber of Commerce – an award which recognizes professionals who are high performers in their field.

In 2019, Harrison was selected out of over 400 applicants to be part of the inaugural cohort of the All for NC Fellows. Since the fellowship, Harrison has seized the opportunity to continue his journey of bringing transformational change to his local community.

Cedric Harrison also had the opportunity to deliver his first TEDx talk in 2019 at the TEDx Airlie event in Wilmington, NC. His speech, Bridging the Racial Gap of Socio-Economics, provided viewers with a compelling history lesson on Wilmington in conversation with his personal experiences and journey.

Friday, February 11

8-9am

 

All Levels Flow Yoga with Kim Gargiulo

Saturday, February 12 & February 19

10 – 1pm

 

Collagraph Printmaking Workshop

Instructor: Antoinette Vogt

CAM member price: 81; non-member: $90

A two-day workshop to learn the art of collagraph printmaking using plates created by collage. In this workshop students will create printing plates by gluing elements onto the printing surface to create an image. Students are asked to gather collage supplies ahead of time and bring them to the first-class session. Collage items should not be more than 1/8″ thick and can include scraps of cardboard; textured item such as sandpaper, fabric, burlap or lace; string or twine, leaves. seeds, buttons, etc. Students will create their plates during the first session and print them during the second session.

 

Saturday, February 12

1pm – 2:30pm

CAM Members $20/ Nonmembers $25

 

Book Buzz- Women Who Misbehave

Instructor: Sayantani Dasgupta with Heather Wilson

Join author Sayantani Dasgupta for a discussion of her new novel, “Women Who Misbehave”. Dasgupta states, “Well-behaved or not, woman or not, each of our lives is made up of stories. How you tell it is where the art lies. Each of us lives through historic moments every day, and ends up with thousands of stories. Now who gets to tell stories, whose stories are valued and heard is another matter altogether.” Registration includes a glass of wine or sparkling water. Studio dinner and half-priced bottles of wine available from the CAM Cafe.

Sayantani Dasgupta has taught creative writing in the United States, India, Italy, and Mexico. She is an essayist, a short story writer, and the author of Fire Girl: Essays On India, America, & The In-Between- a finalist for the 2016 Foreword Indies Award for Essays- and the chapbook The House Of Nails: Memories Of A New Delhi Childhood. Born in Calcutta and raised in New Delhi, Sayantani received a BA in History from St. Stephen’s College, Delhi, an MA in Medieval History from Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, and an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Idaho.

Saturday, February 12

11am – 2pm

 

Woven Hand built Ceramic Basket

Instructor: Shannon Gehen

CAM member price: $50; non-member: $55

Learn how to make a woven ceramic basket, combining the tradition of basket weaving with the ease of a glazed surface for your kitchen, coffee table, or special event.

Sunday, February 13

 

WSO Sunday Concert Series

2-3pm

Thursday, February 17

 

Jazz@ CAM

6:30-8:00pm

$25 for CAM and CFJS members, $30 for non-members, $15 for students and military

The John Brown Quintet

The multi-talented John Brown brings his quintet to the CAM on February 3. The performance is part of our ongoing concert series, which begins at 6:30 PM.

A successful bassist, composer, educator and actor, John currently serves as Vice Provost for the Arts at Duke University. He has a long history of performance excellence. At the age of 13, he began performing with the Fayetteville Symphony Orchestra. He was playing Principal Bass with that orchestra and performing with the Florence Symphony in South Carolina while still in high school.

John has performed in the United States and abroad with artists that include Wynton Marsalis, Ellis Marsalis, Delfeayo Marsalis, Elvin Jones, Nnenna Freelon, Diahann Carroll, Rosemary Clooney, Nell Carter, Lou Donaldson, Slide Hampton, Nicholas Payton, Frank Foster, Larry Coryell, Cedar Walton, Fred Wesley and Mark Whitfield.  He also has a Grammy nomination for his performance and co-writing on Nnenna Freelon’s 1996 Concord release, Shaking Free. His extensive experience includes performances at notable venues like Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, the Blue Note, Blues Alley, and the Hollywood Bowl and at major jazz festivals like the Playboy Jazz Festival, the JVC Jazz Festival, the Montreal Jazz Festival, the Free Jazz Festival (Brazil) and Jazz e Vienne (France).

For more information on any of these events click here.

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — The Cameron Art Musuem’s Floating Lantern Ceremony is Sunday, January 9 on the museum’s grounds.

This year it returns to an in-person event at the Reflection Pond.  It is called an expression of remembrance, reflection, and gratitude.

CAM admission lets you into all the indoor exhibitions, but the Lantern Ceremony is free.  There will be live music near the pond, hot chocolates, beverages, and light food service from the CAM Cafe.

Lantern sales are happening now for you to decorate for $12 at the CAM Museum Shop.  The ceremony is from 4 – 7pm.

Click here for more information.

BOLIVIA, NC (WWAY) — Country music megastars Shenandoah will bring ‘The Every Road Tour’ to Brunswick Community College’s Odell Williamson Auditorium on January 15.

Led by Marty Raybon’s distinctive vocals, the group is celebrated for hits like “Two Dozen Roses,” “Church on Cumberland Road,” and the Grammy winning “Somewhere in the Vicinity of the Heart.”  The band’s latest album includes collaborations with Blake Shelton, Dierks Bentley, Lady A, and Brad Paisley.

The stop in Bolivia comes just days before the band returns to the Grand Ole Opry stage on January 21.

Tickets are available by clicking here.

RUTHERFORD COUNTY, NC (WWAY) — Two people including a state highway patrol trooper were killed in a traffic crash Monday night.

The accident occurred around 8:58 p.m. in Boiling Springs near the intersection of High Shoals Church Road and Goodes Grove Church Road.

Trooper John S. Horton had pulled over a driver and both of were standing alongside the road prior to the deadly crash.

The trooper’s brother, Trooper James N. Horton, also responded to the scene to assist. According to the North Carolina State Highway Patrol, Horton collided with his brother’s patrol vehicle striking Trooper John Horton and the detained driver.

Trooper John Horton was taken to a hospital in Spartanburg, SC, where he later died from his injuries. He was a 15-year veteran assigned to Rutherford County.

The detained driver died at the scene and the highway patrol has not released that person’s identity at this time.

Trooper James Horton was treated for minor injuries at a local hospital and released.

“Our hearts are broken with the loss of our friend and our brother, Trooper John Horton” said Colonel Freddy L. Johnson Jr., commander of the State Highway Patrol. “For all involved in this tragic event, the coming days will undoubtedly be difficult but we are committed to stand alongside with them with our thoughts, prayers and unwavering support.”

The North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation is investigating the crash along with assistance from the NC State Highway Patrol Collision Reconstruction Unit.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — John Madden, the Hall of Fame coach turned broadcaster whose exuberant calls combined with simple explanations provided a weekly soundtrack to NFL games for three decades, died Tuesday morning, the league said. He was 85.

The NFL said he died unexpectedly and did not detail a cause.

Madden gained fame in a decade-long stint as the coach of the renegade Oakland Raiders, making it to seven AFC title games and winning the Super Bowl following the 1976 season. He compiled a 103-32-7 regular-season record, and his .759 winning percentage is the best among NFL coaches with more than 100 games.

But it was his work after prematurely retiring as coach at age 42 that made Madden truly a household name. He educated a football nation with his use of the telestrator on broadcasts; entertained millions with his interjections of “Boom!” and “Doink!” throughout games; was an omnipresent pitchman selling restaurants, hardware stores and beer; became the face of “Madden NFL Football,” one of the most successful sports video games of all-time; and was a best-selling author.

Most of all, he was the preeminent television sports analyst for most of his three decades calling games, winning an unprecedented 16 Emmy Awards for outstanding sports analyst/personality, and covering 11 Super Bowls for four networks from 1979-2009.

“People always ask, are you a coach or a broadcaster or a video game guy?” he said when was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. “I’m a coach, always been a coach.”

He started his broadcasting career at CBS after leaving coaching in great part because of his fear of flying. He and Pat Summerall became the network’s top announcing duo. Madden then helped give Fox credibility as a major network when he moved there in 1994, and went on to call prime-time games at ABC and NBC before retiring following Pittsburgh’s thrilling 27-23 win over Arizona in the 2009 Super Bowl.

“I am not aware of anyone who has made a more meaningful impact on the National Football League than John Madden, and I know of no one who loved the game more,” Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said in a statement.

Burly and a little unkempt, Madden earned a place in America’s heart with a likable, unpretentious style that was refreshing in a sports world of spiraling salaries and prima donna stars. He rode from game to game in his own bus because he suffered from claustrophobia and had stopped flying. For a time, Madden gave out a “turducken” — a chicken stuffed inside a duck stuffed inside a turkey — to the outstanding player in the Thanksgiving game that he called.

“Nobody loved football more than Coach. He was football,” NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said in a statement. “He was an incredible sounding board to me and so many others. There will never be another John Madden, and we will forever be indebted to him for all he did to make football and the NFL what it is today.”

When he finally retired from the broadcast booth, leaving NBC’s “Sunday Night Football,” colleagues universally praised Madden’s passion for the sport, his preparation, and his ability to explain an often-complicated game in down-to-earth terms.

“No one has made the sport more interesting, more relevant and more enjoyable to watch and listen to than John,” play-by-play announcer Al Michaels said at the time.

For anyone who heard Madden exclaim “Boom!” while breaking down a play, his love of the game was obvious.

“For me, TV is really an extension of coaching,” Madden wrote in “Hey, Wait a Minute! (I Wrote a Book!).”

“My knowledge of football has come from coaching. And on TV, all I’m trying to do is pass on some of that knowledge to viewers.”

Madden was raised in Daly City, California. He played on both the offensive and defensive lines for Cal Poly in 1957-58 and earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the school.

Madden was chosen to the all-conference team and was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles, but a knee injury ended his hopes of a pro playing career. Instead, Madden got into coaching, first at Hancock Junior College and then as defensive coordinator at San Diego State.

Al Davis brought him to the Raiders as a linebackers coach in 1967, and Oakland went to the Super Bowl in his first year in the pros. He replaced John Rauch as head coach after the 1968 season at age 32, beginning a remarkable 10-year run.

With his demonstrative demeanor on the sideline and disheveled look, Madden was the ideal coach for the collection of castoffs and misfits that made up those Raiders teams.

“Sometimes guys were disciplinarians in things that didn’t make any difference. I was a disciplinarian in jumping offsides; I hated that,” Madden once said. “Being in bad position and missing tackles, those things. I wasn’t, ‘Your hair has to be combed.’”

The Raiders responded.

“I always thought his strong suit was his style of coaching,” quarterback Ken Stabler once said. “John just had a great knack for letting us be what we wanted to be, on the field and off the field. … How do you repay him for being that way? You win for him.”

And boy, did they ever. Many years, the only problem was the playoffs.

Madden went 12-1-1 in his first season, losing the AFL title game 17-7 to Kansas City. That pattern repeated itself during his tenure; the Raiders won the division title in seven of his first eight seasons, but went 1-6 in conference title games during that span.

Still, Madden’s Raiders played in some of the sport’s most memorable games of the 1970s, games that helped change rules in the NFL. There was the “Holy Roller” in 1978, when Stabler purposely fumbled forward before being sacked on the final play. The ball rolled and was batted to the end zone before Dave Casper recovered it for the winning touchdown against San Diego.

The most famous of those games went against the Raiders in the 1972 playoffs at Pittsburgh. With the Raiders leading 7-6 and 22 seconds left, the Steelers had a fourth-and-10 from their 40. Terry Bradshaw’s desperation pass deflected off either Oakland’s Jack Tatum or Pittsburgh’s Frenchy Fuqua to Franco Harris, who caught it at his shoe tops and ran in for a TD.

In those days, a pass that bounced off an offensive player directly to a teammate was illegal, and the debate continues to this day over which player it hit. The catch, of course, was dubbed the “Immaculate Reception.”

Oakland finally broke through with a loaded team in 1976 that had Stabler at quarterback; Fred Biletnikoff and Cliff Branch at receiver; tight end Dave Casper; Hall of Fame offensive linemen Gene Upshaw and Art Shell; and a defense that included Willie Brown, Ted Hendricks, Tatum, John Matuszak, Otis Sistrunk and George Atkinson.

The Raiders went 13-1, losing only a blowout at New England in Week 4. They paid the Patriots back with a 24-21 win in their first playoff game and got over the AFC title game hump with a 24-7 win over the hated Steelers, who were crippled by injuries.

Oakland won it all with a 32-14 Super Bowl romp against Minnesota.

“Players loved playing for him,” Shell said. “He made it fun for us in camp and fun for us in the regular season. All he asked is that we be on time and play like hell when it was time to play.”

Madden battled an ulcer the following season, when the Raiders once again lost in the AFC title game. He retired from coaching at age 42 after a 9-7 season in 1978.

Survivors include his wife, Virginia, and two sons, Joseph and Michael. John and Virginia Madden’s 62nd wedding anniversary was two days before his death.

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — Cape Fear Public Utility Authority will be closed for New Year’s Eve on Friday, December 31.

The Customer Service Centers at 235 Government Center Drive and 305 Chestnut Street will reopen for regular business at 8am Monday, January 3.

Customers may manage their accounts using the Interactive Voice-Response system by calling 910-332-6550 or online via the Customer Self-Service portal by clicking here.

To report a water or sewer emergency during the holiday, call CFPUA’s emergency hotline at 910-332-6565.

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — Nobody won the Powerball or Mega Millions drawings this week, so there a lot of money on the line right now.

Tonight you have a chance to win more than 378 million dollars in the Powerball drawing. It has a cash value of nearly 276 million.

If you don’t win tonight you have another chance on Friday.  The Mega Millions Jackpot stands at 187 million dollars.  It has a cash value of more than 134 million.

Your chances of winning are estimated to be about 1 in nearly 14 million.

 

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — The holidays can be difficult for military members, veterans, and military families.  Festive events can trigger feelings of loneliness, isolation, grief, survivor’s guilt, and sadness.  Large crowds and loud noises can bring on PTSD symptoms.

Coastal Horizons and the nonprofit Save A Vet Now (SAVN) are working to help veterans and military members get outpatient treatment services.  SAVN has a special account to cover any co-pay or self-pay costs for treatment at its Brunswick, New Hanover, or Pender outpatient locations.

Coastal Horizons offers services to promote healthier lives, stronger families and safer communities. Telemental Health Therapist and veteran Justin Gibson says “there is no need for them to ‘go it alone.’ Help is just a phone call away.”

If you need help reach out to Coastal Horizons at the following numbers:

•  New Hanover County        910-343-0145
•  Brunswick County              910-754-4515
•  Pender County                    910-259-0668

For immediate help call Mobile Crisis at 1-866-437-1821.

The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is 1-800-273-8255.

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — The Saint Nicholas Foundation is spreading cheer near and far to make sure no child or elderly person is forgotten at the holidays.  The foundation gives toys and gifts to more than 500 people in six states.

Founder Nicholas Newell was born on Christmas day and is lovingly referred to as St. Nick.  The organization says it’s goal is to “Spread holiday cheer near and far.  Making sure no child or elder in need is forgotten.  Everyone makes our nice list.”

Newell says the pandemic changed how things were done the past two years but now he is “happy that we can at least bring them gifts.”  He adds that he “started this organization informally 8 years ago asking family and friends to donate so I could purchase stuffed animals for kids in hospitals. In 2018 we expanded to those in assisted living facilities.”

The foundation is accepting donations in various ways.  You can donate through Facebook, Instagram, Amazon, and Corning Credit Union as well as other options.

Learn all you options by visiting here.

 

SOUTHPORT, NC (WWAY) — It’s a candy cane Christmas in Southport!  The Southport Garden Club displaying dozens of handmade candy canes in Keziah Park as part of Winterfest and to support a more beautiful and green city.

The Candy Cane Garden Party kicks off at 6 p.m. Tuesday at Keziah Park in downtown Southport.  It features candy canes decorated by local businesses, organizations, and individuals.  The event is free and includes hot chocolate and entertainment.

Other Winterfest events this week:

•  Annual Cookie Contest, December 8, 3 – 5:30pm, Community Building
• Supper with Santa’s Elves, December 8, 5-7pm, 209 Atlantic Ave., beside Southport Gym
• Christmas movie ‘Polar Express,’ December 9, dusk, Garrison Lawn
• Costumed Holiday History Tour, December 10, 3pm, 204 E. Moore St.
• Caroling with The Sea Notes, December 10, 5:30pm, Franklin Square Park Stage
• Light Up the Night Christmas Parade, December 10, 6:30pm, Howe St.
• Winter Craft Festival, December 11, 9am – 4pm, Franklin Square Park
• Winterfest Performing Arts, December 11, 9am – 4pm, Franklin Square Park
• Book Sale, December 11, 9am – noon, 727 N. Howe St.
• Santa’s Workshop, December 11, 10 – 11am, 209 Atlantic Ave., beside Southport Gym
• Southport Christmas Flotilla, December 11, 7pm, Southport Waterfront

For more information click here.

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — Family Promise of the Lower Cape Fear looks to a world in which every family has a home, a livelihood, and the chance to build a better future.  It is celebrating 25 years of providing case management, transitional housing, and emergency shelter to families in need.

The 25th Anniversary Celebration Low Country Boil has a happy hour, dinner, and entertainment from comedian Orlando Jones.

Board member Karon Tunis says the event is about “educating people about Family Promise and letting them know that we have been active in the Lower Cape Fear for 25 years.”

The event is at Plaza on Princess in downtown Wilmington Tuesday, December 7, 2021, and kicks off at 6pm.

For tickets or more information click here.

 

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — The 2022 North Carolina Azalea Festival has a signature event before spring arrives.  The 2022 Chef’s Showcase will bring together five chefs from around the state to the Hotel Ballast in January.

The Showcase is a seated culinary adventure consisting of a 5-course meal with fine wine pairings, light entertainment, high-end silent auction items, and a luxury vacation raffle. Notable chefs from our region (and beyond!) work together to prepare the dishes.

The chefs this year are:

•  Sheri Castle, host of The Key Ingredient with Sheri Castle, on PBS North Carolina
• Tiesha Lewis, the 2021 North Carolina Restaurant & Lodging Association Chef Showdown Pastry Chef of the Year
• Saif Rahman, the 2021 North Carolina Restaurant & Lodging Association Chef Showdown Chef of the Year
• Nathan Sims, Hotel Ballast Executive Chef
• Fabio Capparelli, Bluewater Grill Executive Chef

The event is Saturday, January 29, 2022, from 1 – 4pm at The Hotel Ballast in downtown Wilmington.

For more information and tickets click here.

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — The Children’s Museum of Wilmington is bringing back its popular Feature Fridays program this summer, celebrating its fifth year with an expanded lineup of community partners and interactive learning experiences.

Running from June 12 through Aug. 21, Feature Fridays introduces children and their caregivers to local organizations through hands-on activities and play-based experiences designed to highlight the work being done across the Wilmington community.

This year marks the program’s largest lineup yet, with more than 20 participating organizations representing a variety of industries and interests.

“Since 2022, we have seen significant growth and increased interest in Feature Fridays,” said Jessie Goodwin, executive director of the Children’s Museum of Wilmington. “Our community is home to many amazing organizations that we are honored to call partners. I can’t think of a better way to show how we work with our community to support our community.”

The museum says the program is designed to help children learn about the people and organizations helping shape the region while creating memorable and engaging experiences for families.

Feature Fridays take place every Friday during the summer with morning sessions from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. and afternoon sessions from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. Programming is included with the purchase of general admission and is free for museum members.

June programming kicks off June 12 with the North Carolina Coastal Federation in the morning and Tutu School of Wilmington in the afternoon. Other June features include Little Leaps Dance Academy, author Jacob Tippett, the Wilmington Police Department and the YMCA of Southeastern North Carolina.

July’s schedule includes appearances from the Wilmington Fire Department, Clarvida, Paws 4 People, Coastal Horizons, Smart Start of New Hanover County and more. Organizers say July 3 programming is still to be announced.

August features include the Brooklyn Arts Music Academy, Wilmington Symphony Orchestra, The Thalian Association’s Community Theatre, The Wilmington Arena Project, Coastal Carolina Rabbit Rescue and Bellamy Mansion.

The museum noted that programming featuring the Wilmington Police Department and Wilmington Fire Department will include outdoor components that are free and open to the community, alongside indoor activities included with general admission.

The Children’s Museum of Wilmington says it remains committed to offering interactive programming that encourages positive childhood experiences and strengthens community connections.

PARIS (AP) — The French Navy, with support from the United Kingdom, has intercepted an oil tanker under international sanctions that was traveling from Russia, the most recent effort by nations that support Ukraine to target Russian oil exports helping to finance President Vladimir Putin’s war.

French President Emmanuel Macron announced the interception in a post Monday on X, saying the Tagor was boarded on Sunday in the Atlantic. The post included a video showing a person rappelling from a helicopter onto a ship. It is the latest in a series of French naval interceptions of tankers suspected of links to Russia.

“It is unacceptable that boats skirt international sanctions, violate the law of the sea and finance the war that Russia has been waging for more than 4 years against Ukraine,” Macron wrote. “These ships, that don’t respect the most elementary rules of maritime navigation, are also a threat to the environment and everyone’s security.”

Oil revenue is a key part of Russia’s economy, allowing Putin to pour money into the war effort against Ukraine without worsening inflation for everyday people and avoiding a currency collapse.

Russia is believed to be using a fleet of hundreds of ships to evade international sanctions imposed over the war. France and other countries have vowed to crack down on the sanction-busting so-called “shadow fleet.”

Responding to the latest French interception, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Monday that Russia “considers such actions illegal.”

“They border on piracy,” he said Monday. “We absolutely disagree that they are being carried out in full compliance with international law.”

French maritime authorities said the tanker was intercepted more than 400 nautical miles west of France, in international waters in the Atlantic. It was traveling from the northwestern Russian port of Murmansk, according to the authorities’ statement.

It said the tanker is suspected of operating under a false flag and that the French navy is now escorting it to an anchorage for more checks.

Tankers previously intercepted by France include the Deyna, boarded in the Mediterranean Sea in March. Another tanker, the Grinch, intercepted in the Mediterranean in January, was released in February after paying a multimillion-euro penalty.

LELAND, NC (WWAY) — While the nation’s official kickoff to America’s 250th birthday celebration begins on Independence Day, residents in Leland will get an early start with a community Flag Day celebration this month.

The John E. Jacobs American Legion Post 68, in partnership with the Town of Leland and the North Brunswick Chamber of Commerce, will host a Flag Day and America 250 community picnic on Sunday, June 14, at Founders Park.

The event is free and open to the public and will take place from noon to 3 p.m.

Opening ceremonies will begin promptly at noon at the park’s Military Memorial Plaza. Organizers encourage veterans, local business owners and families to attend and arrive by 11:30 a.m. Guests are encouraged to bring lawn chairs and settle in for an afternoon of community celebration.

Post 68 Commander Bea Frost and Leland Mayor Brenda Bozeman will officially open the festivities.

Food and refreshments will be available for purchase from local vendors, including Crofton’s Pretzels, Hot Diggity Dogs and Hogs, and CC’s Frozen Treats.

Organizers say the event serves as both a celebration of Flag Day and an opportunity to begin recognizing America’s upcoming semiquincentennial, marking 250 years since the nation’s founding.

American Legion Post 68 is also inviting area veterans and active-duty service members to learn more about the organization and ways to get involved in supporting fellow veterans and the community.

More information and a calendar of events can be found on the Post 68 website.

Whiteville, NC (WWAY) — A Whiteville man has been arrested following a shooting that took place at a Whiteville apartment complex on May 28th.

According to court documents, Whiteville police issued an arrest warrant for 22-year-old Javion Delton Evans on Thursday, and Evans was arrested over the weekend.

The incident comes after Whiteville police responded to a shots-fired report at Covey Run II Apartments on Thursday. When officers arrived, they found one person who had sustained a minor neck injury caused by a stray projectile, who later received medical treatment for non-life-threatening injuries.

Police said several vehicles and apartment buildings were also struck by gunfire during the incident.

Evans has been charged with possession of a firearm by a felon, 7 counts of injury to real property, 2 counts of assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill, discharging a firearm inside city limits, discharging a weapon into an occupied dwelling or moving vehicle, and discharging a weapon into occupied property. 

Evans is being held at the Brunswick County Detention Center without bond.

His next court date is set for Thursday at the Columbus County courthouse.

(WWAY) — Rain chances return today as a cold front moves into the Cape Fear.

Moisture flows back in today ahead of the next cold front leading to another chance of showers and thunderstorms with highs around 80. The front moves through Tonight and while isolated showers could continue into portions of Tuesday… drier weather will be the trend with partly cloudy skies and highs into the upper 70s. Dry weather will continue through this weekend as temperatures return to the lower 90s by Sunday. 

WWAY FORECAST:                                                  

Monday: Partly to mostly cloudy. Rain and thunderstorm chances in the afternoon. High temperatures into the lower 80s.

Tuesday: A few showers early. Gradual clearing in the afternoon. Temperatures into the middle to upper 70s.

Wednesday: Mostly sunny skies with temperatures into the upper 70s.

-Meteorologist Jason Korver

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — Around a week after the New Hanover County Democratic Party withdrew its endorsement of Board of Education candidate Wendy Dale, party leadership is providing additional details about the decision.

In a lengthy Facebook post published Saturday, New Hanover County Democratic Party Chair Jill Hopman said Dale had not been fully transparent about her background and that her criminal record would likely have prevented her from passing a standard background check required by the school district, which Hopman said Board of Education Chair Pete Wildeboer has confirmed.

Hopman said she made multiple attempts to work with Dale on addressing the issue, including discussing the possibility of quietly withdrawing from the race or publicly addressing her record.

According to Hopman, Dale did not meet with her after she tried to set up a meeting earlier this month.

When contacted for a response to Hopman’s comments, Dale declined to comment, telling WWAY only, “No comment.”

In a statement provided to WWAY, current Board of Education member Dr. Tim Merrick, a Democrat, said: “I’m concerned about Ms. Dale’s lack of transparency more than the fact that she seems to live a difficult life that left her in unfortunate circumstances. I think everyone in both parties is recognizing the need to vet candidates more thoroughly. I’d like to see a different candidate on the ticket. One that I support without reservation. For that reason, I’d like to see her drop out of the race.”

MOUNT AIRY, NC (WWAY) — A man wanted in connection with the fatal shooting of a Virginia sheriff’s deputy has been arrested in North Carolina after a two-day manhunt, authorities said.

According to the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, 55-year-old Michael Puckett was taken into custody around 8:30 p.m. Sunday in Mount Airy, located in Surry County.

State and federal law enforcement agencies had been searching for Puckett since Friday, when authorities say he allegedly shot two deputies who had been sent to his home in Carroll County, Virginia, to conduct a welfare check.

Officials say Carroll County Deputy Sheriff Logan Utt was killed in the shooting. A second deputy was also shot, though their condition has not been released.

The SBI said Puckett’s arrest brings an end to a manhunt that involved multiple law enforcement agencies across state lines.

According to authorities, Puckett was booked into the Surry County Detention Center following his arrest. He is scheduled to make his first court appearance on Monday.

Additional details about potential charges and extradition proceedings were not immediately available.

OCEAN ISLE BEACH, NC (WWAY) — One lane of the Odell Williamson Bridge leading into Ocean Isle Beach will be closed beginning Monday morning as crews work to repair a damaged section of the bridge’s pedestrian railing.

According to a post from the Town of Ocean Isle Beach on social media, one lane of traffic will be fully closed throughout the repair project, which is expected to continue through Wednesday.

The damage occurred on Thursday, May 28th, when a house being transported across the bridge struck and knocked off a portion of the pedestrian railing along the southbound lane.

Repairs are scheduled to begin at approximately 9 a.m. Monday. Motorists traveling to and from Ocean Isle Beach are encouraged to plan for possible delays and use caution while passing through the work zone.

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY)– Nearly 20,000 rubber ducks splashed into the lazy river at Jungle Rapids for the 11th annual Coastal Duck Derby.

“I’m having so much fun,” said one kid while drawing at Jungle Rapids.

Elizabeth Redenbaugh, Vice President of Development and External Affairs, says the event is one of Coastal Horizons’ biggest fundraisers of the year, supporting homeless youth, survivors of sexual assault, and young families in need.

“This year our goal was 132-thousand dollars, and we’ve already exceeded that, so we are absolutely thrilled.”

For five dollars, participants could adopt a duck and get a chance to win a trip for two to Hawaii or Italy. But organizers say the impact goes far beyond the finish line, helping fund ongoing programs and services for people in crisis.

“Thanks to a grant from the New Hanover Endowment, we were able recently to purchase a new eight-bedroom home. It is absolutely gorgeous in a wonderful neighborhood. So perfect place for children who are really going through a really rough time.”

Redenbaugh says the money raised also helps provide shelter, counseling, health care, and other support services to people facing difficult circumstances throughout the region.

“The Duck Derby is a wonderful way to raise money for families, youth, and individuals that are in crisis within our community, and I can’t think of a better way to serve those in need than to participate in an activity like this.”

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY)– An investigation is underway after an asphalt tank caught fire Saturday at Ergon Asphalt & Emulsions on River Road in Wilmington.

The charred remains of the tank were still visible Sunday, following an incident that caused traffic disruptions in the area.

Videos submitted by viewers captured a large plume of black smoke rising from the facility, drawing attention from nearby residents and motorists.

Despite the dramatic scene, the Wilmington Fire Department says there is no danger to the public. Officials conducted atmospheric testing and found no hazardous levels of toxic gases in the surrounding area.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

BRUNSWICK COUNTY, NC (WWAY)– Brunswick Firefighters are now scratching their heads as they become part of the fallout from Brunswick Community College suddenly shutting down its EMS course.

Brunswick Community College’s EMS program has been placed on pause following the departure of its program director, raising concerns among students and first responders who rely on the training to earn and maintain certifications.

Advanced EMT student Lexi Black said the suspension was not unexpected after the college chose not to renew the contract of former EMS Program Director Chip Munna.

“They knew they couldn’t function without a Level Two credentialed instructor,” Black said. “Chip was the only one that had this credential. They knew they would not be able to hold anything EMS-related after that.”

Munna confirmed to WWAY that Brunswick Community College did not renew his contract. In a Facebook post, he said the college’s decision to “go in another direction” resulted in the EMS program being suspended almost immediately.

The college has not publicly explained why Munna’s contract was not renewed, but officials have said they are actively working to restore EMS classes and minimize disruptions for students.

The suspension affects more than aspiring EMTs and paramedics. Current firefighters, EMTs, and paramedics often depend on the program to complete continuing education requirements and maintain professional credentials.

According to the North Carolina Office of EMS, advanced EMS educational programs must have a qualified program director with the appropriate instructor credentials to oversee advanced-level training.

Records obtained by WWAY show state regulators warned Brunswick Community College in 2022 that it lacked a qualified program coordinator required to operate an advanced EMS educational institution. Emails show college administrators were informed that the school could lose authorization to provide advanced EMS education if it did not have a properly credentialed director in place.

Munna said he was hired after those compliance concerns were identified and that his credentials allowed the program to remain in compliance with state requirements.

The impact of the suspension could be felt throughout Brunswick County, which is served by more than 20 volunteer and career fire departments. Without local access to advanced EMS courses, some first responders may be forced to travel outside the county to complete required training, increasing costs, travel time, and staffing challenges for departments already facing recruitment and retention pressures.

“There are adult people who have given up jobs to finish this program and established funds for this exact timeline to finish it,” Black said.

In a statement from the college, it says “We can confirm that the EMS program is temporarily suspended. We are actively working to resume the program as soon as possible and remain committed to providing quality EMS education to our students and community.”

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. military said it carried out another strike Saturday on a boat accused of smuggling drugs in the eastern Pacific Ocean, killing three men in the fourth attack this week and putting the total death toll at 205.

U.S. Southern Command announced the strike with its usual language that the vessel was “engaged in narco-trafficking operations” and operated by a designated terrorist organization. It provided no evidence for the allegation.

It’s the latest in a months long campaign against alleged drug boats traversing the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific.

Video released by the military on social media shows a small vessel floating in the ocean before it’s hit and engulfed in a fireball.

The attack brings the death toll to 205 in a series of U.S. strikes that began in early September, with other attacks announced on Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. The Trump administration has declared that the U.S. is at armed conflict with Latin American drug cartels, saying they are behind the flow of drugs into American communities.

U.S. Southern Command said in its post on X that the strike came at the direction of Gen. Francis L. Donovan, the top U.S. commander in Latin America.

BEIRUT (AP) — Israeli troops have captured a strategic mountain topped with a Crusader-built castle in southern Lebanon in the deepest incursion into the country in more than a quarter-century, the military said Sunday.

The taking of Beaufort castle, near the city of Nabatiyeh, followed days of airstrikes and intense fighting in nearby villages between Israeli troops and Hezbollah militants.

The capture marked a major Israeli advance in the latest Israel-Hezbollah war, which began on March 2, when Hezbollah fired rockets into northern Israel two days after the U.S. and Israel attacked its main backer, Iran.

Since then, Israel has launched a ground invasion, capturing dozens of Lebanese villages and towns close to the border. Hezbollah has launched thousands of missiles and drones at Israeli soldiers in southern Lebanon and northern Israel.

The Israeli push came despite a nominal ceasefire that has been in place since April 17 and just days before Lebanon and Israeli hold their next round of direct talks in Washington starting Tuesday.

Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, a key Hezbollah ally, said he can guarantee the militant group’s “full, comprehensive and immediate commitment to a ceasefire.”

“But who will force Israel to stop its aggression?” he said in a statement on his television station, NBN.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot requested an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council to discuss Israeli military operations in Lebanon, which he described as “unacceptable.”

“Nothing can justify the prolongation of Israeli military operations in Lebanon and its increasingly deep occupation of Lebanese territory,” Barrot said Sunday on French television BFM TV.

Diplomats said the council meeting might take place Monday afternoon, speaking on condition of anonymity ahead of a formal announcement.

A historic and strategic fortress

The Israeli military’s Arabic-language spokesperson, Avichay Adraee, posted photographs on X showing Israeli troops walking outside the castle, and Defense Minister Israel Katz wrote on X that they raised an Israeli flag over the castle. Israeli troops previously captured the castle in 1982 and held it until they withdrew from Lebanon in 2000.

“Twenty six years after the withdrawal from the security zone in Lebanon, the Israeli flag has returned to fly on the peaks that overlook the Galilee towns,” Katz said Sunday at a memorial ceremony for Israeli soldiers killed in its previous occupation of southern Lebanon.

Katz said Israel intends to hold the castle as its troops work to destroy thousands more homes that he says were used by Hezbollah and other military infrastructure in southern Lebanon.

The Beaufort fortress, perched high atop Lebanon’s rolling green hills and overlooking the Litani River, has been a strategic military asset for centuries.

Built as a Crusader castle around the 12th century on top of previous fortifications, it has also been used by Saladin’s Jerusalem army, Mamluks, Ottomans, the French mandate and the Palestine Liberation Organization. The Crusaders named it Beaufort, which is Old French for “beautiful fortress.”

The 1982 capture of the castle from the PLO was a major victory for the Israeli military, which was then led by Defense Minister Ariel Sharon, who later became prime minister. At the time, the Israeli army pushed all the way north and occupied Beirut.

In 2000, the castle was partially restored and opened to visitors.

During the previous Israel-Hezbollah war in 2024, UNESCO gave enhanced protection to 34 cultural sites in Lebanon, including Beaufort Castle, to safeguard them from damage.

The castle is a few kilometers north of the Israel border and overlooks wide parts of southern Lebanon and northern Israel. In Arabic, it is called Al-Shaqif castle, an old Syriac word referring to the formidable rocky area.

Beaufort is symbolic across the region, including in Israel, where it was one of the best-known places Israel controlled during the 18-year occupation. An Israeli film titled “Beaufort” explores moral questions about war in the last days before the military withdrew.

Israel expands invasion in Lebanon

In recent days, Israel has expanded the scope of its operations in Lebanon, sending troops across the Litani River, which previously served as a de-facto boundary, and demanding that residents leave much of southern Lebanon.

“The occupation of Beaufort is a dramatic stage and a dramatic shift in the policies we are leading,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday, citing the military occupation of security zones in Syria, Lebanon and Gaza along Israel’s borders. He said Israel has killed 3,000 Hezbollah militants since the start of the war. Hezbollah has not disclosed its casualty numbers.

Israel has designated the area from the Litani up to the Zahrani River a combat zone. Some residents have already left the area due to intense strikes in recent days, but people remain.

Israeli troops have been advancing for days in villages close to Beaufort castle. They are now about 5 kilometers (3 miles) from Nabatiyeh, a major center in southern Lebanon. They have called on people to leave that area, as well as the coastal city of Tyre, the country’s fourth-largest city, and its surroundings.

There was no immediate comment from Hezbollah or the Lebanese government on the Israeli push.

The expanded operation would give Israel an upper hand in the upcoming talks with Lebanon in Washington, said Beirut geopolitical analyst Joe Macaron.

“We are at a tipping point,” Macaron said, adding that it is still too early to say how Hezbollah will react to the loss of land. “The more land they (the Israeli military) can grab before the ceasefire, the more they can impose conditions on Hezbollah before their withdrawal.”

Exchanges of fire across the border continue

Israel has continued striking near Tyre, including near the Hiram Hospital. The Lebanese Health Ministry said 13 health workers were wounded in the strike. Elsewhere, a strike in Deir al-Zahrani, near Nabatiyeh, killed eight people and wounded 16 others, according to Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency.

Hezbollah overnight claimed two attacks targeting Israeli troops and a Merkava tank in the southwestern town of Bayada near the border. In recent days, the group has said it has clashed with Israeli troops in several towns just north of the river near Nabatiyeh and the strategic castle. It also claimed attacks deeper into Israel near the northern city of Haifa, Nahariya, as well as border areas.

Hezbollah on Saturday fired salvos of rockets into northern Israel, including Kiryat Shmona, the largest city in the area.

Hezbollah’s use of hard-to-detect fiber optic drones has been deadly for the Israeli military, which is struggling to respond. There have been nearly 200 alerts for Israeli civilians across northern Israel warning of drones and missiles in the past 24 hours, according to Israel’s military.

The latest round of fighting between Israel and Hezbollah has killed 3,350 people in Lebanon and displaced more than 1 million people.

According to Netanyahu’s office, at least 25 Israeli soldiers and a defense contractor have been killed in or near southern Lebanon, including one on Saturday. Two civilians have also been killed in northern Israel.

(AP) — A family of four from Massachusetts who were killed when a bus crashed into multiple vehicles in Virginia were traveling to a wedding with a carload of homemade desserts for the celebration.

The family wedding will go forward Sunday in South Carolina, but it also will be a time to mourn the loss of Dmitri and Ecaterina Doncev and their two children, Emily and Mark, a relative said Saturday.

“A son, a father — the whole family — everyone that has been dear to us,” Carolina Bublik said.

The Doncevs were killed when a motorcoach caused a chain-reaction crash with vehicles that had slowed down for a work zone on Interstate 95 in Stafford County around 2:35 a.m. Friday, authorities said.

The bus struck a Suburban, which then hit an Acura carrying the Doncev family, police said. Priscilla Mafalda, 25, of Worcester, Massachusetts, was in the Chevrolet SUV and also died.

More people were treated for injuries, including one who was in critical condition, though most were discharged, Mary Washington Healthcare said.

The bus driver, Jing S. Dong, 48, of Staten Island, New York, was charged with two counts of involuntary manslaughter, and additional charges were likely, Virginia State Police said. The prosecutor’s office in Stafford County said Dong was arrested and would be in custody while he is treated for his injuries at a hospital.

Prosecutors said in a statement that Dong’s first court appearance will not be scheduled until he is discharged but a magistrate approved holding him without bond until that time. It also said prosecutors saw enough probable cause to believe Dong was “driving in a criminally negligent manner.”

It was unclear whether Dong has an attorney who could speak on his behalf. The case did not yet appear in the state’s online court records, and a call to the area’s public defender went unanswered at a closed office Saturday.

The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the crash, a monthslong task separate from the work of state police. NTSB board member Tom Chapman revealed few new details but said the bus was moving at a high rate of speed.

“It seems fairly clear that if there was any braking there wasn’t much, because of the speed and severity of the collision,” Chapman said.

The bus, which was taking people from New York to North Carolina, was operated by E&P Travel Inc., based in Kings Mountain, North Carolina.

Chapman said the driver’s language proficiency would be part of the NTSB investigation. U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, citing police, said on social media that Dong, a native of China, does not speak English.

Dmitri Doncev, 45, was a nurse who worked at Holyoke Medical Center. Ecaterina Doncev, 44, was a hairstylist who spent days making desserts for the family wedding, Bublik said.

They emigrated to the U.S. from Moldova in 2008 and settled in Greenfield, Massachusetts, she said.

Dmitri and brother Iuri tried to stay together while traveling in separate vehicles to South Carolina.

“At some point they ended up getting separated,” Bublik said. “Dmitri said, ‘You go ahead. I’ll catch up later.’ It was a big shock when Iuri arrived at the house. Dmitri should have arrived around the same time. When his car did not show up, and he wasn’t picking up the phone — that’s when the family started panicking.”

ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — An outbreak of a rare type of Ebola virus has plagued Congo and Uganda, as cases outpace the response.

The World Health Organization has said that as of May 29, a total of 134 confirmed cases, including nine in Uganda, with 18 deaths among the confirmed cases, have been reported across both countries. The WHO has declared the Ebola disease outbreak in Congo and Uganda a public health emergency of international concern.

Health authorities say the outbreak is caused by Bundibugyo virus, a rare type of Ebola that has no approved medicines or vaccines. The outbreak is occurring in a part of Congo facing conflict caused by armed rebel groups and the displacement of large numbers of people fleeing the violence. Despite new aid arrivals, medical personnel continue to struggle with a lack of equipment and a distrustful population.

Here’s what to know:

How Ebola can spread

Ebola disease is highly contagious and can be transmitted to people from wild animals. It spreads in the human population through contact with bodily fluids such as vomit, blood or semen, and with contaminated surfaces and materials such as bedding and clothing.

The disease is rare but severe and often fatal in people. Symptoms include fever, vomiting, diarrhea, muscle pain and at times internal and external bleeding.

The first Ebola virus to be identified was in 1976 near the Ebola River in what is now Congo. The first outbreaks occurred in remote villages in Central Africa, near tropical rainforests.

What the WHO’s emergency declaration means

The WHO says the latest Ebola outbreak does not meet the criteria for a pandemic emergency, such as COVID-19, and advises against closing international borders.

Its emergency declaration is meant to spur donors into action. However, the global response to previous declarations has been mixed.

When the WHO declared mpox outbreaks in Congo and elsewhere in Africa as a global emergency in 2024, experts at the time said it did little to get supplies like diagnostic tests, medicines and vaccines to affected countries quickly.

An array of aid agencies are trying to help. WHO representatives in Congo said organizations on the ground included UNICEF, the International Organization for Migration, Médecins Sans Frontières, the World Food Program and the Red Cross.

Where the outbreak started

The Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the first cases were reported in late April in Bunia, the capital of Ituri province, and the nearby Mongbwalu health zone, a high-traffic mining area. However, officials say they are not certain of the source and the outbreak may have started weeks earlier and gone unnoticed.

Ituri is in remote eastern Congo, with poor road networks and health facilities, and is more than 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) from the capital, Kinshasa.

Attacks in Ituri by the Allied Democratic Force, a rebel group allied with the Islamic State group, and a coalition of ethnic militias have also hindered the response. The illness also has been reported in the Congolese provinces of North Kivu and South Kivu, south of Ituri, where the Rwanda-backed M23 rebel group controls many key cities, including Goma and Bukavu. The rebels have reported two cases.

Outbreak linked to rare virus

The WHO says Ebola is caused by a group of viruses, and three kinds are known to cause large outbreaks: Ebola virus, Sudan virus and Bundibugyo virus. The Bundibugyo type of Ebola is rare and different from the Ebola virus, sometimes known as the Zaire virus, that has been dominant in Congo’s previous outbreaks.

It was first detected in Uganda’s Bundibugyo district during a 2007-2008 outbreak that killed 37 people. The second time was in 2012 in an outbreak in Isiro, Congo, where 29 deaths were reported. The current outbreak is the worst known one linked to the Bundibugyo virus.

The average fatality rate of Bundibugyo virus is around 30%-50%, Anaïs Legand, a researcher in the WHO emergencies program said on May 29.

Dr. Gabriel Nsakala, a professor of public health who has been involved in past Ebola responses in Congo, said the country has extensive experience managing Ebola outbreaks, but response efforts could be complicated by the unusual type. The initial response was delayed because health authorities first tested for the more common Ebola virus.

International response

When the outbreak was confirmed, the Africa CDC convened an urgent high-level meeting with health authorities from Congo, Uganda and South Sudan, together with key partners including U.N. agencies. A WHO technical advisory group is looking at candidate vaccines that could be prioritized for clinical trial, though experts caution this will take time, likely months.

Funding is also a challenge following recent aid cuts to Africa by the United States and other rich nations. Medical aid donated by the European Union arrived in Ituri province on May 28, with more shipments expected. The U.S. announced $80 million in additional aid on the same day, bringing its total commitment to more than $112 million.

The response has not kept pace with one of the fastest-spreading outbreaks on record, Doctors Without Borders, or MSF, warned on May 30, calling for an immediate expansion of testing, faster deployment of aid workers and sustained access for medical supplies.

Dangers faced by health workers have been heightened by anger among residents over the stringent medical protocols for handling the victims’ bodies, which clash with local burial rites. Residents have launched at least three attacks against health centers.

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — The Trump administration is pushing to unleash the power of artificial intelligence for the U.S. military while facing calls to put up guardrails around the rapidly developing technology from some companies — and even notes of caution from top leaders in uniform.

Adm. Frank Bradley, head of U.S. Special Operations Command, told attendees of a recent annual special forces conference in Tampa, Florida, that troops “have to be very careful about how we come to (AI’s) employment and its inspiration into the delivery of lethality.”

Bradley said he can see a future where AI determines what targets to hit but that “we, as humans, have to have the confidence that … it’s going to deliver violence only where we intend it to be delivered.”

The remarks from Bradley, who oversees the units that handle the military’s most difficult and dangerous operations, about the need to ensure safeguards come as his boss, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, is pushing to rapidly evolve the military through AI. It is a push that has led to clashes with some tech companies worried about safety measures.

Hegseth has insisted that the Pentagon be allowed to use the technology any legal way it sees fit. He told an audience of SpaceX employees in January he would reject any AI models “that won’t allow you to fight wars” and that his vision for the technology was systems that operate “without ideological constraints that limit lawful military applications.”

AI’s use in the military is part of the Republican administration’s larger push to grow the capability it sees as a unique American advantage even as it faces pressure to ensure responsible safeguards.

President Donald Trump abruptly called off plans to sign a new AI executive order hours before an expected White House ceremony over concerns the measure could dull America’s edge on AI technology.

“We’re leading China, we’re leading everybody, and I don’t want to do anything that’s going to get in the way of that lead,” Trump told reporters.

Two differing AI worlds within the military

When asked about Bradley’s remarks, a Pentagon official said efforts are focused on using AI to create “functional battlefield tools” that can help troops come up with and identify targets more quickly and, as a result, speed up strikes on those targets. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to offer more candid remarks.

Officials at U.S. Special Operations Command talked about AI not as something that will help eliminate targets but rather as a tool that can offer troops more time to focus on their mission.

Sgt. Maj. Andrew Krogman, the top enlisted official for U.S. Special Operations Command, said at the conference that he sees AI handling administrative tasks to free up operators or helping modernize how the command does business.

Melissa Johnson, the top acquisition official for the command, said AI should be “reducing the cognitive workload on mundane tasks.”

“We’re leveraging AI more and more, but it’s not to replace operator judgment, it’s to enhance it,” she added.

Helen Toner, interim executive director at Georgetown University’s Center for Security and Emerging Technology, said those differing descriptions about AI in the military are both true.

“There are a huge number of potential uses for AI in these kinds of bureaucratic settings, which the U.S. military is actively exploring,” Toner said.

Lt. Gen. Michael Conley, head of Air Force Special Operations Command, told a congressional committee in May that his troops used AI “bots” to convert top secret intelligence down to a secret classification within seconds to make it easier to share with drone operators on the ground during the Iran war.

However, there is no doubt that AI also is helping the military find and strike targets.

The center that Toner oversees published a case study two years ago on how the Army’s 18th Airborne Corps used AI to target artillery strikes “just as efficiently as the best unit in recent American history” and with 2,000 fewer service members.

“Human operators are still the ones making crucial decisions, but AI … is making it possible to operate with a new level of speed and scale,” she said.

AI safety has created a public dispute between the Pentagon and Anthropic

The clash over the integration of AI into the military, who ultimately controls the technology and the ethics behind its use has played out in unusually public fashion during the Trump administration.

Hegseth and Anthropic are embroiled in a bitter contract dispute over the company’s concerns about unchecked government use of its technology, including the dangers of fully autonomous armed drones and of AI-assisted mass surveillance that could track dissent.

After CEO Dario Amodei refused to back down over concerns about how the chatbot Claude is used in classified Pentagon networks, both Trump and Hegseth accused Anthropic of endangering national security.

The Pentagon formally labeled the San Francisco-based company a supply chain risk — ending its $200 million defense contract and prohibited other government contractors from working with the company.

Anthropic sued, claiming the Pentagon is illegally retaliating by stigmatizing the company with a designation meant to protect against sabotage of national security systems by foreign adversaries. The Pentagon has since emphasized its turn to Anthropic rivals — including Google, OpenAI and SpaceX — to secure AI technology that can “augment warfighter decision-making in complex operational environments.”

Toner, a former OpenAI board member ousted after a clash with CEO Sam Altman, said “the general public often seems to underestimate the caution with which the U.S. military approaches new technologies.”

“Commanders want their missions to succeed, which means both being able to create lethal effects at scale, and avoiding unintended effects like friendly fire, civilian casualties, or simply identifying targets incorrectly,” she said.

PARIS (AP) — A huge crowd of supporters gathered peacefully near the Eiffel Tower on Sunday to celebrate Paris Saint-Germain’s second Champions League title victory, which was marred by violent clashes overnight across France and led police to detain hundreds of people.

Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said 780 people were detained in Paris and other cities and 57 officers were wounded, with most suffering minor injuries, as football fans set off fires and vandalized shops overnight.

Nuñez said at a news conference on Sunday that “the situation has been largely brought under control.”

“Most of the celebrations took place peacefully” across the French capital, he said, noting most incidents happened in the Champs Elysees neighborhood and close to the Parc des Princes stadium, in western Paris, where fans had gathered to watch the match.

Fans began celebrating in Paris after the final whistle on Saturday night in Budapest, Hungary, where Paris Saint-Germain was crowned Champions League winners after beating Arsenal in a dramatic penalty shootout. Fans marched along the avenues near Paris’ Arc de Triomphe monument, with some setting off flares and blaring car horns. Around 20,000 people gathered on the Champs-Elysees, where police worked to contain the crowd.

Planned celebrations for the team’s win on Sunday afternoon at the Champ de Mars, near the Eiffel Tower, went ahead as scheduled. Nunez warned that police would respond with “firmness and determination” to any potential violence.

With the Eiffel Tower as a backdrop, up to 100,000 supporters showed up at the event that was placed under high security measures. Returning from Budapest late, PSG players — led by captain Marquinhos, coach Luis Enrique and club president Nasser Al-Khelaifi — were greeted by cheering crowds as the club anthem blared from loudspeakers. The players took turns lifting the trophy aloft, relishing their heroes’ welcome back home.

Macron appeals for an end to violence

The team was then hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron at the Elysee presidential palace. Macron condemned the violence.

“I don’t want that we get used to it,” Macron said at the ceremony. “This is not soccer, this is not sport, this is not what we love. We will be uncompromising with those who have been caught. We do not want to see this happen again. It’s over. We’ve had enough. This must end.”

Nuñez said incidents took place in about 15 cities in France, describing “one to two” shops vandalized in each other than Paris. He said 780 people were detained in all, with 480 of them in the Paris area alone.

Police also intervened five times overnight to prevent people from blocking traffic on the main ring road around Paris, he said. In one accident, a driver lost control of a car that rammed into a restaurant’s terrace, leaving two people wounded including one seriously, Nuñez said. We will be uncompromising with those who have been caught. We do not want to see this happen again. It’s over. We’ve had enough. This must end.

Paris police detain hundreds

The Paris prosecutors’ office said 306 people have been formally taken into police custody, including 81 minors, for alleged offences. Most were for assault of police officers while other allegations include theft, vandalism and disturbing the public order. Some 40 police officers were injured.

The Paris police prefecture said smaller groups caused disturbances in various locations, with some vandalizing shops and setting fires to garbage and self-service bicycles in the streets. Cars were also set ablaze. Some who attempted to storm a police station in the posh 8th Arrondissement neighborhood were dispersed, police said.

“The vast majority of Parisians celebrated it with joy, unity, and respect,” Paris mayor Emmanuel Grégoire said on Sunday in a message on X, while condemning violence “in the strongest possible terms.”

Following PSG’s first Champions League title win in May 2025, 201 people were injured in the French capital and police made more than 500 arrests across France.

(AP) — Young audiences turned out in droves to movie theaters around the country this weekend. It wasn’t for the big budget “Star Wars” movie, “The Mandalorian and Grogu, ” which fell sharply in its second weekend, however, but for a small budget horror from a 20-year-old first-time filmmaker that began on the internet.

“Backrooms,” released by A24 in 3,442 locations in the U.S. and Canada, made an astonishing $81.5 million in its first three days in theaters, according to studio estimates on Sunday. That’s just a few hundred thousand dollars shy of what “The Mandalorian and Grogu” earned in its first three days last weekend; And “Backrooms,” which was directed and co-written by YouTube creator Kane Parsons, cost only $10 million to produce.

The wild success of “Backrooms” didn’t even hurt “Obsession,” which is also the directorial debut of a YouTuber, Curry Barker, who is only 26. Three weekends in, “Obsession,” a movie that cost less than $1 million to make, still hasn’t dropped below its opening weekend earnings. This weekend, it was up 10% with another $26.4 million for a second-place finish, leaving Star Wars, the legacy franchise movie from the veteran filmmaker and the Walt Disney Studios, in third with $25 million.

YouTube might not be the death of movie theaters after all. If this weekend is any indication, it could be the industry’s new great hope.

This is a weekend where theaters also hosted the debuts of “The Breadwinner,” a PG-rated family comedy starring the popular comedian Nate Bargatze, and “Pressure,” a solid World War II drama about the tense 72 hours before D-Day with Oscar-winner Brendan Fraser. But it was the 20-something YouTubers that drew the most crowds. And both “Backrooms” and “Obsession” were produced by Blumhouse-Atomic Monster.

Abhijay Prakash, the president of Blumhouse-Atomic Monster said that the weekend is both staggering and validation of their business, which has from the beginning championed original horror movies that appeal to younger audiences, and generated over $10 billion in box office to date.

He noted that they’ve made a point of looking for up and coming talent on YouTube and, knowing how Hollywood works, this weekend likely inspire a wave of copycats. But beyond that, he’s encouraged by the fact that the young creators who’ve already had enormous success online still value the cultural currency of theatrical movies.

“It’s a great sign of relevance for us,” Prakash said. “With some distance, we’ll probably look back at this as a real turning point.”

“Backrooms” started as a creepypasta — an internet-generated urban legend — before Parsons turned the concept, about a never-ending expanse of dull, depressing rooms and hallways, into a viral web series, which he made with the help of the open-source 3D graphics software Blender. It caught the attention of James Wan and Shawn Levy’s production companies who were interested in taking it to the next level; Soon a movie was in development with Chiwetel Ejiofor and Renate Reinsve starring.

It wasn’t just a domestic hit either; Including international showings, “Backrooms” has already made $118 million globally. A24 said Parsons is now the youngest director to have a No. 1 film globally. It’s also a record opening for the studio, whose previous high-water mark was “Civil War,” which opened to $25.5 million in 2024.

The R-rated film was well-reviewed by critics and drew a young and diverse crowd to theaters. According to exit polls, 86% of the audience was under 35, more than half were under 25 and 44% were under 21. Many attended in groups and there were reports of sold-out shows, packed theaters and repeat viewings. Audiences gave it a less-than-stellar B- CinemaScore, however.

But the buzz is still creating a frenzy of all ages, even teenagers, wanting to see “Backrooms.” Some theaters have even posted employees outside of the screens to make sure that anyone under 21 is accompanied by an adult. The same is true for the R-rated “Obsession,” which has now made $104.7 million in North America, and is now Focus Features’ highest grossing domestic release.

Luis Olloqui, the CEO of Cinépolis USA, which operates 26 theaters across the country — most of which are dine-in — said they’ve seen sellouts at many of their locations for both movies.

“We were a little worried that they would be competing for the same audience. It’s not the case,” Olloqui said. “It shows that when we have the right content, people from all ages are willing to go to the theater.”

“The Mandalorian and Grogu,” meanwhile, fell around 69% from its opening last weekend. The movie has now made $246.6 million globally.

“Michael” landed in fourth place with $11.7 million in its sixth weekend — the musical biopic has made $339.9 million domestically to date. “The Breadwinner,” released by Sony, rounded out the top five with an estimated $7.5 million. ”Pressure” opened in seventh place with $5.8 million.

Outside of the top 10 was the heist-romance “Tuner,” which expanded to 452 theaters in its second weekend, earning a solid $1.7 million.

“Everyone’s asking what’s the next big thing in Hollywood for movies, and what can bring people back to the movie theater? And this may be it,” said Paul Dergarabedian, the head of marketplace trends for Comscore.

BRUNSWICK COUNTY, NC (WWAY)– According to the Brunswick County Sheriff’s Office, the exit near the Battleship leading to US 421 is currently closed due to a motor vehicle crash.

Drivers should expect significant delays in the area and are encouraged to use alternate routes if possible.

Emergency personnel are on scene actively managing the incident. Motorists are urged to use caution, follow any posted detours, and allow extra travel time.

(ABC) –Reports of an explosion from people across New England Saturday afternoon sent police agencies and others scrambling to understand what caused a double boom that shook buildings in Massachusetts and Rhode Island.

The American Meteor Society said Saturday that the boom was actually a meteor about 3 feet wide entering the atmosphere around the New Hampshire border with Massachusetts, north of Boston.

Robert Lunsford, the Fireball Program Monitor with the society, said the group received dozens of reports from Delaware to Montreal with people either hearing the double boom, feeling the ground shake or seeing the fireball — which he said looks like a shooting star in the daytime sky.

“It was definitely bigger than a normal fireball, about a yard wide,” he said.

But Lunsford said it’s unlikely the meteor struck the ground.

“We would need more information about the trajectory the speed and other aspects to know for sure if it hit the ground, but if it didn’t burn up, then it would have landed in the ocean,” he said. “Most of them do burn up before they hit the ground.”

People in a handful of states posted on social media about feeling the buildings they were in shaking. Several videos posted on X also captured what sounded like two quick booms, with no fire, smoke or other visual causes around 2:30 p.m.

BOILING SPRING LAKES, NC (WWAY)– One of southeastern North Carolina’s most unique native plants took center stage in Boiling Spring Lakes this weekend. Families from across the area gathered to celebrate and learn more about the Venus flytrap during the town’s first-ever Venus Flytrap Festival.

The first-ever Venus Flytrap Festival drew hundreds of people to the Boiling Spring Lakes Community Center on Saturday.

Hosted by Boiling Spring Lakes Parks and Recreation, the family-friendly event celebrated one of the region’s most famous native plants—the Venus flytrap.

Families enjoyed a variety of activities throughout the day, including educational exhibits, local vendors, bounce houses, and interactive opportunities to learn about the carnivorous plant.

Organizers say the festival was designed to raise awareness about the Venus flytrap and its unique connection to southeastern North Carolina, the only place in the world where the plant naturally grows.

Visitors say they left with a greater appreciation for the rare species and the importance of protecting its habitat.

“The event is great. I learned you’re not supposed to dig the Venus flytraps, and that they really only grow in this region.”

Attendees could also take a tour on a new trail that will showcase Venus Flytraps and Pitcher plants.

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — The sound of bagpipes echoed through Wilmington and kilts were on full display as one of the area’s most unique festivals returned this weekend.

The fifth annual Port City Highland Games brought a taste of Scotland to the Cape Fear region, featuring traditional food, live music, cultural exhibits, and Highland athletic competitions.

Despite rainy conditions, dozens of attendees gathered to enjoy Scottish favorites like shepherd’s pie while watching athletes test their strength in events such as the caber toss, hammer throw, and weight throw.

Organizers say the Highland Games are about more than athletic competition. They hope the event helps preserve Scottish heritage, celebrate the area’s historical ties to Scotland, and bring the community together.

“It feels like a home away from home to come here. Especially as a Scottish person, I feel like I’m back home,” said Daniel Kelly. “It’s really nice to see so many people here and that, after 200 years, people are still celebrating their ancestry.”

This year’s event also benefited paws4vets, a program that helps connect veterans with service dogs and assistance programs.

(CBS) — President Trump signed an executive order Friday that directs the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to align with a scientific assessment released earlier this year by the Department of Health and Human Services that calls for fewer childhood vaccines.

The move comes after Mr. Trump in December issued a memo directing HHS to align U.S. childhood vaccine recommendations with “best practices from peer, developed countries.”

In early January, HHS released an assessment that determined the U.S. “recommends more childhood vaccines than any peer nation, and more than twice as many vaccine doses as some European nations.”

Following that assessment, the CDC, which is part of HHS, announced updated recommendations in January that would reduce the number of recommended immunizations for children from 17 to 11.

The move prompted heavy criticism from medical experts and health organizations, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, which subsequently chose to release its own childhood vaccine recommendations, breaking significantly with the CDC guidance.

Friday’s executive order directs the CDC and the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, or ACIP, to review HHS’ January “scientific assessment and the latest clinical data” and “take any appropriate steps to update the United States childhood and adolescent vaccine schedule.”

“By signing today’s Executive Order, President Trump is reaffirming his commitment to gold-standard science, ensuring Americans receive the best possible medical advice, and empowering patients and doctors with maximum flexibility,” the White House said in a fact sheet accompanying Friday’s order.

In the CDC’s January recommendations, it found that only children in high-risk categories should receive immunizations for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), hepatitis A, hepatitis B, dengue, meningococcal ACWY and meningococcal B.

The CDC kept recommendations in place for 11 childhood diseases: measles, mumps, rubella, pertussis (whooping cough), tetanus, diphtheria, Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib), pneumonia, polio, human papillomavirus, or HPV, and varicella, or chickenpox. (Some vaccines, such as the MMR shot for measles, mumps and rubella, protect against multiple diseases.)

In December, the CDC’s ACIP panel also issued a controversial recommendation on when children should get their first dose of the hepatitis B vaccine. For decades, it has been recommended that children receive the first dose within 24 hours of birth, but the panel voted to recommend that the first dose be delayed until a child is 2 months old if the mother tested negative for the virus.

The current ACIP panel was chosen by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a vaccine skeptic, after he ousted all 17 members of the previous panel. Several of the newest members have questioned established medical research on vaccines.

In March, a judge ruled against the new HHS childhood vaccine schedule recommendations in a lawsuit brought by the American Academy of Pediatrics and others, finding that Kennedy’s moves to appoint the new ACIP panel violated federal law. The judge also wrote that the government “disregarded” its traditional, scientifically grounded process for vaccine recommendations.

The Trump administration has argued that American children tend to be recommended for more vaccines than children in some other developed countries, particularly in Europe.

The American Academy of Pediatrics has argued that most developed countries have broadly similar practices, and any differences are due to country-specific factors.

“We don’t follow Denmark’s vaccine recommendations because we don’t live in Denmark,” Dr. Jose Romero, a member of the group’s committee on infectious diseases, said in a statement last year. “Children in the United States are at risk of different diseases than children in other countries. We also have a completely different health system.”

LOS ANGELES (ABC) — Marcia Lucas, who won an Oscar as editor of the original 1977 “Star Wars” and was part of a group of women whose editing was essential to film’s New Hollywood era, has died, a lawyer for her family said Friday. She was 80.

Lucas, who was married to “Star Wars” creator George Lucas from 1969 to 1983, died Wednesday from metastatic cancer, attorney Deidre Von Rock said in an email to The Associated Press. She died in Rancho Mirage, California, surrounded by loved ones, Von Rock said.

Marcia Lucas was the editor on 1983’s “Return of the Jedi” and the pre-“Star Wars” George Lucas-directed films “THX 1138” and “American Graffiti.”

She was also part of the editing team for director Martin Scorsese’s 1970s films “Taxi Driver,” “Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore” and “New York, New York.”

Editor was a rare senior creative position where a woman could find a foothold in Hollywood. Marcia Lucas became one of several women whose work in the editing chair made sense of the work of the overwhelmingly male directors of the New Hollywood of the late 1960s through the early 1980s, including Dede Allen, editor of “Bonnie and Clyde” and “Dog Day Afternoon”; Verna Fields, editor of “Paper Moon” and “Jaws”; and Thelma Schoonmaker, editor of most of Scorsese’s films starting with 1980’s “Raging Bull.”

Lucas was often called the unsung hero of “Star Wars,” the original film that after sequels, prequels and spinoffs has come to be known by its subtitle, “A New Hope.”

She convinced her then-husband that he should have Obi-Wan Kenobi, played by Alec Guinness, die in his lightsaber battle with Darth Vader and become a spirit guide to Mark Hamill’s Luke Skywalker.

And she had to make sense of raw footage that could have been a mess in the wrong hands, including the climactic rebel attack on the Death Star.

“It was extremely complex and we had 40,000 feet of dialogue footage of pilots saying this and that. And she had to cull through all that, and put in all the fighting as well,” George Lucas told Rolling Stone in an interview a few months after the film came out. “Nobody really has ever tried to interweave an actual plot story into a dogfight, and we were trying to do that.”

Lucas was born Marcia Griffin in Modesto, California shortly after the end of World War II. She moved to Los Angeles with her mother after her parents divorced when she was a small child.