Good morning, and happy Wednesday. Here are some of the stories we're following today:
1. Ferry capsizes off South Korea, hundreds still missing
A ferry carrying nearly 300 people, mostly high school students, sunk as it traveled to the southern tourist island of Jeju. A distress call was received at 9 a.m. local time today (8 p.m. ET Tuesday), and at least four people have died. Another 164 people have been rescued, while 291 remain unaccounted for. Read more in NEWS.
2. Submarine setback delays missing jet search
The unmanned sub known as Bluefin-21 had to resurface from its Indian Ocean search earlier than expected today — for a second day in a row — because of a “technical issue,” officials said. They didn’t detail what the issue was, but on Tuesday, the vessel also stopped its search sooner than expected after it exceeded its “operation depth limit.” Officials warn that it could take months before Bluefin-21 completes it scan of the ocean floor in an effort to find missing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370. Read more in NEWS.
3. Unattended backpacks leave Boston jittery ahead of marathon
Boston police responded to two separate incidents of unattended bags left on the streets on Tuesday — on the one-year anniversary of the city’s marathon bombing. One bag had been left by a media outlet, while the other was likely a hoax, authorities said. A man was arrested in connection with that second backpack.This year’s Boston Marathon will be held Monday, and security will be extremely tight, officials warn. Read more in NEWS.
Tuesday's anniversary brought a flood of emotions back to Boston:
4. Ukraine warns Russia wants to build ‘new Berlin Wall’
Ukraine’s Western-backed prime minister is accusing Russian President Vladimir Putin of trying to export terrorism into eastern Ukraine, where pro-Russian separatists are in a showdown with the government. “It is now clear that our Russian neighbors have decided to build a new Berlin Wall and return to the Cold War era,” Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk said today. Read more in NEWS.
5. Spring snow, frost and freezing temps break records
And we thought we left the bitter cold behind. A wintry blast in mid-April had some in the Northeast waking up to snow and frost this morning, as a mass of cold air has reached as far south as Louisiana. Falling flakes in Detroit this week also managed to shatter snowfall totals for the season. Read more in NEWS.
Part of Michigan saw subzero temperatures this morning:
6. Lone wolves can pose greater danger than hate groups
The Southern Poverty Law Center says people acting alone are “the most dangerous group out there.” Concerns about hate crime attacks reached a fevered pitch Sunday, when 73-year-old former Ku Klux Klan leader Frazier Glenn Cross fatally shot three people near Jewish community centers in Overland, Kan., police said. He was charged with capital murder and could face the death penalty. Read more in INVESTIGATIONS.
… What’s trending today?
A Nebraska boy managed to claw his way into an arcade vending machine, and a picture of him calmly playing inside of it has gone viral.
The 3-year-old boy’s mother said he had slipped out of their Lincoln apartment on Monday and wandered to a nearby bowling alley, where he wedged himself inside the Bear Claw machine. Police were able to pluck him out, and for his troubles, the tot was given one of the machine’s stuffed toys.