Good morning. Here are some of the stories we’re following today:
1. Two police officers shot during Ferguson protest
In a sign that the St. Louis suburb remains a tinderbox, two officers were shot early Thursday during an overnight demonstration in Ferguson, Missouri, authorities said. Gunfire rang out as about 50 protesters and 30 police officers remained outside the Ferguson Police Department at a dwindling rally following the resignation of the embattled force's chief. St. Louis County Police Chief John Belmar said that it appeared that at least three shots were "directed exactly at" the officers. A 32-year-old officer was shot in the face and a 41-year-old officer was wounded in the shoulder with "very serious" injuries, Belmar said. Read more in NEWS.
2. Ferguson police chief latest to resign amid scandal
Police Chief Thomas Jackson resigned Wednesday, joining a string of city officials ousted in the wake of a Justice Department report that found a culture of racism in the police department and city offices. "The city of Ferguson looks to being an example of how a community can move forward in the face of adversity," Mayor James Knowles III told reporters Wednesday evening. Jackson's resignation — which the city said was a "mutual decision" — is effective March 19. Ferguson officials must find a replacement. Read more in NEWS.
3. 'Room for optimism' as 11 feared dead in military crash
Crews searched along the fog-shrouded Florida coast on Wednesday, but seven Marines and four soldiers were feared dead after an Army Black Hawk helicopter crashed during a nighttime training exercise. A spokesman at the Air Force base near where the chopper crashed, however, said crews were still in search-and-rescue mode even though a Pentagon official has said the 11 military members aboard are presumed dead. Eglin Air Force Base spokesman Mike Spaits had said the search will continue throughout the night, but an "operational pause" was announced just before 9 p.m. because of weather. Read more in NEWS.
4. Secret Service agents being investigated for White House incident
It's another black eye for the Secret Service. After a car crash at the White House this week, a senior administration official confirmed to NBC News that there is an investigation into the actions of two agents — including a top member of President Obama's protective detail. The probe is reviewing what happened on March 4, when the agents drove a government vehicle into a White House security gate. A Washington Post report on the investigation said the agents had been drinking at a party for a retiring Secret Service spokesman. Read more in NEWS.
5. Slain officer focus in Boston bombing trial
Jurors in the trial against Dzhokhar Tsarnaev got a glimpse into the final hours in the life of officer Sean Collier, who authorities say was killed by the Boston Marathon bombers in 2013. The chief of the MIT police on Wednesday recalled chatting with Collier on that fateful night he was murdered. I told him to be safe, and I left," Chief John DiFava testified. Tsarnaev's lawyers have conceded that he took part in the bombings but say he was influenced by his older brother, Tamerlan, who was killed in a police shootout. Read more in NEWS.
6. 'Still Alice' co-director dies after ALS battle
Richard Glatzer, who co-wrote and directed the Alzheimer's drama "Still Alice," died Tuesday at age 63. Glatzer was diagnosed in 2011 with ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's Disease, but took on the project of "Still Alice" in a very early stage of the illness. The film's star, Julieanne Moore, won an Oscar for best actress last month, although Glatzer and his husband, co-director Wash Westmoreland, watched the ceremony from a hospital room. Read more in POP CULTURE.
... What's trending today?
A Facebook group is condemning the way the American flag is being used in photos — essentially as a hammock for babies. The page claims that the flag is being disrespected as a prop, although not everyone agrees.