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(NEW YORK) — The new Stonewall National Monument Visitor Center will be the first LGBTQ+ visitor center within the National Park Service, and organizers are set to break ground on the new endeavor.

The center is set to open in the summer of 2024 and will take over the half of the Stonewall Inn that is no longer occupied by the bar on Christopher Street in New York City’s West Village.

The center will be led by Pride Live, a social advocacy and community engagement organization for the LGBTQ+ community.

“Our goal from the beginning has been to look at what can we do and how can we preserve, advance and celebrate the legacy of the Stonewall Rebellion,” said Ann Marie Gothard, president of the Pride Live Board of Directors, in an interview with ABC News.

The Stonewall Uprising of June 1969, which began as a police raid of a gay bar and turned into a dayslong protest, was the catalyst for the modern gay rights movement and is what Pride celebrations nationwide commemorate each year.

The Stonewall National Monument was designated as the first U.S. national monument dedicated to LGBTQ+ rights and history by President Barack Obama in 2016.

Gothard hopes the visitor center can be a gathering point, a “welcoming location for all people to really explore and experience LGBTQ history and culture.”

Gothard said it “could help to really bring people of differing minds together to learn about the LGBTQ history, as well as culture,” in a time when LGBTQ rights are under legislative attacks.

The site is expected to feature historical and art exhibits, as well as events and lecture series, hosted by LGBTQ creators and figures. They plan on hosting in-person and virtual tours of the spaces, as well.

The center will serve as the home base for a dedicated group of National Park Service Rangers, who will be focused on preserving the Stonewall National Monument, but it will mainly be managed by Pride Live.

“The designation of Stonewall as a National Monument is an important step in memorializing an invaluable historical landmark that represents courage, hope and triumph for the LGBTQ community,” Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland said in a statement.

The groundbreaking ceremony will be livestreamed on YouTube at 10:30 a.m. ET on June 24.

The Stonewall National Monument Visitor Center will be funded by donations.

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(BUFFALO, N.Y.) — The Supreme Court’s ruling Thursday striking down a New York State law limiting the right to carry a concealed handgun in public is drawing criticism from many in the state, including Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown.

“It is a disappointment and it is a dark day for sensible gun reform in this nation,” Brown told ABC News’ Linsey Davis during an interview for ABC News Live Prime.

This ruling comes weeks after 10 African Americans were gunned down on May 14 in a racially motivated mass shooting at a Tops supermarket in Buffalo, New York, and after many other mass shootings in the country. Brown added the ruling would only add to gun violence in the country and be another hurdle for law enforcement.

“I do see a concern for law enforcement. They will not know who is legally permitted to carry a weapon if there are more weapons being carried in a concealed fashion in the city of Buffalo, and across the state of New York and other communities across the country. It will make the job of law enforcement a lot more difficult,” Brown said.

While Brown is criticizing the ruling, other New York lawmakers are praising the decision.

“Today’s Supreme Court ruling upholds the Constitutional rights of law abiding citizens to keep and bear arms and correctly declares New York’s shameful attempt to shred Second Amendment rights on New Yorkers unconstitutional,” New York Congresswoman Elise Stefanik said in a statement shortly after the decision was announced.

Brown called her statement “absolutely wrong.”

“Far too many innocent Americans are losing their lives to gun violence. We don’t want to take away the rights of responsible gun owners. We certainly do not want to infringe on the Second Amendment, but it does make sense for there to be sensible gun reform that does not infringe on the rights of responsible gun owners and at the same time keeps average innocent Americans safe from unnecessary gun violence,” he said.

This ruling also coming on the heels of what could potentially be historical bipartisan gun reform legislation passage in Congress, gaining support from 15 Senate Republicans, including Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.

“The timing of this ruling is very difficult, particularly when you have a bipartisan group of United States senators that have advanced sensible gun reform after years of inaction in the Congress,” Brown said.

Legislation that was pressed upon after several mass shootings, most recently in Uvalde, Texas, would be the first time in nearly 30 years that Congress has acted on gun reform.

“It took tragedies like the mass shooting, the act of domestic terror that took place in Buffalo on May 14, and other mass shootings since that time to finally get Congress to take some action– and on the day when we are seeing further movement in Congress on sensible gun reform, this ruling comes down from the United States Supreme Court. It is a disappointment,” Brown said.

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(AUSTIN, Texas) — When she opened the door that one day in April, Sgt. Bishop Evans’ aunt, Felisha Pullen, said she knew instantly that her family’s worst fears had been realized. The 22-year-old Bishop they knew and loved was dead.

“The military doesn’t show up without the soldier, if they know where the soldier is,” Pullen said.

Evans, a sergeant with the Texas National Guard, died while assigned to Operation Lone Star, a border security joint initiative launched by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott in March 2021 to curb the influx of migrants entering the U.S. Abbott has dispatched thousands of state troopers and service members to dozens of counties near the border, with authorization to arrest migrants on trespassing charges if they are caught on private property in Val Verde and Kinney counties.

Evans, upon seeing two migrants drowning in the Rio Grande River one day, jumped into the water to attempt to rescue them, going beyond his duties. But he was swept away by the river’s current.

Evans’ body was found four days later on April 24, 2022.

“These things can happen even if he’s not in the military, but my heart hurts that he’s not with us,” Jo Ann Johnson, Evans’ grandmother, said. “That he had so much potential.”

Members of Evans’ family said they have yet to receive a report on the details of what exactly transpired.

“What I remember is him explaining that he was going down to guard the border,” Pullen said. “We knew the location that he was going to and what the mission pertained to. But that was pretty much it.”

An already controversial program, Operation Lone Star is now under increasing internal scrutiny for what critics are calling its unclear delineation of responsibilities, as well as insufficient training and resources for service members.

The Texas National Guard wrote in a statement to ABC News that water operations training was not provided because water rescues did not fall under the “purview” of the soldiers at security points.

“Because of the selflessness of Texas Guardsmen, the necessity for throw-ropes became apparent and were ordered,” they wrote. “Unfortunately, that equipment had not been delivered in time for Sgt. Evans to use it in his attempt to rescue the drowning migrants.”

Jason Featherston, a former senior enlisted leader in the Texas Guard who retired just as the operation was underway, said he is now speaking out about the program on behalf of the soldiers who would risk severe consequences if they did so themselves.

“It was a rush to put a number of soldiers on the border,” he said. “The magnitude of problems with pay and equipment with Operation Lone Star is more than I’ve ever seen.”

“I couldn’t plan to do a mission this bad ever,” he said.

The program also has taken a toll on service members’ mental and emotional health, according to Featherston. He said in January alone, 14 soldiers expressed thoughts of self-harm, though this went unreported.

Not long after Evans’ death, the Texas Legislature held a three-hour hearing with the program’s leaders, who requested additional funding and more mental health resources like behavioral health specialists.

To date, Texas has allocated nearly $4 billion in taxpayer funds to the operation, including an additional $500 million in funds approved by Abbott in late April.

A soldier recently deployed under Operation Lone Star, who spoke to ABC News on the condition that ABC News not name him or show his face, said the program is a “very political mission.”

“We’re here so the government can say, I put X amount of soldiers on the border to keep Texas safe so that he [Abbott] can get votes,” he said.

The governor’s office has not responded to ABC News’ requests for comment about the initiative. But Abbott claims it has successfully taken illegal drugs and criminals off the street.

Still grieving the loss of Evans, Pullen said her family now has a “new mission” to push for change.

“If it could happen to Bishop, then certainly it could happen to anyone,” she said. “Our military or any servicemen, and women that are down there for the purpose of this mission, let’s make sure they have what they need. Make sure it’s as safe as possible.”

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(AUSTIN) — U.S. Marshals found the black Jeep Grand Cherokee registered to Kaitlin Marie Armstrong, the Austin woman suspected of killing professional cyclist Anna Moriah Wilson in May, the law enforcement agency said Thursday.

Investigators with the U.S. Marshals Lone Star Fugitive Task Force discovered that Armstrong sold the car to a CarMax dealership in Austin on May 13 for $12,200. Armstrong received a check from CarMax just one day after she was questioned by police, they said.

Wilson was found bleeding and unconscious at a friend’s house on May 11 after suffering multiple gunshot wounds, according to police. Despite first-responders performing life-saving measures, she was pronounced dead. Police issued a warrant for Armstrong’s arrest and have been looking for her since last month. She faces a first-degree murder charge.

Colin Strickland, who has been dating and living with Armstrong for three years, dated Wilson during a brief break in their relationship. Strickland and Armstrong resumed dating after that. The day Wilson was killed, she had met with Strickland to go swimming, according to police.

Investigators said Armstrong went to Austin International Bergstrom Airport on May 14, where she boarded a flight to Houston Hobby Airport. Shen then took a connecting flight to New York LaGuardia Airport. Her last known location is the Newark Liberty International Airport where she was dropped off on May 18, according to U.S. Marshals.

Investigators say a source told them Armstrong was provided with transportation to the Newark airport on May 18, but upon searching outbound flights from the airport they found no flight reservations under her name.

The U.S. Marshals Service has elevated the case to “major” and is offering a reward of up to $5,000 in addition to the $1,000 reward from the Capital Area Crime Stoppers, for any information that leads to her arrest. An anonymous donor is also offering up to $15,000 in reward money for her arrest, according to the agency.

Investigators put out a warrant out for Armstrong’s arrest on May 25 for unlawful flight to avoid prosecution.

U.S. Marshals described Armstrong as 5 feet, 8 inches tall and weighs about 125 pounds. She has long, curly light brown hair and hazel eyes.

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(ST. MICHAEL, Minn.) — A 30-hour standoff involving Wright County sheriff’s deputies and a suspect carrying a rifle came to end when authorities stormed the home in St. Michael, Minnesota, on Wednesday night.

The standoff began after the sheriff’s office received a complaint that a man and woman were verbally arguing and the man was carrying a rifle.

The sheriff’s office said it received the gun complaint at 12:37 a.m. on Tuesday regarding a domestic situation. The residence then remained under surveillance until emergency response units arrived at approximately 2:50 p.m. on Tuesday. Authorities were on the scene into Wednesday night, according to the sheriff’s office.

Police identified the suspect as 39-year-old Brandon Gardas. He has active arrest warrants for domestic assault and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, according to the sheriff’s office.

The standoff came to an end at approximately 8:30 p.m. Wednesday after law enforcement entered Gardas’ home. Officers shot Gardas upon entering the residence, police said.

He was airlifted to an area hospital and his condition is unknown. No police officers were injured.

Gardas fired several rounds at law enforcement during the standoff, authorities said.

Police said the area surrounding the home will remain secured for investigative purposes and asked the public to stay away from that area. Earlier Wednesday, police had told people in the immediate vicinity of the home to evacuate due to the “volatile nature” of the incident and said they rerouted several roads in the area for public safety.

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(WASHINGTON) — Yellowstone National Park reopened three of its five entrances to visitors on Wednesday after unprecedented flooding closed the park on June 13 and reshaped many of its rivers, canyons and roads.

The south loop’s Cody, West Yellowstone and Grand Teton/Jackson entrances opened at 8 a.m. on Wednesday. The Madison, Old Faithful, Grant Village, Lake Village, Canyon Village and Norris areas of the park will again become accessible to visitors.

The park’s northern region, including Lamar Valley and Mammoth Hot Springs, will remain closed until at least early July, park officials said.

Many of the park’s famous wildlife-viewing areas will also be unavailable to visitors returning to the south loop region of the park.

Main routes into the Montana tourist towns of Gardiner, Red Lodge and Cooke City continue to be closed off.

A statement from the National Park Service said that park staff have engaged over 1,000 business owners, park partners, commercial operators and residents in the surrounding gateway communities to help create a plan for how to manage summer visitation while the park’s north loop remains closed.

“It is impossible to reopen only one loop in the summer without implementing some type of system to manage visitation,” the park’s superintendent, Cam Sholly, said in a statement.

The park has subsequently instituted an interim visitor access plan, coined the Alternating License Plate System (ALPS), to balance the demand for visitor access, park resource protection and economic interests of the local communities.

Park officials said the plan was suggested by those from gateway communities during a major public engagement with the park last week. They added that the National Park Service will actively monitor the new system while also building a new reservation system that can be implemented if needed.

According to ALPS, visitation will essentially be monitored based on a vehicle’s license plate.

For public vehicle entry, it will not matter if the last numerical digit on the plate is odd or even. For all others, entrance will be granted based on the odd and even numbered days of the calendar month, so that odd-numbered ending license plates will be able to enter on odd days and vice versa for those ending in even numbers.

For vehicles with personalized license plates that only contain letters, entry will be granted along with odd-numbered ending plates. Vehicles with a combination of letters and numbers that end in a letter will be granted entry on even-numbered days.

Park officials have stated that under this new plan, entrance station staff will turn away vehicles that do not follow the odd-even structure.

There are some exceptions. For one, current commercial use operators with active commercial use permits can enter on any day, including those with commercial tours and stock groups. Commercial motor coaches will also be permitted to enter regardless of their license plate makeup.

Visitors who have proof of overnight reservations in the park’s hotels, campgrounds and backcountry reservations may also be permitted entry regardless of the day’s number status. Essential services such as mail, employees and contractors will be able to enter any day as well.

Regardless of license plates, motorcycle groups will only be permitted into the park on even days.

The ALPS plan is temporary, as the park braces for its summer season while managing its partial-capacity status.

Sholly said that as repairs continue across the park, park officials will work to reopen new sections throughout the summer.

“It is critical for visitors to stay informed about this interim system as we evaluate its effectiveness. They should plan ahead and be patient with us as we are still managing significant recovery while moving into this operational phase,” Sholly said.

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(ATLANTA) — Extreme heat is forcing the Atlanta Zoo to close its gates early on Wednesday and Thursday.

The heat index — what temperature it feels like — is forecast to skyrocket Wednesday to 100 degrees in Atlanta.

Some animals who call the Atlanta Zoo home may be brought inside earlier in the day than usual because of the high temperatures, said Rachel Davis, the zoo’s director of communications. Animals also have access to shade or water features like water-mist fans, she said.

“The Animal Care Teams carefully monitor and check in on all animal habitats at multiple times throughout the day,” Davis told ABC News via email. Some “are native to tropical environments in Africa or southeast Asia. Others, like giant pandas, which are native to cool, high-altitude forests in China, would already, just by virtue of the season, be spending time in their indoor dayroom habitats, which are kept in the 60s Fahrenheit year-round.”

Some zoo residents even get to indulge in frozen treats!

“These vary among species and their diets — for example, for gorillas it might be frozen fruit juice,” Davis said.

The zoo said its last entry time for Wednesday and Thursday will be 12:30 to 1 p.m, with normal hours expected to resume Friday.

Click here for tips on how to stay safe in the heat.

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(LOGAN COUNTY, W. Va.) — Six people reportedly died in a helicopter crash in West Virginia on Wednesday.

The Bell UH-1B helicopter crashed by Route 17 in Logan County around 5 p.m., according to the Federal Aviation Administration, which also said six people were on board. Emergency service personnel responded to the scene.

The six people were killed, Logan County Office of Emergency Management Deputy Director Sonya Porter told ABC News affiliate WCHS.

It’s unclear what caused the crash, but there was a severe thunderstorm watch for Logan County at the time of the incident, according to the county’s office of emergency management.

The National Transportation Safety Board and the FAA are investigating the incident.

This is a developing story, please check back for updates.

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(SAN FRANCISCO) — The search continued Thursday for a gunman who shot two people, one fatally, on a packed Muni commuter train in San Francisco on Wednesday, police said.

The shooting occurred around 10 a.m. as the light-rail train was moving between stations, according to San Francisco Police Department spokesperson Kathryn Winters.

Winters said police were initially called to the city’s Forest Hill Muni station for a report of a shooting, but the train had already pulled away. Officers caught up to the train at the busy Castro Street Station, where they discovered the two victims, Winters said.

Police late Wednesday released a photo of a person of interest connected to the shooting.

Winters said the gunman and commuters aboard the train ran off as soon as it stopped and the doors opened at the station.

Winters said one victim, a man, was pronounced dead at the scene. A second individual was taken to Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center with non-life-threatening injuries.

The shooting happened ahead of this Sunday’s Pride Parade in San Francisco and in the heart of the city’s popular Castro District, which is expected to be filled with revelers celebrating LGBTQ pride this weekend. Winters said preliminary evidence showed that the shooting has no connection to this coming weekend’s activities or directed at the city’s LGBTQ community.

San Francisco Supervisor Myrna Melgar told ABC station KGO-TV in San Francisco that police informed her that the shooting occurred during a confrontation the gunman had with the victim who died.

“We do know the shooting happened after a heated verbal argument,” Melgar said.

It was not immediately clear whether the gunman and the deceased victim knew each other. She said the second victim who was wounded was an innocent bystander.

Winters said on Wednesday that homicide detectives were securing surveillance video from the train and the Forest Hill and Castro stations in hopes there was footage of the shooting that could help them identify the assailant.

Police had released a vague description of the perpetrator, saying he was a man wearing dark clothes and a hooded sweatshirt.

Melgar asked any commuters who were on the train and witnessed the shooting to contact police immediately.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

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(SARASOTA COUNTY, Fla.) — A Florida judge told lawyers for the parents of Gabby Petito and Brian Laundrie that he will make a decision on whether he will dismiss a civil lawsuit brought by the Petitos in the next few weeks. The two sides appeared in Sarasota County Court on Wednesday.

Joseph Petito and Nichole Schmidt, the parents of Gabby Petito, brought a lawsuit against Christopher and Roberta Laundrie after their daughter was murdered. The Petitos claim in the lawsuit that Brian Laundrie, Petito’s boyfriend, told his parents he had killed her before he returned home alone from their trip out West.

The Laundries filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit.

In court filings, lawyers for the Petitos claim the Laundries failed to disclose that Petito was killed or where her body was and then went on a vacation with their son after she was killed.

In a hearing held over Zoom, Matthew Luka, a lawyer for the Laundries, argued that the law did not oblige them to disclose any information on Gabby Petito and that they had a first amendment right not to speak.

Patrick Riley, a lawyer for Petito’s parents, told the judge the case was about Laundrie parents’ conduct after they found out that Gabby Petito was killed by their son. Riley alleged that the Laundries knew on Aug. 28 that Gabby Petito was killed, where the body was and that her family was desperately looking for information. The family then knowingly went on vacation with Brian Laundrie, Riley alleged.

Riley also alleged that a statement made by a lawyer for the Laundries saying they hope Gabby Petito is found was made while they knew she was dead and that her body was in a different location than where investigators were searching at the time.

Riley claimed first amendment protections does not apply in this case.

Judge Hunter Carroll also held a hearing in a wrongful death suit filed by Gabby Petito’s mother. Schmidt is seeking damages in excess of $30,000 and is demanding a trial by jury. Riley said he is awaiting a response from representatives for the estate before the case could move forward.

Petito and Brian Laundrie were on a cross-county trip last year, documenting their travels on social media. Petito suddenly disappeared on Aug. 25. Brian Laundrie returned home to North Port, Florida, alone.

Eleven days into the search, Petito’s body was found in a remote area in a national park in Wyoming in September. The cause of death was ruled to be strangulation.

In January, the FBI concluded that Petito was murdered by Brian Laundrie, saying that Laundrie wrote in a notebook that he killed her. The notebook was found near his body, along with a backpack and a gun.

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