By JONATHAN MATTISE and OBED LAMY

McEWEN, Tenn. (AP) — Authorities on Monday identified the 16 people killed in a devastating blast at a rural Tennessee explosives plant last week, as investigators promised a painstaking process to figure out what happened by tracking down pieces of evidence that may now be miles apart.

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Her husband was deported to Mexico. Unwilling to remain apart, she left the US to join him.

At a news conference, Humphreys County Sheriff Chris Davis said people in the tight-knit community probably at least knew relatives of the victims killed in the explosion Friday at the plant owned by Accurate Energetic Systems. The company supplies and researches explosives for the military and is a well-known employer in the area.

“It’s just small county, rural America, where everybody knows each other and everybody’s gonna take care of each other,” Davis said.

Victims mourned

Even as people turned to Sunday worship services to process their grief, one congregation was mourning the loss of their pastor in the explosion.

Trent Stewart was the pastor at The Log Church in Waverly, where Sunday school and worship was canceled this weekend and replaced with a time of prayer in the sanctuary, the church’s associate pastor, Charlie Musick, posted on social media.

The church hosted a “packed out house” Sunday, Stewart’s fiance, Katy Stover, said on social media.

“I know this would have absolutely thrilled Trent,” she wrote. “We appreciate everyone who came and we hope everyone will join us again next Sunday. It brought a smile to my face and tears to my eyes to see how many people showed up to honor Trent and all the other families.”

People console each other during a candlelight vigil honoring the victims of a blast at an explosives plant, Accurate Energetic Systems, Sunday, Oct. 12, 2025, in Waverly, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

She wrote in a prior post that Stewart made her “laugh until I couldn’t breathe and he was truly my best friend, my soulmate, and my person.”

Reyna Gillahan, another victim, had dreamed of paying off her home and keeping it in the family, so her daughter, Rosalina Gillahan, began fundraising after the explosion. It was one of several fundraisers for families who lost loved ones.

“She was a beautiful soul — loving, strong, and always thinking of others before herself,” Rosalina Gillahan posted on social media about her mother.

The sheriffs of Humphreys and Hickman counties read off the names of the victims at Monday’s news conference. The others were: Jason Adams; Billy Baker; Christopher Clark; James Cook; LaTeisha Mays; Melinda Rainey; Steven Wright; Erick Anderson; Adam Boatman; Mindy Clifton; Jeremy Moore; Melissa Stafford; Rachel Woodall; and Donald Yowell.

The task to investigate the cause

The initial blast was felt for more than 20 miles, leaving a smoldering wreck of twisted and charred metal and burned-out vehicles at the plant. Authorities said there were no survivors.

Authorities said they are working to clear the area of hazards, including explosives, and to identify remains.

Humphreys County Sheriff Chris Davis, right, stands beside Hickman County Sheriff J. Craft as they respond to questions from reporters at a news conference Monday, Oct. 13, 2025, in McEwen, Tenn., at Accurate Energetic Systems. (AP Photo/Obed Lamy)

Once the area is clear, authorities can start investigating what caused the explosion, said Matthew Belew, acting special agent in charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Some of the relevant evidence is spread out over miles, Belew said.

“It’s almost like putting a puzzle back together,” Belew said. “We have worked closely with AES to know to look at pictures, look at blueprints, any of the identifying things that were in the building. And then we slowly methodically start to put some of that stuff together.”

Company has big presence in rural area

Accurate Energetic Systems’ 1,300-acre complex in a heavily wooded area of middle Tennessee is made up of eight different specialized production buildings and a lab. It straddles the Hickman and Humphreys county line in unincorporated Bucksnort, about 60 miles southwest of Nashville. It employs 115 people, according to the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development.

An entry level job at Accurate Energetic Systems pays between $19 and $21 an hour depending on which shift a worker is on, according to a job ad the company posted last month. The jobs require only a high school diploma and some mechanical aptitude, making them better paid than jobs with similar education requirements.

Christina Williams, right, hugs Tracy Cook during a candlelight vigil honoring the victims of a blast at an explosives plant, Accurate Energetic Systems, Sunday, Oct. 12, 2025, in Waverly, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Vincent Coates, who is a deacon at the Maple Valley Baptist Church about three miles from the explosion, said he’s always heard good things about working at Accurate.

Most people who live in the area must drive to another town for work, so the company was a good option, he said.

“If you don’t want to travel very far, that was one of the better paying jobs that was pretty close and be able to stay within driving distance of the house. And not have to spend 45 minutes on the interstate getting to Franklin or an hour getting to Nashville,” Coates said.

Creighton University economist Ernie Goss said avoiding a long commute would have made the job more attractive, plus the pay may have been higher because of the nature of the work.

“When you put it all together, those jobs were pretty desirable in the sense that those workers should have been compensated for the danger there,” Goss said.

Mattise reported from Nashville, Tennessee. Josh Funk contributed from Omaha, Nebraska.

After missing the past few weeks with a high ankle sprain, quarterback J.J. McCarthy returned to practice Monday at TCO Performance Center. It marked the first time he has practiced with the Vikings since suffering the injury last month.

Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy (9) picks himself up off the turf after a play against the Atlanta Falcons late in the fourth quarter of a NFL game at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis on Sunday, Sept. 14, 2025. The Atlanta Falcons beat the Minnesota Vikings, 22-6. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)

Will he start for the Vikings against the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday at U.S. Bank Stadium? That remains to be seen.

Asked if McCarthy would be available to play this weekend, head coach Kevin O’Connell chose not to speculate.

“I don’t necessarily want to put a percentage on where I think he’s at healthwise,” O’Connell said. “I think this week will be massive for our whole team to see J.J. back out there getting reps and working through the process of building that foundation back up.”

Though the Vikings were off on bye last week, meaning players were free to do whatever they wanted, McCarthy hung around the area to get work in. A good chunk of it centered on the fundamentals and techniques that go into playing the position at the highest level.

“It was great to get back on the grass,” O’Connell said. “We had some good sessions out there kind of getting back to a lot of the principles of lower body mechanics.”

That was an issue for McCarthy earlier this season. He didn’t always look comfortable when dropping back to pass, and while some of that stemmed from issues on the offensive line, the results spoke for themselves in the win over Chicago and in the loss to Atlanta.

Not only did McCarthy struggle to move the ball with consistency, completing 58.5 percent of his passes for 301 yards, he often held on to the ball too long. His average time from snap to throw is 3.15 seconds, according to Next Gen Stats, which indicates he wasn’t as decisive as he needed to be.

In comparison, veteran quarterback Carson Wentz has gotten the ball out of his hands much quicker. His average time from snap to throw is 2.55 seconds.

As he reflected on the past few weeks, O’Connell noted it has been valuable for McCarthy to see how Wentz has run the offense, especially when it comes to how everything functions from the standpoint of rhythm and timing.

As for whether it would be McCarthy or Wentz under center this weekend, O’Connell made it clear he would make the decision he feels gives the Vikings the best chance to beat the Eagles.

“We’ve got to prepare to try to win a game,” O’Connell said. “We really want to get our team ready to go, and in the process of doing that, J.J. has his plan of attack that we want to try to make sure we maximize.”

Briefly

The return of linebacker Blake Cashman could be coming sooner rather than later. After being placed on injured reserve with a hamstring injury last month, Cashman recently had his 21-day practice window opened. That is an important step in him returning. Though it’s unclear if Cashman will be able to play Sunday, he’s trending in the right direction after returning to practice.

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CHICAGO (AP) — Latino leaders expressed dismay Saturday over recent immigration enforcement operations in Chicago that resulted in a fatal shooting during a traffic stop, the arrest of an immigrant at a barbershop and a tense standoff between protesters and agents at an immigration processing facility.

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Her husband was deported to Mexico. Unwilling to remain apart, she left the US to join him.

An Immigration, Customs and Enforcement officer fatally shot a man who tried to evade arrest Friday by driving his car at officers and dragging one of them, officials said. The man, Silverio Villegas-Gonzalez, was pronounced dead at a hospital.

On the same day, Willian Gimenez was pulled over while driving in Chicago’s Little Village neighborhood and detained by ICE agents. Kevin Herrera, Gimenez’s attorney, said he believes it was retaliation for his involvement in a lawsuit against Chicago leaders, Home Depot and an off-duty police officer for their actions toward immigrant workers.

Herrera said Gimenez has a work permit and is going through the process of pursuing an asylum claim.

In a statement Saturday, immigration authorities said Gimenez was arrested for being in the country illegally.

“No one is above the law. Gimenez Gonzalez is an illegal alien with charges for criminal trespassing and a history of not showing up to court, including when he failed to appear in immigration court in April of last year, after which an immigration judge ordered him removed from the country,” the statement said.

Law enforcement personnel investigate after the Department of Homeland Security said an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent fatally shot a man in the Franklin Park suburb of Chicago on Friday, Sept. 12, 2025. (Candace Dane Chambers/Chicago Sun-Times via AP)

During a morning news conference outside an ICE facility in the Chicago suburb of Broadview, Rep. Chuy Garcia, a Democrat, said the incidents are troubling.

“These incidents make us all ask, if ICE can kill one of our neighbors in broad daylight … if they can arrest someone for joining a lawsuit or simply for being Latino, what’s to stop them from getting any one of us?” Garcia said.

A planned 12-hour protest Friday outside the facility included several clashes between participants and officers wearing face coverings, helmets and later gas masks. The facility has seen regular demonstrations in response to increased immigration enforcement.

Rep. Delia Ramirez, also a Democrat, said she will demand a thorough investigation of the traffic stop that led to Villegas-Gonzalez’s fatal shooting and called for community unity.

Law enforcement personnel investigate after the Department of Homeland Security said an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent fatally shot a man in the Franklin Park suburb of Chicago on Friday, Sept. 12, 2025. (Candace Dane Chambers/Chicago Sun-Times via AP)

The Department of Homeland Security’s campaign, labeled “ Operation Midway Blitz,” targets so-called sanctuary laws in the state.

“This ICE operation will target the criminal illegal aliens who flocked to Chicago and Illinois because they knew Governor Pritzker and his sanctuary policies would protect them and allow them to roam free on American streets,” DHS said in a statement.

Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker has been one of the most vocal opponents of the Trump administration’s immigration operations in Chicago.

The recent incidents have also raised fears in immigrant-heavy neighborhoods about celebrations for Mexican Independence Day on Sept. 16.

By DAVID BAUDER

News organizations including The New York Times, The Associated Press and the conservative Newsmax television network said Monday they will not sign a Defense Department document about its new press rules, making it likely the Trump administration will evict their reporters from the Pentagon.

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Her husband was deported to Mexico. Unwilling to remain apart, she left the US to join him.

1.4M lawfully present immigrants could lose subsidized health coverage

Those outlets say the policy threatens to punish them for routine news gathering protected by the First Amendment. The Washington Post and The Atlantic on Monday also publicly joined the group that says it will not be signing.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth reacted by posting the Times’ statement on X and adding a hand-waving emoji. His team has said that reporters who don’t acknowledge the policy in writing by Tuesday must turn in badges admitting them to the Pentagon and clear out their workspaces the next day.

The new rules bar journalist access to large swaths of the Pentagon without an escort and say Hegseth can revoke press access to reporters who ask anyone in the Defense Department for information — classified or otherwise — that he has not approved for release.

Newsmax, whose on-air journalists are generally supportive of President Donald Trump’s administration, said that “we believe the requirements are unnecessary and onerous and hope that the Pentagon will review the matter further.”

Chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said the rules establish “common sense media procedures.”

“The policy does not ask for them to agree, just to acknowledge that they understand what our policy is,” Parnell said. “This has caused reporters to have a full blown meltdown, crying victim online. We stand by our policy because it’s what’s best for our troops and the national security of this country.”

Hegseth also reposted a question from a follower who asked, “Is this because they can’t roam the Pentagon freely? Do they believe they deserve unrestricted access to a highly classified military installation under the First Amendment?”

Hegseth answered, “yes.” Reporters say neither of those assertions is true.

Pentagon reporters say signing the statement amounts to admitting that reporting any information that hasn’t been government-approved is harming national security. “That’s simply not true,” said David Schulz, director of Yale University’s Media Freedom & Information Access Clinic.

Journalists have said they’ve long worn badges and don’t access classified areas, nor do they report information that risks putting any Americans in harm’s way.

“The Pentagon certainly has the right to make its own policies, within the constraints of the law,” the Pentagon Press Association said in a statement on Monday. “There is no need or justification, however, for it to require reporters to affirm their understanding of vague, likely unconstitutional policies as a precondition to reporting from Pentagon facilities.”

Noting that taxpayers pay nearly $1 trillion annually to the U.S. military, Times Washington bureau chief Richard Stevenson said “the public has a right to know how the government and military are operating.”

Trump has applied pressure on news organizations in several ways, with ABC News and CBS News settling lawsuits related to their coverage. Trump has also filed lawsuits against The New York Times and Wall Street Journal and moved to choke off funding for government-run services like the Voice of America and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.

David Bauder writes about the media for the AP. Follow him at http://x.com/dbauder and https://bsky.app/profile/dbauder.bsky.social