For the first time in more than a decade, visitors can access the ice caves within the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore on Lake Superior.

The National Park Service opened access to the popular winter attraction near Meyers Beach on Monday (Feb. 16). Visitors haven’t been able to safely hike across the frozen lake to view the icy cliffs since 2015.

Extreme cold snaps in January caused more than half of Lake Superior to freeze, allowing access to the caves as long as ice remains stable.

From our 2014 archives: Winter gives access to dramatic ice caves along Lake Superior

BriAnna Weldon, the lakeshore’s superintendent, said in a statement that few places offer an experience like the Apostle Islands ice caves.

“The ice caves are a rare and remarkable winter phenomenon,” Weldon said. “We know visitors are excited about the possibility of exploring the ice caves. Safety is our top priority, and conditions can change quickly on Lake Superior. Please check official sources before traveling.”

Park officials are closely monitoring a winter storm that’s expected to hit Tuesday afternoon with potential for high winds that could break up even thick ice. If conditions deteriorate, officials may close access to the ice caves.

In 2014, the ice caves created an estimated $10 to $12 million economic boon to the Bayfield area after people descended on the region when photos of ice formations on sandstone cliffs near Meyers Beach went viral on social media. The Apostle Islands drew in more than 290,000 visitors from across the world in 2014, of which more than half flocked to the park during the first three months.

Visitors should prepare to hike more than two miles round-trip on the frozen lake. They can access the ice caves from the trailhead at Meyers Beach. The parking lot there is closed. Park officials said those seeking to view the ice caves must use off-site parking lots and county-run shuttles provided by Bay Area Rural Transit.

People can use parking lots four to six miles southwest of Meyers Beach at the Bell Town Hall and Cornucopia Beach, as well as the Sand River Gravel Pit on state highway 13. The Wisconsin Department of Transportation said parking on the shoulder of the highway near Meyers Beach is prohibited while the ice caves remain open.

While recent days have been unseasonably warm, park officials advise people to dress for harsh winter weather and wear warm, waterproof boots with sufficient traction. Visitors should consider dressing in layers or using trekking poles, as well as bring water and snacks.

While recent days have been unseasonably warm, park officials advise people to dress for harsh winter weather and wear warm, waterproof boots with sufficient traction. Visitors should consider dressing in layers or using trekking poles, as well as bring water and snacks.

The Apostle Islands National Lakeshore charges a $5 daily fee to each person who visits the ice caves, which can be paid online at pay.gov. People must pay in cash for the $10 round-trip shuttle service to and from the icy spectacle. Separate fees for parking may also apply.

People can monitor the National Park Service website at nps.gov and Facebook page at facebook.com/apostleislandsnps for updates on conditions or call 715-779-3398 ext. 3.

This story was written by Wisconsin Public Radio, one of the partner news agencies of the Forum Communications Company.

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By STEPHEN WHYNO, AP Hockey Writer

MILAN (AP) — Connor Hellebuyck could not be doing much better midway through the Olympics.

“Is there more than 100%?” he asked with a laugh after backstopping the U.S. past Germany in the round-robin finale. “I feel good. It’s pretty hot out there. I’m sweating a lot now I have to stand around and do a bunch of (interviews), so I’m going to chill now. I guess I’m at 99% right now as we speak. But, yeah, I feel good out there.”

The Americans feel good about him. Hellebuyck showed in the preliminary round why he’s the U.S. starting goaltender in Milan, leading the tournament with a .952 save percentage and matching Canada’s Jordan Binnington for the best goals-against average at 1.00.

“He’s one of the best goalies in the world,” U.S. forward Matt Boldy said. “He’s confident. He wants to be in the net. He wants to make the saves and to make a big difference. He has the skills to back it up, but I think that attitude and how confident he is in himself and in his game is I think what makes him so great.”

Hellebuyck started two of the three group-play games and stopped 40 of the 42 shots he faced against Latvia and Germany. Jeremy Swayman was shaky against Denmark, but bounced back from allowing a goal from nearly center ice to get the win.

Jake Oettinger dressed once as the No. 3 netminder, with coach Mike Sullivan repeatedly saying how tough a decision he and his staff had at the position with three options just about any country would love to have.

It was always Hellebuyck. He was the guy at the 4 Nations Face-Off last year and is the reigning NHL MVP and Vezina Trophy winner as the league’s best goalie

“He’s won a lot of trophies,” winger Jake Guentzel said. “We feel good with him back there.”

Not tested a whole lot by Latvia, Hellebuyck was there when Leon Draisaitl, Moritz Seider, Tim Stützle and Germany had quality scoring chances. He allowed just one goal to Stützle, and Sullivan called it Hellebuyck’s best game yet.

“You could feel his confidence from the bench just watching him make the saves,” Sullivan said. “When he’s at his best, my observation of him is he has economy of motion, and a lot of pucks just hit him, and he makes it look easy the way he squares up to pucks, but his rebound control, he swallowed everything. There was no rebounds for Germany to have an opportunity to create a next play.”

Hellebuyck figures to be in the crease in the quarterfinals Wednesday night when the U.S. faces the winner of the qualification playoff between Sweden and Latvia. He feels in a good rhythm after playing twice in four days, with a little bit of rest before the next start.

“There was a conversation about how we wanted to go about things, and this just made the most sense,” Hellebuyck said.

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It never made sense for anyone but Hellebuyck to be the U.S. starter, even if his season with the Winnipeg Jets was not going all that well. He has a 2.79 goals-against average and a .900 save percentage after a league-best 2.00 and a .925 in 2024-25.

None of that matters at the Olympics, where his teammates are counting on Hellebuyck being the backbone of what they hope is a deep run.

“I expect just him being him,” defenseman Zach Werenski said. “We have full trust in him. I train with him in the summers. I know how hard it is to score on him consistently. He’s just super solid back there. He’s steady, doesn’t give up much, doesn’t give up any rebounds and it makes us have a calming presence in front of him.”

The U.S. is rolling into the quarterfinals after outscoring opponents 16-5. For all the scoring talent up front, the team needs Hellebuyck to be at his best the rest of the way given the difficulty level ratcheting up.

That should not faze Hellebuyck.

“He has so much fun out there, and I think for us seeing that, it just kind of gives us a boost of confidence because he’s just so steady in the net,” captain Auston Matthews said. “Never really seems like he’s in a panic or anything. He’s just in such good position and that’s why he’s one of the best in the world. That’s a guy that we’ve got a lot of faith in back there.”

AP Winter Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics

By COLLEEN BARRY

MILAN (AP) — Jordan Cowan hoists his camera mount and glides across the Olympic rink as figure skating competitors warm up and, later, take their bows. Dressed in an ice-white tuxedo, he is as inconspicuous as possible.

The former U.S. competitive ice dancer is the first camera operator on figure skating ice in Olympic history, capturing intimate moments that the overhead or sideboard cameras cannot. While he isn’t on the ice during the routines, Cowan skates backwards after each program to record up close what is often a raw moment of pure joy or disappointment for broadcast globally to viewers at home and on big screens for the arena spectators.

“To be the first person out on the ice at the end of their performance is such a privilege, and I definitely want them to feel their feelings,″ Cowan said in an interview before the pairs short program on Sunday. “The ice is a sacred place for a skater.”

At no moment during these Games were the contrasting emotions starker and Cowan’s job more delicate than after American skater Ilia Malinin’s two free program skates.

The 21-year-old punched excitedly at Cowan’s camera after he aced his long program in the team competition, helping Team USA clinch the gold medal. After Malinin botched his final free in the singles competition, Cowan kept his distance as the skater crumbled into a grimace of abject disappointment.

“I’m there to tell the audience, ‘It’s going to be OK, he’s still here.’ You know, you finish a program, you’re still alive. There’ll be another day. To see Ilia’s emotion really is just part of his story,” Cowan said.

While on-ice cameras have long been part of speed skating and hockey, Cowan has helped create the niche for figure skating.

After retiring from competitive skating in 2011, he worked in ballroom dancing and was inspired by how television motivated amateurs to learn new dances. He wanted the same for skating and so in 2018 he started his company, On Ice Perspectives, since when he has since been creating viral video moments from all levels of figure skating across his social media platforms.

At the Milan Cortina Winter Games he is working for the Olympic Broadcasting Services, which provides footage to national broadcasting rights holders. He has filmed three U.S. Championships, the 2021 world exhibition gala, and ice shows internationally.

Cowan loves when skaters engage with him as they leave the ice. Many realize he has a microphone and send messages to loved ones. They regularly make heart signs with their hands.

“For that brief window at the end of the program, when you get to take in the audience by yourself, by having this silent camera slowly available to you, it gives a special moment that we have never been able to capture before,” he said.

Cowan trains with Pilates and yoga to handle the camera while matching athletes’ speed. He has designed his own rig, starting with a light-weight steady camera mounted on an electronic stabilized gimbal, maintaining a level horizon no matter how much wind he catches. He’s added manual focus, cinema zoom and wireless transmission.

Besides the skate-on and skate-off moments during competition, he is also on the ice for the medals ceremonies and will be there for the closing gala when the top competitors perform their crowd-pleasing signature moves.

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The gala is a unique challenge, as he will have to read their moves to both stay out of their way and capture the moment. It’s a skill that competitive skaters pick up from training alongside teammates and competitors.

His skating abilities and familiarity with the athletes and their programs make it work. And to blend into the icy background as much as possible, Cowan has been experimenting with both gray and white skating looks.

“I’ve trained myself to be able to follow skaters without knowing the choreography,” he said. “They know they don’t have to look out for me, and I’m going to do everything I can to stay out of their way because safety is my number one priority. The perfect compliment I get is when the skaters say they didn’t even realize I was out there.”

By NICOLE WINFIELD, Associated Press

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Fancy a pizza with a view?

The Vatican is marking the 400th anniversary of the consecration of St. Peter’s Basilica with a host of visitor-friendly initiatives, including expanding access to its spectacular terrace and its snack bar in the shadow of Michelangelo’s great dome.

The Vatican on Monday outlined its plans to make better use of St. Peter’s and better redistribute the millions of people who pass through it each year, while at the same time protecting its artistic treasures.

Among the initiatives are a new online reservation system, to lessen the oftentimes hourslong wait to get into the basilica, and simultaneous translations for Masses in up to 60 languages. In addition, a new permanent exhibition tracing the history of the basilica is opening on the terrace, alongside an expanded snack bar for hungry pilgrims.

Recent reports in the Italian media about a bistro on the basilica’s terrace generated no shortage of raised eyebrows, amid questions about whether such a sacred place — the basilica houses the tomb of St. Peter — should be serving pizzas to tourists on the roof.

The existing snack bar is being nearly doubled in size.

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Cardinal Mauro Gambetti insisted Monday it was perfectly acceptable to provide a sandwich or drink, alongside bathrooms, to visitors to the basilica, especially those who have exerted themselves to visit the cupola of St. Peter’s, which was designed by Michelangelo.

To honor the Renaissance master is a related initiative: a new font available in Microsoft Office, entitled “Michelangelus,” is styled using his actual penmanship.

The basilica initiatives, sponsored by Italian energy giant ENI, are being rolled out to commemorate consecration in 1626 by Pope Urban VIII of St. Peter’s, which replaced an earlier basilica.

Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.