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Wooden pilings beneath Hudson-Athens Lighthouse are deteriorating, and the structure, built in the middle of the river when steamboats still plied the water, is beginning to shift. Cracks are apparent on the brick building and its granite foundation.

While there are other endangered lighthouses around the nation, the peril to this one 100 miles 161 (kilometers) north of New York City is so dire the National Trust for Historic Preservation placed Hudson-Athens on its 2024 list of the country’s 11 most endangered historic places. Advocates say that if action isn’t taken soon, yet another historic lighthouse could potentially be lost in the coming years.

“All four corners will begin to come down, and then you’ll have a pile of rock in the middle. And ultimately it will topple into the river,” Van Calhoun of the Hudson-Athens Lighthouse Preservation Society said during a recent visit.

The society is trying to quickly raise money to place a submerged steel curtain around the lighthouse, an ambitious preservation project that could cost up to $10 million. Their goal is to save a prominent symbol of the river’s centuries-long history as a busy waterway. While the Hudson River was once home to more than a dozen lighthouses, only seven still stand.

Elsewhere, there’s a similar story of lost history.

Across the United States, there were around 1,500 lighthouses at the beginning of the 20th century. Only about 800 of them remain, said U.S. Lighthouse Society executive director Jeff Gales. He said many of the structures deteriorated after they were automated, a process that became more common by the 1940s.

“Lighthouses were built to have human beings taking care of them,” Gales said. “And when you seal them up and take the human factor out, that’s when they really start falling into disrepair.”

The Hudson-Athens Lighthouse began operating in 1874 offshore from the city of Hudson, and was eventually co-named for the village of Athens on the other side of the river. It was built to help keep boats from running aground on nearby mud flats, which were submerged at high tide.

“There were shipwrecks because they couldn’t see the sandbar. And so that’s why this lighthouse was put in the middle of the river, unlike most that are on the shoreline,” said preservation society president Kristin Gamble.

The lighthouse is still in use, though now with an automated LED beacon. The preservation society owns the building and maintains it as a museum.

The last full-time keeper, Emil Brunner, retired in 1949 when the lighthouse became automated. He lived there with his family for much of his tenure. One of his daughters recalled rowing to school and, in the winter, walking across the ice on a safe path marked by her father’s tobacco juice stains on the frozen surface. Brunner also is portrayed on a 1946 Saturday Evening Post cover painting rowing with a child, Christmas presents and a tree in tow, as his wife and other children await their arrival on the lighthouse landing.

Visitors who are ferried to the lighthouse today can explore the keeper’s quarters, which are modest but feature river views from every window. And they can climb up the tight spiral staircase to the tower to take in a unique panorama view of the river and the Catskill Mountains to the west.

Roof work on the lighthouse is underway this summer, but repairs to the building will ultimately mean little unless workers address damage to some of the 200 wood pilings packed in mud that hold the lighthouse above water. The support structure has weathered 150 years of currents and ice. But large commercial ships of the modern era — with their big propellors — introduce new problems.

“They create a turbulence that’s like being inside a washing machine. And that turbulence actually comes underneath and pulls — churns up — the soil underneath us and sucks it away,” Calhoun said. “In fact, there are boulders as big as your car that are 100 feet out in that river that used to be right next to us.”

The underwater agitation washes away mud around the pilings, leaving them exposed to water. And that accelerates decay of the wood. Engineers estimate the structure could begin to tilt in three to five years, which Gamble said would be “the beginning of the end.”

The proposed ring of corrugated steel would shield the structure from that turbulence. The 100-foot (31-meter) diameter circle, which would project above the water line, would be filled in and covered by a deck, enlarging the area around the lighthouse.

The preservation group is optimistic about getting federal money to help pay for the project. Both of New York’s U.S. senators, Democrats Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, support the effort, as does local Republican congressional representative, Marc Molinaro.

Though the project is pricey, Gamble said it would not only save the lighthouse from being lost to time, but would protect the 19th century beacon for generations to come.

“We need, basically, the 100-year fix,” she said.

Wooden pilings beneath Hudson-Athens Lighthouse are deteriorating, and the structure, built in the middle of the river when steamboats still plied the water, is beginning to shift. Cracks are apparent on the brick building and its granite foundation.

While there are other endangered lighthouses around the nation, the peril to this one 100 miles 161 (kilometers) north of New York City is so dire the National Trust for Historic Preservation placed Hudson-Athens on its 2024 list of the country’s 11 most endangered historic places. Advocates say that if action isn’t taken soon, yet another historic lighthouse could potentially be lost in the coming years.

“All four corners will begin to come down, and then you’ll have a pile of rock in the middle. And ultimately it will topple into the river,” Van Calhoun of the Hudson-Athens Lighthouse Preservation Society said during a recent visit.

The society is trying to quickly raise money to place a submerged steel curtain around the lighthouse, an ambitious preservation project that could cost up to $10 million. Their goal is to save a prominent symbol of the river’s centuries-long history as a busy waterway. While the Hudson River was once home to more than a dozen lighthouses, only seven still stand.

Elsewhere, there’s a similar story of lost history.

Across the United States, there were around 1,500 lighthouses at the beginning of the 20th century. Only about 800 of them remain, said U.S. Lighthouse Society executive director Jeff Gales. He said many of the structures deteriorated after they were automated, a process that became more common by the 1940s.

“Lighthouses were built to have human beings taking care of them,” Gales said. “And when you seal them up and take the human factor out, that’s when they really start falling into disrepair.”

The Hudson-Athens Lighthouse began operating in 1874 offshore from the city of Hudson, and was eventually co-named for the village of Athens on the other side of the river. It was built to help keep boats from running aground on nearby mud flats, which were submerged at high tide.

“There were shipwrecks because they couldn’t see the sandbar. And so that’s why this lighthouse was put in the middle of the river, unlike most that are on the shoreline,” said preservation society president Kristin Gamble.

The lighthouse is still in use, though now with an automated LED beacon. The preservation society owns the building and maintains it as a museum.

The last full-time keeper, Emil Brunner, retired in 1949 when the lighthouse became automated. He lived there with his family for much of his tenure. One of his daughters recalled rowing to school and, in the winter, walking across the ice on a safe path marked by her father’s tobacco juice stains on the frozen surface. Brunner also is portrayed on a 1946 Saturday Evening Post cover painting rowing with a child, Christmas presents and a tree in tow, as his wife and other children await their arrival on the lighthouse landing.

Visitors who are ferried to the lighthouse today can explore the keeper’s quarters, which are modest but feature river views from every window. And they can climb up the tight spiral staircase to the tower to take in a unique panorama view of the river and the Catskill Mountains to the west.

Roof work on the lighthouse is underway this summer, but repairs to the building will ultimately mean little unless workers address damage to some of the 200 wood pilings packed in mud that hold the lighthouse above water. The support structure has weathered 150 years of currents and ice. But large commercial ships of the modern era — with their big propellors — introduce new problems.

“They create a turbulence that’s like being inside a washing machine. And that turbulence actually comes underneath and pulls — churns up — the soil underneath us and sucks it away,” Calhoun said. “In fact, there are boulders as big as your car that are 100 feet out in that river that used to be right next to us.”

The underwater agitation washes away mud around the pilings, leaving them exposed to water. And that accelerates decay of the wood. Engineers estimate the structure could begin to tilt in three to five years, which Gamble said would be “the beginning of the end.”

The proposed ring of corrugated steel would shield the structure from that turbulence. The 100-foot (31-meter) diameter circle, which would project above the water line, would be filled in and covered by a deck, enlarging the area around the lighthouse.

The preservation group is optimistic about getting federal money to help pay for the project. Both of New York’s U.S. senators, Democrats Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, support the effort, as does local Republican congressional representative, Marc Molinaro.

Though the project is pricey, Gamble said it would not only save the lighthouse from being lost to time, but would protect the 19th century beacon for generations to come.

“We need, basically, the 100-year fix,” she said.

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McDonald’s just introduced the Kit Kat Banana Split McFlurry, the newest flavor to join the ranks of its frozen treat offerings. In response, some folks took to social media to express excitement about it, while others posted about their disappointment with the treat, but there were plenty of people commenting about the the chain’s seemingly always broken ice cream machines.

American Rounds, the distributor of the machines, uses AI technology to scan the customers’ identification as well as facial recognition software to verify a customer’s identity, according to the company’s website.

The software works together to verify the buyer’s age and that the person using the machine matches the identification scanned.

Each machine sells ammunition for various firearm calibers, including rifles, shotguns and handguns, according to American Rounds.

Grant Magers, CEO of American Rounds, said local grocery stores approached him in the spring of 2023 about utilizing his technology to sell ammunition. The company rolled out its first dispenser in Alabama last November.

“It’s not much different than setting up any other business,” Magers said.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) has allowed the machines, telling CNN in a statement: “A federal license is not required to sell ammunition. However, commercial sales of ammunition must comply with state laws as well as any applicable federal laws.”

The Office of the Oklahoma Attorney General tells CNN a “review of state statutes indicates these vending machines appear to be lawful.”

CNN has reached out to the Alabama and Texas attorneys general to confirm the legality of the dispensers in their respective states.

Earlier this month, the ammunition dispenser in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, was taken down and relocated by American Rounds.

“We as a business … made the decision to relocate that machine because we weren’t having the sales that we wanted to at that location compared to our other spots,” Magers said.

Kip Tyner, a member of Tuscaloosa city council, told CNN: “It may be getting in the hands of people who are not that responsible. I just don’t see it as a necessity.”

“There could be a dispute, and someone got upset with someone else and instead of cooling off and having to go to the store the next day they could go to the grocery store to get ammunition and use it for the wrong reasons,” Tyner said.

American Rounds plans to expand into more states, having already received offers from stores in California, Florida and Hawaii, among others, Magers said. The company, he said, is setting up two more dispensers in Texas and Colorado within the next couple of weeks.

For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com

American Rounds, the distributor of the machines, uses AI technology to scan the customers’ identification as well as facial recognition software to verify a customer’s identity, according to the company’s website.

The software works together to verify the buyer’s age and that the person using the machine matches the identification scanned.

Each machine sells ammunition for various firearm calibers, including rifles, shotguns and handguns, according to American Rounds.

Grant Magers, CEO of American Rounds, said local grocery stores approached him in the spring of 2023 about utilizing his technology to sell ammunition. The company rolled out its first dispenser in Alabama last November.

“It’s not much different than setting up any other business,” Magers said.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) has allowed the machines, telling CNN in a statement: “A federal license is not required to sell ammunition. However, commercial sales of ammunition must comply with state laws as well as any applicable federal laws.”

The Office of the Oklahoma Attorney General tells CNN a “review of state statutes indicates these vending machines appear to be lawful.”

CNN has reached out to the Alabama and Texas attorneys general to confirm the legality of the dispensers in their respective states.

Earlier this month, the ammunition dispenser in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, was taken down and relocated by American Rounds.

“We as a business … made the decision to relocate that machine because we weren’t having the sales that we wanted to at that location compared to our other spots,” Magers said.

Kip Tyner, a member of Tuscaloosa city council, told CNN: “It may be getting in the hands of people who are not that responsible. I just don’t see it as a necessity.”

“There could be a dispute, and someone got upset with someone else and instead of cooling off and having to go to the store the next day they could go to the grocery store to get ammunition and use it for the wrong reasons,” Tyner said.

American Rounds plans to expand into more states, having already received offers from stores in California, Florida and Hawaii, among others, Magers said. The company, he said, is setting up two more dispensers in Texas and Colorado within the next couple of weeks.

For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com

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Jurors were dismissed for the day after deliberating for approximately three hours Friday and are expected to return to Manhattan criminal court at 9:30 a.m. ET on Monday to continue their deliberations.

Menendez and his co-defendants, New Jersey businessmen Wael Hana and Fred Daibes, are accused of participating in a yearslong bribery scheme. Prosecutors say the senator tried to use his power to advance Egyptian military interests, interfere in criminal prosecutions and secure investment from Qatari officials, among other things. Menendez and his wife allegedly received gold bars, hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash, a Mercedes Benz convertible and other bribes in exchange for his influence.

The senator’s wife, Nadine Menendez, was also charged in the case, but will be tried separately later this year after she was granted a delay by the judge so she can focus on her treatment for breast cancer. She has pleaded not guilty.

Bob Menendez faces 16 counts – including bribery, extortion, wire fraud, obstruction of justice and acting as a foreign agent – for his alleged role in the scheme.

The senator has denied any wrongdoing and accused prosecutors of targeting him. He did not take the stand in his own defense during the trial.

Prosecutors spent nearly seven weeks untangling the multiple corruption schemes that they allege Bob and Nadine Menendez and the co-defendants were involved in.

Federal prosecutors structured their case by chapters, calling witnesses to testify about separate schemes allegedly brokered by the senator in tandem with his wife. According to evidence presented by prosecutors in court, the schemes involved Hana, Daibes and another co-conspirator, Jose Uribe, the New Jersey businessman who allegedly bribed the senator in exchange for legal favors. Uribe struck a plea deal ahead of the trial.

Bob Menendez’s attorneys consistently suggested in cross-examinations that the senator was not aware of the deals his wife struck with the co-defendants, which included offering the senator’s influence for a price.

Prosecutors alleged that Nadine Menendez was an intermediary for communications between the co-conspirators and her willing husband.

During the trial, the senator’s lawyers called five witnesses, including his sister, sister-in-law and the attorney for a friend of Uribe. A Menendez lawyer said the senator customarily stored cash due to familial trauma caused by the Cuban communist regime. (Menendez was born in New York City, and Fidel Castro had not yet come to power at the time his family left Cuba). In his closing argument, Menendez’s defense attorney said the lack of evidence in the case against the senator made it “shaky and rotten to its core.”

The trial has been largely overshadowed, first by former President Donald Trump’s conviction in a nearby Manhattan criminal court at the end of May and then by the drama surrounding Joe Biden’s political fate. But a verdict in Menendez’s case could have broader consequences – potentially imperiling Democrats’ narrow Senate majority and throwing New Jersey politics into a new round of disarray.

Menendez, who is up for reelection in November, did not run in the Democratic primary this spring. Rep. Andy Kim, of South Jersey, is now the Democratic nominee, but Menendez has floated an independent bid to keep his seat – if he is acquitted. That could lead to a messy, three-way race in which Kim and Menendez could split the Democratic vote, opening a path for Republican nominee Curtis Bashaw – a scenario Senate Democrats are desperate to avoid given the many challenges they face in defending their narrow majority.

This story has been updated with additional information.

For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com

Jurors were dismissed for the day after deliberating for approximately three hours Friday and are expected to return to Manhattan criminal court at 9:30 a.m. ET on Monday to continue their deliberations.

Menendez and his co-defendants, New Jersey businessmen Wael Hana and Fred Daibes, are accused of participating in a yearslong bribery scheme. Prosecutors say the senator tried to use his power to advance Egyptian military interests, interfere in criminal prosecutions and secure investment from Qatari officials, among other things. Menendez and his wife allegedly received gold bars, hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash, a Mercedes Benz convertible and other bribes in exchange for his influence.

The senator’s wife, Nadine Menendez, was also charged in the case, but will be tried separately later this year after she was granted a delay by the judge so she can focus on her treatment for breast cancer. She has pleaded not guilty.

Bob Menendez faces 16 counts – including bribery, extortion, wire fraud, obstruction of justice and acting as a foreign agent – for his alleged role in the scheme.

The senator has denied any wrongdoing and accused prosecutors of targeting him. He did not take the stand in his own defense during the trial.

Prosecutors spent nearly seven weeks untangling the multiple corruption schemes that they allege Bob and Nadine Menendez and the co-defendants were involved in.

Federal prosecutors structured their case by chapters, calling witnesses to testify about separate schemes allegedly brokered by the senator in tandem with his wife. According to evidence presented by prosecutors in court, the schemes involved Hana, Daibes and another co-conspirator, Jose Uribe, the New Jersey businessman who allegedly bribed the senator in exchange for legal favors. Uribe struck a plea deal ahead of the trial.

Bob Menendez’s attorneys consistently suggested in cross-examinations that the senator was not aware of the deals his wife struck with the co-defendants, which included offering the senator’s influence for a price.

Prosecutors alleged that Nadine Menendez was an intermediary for communications between the co-conspirators and her willing husband.

During the trial, the senator’s lawyers called five witnesses, including his sister, sister-in-law and the attorney for a friend of Uribe. A Menendez lawyer said the senator customarily stored cash due to familial trauma caused by the Cuban communist regime. (Menendez was born in New York City, and Fidel Castro had not yet come to power at the time his family left Cuba). In his closing argument, Menendez’s defense attorney said the lack of evidence in the case against the senator made it “shaky and rotten to its core.”

The trial has been largely overshadowed, first by former President Donald Trump’s conviction in a nearby Manhattan criminal court at the end of May and then by the drama surrounding Joe Biden’s political fate. But a verdict in Menendez’s case could have broader consequences – potentially imperiling Democrats’ narrow Senate majority and throwing New Jersey politics into a new round of disarray.

Menendez, who is up for reelection in November, did not run in the Democratic primary this spring. Rep. Andy Kim, of South Jersey, is now the Democratic nominee, but Menendez has floated an independent bid to keep his seat – if he is acquitted. That could lead to a messy, three-way race in which Kim and Menendez could split the Democratic vote, opening a path for Republican nominee Curtis Bashaw – a scenario Senate Democrats are desperate to avoid given the many challenges they face in defending their narrow majority.

This story has been updated with additional information.

For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com