Troopers arrest man who allegedly killed puppy: Alaska State Troopers said Friday that they arrested a 22-year-old Houston man for two outstanding felony warrants, both of which stemmed from an incident on Sept. 12 when the man allegedly beat a puppy to death. Kory Campbell damaged more than $500 worth of property, beat a 2-month-old puppy to death and fled the crime scene, troopers said. He was charged with two counts of criminal mischief, first-degree cruelty to animals and probation violations, as he is currently on probation for assault. Troopers executed a search warrant at a residence on Squire Drive in Houston, 15 miles northwest of the larger community of Wasilla; they said they found Campbell hiding in the bathroom. He was arrested and taken to the Mat-Su prison's pretrial facility and is being held on $7,500 bail.
Rumors of Exxon takeover of BP spike stock prices: BP saw its stock price jump on the British exchange (FTSE) today on rumors that another oil giant, Exxon, was poised to buy the company. The London Telegraph reported most traders on the exchange did not believe the rumor, but that did not stop BP's stock from seeing a slight bump on Friday. Rumors that BP would be bought out have been heard before, notably just after the 2010 Deepwater Horizon spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
Ketchikan deckhand cited for feeding bears: Alaska State Troopers reported Friday that a Ketchikan man working as a deckhand on a charter vessel had been charged earlier in September with illegally keeping sport-caught halibut from the charter operation and intentionally feeding black bears. Troopers said in a dispatch that 20-year-old Austin S. Duckworth will have an appearance in Craig court on Sept. 30 in relation to the charges.
Veniaminof volcano downgraded: The Alaska Volcano Observatory reported Friday that it was downgrading the alert status of Mt. Veniaminof, a more than 8,000-foot volcano on the Alaska Peninsula 480 miles southwest of Anchorage. Veniaminof began erupting in June, and has seen steady seismic activity and sporadic ash emissions during the period of elevated agitation. "It is possible that this is only a temporary waning of activity in the eruption that began in June 2013, and that more vigorous activity could resume," the AVO reported. "Pauses in eruptive activity such as this are not uncommon at this volcano."
The neverending Alaska reality TV train: Adding to a growing list of Alaska-themed "reality" shows, TLC will soon premiere "Alaska Women Looking for Love." The show features six single ladies from the Last Frontier, as they look for men in Miami. According to TLC, the women, including Tina -- a 32-year-old welder -- don't believe they can find love in the 49th state. The show also casts the women as fish-out-of-water in Miami, showing them trying to figure out how to use a bidet, go to a pole dancing class, and get bikini waxes. "Alaska Women Looking for Love" premieres on TLC on Sunday, October 6, at 10 p.m. Cue cringe-worthy trailer.
Busted for booze in Barrow: A half-dozen bottles of whiskey and four cases of beer were recently seized by North Slope Borough police as part of an ongoing alcohol trafficking investigation, according to the Arctic Sounder. The booze was reportedly shipped to 52-year-old Barrow resident John Anashugak from 31-year-old Cynthia Reilly of Anchorage. The Sounder reports the six 750-milliliter bottles of Rich and Rare whiskey and four cases of 12-ounce Budweiser cans had a street value of $1,000. Shipping that much alcohol to rural Alaska -- where many communities are under self-imposed Prohibition -- carries a Class C felony criminal charge, the Sounder reported.