Conviction in trooper-involved shooting: Alaska State Troopers say a Kotzebue jury has convicted a 41-year-old Noorvik man of multiple counts of assault and weapons misconduct for firing a gun at homes in the Northwest community and pointing the weapon at troopers. Jeffrey Henry was found guilty of six counts of third-degree assault, as well as second-degree weapons misconduct. The incident involved alcohol, troopers reported in November 2013. Kotzebue-based troopers responded to Noorvik shortly before midnight on Oct. 24. Henry had reportedly been firing a gun while walking around the village. When troopers arrived, Henry had returned to his own home but continued to fire his weapon inside, troopers reported. Representatives of multiple agencies, including crisis negotiators, were called upon to assist with the hostile situation, but late afternoon on Oct. 25, Henry allegedly was outside his home when he pointed a gun at troopers. They fired at him in response, resulting in life-threatening injuries. Henry was flown to Kotzebue for treatment and later transported to Alaska Native Medical Center. He appeared for an initial court appearance in Anchorage nearly two weeks later. A sling supported his right arm. Henry's sentencing is tentatively set for Dec. 16.
Another wet September: So far this month is continuing a recent trend of wet Septembers. In the first 10 days of the month, Anchorage recorded 1.69 inches of rain, according to the National Weather Service, with more expected through next week. That's the 13th highest total in 98 years of record keeping by the federal agency -- but significantly less than last year when 2.74 inches fell in the first 10 days. Three of the four wettest Septembers in Anchorage have occurred in the last decade, topped by the soggiest on the books, the 7.35 inches in 2004.
High wind warning in Anchorage bowl: The National Weather Service is warning Anchorage residents of high winds starting at 1 p.m. Friday, lasting through 6 a.m. Saturday morning. Strong winds are expected across Anchorage, Eagle River, Indian and Eklutna. The strongest winds are expected along Turnagain Arm and in higher elevations, forecast at 40 to 60 mph with gusts up to 80 mph. Lower hillside is expected to see winds of 30 to 45 mph, with gusts to 60 mph. The rest of Anchorage will see winds of 25 mph with gusts to 35 mph. Winds are expected to peak Friday afternoon and taper off Saturday morning. NWS warns that trees may be blown over and travel may be difficult. Residents are urged to secure loose objects that could be damaged and blown in the wind, NWS writes.
NASA's Image of the Day captures Seward Glacier avalanche: A July earthquake in northwestern Canada, at a spot 62 miles north-northwest of the Alaska community of Yakutat, triggered a big avalanche and other effects documented in images captured by a NASA digital camera. The magnitude 6.0 earthquake, which struck beneath Canada's Seward Glacier on July 17, caused a big slide of snow and rock, and caused turquoise-blue meltwater lake to drain, a sight captured in the NASA Earth Observatory Image of the Day. The images were captured by a camera mounted on a plane being used in NASA's climate-research program employing Multiple Altimeter Beam Experimental Lidar, or MABEL. The plane, which has been flying around Alaska over the summer, happened to be in the area of the earthquake before and after it struck, NASA said.
After Arctic voyage, Healy returns to Seattle: The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Healy, a consistent presence in the United States's Arctic waters off the coast of Alaska, is back at its home port of Seattle, according to a report from the Seattle Times. The ship spent 130 days in the Bering and Chukchi seas and other Arctic waters, where it conducted research, including on phytoplankton, launched and retrieved a drone (a first for the Coast Guard) and helped rescue a sailor who became trapped in ice in an attempt to sail the Northwest Passage.
A brief history of the price of salmon: In 1989, the famous Manhattan food store Zabar's charged $15.95 per pound for smoked, sliced "Scotch salmon," according to a sale ad from a magazine. Today that might seem like a bargain -- Zabar's per pound price is in the low $20s now -- but considering inflation, the cost of the fish has actually fallen, reports public radio show Marketplace. "$15.95 is more than $30 a pound in today's money," Marketplace reports. "In real terms, that's a 22 percent decline in 25 years." To find out what happened, Marketplace reached out to UAA economist Gunnar Knapp. "The world supply of salmon has tripled over the past 30 years or so due to an enormous increase in the world production of farmed salmon," Knapp told Marketplace, a change that "has absolutely transformed the market for all types of salmon products."
Tony Knowles on predator control: In the wake of a new proposal from the National Park Service to limit some of the forms of predator control that would be allowed on national preserve lands, a proposal which is stirring up controversy, western states environmental news magazine High Country News caught up with former Alaska governor Tony Knowles for an interview on the subject. Knowles bemoaned what he described as the loss of balance of viewpoints on the Board of Game that he and predecessors -- he singled out former Gov. Jay Hammond -- worked to create and sustain, as well as a decrease in cooperation between the state and federal agencies in wildlife management. You can read the entire interview at the High Country News site.