In brief: Aftershocks shake island region

ANCHORAGE, Alaska – A series of strong aftershocks in Alaska’s Aleutian Islands region Sunday followed a powerful earthquake that shook the remote area, but officials said there were no immediate reports of damage or injury.

There also was no threat of a tsunami from any of the quakes.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the initial 6.7-magnitude temblor struck at 9:56 p.m. Saturday and was centered in the Bering Sea about 155 miles southwest of Dutch Harbor. The quake hit about 21 miles beneath the seabed.

USGS geophysicist Rafael Abreu said there were at least 11 aftershocks, including one that had a 5.8 preliminary magnitude. He said that magnitude was still under review and could change.

The West Coast and Alaska Tsunami Warning Center showed a 6.2 magnitude for the same aftershock, which was felt in the tiny community of Nikolski, about 115 miles southwest of Dutch Harbor.

The initial, 6.7-magnitude earthquake was felt in both Dutch Harbor and nearby Unalaska, the nearest communities of any size to the epicenter.

Police in Unalaska, situated just across a bay from Dutch Harbor, said they had no reports of damage or injury.

SALT LAKE CITY – Authorities said an 18-year-old Boy Scout from Wisconsin has died after falling 100 feet from a rock formation in Utah.

Anthony Alvin, of Green Lake, Wis., was with a group of Scouts and Scout leaders when he fell Saturday morning at Gemini Bridges, near Moab.

Gemini Bridges is a rock span over Bull Canyon that has cleaved into two parallel bridges. In a news release, the Grand County Sheriff’s Office said Alvin tried to jump about six feet, from one span of the bridge to the other, but fell backward.

Sheriff’s Office and Canyonlands National Park rescue workers rappelled from the bridges and determined Alvin had died.

State will grow I-70 sound wall

CLEVELAND – Ohio plans to build a sound barrier made out of soil and plants in the state’s first eco-friendly attempt at muffling highway noise.

A state transportation department spokesman said the 12-foot high wall will be like a Chia Pet: Workers will water bags filled with soil and seeds and watch it grow.

The transportation department said the 400-foot wall will be built this fall along a westbound stretch of Interstate 70 near Columbus.