Norweigan officials search for Wisconsin journalist Alec Luhn, last seen headed for a hike
Alec Luhn was last seen the afternoon of July 31 as he was headed from Odda, Norway, on a solo backpacking trip to explore the glacier at Folgefonna National Park in southwestern Norway, according to Facebook post from his wife, Veronika Silchenko.
Stormy conditions have made the search efforts more treacherous, according to an X post from the Norweigan Red Cross.
Luhn is from Stoughton in Dane County, according to the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he graduated from in 2010. He's an award-winning international freelance reporter, mainly covering the environment since 2022.
Silchenko and Luhn's Milwaukee-based parents couldn't immediately be reached for comment on Aug. 5.
Silchenko told the New York Times that the couple were visiting family in Norway. On July 31, she left to go home to London and Luhn went on his hike. She described her husband as an experienced hiker and it wasn't unusual for him to go on hikes alone. She didn't expect to hear from him because of the spotty phone service in park, the report said. When Luhn missed his return flight home on Aug. 5 she alerted authorities, Silchenko said.
'I just really want him back,' she said. 'I can't sleep or eat properly. It's very hard not to know anything.'
Luhn often travels for work. He's reported from a glacier in Alaska, oilfields in Texas, a drought in Somalia and a research ship on the North Sea. He was a foreign correspondent in Russia for the Guardian, Telegraph and VICE News. When Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, he became a full-time climate and science journalist, which was a longtime interest.
In spring 2025, Luhn was a science journalist in residence at the UW School of Journalism and Mass Communication and has plans to work on a project at the university in 2026, according to Kathleen Culver, director of the journalism school.
Luhn was on campus for a week in April and does remote work from the U.K., Culver said, adding she's known Luhn since he was a student on campus.
"I'm really worried," Culver said. "He was heading out back to the U.K. and he said, 'I knew I would love working with students, but I didn't know I would love it this much.'" Luhn wants to do more mentoring of students next year and Culver is working on him returning to a role at the school, she said.
"I am very much looking forward to this being a survival story," Culver said. "And him having lots of things to tell students as he mentors them."
This story was updated because an earlier version included an inaccuracy.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Chicago Tribune
an hour ago
- Chicago Tribune
Maine Township National Night Out included farm animals, food collection for community food pantry
Maine Township joined other municipalities and police departments nationwide to host a National Night Out event, and the township's is billed as one of the oldest celebrations. The township National Night Out Against Crime event took place Aug. 5 at Dee Park in unincorporated Des Plaines. It was among many events presented on the first Tuesday in August across the country for the annual campaign aimed at promoting police-community partnerships and neighborhood camaraderie. Maine Township Clerk Peter Gialamas told Pioneer Press the celebration was coordinated with the Cook County sheriff's office, the Niles-based Golf Maine Park District and the Des Plaines-based North Maine Fire Protection District. 'One of the goals of National Night Out is to really bring the community and the local law enforcement together, and we've found that National Night Out does a great job of that,' said Gialamas who has chaired Maine Township's National Night Out committee for about 12 years. According to the township website, the NNO theme this year was, 'From Patrols to Partnerships, We Are In This Together.' The night offered games, entertainment, raffle prizes, activities, demos, JG's Reptile Road Show, a petting zoo, popcorn, popsicles, representatives from Advocate Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge and a safety walk. 'They get to see the police officers that are patrolling the streets on a daily basis, get to talk to them, get to see the vehicles that we use, and it really is a great way for the community to interact,' Gialamas said. Penny Mateck, from the sheriff's community relations unit, told Pioneer Press the partnership to bring National Night Out to Maine Township goes back more than 30 years. 'We want the community to feel safe. We want them to feel comfortable coming to us with questions or whatever their concerns may be,' Mateck said. 'This is a really great way in a non-enforcement kind of event to connect with the community and let them know who we are.' According to Mateck, the sheriff's office offered activities such as 911 trivia as a teaching element especially for younger children and brought out vehicles including those used by the bomb unit, police and the Special Weapons and Tactics, or SWAT, team. 'The kids can sit in the squad cars. They can sit where the police sit. They can sit in the back seat where bad guys sit,' Mateck said about how the community is engaged. 'For some reason, the kids like to sit in the back seat and check that out.' Mateck said the sheriff's office also brings one of its bomb-sniffing canine officers and some of its partner agencies bringing their K-9s. 'We're out here every year on the first Tuesday of August and it's a time where the police and the community can come together,' Mateck said. 'It's really in an effort to keep the community safe and fight crime.' The event also featured the 'Stuff the Squad' fundraising effort, which Mateck said accepts grocery donations for the Maine Township food pantry that is located in Park Ridge. 'A lot of times donations are low, so this is a way to try to help them through the summer months,' Mateck said. Maine Township includes parts of Des Plaines, Park Ridge, Niles, Glenview, Morton Grove and Rosemont. According to Maine Township's website, National Night Out, which also was sponsored by Neighborhood Watch and community businesses, Gialamas said NNO is part of an effort to educate residents on crime prevention and safety. 'It's very important that they trust the law officers that are patrolling the streets,' Gialamas said. 'Especially the young kids, if they can see them, meet them and understand they're here to help them, that is just something that continues to grow and builds trust in the community.' Mateck explained that the police and the community collaborate to combat crime. 'The community is really the eyes and ears for the police department,' Mateck said. 'They will call the police when they see something suspicious. They will tell us things that help solve crime so that partnership is really important because they're really the other portion of the team that works together to keep the community safe.'
New York Post
an hour ago
- New York Post
Zohran Mamdani mentions Andrew Cuomo in same breath as Jeffrey Epstein in new video
Mayoral front-runner Zohran Mamdani is going nuclear on rival Andrew Cuomo — attempting to link the ex-governor to Jeffrey Epstein in a new scorched-earth campaign video. In the 90-second TikTok-style spot, Mamdani, looking into the camera, demands that Cuomo release his list of consulting clients, noting the ex-gov once worked on a luxury marina project with a pal, Andrew Farkas, whose former business partner was Epstein. 'In June, the New York Times found out that Cuomo worked with his longtime friend Andrew Farkas on a luxury marina project in Puerto Rico. Farkas' previous partner on Caribbean luxury marinas was none other than Jeffrey Epstein,' Mamdani says. 8 Democratic mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani released a scathing new attack ad against his rival former Gov. Andrew Cuomo. YouTube/@ZohranforNYC 8 The video lists of a number of alleged scandals involving the ex-governor — even linking him to Jeffrey Epstein. SARAH YENESEL/EPA/Shutterstock The mud-slinging from Mamdani comes days after Cuomo hammered the socialist for snagging a $2,300 rent-stabilized apartment in Astoria despite his family's apparent wealth. Cuomo even proposed 'Zohran's Law' to prevent well-to-do residents from obtaining rent-restricted apartments. The new spot starts with Mamdani noting that Cuomo 'resigned in disgrace and you probably know why' — then shows footage and articles about women who accused the then-gov of sexual misconduct and the controversy surrounding his nursing home policies during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Democratic mayoral nominee demands that Cuomo release the list of clients from the consulting firm he launched in 2022 after he exited the governor's office, Innovative Strategies LLC. Mamdani gripes in the video that Cuomo has not divulged who paid him. But published reports have said Cuomo worked for a crypto currency exchange based in the Seychelles that eventually pleaded guilty to operating illegally in the US. The Democratic socialist Queens assemblyman also notes that Cuomo did not initially disclose $2.6 million in stock options from a nuclear company to the New York City Conflicts of Interest Board. 8 The ad mentions that Cuomo worked on a luxury marina project in Puerto Rico with friend Andrew Farkas — who was a business partner with Epstein. New York State Sex Offender Registry via AP 8 Mamdani's ad highlights a Bloomberg article showing a link between Epstein and Farkas. YouTube/@ZohranforNYC 'His excuse? The stocks were technically owned by Innovation Strategies LLC – where Cuomo is the sole member,' Mamdani says. 'That's the thing about Andrew Cuomo: once you think you've learned all the scandals, you find out there's another. And another. And another. ' Cuomo can clear the air, Mamdani says, adding: 'Habibi – release your client list.' 8 A photo of Cuomo with Farkas shown in the Mamdani ad. YouTube/@ZohranforNYC A rep for Cuomo gleefully responded that they could 'smell the desperation from conspiracy peddling' in Mamdani's attack. '[Cuomo] didn't know Epstein, but you can smell the desperation from conspiracy peddling Zohran,' said Cuomo campaign spokesman Richard Azzopardi. The former governor — who is running as an independent in the November election after getting soundly bested by Mamdani in the Democratic primary — also has vehemently denied he sexually harassed anyone. 8 Mamdani also bashed Cuomo over his COVID-19 book scandal. YouTube/@ZohranforNYC One campaign strategist said Mamdani's ad was a 'gutsy move' — and likely a response to Cuomo scoring points by hitting him for his rent-stabilized apartment. 'It's a gutsy move. Mamdani is defining Cuomo to general election voters on his terms,' said O'Brien 'OB' Murray, who has run campaigns for Republicans and Democrats. He said Mamdani is not leaving it to campaign surrogates to do the dirty work and is willing to go toe-to-toe with Cuomo. 8 Mamdani also took a shot at Cuomo's performance in the city's Democratic mayoral primary. YouTube/@ZohranforNYC 'It's a page out of Donald Trump's playbook. When the candidates say something about an opponent, voters pay attention to it,' Murray said. But Mamdani risks 'tarnishing' his image by getting in the mud with Cuomo, even if he wants to keep the focus on the ex-gov's past scandals, said Lee Miringoff, director of the Marist University Institute for Public Opinion. 'The Cuomo people are probably happy to draw a response. They want to engage Mamdani,' Miringoff said. 'Zohran risks tarnishing his image.' 8 Mamdani called on Cuomo to release the list of clients involved with his consulting firm Innovative Strategies LLC. YouTube/@ZohranforNYC Azzopardi dismissed the video as 'nothing more than a temper tantrum from an insecure child of privilege who knows his tenuous lead is slipping away.' He said the project in question with Farkas never got off the ground, and in regards to his consultancy business, Cuomo does not comment on those 'private client matters' and has not represented anyone with business before a New York city or state agency. Azzopardi also said the stock options were publicly disclosed in Federal Communication Commission files for years. 'There was a question about if and how they were required to be disclosed on city filings, which, after consulting with the Conflict of Interest board, we corrected the same day the matter was brought to our attention,' the Cuomo rep said. 'Try as he might, Zohran can't distract from the rank hypocrisy of growing up wealthy, owning hundreds of thousands of dollars of land in a country that has the death penalty for LGBTQIA people and making more than $140k a year for a job he doesn't show up to while taking a rent stabilized apartment meant for a working New Yorker, not to mention his flip flopping on the defund the police and supporting pro-Hamas criminals like the Holy Land Five,' Azzopardi said. 'He's a total fraud and with every passing day New Yorkers see it.'
Los Angeles Times
an hour ago
- Los Angeles Times
$30,000 worth of Labubus headed for black market recovered from SoCal home
When police searched a home in Upland as part of a recent burglary investigation, they weren't looking for piles of cash or bags full of jewelry, but boxes of what has become the must-have item of the year. Within each of the 14 boxes taken from the home, Chino police said, were those little customizable monsters that are taking over America — Labubu. According to a social media post on Monday, Chino police recovered $30,000 worth of the furry figurines, which usually retail for about $30, from a home as part of an investigation into a series of thefts from a local warehouse. The figurines are usually sold at Pop Mart stores and create a fervor whenever new supplies are released. A child-sized Labubu sold at auction for $150,000, according to media reports, and limited edition monsters can retail for $150. When police searched the home, they found an operation to resell and ship the figurines across the country, officials said. One person inside the home tried to run away but eventually surrendered. The Labubus were then returned to their rightful owner. With their popularity soaring, Labubu heists are not unheard of in the Southland. Last week, thieves robbed a La Puente business that advertised its stock of Labubu figurines online. One Stop Sales said that thieves broke into their shop and stole multiple boxes of merchandise, including Labubu monsters. The shop owners later announced that some of their merchandise were recovered by the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. Labubu, the furry figurines sold exclusively at Chinese-based Pop Mart, are often sold in timed online events and then customers can pick up at storefronts across the U.S.
