Japan's complex relationship with the sea was highlighted by the tragedy of the March 11 tsunami. Following the earthquake, the massive wave ripped through many coastal towns, devastating the boats and ports and fish processing plants that have been at the heart of those communities for generations.

Rebuilding the shattered fishing industry will not be easy.

"Spc. Jeremy Morlock pleaded guilty Wednesday morning to three counts of murdering unarmed Afghans and other wrongdoing in an important juncture in a U.S. Army war-crimes investigation," The Seattle Times reports.

The plea, which was expected, is part of an agreement that will see Morlock "testify against other soldiers accused of crimes while serving in Afghanistan, including four accused of murder," the newspaper adds.

Firefighters on the Indian Gulch blaze just west of Golden continued to get the upper hand Wednesday afternoon thanks to calmer winds that allowed air crews to resume water drops. 

A portion of Highway 6 at the entrance to Clear Creek Canyon was closed for a time Wednesday while helicopters dumped water on the fire.  Authorities were worried the water may trigger rock slides onto the road.

Fire managers reported they had the fire 25% contained.  It has grown to 1,211 acres since it first started Sunday morning.

Word is spreading that Wisdom, "America's oldest free-flying bird," survived the tsunami that roared east from Japan on March 11 and sent a 5-foot tidal wave crashing into the Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge where she lives.

The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service announced this week that

The ongoing crisis at Japanese nuclear reactors following the earthquake and tsunami is affecting a significant part of Northeastern Japan.

In Fukushima City, about 40 miles from the Fukushima Dai-ichi plant, the nuclear crisis is hampering the earthquake recovery and dominating life.

Some 1,300 people now live in the gymnasiums, workout rooms and hallways at the Azuma Sports Complex in the city. Most of the people sleeping on the floors are evacuees who were ordered out of the 12 miles exclusion zone around the crippled nuclear power plant.

For those in Maine with doubts about how their state's Gov. Paul LePage would answer the old organized labor song, "Which side are you on?" they now have their answer.

LePage, a Republican who just started in his first term, ordered the removal from Maine's Labor Department building a mural depicting scenes of organized labor history in his state.

Edinburgh indie-rock band Broken Records started in the wake of a failed recording studio and label. Since then, it's been dubbed Scotland's Arcade Fire by NME. The effect of its chamber violins, cello, accordion, guitars, drums and bass is vibrant, and yet, this dynamic six-piece remains heavily rooted in anthemic pop-rock structures.

Striking up familiar tones, though darker than its predecessor, Let Me Come Home is a combination of yearning and frustration. It's an honest album that sheds a pop-tinged light on the darkest of emotions.

Every newsroom prepares "advance obits" for world leaders, celebrities, sports stars and other famous folks.

And sometimes the subject lives on for years after the first draft of his or his obituary is already "in the can."

It takes nothing away from Elizabeth Taylor's considerable talents — which won her two Best Actress Oscars — to acknowledge that no one has ever so thoroughly and comprehensively embodied American celebrity.

"A tsunami wave that hit a coastal city in Iwate Prefecture after the March 11 massive earthquake is estimated to have reached 23.6 meters in height, a government-commissioned field survey by the Port and Airport Research Institute showed Wednesday," Kyodo News reports.

That's 77 feet, 5 inches. Or, about the height of a six- or seven-story building.

It wasn't a record, though. Kyodo says that: