Lex Treinen, Alaska Public Media - Anchorage
Lex Treinen is covering the state Legislature for Alaska Public Media. Reach him at ltreinen@gmail.com.
Anchorage working group suggests 30 potential homeless shelter sites for winter
The list includes buildings that could be purchased, like the old Sam’s Club in East Anchorage, and the Dena’ina Center downtown. It also includes vacant lots where a shelter could be built from scratch, like a plot on the west end of the airport near Point Woronzof.
The Anchorage Assembly voted down Bronson’s pick for lead librarian, then he appointed her chief of staff
Sami Graham’s appointment to library director was denied by the Assembly on Tuesday in a 7-4 vote. Mayor Dave Bronson then immediately appointed her as his administration’s new chief of staff.
Anchorage homelessness group to hold first public meeting as it tries to solve shelter bed shortage
The working group will meet at 9 a.m. on Wednesday.
Anchorage doctors sound alarm about ‘imminent’ hospital system collapse
At a last-minute Assembly health update, doctors who work at Anchorage’s main hospitals described heart-wrenching scenes from the last week of last goodbyes to unvaccinated loved ones, nurses quitting their jobs due to burnout, and infants hospitalized for severe cases of COVID-19.
Bronson appoints two critics of pandemic restrictions to Anchorage’s public health advisory committee
Anesthesiologist Shawn Degler and retired physician’s assistant Jim Wojciehowski were appointed to fill vacant seats on Anchorage’s Health and Human Services Commission. Assembly members say they will scrutinize their past comments before they vote to confirm.
Head of Alaska’s nursing home association says Biden’s vaccine requirement could cause workers to quit
The Biden administration says it will require nursing home staff to be vaccinated for COVID to receive federal funds, but there’s concern that some workers in Alaska would quit rather than get the shot.
These Anchorage residents waited until August to get a COVID vaccine. Here’s why they’re finally getting the shot.
About 1,000 Alaskans are getting vaccinated each weekday. Some say they're driven by fears from new waves of infection, employer mandates or border crossing requirements.
Bronson appoints new head of Anchorage trash services
Dan Zipay, father of the former campaign manager for Mayor Dan Bronson, will take over as head of Anchorage’s Solid Waste Services after the previous director resigned last week.
Amid shelter debate, these Anchorage campers say they’re staying outside
As city officials negotiate how to build up the city's shelter capacity, many Anchorage residents cite reasons like claustrophobia, trauma, or ability to run their own businesses as reasons for not wanting to be in mass shelter.
Prisons in Seward, Ketchikan and Eagle River go into lockdown as COVID-19 cases rise
The lockdowns mean that communal meals and recreation are on hold, and that family visits are canceled. The Department of Corrections says attorney visits are still allowed.
Shuttered for 5 years, Palmer prison set to reopen to mixed enthusiasm
The prison’s superintendents say they’re excited to finally open Palmer Correctional Center after years of construction work. But criminal justice reform advocates are concerned about what the reopening says about the overall direction of Alaska’s justice system as prison populations continue to rise with no end in sight.
Anchorage Mayor Bronson fined over $30,000 for campaign reporting violations
The state agency that tracks campaign finances has hit Anchorage mayor Dave Bronson with $33,500 in fines for failing to report campaign contributions on time.
The Alaska Public Offices Commission sent out notices for the...
Anchorage health director resigns
David Morgan served as health director for less than a month. He recently faced pointed questions from the Assembly for social media comments, his qualifications for the job, and allegations that he mismanaged finances under previous employers.
Large crowd gathers to protest Anchorage health care organizations’ COVID-19 vaccine mandate
The Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium and Southcentral Foundation announced last month that employees will be required to be vaccinated against COVID-19 by Oct. 15. On Thursday evening, about 150 people took to the streets to protest the requirement for the vaccine, which is authorized for emergency use by the Food and Drug Administration.
Delta variant accounts for 96% of Alaska’s new COVID cases
On Tuesday, a total of 323 Alaskans tested positive for COVID-19 the second-highest daily tally since January.
‘We want Indigenous people to look at Anchorage as their place’: First markers in Dena’ina place name project go up
After decades of work, markers to recognize Dena'ina place names around Anchorage were finally erected earlier this year. Advocates say it's long overdue.
Another top doc resigns in Anchorage, health director faces tough questions
David Morgan was grilled by assembly members over his beliefs about the COVID-19 pandemic, his work experience and his hiring judgement at a Tuesday hearing before the Anchorage Assembly. News surfaced at the event that longtime Chief Medical Officer Bruce Chandler had resigned over the weekend.
Alaska reports three more COVID-19 deaths, high case counts continue
The state health department reported Friday that three Alaskans died of COVID-19 as another 585 people tested positive for the virus over the last two days.
Alaska prisons report new COVID-19 cases
Hiland Mountain Correctional Center, a women's prison in Eagle River had 14 active COVID cases as of Thursday. That prompted the prison to close down visitation, stop programming, and to serve meals in inmates’ cells at the prison, which houses approximately 400. Two other prisons also reported active COVID cases.
Bronson administration aims to cut Anchorage city budget by 5%
The administration is hoping to reduce the property tax burden, but it's likely that services and positions will be cut if the administration reaches its goal of 5% overall budget reduction.