Hey there, Anchorage! Let's get started with what's happening in and around town. Read on and stay in the loop. ☀️
In today's newsletter:
Also on today's calendar: Candlelight: Tribute to ABBA & More and 7 more events.
Today's riddle: What is the longest word in the dictionary? 🤔 (Answer below!)
1. Billions in military spending expected to boost Anchorage economy, strain housing supply (alaskapublic.org) — Anchorage is bracing for an expected $7 billion military buildup at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson that could significantly boost the local economy while sharply worsening the city's housing shortage. Officials anticipate about 2,500 new military families, prompting accelerated efforts to cut red tape, add tax incentives, and open new land for housing development across Anchorage.
2. Anchorage students, returning to school, see impacts of district cuts (adn.com) — Students across the Anchorage School District are starting the year in larger classes, with fewer teachers and lingering schedule chaos after deep budget cuts and partial restorations. From South Anchorage High to East Anchorage's STrEaM Academy, teens and younger students are adjusting to crowded rooms, changing bus routes, higher activity fees, and new cellphone rules while educators try to stretch limited resources.
3. APD officer who crashed into a taxi, killing two, ran the red light (alaskasnewssource.com) — Anchorage police say the officer whose patrol car hit a taxi at 36th Avenue and A Street earlier this month, killing two people, ran a red light and was speeding while responding to a shots-fired call. The officer, who was injured and is still recovering, now faces possible criminal review by the Office of Special Prosecutions amid a separate pending case from a June shooting at Dimond Walmart.
4. KNBA WEBCAST: Friday, August 21, 2026 (knba.org) — Anchorage listeners get an update on how the city's camping ban is affecting homeless encampments, with police saying most people are moving on without arrests and camps are cleared before becoming entrenched. KNBA's webcast also highlights a fatal Cape Newenham plane crash, the opening of the Alaska State Fair in Palmer, and a quirky Juneau "Shed in Field" mystery finally solved.
5. Plane that crashed in southwest Alaska, killing 8, was attempting to land in foggy conditions (spokesman.com) — Anchorage residents are mourning after a charter plane that departed Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport crashed near the Cape Newenham radar site, killing all eight people aboard. Investigators say the Security Aviation flight was attempting to land in dense fog under instrument conditions, and a National Transportation Safety Board team is now examining weather, flight path and other factors in the remote area.
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Ok Anchorage! So now you're in the loop about what's happening today. Thanks for reading, and see you in your inbox next time! Oh -- and if you like what you're reading, invite a friend to Patch AM!
-- The Patch AM Team
P.S. The answer to today's riddle: Smiles, because it has a mile between "s". (Thank you Sharon M. for sending it in!)
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