Hello Anchorage! Here's our latest buzz. Let's get into it. ☀️
In today's newsletter:
Also on today's calendar: Candlelight: Tribute to ABBA & More and 7 more events.
Today's riddle: What do you call a belt made of watches? 🤔 (Answer below!)
1. Anchorage sees 29% increase in Medicaid payments for DME MACs services in 2024 (scalaskanews.com) — Medicaid spending on durable medical equipment in Anchorage jumped 29% in 2024, with all payments coming from just two ZIP codes, 99503 and 99502. While this category still ranks only 23rd locally, it's growing far faster than overall Medicaid spending and could affect how equipment like wheelchairs and oxygen systems are funded for Anchorage residents amid looming federal Medicaid cuts.
2. Campbell STEM lawsuit dismissed as Anchorage Assembly, school board hash out next steps (adn.com) — An Anchorage Superior Court judge has dismissed the lawsuit over closing Campbell STEM Elementary, clearing the way for city and school leaders to decide the building's future use. As the Anchorage School Board and Assembly form a joint committee on "right-sizing," families push for a STEM education center while the district faces another major budget shortfall and promises no new closures this year.
3. Exotic dancers, fortune tellers and mutt shows: The 1920s Anchorage precursor to the Alaska State Fair (adn.com) — Anchorage once hosted the Western Alaska Fair, a lively 1920s harvest festival that predated today's Alaska State Fair and filled downtown with exhibits, parades, mutt shows and even a mock "Battle of Anchorage." This history column traces how that ambitious local fair rose, faded during the Depression, briefly returned, and helped inspire the modern fair tradition Alaskans know today.
4. 3 Bay Area residents among 4 killed in remote Alaska plane crash (nbcbayarea.com) — A small plane flying from Anchorage to Seldovia crashed into a slough near the remote community, killing all four people on board, including pilot Eric Middlebrook of Anchorage. Recovery was delayed by tides, and federal investigators are now examining what caused the fatal August 26 crash.
5. Alaska State Trooper opens fire on man in Wasilla (alaskasnewssource.com) — Alaska State Troopers based out of Anchorage report that an officer fired at an armed man answering a door in Wasilla early Sunday, but no one was hurt. Investigators later determined the original 4 a.m. caller was intoxicated and not actually assaulted, and the involved trooper is on standard administrative leave while the shooting is reviewed by state investigators and prosecutors.
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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: A waist of time (Thank you Kourtney Z. for sending it in!)
Got a good riddle for PatchAM? Submit it here!
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