🌱 How a 25% summer power hike will hit Fairbanks wallets
Fairbanks, Alaska Patch AM: a 3 min readGood morning Fairbanks! We're back again in your inbox, keeping you updated with what's happening in and around town. ☕️️
In today's newsletter:
- How a 25% summer power hike will hit Fairbanks wallets
- How Agent Orange still haunts Fairbanks veterans decades after Vietnam
- How a new bill could change airport lines and IDs in Fairbanks
Today's riddle: Where do you learn how to make ice cream ? 🤔 (Answer below!)
- Friday: Mainly cloudy, showers; cool, with a high of 58 and low of 43 degrees.
- Saturday: Mainly cloudy, temps: high: 62, low: 42.
- Sunday: Rain and drizzle in the p.m., with a high of 61 and low of 44 degrees.
📰 News we're reading
1. As Iran war and gas shortage continue, Fairbanks power prices to jump almost 25% this summer (adn.com) — Electricity bills for Golden Valley Electric customers in Fairbanks will jump nearly 25% from June through August, driven by soaring diesel costs and a lingering natural gas shortage. The utility says extreme cold, maintenance outages, and global oil shocks tied to the Iran war forced heavier diesel use this winter, and is now exploring a new regional wind project to stabilize future prices. 
2. Loved ones remember another kind of war casualty: veterans sickened by Agent Orange (wusf.org) — At Birch Hill Cemetery in Fairbanks, Vietnam veteran Benno Cleveland reflects on his own Agent Orange-related illnesses and the loss of fellow veteran James Akhivana, whose widow still struggles each Memorial Day. Their stories, along with another Alaska widow’s experience, highlight how long-delayed health effects from Agent Orange continue to shape veterans’ lives and families in a state with one of the highest veteran populations.
3. Airport security fast-lane system known as CLEAR could be coming to Alaska (ktoo.org) — Fairbanks residents may soon skip trips to Anchorage or Juneau for replacement Social Security cards and eventually use CLEAR fast-lane security if the governor signs a new data‑sharing bill. The measure also lets Alaskans show a digital driver’s license on their phones during traffic stops, potentially changing everyday interactions for Fairbanks drivers.
4. Dillingham woman sentenced in sprawling Alaska drug trafficking case tied to fentanyl distribution (alaskasnewssource.com) — Fairbanks is among at least 14 Alaska communities that federal officials say were targeted by a large drug trafficking organization moving fentanyl, heroin, and meth statewide. A Dillingham woman has now been sentenced to four years in federal prison and three years of supervised release for her role, as dozens of related cases continue moving through court.
5. 152 million Americans now live in areas with failing air quality grades (thecooldown.com) — Fairbanks is singled out as having the nation’s worst short-term particle pollution in a new American Lung Association report, underscoring real health risks for local families. The analysis finds 152 million Americans, especially children and people of color, now live in counties with failing air quality grades, as climate extremes and wildfire smoke erode decades of clean-air progress.
📸 Around Fairbanks
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📣 Fairbanks Shout Outs!
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💬 Chatter
What your neighbors are talking about on social media
- I believe that the owner of 317 Slater Drive should have the house fixed up or demolished.
It is getting really bad, and is bringing down the value of the houses around it. If the city owns it, it should have been removed a long time ago! (Nextdoor Island Homes)
- Calista Corporation posted a job opening for Payroll Technician in Fairbanks. Apply here.
- Savers Thrifts Stores posted a job opening for Savers / Value Village Careers - Merchandise Processing Associate in Fairbanks. Apply here. You can search for other jobs near Fairbanks here.
Ok Fairbanks! 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: Sundae School (Thank you Gary M. for sending it in!)
Got a good riddle for PatchAM? Submit it here!
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