Kavitha George, Alaska Public Media - Anchorage
Kavitha George is Alaska Public Media’s climate change reporter. Reach her at kgeorge@alaskapublic.org. Read more about Kavitha here.
Assembly tables bill to protect hotel workers
The Anchorage Assembly voted on Tuesday to indefinitely postpone an ordinance providing protections for hotel workers after several hours of public testimony against the proposed measure.
Anchorage Planned Parenthood graffitied with threatening messages
Anchorage Planned Parenthood staff arrived to work Wednesday morning to find the outside of the building graffitied with threatening messages. Photographs posted on social media show the phrases “Quit or die,” and “Stop killing our kids” spray painted on the windows of the Lake Otis clinic location.
Anchorage police: homicide, assault and property crime calls are down
The Anchorage Police Department reported this week that calls for police assistance appear to have decreased in the city this year, compared to the last three years. Reports of assault, thefts and property crimes are all trending somewhat down, according to Chief Justin Doll, who presented the statistics to the assembly’s Public Safety Committee on Wednesday.
Muni receives $18.6 million grant to support People Mover through the pandemic
Anchorage received a nearly $20 million CARES Act grant from the Federal Transit Authority this week to help support People Mover bus service with pandemic response.
Anchorage Assembly reopens for in-person public testimony
The Anchorage Assembly is reopening chambers for in-person testimony after the Berkowitz administration loosened limitations on gatherings last week.
Funerals in Anchorage are being delayed more than a year during COVID
Funerals are just another aspect of life that has been disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic. In Anchorage, some families are postponing burial services, and others are forgoing them altogether.
After four-week “reset,” Anchorage opens bars, restaurants to indoor dining
After a four week “reset,” in an attempt to curb the surge of COVID-19 cases, the Municipality of Anchorage is once again loosening restrictions on businesses.
Anchorage Assembly passes ban on conversion therapy
The Anchorage Assembly voted to ban conversion therapy for minors on Wednesday, after a two-day public hearing. Conversion therapy, as defined in the ordinance, is a practice that seeks to change a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity. It has been discredited and condemned by the American Psychological Association and many other medical and civil rights organizations.
Treasury lays out options for city to move forward with controversial property purchases
Uncertainty over the city’s controversial purchase of four properties for substance treatment and housing services seems to be at least partially resolved after the Berkowitz administration met with U.S. Department of Treasury officials this week.
Airport Heights Carrs to close, dealing a blow to the Northway Mall
The Carrs grocery store at the Northway Mall in Airport Heights is going to be closing its doors next month. This is the second anchor tenant to leave the 40-year-old mall recently, after Joann Fabric and Craft left for a new location in Midtown.
Here’s what primary voting in Anchorage looked like
A record number of Alaskans opted for absentee ballots for this year's primary election, but some are still going out to the polls today to cast their ballots. With COVID-19 precautions in place, voting looks a little different this year, from new sanitizing protocols to fewer in-person voters.
Here’s what nearly $157 million in CARES Act money is funding in Anchorage
Anchorage will spend a little more than half its CARES Act money on rental and mortgage relief, child care assistance, small business relief and first responder efforts.
Nearly 150 layoffs coming to Ted Stevens and Fairbanks airports in October
One hundred and twenty-three employees at Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport are scheduled to be laid off in October. Another 19 employees at Fairbanks International Airport will be laid off at the same time. The majority are restaurant and service workers.
Assembly passes sweeping CARES Act spending plan
On Wednesday evening, the Anchorage Assembly passed a wide-ranging spending plan for more than $100 million in federal CARES Act funding allocated from the state. Among other things, it includes money for housing assistance, child care, jobs programs and small business and nonprofit relief.
U.S. Treasury Inspector General warns property purchases might not be acceptable use of CARES Act funds
Federal officials cautioned the Anchorage municipality that the plan to purchase properties for a substance treatment center and housing for people experiencing homelessness may not fall within the allowable use for CARES Act funds.
Anchorage Assembly authorizes city to purchase properties for homeless services
The Anchorage Assembly voted Tuesday night to authorize the municipality to move forward with the purchase of four properties for substance treatment and homelessness resources. The controversial plan stirred multiple protests on both sides of the issue, plus nearly thirty hours of public testimony and thousands of emailed comments about the proposal.
Assembly to vote on controversial property purchases, CARES Act money distribution
The Anchorage Assembly is expected to vote on the distribution of the city’s remaining CARES Act funds on Tuesday. Of $156 million in federal funds, a little more than 85 percent remains unallocated.
Taking advantage of space that used to be for cars, downtown businesses work to weather pandemic
Lack of tourism and changing city restrictions on dining in response to the COVID-19 pandemic have forced downtown Anchorage restaurants to be flexible and creative with the way they keep business running.
Anchorage shuts down bars, restaurants for indoor service
Bars and nightclubs will be closed to dine-in service. Emergency Order 15 also limits indoor gatherings to 15 people and outdoor gatherings with food and drinks to 25 people. Outdoor gatherings without food and drinks are limited to 50 people.
Anchorage Assembly extends emergency proclamation into October
The Anchorage Assembly voted on Tuesday to extend the city’s emergency proclamation a fourth time, this time lasting until October 16. The decision was driven by the continued increase in COVID-19 cases that threaten to overwhelm the city’s health care resources.