Outcry Over Proposed Mask Mandate + COVID Cases Rising

Welcome back, Anchorage! Here's everything you need to know to get this Thursday started off right. Here are the most important things going on today in town.

First, today's weather:

Mostly cloudy throughout the day. High: 52 Low: 38.

Here are the top stories in Anchorage today:

1. Emotions ran high on Tuesday night as testimony began on Anchorage Assembly's proposed mask mandate for indoor public settings and large outdoor gatherings. In the end, the meeting ran so long, most of the people who waited to speak weren’t able to. Anchorage Mayor Dave Bronson strongly opposed the mandate. The Assembly will reconvene at 6 p.m. Wednesday evening to hear more public testimony on the mask mandate. (Alaska Public Media News)
2. Alaska reported more than 1,700 resident COVID-19 cases Friday, which state health officials said included reports from earlier this month as they work to clear a backlog that has built up during the latest case surge. In a report covering Sept. 12-18, Alaska has more people hospitalized with COVID-19 than it did at the peak of a prior surge late last year. The state reported 217 people hospitalized with COVID-19 and 41 resident deaths related to COVID-19. Alaska has reported 514 resident deaths related to COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic. (KFQD)
3. Qualifying Alaskans can receive rent and utility aid for three months, and the last day to sign up is Friday. The state is opening up a second round of financial help through the Alaska Housing Finance Corp. under a federally funded program launched early this year to help people struggling during the COVID-19 pandemic. This second round of assistance is expected to support additional Alaskan families who are having trouble paying their rent and utility bills. (Anchorage Daily News)
4. Kenai Superior court Judge Lance Joanis sentenced 35-year-old Kevin Tuckfield to a composite sentence of 100 years to serve for Sexual Assault in the First Degree and Assault in the Third Degree. The convictions against Mr. Tuckfield were related to events that occurred in 2014 when he sexually assaulted a female civilian employee working in the Spring Creek Correctional Center library. Mr. Tuckfield has two additional cases pending trial in Anchorage.

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Now you're in the loop and ready to start this Thursday off right. I'll see you around! If you're enjoying these newsletters, consider inviting some of your friends and neighbors to read along. You can send them this link to subscribe.

— Miranda Fraraccio

About me: Miranda Fraraccio is a born and raised Rhode Islander. She works as a freelance copywriter for content creation agency Lightning Media Partners and as an assistant producer for a live-lit storytelling show in Chicago. She holds a degree in Writing & Rhetoric and Communication Studies from The University of Rhode Island. In her free time, you can find her traveling, hiking, or photographing her neighborhood as a street photographer.