Alaska

‘29-year-olds don’t die for no reason’: A conflicting look at the number of inmate deaths in Alaska

Published

1 year ago

November 9, 2023

‘29-year-olds don’t die for no reason’: A conflicting look at the number of inmate deaths in Alaska

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) – Angelena McCord had been at Hiland Mountain Correctional Center for five days.

McCord, a Tyonek resident, had suffered a seizure at Hiland and was taken to Alaska Regional Hospital on Sept. 22, when she was put on life support.

Eighteen days later, she was taken off life support and eventually died. She was 29 at the time of her death.

McCord had been facing a shoplifting charge, but that charge was dismissed and McCord was taken off life support on Oct. 10.

Because the charges were dropped, McCord’s death is not counted in the total number of people who have died in prison.

“29-year-olds don’t die for no reason,” said Megan Edge, the Prison Project Director for the ACLU of Alaska. “What happened to Ms. McCord that led her to having that medical emergency?”

The ACLU of Alaska says this isn’t the first time a prisoner, taken from a DOC facility for a medical emergency, has been released from custody shortly before they died in a hospital.

By the ACLU’s count, McCord’s death is the 11th this year.

The Department of Corrections says it’s eight.

Betsy Holley, a spokesperson with the DOC, says 41 inmates this year have been taken from DOC custody to a hospital for emergency care.

Holley said there have been five instances this year where charges were dropped after a prisoner went to the hospital.

Asked why DOC does not consider McCord’s death part of the total number of deaths within the department’s custody, Holley responded by saying, “Our policies dictate reporting deaths that occur within our institutional custody. Once an individual is released from our care, we no longer have access to information about their disposition.”

That includes two additional men: Lewis Jordan Jr., who was at Goose Creek Correctional Center in Knik, and Jimmy Singree, who was at Wildwood Correctional Complex in Kenai.

Both men later died in the hospital and neither of their deaths count toward the total number of deaths, despite the medical emergency itself happening within DOC custody.

“No one should die ‘death by incarceration,’” Edge said.

Edge says both men essentially left prisons in comas and were sent to hospitals where their charges were dropped and the men were taken off life support.

The DOC says 65% of the inmate population have a mental illness, and 75 people work as contractors providing mental health services statewide to a total prison population of nearly 4,500 people.

Asked if she thought anything nefarious was happening to keep DOC inmate death totals lower, Edge said she believes it is a legitimate question.

“I’m always skeptical,” Edge said. “You know, last year there was a record number of deaths that occurred inside of DOC custody. It brought a lot of pressure from the legislature from journalists from the community.”

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Alaska

80 mph, 90 mph and higher: Here’s a rundown of peak gusts recorded across Southcentral Alaska in Sunday’s storm

Published

1 hour ago

January 13, 2025

Press Room

80 mph, 90 mph and higher: Here’s a rundown of peak gusts recorded across Southcentral Alaska in Sunday’s storm

By Anchorage Daily News

Updated: 2 hours ago Published: 3 hours ago

A downed spruce tree partially hangs over Lake Otis Parkway during the windstorm on Sunday, Jan. 12, 2025. (Bill Roth / ADN)

Here’s a list of peak wind gusts measured at various locations by the National Weather Service across Southcentral Alaska in Sunday’s storm. Crews were working Sunday evening to restore electricity to thousands of people in Anchorage and the Mat-Su.

Gusts of more than 60 mph were recorded at various locations across the region, with gusts exceeding 80 mph at several locations on the Anchorage Hillside and higher elevations.

High winds, rain batter Anchorage and Mat-Su, with power outages reported across region

The readings were collected from a variety of sources with varying equipment and exposures, the weather service noted. Not all data listed are considered official, the weather service said. See the full list here.

Anchorage

Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport: 62 mph

Merrill Field: 66 mph

Lake Hood: 59 mph

JBER – Elmendorf: 69 mph

JBER – Fort Richardson: 73 mph

Northeast Anchorage: 75 mph

South Anchorage: 75 mph

Glen Alps: 84 mph

Potter Valley: 91 mph

Bear Valley: 110 mph*

Arctic Valley: 107 mph*

Glenn Hwy Eagle River Bridge: 88 mph

Glenn Hwy S Curves: 62 mph

South Fork Eagle River: 86 mph

Birchwood Airport: 53 mph

Bird Point: 75 mph

Alyeska Weather Station: 112 mph

Alyeska Summit: 99 mph

Portage Glacier: 84 mph

Matanuska Valley

Palmer Airport: 67 mph

Wasilla Airport: 47 mph

Fishhook: 47 mph

Duck Flats: 6 mph

Susitna Valley

Willow: 36 mph

Eastern Kenai Peninsula

Seward Airport: 51 mph

Kenai Lake: 33 mph

Granite Creek: 25 mph

Seward / Sterling Hwys (Y): 42 mph

Whittier Airport: 60 mph*

Western Kenai Peninsula

Kenai Airport: 53 mph

Soldotna Airport: 39 mph

Kenai Beach: 46 mph

Sterling Highway at Jean Lake: 64 mph

Nikiski: 36 mph

Anchor Point: 31 mph

Homer Airport: 46 mph

Homer Boat Harbor: 42 mph

Seldovia Airport: 41 mph

Eastern Prince William Sound

Cordova Airport: 73 mph

Cordova Marine Ferry Terminal: 74 mph

Valdez Airport: 25 mph

Valdez Port: 23 mph

Thompson Pass: 47 mph

Copper River Basin

Gulkana Airport: 56 mph

Chitina: 37 mph

Denali Hwy at MacLaren River: 38 mph

Eureka: 36 mph

Kodiak Island

Kodiak Airport: 52 mph

Kodiak – Pasagshak Road: 61 mph

Akhiok: 45 mph

*Denotes site stopped transmitting wind data following report of highest wind gust.

“Observations are collected from a variety of sources with varying equipment and exposures. We thank all volunteer weather observers for their dedication. Not all data listed are considered official.”

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Alaska

Alaska Airlines faces heat after UFC champion Khabib Nurmagomedov gets removed from flight: 'Shame on you'

Published

13 hours ago

January 12, 2025

Press Room

Alaska Airlines faces heat after UFC champion Khabib Nurmagomedov gets removed from flight: 'Shame on you'

Alaska Airlines is getting called out on social media after a clip surfaced showing a famous UFC fighter get into a dispute on-board until he was escorted off his flight. The video shows Russian hall of fame athlete Khabib Nurmgomedov debating airline staff in the U.S. while he was sitting in the exit row on the plane.

The video of the incident, which reportedly took place at Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas on Saturday, shows an employee telling the 36-year-old mixed martial artist he either has to switch seats or get off the plane. “They’re not comfortable with you sitting in the exit row,” the worker added.

“It’s not fair,” said Nurmgomedov, who was reportedly flying to Los Angeles, to which the worker replied, “It is fair. Yes, it is.”

Nurmgomedov explained that when he was checking in for the flight, he was asked he if knew English, to which he said he did. The airline worker responded, “I understand that, but it’s also off of their judgement. I’m not going to do this back-and-forth. I will call a supervisor.”

The employee reiterated the athlete could either take a different seat on the plane, or staff could “go ahead and escort” him off the flight. She asked “which one are we doing?” and then replied to Nurmgomedov saying they were going to have to rebook him on a different flight.

Across social media, people have been calling out Alaska Airlines asking why they had him removed from the plane. Many called for others to boycott the airline, and some claimed the staff were profiling Nurmgomedov, who is Muslim.

“Why did you remove Khabib from your plane? His fans need to know! I hope he sues you,” an Instagram user wrote on the airline’s most recent post.

“Are you aware of who Khabib is? His legacy surpasses that of the entire airline,” another chimed in.

“Shame on you, Alaska Airline. We all boycotting them,” a TikTok user added.

“What is the reason!? Because they don’t feel comfortable he’s sitting by a window?” another questioned.

Neither Nurmgomedov or Alaska Airlines have yet commented on the situation.

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Alaska

Experts recommend preparing in case of Southcentral power outages as storm approaches

Published

24 hours ago

January 12, 2025

Press Room

Experts recommend preparing in case of Southcentral power outages as storm approaches

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) – With a storm approaching and high winds in the forecast for a portion of Southcentral Alaska, experts recommend preparing for potential power outages and taking safety precautions.

Experts with the State of Alaska, Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management recommended taking the initiative early in case of power outages due to strong weather.

Julie Hasquet with Chugach Electric in Anchorage said Saturday the utility company has 24/7 operators in case of outages.

“We watch the weather forecast, and absolutely, if there are power outages, we will send crews out into the field to respond,” Hasquet said.

She echoed others, saying it’s best to prepare prior to a storm and not need supplies rather than the other way around.

“With the winds that are forecast for tonight and perhaps into Sunday, people should just be ready that it could be some challenging times, and to be aware and cautious and kind of have your radar up,” Hasquet said.

For the latest weather updates and alerts, download the Alaska’s Weather Source app.

See a spelling or grammar error? Report it to web@ktuu.com

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