ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) – High pressure is hovering over Alaska, heating up parts of the state to the 80s and approaching 90 even into Tuesday. Already on Monday, temperatures were in the 80s, and it hit 89 in Eagle! Water levels on rivers and streams will likely remain high with the additional melt-waters flowing into the river systems.

Over the southcentral region, a different picture. Rain hit Cordova and it poured 1.46 inches on the city Monday. The rain will move over the region at a quick pace, moving out again Tuesday. Kenai Peninsula will also see mild, warm conditions into Tuesday, following a trend that will impact much of the region.

Southeast sees very wet weather, with rain turning heavy at times into Tuesday.

The hot spot in Alaska on July 20th, 2024 was Eagle with 89 degrees. The cold spot was in Utqiagvik, with 39 degrees.

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ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) – Anchorage Mayor Suzanne LaFrance’s administration has inherited a list of potential issues highlighted in a transition report from former Mayor Dave Bronson’s team.

The more than 150-page report covers several potential issues across multiple departments, including staffing and public safety challenges.

In the report, former Anchorage Police Chief-designee Bianca Cross discusses the municipality’s homeless population receiving fewer health and emergency services and how, in her view, that complicates how law enforcement can help them.

Speaking to the staffing issues, Cross said the inability to hire more officers and fewer job applicants overall have created morale and productivity problems. She says some of the morale problem has to do with low prosecutor numbers.

“Misdemeanor crimes are unlikely to be prosecuted due to low attorney staffing. This adds to morale issues as officers see repeat offenders free.”

Chief Administrative Officer Bill Falsey said it is an issue that current Municipality of Anchorage (MOA) attorney Eva Gardner is aware of.

“It is the case that the municipal prosecutor’s office had, I think, a pretty unprecedented level of vacancies — and that has caused some difficulties in prosecuting low-level crimes,” Falsey said.

Anchorage Fire Chief Doug Schrage reported calls for emergency medical services are increasing, and compounded by a lack of adequate mental health services and the unavailability of Anchorage Safety Patrol teams in many areas.

Additionally, he reported that hospital emergency departments are overcrowded, leaving AFD to receive more calls and increasing low morale and burnout.

Falsey said the “ripple effect” of low staffing impacts many departments and municipality in different ways.

“It actually can be more expensive to hold vacancies, because folks then start working overtime. But then the ripple effect of the paid overtime is that folks end up getting no breaks. So there were folks who were working snow removal last winter who literally did not have a day off for three months. And that eventually comes home to roost in lower morale, because people are just being asked to do more with less,” Falsey said.

Mayor LaFrance said her administration is looking at ways to offer competitive wages and improve work culture.

“We want to make sure that we’ve got a culture of respect and that it’s a positive work environment here for all employees, and that we’re pursuing opportunities for telework, for part-time work or flex time. Everything’s on the table right now to look at ways in which we can make these jobs more competitive,” LaFrance said.

Speaking to financial challenges, Project Management and Engineering acting director Melinda Kohlhaas reported that the municipality’s capital needs exceeded $2 billion. Furthermore, the loss of state grant funding adversely affected the municipality’s ability to address deferred maintenance and new infrastructure requirements.

In the report, she said between 1997 and 2014, MOA received about $512M in state grants for PM&E and drainage projects. Since then, PM&E has received $2 million in state grants for capital construction.

Maintenance and Operations Director Shay Throop said in the report that every division is dealing with budget constraints due to historical inflation and spoke to the “imminent collapse” of the MOA’s ability to provide basic government services such as police and street maintenance with an aging fleet.

Falsey acknowledged there’s been a historic level of underinvestment in the fleet, which he said needs to be addressed soon.

“Last winter, we had a number of graders that were just down for repairs. Some of those graders were from the ‘90s or from the early 2000s, have 10,000 hours on the engine, and are going to be in a place where they’re going to be constantly needing some additional investment,” Falsey said.

Lastly, former Housing and Homelessness Director Alexis Johnson reported possible future issues with sheltering services due to funding and operator issues — specifically the 56th Avenue shelter pending funding and Golden Lion.

“It’s a public safety issue in so many ways. And so right now, you know, we are we’re building a team and in that team building process is ensuring that we’ve got folks who are bringing specific knowledge and skills, as well as a commitment to working with all of our stakeholders and partners and coming up with a plan,” LaFrance said.

But Mayor LaFrance said the report did have a list of accomplishments.

In the report, former Mayor Bronson said despite mounting challenges — including taking office amid the COVID-19 pandemic — his administration was privileged to play a key role in the city’s progress, including delivering what he called a historic pay raise to members of the Anchorage Police Department.

Copyright 2024 KTUU. All rights reserved.

Alaska’s delegation to the Democratic National Convention endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris in the wake of Joe Biden’s announcement Sunday that he would drop out of the 2024 presidential race.

Party officials met Sunday evening and coalesced behind Harris, according to a news release from the Alaska Democratic Party.

State Rep. Andy Josephson, D-Anchorage, one of 20 voting delegates, said the news was bittersweet — Josephson said he’s proud of Biden’s record, but said Harris has a better shot to “reinvigorate the Obama coalition” and defeat Donald Trump.

“I think Kamala Harris will do a better job of making the argument and presenting the case against Donald Trump, and the fact that the Trump campaign clearly wanted to run against Joe Biden tells me everything I need to know about what they fear in Kamala Harris,” Josephson said by phone. 

He said the decision to endorse Harris was unanimous among those who attended the Sunday evening meeting.

Delegate Ron Meehan commended Biden’s decision to step aside.

“I know that that decision was one that was incredibly difficult for President Biden to make, but one that further demonstrates his commitment to the country above all else — to doing what’s right,” he said in a phone call.

Meehan said he was optimistic that Harris could run on the Biden administration’s policy record, pointing to investments in infrastructure and the fight against climate change.

“Vice President Harris has a proven record of delivering for America’s working families and protecting our fundamental freedoms. She has demonstrated her ability to lead our country with strength, compassion, and dignity as Attorney General, Senator, and Vice President,” state Sen. Elvi Gray-Jackson, D-Anchorage, another Alaska delegate to the DNC, said in a prepared statement. “I am proud to stand by her as the Democratic nominee for president.”

Fellow delegate Mike Davis said some floated waiting a day or two before moving to endorse Harris, but he said the consensus was for quick action.

“I think that the people felt like, hey, this needs to happen now,” Davis said in a phone interview. “It’s important that she knows from the get-go that she has the support of [the] Alaska delegation, and so that was the prevailing argument versus, let’s wait a day here.”

Republican U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski said in a social media post that she “respect[s] President Biden’s decision to act in the best interest of the country by stepping aside in the 2024 presidential election.” The other two members of Alaska’s congressional delegation, Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan and Democratic Congresswoman Mary Peltola, had yet to comment on the news as of midday Monday.

Democrats around the country have rallied behind Harris, including some who had been floated as possible competitors. State Democratic parties in Wisconsin, Minnesota and Kentucky, among others, also endorsed Harris shortly after Biden’s announcement.

“Vice President Harris will carry on the legacy of President Biden with unprecedented investments in Alaska and our people,” Alaska Democratic Party Chair Mike Wenstrup said in a statement. “She is well-poised to earn the nomination and to win in November.”