Sinking spurs call for study of ice buildup on fishing boats. Plus, Anchorage vets are overwhelmed.

Also, we dive into Seward teen swimmer Lydia Jacoby's journey to this summer's Tokyo Olympics. She is Alaska's first Olympic swimmer. Email not displaying correctly? [View the web version]( [Anchorage Daily News]( Support independent reporting on what Alaskans care about most. [Subscribe today.]( Good afternoon. It’s Tuesday, June 29. In today's newsletter: - The NTSB is calling for the study of ice buildup on fishing boats after the fatal sinking of the Scandies Rose in the Gulf of Alaska. - Anchorage veterinarians are inundated with patients, and there are no signs of a slowdown. - A dive into Seward teen swimmer Lydia Jacoby's journey to this summer's Tokyo Olympics. ☀️ Anchorage weather A great day to head outside: It's mostly sunny with a high near 71 and a west wind around 5 mph, and the forecast tonight calls for partly cloudy skies and a low around 52. The sunshine (and warmth!) should stick around for the next couple days. Here’s what else is making headlines in Alaska today. — Vicky Ho, vho@adn.com [NTSB calls for study of ice buildup on fishing boats following fatal sinking of Scandies Rose in Gulf of Alaska]( [NTSB calls for study of ice buildup on fishing boats following fatal sinking of Scandies Rose in Gulf of Alaska]( The National Transportation Safety Board is recommending further study of the destabilizing effects of ice buildup on commercial fishing boats after a review of the investigation into the fatal sinking of the Scandies Rose. The Seattle-based crab boat sank in the Gulf of Alaska on Dec. 31, 2019; five crew members died and two were rescued. The crab boat “sank because its captain only had partial access to the information that he needed to make the right decisions, and the information that he did have was inaccurate,” the chairman of the NTSB said. [Read More]( [Anchorage veterinarians are inundated with patients, and there are no signs of a slowdown]( [Anchorage veterinarians are inundated with patients, and there are no signs of a slowdown]( Veterinarians in Anchorage say they're overwhelmed with patients, with some people having to book appointments for their pets weeks or even months in advance for everything from annual exams to routine cleanings. Several factors are contributing to the squeeze, including a COVID-19 pet boom, strained staffing and a backlog of procedures delayed by the pandemic. “It’s just one of those juggling acts that we keep on doing,” said the practice manager for an Anchorage animal clinic. [Read More]( [Lydia Jacoby is heading to Tokyo as Alaska’s first Olympic swimmer — and a serious medal contender]( [Lydia Jacoby's journey to the Olympics started with a breakout performance at age 10. The pandemic helped her train even harder.]( The 17-year-old is heading to Tokyo as Alaska’s first Olympic swimmer — and a serious medal contender. It'll be the first international competition for Jacoby, who got her start swimming as a kid who spent a lot of time around water in Seward. She was 14 when she qualified for the 2020 Olympic Trials, but even before that, Alaska coaches knew Jacoby was one to watch. “The more pressure there is, the more I want to succeed,” she says. [Read More]( [Alaska Medicaid to begin covering gender-affirming health care after class-action lawsuit]( [Alaska Medicaid to begin covering gender-affirming health care after class-action lawsuit]( Gender-affirming health care will become a covered benefit for Alaskans on Medicaid under a policy change scheduled to go into effect July 25. The change is the result of a settlement in a lawsuit filed against the state health department that challenged the legality of excluding transgender Alaskans from health coverage related to their gender transitions. [Read More]( [Far fewer workers from abroad are in Alaska this summer, adding another challenge for employers]( [Far fewer workers from abroad are in Alaska this summer, adding another challenge for employers]( Foreign college students once flocked to Alaska as part of the U.S. State Department’s J-1 Summer Work Travel cultural exchange program, but their numbers have dwindled due to pandemic restrictions. More than 200 J-1 workers have arrived in Alaska so far this summer — a fraction of the 2,000 that came in 2019, according to State Department data. The shortfall is impacting businesses like hotels, restaurants and others who are [struggling to find enough workers]( this season. [Read More]( More from the ADN [Mike Gravel was an iconoclast whose big ideas lost him a U.S. Senate seat. Time has proven many of them were right.]( [Opinion: Mike Gravel was an iconoclast whose big ideas lost him a U.S. Senate seat. Time has proven many of them were right.]( [Read More]( [Want to keep working from home? Here’s how to make the case for telework to your boss.]( [Want to keep working from home? Here’s how to make the case for telework to your boss.]( [Read More]( [Tracking COVID-19 in Alaska: 91 cases and no deaths reported over the weekend]( [Tracking COVID-19 in Alaska: 91 cases and no deaths reported over the weekend]( [Read More]( [As Surfside community members wait for news, they are inundated by hundreds of acts of kindness]( [As Surfside community members wait for news, they are inundated by hundreds of acts of kindness]( [Read More]( [‘Dunkle’s Ditch’: How digging a canal between two Spenard lakes launched Anchorage’s famously busy Lake Hood seaplane base]( [‘Dunkle’s Ditch’: How digging a canal between two Spenard lakes launched Anchorage’s famously busy Lake Hood seaplane base]( [Read More]( The ADN relies on readers like you. [Get digital access to the ADN for about $4 per week]( and help us cover the news that matters most here in Alaska. 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