Alaska launches a new COVID-19 vaccine incentive: $49,000 weekly prizes

Also, the Anchorage School District is changing its policy on reporting COVID-19 cases in schools. 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 Thursday, September 2. In today's newsletter: - The state has launched a $49,000 weekly drawing for vaccine recipients to encourage more people to get inoculated against COVID-19. - The Anchorage School District reverses course and will soon report virus cases school by school. - A proposal to rename Fairview Elementary for ASD's first Black teacher and principal gets support from the superintendent. 🌧️ Anchorage weather It's a gray and rainy day, with a high near 63 and a low tonight of about 53 degrees. The clouds and some rain will likely stick around for the next few days, so if you're planning to chase the sunshine over the holiday weekend, you'll probably need to get out of town. Here’s what else is making headlines in Alaska today. — Vicky Ho, vho@adn.com [Alaska launches series of $49,000 lottery awards to encourage COVID-19 vaccinations]( [Alaska launches series of $49,000 drawings to encourage COVID-19 vaccinations]( Here's how it works: The $49,000 prizes will be awarded weekly to one adult and one youth in a random drawing for newly vaccinated entrants through Oct. 30. Those vaccinated before Sept. 2 will be eligible for a one-time drawing. Alaska’s vaccination rate, once first in the U.S., is now 32nd. Today's incentive program launch comes a day after Alaska [reported its second-highest daily tally of new COVID-19 cases]( and set a new record for virus hospitalizations. [Read More]( [Anchorage School District had no plans to report COVID-19 cases school by school. That changed this week. ]( [Anchorage School District had no plans to report COVID-19 cases school by school. That changed this week.]( Most of Alaska’s big school districts started the year reporting or planning to report school-by-school COVID-19 cases. Anchorage was the exception, refusing to release school-specific information as recently as the start of this week. Now, in response to community requests for transparency as the pandemic hits record levels, ASD has reversed course and will soon start releasing virus case information for individual schools. [Read More]( [Anchorage schools superintendent recommends renaming Fairview Elementary after district’s first Black teacher and principal ]( [Anchorage schools superintendent recommends renaming Fairview Elementary after district’s first Black teacher and principal]( The Anchorage School Board will soon vote on whether to change Fairview Elementary's name to Dr. Etheldra Davis-Fairview Elementary School. Davis, who died in November at age 89, worked for over 30 years as an educator in the state — including at Fairview Elementary — and was the Anchorage School District's first Black teacher and principal. [Read More]( [Pollution cleanup from sunken ship near Kodiak is costing millions]( [Pollution cleanup from sunken ship near Kodiak is costing millions]( Costs to contain pollution from a ship that sank near Kodiak Island more than 30 years ago have reached about $3 million since authorities were notified of an oily sheen from the wreckage in early August, according to the U.S. Coast Guard. [Read More]( [Former Alaska attorney general John Havelock dies at age 89]( [Former Alaska attorney general John Havelock dies at age 89]( John Havelock, a former Alaska attorney general who guided the state during the years immediately before construction of the trans-Alaska pipeline system, died Tuesday at age 89, his family said on social media. [Read More]( More from the ADN [Fun things coming up: Dance in the botanical garden, the Girdwood Fungus Fair and closing weekend for the Alaska State Fair]( [Fun things coming up: Dance in the botanical garden, the Girdwood Fungus Fair and closing weekend for the Alaska State Fair]( [Read More]( [Seafood processor Peter Pan will require employees to be vaccinated]( [Seafood processor Peter Pan will require employees to be vaccinated]( [Read More]( [New Texas abortion law pushes women to clinics in neighboring states]( [New Texas abortion law pushes women to clinics in neighboring states]( [Read More]( [Don’t wait: Get your garden ready for the first frost]( [Don’t wait: Get your garden ready for the first frost]( [Read More]( [GM and Ford halt some vehicle production as chip shortage worsens]( [GM and Ford halt some vehicle production as chip shortage worsens]( [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. [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Instagram]( [Click here to unsubscribe and manage your email subscriptions.]( Anchorage Daily News Anchorage Daily News 300 W 31st Avenue, Anchorage, AK 99503