A compromise plan emerges on Anchorage homelessness, and Alaska reports 3 deaths and 871 COVID-19 cases

Meanwhile, delayed monoclonal antibody shipments have begun arriving. Plus: Seventy-four homeless people have died outside in Anchorage since 2017. New data shows what’s behind their deaths. 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, October 5. In today's newsletter: - The Anchorage Assembly and Mayor Dave Bronson's administration roll out a new compromise on homelessness. - Alaska reports three deaths and 871 COVID-19 cases as delayed monoclonal antibody shipments begin arriving. - Seventy-four homeless people have died outside in Anchorage since 2017. New data shows what’s behind their deaths. In case you didn't hear, the ADN's longtime sports editor [Beth Bragg]( is hanging up her news-boots and retiring. For decades, Beth has covered every nook and cranny of Alaska athletics, from the Olympics to the Iditarod to local high school tennis matches. The scope, depth and quality of her work is unparalleled in Alaska sports reporting. Though [she vows to keep writing](, we'll sure miss her around here. Best of luck to Beth in the next leg of the great race. 🙌 ☁️ Anchorage weather Cloudy with a 60% chance of rain this afternoon and a high near 48. The likelihood of rain will increase overnight into tomorrow, but the precipitation could clear up by Thursday. Here’s what else is making headlines in Alaska today. — Ryan Cunningham, rcunningham@adn.com [Anchorage Assembly, mayor’s team roll out new compromise on homelessness ]( [Anchorage Assembly, mayor’s team roll out new compromise on homelessness]( A new proposal would create multiple, smaller shelter and housing options targeted to subsets of the population of unhoused people in Anchorage. The compromise plan is the result of a monthslong negotiation process between Assembly members and the mayor’s office to come up with a short-term plan that would allow for the closure of the Sullivan Arena emergency mass shelter, as well as a long-term plan to address homelessness. [Read More]( [Alaska reports 3 deaths, 871 COVID-19 cases as delayed monoclonal antibody shipments begin arriving]( [Alaska reports 3 deaths, 871 COVID-19 cases as delayed monoclonal antibody shipments begin arriving]( Statewide, 194 people were hospitalized with the virus as of Tuesday. That's down slightly from Monday’s near-record tally of 216, but it’s likely not yet a meaningful drop, says Jeannie Monk of the Alaska State Hospital and Nursing Home Association. "Until we see a trend that’s going down over at least a week, I just expect it to be up and down as we’ve been seeing all along," Monk says. [Read More]( [74 homeless people have died outside in Anchorage since 2017. New data shows what’s behind their deaths.]( [74 homeless people have died outside in Anchorage since 2017. New data shows what’s behind their deaths.]( No local government entity or organization has in recent years tracked or compiled causes of death for people believed to be homeless who perish on the streets of Anchorage. An analysis by the Daily News offers the first recent detailed look. The top causes of death: cold weather, alcoholism and addiction. [Read More]( [Rural Alaskans are at greater risk as COVID swamps faraway urban hospitals]( [Rural Alaskans are at greater risk as COVID swamps faraway urban hospitals]( The ramifications are dire for those in rural Alaska if they need higher levels of care — for COVID-19 or otherwise. Sometimes those patients get lucky and get transferred to Fairbanks or Anchorage. But hospital officials say patients have died waiting for specialized treatments like dialysis and cardiac catheterization. [Read More]( [Public testimony on proposed Anchorage mask mandate will continue Tuesday]( [Public testimony on proposed Anchorage mask mandate will continue Tuesday]( After a fourth night of testimony Monday, the Assembly decided to continue it at 5 p.m. Tuesday and also set a special meeting for Thursday "if needed." The meetings have been prolonged by many people showing up to speak and Assembly members asking questions of the people testifying. [Read More]( More from the ADN [Alaska Legislature begins fourth special session with little hope for a PFD fix ]( [Alaska Legislature begins fourth special session with little hope for a PFD fix]( [Read More]( [I was fired because I refuse to be vaccinated for COVID-19. Can I sue? ]( [I was fired because I refuse to be vaccinated for COVID-19. Can I sue?]( [Read More]( [A parade of snowplows signals the start of winter at JBER]( [A parade of snowplows signals the start of winter at JBER]( [Read More]( [Bristol Bay salmon fishery is generating big revenue this year, but most of the money will leave Alaska]( [Bristol Bay salmon fishery is generating big revenue this year, but most of the money will leave Alaska]( [Read More]( [The mob violence that drove Chinese miners from Juneau in 1886 — and the one man allowed to stay]( [The mob violence that drove Chinese miners from Juneau in 1886 — and the one man allowed to stay]( [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