Alaska reports 16 virus deaths, and GOP state lawmakers push for access to unauthorized COVID-19 treatment

Plus: An Anchorage man accused of killing his mother had mental health issues, charges say. 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 12. In today's newsletter: - Alaska reports 16 recent COVID-19 deaths and less than 500 cases Tuesday. - Several Republican Alaska lawmakers push for easier access to ivermectin to ward off COVID-19. - An Anchorage man accused of killing his mother had mental health issues, charges say. A pink ice skating rink inside a mall? A woman doing pushups during an Assembly meeting? These are just a couple of the ADN's best images from October — so far, anyway. [Take in the sights and scenes from around Anchorage the past couple of weeks.]( ⛅ Anchorage weather Partly with a high near 45 this afternoon. Skies should get progressively cloudier tonight into tomorrow, then we might see some scattered and isolated showers later in the day Wednesday. Here’s what else is making headlines in Alaska today. — Ryan Cunningham, rcunningham@adn.com [Alaska reports 16 recent COVID-19 deaths and less than 500 cases Tuesday]( [Alaska reports 16 recent COVID-19 deaths and less than 500 cases Tuesday]( The new deaths involved 10 people from Anchorage, three from Fairbanks, two from Kenai and one from Cordova, ranging in age from their 20s to their 80s. The state also reported 475 new cases — part of a possible leveling off in daily cases that health officials say they’re continuing to watch closely. [Read More]( [Several Republican Alaska lawmakers push for easier access to ivermectin to ward off COVID]( [Several Republican Alaska lawmakers push for easier access to ivermectin to ward off COVID-19]( Senate Majority Leader Shelley Hughes of Palmer said she urged Gov. Mike Dunleavy and the state health commissioner to consider supplying Alaskans with vitamins and drugs, including ivermectin, "that some Alaskan physicians are prescribing but pharmacies aren’t filling." [Ivermectin]( is not authorized by the FDA for preventing or treating COVID-19. [Read More]( [Anchorage man accused of killing his mother had mental health issues, charges say]( [Anchorage man accused of killing his mother had mental health issues, charges say]( In the days before the shooting, 38-year-old Thomas Layou had directed “violent yelling episodes” at his mother, according to a police affidavit. Layou was charged with first- and second-degree murder in the death of Patrice Layou. He is being held at the Anchorage Correctional Center on $200,000 bail. [Read More]( [Alaska campaign regulator confirms $38,500 fine against Bronson campaign]( [Alaska campaign regulator confirms $38,500 fine against Bronson campaign]( Regulatory staff say the campaign's failures to properly report spending meant "the public had no idea what was going on in the (Bronson For Mayor) campaign until well after the April 6, 2021 election and the May 11, 2021 runoff election." [Read More]( [What happened to the promise of pot cafes in Alaska?]( [What happened to the promise of pot cafes in Alaska?]( In the nearly seven years since Alaskans voted to regulate cannabis like alcohol, on-site consumption has remained stubbornly out of reach. Only one business in the state so far has managed to navigate the tangle of regulations and financial hurdles: Good Titrations, which operates its cannabis cafe out of a former Chili’s restaurant in Fairbanks. [Read More]( More from the ADN [Anchorage Assembly to continue public testimony on mask ordinance Wednesday]( [Anchorage Assembly to continue public testimony on mask ordinance Wednesday]( [Read More]( [Man dies in COVID-19 outbreak at Kenai Peninsula prison]( [Man dies in COVID-19 outbreak at Kenai Peninsula prison]( [Read More]( [Alaska tribal recognition ballot measure begins gathering signatures for 2022 vote]( [Alaska tribal recognition ballot measure begins gathering signatures for 2022 vote]( [Read More]( [A one-man patient transfer center: Meet the Anchorage doctor who connects hospitals in tough times]( [A one-man patient transfer center: Meet the Anchorage doctor who connects hospitals in tough times]( [Read More]( [What the latest research says about adding healthy years to your life]( [What the latest research says about adding healthy years to your life]( [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