How a new Anchorage shelter quietly rushed to house dozens of vulnerable people

Results from Alaska’s first ranked choice vote are still days away. Maine’s top election official says that’s a good thing. Email not displaying correctly? [View the web version]( [Anchorage Daily News]( Today's sponsor: [Today's sponsor: Northrim Bank]( Support independent reporting on what Alaskans care about most. [Subscribe today.]( Good afternoon. It’s Monday, August 22. In today's newsletter: - A converted Anchorage hotel now shelters 83 medically fragile and elderly homeless residents, filling a critical need and pointing to a model for the city’s ongoing response. - Results from Alaska's first ranked choice election won't be known for several days still. We break down why that is and why a top election official in another state with ranked choice voting argues it's a good thing. - The candidate currently in fourth place in Alaska's U.S. Senate race is an unknown Wasilla resident who hasn't raised a dime. We answer the question: Who is Buzz Kelley? The disappearance of Harry Potter Lake on Alaska's North Slope was swift — it only took 24 hours for the lake basin to drain completely away into a nearby creek. Drained lake basins make up more than half of the Arctic coastal plain. Alaska science [columnist Ned Rozell explains]( why disappearing lakes are rarely witnessed by people. 🌧️ Anchorage weather You guessed it — more rain. Today calls for scattered showers and a high of 62 degrees. Scattered showers will continue through the week, with rain likely on Friday. Temperatures will hover in the low 60s. Here’s what else is making headlines in Alaska today. — Megan Pacer, mpacer@adn.com [Amid Anchorage’s homelessness upheaval, a new shelter quietly rushed to house dozens of vulnerable people]( [Amid Anchorage’s homelessness upheaval, a new shelter quietly rushed to house dozens of vulnerable people]( Since June, the former Sockeye Inn on the northern edge of Midtown Anchorage has been repurposed to serve as a homeless shelter specifically for people with health and mobility issues. Its opening constituted a major success for social service providers, achieving a substantial piece of Anchorage’s overall response to homelessness. [Read More]( [Results from Alaska’s first ranked choice vote are still days away. Maine’s top election official says that’s a good thing.]( [Results from Alaska’s first ranked choice vote are still days away. Maine’s top election official says that’s a good thing.]( The Alaska Division of Elections decided not to release early ranked choice tabulations in the special U.S. House race, so Alaskans won't know who won until Aug. 31. The top election official in Maine, which uses ranked voting, argues there is good reason to withhold early tabulation results before all ballots are counted. [Read More]( [Buzz Kelley has 12 campaign signs and hasn’t raised a dime. He’s in 4th place in Alaska’s U.S. Senate race. ]( [Buzz Kelley has 12 campaign signs and hasn’t raised a dime. He’s in 4th place in Alaska’s U.S. Senate race.]( After last week's election, many Alaskans are wondering: Who is Buzz Kelley, the U.S. Senate candidate who's currently in fourth place and on track to appear on the November ballot? Kelley attributes some of his 3,450 votes to a campaign sign affixed to his car, which he drove around the block for hours at a Trump rally last month. Trump-backed candidate Kelly Tshibaka has said she thinks those votes were intended for her. [Read More]( [Son of former Alaska state Rep. Dean Westlake charged in his death]( [Son of former Alaska state Rep. Dean Westlake charged in his death]( Tallon Westlake, the son of former Alaska state Rep. Dean Westlake, was charged in the killing of his father in a South Anchorage apartment over the weekend. [Read More]( [Big Ray’s at 75: How serving Alaska’s unique needs helps a local outfitter thrive]( [SPONSORED: Big Ray’s at 75 - How serving Alaska’s unique needs helps a local outfitter thrive]( Presented by Big Ray’s: Local outfitter Big Ray’s creativity and commitment to Alaska are key to the company’s success. [Read More]( More from the ADN [Open & Shut: Anchorage gets a store catering to Alaska Native and rural customers, a Greek restaurant and a party-bike tour]( [Open & Shut: Anchorage gets a store catering to Alaska Native and rural customers, a Greek restaurant and a party-bike tour]( [Read More]( [Alaska’s snow crabs have disappeared. Where they went is a mystery.]( [Alaska’s snow crabs have disappeared. Where they went is a mystery.]( [Read More]( [An Utqiaġvik artist is turning found beach artifacts into collages highlighting Iñupiaq culture]( [An Utqiaġvik artist is turning found beach artifacts into collages highlighting Iñupiaq culture]( [Read More]( [Photos: Alaska Hmong New Year celebration in downtown Anchorage]( [Photos: Alaska Hmong New Year celebration in downtown Anchorage]( [Read More]( [2 dead in string of collisions along Cordova Street near downtown Anchorage]( [2 dead in string of collisions along Cordova Street near downtown Anchorage]( [Read More]( [Anthony Fauci, nation’s top adviser on infectious disease, to retire in December]( [Anthony Fauci, nation’s top adviser on infectious disease, to retire in December]( [Read More]( [Get digital access to the ADN for as low as $1.99 for the first month]( 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 300 W 31st Avenue, Anchorage, AK 99503