Inside the realities of Alaska’s aging inmate population

And: City terminates Anchorage’s sleep-off center contractor and brings in temporary replacement ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ Email not displaying correctly? [View the web version]( Today's sponsor: [Today's sponsor: Northrim Bank]( Support independent reporting on what Alaskans care about most. [Subscribe today.]( Good afternoon. It’s Monday, September 25. In today's newsletter: - More people are [living out their final years in Alaska prisons]( — testing the balance between prison as punishment for serious crimes and the expensive realities of caring for infirm inmates. - The Anchorage Health Department has [terminated a longtime contract]( with a company that operated the city’s sleep-off center and came under fire this year over safety and reliability issues. - Contractors in charge of snow removal in Mat-Su are in [an ongoing dispute with borough officials over unpaid bills]( from last winter that threatens to extend into this plowing season. Alaska and the rest of the world just marked the fall equinox. A sure sign of the annual transition to autumn is when the tree leaves turn from green to yellow, orange or red, then waft to the ground. In this week's column, [science writer Ned Rozell explains]( the change trees go through on their way to a dormant winter state. He also answers the question: Why don't all our trees change color at the same time? Anchorage weather It's mostly sunny today with a high near 52 degrees. Fair conditions are set to continue this week with partly to mostly sunny skies for the next few days. Daytime temperatures will hover in the low 50s. Here’s what else is making headlines in Alaska today. — Megan Pacer, mpacer@adn.com [‘Like a nursing home’: The realities of Alaska’s aging inmate population →]( Over the past decade, the number of people 55 and older incarcerated in Alaska has grown by 50%. During the same period, the state's spending on physical health care for prisoners increased 105%. Prison officials say the factors driving the increase are complicated, but include ballooning costs associated with an aging, medically complex inmate population. ADVERTISEMENT [City terminates Anchorage’s sleep-off center contractor and brings in temporary replacement →]( Securitas, which also operates Anchorage’s safety patrol van service, came under fire as short staffing led to unstable services and officials voiced concerns about the safety of citizens in the company’s care. [Mat-Su snowplow contractors asked for millions in extra costs after last winter’s heavy snow. Some still haven’t been paid. →]( The extra invoices total $7.1 million and reflect the time it took to clear snow pushed into roads from private properties by five of the borough's six road maintenance contractors after near-record snowfall in the region. [Fire engulfs camp along Anchorage greenbelt; no injuries reported →]( A fire quickly spread in a homeless encampment Sunday afternoon along Chester Creek in Anchorage, burning several tents. [Unalaska gets Starlink’s first community internet gateway →]( Starlink says it has installed its first-ever community gateway in Unalaska, on a far-flung Alaska island that’s home to one of the most important fishing ports in the country. ADVERTISEMENT More from the ADN [Arrest made in armed robberies at 2 South Anchorage banks →]( [Bartlett High student brought pellet gun to school, police say →]( [More schools are adopting 4-day weeks. For parents, the challenge is Day 5. →]( [17-year-old hunter dies from accidental gunshot, troopers say →]( [U.S. Department of Labor asks federal judge to force inspections of Fairbanks-area gold mine →]( [Travel: Changes to airline reward programs are making it tougher to collect perks. But travelers can still find rewards. →]( [Scientists found the most intense heat wave ever recorded — in Antarctica →]( The ADN relies on readers like you. [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 Ave, Anchorage, AK 99503, United States