Remembering Vic Fischer, a father of Alaska statehood

Plus: Alaska’s flu season arrived early this year — and with a bang ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ 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, October 23. In today's newsletter: - Vic Fischer, a father of Alaska statehood who as a child escaped both Adolf Hitler and Joseph Stalin, [died Sunday evening](. He was 99. - A new fence constructed in [the median of a busy Anchorage road]( is meant to help with pedestrian safety, but some city leaders are skeptical that it will achieve that goal. - Flu and cold season has [arrived early in Alaska this year]( prompting reminders from public health officials about the importance of getting yearly influenza vaccines, and soon. In the rivers north of the Brooks Range, Alaska Natives, biologists and others have seen Pacific salmon dating back to more than a century. Could these rivers in a warming climate begin to host populations of salmon? Scientists are [studying salmon in the state's northernmost waters]( to determine whether Pacific salmon are colonizing the rivers of Arctic Alaska or whether the fish seen there are just adventurous strays. Anchorage weather It's partly sunny today with a high near 35 degrees. The forecast calls for sunny skies for most of the week ahead, and daytime temperatures will climb into the high 30s over the next few days. Here’s what else is making headlines in Alaska today. — Megan Pacer, mpacer@adn.com [Vic Fischer, last surviving Alaska Constitutional Convention delegate, dies at 99 →]( In 1955, Fischer was elected as a delegate to the Alaska Constitutional Convention at 31 years old. He became its last living member, and remained active in Alaska affairs into his final years. ADVERTISEMENT [A fence meant to help with pedestrian safety went up in the middle of a busy Anchorage road. Will it? →]( Some city leaders say the fence goes against an effort by state highway authorities to mend neighborhoods split by fast, high-volume roadways. Others say the fence will not alleviate the pedestrian dangers of the stretch of Minnesota Drive where it was installed. [Alaska’s flu season arrived early this year — and with a bang →]( The flu typically peaks in the state around December and January. This year, cases have been steadily rising since late September. [Bering Sea fishing group grapples with how to invest pollock profits in Western Alaska →]( Amid declining salmon runs, Coastal Villages Region Fund has shifted away from subsidizing village-based seafood processing, a move that some in the Kuskokwim region support and others criticize. [Off-duty Alaska Air pilot charged with attempted murder after trying to shut down engines on Horizon jet, authorities say →]( An off-duty Alaska Airlines pilot riding in the extra seat in the cockpit of a Horizon Air passenger jet tried to shut down the engines midflight and had to be subdued by the crew, according to a pilot flying the plane. ADVERTISEMENT More from the ADN [Alaska Federation of Natives asks Congress for ‘immediate action’ to expand subsistence protection →]( [After the Maui fire, some Hawaiians rethink aloha spirit. Is it for tourists, family, everyone? →]( [West Anchorage pulls away from South to claim first state football championship in nearly a decade →]( [Here are the nine Republicans running for House speaker →]( [Soldotna football snaps state title drought as seniors cap career with a championship →]( [Travel: Carriers are adding and dropping flights more than usual this fall. Here are some key changes. →]( 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