New data tells a mixed story about Alaska crime

And: After effort to block Anchorage bike path connection, railroad to consider revised lease proposal ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ Email not displaying correctly? [View the web version]( Today's sponsor: Support independent reporting on what Alaskans care about most. [Subscribe today.]( Good afternoon. It’s Tuesday, October 31. In today's newsletter: - [New state data]( shows Alaska’s overall crime rate continues to fall, but some forms of violent crime, including murder, are up. - The Alaska Railroad’s board of directors [will consider a new version of a proposed lease]( a parcel of land near Anchorage's Fish Creek — including changes meant to preserve the opportunity for a bike trail extension project to be built on the same land. - About two weeks of free trash dumping at the Mat-Su landfill and transfer stations in September [cost more than double]( what borough officials originally estimated. In this week's column, historian David Reamer takes a spooky turn as he delves into the mysterious fate of the Baychimo, [the ghost ship]( that haunted the Arctic for decades. Abandoned in late 1931, the steamer was spotted intermittently for nearly the next 40 years. Anchorage weather It's partly sunny today with a high near 39 degrees. Tonight will be mostly cloudy before we get mostly sunny skies on Wednesday. A chance of precipitation enters the forecast by Friday, and daytime temperatures will hover in the low 40s this week. Here’s what else is making headlines in Alaska today. — Megan Pacer, mpacer@adn.com [New statewide data tells mixed story about crime in Alaska →]( Crime statistics are often grist for politicians and advocacy groups trying to make a point about how well their public safety agendas are working — or not. While the data represented by the Crime in Alaska report is considered the most complete record of crimes reported to police, it has limitations. ADVERTISEMENT [After effort to block Anchorage bike path connection, railroad to consider revised lease proposal →]( Many Anchorage residents opposed the original version of the proposed lease, because it would likely block a long-awaited bike trail extension project. A new proposal would preserve the Alaska Railroad’s ability to approve the bike path. [Mat-Su borough’s ‘free’ dump days ended up costing $935,000, officials say →]( As word spread about the unlimited dumping, visit numbers swelled to nearly double the typical daily volume, causing large traffic delays that forced officials to hire flaggers and creating massive amounts of extra work for landfill staff. [Alaska retirement board recommends closure of widely used plan after analysis finds flaws →]( The board in charge of Alaska’s retirement system for public employees has recommended the closure of its commonly used managed accounts program after an independent review found workers were being charged high fees and receiving lower-than-expected returns. (via Alaska Beacon) [German museum hopes to reconnect Alaska Native communities to artifacts collected in 1880s →]( The rise in access to hundreds of items follows work by Chugach Alaska’s John F.C. Johnson to repatriate funerary objects and human remains taken from the region. ADVERTISEMENT More from the ADN [Alaska Permanent Fund Corp. board all but rejects plan for riskier investment target →]( [U.S. officials address rise in threats, hate crimes against Jews and Muslims →]( [Abuse victims say gun surrender laws save lives. Will the Supreme Court agree? →]( [Book review: Two sets of stories from a former Alaskan explore northern life and questions of identity →]( [High court weighs whether officials may block critics on social media →]( [Workplace advice: I’m Jewish. My coworkers’ cheers for Hamas shocked me. →]( 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