Deadly drug ring flooded rural Alaska with fentanyl, prosecutors say

Plus: Mat-Su school board seats go before voters after months of contentious decisions ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ 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, November 7. In today's newsletter: - Federal prosecutors allege a California inmate [directed an Alaska drug trafficking ring]( that in recent years smuggled huge quantities of fentanyl, heroin and methamphetamine to some of the state’s smallest villages. - Two contested Mat-Su [school board seats will go before voters]( in local elections today after a series of controversial decisions by the board this school year. - An Anchorage jury found a 49-year-old man guilty of all [charges tied to a triple murder]( that took place in a Spenard gold shop in 2017, officials said. In 1975, a repeat offender walked out of a halfway house in Anchorage while awaiting trial. For the next nine years, the famed escapee led law enforcement on a wild chase that involved shootouts and a literal snakepit before being snagged by authorities in Washington state. In [his latest column]( David Reamer answers the question, “What happened to Alan Wayne Hurley?” Anchorage weather Today is the calm before [the coming storm]( with mostly sunny skies and a high of 31 degrees. Anchorage and the surrounding Southcentral region are under [a winter storm watch]( that begins overnight Tuesday and lasts through Thursday. The storm will bring snow and strong winds, and then a mix of snow and rain as temperatures rise into the mid-30s Wednesday and Thursday. Starting Wednesday evening, there's also the potential for [flooding]( in the Anchorage area caused by rain and snowmelt. Here’s what else is making headlines in Alaska today. — Megan Pacer, mpacer@adn.com [Deadly drug conspiracy run from prisons flooded rural Alaska with fentanyl, prosecutors say →]( Prosecutors say staggering quantities of drugs were sent to some of Alaska's smallest villages through a network of postal shippers and drug couriers. Now, a total of 16 people in Alaska and California have been charged across three federal criminal cases related to the alleged drug conspiracy and related homicides in Trapper Creek. ADVERTISEMENT [Mat-Su school board seats go before voters after months of contentious decisions →]( Although considered nonpartisan, the campaigns to serve on the school board have become the target of a heated debate over values after a year of controversial decisions, starting last October when the board banned transgender students from using the bathroom of their choice. [Anchorage jury finds man guilty in gold shop triple murder →]( A prior jury failed to reach a unanimous verdict during the first trial for Anthony Pisano in 2020. A judge declared a mistrial and a second trial began in August. [‘There are hard days’: Behind the scenes with the Alaska SeaLife Center’s animal care team →]( Three full-time staffers work at the state’s only facility authorized to rehabilitate stranded or injured otters, seals, birds, even a rare walrus — lovable creatures only briefly in their hands. [Alaska breaks cruise ship passenger record as tourism rebounds from the COVID-19 pandemic →]( Juneau, the state’s leading cruise ship port, tallied 1.65 million passengers on ship manifests, a 23% bump from 2019. (via Alaska Beacon) ADVERTISEMENT More from the ADN [3 of the Fairbanks Four settle lawsuit against city for $1.59 million each →]( [Israelis overwhelmingly confident in justice of Gaza war, even as world sentiment sours →]( [Speaker Johnson on Republican plan to avert government shutdown: ‘Trust us’ →]( [Book review: A new history of sled dogs in North America is vast and intriguing read →]( [Right turn on red? With pedestrian and bicyclist deaths rising, cities consider bans →]( [Greenland’s ice shelves hold back sea level rise. There are just 5 left. →]( 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