New year brings big changes for Alaska's alcohol industry

Plus: Alaska's only psychiatric hospital launches new programs for mentally ill defendants ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ Email not displaying correctly? [View the web version]( Support independent reporting on what Alaskans care about most. [Subscribe today.]( Good afternoon. It’s Thursday, Dec. 28. In today's newsletter: - From later hours and events for breweries to new licenses with fewer restrictions, some [major changes are coming]( for Alaska's alcohol industry in the new year. - Officials at Alaska Psychiatric Institute, the state’s only psychiatric hospital, say they [plan to double the facility’s capacity]( to treat felony-level criminal defendants deemed incompetent to stand trial. - Authorities have [ended the active search]( for a 45-year-old woman missing since she was swept under the ice of the North Fork of Eagle River on Saturday. Orcas are flocking in large numbers to waters off the Southern California coast for the first time in several years. Experts believe the whales are eastern tropical Pacific orcas native to Mexico and Central America, and there's [at least one theory as to why they've come]( that was recently on display for a group of captivated whale watchers. Anchorage weather After this morning's dense, freezing fog, Anchorage will see cold, mostly sunny weather today with a high near 7 degrees. Tonight's low temperature will dip down to 3 below. Friday will also bring mostly sunny skies, while a chance of snow moves in this weekend. Here’s what else is making headlines in Alaska today. — Megan Pacer, mpacer@adn.com [‘A very long time coming’: API launches new programs for mentally ill defendants →]( The Alaska Psychiatric Institute is adding jail beds for felony-level defendants found incompetent to stand trial as well as an outpatient clinic for those charged with misdemeanors. The new programs help address a major backlog within the state’s criminal justice system when it comes to providing what’s known as “competency restoration” for people with mental health issues, officials say. ADVERTISEMENT [Major changes to Alaska’s alcohol industry are coming on Jan. 1 →]( Business owners and public health groups say the changes, which come into effect next week, will improve public safety and better match how Alaskans consume alcohol. State regulators are scrambling to ensure business owners are in compliance with the new law. [Authorities end active search efforts for woman swept under the ice on Eagle River →]( Amanda Richmond Rogers, an emergency room nurse from Eagle River who also went by Mandy, has been missing since she went into the river to try to save her family’s dog after it fell through the ice. [As U.S. prepares to claim new ocean territory off Arctic Alaska and in Bering Sea, there’s a catch →]( United States ocean territory could expand by an area more than twice the size of California, with most of that in ocean areas off Alaska, under a claim being prepared by the federal government. (via Alaska Beacon) [Former Alaska State Trooper sentenced to serve 4 years for attempted sexual abuse of a minor →]( The case stemmed from a 2018 incident in which former trooper Vance Peronto showed up to what he thought was a hotel date to meet with a 16-year-old girl. [2 injured when helicopter rolls near Knik Glacier →]( Six passengers and a pilot were in the helicopter when it rolled during a flightseeing tour, an official from the National Transportation Safety Board said. ADVERTISEMENT More from the ADN [Winter visitor: Grizzly bear spotted near Kotzebue →]( American h[ome-schoolers dismantled state oversight. Now they fear pushback. →]( Alaska g[ardeners are committed, but even the most steadfast would appreciate some better summer weather →]( [America has a life expectancy crisis. But it’s not a political priority. →]( [Nikki Haley acknowledges Civil War ‘about slavery’ after facing backlash →]( 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