Another cost of fentanyl in Alaska: A wave of autopsies

Plus: Here are a dozen ways to celebrate New Year’s in Anchorage and beyond ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ Email not displaying correctly? [View the web version]( Support independent reporting on what Alaskans care about most. [Subscribe today.]( Good afternoon. It’s Friday, December 29. In today's newsletter: - The office responsible for performing autopsies in Alaska is [struggling to keep up]( with a wave of deaths brought on by a yearslong surge in fatal drug overdoses, and is requesting more funding to deal with unprecedented costs. - In this installment of [Open & Shut]( Anchorage gets a shawarma diner and a food truck specializing in bagel sandwiches, plus a new Chinese restaurant. - The Biden administration has announced a $9 million grant to Alaska researchers [to study a project that could capture carbon emissions]( from a big new coal-fired power plant and inject them in a depleted natural gas field not far from Anchorage. We're closing in on the end of 2023, and the new year is fast approaching. Whether you’re thankful for what the past year brought or excited for the start of a new one, there are plenty of reasons to get festive on New Year’s Eve. [Here are a dozen ways to celebrate]( from the Valley to Girdwood, with plenty of events happening in Anchorage. And while we're at it, [here's a refresher]( on where you're allowed to set off personal fireworks in Southcentral Alaska — and where you're not. Anchorage weather After another morning of dense fog, Anchorage is mostly sunny this afternoon with a high around 4 degrees. Tonight's low temperature will drop to minus 10, and Saturday will stay chilly with a high near 8 degrees. Things will start to warm up later in the weekend, with temperatures back in the 20s for New Year's Day. Here’s what else is making headlines in Alaska today. — Megan Pacer, mpacer@adn.com [Another cost of fentanyl in Alaska? More autopsies. →]( The uptick in fatal overdoses during recent years is overwhelming investigative resources in the state office tasked with examining how Alaskans die. The primary culprit is fentanyl. ADVERTISEMENT [Open & Shut: Anchorage gets a shawarma fast-food diner, a bagel-sandwich food truck plus a new Chinese restaurant →]( Also new is Alter’d Boutique, while Apricot Lane boutique relocates from the 5th Avenue Mall to South Anchorage, and the North Cup Espresso coffee hut has reopened on Fireweed Lane. [Could a new Alaska coal power plant be climate friendly? An $11 million study aims to find out. →]( With state and federal money, University of Alaska researchers plan to explore the viability of a new coal plant in the Susitna River valley that would inject its carbon emissions underground. (via Northern Journal) [Anchorage man charged in woman’s hit-and-run death near Wasilla →]( The man[told Alaska State Troopers that the woman got out of his truck and he struck her while returning to pick her up, according to a criminal complaint.]( [After reports of heating system issues, Vitus confirms poor-performing fuel was sold to Bethel customers →]( Amid dozens of social media reports of malfunctioning heating systems across Bethel, Vitus Energy has confirmed that an undetermined amount of home heating fuel not suited to extreme cold temperatures was distributed to Bethel customers. (via KYUK) [The perfect post-holiday dish, bibimbap is both vessel for leftovers and a healthy new year meal →]( Bibimbap, which literally translates to “mixed rice,” is a bowl of rice that can be topped with almost anything. This dish allows the cook to use creativity and ingredients they have on hand. ADVERTISEMENT More from the ADN [Man dies while being taken into custody in Fairbanks, police say →]( [Whittier school staff member sent explicit messages to student, charges say →]( [After Sandy Hook, they voted no. Now these senators want new gun laws. →]( [These are the best television shows of the year →]( [Maui’s economy needs tourists. Can they visit without compounding wildfire trauma? →]( 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