Community Corner
🌱 Patch AM: How 2,500 new military families could reshape Anchorage housing
Make time for Candlelight: Tribute to ABBA & More on the Anchorage Patch calendar
Hey there, Anchorage! Let's get started with what's happening in and around town. Read on and stay in the loop. ☀️
In today's newsletter:
- How 2,500 new military families could reshape Anchorage housing
- What Anchorage students are really seeing after this year's school cuts
- What APD now says about the deadly Midtown patrol car crash
Also on today's calendar: Candlelight: Tribute to ABBA & More and 7 more events.
Today's riddle: What is the longest word in the dictionary? 🤔 (Answer below!)
- Saturday: Cloudy with showers, with a high of 55 and low of 49 degrees.
- Sunday: Times of sun and clouds, temps: high: 63, low: 49.
- Monday: Some sun, then turning cloudy, with a high of 64 and low of 54 degrees.
📰 News we're reading
1. Billions in military spending expected to boost Anchorage economy, strain housing supply (alaskapublic.org) — Anchorage is bracing for an expected $7 billion military buildup at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson that could significantly boost the local economy while sharply worsening the city's housing shortage. Officials anticipate about 2,500 new military families, prompting accelerated efforts to cut red tape, add tax incentives, and open new land for housing development across Anchorage. 
2. Anchorage students, returning to school, see impacts of district cuts (adn.com) — Students across the Anchorage School District are starting the year in larger classes, with fewer teachers and lingering schedule chaos after deep budget cuts and partial restorations. From South Anchorage High to East Anchorage's STrEaM Academy, teens and younger students are adjusting to crowded rooms, changing bus routes, higher activity fees, and new cellphone rules while educators try to stretch limited resources.
3. APD officer who crashed into a taxi, killing two, ran the red light (alaskasnewssource.com) — Anchorage police say the officer whose patrol car hit a taxi at 36th Avenue and A Street earlier this month, killing two people, ran a red light and was speeding while responding to a shots-fired call. The officer, who was injured and is still recovering, now faces possible criminal review by the Office of Special Prosecutions amid a separate pending case from a June shooting at Dimond Walmart.
4. KNBA WEBCAST: Friday, August 21, 2026 (knba.org) — Anchorage listeners get an update on how the city's camping ban is affecting homeless encampments, with police saying most people are moving on without arrests and camps are cleared before becoming entrenched. KNBA's webcast also highlights a fatal Cape Newenham plane crash, the opening of the Alaska State Fair in Palmer, and a quirky Juneau "Shed in Field" mystery finally solved.
5. Plane that crashed in southwest Alaska, killing 8, was attempting to land in foggy conditions (spokesman.com) — Anchorage residents are mourning after a charter plane that departed Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport crashed near the Cape Newenham radar site, killing all eight people aboard. Investigators say the Security Aviation flight was attempting to land in dense fog under instrument conditions, and a National Transportation Safety Board team is now examining weather, flight path and other factors in the remote area.
📸 Around Anchorage
Show off your photography skills and the sights around town! Click here to submit your Photo of the Day to Patch AM!
🗓 Upcoming Events in Anchorage
Add your event to our calendar and newsletter!
- House Leadership Academy 4th & 5th Gr.
Aquarian Charter School Anchorage, AK 99517
8:35 am - XC Running Starts
Hanshew Middle School Anchorage, AK 99507
4:15 pm - Boys Basketball Starts
Hanshew Middle School Anchorage, AK 99507
4:15 pm - Baseball Starts
Hanshew Middle School Anchorage, AK 99507
4:15 pm - Flag JV vs Wasilla
West High School West Anchorage High School, 1700 Hillcrest Dr, Anchorage, AK 99
5:30 pm - Flag Varsity vs Wasilla
West High School West Anchorage High School, 1700 Hillcrest Dr, Anchorage, AK 99
7:30 pm - Flag JV @ East
West High School Bettye Davis East Anchorage High School, 4025 E Northern Lights B
5:30 pm - Tennis Varsity vs Bartlett
West High School Bartlett High School, 1101 Golden Bear Dr, Anchorage, AK 99504\
6:00 pm - Candlelight: Tribute to ABBA & More →
49th State Brewing - Anchorage, 717 W 3rd Ave, Anchorage
5:30 pm - Candlelight: Coldplay & Imagine Dragons →
49th State Brewing - Anchorage, 717 W 3rd Ave, Anchorage
7:45 pm
Monday August 24
Tuesday August 25
Saturday September 5
📣 Anchorage Shout Outs!
Want to say something great about someone in town? Click here to submit your Shout Out to Patch AM! It's free!
🗓 Events Nearby
- Ziggy Marley →
Alaska State Fair, 2075 Glenn Hwy, Palmer
6:00 pm - Girls JV Flag Football @ West Anchorage High School
Wasilla High School 1700 Hillcrest Dr, Anchorage Alaska 99517-1399
5:30 pm - Girls Varsity Flag Football @ West Anchorage High School
Wasilla High School 1700 Hillcrest Dr, Anchorage Alaska 99517-1399
7:30 pm - Picture Day
Susitna Valley Jr/Sr High School SVS
8:30 am
Sunday August 23
Monday August 24
Tuesday August 25
Have we missed something on our calendar? Add an event yourself! As always, before attending confirm event details to ensure accuracy.
Want to see your business here? Click here to connect with local customers.
💬 Chatter
What your neighbors are talking about on social media
- Good afternoon,
I know many of you follow our family on Nextdoor. As many of you know my husband suffered a stroke. His left side was impacted as well as his… (Nextdoor Spenard) - My friend lost her dog 2 nights ago at the Palmer fairgrounds.
Her name is sapphire. Everybody out there has been searching the fairgrounds for beginning to think maybe she was taken. It is thirteen year old… (Nextdoor Huffman/O'Malley)
- TradeJobsWorkforce posted a job opening for USPS Mail Clerk in Wasilla. Apply here.
- Lowe's posted a job opening for Merchandising Part Time Days in Wasilla. Apply here. You can search for other jobs near Anchorage here.
Ok Anchorage! So now you're in the loop about what's happening today. Thanks for reading, and see you in your inbox next time! Oh -- and if you like what you're reading, invite a friend to Patch AM!
-- The Patch AM Team
P.S. The answer to today's riddle: Smiles, because it has a mile between "s". (Thank you Sharon M. for sending it in!)
Got a good riddle for PatchAM? Submit it here!
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