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🌱 Patch AM: What Anchorage’s new baby drop boxes mean for parents in crisis

You won't want to miss The Rainbow Tea Luncheon on the Anchorage Patch calendar

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Friday September 18th Patch AM
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What's up Anchorage! Let's start this morning right by getting caught up on what's going on around town. Keep reading to stay in the loop. ☕️️

In today's newsletter:

  • What Anchorage's new baby drop boxes mean for parents in crisis
  • Downtown Anchorage hit-and-run leaves pedestrian dead; what police say happened
  • How a national energy summit in Anchorage could shape your power bills

Also on today's calendar: Oktoberfest 2026 - 49th State Brewing @ The Rail and 9 more events.

Today's riddle: What day of the year is trucker's day? 🤔 (Answer below!)

Weather forecast:

  • Friday: A couple of morning showers, with a high of 51 and low of 44 degrees.
  • Saturday: Rain and drizzle in the p.m., temps: high: 54, low: 42.
  • Sunday: A morning shower; clouds, with a high of 53 and low of 43 degrees.

📰 News we're reading

1. Baby drop boxes are now legal in Alaska for parents in crisis to safely surrender their children (alaskasnewssource.com) — Anchorage parents in crisis now have the option of anonymously surrendering newborns in secure baby drop boxes, thanks to a newly expanded Safe Haven law just signed by the governor. Anchorage fire officials and dispatchers who pushed for the change say the climate-controlled, alarmed boxes at places like fire stations could prevent future tragedies like past infant abandonments in Anchorage and elsewhere in Alaska.
   

2. Anchorage woman arrested in fatal downtown hit-and-run involving pedestrian (adn.com) — A woman was arrested after allegedly hitting and killing a pedestrian near the Anchorage Correctional Complex Thursday morning, prompting several downtown street closures during the investigation. She is accused of fleeing the scene and is now jailed at the complex, marking the sixth pedestrian death on Anchorage roads this year. Police will release the victim's name after notifying family.
   

3. NGA Convenes Governors' Energy Advisors for 2026 Energy Policy Institute and Energy Summit in Anchorage (nga.org) — National Governors Association energy advisors and top federal officials are in Anchorage this week for a major summit on keeping power affordable, reliable, and secure as demand surges nationwide. Alaska's energy experience is front and center, with Gov. Mike Dunleavy and other leaders highlighting how the state manages grid security, extreme weather, and investment in new infrastructure—issues that directly affect Anchorage residents' future energy costs and reliability.
   

4. Monitoring Cook Inlet beluga whales (alaskapublic.org) — Early fall is prime time to spot endangered Cook Inlet belugas just off Anchorage, and local scientists rely on volunteers to help track the roughly 300 whales left. A new Outdoor Explorer episode follows host Amy Bushatz and beluga monitor Regan Davey on an Anchorage whale-watching excursion, explaining how residents can safely observe and support monitoring efforts.
   

5. Senators hear from Anchorage attorney nominated for federal bench (alaskapublic.org) — An Anchorage-based federal magistrate judge, Kyle Reardon, is moving through Senate confirmation hearings to become a U.S. District Court judge for Alaska, which would finally fill the court's last long-standing vacancy. Reardon, introduced by Sen. Lisa Murkowski, highlighted his service to Alaska and the nation, while senators probed nominees' views on judicial independence without delving deeply into his record.
   

📸 Around Anchorage

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💬 Chatter

What your neighbors are talking about on social media

  • Alpine colors are beginning to pop with the shorter days and cooler nights on Peak Two.
    The peak is the next one along the ridge east of Flattop and is accessed from the Sunnyside Flattop or Glen Alps Trailheads. I go there instead of… (Nextdoor Rabbit Creek)
  • Update: Curly has been reunited with us!
    Thank you for keeping eyes out for him! Section of our fence blew open in the wind last night and we didn't notice it when we first let our dog… (Nextdoor Lower Northeast)
  • McDonald's posted a job opening for McDonald's restaurant Crew starting AT $16 openers, closers, dayside, overnights Anchorage, Palmer, Kodiak, ER, Wasilla in Wasilla. Apply here.
  • Southcentral Foundation posted a job opening for HVAC Mechanic 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: 10-4, good buddy! (Thank you Jean H. for sending it in!)
Got a good riddle for PatchAM? Submit it here!

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