Cook Inlet CHARR

"Downtown Anchorage is the historic heart of the city, a center of commerce, a significant source of property tax revenue, and an entry point for tourists. The ambassadors are its guardians, a group of 21 people in neon vests and yellow jackets who take care of the neighborhood on behalf of the businesses. They give directions, remove snow, clean public restrooms, pick up trash, and hose away all manner of bodily fluids. Some spend so much time interacting with the unhoused population, the regulars greet them with a fist bump. The jobs start at $16 an hour with benefits. The last few years, their work is increasingly complex.

Even before the pandemic, there were signs of decline downtown, in particular in its retail sector. Nordstrom closed in fall 2019, which was a significant blow. Lots of lands sat vacant, awaiting redevelopment. (At present, there is more open land downtown being used as parking lots than in the 1980s, according to the Anchorage Economic Development Corp.) The number of people living in the city’s core, a key part of a healthy downtown, dwindled to about 1,000. Problems associated with homelessness were a constant strain, though the city was poised to open several new shelters and treatment centers. Tourism remained a bright spot."

Chaos for homeless ripples into downtown Anchorage, where ambassadors guard a fragile recovery After closure of the city’s emergency mass shelter recently, Anchorage Downtown Partnership employees are finding more people sleeping outdoors.

Big Changes On The Horizon For Alcohol Licensing In Alaska - Food and Drugs Law - United States Recently signed legislation in Alaska promises to upend the alcohol industry and rework the state's licensing structure.

"Gov. Mike Dunleavy has named Joan Wilson to be the head of the Alaska Alcohol and Ma*****na Control Office.

For the past four years, Wilson has been AMCO’s attorney, advising both the agency and the state’s alcohol and ma*****na boards on a variety of legal issues.

Wilson will replace the current director, Glen Klinkhart, who is leaving the agency for a position with the Alaska Department of Revenue. She will be AMCO’s third director since 2019 and its fifth since Alaska legalized recreational ma*****na consumption in 2014. (The latter figure includes an interim director who served for six months.)"

Dunleavy names state attorney as Alaska’s top alcohol and ma*****na regulator Joan Wilson will be the third person since 2019 to lead the state’s Alcohol and Ma*****na Control Office.