Southcentral

Anchorage logged its 17th and 18th homicides of the year in less than two hours Wednesday night. One victim, a woman, was shot in Spenard. The other, a man, was stabbed in Midtown.

The Juneau Empire, Peninsula Clarion and Homer News are among 11 newspapers sold by Morris Communications for $120 million. The new owner is GateHouse Media, which has been aggressively buying newspapers across the United States.

In Talkeetna, about 40 percent of the elementary school kids qualify for free or reduced lunch. That’s great for keeping bellies full during the school year, but not during breaks. The U.S. Department of Agriculture offers free summer meals, but they have to be served at a specific site, like a school or library.

The Alaska Standalone Pipeline project would bring gas from the North Slope to communities in Alaska.

Across the city, demand for plots is roughly twice the amount that’s available, which has created long wait lists for would-be gardeners. David Parrish said he would like to see more gardens closer to where he lives.

An Anchorage firefighter badly hurt during training is making progress in a Colorado hospital amid an outpouring of support from Alaska. Ben Schultz, 29, fell from a ladder in June and was in critical condition for a time.

BlueCrest says they’ll get back to work when the state pays it $75 million in tax credits.

The state has been collecting data on prescription opioids and controlled substances since 2012, but until last month, prescribers and pharmacies have been volunteering that data. As part of an ongoing legislative effort, medical professionals prescribing controlled substances are now required to provide hard numbers.

Mallott told KINY that they’ll run together. Even for incumbents, that may be an uphill fight.