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    "slug": "how-do-we-fix-this",
    "headline": "How do we fix this?",
    "deck": "A new municipal audit flags poor record keeping, unapproved spending, and oversight gaps across multiple Anchorage departments.",
    "url": "https://thedailyalaska.com/story/how-do-we-fix-this",
    "section": "Politics",
    "area": "Anchorage",
    "published_at": "2026-02-15T20:00:00+00:00",
    "updated_at": "2026-10-02T06:19:38.768858+00:00",
    "body_md": "A new audit of Anchorage city finances found major gaps in how money is tracked and approved across several municipal departments, which were flagged for weak oversight and poor record keeping. The Anchorage Assembly is scheduled to review the audit's findings on February 17 and decide which problems to address first.\n\nAt the Harry J. McDonald Memorial Center in Eagle River, operators changed budgets without approval and spent past contract limits. Year end bonuses were still paid out after those overruns.\n\nGrant records across health, transit, and emergency programs did not match internal reports, and some filings were submitted late, the audit found.\n\nAuditors also found school building access controls were loose, with doors left unsecured and key fob logs out of sync with actual use.\n\nThe Anchorage Equal Rights Commission was flagged separately for missing deadlines and lacking solid financial tracking.",
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    "summary": "A new municipal audit found Anchorage departments, including the Harry J. McDonald Memorial Center in Eagle River and the Anchorage Equal Rights Commission, had weak financial oversight, unapproved spending, and poor record keeping. The Anchorage Assembly reviews the findings on February 17.",
    "key_facts": [
      "Harry J. McDonald Memorial Center operators changed budgets without approval and exceeded contract limits",
      "Year end bonuses were paid at the McDonald Center despite the overruns",
      "Grant records in health, transit, and emergency programs did not match internal reports",
      "School building access controls were loose, with unsecured doors and out-of-sync key fob logs",
      "Anchorage Equal Rights Commission missed deadlines and lacked solid financial tracking",
      "Anchorage Assembly is set to review the audit findings on February 17"
    ],
    "faq": [
      {
        "a": "Weak financial oversight and poor record keeping across several departments, including unapproved budget changes and bonuses at the Harry J. McDonald Memorial Center, grant records that don't match internal reports, loose school building access controls, and tracking problems at the Equal Rights Commission.",
        "q": "What problems did the Anchorage municipal audit find?"
      },
      {
        "a": "February 17th. That's when they'll decide which problems to tackle first.",
        "q": "When does Anchorage Assembly review the audit findings?"
      }
    ],
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        "claim": "A new municipal audit found weak oversight and record keeping problems across multiple Anchorage departments.",
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        "source_label": "alaskawatchman.com"
      },
      {
        "claim": "At the Harry J. McDonald Memorial Center, operators changed budgets without approval and spent past contract limits, and year end bonuses were paid despite the overruns.",
        "confidence": "sourced",
        "source_url": "https://alaskawatchman.com/2026/02/11/anchorage-audit-flags-poor-fiscal-oversight-shoddy-records-unapproved-bonuses/?fbclid=IwZnRzaAP51HtleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZAo2NjI4NTY4Mzc5AAEel9rrjBrOtAfaM6UTKfLvfdAO4yqEKl__aHmDTdwSOt9F_HzNdqjypMaVWM4_aem_3T3wRMWlQOOadXmvmP6deA",
        "source_label": "alaskawatchman.com"
      },
      {
        "claim": "The Anchorage Equal Rights Commission missed deadlines and lacked solid financial tracking.",
        "confidence": "sourced",
        "source_url": "https://alaskawatchman.com/2026/02/11/anchorage-audit-flags-poor-fiscal-oversight-shoddy-records-unapproved-bonuses/?fbclid=IwZnRzaAP51HtleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZAo2NjI4NTY4Mzc5AAEel9rrjBrOtAfaM6UTKfLvfdAO4yqEKl__aHmDTdwSOt9F_HzNdqjypMaVWM4_aem_3T3wRMWlQOOadXmvmP6deA",
        "source_label": "alaskawatchman.com"
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      {
        "claim": "The Anchorage Assembly is scheduled to review the audit findings on February 17.",
        "confidence": "sourced",
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    "event_dates": [
      {
        "date": "2026-02-17",
        "label": "Anchorage Assembly review of audit findings"
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    "disclosure": "Produced with AI assistance, narrated with Slav Lund's voice clone with his consent, and reviewed by a person before publishing.",
    "generated_at": "2026-10-01T05:24:23.261+00:00",
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