Alaska House adopts capital budget with around $500 million in state spending

And: Pitch to unite Railbelt utilities under power transmission group sees sharp divides ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ Email not displaying correctly? [View the web version]( Good afternoon. It’s Thursday, May 9. In today's newsletter: - The Alaska House [adopted the state capital budget]( in a 39-1 vote, displaying a rare moment of cohesion between the Republican-controlled majority and the more progressive minority. - Railbelt utilities are [divided over plans]( to establish an organization to manage transmission of power along Southcentral Alaska’s electric grid. - The Anchorage School District [unveiled the specific career pathways]( [it proposes to offer]( to sophomore students in each of the district’s public high schools. They’re big, loud and smelly — and they have taken over San Francisco’s touristy Pier 39. In recent days, some 1,100 to 1,200 sea lions have been counted flopping on and around the docks, the highest number recorded in 15 years. Some are [cruising from as far north as Southeast Alaska]( to feast on a massive school of anchovies nearby. Anchorage weather It's overcast today with a high near 42 degrees, and there's a strong chance of rain mixed with snow today into this evening. It's part of a[late-season burst of snow]( that's in the forecast through Friday for higher elevations in Southcentral Alaska. Daytime temperatures will hover in the high 40s and low 50s for the next few days. Here’s what else is making headlines in Alaska today. — Megan Pacer, mpacer@adn.com [Alaska House adopts capital budget in near-unanimous vote →]( The bill allocates around $500 million in state general funds to infrastructure and facility maintenance projects. The total capital budget amount exceeds $4 billion, and is mostly funded using federal dollars. ADVERTISEMENT [Pitch to unite Railbelt utilities under power transmission group sees sharp divides →]( [The bills before the Legislature are intended to facilitate the delivery of lower-cost power between Homer and Fairbanks, and integrate more renewable energy into the Railbelt’s electric grid.]( [With a win at the Bike for Women, Sheryl Mohwinkel-Fleming honors her late mother →]( The late Diane Mohwinkel, who competed into her 80s and encouraged countless others, was honored during last weekend's Bike for Women. Her daughter went on to win the race. [Anchorage School District unveils ‘career track’ options for high schools →]( [The tracks, meant to better prepare students for the job market, could have a significant impact on how education is structured.]( [Alaska Permanent Fund board holds heated meeting after publication of emails raising concerns about board’s vice chair →]( meeting quickly led to tense exchanges between trustees about board member behavior. The board also raised concerns about staff morale and the fund’s reputation and trustworthiness. [LaFrance outraises Bronson in final leg of Anchorage mayor’s race with both spending massively →]( Suzanne LaFrance brought in more donations from individual donors, and is spending down those funds more aggressively than incumbent Mayor Dave Bronson’s campaign is, as the May 14 deadline to vote approaches. • See also: [Anchorage mayoral runoff election: Q&As with the candidates]( [Alaska Senate panel strips $100M tax increase on Hilcorp from carbon storage bill →]( [The provision to increase taxes on the operator of Prudhoe Bay was removed after a fierce lobbying campaign.]( ADVERTISEMENT More from the ADN [Alaska Supreme Court proposes expedited consideration of correspondence school dispute →]( [Northwest Alaska Native corporation to pull land use permit for Ambler Road →]( [Dozens of German shepherds seized from ‘hoarding situation’ in Mat-Su, officials say →]( [What Trump promised oil CEOs when he asked them to steer $1 billion to his campaign →]( [Total team effort has been the key to South girls soccer’s dominance this season →]( [10 people injured when Boeing 737 catches fire, skids off runway at airport in Senegal →]( [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Instagram]( [Click here to unsubscribe and manage your email subscriptions.]( Anchorage Daily News, 300 W 31st Ave, Anchorage, AK 99503, United States