Anchorage housing affordability reaches its lowest level in two decades

And: GOP support is split in Alaska’s U.S. House race ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ Email not displaying correctly? [View the web version]( Today's sponsor: [Today's sponsor: Northrim Bank]( Good afternoon. It’s Monday, July 8. In today's newsletter: - Last year in Anchorage, [housing reached its least affordable level]( in the last 21 years — worse even than during the Great Recession more than a decade ago, new state data shows. - Two high-profile, Trump-aligned Republicans are challenging incumbent Democratic U.S. Rep. Mary Peltola for Alaska’s lone U.S. House seat, [setting up a challenge]( for the state GOP. - The Australian company building [one of Alaska’s huge new oil fields]( says the development, Pikka, will actually be climate-friendly. The Nogahabara Dunes dunes in Western Alaska revealed a trove of obsidian spear and arrow points that researchers believe were worked by hunters as long as 12,000 years ago. In [his latest column]( science writer Ned Rozell unpacks the mystery of the glass toolkit left in the Alaska sand. Anchorage weather It's mostly cloudy today with a chance of rain and a high near 61 degrees. Rain is likely to continue overnight and into Tuesday, and the forecast calls for a mix of clouds and precipitation for much of this week. Daytime temperatures will range from the low to high 60s over the next few days. Here’s what else is making headlines in Alaska today. — Megan Pacer, mpacer@adn.com [Soaring rents, mortgages and home prices: What new data shows about Anchorage’s housing crunch →]( The statewide average mortgage payment has risen 52% since 2018, and rents have climbed 24%. City officials have called the situation in Anchorage a housing crisis, and it's become a central issue in recent city policymaking and discourse. ADVERTISEMENT [In Alaska’s U.S. House race, GOP support is split between two Trump-aligned candidates →]( Both Lt. Gov. Nancy Dahlstrom and businessman Nick Begich say they will not repeat what happened in 2022, when Begich and former Gov. Sarah Palin split the GOP vote amid Republican-on-Republican bickering, allowing Rep. Mary Peltola to pull away with the victory. [Inside a company’s bid to make Alaska’s next big oil field lower-carbon →]( With the future of fossil fuels in question, an Australian oil company is branding its new Arctic development as climate-friendly. (via Northern Journal) [Man shot by police in East Anchorage after he fired at them, APD says →]( After a confrontation, two officers fired their weapons and the man was struck in the lower and upper body, police said. The man was hospitalized with serious injuries. [SPONSORED: In Nome, teaching how ‘the first traditional food’ grows healthy families →]( Presented by Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium: Peer counselors in Northwest Alaska are empowering families to meet their breastfeeding goals. [Alaska state trooper fatally shoots man reportedly wielding harpoon at Kenai Peninsula dipnetting site →]( An Alaska state trooper shot and killed a man “brandishing a harpoon” at a Kenai Peninsula beach, the Alaska Department of Public Safety said. ADVERTISEMENT More from the ADN [Anchorage mayor’s transition team to hold open house on city priorities →]( [Juneau will vote whether to ban cruise ships on Saturdays to give locals a break →]( [Anchorage Daily News will reduce print to 2 days a week, continue emphasis on digital growth →]( [2 women found dead in Wasilla home likely died of carbon monoxide poisoning, troopers say →]( [Biden tells congressional Democrats he won’t step aside and it’s time to end party drama →]( Travel: Alaska Air eliminates some mileage redemption options, including for Ravn Alaska flights → [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Instagram]( [Click here to unsubscribe and manage your email subscriptions.]( Anchorage Daily News, 300 W 31st Ave, Anchorage, AK 99503, United States