Historic decision would return water to most of Eklutna River

And: Bering Sea bottom trawlers reduce killer whale take this year as new gear shows promise ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ Email not displaying correctly? [View the web version]( Good afternoon. It’s Thursday, October 3. In today's newsletter: - Gov. Mike Dunleavy issued a decision that would [restore water to most of the Eklutna River]( a major step in a long-running and sometimes divisive effort led by Southcentral Alaska utilities to mitigate the harms of a Cold War-era dam. - A ballot measure that seeks to repeal ranked choice voting in Alaska could also [have far-reaching implications]( for the state's primary system. - In an improvement from last year, trawlers targeting flatfish in the Bering Sea [caught only one orca in their nets]( after deploying new gear this summer to try to keep the whales from getting entangled. Alaska gardening writer Jeff Lowenfels takes some time in his latest column to [answer readers' questions](. Some want to know how to convert their lawn into a flowering meadow. According to Jeff, now's a good time to start. Anchorage weather It's mostly sunny today with a high near 51 degrees. The forecast calls for cloudy skies and a slight chance of rain on Friday, and a chance of precipitation will last through the weekend. Daytime temperatures will remain in the low 50s for the next several days. Here’s what else is making headlines in Alaska today. — Megan Pacer, mpacer@adn.com [Alaska governor issues historic decision returning water to most of Eklutna River →]( The decision will return water to all but a single mile of the 12-mile river, providing new potential habitat for four species of salmon and other wildlife, while also allowing for further study of an option that'd restore water to the river's full length. It seems aimed at striking a balance, providing at least a partial win for the utilities without closing off the approach sought by the Municipality of Anchorage and the Eklutna tribal government. ADVERTISEMENT [Could Ballot Measure 2 lead to closed primaries in Alaska? Maybe. →]( The main question before voters is whether to repeal the state’s new voting system, which includes ranked choice voting and open top-four primaries. But opponents of the measure say that if it passes, it would also allow parties to close their primaries. [Bering Sea bottom trawlers reduce killer whale take this year as new gear shows promise →]( [One orca was caught this season by trawlers targeting flatfish, down from nine last year. Trawlers had deployed underwater web fences to try to keep the whales from getting entangled in their nets.]( [Plane crash near St. Mary’s that killed 4 occurred about 30 minutes after ‘fogged in’ report, NTSB says →]( pilot of a plane [that crashed near St. Mary’s]( last month, killing all four men aboard, tried to land about 30 minutes after shifting visibility and fog turned back another pilot, according to a new report. [Ten Commandments and other ‘historical documents’ to be displayed outside Mat-Su Assembly chambers →]( [Borough staff will also research whether to place similar displays in public libraries.]( (via Mat-Su Sentinel) [Alaska prison contractor now says leaked inmate names were real — but medical data was fake →]( The prison contractor accused of displaying the confidential health information of dozens of Alaska inmates on a public website now says the names were real, but the diagnoses were fake. ADVERTISEMENT More from the ADN [Police warn that Anchorage DJ charged in sex abuse case could have other victims →]( [Juneau voters are on track to reject Saturday cruise ship ban →]( [Soldotna man found not guilty by jury in fatal shooting of roommate →]( [Biden works to limit conflict as Mideast edges closer to all-out war →]( [West Anchorage High wins seventh straight region tennis title →]( [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Instagram]( [Click here to unsubscribe and manage your email subscriptions.]( Anchorage Daily News, 300 W 31st Ave, Anchorage, AK 99503, United States