Will vaccine hesitancy threaten Alaska's pandemic recovery?

Also: Ballots are in the mail. What happens next in the race for Anchorage mayor? Email not displaying correctly? [View the web version]( [Anchorage Daily News]( Support independent reporting on what Alaskans care about most. [Subscribe today.]( Good afternoon. It’s Thursday, April 22. In today's newsletter: - Will vaccine hesitancy threaten Alaska's pandemic recovery? - What happens next in the race for Anchorage mayor? - Will Alaska regain the oil industry jobs it lost during the pandemic? Today is Earth Day, and if you're wondering what Earth Day is, here's a little background: Earth formed over 4.5 billion years ago. Eons later, in 1970, April 22 was inaugurated as a day of demonstration for Americans concerned about water and air pollution. (Walter Cronkite featured the event on his [nightly broadcast]( that day.) The event continues to be observed annually, and today marks Earth Day's 51st anniversary. Anchorage weather today: Another day of sunny skies, with a high of 53 expected. If you're planning for the weekend, expect very similar weather: Clear skies, highs in the 50s and lows in the 30s. Here’s what else is making headlines in Alaska today. — Ryan Cunningham, rcunningham@adn.com [Vaccine hesitancy threatens Alaska pandemic recovery even as supplies ramp up, health officials say]( [Vaccine hesitancy threatens Alaska pandemic recovery even as supplies ramp up, health officials say]( The state’s chief medical officer says Alaska will have enough COVID-19 vaccine for every eligible resident by the end of May. But vaccination rates have varied widely among communities, from more than 70% in a handful of boroughs to less than half that in regions like the Matanuska-Susitna Borough and Southeast Fairbanks Census Area. In Anchorage, where [emergency orders are tied to vaccination rates](, 52% of those who are eligible have received a dose. [Read More]( [Anchorage election results are certified and ballots are in the mail for the mayoral runoff. Here’s what happens next.]( [Anchorage election results are certified and ballots are in the mail for the mayoral runoff. Here’s what happens next.]( Dave Bronson and Forrest Dunbar are facing off in the May 11 runoff election for Anchorage mayor, and ballots are already in the mail. Meanwhile, a recount of the election results for school board seat B is underway — Kelly Lessens leads Judy Eledge in that race by a small margin. So what happens now? How do we vote in the runoff, and how will the school board recount work? Here’s what Anchorage voters can expect. [Read More]( [Alaska House votes to fund public schools through 2023]( [Alaska House votes to fund public schools through 2023]( The House has approved a bill setting the state’s public-schools budget for the next two years. The bill, which moved unusually quickly and passed 26-14, now goes to the Senate for consideration. Legislators said the bill is necessary because they don’t want to see teachers [temporarily laid off]( while work continues on the state operating budget — a situation that emerged in previous years, fostering uncertainty and discouraging some teachers from staying in Alaska. [Read More]( [Deputy Anchorage Police Chief Kenneth McCoy named acting chief as Justin Doll retires]( [Deputy Anchorage Police Chief Kenneth McCoy named acting chief as Justin Doll retires]( Doll announced in February that he would [retire]( in June after roughly 25 years with the department. McCoy, seen in the photo above, has been with the Anchorage Police Department for 27 years, serving as deputy chief for the last four years, and he's a graduate of Bartlett High School and the University of Alaska Anchorage, according to the mayor’s office. [Read More]( [Alaska oil industry still reeling from pandemic crash even as prices recover]( [Alaska oil industry still reeling from pandemic crash even as prices recover]( Alaska's oil and gas industry has shed nearly 40% of its workforce — the largest drop among all of the industries the state's labor department tracks. But the price for Alaska crude has remained greater than $60 per barrel since early February — a return to where it started in 2020. So will the jobs return? In this story, industry observers weigh in on what comes next. [Read More]( More from the ADN [Tracking COVID-19 in Alaska: 216 cases and no deaths reported Thursday]( [Tracking COVID-19 in Alaska: 216 cases and no deaths reported Thursday]( [Read More]( [Alaska joins anti-CDC, pro-cruise lawsuit launched by Florida]( [Alaska joins anti-CDC, pro-cruise lawsuit launched by Florida]( [Read More]( [Y-K Delta officials recommend residents vaccinate pets after rabid foxes found]( [Y-K Delta officials recommend residents vaccinate pets after rabid foxes found]( [Read More]( [Expedition recovers tons of ‘ghost nets’ and plastic from remote Hawaiian atolls]( [Expedition recovers tons of ‘ghost nets’ and plastic from remote Hawaiian atolls]( [Read More]( [Spring is finally here, but try to stay off your lawn for a while]( [Spring is finally here, but try to stay off your lawn for a while]( [Read More]( The ADN relies on readers like you. [Get digital access to the ADN for about $4 per week]( and help us cover the news that matters most here in Alaska. 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