A passenger's chilling image just before a deadly midair collision

Plus: Solutions for a more sustainable Permanent Fund may have to wait another year. 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: - A passenger's chilling image just before a deadly midair collision. - Solutions for a more sustainable Permanent Fund may have to wait another year. - A big gamble on a Metlakatla basketball team pays off for documentary filmmakers. Here's an update on vaccine progress in Alaska: At least 302,290 people in Alaska have already received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, according to the state’s vaccine [dashboard](. Any Alaskan age 16 or older is eligible for a vaccine, and as of this afternoon, over 9,800 vaccine [appointments]( are available statewide. Need a shot? Follow the ADN's [how-to guide]( for instructions and general information about the vaccine. Anchorage weather: It's sunny today with a high temperature creeping close to 60. This weekend should be similarly pleasant, with clear skies, highs in the 50s and lows in the 30s expected throughout. I don't want to jump the gun, but it might be time to switch out your winter tires. Here’s what else is making headlines in Alaska today. — Ryan Cunningham, rcunningham@adn.com [The last photo: A passenger’s chilling image just before a deadly midair collision near Ketchikan]( [The last photo: A passenger’s chilling image just before a deadly midair collision near Ketchikan]( In May 2019, two flightseeing floatplanes collided in midair near Ketchikan, killing six people. NTSB investigators [this week]( pointed to the pilots’ obstructed views and disabled traffic alert equipment as the probable cause of the collision. Investigators' findings included a photo taken by a passenger, captured just moments before the two planes crashed into each other. No one in the passenger's aircraft survived, but somehow their camera withstood the 3,350-foot drop to the ground below, NTSB says. [Read More]( [Hopes dim in Alaska Legislature for a Permanent Fund sustainability fix this year]( [Hopes dim in Alaska Legislature for a Permanent Fund sustainability fix this year]( Entering this session, lawmakers generally agreed that coming up with a plan to sustainably manage the Alaska Permanent Fund was an immediate concern. But the arrival of [over $1 billion in federal aid]( made the issue less urgent for many legislators. Three proposals for constitutional amendments are still advancing, but legislators doubt any will pass before May 19, the end of the regular legislative session. As one state representative puts it: "We’re still in Never-Never Land." [Read More]( [Tourist vaccination program begins a trial run Saturday at Alaska’s biggest airport]( [Tourist vaccination program begins a trial run Saturday at Alaska’s biggest airport]( Earlier this month, state officials [announced]( that they will begin offering COVID-19 vaccines to visitors at four airports — in Fairbanks, Anchorage, Juneau and Ketchikan — starting June 1. But first, a five-day test run of that program will begin this weekend at Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport. The airport vaccine clinic will be open from 5 p.m. to 2 a.m. from Saturday through Wednesday on the ticketing level. [Read More]( [ Filmmakers’ gamble on Metlakatla basketball pays off with an award-winning documentary]( [Filmmakers’ gamble on Metlakatla basketball pays off with an award-winning documentary]( “Alaskan Nets” is a documentary that chronicles life in the small Southeast Alaska community of Metlakatla, which was rocked by tragedy and lifted by triumph during the 2017-18 boys basketball season. Early reviews of the self-funded film compare the story to “Hoosiers,” the 1986 feature based on the true story of an Indiana high school basketball team. [Read More]( [Open & Shut: A Filipino-Hawaiian diner expands, an activewear boutique closes, and 2 restaurants reopen as the pandemic eases ]( [Open & Shut: A Filipino-Hawaiian diner expands, an activewear boutique closes, and 2 restaurants reopen as the pandemic eases]( A virtual-reality gaming arcade and a cafe with a Latin American twist are now open for business in Anchorage. Also, two local eateries are reopening after pandemic-related closures, a brewery is expanding its outdoor accommodations and a Filipino-Mexican-Hawaiian fusion restaurant is growing with a third brick-and-mortar location opening next month. If you know of a business opening or closing in the area, send a note to newstips@adn.com, with “Open & Shut” in the subject line. [Read More]( More from the ADN [Tracking COVID-19 in Alaska: 143 new cases and no deaths reported on Friday]( [Tracking COVID-19 in Alaska: 143 new cases and no deaths reported on Friday]( [Read More]( [CDC panel urges restarting Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccinations]( [CDC panel urges restarting Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccinations]( [Read More]( [For a Kenai Peninsula pharmacist, the COVID-19 vaccine fight tests friendships]( [For a Kenai Peninsula pharmacist, the COVID-19 vaccine fight tests friendships]( [Read More]( [8 youth hockey teams, including a Team Alaska Tier I team, prepare for national championships]( [8 youth hockey teams, including a Team Alaska Tier I team, prepare for national championships]( [Read More]( [Hunters are reporting plentiful ptarmigan this spring in Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta area]( [Hunters are reporting plentiful ptarmigan this spring in Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta area]( [Read More]( The ADN relies on readers like you. 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