Anchorage's mask order will soon become a recommendation instead

Also: Dave Bronson widens his lead for Anchorage mayor, as Forrest Dunbar views his chance for victory as "unlikely." 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 Friday, May 14. In today's newsletter: - Anchorage’s citywide mask mandate will become advisory starting next Friday. - Dave Bronson widens his lead for Anchorage mayor, as Forrest Dunbar views his chance for victory as "unlikely." - The Dunleavy administration is cutting a $300/week federal unemployment benefit months before it's due to expire. This week, eligibility for Pfizer's two-shot COVID-19 vaccine was [expanded]( to include anyone age 12 and up. There are plenty of opportunities around Anchorage and in the Mat-Su over the next few days for kids to get vaccinated. [Here's a helpful guide for Southcentral parents looking for vaccine appointments this weekend.]( Anchorage weather: It's mostly sunny this afternoon, with the temperature approaching 62 degrees. Some scattered showers could roll into Anchorage tonight and tomorrow, but things are expected to clear up by Sunday. Here’s what else is making headlines in Alaska today. — Ryan Cunningham, rcunningham@adn.com [Anchorage’s citywide mask mandate will become advisory effective May 21, acting mayor says]( [Anchorage’s citywide mask mandate will become advisory effective May 21, acting mayor says]( Starting Friday, May 21, the city of Anchorage will recommend — instead of require — mask-wearing in public spaces. Businesses may continue to set their own mask requirements, and officials still recommend that unvaccinated individuals continue to wear masks. The change follows the [CDC's new guidance]( saying that vaccinated individuals can safely go without masks in most settings. Anchorage officials said a mask mandate that only applied to unvaccinated individuals would've been difficult to enforce and would've put a larger burden on businesses. Meanwhile, state health officials are [urging Alaskans to continue following local mask rules](. [Read More]( [ Forrest Dunbar, behind in vote count for mayor, says it’s ‘unlikely that we will make up the difference’]( [Forrest Dunbar, behind in vote count for mayor, says it’s ‘unlikely that we will make up the difference’]( In preliminary results posted Thursday, Dave Bronson [widened his lead]( over Dunbar to 627 votes, with 81,113 ballots counted. That puts Bronson ahead by 0.78%, clearing the 0.5% threshold for an automatic recount. In an update today on Facebook, Dunbar’s campaign clarified that he was not conceding the race: "There are still thousands of ballots to count and the final outcome of this race is presently unknown." [Read More]( [Dunleavy administration will cut unemployment benefits by ending federal pandemic boost]( [Dunleavy administration will cut unemployment benefits by ending federal pandemic boost]( A $300-per-week bonus unemployment benefit provided by the federal government was set to expire in September. Instead, the Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development announced this morning that it will end those payments starting June 12. “As Alaska’s economy opens up, employers are posting a wide range of job opportunities and workers are needed,” Labor Commissioner Tamika Ledbetter said in a statement. [Read More]( [Climber killed by falling ice in Denali National Park, partner injured]( [Climber killed by falling ice in Denali National Park, partner injured]( A 32-year-old Idaho man died when a chunk of glacial ice fell from a peak off the West Fork of the Ruth Glacier, according to park officials. His climbing partner was injured and knocked unconscious but was later able to alert officials of the incident. It's the second mountaineer fatality in the park this season. [A 28-year-old skier from Colorado died May 3]( when he fell into a glacier crevasse. [Read More]( [River ice jam floods Buckland to levels not seen in years]( [River ice jam floods Buckland to levels not seen in years]( An ice jam downstream from the Northwest Alaska village of Buckland has caused the most severe flooding residents have seen in years, with flood waters reaching the bottom of most homes. It's not immediately clear when the flooding may subside. On Thursday, 18-year-old Kayden Iqitqiraq Tickett watched as his neighbors boated or canoed through the village. “It’s not something you see everyday. It’s kind of weird,” he said. [Read More]( More from the ADN [Tracking COVID-19 in Alaska: 109 cases and no deaths recorded Friday]( [Tracking COVID-19 in Alaska: 109 cases and no deaths recorded Friday]( [Read More]( [Quinhagak child dead after being run over by tribal police officer’s pickup, troopers say]( [Quinhagak child dead after being run over by tribal police officer’s pickup, troopers say]( [Read More]( [Mat-Su Pretrial inmate dies after suffering medical emergency ]( [Mat-Su pretrial inmate dies after suffering medical emergency]( [Read More]( [Parents wonder what to do with their unvaccinated children as CDC changes mask guidance]( [Parents wonder what to do with their unvaccinated children as CDC changes mask guidance]( [Read More]( [Some of rodeo’s top bull riders are coming to Alaska. So are some of Canada’s rankest bulls.]( [Some of rodeo’s top bull riders are coming to Alaska. So are some of Canada’s rankest bulls.]( [Read More]( The ADN relies on readers like you. 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