Alaska is less than a week from a possible shutdown. Which state services would be affected?

Plus: Sen. Lisa Murkowski has a hand in brokering a bipartisan infrastructure bill. Email not displaying correctly? [View the web version]( [Anchorage Daily News]( [Today's sponsor: Northrim Bank]( Support independent reporting on what Alaskans care about most. [Subscribe today.]( Good afternoon. It’s Thursday, June 24. In today's newsletter: - State legislators start a new special session with Alaska less than one week from a government shutdown. - President Biden accepts a bipartisan deal on infrastructure after a meeting with senators, including Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski. - How dogs are put to work to reduce bear conflicts with Girdwood residents. Alaskans looking to finally venture Outside this summer may have their sights set on Hawaii, which has been a popular tourist destination throughout the pandemic — even with all the restrictions set on visitors. But as many Alaskans are keenly aware, there are few things more irksome than tourists behaving badly in your own backyard. [This travel piece shares locals' advice to Hawaii-bound vacationers about how to be a conscientious visitor to the Rainbow State.]( 🌧️ Anchorage weather Rain showers are likely later today, along with wind gusts up around 25 mph. Expect a high near 62. Some rain could persist overnight, then Friday will be mostly cloudy, with a 20-30% chance of more rain and a high near 65. Here’s what else is making headlines in Alaska today. — Ryan Cunningham, rcunningham@adn.com [Legislators start special session with Alaska less than one week from government shutdown]( [Legislators start special session with Alaska less than one week from government shutdown]( On the first day of a new special session, many state lawmakers were absent as business leaders lobbied the Legislature and Gov. Mike Dunleavy to approve a budget and keep services functioning past June 30. Without prompt action, the groups said, businesses and the state’s economy will suffer. Late Wednesday, [the state of Alaska published a list showing which services would be affected during a government shutdown](, including the DMV, museums and routine road maintenance. According to the list, ferries will continue to run, Medicaid will still pay for health care, and both prisons and Pioneer Homes will stay open. [Read More]( [Dogs put to work in Girdwood in attempt to reduce bear conflicts with residents]( [Dogs put to work in Girdwood in attempt to reduce bear conflicts with residents]( Nils Pedersen and his three Karelian bear dogs were recently hired in Girdwood to bark bears out of town. Their barking persuades the bears to leave the area, without scaring or traumatizing them, in a community where human-bear conflicts can routinely occur and response times for nuisance bear reports are lengthy. "We’re applying some pressure, letting the bears make choices, letting them know this is (a) real easy way to go and this is the hard way to go," Pedersen says. [Read More]( [Former state legislator Lance Pruitt fined $19,716 for multiple violations of campaign finance and disclosure laws]( [Former state legislator Lance Pruitt fined $19,716 for multiple violations of campaign finance and disclosure laws]( Alaska’s political campaign regulators have fined former state Rep. Lance Pruitt, an Anchorage Republican, for multiple violations of state law in his 2016 and 2018 campaigns, and for failing to file proper financial disclosures while in office. Regulators concluded the violations were “widespread and serious” and said Pruitt’s testimony at a public hearing was “unconvincing and appeared to be self-serving.” In a text message, Pruitt said: “Any errors were unintentional and strictly administrative.” [Read More]( [ Biden accepts bipartisan deal on infrastructure after meeting with senators including Murkowski]( [Biden accepts bipartisan deal on infrastructure after meeting with senators including Murkowski]( A group of five Democrats and five Republicans, including Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski, brokered the deal. The bill’s price tag is roughly $973 billion over five years, or $1.2 trillion over eight years — far less than the approximately $2 trillion President Biden originally sought. The president had bet his political capital that he could work with Republicans and showcase that "that American democracy can deliver." [Read More]( [Anchorage airport crowd cheers return of Seward swimmer Lydia Jacoby, Alaska’s newest Olympian]( [Anchorage airport crowd cheers return of Seward swimmer Lydia Jacoby, Alaska’s newest Olympian]( Arriving at the airport wearing a USA Swimming stars-and-stripes backpack, 17-year-old Jacoby was greeted by a cheering, flag-waving crowd Wednesday night. She hugged friends, posed for photos and signed autographs. "It’s crazy how much support I’m getting from Alaska," she said. "I didn’t realize there’d be so many people." Jacoby [swam the second-fastest 100-meter breaststroke in the world this season]( to qualify for Team USA. [Read More]( More from the ADN [What to do this weekend: Scottish Highland Games, Pride and all the live music around Anchorage]( [What to do this weekend: Scottish Highland Games, Pride and all the live music around Anchorage]( [Read More]( [Motorcyclist dies in collision with van at Arctic and International]( [Motorcyclist dies in collision with van at Arctic and International]( [Read More]( [Drug deal gone bad led to killing in South Anchorage parking lot, police say]( [Drug deal gone bad led to killing in South Anchorage parking lot, police say]( [Read More]( [Many residents feared dead after 12-story condo building partially collapses in Miami area]( [Many residents feared dead after 12-story condo building partially collapses in Miami area]( [Read More]( [Hundreds of unmarked graves found at another historic Indigenous boarding school in Canada ]( [Hundreds of unmarked graves found at another historic Indigenous boarding school in Canada]( [Read More]( The ADN relies on readers like you. 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