Man accused of grabbing controls from pilot, sending plane into nosedive over Southwest Alaska

Plus: Alaska’s jobless claims continue a steady decline after the end of a $300 federal pandemic boost. Email not displaying correctly? [View the web version]( [Anchorage Daily News]( Today's sponsor: [Today's sponsor: Northrim Bank]( Support independent reporting on what Alaskans care about most. [Subscribe today.]( Good afternoon. It’s Thursday, July 8. In today's newsletter: - A Bethel 18-year-old grabbed the controls of a passenger plane near Aniak and sent it into a nosedive, troopers say. - Alaska’s jobless claims continue a steady decline after the end of a $300 federal pandemic boost. - Gov. Mike Dunleavy picks Jennifer Stuart Henderson to be the newest Alaska Supreme Court justice. The 2021 Mount Marathon race is in the books, and two previous champions have reclaimed their titles: [Hannah Lafleur](, a Seward local who won the last women's race in 2019, and [David Norris](, the men's record-holder who's now a three-time winner. A couple of junior scramblers also [made their mark]( earlier in the day. [Here are the complete results from yesterday's race.]( 🌧️ Anchorage weather Rain showers are likely again this afternoon, with a high temperature approaching 62. Expect rain and scattered showers for the next couple of days before a bit of a warmup this weekend. Sunday's high could top 70 degrees. Here’s what else is making headlines in Alaska today. — Ryan Cunningham, rcunningham@adn.com [ Bethel 18-year-old grabbed controls of passenger plane near Aniak, sending it into nosedive, troopers say]( [Bethel 18-year-old grabbed controls of passenger plane near Aniak, sending it into nosedive, troopers say]( Jaden Lake-Kameroff was on a Cessna plane flying from Bethel to Aniak with four other passengers when he got up from his seat and grabbed the controls, Alaska State Troopers say. According to troopers, the other passengers pulled him away from the yoke, and the pilot regained control. Lake-Kameroff faces multiple charges. [Read More]( [ Alaska’s jobless claims continue steady decline after end of $300 federal pandemic boost]( [Alaska’s jobless claims continue steady decline after end of $300 federal pandemic boost]( Before Gov. Mike Dunleavy ended a $300 weekly federal pandemic benefit in mid-June, there were nearly 30,0000 unemployment claims in Alaska. By late June, the total dropped to just under 26,000, according to state data. However, jobless claims have been dropping steadily for several months — they peaked at more than 66,500 a year ago — and economists say it’s unclear to what degree the lack of the federal benefit boost played into the drop. [Read More]( [Dunleavy appoints Superior Court judge to Alaska Supreme Court]( [Gov. Dunleavy picks Jennifer Stuart Henderson as new Alaska Supreme Court justice]( Gov. Mike Dunleavy chose Henderson after initially balking at the list of nominees provided by the Alaska Judicial Council. Henderson will replace Joel Bolger, who served on the state’s high court until his retirement July 1. [Read More]( [State sues Interior Department in effort to open 28 million acres for Alaska ownership and development]( [State sues Interior Department in effort to open 28 million acres for Alaska ownership and development]( The suit says the federal government acted improperly when it postponed an act made in the last days of the Trump administration to open swaths of Alaska land to development. In April, the Biden administration paused the move for two years, citing the need to review what it called “defects” in the Trump-era action. In a written statement, Gov. Mike Dunleavy says the Biden administration's decision is an effort to "leave these lands locked up as de facto parks." [Read More]( [Alaska Airlines asks execs to help move baggage at Sea-Tac amid worker shortage and surging travel]( [Alaska Airlines asks execs to help move baggage at Sea-Tac amid worker shortage and surging travel]( Facing a serious shortage of labor, Alaska Airlines has called for managers and back-office personnel to volunteer as baggage handlers through August. The current labor scarcity is in part due to the difficulty of ramping up airport operations again as air travel recovers. But the airline is also competing with other businesses to hire workers, and base pay for baggage handlers is relatively low: Without the temporary incentives the company is offering, someone starting at the McDonald’s in Sea-Tac would have a higher base pay than a new baggage handler. [Read More]( More from the ADN [ FCC says KTUU corporate owners’ purchase of KTVA violated rules, proposes $518,283 fine]( [FCC says KTUU corporate owners’ purchase of KTVA violated rules, proposes $518,283 fine]( [Read More]( [Grizzly kills woman on cycling trip in Montana after pulling her from tent ]( [Grizzly kills woman on cycling trip in Montana after pulling her from tent]( [Read More]( [ Captain rescued after fishing boat capsizes near Whittier]( [Captain rescued after fishing boat capsizes near Whittier]( [Read More]( [Alaska reports 214 COVID-19 cases over 5 days and no new deaths Wednesday]( [Alaska reports 214 COVID-19 cases over 5 days and no new deaths Wednesday]( [Read More]( [New study on delta variant reveals importance of receiving both vaccine shots]( [New study on delta variant reveals importance of receiving both vaccine shots]( [Read More]( The ADN relies on readers like you. 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