Bronson nixes a plan for a new Midtown Anchorage homeless shelter

Plus: Federal prosecutors are no longer seeking the death penalty for a Palmer man awaiting trial in 2016 killings. 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, July 9. In today's newsletter: - The Bronson administration decides not to buy a former Midtown Anchorage fitness center for a homeless shelter. - Federal prosecutors are no longer seeking the death penalty for a Palmer man awaiting trial in 2016 killings. - The Biden administration announces it will review the Alaska LNG project for greenhouse gas emissions. Zaila Avant-garde might be the coolest 14-year-old in the world. Yesterday the Louisiana teen won the Scripps National Spelling Bee — the first African American to do so — and that's impressive enough on its own. But then it turns out [she's a basketball prodigy who owns three Guinness world records for dribbling](. A-M-A-Z-I-N-G.🌧️ Anchorage weather Some rain is likely later today, with a high near 61 expected. There's a 30% chance for rain showers early on Saturday, then the rest of the weekend should be cloudy with highs in the mid-to-upper 60s. Here’s what else is making headlines in Alaska today. — Ryan Cunningham, rcunningham@adn.com [ Bronson administration will not buy former Midtown fitness center for homeless shelter]( [Bronson administration will not buy former Midtown Anchorage fitness center for homeless shelter]( Facing a Friday deadline, Mayor Dave Bronson decided not to buy the former Alaska Club fitness center on Tudor Road. The $5.436 million deal was part of former acting Mayor Austin Quinn-Davidson's plan to create more homeless shelter beds as the city transitions out of the mass shelter at the Sullivan Arena. The Bronson administration will instead push for a $15 million, large-scale shelter in East Anchorage. [The plan borrows strategies from other U.S. cities.]( [Read More]( [Federal prosecutors no longer seek death penalty for Palmer man awaiting trial in 2016 killings]( [Federal prosecutors no longer seek death penalty for Palmer man awaiting trial in 2016 killings]( John Pearl Smith II is accused of fatally shooting two people at a Meadow Lakes residence before setting fire to the building in 2016. His trial is scheduled for October, and federal prosecutors had previously said they would seek the death penalty — but that's changed now that federal executions have been halted, pending a Justice Department review of its policies. Historically, few Alaska cases meet the criteria for seeking the federal death penalty. Alaska hasn't had a death penalty at the state level since it became a state in 1959. [Read More]( [Vaccinated teachers and students don’t need to wear masks, CDC says]( [Vaccinated teachers and students don’t need to wear masks, CDC says]( The nation’s top public health agency is not advising schools to require shots for teachers and vaccine-eligible kids. And it’s not offering guidance on how teachers can know which students are vaccinated or how parents will know which teachers are immunized. Public health officials acknowledge the new guidelines may prove hard to implement. A CDC official says the guidance is "written to allow flexibility at the local level." [Read More]( [Biden administration to review Alaska LNG project for greenhouse gas emissions]( [Biden administration to review Alaska LNG project for greenhouse gas emissions]( The U.S. Department of Energy will conduct a supplemental environmental review of the $38 billion project, as the Biden administration prioritizes concerns about climate change. The Alaska Gasline Development Corp. says approval for the project remains "in full effect" during the supplemental review, which could take several months. The LNG project would ship gas from the North Slope to the Kenai Peninsula in an 800-mile pipeline. In Nikiski, the gas would be loaded onto tankers for oversea delivery to customers in Asia. [Read More]( [Judge to hear case challenging ranked-choice election initiative approved by Alaska voters]( [Judge to hear case challenging ranked-choice election initiative approved by Alaska voters]( A judge is scheduled to hear arguments Monday in a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of a voter-approved initiative that would end party primaries in Alaska and institute ranked-choice voting in general elections. In court documents, the plaintiffs cite concerns that third-party candidates could get "lost in the shuffle" in the new election system. State attorneys argue in court filings that the plaintiffs' claims do not affect constitutional rights or otherwise fail because they “rest on a misunderstanding” of what the initiative does. [Read More]( More from the ADN [ Bethel 18-year-old told troopers he was suicidal when he grabbed controls of plane, sending it into nosedive]( [Bethel 18-year-old told troopers he was suicidal when he grabbed controls of plane near Aniak, sending it into nosedive]( [Read More]( [Portugal. The Man set for second show at Alaska State Fair]( [Portugal. The Man set for second show at Alaska State Fair]( [Read More]( [‘They are our nation’s best’: Col. Shouse assumes command of Alaska’s 4-25]( [‘They are our nation’s best’: Col. Shouse assumes command of Alaska’s 4-25]( [Read More]( [Tracking COVID-19 in Alaska: 135 cases and 2 deaths reported Thursday and Friday ]( [Tracking COVID-19 in Alaska: 135 cases and 2 deaths reported Thursday and Friday]( [Read More]( [Giant magpie sculptures rise along trail at Alaska Botanical Garden]( [Giant magpie sculptures rise along trail at Alaska Botanical Garden]( [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. [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Instagram]( [Click here to unsubscribe and manage your email subscriptions.]( Anchorage Daily News Anchorage Daily News 300 W 31st Avenue, Anchorage, AK 99503