Mayor Dave Bronson says he will not ask residents to get vaccinated, issue a mask mandate or order other COVID-19 restrictions. Plus: President Biden issues vaccine mandates affecting as many as 100 million Americans. 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. Itâs Thursday, September 9. In today's newsletter:
- As COVID-19 hospitalizations hit record numbers, Anchorage Mayor Dave Bronson says, "I donât know what more we can do."
- President Biden issues vaccine mandates affecting as many as 100 million Americans.
- The Biden administration moves to halt the Pebble mine project in Southwest Alaska. There have been some good mushroom articles in the Daily News lately. In case you missed it, ADN reporter Samantha Davenport introduced us to [Gabriel Wingard, a 14-year-old forager sharing his love of Alaskaâs fungi](. And ADN gardening columnist Jeff Lowenfels tells us [why mushrooms in your lawn can be a good thing](. Cheers to all the fungal foragers out there. ð
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Anchorage weather
Mostly cloudy with a high near 61 this afternoon. There's a 60% chance of rain tomorrow evening, but partly sunny skies are predicted for Saturday. Hereâs what else is making headlines in Alaska today. â Ryan Cunningham, rcunningham@adn.com [As COVID-19 hospitalizations hit record numbers, Anchorage Mayor Bronson says, âI donât know what more we can doâ]( [As COVID-19 hospitalizations hit record numbers, Anchorage Mayor Bronson says, âI donât know what more we can doâ](
In an interview, Mayor Dave Bronson says he will not ask residents to get vaccinated, issue a mask mandate or order other COVID-19 restrictions. While Bronson says itâs "pretty clear" there is a crisis in Anchorageâs hospitals, he suggested hospital capacity is suffering due to a staffing shortage made worse by requiring employees to be vaccinated. Hospital officials say that assessment isn't accurate. [Read More]( [âYour refusal has cost all of usâ: Biden issues vaccine mandates affecting as many as 100 million Americans]( [Biden issues vaccine mandates affecting as many as 100 million Americans](
As he announced sweeping new federal vaccine requirements, President Joe Biden sharply criticized the roughly 80 million Americans who are not yet vaccinated, despite months of availability and incentives. "Weâve been patient. But our patience is wearing thin, and your refusal has cost all of us," Biden said. [Read More]( [Biden administration moves to halt Pebble mine ]( [Biden administration moves to halt Pebble mine](
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced today it will resume its effort to halt the Pebble copper and gold project in Southwest Alaska, in order to protect Bristol Bayâs salmon-rich waters. The mine has faced opposition from conservation groups, fishing groups and some prominent Republicans, including Donald Trump Jr. and Alaskaâs U.S. senators. [Read More](
[Alaska Legislature lacks agreement on new PFD formula as end of special session approaches]( [Alaska Legislature lacks agreement on new PFD formula as end of special session approaches](
State legislators say they've made progress toward a new formula for Permanent Fund dividends, but House and Senate leaders say a firm solution will not happen before the session ends on Tuesday. Earlier in the session, the House approved a $1,100 dividend for this year, but that bill won't face a full Senate vote before Friday at the earliest. If the Senate approves it, Gov. Mike Dunleavy could veto all or part of the dividend. [Read More]( [Fairbanks woman says she was escorted off Alaska Airlines flight because of her outfit]( [Fairbanks woman says she was escorted off Alaska Airlines flight because of her outfit](
Ray Lin Howard, a hairstylist and rapper from Fairbanks, says the flight crew had police officers escort her off the plane after it landed. She says she was humiliated and feels that flight attendants targeted her because she is plus size. In a written statement, Alaska Airlines say they had been in touch with Howard and were "committed to finding out what happened and taking the appropriate actions." [Read More](
More from the ADN [Alaska Airlines flight diverted to Juneau after passenger makes threats and group violates mask protocol, officials say]( [Alaska Airlines flight diverted to Juneau after passenger makes threats and group violates mask protocol, officials say]( [Read More]( [Inbound traffic diverted from Glenn Highway after multivehicle crash at Airport Heights Drive]( [Inbound traffic diverted from Glenn Highway after multivehicle crash at Airport Heights Drive]( [Read More]( [Hunter mauled by grizzly sow with cubs in Alaskaâs Wrangell-St. Elias National Park]( [Hunter mauled by grizzly sow with cubs in Alaskaâs Wrangell-St. Elias National Park]( [Read More]( [Woman wounded in East Anchorage shooting]( [Woman wounded in East Anchorage shooting]( [Read More]( [State to close popular caribou hunt after nearing quota in first week]( [State to close popular caribou hunt after nearing quota in first week]( [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