Wintry weather around Anchorage causes outages, slick roads and school closures

Plus: Amid the COVID crisis, Alaska asks most state employees to work from home. And an Alaska legislator compares Biden to Hitler and shares a link to Holocaust-denial website. 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, September 24. In today's newsletter: - Heavy, wet snow in parts of Anchorage and Eagle River causes outages, slick roads and school closures. - Alaska will ask most state employees to work from home full-time during the COVID crisis. - An Alaska legislator compares Biden to Hitler and shares a link to Holocaust-denial website. When did people first arrive in the Americas? Thanks to some ancient footprints recently discovered in New Mexico, [scientists now have evidence of humans walking across North America around 23,000 years ago](. That time frame was determined by analyzing seeds stuck in the footprints, which researchers believe are from children and teenagers who lived during the last ice age. 🌧️ Anchorage weather [What a mess, huh?]( Rain is likely today, with a high near 41 expected. That rain could turn to snow again overnight, then the rain/snow is predicted to wane over the course of the day tomorrow, with high temperatures in the mid-40s. Sunday should be mostly sunny. Here’s what else is making headlines in Alaska today. — Ryan Cunningham, rcunningham@adn.com [Heavy, wet snow in parts of Anchorage and Eagle River causes outages, slick roads and school closures]( [Heavy, wet snow in parts of Anchorage and Eagle River causes outages, slick roads and school closures]( By this morning, unofficial snow totals included 13 inches on the Upper Hillside and about 4 inches in Eagle River, according to a meteorologist with the National Weather Service. Poor road conditions led to school closures across the city, though high school sports competitions were set to continue Friday evening as scheduled. [Read More]( [Alaska will ask most state employees to work from home full-time during COVID crisis]( [Alaska will ask most state employees to work from home full-time during COVID crisis]( The shift to "an emphasis on teleworking to the maximum extent practical" was announced in a memo from Gov. Mike Dunleavy to agency commissioners. The change is not mandatory, with decisions being made by agency and department leaders. [Read More]( [Alaska legislator compares Biden to Hitler, shares link to Holocaust-denial website]( [Alaska legislator compares Biden to Hitler, shares link to Holocaust-denial website]( A social media post shared by Rep. David Eastman, R-Wasilla, included a photo of Adolf Hitler and a link to the text of his speech, which was hosted on a Holocaust-denial website. Eastman has [previously compared]( COVID-19 vaccination efforts to Nazi medical experiments during the Holocaust. [Read More]( [Three men charged with getting too close to bears in Alaska’s Katmai National Park]( [Three men charged with getting too close to bears in Alaska’s Katmai National Park]( The charges allege the men left an authorized viewing area by wading into the Brooks River when bears were feeding on salmon in the nearby falls. The park in Southwest Alaska protects some of the highest densities of bears in the world and requires visitors to abide by special rules. [Read More]( [White House steps up work on policy to deal with changes in the thawing Arctic]( [White House steps up work on policy to deal with changes in the thawing Arctic]( The White House says it is reactivating the Arctic Executive Steering Committee and adding six new members to the U.S. Arctic Research Commission, including two Alaska Native members. The steering committee coordinates domestic regulations and works with other Arctic nations. [Read More]( More from the ADN [Alaska health workers face anger and threats from COVID patients and public, chief medical officer says]( [Alaska health workers face anger and threats from COVID patients and public, chief medical officer says]( [Read More]( [Biden and CDC director endorse booster shots for people in high-risk occupations]( [Biden and CDC director endorse booster shots for people in high-risk occupations]( [Read More]( [Seward swimmer Lydia Jacoby is one of 38 nominees for the prestigious Sullivan Award]( [Seward swimmer Lydia Jacoby is one of 38 nominees for the prestigious Sullivan Award]( [Read More]( [Draft report of Republican-backed ballot review in Arizona confirms Biden’s victory by a wider margin than certified]( [Draft report of Republican-backed ballot review in Arizona confirms Biden’s victory by a wider margin than certified]( [Read More]( [Quick caramel salmon is a savory-sweet riff on a Vietnamese favorite]( [Quick caramel salmon is a savory-sweet riff on a Vietnamese favorite]( [Read More]( The ADN relies on readers like you. 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