A Q&A with Alaska's own Miss America. Plus, an ammo shortage is changing the state's gun culture.

Also: Masking for ASD students will be optional starting in January. Email not displaying correctly? [View the web version]( [Anchorage Daily News]( Today's sponsor: [Today's sponsor: Pipers Restaurant and Sports Lounge]( Support independent reporting on what Alaskans care about most. [Subscribe today.]( Good afternoon. It’s Friday, December 17. In today's newsletter: - How a prolonged ammunition shortage is changing Alaska’s gun culture. - Anchorage's Emma Broyles, the first Alaskan to be crowned Miss America, talks about representation, empowering young women and her Korean heritage. - Masking for Anchorage School District students will be optional starting in January. ADN photojournalist Loren Holmes was at Alyeska Resort on Thursday as hundreds of Santas hit the slopes for the annual Santa Skis Free event. To get a free lift ticket, all participants had to do was wear a Santa outfit (or an elf, reindeer, Grinch or Mrs. Claus costume.) If you're looking for a hefty dose of holiday cheer, we recommend [checking out the photos](. 🌤️ Anchorage weather It's partly sunny today, with temperatures heading up to around 18 degrees. Looking ahead to the weekend, we can expect snow in town on Saturday and partly sunny skies on Sunday, with highs of 20 and 17 degrees, respectively. Here’s what else is making headlines in Alaska today. — Elizabeth Harball, eharball@adn.com [Bare shelves, hoarding and price gouging: How a prolonged ammunition shortage is changing Alaska’s gun culture ]( [Bare shelves, hoarding and price gouging: How a prolonged ammunition shortage is changing Alaska’s gun culture]( Alaska, like much of the country, is in the midst of a drastic ammunition shortage. Though the shortage has eased slightly in the past few months, nearly every kind of cartridge is harder to come by than it was before the pandemic hit in 2020 — if you can find them at all. [Read More]( [Q&A with Miss America: Emma Broyles on Alaska representation, Korean heritage and empowering young women]( [Q&A with Miss America: Emma Broyles on Alaska representation, Korean heritage and empowering young women]( Anchorage’s Emma Broyles was [crowned Miss America]( this week, becoming the first Miss Alaska and first woman of Korean descent to win the competition. Broyles, 20, graduated from Service High School and is now a junior at Arizona State University. “I’m so glad that Miss America puts this emphasis on what women have to say, rather than what they look like,” Bryoles said in a Q&A with the Daily News on Friday. [Read More]( [Masking for Anchorage School District students will be optional come January]( [Masking for Anchorage School District students will be optional come January]( Superintendent Deena Bishop said COVID-19 numbers at the moment indicate lower virus spread and case counts that are trending down. The numbers, combined with other protective actions like vaccines and quick-turn testing in schools, made way for the change. [Read More]( [Alaska oil and gas agency hears arguments on its authority over Hilcorp’s Cook Inlet leak, 4 years later]( [Alaska oil and gas agency hears arguments on its authority over Hilcorp’s Cook Inlet leak, 4 years later]( Ousted commissioner Hollis French implored the AOGCC to preserve its authority over petroleum resources wasted in the state and to hold those responsible accountable. [Read More]( [For these Alaskans, the COVID-19 vaccine had one significant side effect: relief]( [SPONSORED: For these Alaskans, the COVID-19 vaccine had one significant side effect — relief]( Presented by Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium: An asthmatic child, a nursing infant and an Elder in the household are just a few of the reasons these Anchorage health care leaders are happy to be vaccinated. [Read More]( More from the ADN [Dunleavy administration revives proposal to split Alaska’s health and social services department in two]( [Dunleavy administration revives proposal to split Alaska’s health and social services department in two]( [Read More]( [Alaska job numbers for November up over the same month in 2020 but still lag 2019]( [Alaska job numbers for November up over the same month in 2020 but still lag 2019]( [Read More]( [Anchorage man charged with second-degree murder 4 years after shooting]( [Anchorage man charged with second-degree murder 4 years after shooting]( [Read More]( [Americans feel virus whiplash, with omicron variant upending life]( [Americans feel virus whiplash, with omicron variant upending life]( [Read More]( [Anchorage launches new domestic violence unit in city prosecutor’s office]( [Anchorage launches new domestic violence unit in city prosecutor’s office]( [Read More]( The ADN relies on readers like you. 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