"Gut wrenching": Alaskans with roots in Ukraine grapple with war in their homeland.

Also, after two pandemic years, Iditarod 2022 should look mostly normal. Here’s what that means. 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 Monday, February 28. In today's newsletter: - Hundreds of Ukrainian people in Alaska are watching with helpless horror as Russia invades their home country. - Last year was the first time Iditarod mushers did not run to Nome, but this year's race will look much more familiar. - Mostly submerged and clinging to a large chunk of ice, a Homer man survived floating adrift in Cook Inlet for nearly an hour. “Alaska history is dotted with canine celebrities,” observes historian David Reamer. But before Togo or Granite, the most famous dog in Alaska was Baldy of Nome. Baldy proved his mettle and valor as a lead dog, even though in the beginning no one thought the scrawny mutt would be of much use on the trail. To read more about Baldy, check out this week’s [history column](. .. 🌥️ Anchorage weather Expect partly sunny skies, with a high near 34 degrees and a calm wind. Isolated snow showers are forecast after midnight and into Tuesday. Here’s what else is making headlines in Alaska today. — Victoria Barber, vbarber@adn.com [‘Gut wrenching’: Alaskans with roots in Ukraine grapple with war in their homeland]( [‘Gut wrenching’: Alaskans with roots in Ukraine grapple with war in their homeland]( The area around Delta Junction holds one of the highest per capita concentrations of Ukrainians in the country. Now members of the community are watching, gathering together and praying for Ukraine. “It almost feels like a death in the family is about to occur,” said Vicky Shestopalov. [Read More]( [Iditarod 2022: After two pandemic years, this year’s race to Nome should look mostly normal. Here’s what that means.]( [Iditarod 2022: After two pandemic years, this year’s race to Nome should look mostly normal. Here’s what that means.]( While there are plenty of public health precautions in place this year, for most fans, the event will hew to familiar contours as 49 mushers traverse the regular northern route. [Read More]( [Expecting an influx of oil money, Alaska lawmakers say they’re interested in saving for later]( [Expecting an influx of oil money, Alaska lawmakers say they’re interested in saving for later]( High oil prices have officials expecting hundreds of millions of dollars in new revenue, but the experience of a seven-year slump in prices has state lawmakers preparing to save. [Read More]( [Alaska’s depleted public health nurse program is evolving amid chronic job vacancies and burnout]( [Alaska’s depleted public health nurse program is evolving amid chronic job vacancies and burnout]( State officials are looking for new ways to operate Alaska’s decades-old public health nursing program as they struggle to fill scores of empty positions. Some former health officials and advocates fear it could lead to fewer nurses on the job after years of budget cuts [Read More]( [Homer man rescued after he clung to a chunk of ice in Cook Inlet for almost an hour ]( [Homer man rescued after he clung to a chunk of ice in Cook Inlet for almost an hour]( When he was rescued about 300 yards offshore, Jamie Snedden, 45, “was submerged in the water with only his head and arms visible, as he clung to a large piece of ice,” according to a report from Alaska Wildlife Troopers. [Read More]( More from the ADN [Man shot to death during altercation in South Anchorage hotel and bar]( [Man shot to death during altercation in South Anchorage hotel and bar]( [Read More]( [Streeper wins 9th Fur Rondy crown in sled dog championships shortened by unsafe trail conditions]( [Streeper wins 9th Fur Rondy crown in sled dog championships shortened by unsafe trail conditions]( [Read More]( [Low-cost carrier plans to fly nonstop between Anchorage and Vancouver, B.C., this summer]( [Low-cost carrier plans to fly nonstop between Anchorage and Vancouver, B.C., this summer]( [Read More]( [Hooper Bay working to contain sewage spill that’s threatening a subsistence food gathering site]( [Hooper Bay working to contain sewage spill that’s threatening a subsistence food gathering site]( [Read More]( [Supreme Court to review federal law that gives Native Americans preference in adoptions of Native children]( [Supreme Court to review federal law that gives Native Americans preference in adoptions of Native children]( [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