Plan for downtown Anchorage development includes demolition of historic theater

Deadline looms for Alaska lawmakers to approve budget, PFD size 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 Tuesday, May 17. In today's newsletter: - In the latest chapter in years of debate over the historic 4th Avenue Theatre, a developer plans to demolish it as part of a major downtown Anchorage project. - Alaska lawmakers are up against a tight deadline to approve a budget, but aren't agreeing on the size of the Permanent Fund dividend. - Three men have been sentenced after pleading guilty to wading into the Brooks River to take photos near brown bears that were feeding at Katmai National Park. Readers have been asking where Alaska's 48 candidates for U.S. House stand on several topics, including abortion rights. We reached out to them on that subject and several others. You can read where the candidates stand on abortion [here](, and you can catch up on all our Q&As with the candidates [here](. 🌤️ Anchorage weather Today is mostly sunny with a high of 60 degrees. Tonight will be mostly cloudy, but sunny skies persist for the rest of the week and into the weekend. Temperatures will climb up into the mid-to -high 60s by Saturday. Here’s what else is making headlines in Alaska today. — Megan Pacer, mpacer@adn.com [A developer is again planning a major new construction project for a downtown Anchorage block. It includes demolition of the 4th Avenue Theatre. ]( [A developer is again planning a major new construction project for a downtown Anchorage block. It includes demolition of the 4th Avenue Theatre.]( A plan to overhaul a downtown Anchorage block includes demolishing the historic 4th Avenue Theatre, though the developer says they plan to rebuild the iconic sign and facade. It’s the latest chapter in many years of debate over the future of the building. [Read More]( [Dividend amount unknown as budget deadline nears]( [Dividend amount unknown as budget deadline nears]( Lack of agreement on the size of the Permanent Fund dividend threatens to derail the Alaska Legislature’s plan to end their work on time. If lawmakers do not pass a budget by Wednesday, they could be forced to enter a special session. [Read More]( [Alaska judge rejects new map for Eagle River state Senate districts]( [Alaska judge rejects new map for Eagle River state Senate districts]( An Alaska judge has said a majority of members on the redistricting board appeared to have adopted a map that splits the Eagle River area into two Senate districts for “political reasons,” and he ordered that a new map be used this year. [Read More]( [3 men get fines, prison and park ban for wading into Alaska’s Brooks River while viewing famous bears]( [3 men get fines, prison and park ban for wading into Alaska’s Brooks River while viewing famous bears]( Two Alaska men and a New Mexico resident pleaded guilty to leaving a viewing platform in Katmai National Park to take photos near the famous salmon-eating brown bears at Brooks Falls. [Read More]( [Hilcorp warns Alaska utilities about uncertain Cook Inlet natural gas supplies]( [Hilcorp warns Alaska utilities about uncertain Cook Inlet natural gas supplies]( Officials with several Alaska utilities say they’ve been informed by Hilcorp that the company does not currently have enough natural gas reserves in Cook Inlet to provide for new gas contracts, prompting them to take a long-term look at their energy needs. [Read More]( More from the ADN [Pilot and flight instructor walk away from emergency landing on Knik Arm mudflats]( [Pilot and flight instructor walk away from emergency landing on Knik Arm mudflats]( [Read More]( [University of Alaska moves forward with faculty salary increases; union says negotiations aren’t done]( [University of Alaska moves forward with faculty salary increases; union says negotiations aren’t done]( [Read More]( [Alaska man banned from hunting for two years after he killed harbor seal in Prince William Sound]( [Alaska man banned from hunting for two years after he killed harbor seal in Prince William Sound]( [Read More]( [Research project aims to spread reflective beads on Arctic ice to slow climate warming ]( [Research project aims to spread reflective beads on Arctic ice to slow climate warming]( [Read More]( [Slugger Emily McCutcheon is the South High softball team’s most dangerous weapon]( [Slugger Emily McCutcheon is the South High softball team’s most dangerous weapon]( [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 300 W 31st Avenue, Anchorage, AK 99503