Lance Mackey, 4-time Iditarod winner and the people's champ, dies at age 52

Mat-Su school board bans transgender students from bathrooms that match their gender identity 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 Thursday, September 8. In today's newsletter: - Alaska mushing champion Lance Mackey died on Wednesday. His health had deteriorated in recent years, and he was diagnosed with throat cancer for a second time last year. - Mat-Su school officials will no longer allow transgender students to choose bathrooms that match their gender identity, suspending a practice recommended by district guidelines for over seven years. - In the face of a $68 million budget deficit, Anchorage School District officials say tough decisions about programs or school closures are likely on the horizon. Starting this week, Alaskans can get a new COVID-19 vaccine booster that is formulated to protect against highly contagious variants currently circulating in the state. Booster shots appeared available Thursday at some Walgreens and Costco locations throughout the state. Read more about the booster and how to get one [here](. 🌧️ Anchorage weather It's raining today with a high near 57 degrees. There's also a south wind with gusts as high as 20 mph. Friday calls for showers, and there's a chance of rain on Saturday as well. Temperatures will stay in the high 50s. Here’s what else is making headlines in Alaska today. — Megan Pacer, mpacer@adn.com [Alaska mushing legend Lance Mackey, 4-time Iditarod champ, dies at age 52]( [Alaska mushing legend Lance Mackey, 4-time Iditarod champ, dies at age 52]( Lance Mackey, an Alaska mushing champion whose scrappy spirit and innate toughness won him legions of fans, died Wednesday. Mackey won four straight Iditarod races and four straight Yukon Quests in the 2000s, but it was his easygoing personality and down-to-earth style that led to his informal designation as the people’s champion. [Read More]( [Mat-Su bans transgender students from bathrooms that match their gender identity]( [Mat-Su bans transgender students from bathrooms that match their gender identity]( The Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District school board voted to halt an existing district policy that had allowed transgender students to use bathrooms that matched their gender identity. The school board decision means transgender students must use bathrooms corresponding to their gender at birth or request private facilities. [Read More]( [With looming budget deficit, Anchorage School District faces potentially tough calls]( [With looming budget deficit, Anchorage School District faces potentially tough calls]( Facing a major $68 million budget deficit, the Anchorage School District will likely need to make painful decisions about programs and school closures over the coming months, officials say. The district will send out a survey to families this week that asks people to rank priorities, from facilities closures to activities, for potential reductions. [Read More]( [Interior Department renames 26 places in Alaska to remove a derogatory word for Native women]( [Interior Department renames 26 places in Alaska to remove a derogatory word for Native women]( The changing of 26 place names in Alaska is part of an effort to rename over 650 geographic features across the U.S. that previously included a slur for Native women. Some Alaska Native groups worked with the Department of the Interior to suggest replacement names. [Read More]( [Alaskans will receive $3,284 dividend and energy relief checks starting Sept. 20]( [Alaskans will receive $3,284 dividend and energy relief checks starting Sept. 20]( Eligible Alaskans will receive a $3,284 check, which includes the annual Permanent Fund dividend and a one-time energy relief payment, starting Sept. 20. The exact cash amount announced by the governor was determined by the number of eligible Alaskans who applied for the annual dividend. [Read More]( More from the ADN [Queen Elizabeth II, Britain’s monarch for 70 years, dies at age 96]( [Queen Elizabeth II, Britain’s monarch for 70 years, dies at age 96]( [Read More]( [Tracking COVID-19 in Alaska: Declining cases and hospitalizations reported statewide]( [Tracking COVID-19 in Alaska: Declining cases and hospitalizations reported statewide]( [Read More]( [On the precipice of making history, UAA volleyball’s Eve Stephens still has a team-first mentality]( [On the precipice of making history, UAA volleyball’s Eve Stephens still has a team-first mentality]( [Read More]( [Add your autumn apples to this cheesy Dutch baby pancake]( [Add your autumn apples to this cheesy Dutch baby pancake]( [Read More]( [Bannon pleads not guilty in New York court on charges he duped donors for border wall]( [Bannon pleads not guilty in New York court on charges he duped donors for border wall]( [Read More]( [Get digital access to the ADN for as low as $1.99 for the first month]( and help us cover the news that matters most here in Alaska. 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