With major Medicaid change looming, Alaska scrambles to clear food stamp backlog

Plus: Gov. Dunleavy says his carbon storage bills could bring Alaska ‘billions,’ but many unknowns remain 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, January 30. In today's newsletter: - Alaska is working to clear a monthslong food stamp application backlog, while delays are extending to nearly all aid programs administered by the state’s public assistance division. - The Legislature is planning to hire an independent consultant to vet proposals introduced by Gov. Mike Dunleavy that would allow the Alaska to raise revenue by starting carbon offset and sequestration programs. - A deepening crisis in recruiting and keeping state workers is pushing Alaska lawmakers to once again consider a new pension plan for public employees. Bears, like us, know it’s impossible to get a good selfie in one take. As [one bear in Colorado demonstrated](, you should probably take 400 to be safe. Last week, the Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks department posted four of the photos taken in November. A spokesperson said most wildlife pass the camera without stopping, but for whatever reason, this bear paused for an extensive photo shoot. ☁️ Anchorage weather It's cloudy today with a high near 31 degrees. Tonight there's a slight chance of snow and patchy, freezing fog. There's a chance of snow that starts Tuesday and lasts through the rest of this week. Temperatures will hover in the high 20s. Here’s what else is making headlines in Alaska today. — Megan Pacer, mpacer@adn.com [Alaska is scrambling to clear a monthslong food stamp backlog as major Medicaid change looms]( [Alaska is scrambling to clear a monthslong food stamp backlog as major Medicaid change looms]( A month after a major backlog in Alaska’s food stamp application processing surfaced publicly, state officials are rushing to hire emergency workers to address delays reaching crisis levels for Alaskans who depend on the federal program to feed their families. [Read More]( [Gov. Dunleavy says his carbon storage bills could bring Alaska ‘billions,’ but many unknowns remain]( [Gov. Dunleavy says his carbon storage bills could bring Alaska ‘billions,’ but many unknowns remain]( One of the governor’s bills would create a regulatory framework for geologic storage of carbon dioxide. The other would create a framework for allowing carbon offsets using state land and then selling carbon offset credits. [Read More]( [Alaska public worker shortage fuels renewed interest in pension plan]( [Alaska public worker shortage fuels renewed interest in pension plan]( In the 2022 legislative session, a bill to recreate a defined benefits pension plan for public safety workers came close to passage but stalled in a Senate committee. This year, the bipartisan Senate majority named improving recruitment and retention of state employees as one of their top priorities. [Read More]( ADVERTISEMENT [Photos: Fashion show raises more than $175K for Alaska nonprofit]( [Photos: Fashion show raises more than $175K for Alaska nonprofit]( This year’s Trend Alaska fashion show — featuring the work of 16 designers from Kotzebue to Ketchikan — helped raise more than $175,000 for Let Every Woman Know-Alaska, a nonprofit that offers women resources to help prevent gynecologic cancers. [Read More]( [An innovative program helps Anchorage residents find a path out of homelessness]( [SPONSORED: An innovative program helps Anchorage residents find a path out of homelessness]( Presented by United Way of Anchorage: The Home for Good initiative is a first for Alaska and has already achieved big wins for the Anchorage community. [Read More]( ADVERTISEMENT More from the ADN [Most Mat-Su schools shift to remote learning as sleet and freezing rain hit Southcentral Alaska]( [Most Mat-Su schools shift to remote learning as sleet and freezing rain hit Southcentral Alaska]( [Read More]( [Bethel’s Pete Kaiser wins another Kuskokwim 300 sled dog race]( [Bethel’s Pete Kaiser wins another Kuskokwim 300 sled dog race]( [Read More]( [Chair Suzanne LaFrance says she won’t seek reelection to the Anchorage Assembly as most seats will be up for a vote this year]( [Chair Suzanne LaFrance says she won’t seek reelection to the Anchorage Assembly as most seats will be up for a vote this year]( [Read More]( [Sixth Memphis officer relieved of duty in Tyre Nichols arrest]( [Sixth Memphis officer relieved of duty in Tyre Nichols arrest]( [Read More]( [1 person dead, 1 injured in a head-on car crash in Wasilla ]( [1 person dead, 1 injured in a head-on car crash in Wasilla]( [Read More]( [66,000 war crimes have been reported in Ukraine. It vows to prosecute them all.]( [66,000 war crimes have been reported in Ukraine. It vows to prosecute them all.]( [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. [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Instagram]( [Click here to unsubscribe and manage your email subscriptions.]( Anchorage Daily News 300 W 31st Avenue, Anchorage, AK 99503