One fix for Alaska's attorney shortage: Lowering its bar exam standard

Plus: Longer elementary lunch and recess among updates to Anchorage’s student wellness policy 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, February 9. In today's newsletter: - As Alaska faces an attorney shortage, the bar association board has recommended lowering the bar exam threshold for practicing law here to bring it in line with other states. - Tuesday's Anchorage Assembly meeting was marked by sharp exchanges between members and Mayor Dave Bronson as they pressed him to publicly address allegations and controversies that have engulfed City Hall. - Anchorage students may see longer lunch and recess periods next year after the school board passed an update to its wellness policy. The Super Bowl is around the corner, and whether you like to gather for the game or the food shared with friends, no watch party is complete without wings. Salty, saucy, sticky and/or spicy, a good chicken wing is a must. Food writer Mara Severin has the scoop on [the best options for takeout wings in Anchorage](, from the classic to the eclectic. 🌨️ Anchorage weather It's mostly cloudy today with snow flurries and a high near 17 degrees. Friday will start out partly sunny before a chance of flurries in the afternoon. Daytime temperatures will climb back up into the mid-20s as we head into the weekend. Here’s what else is making headlines in Alaska today. — Megan Pacer, mpacer@adn.com [Attorney group seeks to grow its ranks by lowering Alaska’s bar exam standard]( [Attorney group seeks to grow its ranks by lowering Alaska’s bar exam standard]( Alaska currently has the highest score requirement in the country among the 40 states that use the same test. The bar association board is recommending that Alaska’s score be lowered from 280 to 270, which would put it in line with the majority of other states. [Read More]( [‘Have you seriously considered resigning?’: Watch exchanges between Anchorage Assembly and Mayor Bronson]( [‘Have you seriously considered resigning?’: Watch exchanges between Anchorage Assembly and Mayor Bronson]( Sharp exchanges between Anchorage Assembly members and the mayor came as the body authorized attorneys to begin litigation against his administration for refusing to comply with a subpoena from the Assembly chair. [Read More]( [Longer elementary lunch and recess among updates to Anchorage’s student wellness policy]( [Longer elementary lunch and recess among updates to Anchorage’s student wellness policy]( The revised policy now requires a minimum of 30 cumulative minutes of recess and 20 minutes of lunch, starting after students are served. These and other changes are aimed at improving students’ overall health and academic outcomes. [Read More]( ADVERTISEMENT [Alaska athletes thrive and surprise at Arctic Winter Games in Canada]( [Alaska athletes thrive and surprise at Arctic Winter Games in Canada]( At this year's Arctic Winter Games, which features both traditional Indigenous events and winter sports, Team Alaska was able to befriend peers from other Arctic areas as well as take home plenty of hardware. [Read More]( [2 Anchorage women charged with identity-theft involving multiple victims, including Habitat for Humanity]( [2 Anchorage women charged with identity-theft involving multiple victims, including Habitat for Humanity]( Two Anchorage women are facing federal fraud, theft and other charges accusing them of stealing over $150,000 as part of a monthslong money laundering scheme involving multiple victims, authorities say. [Read More]( ADVERTISEMENT More from the ADN [U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan asks Alaska Legislature to rally in defense of Arctic oil project]( [U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan asks Alaska Legislature to rally in defense of Arctic oil project]( (Via Alaska Beacon) [Read More]( [Survivors struggle to stay warm and fed in earthquake aftermath]( [Survivors struggle to stay warm and fed in earthquake aftermath]( [Read More]( [Division II champion Soldotna wants to keep peaking with another state hockey title on the line]( [Division II champion Soldotna wants to keep peaking with another state hockey title on the line]( [Read More]( [Burt Bacharach, prolific composer of hit pop tunes, dies at 94]( [Burt Bacharach, prolific composer of hit pop tunes, dies at 94]( [Read More]( [Anchorage students who made school threats in separate incidents may be charged, police say]( [Anchorage students who made school threats in separate incidents may be charged, police say]( [Read More]( [The pandemic missing: The kids who didn’t go back to school]( [The pandemic missing: The kids who didn’t go back to school]( [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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