Inquiry into plane crash that killed Rep. Peltola's husband begins

Plus: A long-shelved railroad to the Mat-Su’s Port MacKenzie could instead become a road ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ Email not displaying correctly? [View the web version]( Today's sponsor: Support independent reporting on what Alaskans care about most. [Subscribe today.]( Good afternoon. It’s Thursday, Sept. 14. In today's newsletter: - The plane crash that killed Eugene “Buzzy” Peltola Jr., husband of Alaska’s U.S. Rep. Mary Peltola, occurred on a flight by the 57-year-old pilot [to ferry a load of moose meat out of a remote hunting camp]( authorities said today. - Almost a decade after a Mat-Su Borough rail project that had consumed $184 million in state funding came to a halt, [there's a new push to restart work]( by converting a portion of the rail line into a public access road. - A citizen video shows an F-16 jet [dropping flares over the Anchorage Hillside]( while trying to get the attention of a pilot who had entered closed airspace during Monday’s visit by President Joe Biden. The leaves are still green in Anchorage and, despite strong winds, still attached to trees. It just doesn’t seem timely. But what is timely is planting spring-flowering bulbs: You can't have too many tulips and daffodils blooming in your yard after the long Alaska winter, [says garden writer Jeff Lowenfels]( Anchorage weather It's overcast and raining today, with a high near 53 degrees. Friday will start out with a slight chance of isolated showers and cloudy conditions will last most of the day. The forecast calls for rain through the weekend, and daytime temperatures will hover in the mid-50s. Here’s what else is making headlines in Alaska today. — Megan Pacer, mpacer@adn.com [Federal team begins inquiry into plane crash that killed husband of Alaska U.S. Rep. Mary Peltola →]( Eugene Peltola initially survived the crash and received medical care from two hunters at the camp in Southwest Alaska where the crash occurred, authorities said. A federal team of investigators hopes to get to the crash scene on Friday and will be documenting the wreckage, collecting evidence, interviewing witnesses and gathering more information that could help them learn more about the flight. ADVERTISEMENT [A long-shelved railroad to the Mat-Su’s Port MacKenzie could instead become a road →]( The borough wants to use federal funds to shift an 18-mile stretch of the unfinished rail line to a $70 million road project. Shifting to a road is seen by the borough as a way to rescue the aging infrastructure at Port MacKenzie from total waste, according to the borough manager. [Video shows F-16 fighter jet dropping flares above Anchorage Hillside during Biden visit →]( [Flares are used]( in plane interceptions to get the pilot’s attention, according to a NORAD spokesperson. [Recovery effort called off in Wrangell-St. Elias plane crash that killed Texas couple →]( Officials called off the recovery effort as the NTSB released a preliminary report detailing the minutes leading up to the crash, when the pilot lost communication with air traffic control in an area where poor weather was expected. [Air Force set to award contract for small nuclear reactor at base near Fairbanks →]( The Air Force announced its intent recently to award a contract for a small nuclear reactor at Eielson Air Force Base southeast of Fairbanks, pending approval of the plan by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. (via Stars and Stripes) ADVERTISEMENT More from the ADN [Search ongoing for overdue boater in Interior Alaska →]( [Portugal. The Man joins Alaska indie musicians for Anchorage show opposing Ambler Road →]( [Hunter Biden indicted on firearms charges after plea deal failed →]( [Mariners advised of Russian missile operations in Bering Sea zone off St. Lawrence Island →]( [Angry McCarthy dares hard-right House Republicans to try to oust him →]( [NASA releases UFO report, says more science and less stigma are needed →]( The ADN relies on readers like you. [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 Ave, Anchorage, AK 99503, United States