Alaska's PFD this year will be $1,312

Plus: Mat-Su school district committee recommends removal of books, including one by Toni Morrison ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ 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. 21. In today's newsletter: - The [Permanent Fund dividend this year will be $1,312]( the Alaska Department of Revenue said. The annual payments to Alaskans will be disbursed starting Oct. 5. - Alaska Sen. Dan Sullivan has [convened a handpicked panel to advise him]( on selecting federal judges — a move senior Sen. Lisa Murkowski says will unnecessarily delay filling a long-vacant Alaska U.S. District Court seat. - A Mat-Su committee tasked with [identifying books for removal from school district shelves]( has voted that two books, including one by Toni Morrison, should stay out of circulation. With temperatures starting to dip and [fall colors]( popping up around Anchorage, one could say that [soup season]( is officially here. This is the time of year to make the most of what's still available, produce-wise. [This garden vegetable soup recipe]( does just that, with a tomato-based pesto to give its flavor extra depth. Anchorage weather It's overcast today with a chance of scattered showers and a high near 52 degrees. Friday calls for mostly sunny skies, conditions that should stick around through the weekend. Daytime temperatures will hover in the mid-50s. Here’s what else is making headlines in Alaska today. — Megan Pacer, mpacer@adn.com [Alaska’s 2023 Permanent Fund dividend is set at $1,312, paid starting in early October →]( This year, the $1,312 dividend will amount to more than $881 million in total state spending, with over 600,000 Alaskans eligible for the payment. ADVERTISEMENT [Sullivan forms new Alaska council for selecting federal judges, prompting concern about delay from Murkowski →]( One of Alaska’s three U.S. District Court seats has been vacant since 2021. In a statement, Murkowski wrote that she agreed with Sullivan that the selection process for federal judges could be improved, but “those conversations should have started a long time ago, not after we’ve spent almost two years working to fill the seat.” [Mat-Su school district committee recommends removal of books including one by Toni Morrison →]( The advisory committee began the process this month of reviewing 56 titles that were flagged to the Mat-Su school board as “challenged” by parents and community members. At its next meeting, the committee will review four more books including “The Handmaid’s Tale” by Margaret Atwood. [Unreliable operations at Kivalina school force some students to leave for other communities →]( Water supply issues delayed the start of classes by three weeks this fall — the latest challenge for students in Kivalina, after they contended with a series of obstacles keeping them from consistently getting to school last year. [No special session this year on fiscal issues, Alaska legislators say →]( The Alaska Legislature will not meet in a special session this fall to discuss a long-term fiscal plan for the state. “There’s really no consensus right now," said Senate President Gary Stevens. (via Alaska Beacon) [Grandmother seeks justice for Indigenous Americans after thousands of unsolved deaths and disappearances →]( [Yolanda Fraser is using her own family’s tragedy to highlight missing and murdered Native Americans and Alaska Natives.]( ADVERTISEMENT More from the ADN [A federal government shutdown looks more and more likely. Here’s what to know. →]( [Booking a COVID-19 vaccine? Some Americans are reporting canceled appointments or insurance issues. →]( [Alaska gardening: How to prepare your lawn — or your ‘meadow’ — for the long winter →]( [Return to the office? These workers quit instead. →]( [Google pays Apple billions a year to be the default search engine on iPhones and Macs. Now executives must testify about it. →]( 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