As relief funds dry up, Alaska child care is in crisis

Plus: NTSB says pilot error, inadequate training were probable cause of Alaska heli-ski crash that killed 5 including Czech billionaire ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ Email not displaying correctly? [View the web version]( Today's sponsor: [Today's sponsor: Sylvan Learning]( Support independent reporting on what Alaskans care about most. [Subscribe today.]( Good afternoon. It’s Wednesday, Sept. 27. In today's newsletter: - With pandemic-era federal relief funds set to dry up at the end of the month, many child care providers in Alaska say [they’re facing a stark choice]( to significantly raise their rates or risk closing for good. - Anchorage is joining other cities [asking the U.S. Supreme Court to review a federal court ruling]( that has reshaped how several Western states have been able to respond to homelessness in recent years. - A new report on a 2021 heli-ski crash that killed five men including a Czech billionaire lists the pilot’s final decisions and lack of training as [the probable cause](. When NASA astronaut Frank Rubio set off for what should have been a 180-day mission, he wasn't thinking of setting any records. But then his stint at the International Space Station turned into a 371-day stay, setting a new record for the longest contiguous U.S. spaceflight. Rubio and two Russian cosmonauts [returned to Earth today]( in a Soyuz capsule. Anchorage weather It's mostly sunny today with a high near 51 degrees and a calm wind. We'll see mostly sunny skies on Thursday as well, before clouds and a chance of rain return on Friday. A chance of precipitation will last through the weekend. Here’s what else is making headlines in Alaska today. — Megan Pacer, mpacer@adn.com [Alaska child care providers struggle to stay open as pandemic-era relief funds dry up →]( [With the loss of federal stimulus money]( many providers say they're facing the risk of closure. In the last three years, 133 child care programs in Alaska have closed, including 34 in the past six months. The crisis is hitting parents and families who[are struggling to find affordable care]( for their children. ADVERTISEMENT [Anchorage joins other cities asking Supreme Court to overturn 9th Circuit decision over homeless camping on public land →]( The city signed onto an amicus brief that includes over a dozen jurisdictions grappling with how to implement homelessness policies within the constraints of a ruling that many say ties local governments’ hands. [NTSB: Pilot error and inadequate training probable cause of Alaska heli-ski crash that killed 5 including Czech billionaire →]( Along with Petr Kellner, one of Europe’s richest men, the 2021 crash near Palmer killed two well-known American guides, a French snowboarder and the Wasilla-based pilot. [Plan for $330M energy storage project in Healy moves forward →]( A $330 million energy storage project that could support renewables and help hold down electricity prices along the Alaska Railbelt moved closer to reality this month. [Emergency work starts on Talkeetna’s eroded waterfront as Susitna River creeps closer to town →]( Work to temporarily shore up the bank of the Susitna River in Talkeetna has begun after [dramatic erosion]( threatened the far west side of the town. [Mat-Su Borough weighs elimination or easing of lakefront no-build zone →]( Matanuska-Susitna Borough officials are weighing a rule change that would eliminate a building buffer around lakes in place for more than 30 years to protect salmon and prevent waterway pollution. ADVERTISEMENT More from the ADN [Anchorage Assembly postpones vote on renaming the Port of Alaska after Rep. Don Young →]( [Man dies while in custody at Anchorage Correctional Complex →]( [House Speaker McCarthy is back to square one in effort to prevent government shutdown →]( [Man accused of killing 2 in Dillingham faces federal charges over antisemitic threats →]( [2nd Republican debate is tonight: Who’ll be there, and what to watch for →]( [New cars are supposed to be getting safer. So why are fatalities on the rise? →]( 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