Anchorage city commissioner charged with fraud in COVID relief case

And: Eugene Peltola’s plane crashed with over 500 pounds of moose meat and antlers aboard, new report says ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ 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. 28. In today's newsletter: - An Anchorage city commissioner and her husband have been [charged with fraudulently obtaining $1.6 million]( in COVID-19 recovery money for their charity. - The plane that crashed this month in Southwest Alaska, killing Eugene “Buzzy” Peltola Jr., [was loaded down with moose meat and antlers]( according to the first report on the crash released today. - Over the course of three days last weekend, [a unique music festival in Juneau]( offered Indigenous artists from Alaska and beyond the chance to connect, collaborate and take center stage. Cyclocross — a form of bicycle racing using natural trails, pavement riding, hills and obstacles to challenge racers — has [become a booming sport in Anchorage](. Part of the draw: there's something for everyone. Annual autumn races are drawing hundreds of riders, from kids on striders to competitive athletes on high-end bikes. Anchorage weather It's mostly sunny today with a high near 49 degrees. Friday will bring clouds and a chance of rain. We'll see a mix of cloudy skies and rain over the weekend, and precipitation will continue into early next week. Daytime temperatures will hover in the low 50s over the weekend and dip down into the high 40s next week. Here’s what else is making headlines in Alaska today. — Megan Pacer, mpacer@adn.com [Anchorage city commissioner charged with fraudulently obtaining $1.6 million in COVID-19 relief funds for her charity →]( The charges come after the Daily News and ProPublica first reported in May that the Anchorage Assembly [gave the couple one of the city’s largest awards]( under the American Rescue Plan Act despite prior fraud allegations. ADVERTISEMENT [‘It’s the future’: Indigenous artists take center stage at Áak’w Rock →]( Featuring three venues and more than 25 bands and performers, the three-day music festival is a vision that creative director Qacung Blanchett has been trying to produce for decades. “I haven’t even scratched the surface of the artists I want to bring here,” he said. “The thing about Indigenous music, the complexities of the genres — we have music for everybody, for anybody.” Plus: [Meet 5 of the artists featured at Juneau’s Áak’w Rock festival]( [Eugene Peltola’s plane crashed with over 500 pounds of moose meat and antlers aboard, new report says →]( Peltola, the husband of U.S. Rep. Mary Peltola, was flying a second and final load of meat out of a remote camp when the crash occurred, investigators said. A hunter told investigators that the load was 50 to 70 pounds heavier than the first. [Tesla needs graphite. Western Alaska has plenty. But mining it raises fears in nearby villages. →]( Graphite is a critical ingredient in the batteries needed to power America’s electric vehicle revolution, but all of it is imported. A proposed mine on the Seward Peninsula would change that. But some of the people who live nearby fear it will endanger their way of life. (via Alaska Public Media) [Anchorage Assembly subpoenas former Bronson city officials in election investigation →]( Anchorage Assembly leaders this week issued subpoenas to four people — including two former top officials in Mayor Dave Bronson’s administration — in a continuing investigation into the circumstances behind a challenge to the April city election. ADVERTISEMENT More from the ADN [Peruvian man accused of sending bomb threats to Alaska schools →]( [Glenn Highway closed near Sutton after fuel tanker rollover and spill →]( [Federal government starts notifying employees a shutdown may be imminent →]( [Key federal status restored for Alaska Native Medical Center →]( [Big takeaways from the second Republican presidential debate →]( [Alaska gardening: Get your yard ready for the first hard frost →]( 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