Towering snowman returns to Anchorage neighborhood after hiatus

And: Mat-Su assembly will consider adding party affiliation to ballots for borough races ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ Email not displaying correctly? [View the web version]( Today's sponsor: [Today's sponsor: Northrim Bank]( Support independent reporting on what Alaskans care about most. [Subscribe today.]( Good afternoon. It’s Tuesday, December 26. In today's newsletter: - After 10 years away, [a more than 20-foot snowman]( dubbed Snowzilla is back delighting families in an East Anchorage neighborhood. - With no unified warning system, Southeast Alaska communities are [developing their own strategies]( to mitigate destructive slides like the one in Wrangell that killed five people and left a child missing and presumed dead. - A proposed Mat-Su Borough Assembly ordinance would allow [local candidates to include their political party affiliation]( on the ballot for the first time. The holiday season isn't quite over yet — but some of us may already be looking around the house wondering what to do with broken decorations, unwanted gifts or a withering Christmas tree. Between recycling, upcycling, re-gifting and reducing consumption, [there are plenty of sustainable ways]( to reduce the environmental impact of your holiday favorites. Anchorage weather It's cold and foggy today in Anchorage, with a high near 9 degrees. Areas of freezing fog will dissipate later this afternoon, when skies should become sunny. There's a slight chance of scattered snow showers overnight into Wednesday. Daytime temperatures will hover in the low teens for most of this week. Here’s what else is making headlines in Alaska today. — Megan Pacer,mpacer@adn.com [Snowzilla returns to Airport Heights after 10-year hiatus →]( The behemoth snowman that stole Anchorage’s heart years ago is back — as big as always, and looking friendlier than ever. “It’s just a feel-good story, you know,” said Billy Powers, whose family constructed the snowman. “That’s the whole point. He’s not political, he doesn’t have any baggage. A snowman is a snowman, and everybody loves him.” ADVERTISEMENT [Mat-Su assembly will consider adding party affiliation to ballots for borough races →]( Another proposed ordinance would extend the terms of future assembly members and borough mayors from three years to four. Neither change would require voter approval. [Southeast Alaska reckons with deadly landslides — and a future that promises more →]( Communities around Southeast are reckoning with a future in which more destructive landslides are likely, as climate change fuels the extreme rainfall events and storms that scientists say may lead to increasingly powerful events in the future. [Early peak, low vaccinations: It’s been an unusual flu season in Alaska →]( Even as flu cases decline, RSV cases are rising, and Alaska is reporting low vaccination rates for flu, COVID-19 and RSV. [Search resumes for 45-year-old woman missing in North Fork of Eagle River →]( The search resumed today for a woman who authorities say was swept under the ice of the North Fork of Eagle River after going into the water after her dog. ADVERTISEMENT More from the ADN [Is Sea-Tac Airport really the nation’s worst for international travel? →]( [Search continues for Wainwright hunter missing since Dec. 15 →]( [Biden orders strikes on an Iranian-aligned group after 3 US troops injured in drone attack in Iraq →]( [2 Alaska tribes receive federal funds for new meat processing programs →]( [A nostalgic memoir recounts a fishing life, from Southeast Alaska to Bristol Bay →]( [Experts recommend steps to reduce Alaska’s high rate of chronic hepatitis B →]( 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