Alaska's shrinking working-age population is holding back the economy

Among the Legislature’s first orders of business: Deciding whether to reinstate $87M to Alaska’s education budget ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ 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, January 16. In today's newsletter: - New state data shows that Alaska's working-age population [continued its long-term decline]( in 2023 as more people continue to leave the state than move here - With the Legislature back in Juneau today for a new session, one of its first orders of business could be considering whether to [overturn the governor’s veto]( of $87 million in education funding. - The U.S. Supreme Court has [decided against hearing a case]( brought by Alaska's governor that could have weakened public unions by making it easier for state workers to opt out of paying union dues. Add another species to the list of organisms oozing over Alaska. A tiny gnat that so far has only been found in the 49th state is [now a newly described species](. The authors of a recent paper believe the fungus gnat — now known as Sciara serpens — might form larvae columns that look like a snake to scare off or confuse predators, or move in such a formation to keep their fragile bodies moist when crossing dry ground. Anchorage weather The freezing fog from this morning will be replaced with sunny skies. There's a high of 15 degrees, and Anchorage will stay relatively cold for the rest of this week, with daytime temperatures ranging from the low teens to low 20s. We should see sunny skies for the next several days. Here’s what else is making headlines in Alaska today. — Megan Pacer, mpacer@adn.com [Alaska’s working-age population continues its long decline, a headwind for the economy →]( The shortage of working-age residents is holding back economic growth, economists and business leaders say. And while Alaska’s overall population has stabilized, residents are continuing to grow older while the birth rate is falling, adding to long-term concerns to about the workforce, they say. ADVERTISEMENT [Among the Legislature’s first orders of business: Deciding whether to reinstate $87M to Alaska’s education budget →]( Alaska lawmakers have five days from the start of the legislative session to overturn Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s education funding veto. Meanwhile, educators and advocates are continuing to call for a permanent increase to school funding. [U.S. Supreme Court declines to hear Alaska union dues case →]( The administration of Gov. Mike Dunleavy has unsuccessfully sought for more than four years to require public union members to opt in annually. [State and federal agencies respond to spill of light oil on North Slope →]( State and federal regulators are investigating the cause of a leak of light oil at the Point Thomson field on Alaska’s North Slope that was discovered over the weekend. [Filings begin for Anchorage mayor election. Here are the 8 candidates in the race so far. →]( For several months, incumbent Mayor Dave Bronson and three top challengers have already been amassing support behind their campaigns, gathering money, volunteers, and endorsements from big organizations and political figures. ADVERTISEMENT More from the ADN [Reopened investigation into 2021 death of Bethel woman leaves ‘more questions than answers’ →]( [Washington state sues to block merger of grocery giants Kroger and Albertsons →]( [After Trump's win in Iowa, GOP race moves to New Hampshire →]( [Tips for navigating air travel after the grounding of 737 Max 9 planes snarls Alaska Airlines flights →]( [They drove from the Arctic ice cap to the South Pole - in an electric car →]( [Alyeska Ski Club racers take top spots in Coca-Cola Classic alpine races →]( 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