On Alaska's benefits backlog, and the fight over school funding

Plus: Restaurant owner sentenced to house arrest for steering boat in front of floatplane ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ Email not displaying correctly? [View the web version]( Today's sponsor: [Today's sponsor: Matson]( Support independent reporting on what Alaskans care about most. [Subscribe today.]( Good afternoon. It’s Wednesday, Jan. 24. In today's newsletter: - The state Division of Public Assistance [is months behind in processing]( hundreds of applications for a program that provides cash assistance to thousands of vulnerable Alaskans, according to new state data. - Alaska House Republicans and the bipartisan Senate majority [are sharply divided]( over how to address school funding, as a contentious education package advances quickly for House debates. - The owner of a well-known restaurant in Halibut Cove [will spend three months on home confinement]( for a potentially dangerous 2022 encounter between a boat she was driving and a nearby flightseeing plane. With Anchorage temperatures hovering in the single digits and only expected to get colder, now's a good time for indoor activities. Winter can be the perfect time to settle in with a good novel — particularly a mystery. Here are [five new titles]( featuring a variety of sleuths to curl up with while you wait for things to warm up. Anchorage weather It's sunny today in Anchorage with a high near 2 degrees. Clear skies should last through the end of the work week before a chance of snow enters the forecast this weekend. Daytime temperatures will remain in the single digits, dropping close to zero degrees on Saturday. Here’s what else is making headlines in Alaska today. — Megan Pacer, mpacer@adn.com [State failing to process timely cash assistance benefits for hundreds of elderly and disabled Alaskans, lawsuit says →]( Nine months after the state was first sued for delays impacting some of Alaska's most vulnerable residents, the backlog has continued to grow alongside other delays at the Division of Public Assistance, according to new data uncovered as part of an ongoing class-action lawsuit. ADVERTISEMENT [Alaska House and Senate sharply divided over school funding plans →]( Veteran legislators said it was unusual to be on the verge of passing a major policy like education reform on to the governor’s desk within weeks of the Legislature convening, particularly with provisions that have not been heard by multiple legislative committees with input from Alaskans and stakeholders. [Halibut Cove restaurant owner sentenced to house arrest for steering boat in front of floatplane →]( In a video shared widely online, the restaurant owner's boat can be seen making close passes in front of a float-equipped plane. The judge described the incident as “road rage on the water." [Report: Alaska’s Railbelt can shift to renewables, but that would require big capital investment →]( Alaska’s most populous corridor can generate most of its electricity through renewable energy, but that would require significant upfront capital investment, a University of Alaska Fairbanks team said in a new report. (via Alaska Beacon) [Boeing, not supplier, mis-installed piece that blew off Alaska Airlines MAX 9 jet, industry source says →]( The fuselage panel that blew off an Alaska Airlines jet this month was removed for repair but reinstalled improperly by Boeing mechanics on the Renton final assembly line, according to a person familiar with the details of the work. (via The Seattle Times) ADVERTISEMENT More from the ADN [Monetary reparations follow Quaker apology to Alaska Native community →]( [Former Dimond High School employee charged with sexual abuse of a minor →]( [Analysis: Trump’s clear path, Haley’s refusal to bow and more takeaways from the New Hampshire primary →]( [Young Swifties are tuning in to the NFL. Their dads are loving it. →]( [More Americans are nonreligious. Who are they and what do they believe? →]( 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