Arctic Winter Games start this weekend, drawing athletes and fans to Mat-Su

Also: In the Anchorage mayor’s race, former Assembly chair Suzanne LaFrance continues to lead opponents in campaign fundraising. ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ Email not displaying correctly? [View the web version]( Good afternoon. It’s Friday, March 8. In today's newsletter: - The Arctic Winter Games [kick off this weekend]( in Mat-Su, drawing athletes, fans and families from across the circumpolar north. - Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson hosted [an all-women paratrooper jump]( launched from a military aircraft operated by an all-women flight crew, in honor of Women's History Month. - An Anchorage high school teacher was [put on administrative leave]( following a post made by the prominent right-wing social media account Libs of TikTok. This week in Anchorage dining, writer Mara Severin is pulling back the curtain on [The Rickshaw]( a casual Asian eatery tucked away in a Midtown strip mall with a menu that reads like a list of greatest hits. Searching for more culinary inspiration? The Spenard Food Truck Carnival [returns Saturday]( with vendors catering to an array of tastes, with gumbo, Mexican food, barbecue and more on hand. Anchorage weather It's mostly sunny today with a high around 28 degrees. Enjoy these bluebird skies while you can: A chance of snow returns to the forecast Saturday and will stick around with highs in the mid- to upper 20s over the next few days. Here’s what else is making headlines in Alaska today. — Vicky Ho, vho@adn.com [Arctic Winter Games bring hundreds of athletes, fans and families to Mat-Su →]( The Games, which were established in 1970, will bring hundreds of athletes, coaches and supporters to Alaska and should be a boost to the local economy at a time when visitor rates are typically low. It all kicks off with Sunday's opening ceremony in Wasilla. ADVERTISEMENT [All-women paratrooper jump at JBER fosters military camaraderie in honor of Women’s History Month →]( Seventy women from the Army’s 11th Airborne Division jumped from an Air Force C-17 operated by an all-female flight crew at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson on Thursday. “We do that individually all the time, but to be able to do it together is very unique,” said organizer Lt. Col. Elizabeth Knox. [In Anchorage mayor’s race, LaFrance continues to lead opponents in campaign fundraising]( Ballots will be mailed to voters Tuesday, and mayoral campaigns are gearing up for a competitive and expensive push to the finish. [Anchorage teacher put on administrative leave after post by prominent right-wing social media account →]( The teacher at Dimond High School was put on administrative leave following a post made by Libs of TikTok, an incendiary social media account with millions of followers that often targets members of the LGBTQ+ community. The account accused the teacher of being dressed inappropriately in the classroom and said they had shared sexual content online. [Man now living in Alaska charged with participating in Jan. 6 riot at U.S. Capitol →]( Eric Richard Staples, who lives in Girdwood, entered the Capitol through a broken window, charges filed against him said. It wasn’t clear why his arrest came more than three years later. [Iditarod racers are moving onto the Yukon just as deep cold is forecast to blast the river →]( Wind chill along the river could get as low as minus 55 in the coming days, with no relief down the trail at the Norton Sound coast. • See also: [Iditarod ‘made the right call,’ Dallas Seavey says of his penalty for insufficient moose-gutting]( • [Musher Nic Petit and his dogs chow down in Ruby after arriving first to the Yukon River town]( ADVERTISEMENT More from the ADN [Pedestrian dies after being struck by SUV on Seward Highway in Anchorage →]( [Disagreements between Alaska House Republicans stalled education work for three weeks →]( [Mat-Su man injured in moose trampling outside his home]( [UAA women's basketball opens GNAC tournament with blowout win over Seattle Pacific →]( [UAA men upset defending champion Saint Martin’s in GNAC tournament →]( [As House Republicans heckled during State of the Union, Biden served it back →]( [How springing forward to daylight saving time could affect your health — and how to prepare →]( [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Instagram]( [Click here to unsubscribe and manage your email subscriptions.]( Anchorage Daily News, 300 W 31st Ave, Anchorage, AK 99503, United States