🌱 Sen. Ellis Dies + ASD's Budget Gap + Air Quality Improvements

Up and at 'em, Anchorage! Let's get you all caught up to start this day off on an informed note. Here's everything you need to know today in town.

First, today's weather:

A bit of morning snow; cloudy. High: 35 Low: 30.

Here are the top three stories today in Anchorage:

1. On Wednesday, longtime Alaskan state Senator Johnny Ellis passed away at the age of 61. First elected to the state House in 1986, Ellis represented neighborhoods near downtown Anchorage from 1992 to his retirement in 2017. He was considered a prominent figure in the Alaska Democratic Party. (Alaska Public Media News)
2. The Anchorage School District's preliminary budget for the 2022-23 school year would fill a $67 million gap using federal relief money. School District Superintendent Deena Bishop reported that the projected budget gap was due to a combination of inflation, lower enrollment, and a lack of state funding. The school board will vote on ASD's preliminary budget, which would be bolstered by the CARE Act's Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund, later this month. (Alaska Public Media News)
3. Though the effects of climate change continue to be a worrying trend for air quality, recent data from the Environmental Protection Agency offers some hope: the concentration of air pollutants has decreased significantly over the past few decades. Of the surveyed midsize metropolitan areas, the Anchorage area experienced the third biggest improvement in air quality from 2019 to 2020, with a 19.4% decline in median Air Quality Index (AQI). (Anchorage Press)

Today in Anchorage:

• Countdown To Kindergarten @ Loussac - Anchorage Public Library (11:30 AM)
• LEGO Club @ MV- Mountain View Branch Library (2:00 PM)
• Winter-Sown Seeds @Muldoon - Muldoon Branch Library (2:30 PM)

From my notebook:

• After sustaining a wrist injury this past summer, Anchorage skier Scott Patterson made it to Team USA in this year's Winter Olympics. Patterson finished in 38th place in Friday's 15K classic technique race. (Anchorage Daily News)
• The GCI Scholarship Program is granting $2,000 scholarships to 40 Alaska students pursuing STEM careers for the 2022-23 academic year. (Anchorage Patch)
• Could Anchorage soon have a second airport under its jurisdiction? The municipality and the Alaska Department of Transportation are discussing a possible agreement to transfer ownership of the Birchwood Airport. (Anchorage Daily News)

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Now you're in the loop and ready to head out the door on this Saturday. I'll see you soon!

— Dominique-Noelle Rafael

About me: Dominique is a self taught UX/UI designer based in Princeton, NJ. She recently graduated from the University of Maryland last spring with a bachelor's degree in Information Science. She is excited to begin working on the Patch newsletter project this year!