Wildfire closes Denali National Park at height of tourist season

And: Gov. Dunleavy announces budget vetoes, keeps $175M in extra school funding ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ Email not displaying correctly? [View the web version]( Today's sponsor: [Today's sponsor: Northrim Bank]( Good afternoon. It’s Monday, July 1. In today's newsletter: - A [wildfire has closed Denali National Park]( at the start of a busy holiday week, and is a top priority for Alaska’s fire managers taking advantage of cooler conditions that slowed the blaze’s growth. - Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy signed the state operating budget for the fiscal year that begins today, and [vetoed more than $230 million total]( from the operating and capital budgets passed by state lawmakers. - After a steep population drop in Western Alaska’s reintroduced wood bison herd, a state biologist sees [a plan for a new herd in the Interior]( as promising. But two tribal groups oppose it. On a rock outcrop above the Tanana River, archaeologists have possibly found evidence of the canine companions of early Alaskans. In [his latest column]( science writer Ned Rozell explains how eight students and professionals are troweling the floury tan soil of Hollembaek’s Hill to learn more about the distant past in Interior Alaska. Anchorage weather It's mostly cloudy today with a high near 68 degrees, and there's a chance of isolated rain showers tonight. We'll continue to see mostly cloudy skies for the next few days, and the forecast calls for a chance of rain later in the week. Daytime temperatures will hover in the mid-60s. Here’s what else is making headlines in Alaska today. — Megan Pacer, [mpacer@adn.com](mailto:@adn.com) [Denali National Park closed as crews fight wildfire →]( As of today, vehicles were being turned around at the park’s only entry along the Parks Highway, park tour and transit buses were canceled and public facilities including the visitor center were closed. ADVERTISEMENT [Another new horizon for wood bison in Alaska →]( Alaska’s decades-long project to restore North America’s largest land mammal to Interior and Western Alaska will begin a new phase this summer with an expansion into a second region. Two Interior tribal organizations, however, have expressed opposition to wood bison release in the Lower Tanana River area. [Dunleavy announces budget vetoes, keeps $175M in extra school funding →]( The spending plan includes a roughly $1,700 PFD per eligible Alaskan, and nearly $175 million in a one-time education funding boost on top of the roughly $1.2 billion included in the state’s annual education budget. [State of Alaska issues regulations for carbon offsets program →]( It will likely be 18 months to two years before the state starts selling carbon credits, and several unknowns remain. [Glenn Highway fully reopened in erosion-damaged stretch near Sutton →]( The Glenn Highway was reopened to two lanes near Sutton yesterday after the Matanuska River undercut the roadway over the weekend, prompting emergency repairs. ADVERTISEMENT More from the ADN [USDA penalizes Alaska $12 million for overpaying food stamp benefits →]( [Anchorage’s Mac Swanson lands with Pittsburgh Penguins in 7th round of NHL Draft →]( [Analysis: 4 takeaways from the Supreme Court’s Trump immunity decision →]( [Should gun store sales get special credit card tracking? States split on mandating or prohibiting it →]( [Travel: Regional air carriers are a critical part of Alaska’s transportation infrastructure →]( [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Instagram]( [Click here to unsubscribe and manage your email subscriptions.]( Anchorage Daily News, 300 W 31st Ave, Anchorage, AK 99503, United States