House speaker suggests bill was blocked because it would have improved rural Alaskans' voting access

And: White House weighs establishing sacred Indigenous site in Arctic refuge after request from tribes ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ Email not displaying correctly? [View the web version]( Good afternoon. It’s Thursday, October 17. In today's newsletter: - Alaska's house speaker suggested Republican members of the House majority[blocked an election bill]( because it would have increased the likelihood of Alaska’s Democratic congresswoman holding on to her seat by making it easier for rural, predominantly Alaska Native residents to vote. - After Anchorage voters rejected a proposal to spend $5 million to bring new portable toilets to the city, backers commissioned research to figure out viable alternatives to deal with the city’s persistent bathroom shortage. [Here are the results.]( - Gwich’in tribes have asked the Biden administration to [establish an Indigenous sacred site]( in the coastal plain of Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, where federal law calls for an upcoming oil and gas lease sale. The outdoor gardening season is long gone, but plant enthusiasts can turn their attention indoors for winter. Indoor plants [can have a long and fruitful winter]( and give you a head start next spring, says Alaska gardening columnist Jeff Lowenfels. Anchorage weather It's sunny today with a high near 39 degrees. We'll continue to see clear skies through the weekend, with daytime temperatures hovering in the mid-30s. Here’s what else is making headlines in Alaska today. — Megan Pacer, mpacer@adn.com [Alaska House speaker suggests election bill was blocked because it would have improved rural Alaskans’ access to voting →]( [The election bill would have removed a requirement for a witness signature on absentee ballots.]( The Alaska Federation of Natives has expressed “deep concern” over Cathy Tilton’s comments. ADVERTISEMENT [Report on need for public toilets in Anchorage shows continued reluctance to pay for them →]( [Many survey respondents reported needing a bathroom while out around town, but said existing options were sufficient and they didn’t feel public financing for improvements was worth pursuing.]( [Etching salmon and belugas on bowhead baleen, Alaska elders and youth partake in Iñupiaq art form →]( Fish hanging in a smokehouse, a wolf holding a piece of meat, a beluga whale: Those were some of the images etched on bowhead whale baleen during a workshop at the Elders & Youth Conference. [Biden administration weighs establishing sacred Indigenous site in Arctic refuge after request from tribes →]( Gwich'in tribes opposed to drilling in the refuge say they want to protect the Porcupine caribou herd that they hunt and consider a sacred part of their culture. Inupiat leaders on the North Slope are pushing back, saying the request encroaches on their traditional homelands. [Scientists raise alert level on Mount Spurr after seismic activity, signs of unrest →]( [An Alaska Volcano Observatory scientist said that “there are no indications an eruption is imminent” at Mount Spurr, which is located 75 miles west of Anchorage.]( [Federal government awards $75M to Alaska Native health organization to help tribes address climate impacts →]( The Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium is receiving nearly $75 million over the next five years to help Indigenous communities grappling with hazards caused by a rapidly changing climate. [NTSB: Wind gust pushed floatplane into trees during fatal crash near Big Lake →]( A passenger in a floatplane that crashed into a Mat-Su lake this month described gusty winds that pushed the plane into trees just after takeoff, according to a new federal investigative [report](. ADVERTISEMENT More from the ADN [16-year-old boy fatally shot in Anchorage, police say →]( [California man sentenced to life in prison for fatal fentanyl overdose in Fairbanks →]( [Ninilchik woman dies in rollover on icy stretch of Sterling Highway, troopers say →]( [JD Vance says Donald Trump did not lose the 2020 election →]( [Israel’s killing of Hamas leader opens opportunity and uncertainty for the war in Gaza →]( [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Instagram]( [Click here to unsubscribe and manage your email subscriptions.]( Anchorage Daily News, 300 W 31st Ave, Anchorage, AK 99503, United States