Northwest Alaska grapples with storm impacts; public retirement benefits resurface as campaign issue

And: Anchorage Assembly approves $3.7 million winter shelter contract with Henning ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ Email not displaying correctly? [View the web version]( Today's sponsor: [Today's sponsor: Matson]( Good afternoon. It’s Wednesday, Oct. 23. In today's newsletter: - Anchorage is[moving forward with a $3.7 million contract]( with local nonprofit Henning Inc. to open 200 emergency winter homeless shelter beds at three locations. - A [fall storm inundated streets with water]( and damaged several houses in Kotzebue on Tuesday and affected other Northwest Alaska communities. - Eighteen years after the Alaska Legislature voted to end the state’s guaranteed public pension system, retirement benefits are again [playing a key role]( in races around the state. More than four years after the COVID pandemic scrambled work culture by closing offices and forcing people to work from home, back-to-office orders have become common. Enforcement? Not so much. Learn [what recent research says]( about the continuing friction between bosses and their employees over the terms of their return. Anchorage weather It's mostly sunny today with a high near 40 degrees. We should continue to see mostly clear skies through the rest of this week, while the daytime high temperatures gradually drop into the low 30s. Here’s what else is making headlines in Alaska today. — Megan Pacer, mpacer@adn.com [Anchorage Assembly approves $3.7 million winter shelter contract with Henning →]( The shelters will be located in the Alex Hotel in Spenard, the Merrill Field Inn in Mountain View and the Henry House in downtown. In total, the city is planning to open 400 shelter beds. ADVERTISEMENT [Fall storm damages houses in Kotzebue and Northwest Alaska villages →]( The storm started moving into Alaska’s west coast on Sunday, affecting several communities, said a meteorologist at the National Weather Service. By Tuesday in Kotzebue, multiple streets and homes were affected by severe flooding. [Proposed pension reform motivates big spending in Alaska’s legislative races →]( [Many say a retirement overhaul could help address the state’s challenges in recruiting and keeping employees in key sectors. Opponents say it could saddle the state with an unmanageable financial commitment.]( [Alaska development agency looks at spending up to $20M to buy more leases in the Arctic refuge →]( The Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority is poised to take an early step to once again buy oil and gas leases in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in a sale that could be held before the end of this year. [Josie’s Story: Jews of the frontier →]( Part 4: A child is born into the community of Jewish immigrants who found their way from the Old World to America’s northern frontier. • Related: [Read the first three parts and learn more about this series]( ADVERTISEMENT More from the ADN [Investigation urges better ‘attention to detail,’ training for Houston city clerk after election errors →]( [Boeing reports $6 billion quarterly loss as striking workers vote whether to accept contract offer →]( [Trump meets definition of ‘fascist,’ says John Kelly, his former chief of staff →]( [IRS raises standard deduction, adjusts tax brackets for 2025 →]( [UN report says it could take 350 years for Gaza to rebuild if it remains under a blockade →]( [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Instagram]( [Click here to unsubscribe and manage your email subscriptions.]( Anchorage Daily News, 300 W 31st Ave, Anchorage, AK 99503, United States