Thumbs up, thumbs down

Thumbs up:

• Girdwood housing: New development could ease housing crunch in the perineurally popular ski town. Speaking of Girdwood …

• Avalanche dog: Golden Retriever puppy trains to be Alyeska’s newest avalanche rescue dog.

• Ferries: Alaska’s famous “blue canoes” benefit from major funding boost.

• Ice maze: Corn is so last year. New ice maze in Palmer is a labyrinth of frozen art.

Thumbs down:

• Snow loads: Heavy snow followed by freezing rain wreaks havoc in Southeast and Interior.

• Injured dogs: Wisconsin snowmachiner appears to purposefully target Alaska musher’s dogs.

• COVID tests: At-home tests are nearly impossible to find. Hopefully that changes soon.

– Sarah Erkmann Ward, Blueprint Alaska