Thumbs up:
• Cruising: Alaska braces for a potentially record-breaking cruise season in 2022.
• Alaska artist: Yup’ik musician honored with two big national awards.
• Gold: Turns out there’s a lot of gold sitting in the West Susitna.
• Iditarod 50: Looking forward to the cacophony of barking athletes at the race’s ceremonial start, which celebrates 50 years.
Thumbs down:
• Washington State: Lawmakers in Washington move to tax Alaskans for buying their fuel, even though we receive no benefit. Dumb.
• Masks: Mask mandates are falling across the state.
• Food insecurity: A new task force takes aim at Alaska’s dependence on external food sources.
– Sarah Erkmann Ward, Blueprint Alaska