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Good afternoon. It’s Friday, June 5.

In today's newsletter:

Oil companies once again showed virtually no interest in the latest lease sale for the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, but it was enough to disappoint groups that have fought to protect the region from development.
In a rare move, a Bethel Superior Court judge judge publicly sanctioned Alaska’s state child welfare agency for unnecessarily removing a newborn baby from the care of his mother — a foster teenager herself.
A former Alaska corrections officer who pleaded guilty to the 2022 killings of his wife and daughter earlier this year was sentenced this week to 150 years in prison.

Rain or shine, there’s plenty of fun planned for the first weekend of June in Anchorage, including First Friday art events, the Spenard Jazz Fest and the Slam’n Salm’n Derby. Check out some more of this weekend's highlights here.

Anchorage weather

It's mostly sunny today with a high around 72 degrees. Looking ahead to the weekend, the forecast calls for rain on Saturday and mostly cloudy skies on Sunday, with daytime highs hovering in the mid-60s.

Here’s what else is making headlines in Alaska today.

— Megan Pacer, mpacer@adn.com

Oil companies continue to show little interest in Arctic refuge drilling →

The lease sale raised just $3.7 million with only two entities competing for five tracts, out of 58 tracts offered.

In rare move, judge sanctions OCS for removing foster teen’s baby from her care against court order →

While public sanctions of entire agencies are highly unusual, this situation warranted sanctioning Alaska’s Office of Children’s Services, a Bethel judge said.

Former Alaska corrections officer sentenced to 150 years in prison for killing wife and teen daughter →

In a plea agreement affidavit, Jalonni Blackshear said that he shot and killed his wife and daughter in their Scenic Foothills neighborhood home in 2022, amid a police investigation into suspicions that Blackshear had sexually abused his daughter.

‘You’d be crying at the pump’: This Alaska village’s gas was $8.44 — before the Iran war →

Western Alaska fuel distributors have issued dire warnings that they might not be able to secure enough fuel for the summer shipping season. While those fears have diminished, significant price increases still loom. (via Northern Journal)

Climbing ranger dies during patrol on Denali, park service says →

The mountaineering ranger died after falling into a crevasse near the mountain’s 14,000-foot camp Thursday, according to park officials.

30 years later, Big Lake remembers devastating Millers Reach Fire →

Community members will gather Saturday to mark the anniversary of the natural disaster that ranks as one of the worst the Mat-Su has seen. (via Mat-Su Sentinel)

Graduation policy to honor deceased students introduced by Anchorage School Board →

Anchorage School Board members took the first step to create a process to honor deceased students at graduation ceremonies alongside their classmates.

More from the ADN

West Valley baseball snaps 12-year drought in opening round of Division I state baseball tournament →

Inside the Trump-backed push to bring AI doctors into American medicine →

With a forward-looking approach, Peninsula Oilers return to Alaska Baseball League for 2026 season →

Trump officials planned to mark 2.7 million living people as dead, whistleblower claims →

House passes bill cutting food aid for pregnant women, children →

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