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Good afternoon. It’s Friday, July 10.

In today's newsletter:

Amid Alaska’s unprecedented bear cull in the southwestern part of the state to try reviving the Mulchatna caribou herd, big game hunting guides have conflicted attitudes toward the program as they see the effects in their work, and on their income.
State regulators rejected a request by Enstar that could have allowed it to develop a new gas storage facility in Cook Inlet to help alleviate gas supply concerns in Southcentral Alaska.
Gov. Mike Dunleavy vetoed a bill that would have enacted new campaign contribution limits in Alaska. A ballot initiative already set to appear on the August ballot will ask voters if they want to reinstate limits on such contributions.

There's plenty to do in and around Anchorage this weekend, from live shows downtown and a two-day music festival in Hatcher Pass to the Bear Paw Festival in Eagle River. Check out more of this weekend's highlights here.

Anchorage weather

It's sunny today with a high around 70 degrees. Looking ahead, we can expect mostly sunny skies and a chance of rain Saturday followed by a high likelihood of rain Sunday as daytime highs remain in the mid-60s.

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

— Vicky Ho, vho@adn.com

Big game guides have mixed feelings on Alaska’s bear cull →

The state asserts the bear control program is so concentrated in one relatively small area around the Mulchatna caribou calving grounds that its annual cull will not harm the region’s overall bear population. Some of the hunters who know bears best think the helicopter gunning could be doing more harm than good. (This is the second in a three-part series about the state's predator control program, reported with support from the Pulitzer Center.)

State regulators reject Enstar gas storage plan, raising questions about solution to Cook Inlet shortage →

The Regulatory Commission of Alaska said that Enstar had not provided enough information and that there are other uncertainties about the proposal, including that the Alaska Department of Natural Resources has not even determined if it’s technically possible.

Dunleavy vetoes campaign contribution limits, allowing Alaska ballot initiative to proceed →

Under the initiative certified for the August ballot, Alaskans will be asked whether to limit individual contributions to $2,000 for candidates and $5,000 for political parties.

Juneau prepares for another year of glacial outburst flooding →

More than a dozen agencies are preparing for this year’s floods, building more extensive systems to measure and mitigate the effects of the recurring seasonal disaster.

SWAT officers fatally shoot man convicted of child sex abuse who fled to boat in Whittier →

A 58-year-old Wasilla man who absconded from a criminal trial and fled to a sailboat moored in Whittier was shot and killed by SWAT officers Thursday night, Alaska State Troopers say.

Alaska Democrats sue Division of Elections over eligibility of candidate who didn’t report personal finances →

The appeal requests that a judge block Republican Jose Tagle from appearing on the ballot in his race against incumbent Anchorage Democratic Rep. Ted Eischeid.