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Good afternoon. It’s Friday, Nov. 28.

In today's newsletter:

Alaska retailers with their own product lines say they’re hoping for a strong holiday shopping season after they spent much of the year fighting sky-high tariffs.
Disaster response officials are suspending most recovery work in Western Alaska villages inundated by last month’s catastrophic storm as the onset of winter complicates relief efforts.
The director of the Chugach National Forest Avalanche Information Center, who died earlier this month after a battle with with ovarian cancer, is remembered for her numerous titles: friend, mentor, role model.

As winter settles in, gardening writer Jeff Lowenfels took the time to answer some reader questions. In his latest column, Jeff covers holiday cacti, the indoor soil food web, whether to use fertilizer and how to protect houseplants from pests.

Anchorage weather

It's mostly sunny today with a high near 30 degrees, though the forecast does also call for a chance of snow early this afternoon. Looking ahead to the weekend, we should expect freezing fog and a wintry mix of precipitation, with daytime highs in the low 30s.

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

— Megan Pacer, mpacer@adn.com

As holiday shopping starts, Alaska retailers of bunny boots, musical instruments and more get creative to deal with economic headwinds →

Big holiday sales, new products and other adaptations are helping in a choppy market, small Alaska businesses say. They’ve tried to keep prices down whenever possible, absorbing the extra costs from tariffs themselves, they say. They’re also capitalizing on new merchandise to keep sales moving.

Western Alaska storm recovery crews suspend most work in damaged villages as winter descends →

This week, officials transitioned to a focus on long-term recovery and preparations for a push next spring and summer to finish the cleanup and repair effort.

Chugach Avalanche Center director remembered as mentor, unwavering advocate for snow safety →

Wendy Wagner spent much of her career dedicated to efforts that she believed could help keep people safe in the mountains.

Anchorage teachers union warns of potential strike vote heading into arbitration →

The Anchorage Education Association and Anchorage School District have been unable to agree on a new contract for teachers, and will make their case before an arbitrator at the end of January.

Utilities say Alaska needs an LNG import terminal. Here’s how consumers could end up paying for not one, but two. →

As urban Alaska’s electric utilities look to import natural gas to fill a looming supply gap, residents and businesses face a future surge in electricity and heating prices. (via Northern Journal)