Welcome to the site for news in the Mat-Su, where we’re surrounded by fantastic scenery – from Denali to Pioneer Peak to Tahneta Pass.
The Mat-Su View is a creation of the Valley staff of the Anchorage Daily News, and is updated frequently from the newsroom in Wasilla.
Check in for breaking news, advance word on upcoming ADN reports from the Mat-Su, for links to Outside stories with a Mat-Su connection and to read or post comments about hot topics in the Valley.
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READER-SUBMITTED PHOTOS
Send in your photos of the beautiful Matanuska and Susitna valleys.
Sandhill Cranes at the Matanuska Experiment Station on Saturday August 22, 2009. The cranes have up to a 7 foot wing span and are among the tallest birds in the world. They gather into flocks for the migration south.
The Mat-Su Farm Bureau organized the first "Meet Your Alaskan Farmers" tour recently. Participants visited four farms in the Valley and were treated to a catered sit-down lunch of elk, buffalo, vegetables, produce, strawberries and ice cream - all Alaska grown products. The tour was organized to promote farmer's markets and the local products readily available at the markets.
Thousands of people attended the Governor's Picnic in Wasilla, Friday, July 24, 2009. Sarah Palin served up hotdogs, signed autographs and conducted a military appreciation ceremony.
Glow for it - 10/27/2009 10:48 am
Young swine flu shot seekers can visit center - 10/13/2009 2:32 pm
One last chance to meet the candidates - 9/29/2009 9:49 am
Mat-Su candidates at forum Friday - 9/17/2009 3:40 pm
Houston officer pens grievance letter to Council - 9/16/2009 7:13 pm
Assembly candidates talk tourism at MSCVB forum - 9/16/2009 6:35 pm
Legislators plan to listen to road woes - 8/21/2009 11:21 am
NYT says cockpit technology used in AK could prevent collisions - 8/12/2009 4:18 pm
Clammers from Palmer have close call on Kenai Peninsula - 8/7/2009 1:27 pm
Sales tax measure heads to ballot - 8/5/2009 5:42 pm
Search continues for missing Palmer teen - 7/29/2009 12:33 pm
Assembly passes sales tax, mayor vetoes it - 7/29/2009 12:31 pm
Sales tax talk prompts protest - 7/23/2009 7:04 pm
Glenn Highway near Palmer to be closed for paving - 7/21/2009 12:25 pm
Wasilla seeks input on city plan - 7/15/2009 12:28 pm
Walgreens opens new Wasilla store - 7/15/2009 12:11 pm
More leaks spell more road closures in Palmer - 7/10/2009 5:24 pm
Heath gets Palmer Superior court seat - 7/10/2009 3:59 pm
Enjoy the heat, but no burn piles - 7/7/2009 10:16 am
Hot and Hazy - 7/6/2009 1:35 pm
Glenn Highway accident makes for close call - 7/1/2009 11:56 am
Palmer Council agrees to idea of removing tracks - 7/1/2009 10:39 am
OCTOBER 27, 2009 - 10:48 AM
Some kids in the Mat-Su will get free glow sticks at school on Friday, courtesy of Operation Glow, a partnership of law enforcement and other agencies to keep little ones safe as they make the rounds for candy in the dark. Operation Glow, Phase One, happens tonight: community volunteers will meet at the Curtis D. Menard Memorial Sports Center to assemble lanyards and glow sticks. Phase Two: Wasilla's police department, along with departments in Palmer and Houston and the Alaska State Troopers, deliver the lanyards to area schools Wednesday and Thursday. Phase Three: students from kindergarten through fifth grade get the goods on Friday.
OCTOBER 13, 2009 - 2:32 PM
Today is the first day H1N1 vaccines are available at the Mat-Su Public Health Center on Palmer-Wasilla Highway. Center staff describe the flow of people as steady but say they're not swamped. The doses are in nasal spray, and specifically for healthy 2- through 18-year-olds. They are free today through Thursday, from 1 p.m. until 7 p.m., and Friday from 1 p.m. until 4 p.m., depending on how long vaccines remain available.
Parents should bring their children’s immunization record because children who got some shots recently may have to delay the H1N1 vaccine, including nasal seasonal influenza or other live vaccines. The number of doses is limited, but more will be arriving, health officials say. Children under 10 will need two doses, at least a month apart. The second dose can be either a shot or spray.
SEPTEMBER 29, 2009 - 9:49 AM
Mat-Su College is hosting two candidate forums this week. They're the last we know of scheduled prior to the Oct. 6 election.
The college is splitting the forums over two nights: Mat-Su Assembly candidates will be at the college from 4 to 5:30 p.m. Wednesday in room 205 of the Fred and Sarah Machetanz building; Mat-Su School Board candidates will be there from 4 to 5:30 p.m. Thursday in room 202.
The candidates will field questions compiled by Mat-Su College students, faculty, staff and campus visitors.
SEPTEMBER 17, 2009 - 3:40 PM
The Mat-Su Democrats are hosting a candidate forum for Mat-Su Mayor, Assembly and School Board races Friday. It starts at 6 p.m. at the Grand View Inn & Suites in Wasilla.
The races are nonpartisan, but partisan political groups aren't barred from hosting forums. Organizers said they forum is open to all candidates and anyone can attend. The buffet dinner costs $20.
Shannyn Moore, who writes the "Just a girl from Homer" blog and has a radio show on KBYR, is scheduled to speak at the forum before the candidate forum gets rolling.
SEPTEMBER 16, 2009 - 7:13 PM
Aaron Parker, a former employee of Houston Police Department, wrote a letter of complaint to the Houston City Council last week in which he announced his resignation. City Council met Thursday, the same day they received Parker's letter. Council members said the letter was received during a closed-door meeting but they did not take action on it.
Here's Parker's letter:
Subject: Resignation
Date: Thu, 10 Sep 2009 17:42:23 -0400
Dear Houston Council Members,
This letter serves as a brief explanation relating to some of the conduct of the Houston Mayor and my subsequent resignation. My tenure with the Houston Police Department was approximately 4 months long. During that time, I made several observations relating to the Mayor. The Mayor has done many things that have directly benefited the City and its employees and residence. However, I have become increasingly aware of several issues that I can’t in good conscience ignore.
SEPTEMBER 16, 2009 - 6:35 PM
From Rindi White in Wasilla:
WASILLA – After a summer where Alaskans shared roads and restaurants with a lot fewer tourists, candidates for local offices last week offered their take on the tourist season and suggestions for improvement.
A forum for Mat-Su Assembly and mayoral candidates Friday kicked off the most active part of what has so far been a quiet local election race. Voters will be casting ballots for three Assembly seats and the borough mayor on October 6. City elections in Wasilla, Palmer and Houston are also scheduled for that day.
Speaking to an audience of bed-and-breakfast operators, tour guides and other members of forum host Mat-Su Convention and Visitors Bureau, candidates shared their outlook on what, by most accounts, has been a slow summer tourism season.
AUGUST 21, 2009 - 11:21 AM
From Rindi White in Wasilla:
Three of the four most dangerous roads in Alaska are located in Mat-Su. State officials have designated two of them as traffic safety corridors, doubling fines and increasing traffic law enforcement. It’s helped, but some say not enough.
Members of the Alaska House and Senate Transportation committees will be on hand Monday in Wasilla to listen to residents’ road concerns and discuss solutions.
The Borough road bond, approved by voters last year, will also be discussed. Voters approved a $49 million road bond last year under which property owners would have paid 30 percent and the state 70 percent of costs. The bond passed, but legislators did not fund the state match.
AUGUST 12, 2009 - 4:18 PM
From Rindi White in Wasilla:
A story by Matthew Wald in the New York Times Tuesday says a communications system used by pilots in Alaska could prevent mid-air collisions if used more broadly.
The system, referred to in Alaska as the Capstone program and known Outside as "Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast" combines GPS features with a transponder. Planes equipped with the system have a “moving map” display in the cockpit which shows the plane’s location, surrounding terrain, weather and nearby aircraft. The system can warn pilots if other planes are headed their way.
AUGUST 7, 2009 - 1:27 PM
From Rindi White in Wasilla:
A story from the Peninsula Clarion Wednesday reported that three adults and five children from Palmer had a close call while clamming near Ninilchik in July.
"We were out there about an hour before low tide, and we had two buckets of clams," Palmer resident Melinda Briggs says in the article.
Briggs, her son Chad Edmonds and his girlfriend Pam Jeffrey, along with the couple's five children, were clamming on a sandbar they drove to with their four-wheeler and trailer. But the group failed to notice the incoming tide before the swift-rising water was upon them, disabling their four-wheeler and trailer. What followed was a tough slog back to shore, followed by help from on-lookers.
Read the full story here: 'God definitely spared our lives'
AUGUST 5, 2009 - 5:42 PM
The Mat-Su Assembly voted 6-1 Tuesday to overturn a veto issued by Borough Mayor Talis Colberg that would have kept a combination sales tax/property tax cap measure off the October municipal ballot.
Colberg issued the veto last week after the Assembly voted 5-2 in favor of putting the measure on the ballot. At the time he said he didn’t believe the measure accomplished the goal of being “revenue neutral,” meaning most voters would pay the same total amount of tax. Colberg said it might remain revenue neutral for the first year, but as property values rise, benefits of a property tax cap and rebates on assessed value would fade.
JULY 29, 2009 - 12:33 PM
From Rindi White in Wasilla:
Palmer Public Safety Director Jon Owen said emergency responders are still searching for missing Palmer teen Trenton Tunohun.
Tunohun, 17, was last seen near the Matanuska River early Monday morning wearing black and yellow shorts, a black hooded sweatshirt and Nike shoes. He's 5 feet 6 inches tall and about 140 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes, according to Palmer police.
Between 35 and 40 people searched for Tunohun for five hours Tuesday after a friend of the teen reported him missing Tuesday afternoon. Owen said the search was suspended after 10 p.m. Tuesday night because it was too dark to see. The search resumed Wednesday afternoon.
JULY 29, 2009 - 12:31 PM
From Rindi White in Wasilla:
The Mat-Su Assembly Tuesday night agreed to put a 3-percent sales tax/property tax cap measure on the October ballot.
The measure passed after a few tweaks. What began as a property tax cap of 7.8 mills - that's $780 for every $100,000 of property value - ended up as a 7.3 mill rate. And instead of a $10,000 reduction in property assessment, homeowners would get $20,000. So for the average home, valued at $209,000, homeowners would pay taxes on $189,000, a savings of about $146. The changes were made in an effort to avoid asking voters to pay more tax. The assembly members who sponsored the tax measure, Cindy Bettine and Pete Houston, said their goal was to diversify borough revenue. The borough depends primarily on revenue from property taxes.
JULY 23, 2009 - 7:04 PM
More than 50 people turned out Tuesday in Wasilla to speak against putting a sales tax measure on the October Mat-Su Borough election ballot.
The three-percent sales tax proposal would also cap property taxes below where they are now and cut property assessments by $10,000. It’s not on the ballot yet – Mat-Su Assembly members postponed discussion on the measure until a special meeting set for 6 p.m. June 28 in Palmer.
The residents who spoke against the measure said they don’t want two types of tax – either sales tax or property tax, but not both, they said.
“Dr. Frankenborough wants to come along and replace that large leech that is sucking my lifeblood out of my wallet and replace it with two smaller leeches,” said James “Lazy Mountain Jim” Garhart.
JULY 21, 2009 - 12:25 PM
From S.J. Komarnitsky in Wasilla --
WASILLA - An eight-mile stretch of the Glenn Highway just south of Palmer will be closed nightly for the next week and half for paving work. The closure between Mile 34 and Mile 42, starts July 22 and runs from 7 p.m. to 5 a.m. Crews are expecting to wrap up the $1.7 million resurfacing project by Aug. 3. Local access will still be available through the intersection of the Glenn and Palmer-Wasilla highways. For more information, contact the state Department of Transportation at 376-9001 or Granite Construction at 373-6048.
JULY 15, 2009 - 12:28 PM
From Rindi White in Wasilla:
The city of Wasilla is seeking public input today to help develop a new city plan.
Wasilla Mayor Verne Rupright said in a press release that the city is at a crossroads, and the new plan can help guide future development.
"We have enjoyed and benefitted from the growth and development, yet are dealing with growth pains, increasing traffic congestion and new demands for public services," Rupright said. "How we plan for future growth, resolve current issues, improve quality of life and maintain our small town character will, in large part, be determined by this planning effort."
JULY 15, 2009 - 12:11 PM
From S.J. Komarnitsky in Wasilla --
Big store openings in the Valley always draw a rush of shoppers. The Walgreens opening in Wasilla this past Sunday was no exception. Allison Knox, a publicist for the company, sent us a few pictures from the event.
Crowd entering Walgreens at the grand opening
[img_assist|nid=142377|title=Ribbon cutting|desc=Wasilla Mayor Verne Rupright is joined by Walgreens Executive Vice President Mark Wagner (fourth from left), Walgreens District Manager for
JULY 10, 2009 - 5:24 PM
From Rindi White in Wasilla:
A plague of leaks in the city's aging water lines will mean more road closures in downtown Palmer this summer, beginning this weekend.
One section of water line along Alaska Street near the historic railroad depot has already been replaced. But Palmer Public Works Director Carter Cole has said the work increased pressure on nearby sections, causing even more leaks.
Cole, in a public notice, said work will begin Saturday to replace steel waterlines along South Colony Way and South Alaska Street, two adjoining streets that make up Palmer's main downtown road.
JULY 10, 2009 - 3:59 PM
From Rindi White in Wasilla:
Gov. Sarah Palin announced Friday she appointed Palmer District Court Judge Gregory L. Heath to the Palmer Superior Court, filling a vacancy created when longtime Superior Court judge Beverly Cutler decided earlier this year to resign.
Heath was appointed to serve as a district court judge in 2003. Prior to that, he worked as an attorney and supervisor at the Alaska Public Defender Agency in Palmer, and as a prosecutor in Missoula County, Montana. According to information from the state, Heath earned a bachelor's degree in political science and history from the University of Montana and a law degree from the University of Montana School of Law in 1993.
JULY 7, 2009 - 10:16 AM
By S.J. Komarnitsky in Wasilla --
WASILLA -- State forestry just sent out a note announcing they have temporarily suspended permits for all open burning in the Mat-Su because of the hot, dry weather. That's unusual for this time of year, but so is the streak of hot sunny days which have led to dry conditions throughout the Valley.
Burn barrels are included in the suspension. Camping, cooking and warming fires are still allowed, but officials are discouraging their use due to the high fire danger. For more information on the status of the suspension, call state forestry at 761-6312 or 761-6305.
JULY 6, 2009 - 1:35 PM
From S.J. Komarnitsky in Wasilla --
Just blame the Interior. The light haze coating the Valley, and irritating some people's breathing, is coming from fires in the Interior. The haze is expected to continue at least for the next few days along with the sunny weather.
Matt Taraldsen, a student forecaster at the weather service office in Anchorage, said the smoke is being carried by upper level winds to Mat-Su and other places in Southcentral. So far, the haze has been pretty light, although Taraldsen said last night he could smell the smoke at the office in Anchorage. The smoke is in all levels of the atmosphere, but is most visible only at a distance like if you're looking up or at the mountains, or if the sun is behind it, he said. Denali National Park and Fairbanks are also being affected.
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