Mat-Su Valley
RSSNews from Mat-Su Valley, Alaska
Alaska Supreme Court throws out Willow easement map, sends 14-year fight back to Palmer
Alaska Supreme Court threw out a Palmer judge's easement map in a 14-year property fight, ordering a new one that properly accounts for where the Bloom house extinguished the trail.

Mat-Su sex offender sweep produces 17 arrests, 15 of them for registration violations
Alaska State Troopers arrested 17 people during a three-day sex offender compliance sweep in the Mat-Su Valley but located only 60 of 100 registered offenders targeted for checks.

Wasilla woman charged in storage-unit burglary that netted stolen firearms
A Wasilla woman faces 14 counts in a December storage-unit burglary that took multiple firearms, troopers say — with an accomplice still at large.

The state may give 20,000 acres near Houston to a development authority
The state may give a development authority nearly 20,000 acres north of Houston for data centers and industry. DNR sees jobs — but also reduced trail access.

Kasilof man under sexual abuse investigation dies of apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound
Alaska State Troopers said an adult male suspect in a July report of sexual abuse of a minor near Kasilof was found dead Thursday of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, after confessing to a relative. He died before investigators arrived.

A Wasilla runway extension eyes nearby homeowners' land, if the money can be found
A Wasilla runway extension could put nearby homeowners' land in the city's sights — and it may not qualify for the federal money that usually pays for it.

Big Lake man arrested on seven sexual assault counts in Wasilla case
A 62-year-old Big Lake man was arrested Thursday on seven sexual assault counts stemming from a case first reported in May 2025, more than a year before the grand jury indictment.

Starplex recruits Alaska State Fair seasonal staff Aug. 18 in Wasilla
Starplex is hiring seasonal staff for the Alaska State Fair at a job fair in Wasilla on Tuesday, Aug. 18, with flaggers earning $25 an hour, parking staff $16, and event staff $15.

A proposed cap would limit how high Mat-Su can set its property tax rate
A proposed ordinance would cap Mat-Su's areawide property tax rate at 7 mills, or $700 a year per $100,000 of value, capping what future assemblies could set.

West Petersville Road is washed out, and the creek won't let crews in
West Petersville Road is washed out at Kenny Creek with no reopening date — crews can't start until the water slows down enough to work in.

In Talkeetna, a debate over whether weather or a bridge is eroding the riverbank
Weather, or a rebuilt railroad bridge? As Talkeetna's bank erodes, one river-watcher says the bridge choked the river — and that's the fixable cause.

Magnitude 5.6 quake northwest of Skwentna felt across Anchorage and Mat-Su
A magnitude 5.6 earthquake near Skwentna was felt across Anchorage and the Mat-Su Valley on Saturday night, with no damage reported so far.

Fish Creek dipnet fishery opens Sunday for Alaska resident dipnetters
More fishing more fish

Strong sockeye run opens Fish Creek to six salmon a day
A banner sockeye run opens Fish Creek early, doubling the sport limit to six salmon a day through Aug. 15. Kings still off-limits, coho capped at two.

Mat-Su commission backs the $9 million road route over the $30 million one
Mat-Su's planning commission backed a $9 million southern road route over a northern one pegged at up to $31 million, overruling a staff recommendation. The assembly decides next.

Utility warns of rolling blackouts in Southcentral as soon as this winter
At a Municipality of Anchorage press conference last week, MEA's CEO warned that Southcentral could see rolling blackouts as soon as November if Cook Inlet gas falls short — the first time in 45 years he says he can't guarantee power.

Wasilla woman charged after stabbing pedestrian on hood of moving vehicle
A Wasilla woman was charged with domestic violence assault after stabbing a pedestrian's hand while they clung to the hood of her moving vehicle on Meadow Lakes Loop Wednesday

Mat-Su voters will decide whether the borough can tax valley-wide for big road projects
Mat-Su voters will decide Nov. 3 whether the borough can use borough-wide taxes to build big road projects no single service area can afford — with debate over whether it shifts money from urban to rural areas.

Wasilla man dies after fleeing troopers at 100 mph following domestic assault
Cecil Nelson, 57, of Wasilla, died Saturday after leading Alaska State Troopers on a high-speed pursuit following a reported domestic violence assault. He was ejected from his vehicle after losing control on a curve, and was not wearing a seatbelt.

Landowner gets variance to split land off Wasilla-Fishhook Road
A landowner near Wasilla-Fishhook Road, a route to Hatcher Pass, got a variance to split his land after the state barred new lots from tying directly into the road.

A sockeye surge doubles the Fish Creek salmon limit for a week
A strong sockeye run means Fish Creek anglers can keep six salmon a day through Aug. 15 — double the usual limit — before it drops back to three.

Troopers and corrections officers recruit at the Mat-Su Job Center
Two Alaska public-safety agencies are recruiting at the Mat-Su Job Center in Wasilla — State Troopers on Wednesday, corrections officers every Friday.

Matanuska Electric goes on taproom tour as members absorb rising rates and a looming gas cliff
MEA's CEO is hitting the taprooms to meet members — right as they absorb a rate hike, brace for 5%-a-year increases, and face a 2029 gas cliff.

Stebbins man arrested after armed standoff with troopers
Alaska State Troopers arrested a 25-year-old Stebbins man on four assault charges after he fled a domestic violence call with a firearm and surrendered following a standoff on a bluff.

Heavy rain now expected in the Mat-Su, with rivers set to crest Wednesday
Heavy rain is now expected in the Mat-Su, 3 to 5 inches, with rivers cresting Wednesday. The Yentna and Talkeetna corridors hit weeks ago are most exposed again.

Troopers detain 49 people at one Wasilla house during a drug-warrant search
49 people, one Wasilla house, one very eventful drug warrant: an arrest on scene, a runner nabbed on a federal warrant, and more charges on the way.

Wasilla moves to reject a 59-unit affordable housing project
Wasilla is set to formally deny a 59-unit affordable housing project — a clash between a real housing shortage and neighbors who want the site to stay commercial.

Troopers waited two months after the traffic stop to make the arrest
Troopers stopped a Wasilla woman in May, took her car, and let the case build. They came back with a search warrant two months later.

A separated path toward Hatcher Pass would get walkers and cyclists off Palmer-Fishhook Road's dangerous shoulders
A planned 8.5-mile path would finally get walkers and cyclists off Palmer-Fishhook Road's white-knuckle shoulders — if the Mat-Su Borough can pull together the $4.5 million to build it.

Trump pardons an Alaska diesel mechanic, reigniting a fight over emissions rules
Trump pardoned a Wasilla diesel mechanic who removed truck pollution controls — a cold-weather fix, Sullivan says; eroded clean-air enforcement, critics say.

Glacier View sends cars off 300-foot cliff for Fourth of July
Glacier View River Retreat launched decorated cars off a 300-foot bluff above the Matanuska River on Saturday for its annual Fourth of July tradition near Sutton.

Water is over roads in the Lower Matanuska Valley
Heavy rain has the Little Susitna up and water over roads near North Sushana Drive, with a flood advisory for the Lower Matanuska Valley until Friday morning.

Tree closes all lanes of North Glenn Highway near mile 71
When a tree falls on the North Glenn and nobody is around to see it, can the highway be shut down at all?

Wasilla traffic stop surfaces two residents wanted on theft charges
Alaska State Troopers stopped a Wasilla pickup for equipment violations early Wednesday and arrested both occupants on active theft warrants.

Denali Highway bridge inspections close lanes through Wednesday
Alaska DOT&PF will close lanes on the Denali Highway at two bridges Tuesday through Thursday for routine federal safety inspections, causing delays up to 60 minutes at each site.

Alaska sends kids Outside for care. A Wasilla project targets that.
Alaska sends children thousands of miles away for behavioral health care. A Wasilla proposal would build the kind of local services that could keep them home.

Mat-Su weighs a flood emergency and a tax overhaul
The Mat-Su Assembly takes up a Talkeetna flood emergency and a November ballot plan that would swap a new 3% sales tax for a cap on property taxes.

One place near Anchorage where you can still keep a king
ings are closed across the Mat-Su and Northern Cook Inlet — except Eklutna Tailrace, a stocked fishery where you can still take one home while the wild runs stay shut.

Mat-Su forum tackles housing for after parents are gone
A Mat-Su nonprofit will present plans Thursday for small-scale housing for disabled adults, aimed at the families asking what comes after they're gone.

Mat-Su Platting Board approves Starlight Subdivision master plan over neighbor objections
Mat-Su Platting Board approved the 184-lot Starlight Subdivision master plan Thursday despite neighbor complaints about traffic, mail delivery, and drainage on the roughly 200-acre Knik Fairview site.
