News from Mat-Su Valley, Alaska
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.

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
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.
A tip about a truck running over seagulls at Kasilof Beach led troopers to a Fairbanks man now facing DUI, weapons, and a federal migratory-bird charge.

Trump pardoned a Wasilla diesel mechanic who removed truck pollution controls — a cold-weather fix, Sullivan says; eroded clean-air enforcement, critics say.
Wasilla's mayor is term-limited, so the seat's open this fall — and Stu Graham is first to signal a run, filing before the July 20–31 window even opens.

Mat-Su electric bills are rising about $14.53 a month — driven by a cold spring, low hydro, and new Hilcorp gas-storage fees, a snapshot of Southcentral's tight energy supply.

Wasilla may rezone 8 acres along Cottonwood Creek for retail — despite part of it sitting in a flood zone, no water or sewer, and the city's own plan calling it residential.

Two Mat-Su sockeye fisheries just opened, with a few early fish already in the inlet — while kings stay closed across the Susitna and beyond, hatchery spots aside.

Alaska State Troopers stopped a Wasilla pickup for equipment violations early Wednesday and arrested both occupants on active theft warrants.

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.
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.

Mat-Su Planning Commission backed a tiered multifamily code allowing homeowners to add mother-in-law suites without permits. • Larger projects must meet new drainage, fire access, and road standards, including 100-foot building setbacks from roads. • The Assembly must approve the ordinance before the new rules take effect.
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.
Anchorage man Wyatt Baker, 21, was held without bail after fleeing police in Wasilla at over 80 mph early Tuesday, running red lights and stop signs.

MEA's spraying herbicide near Knik-Goose Bay. Alaska's strict notice rules cover only government land — so near your private well, what you're owed is mostly MEA's call.
Alaska State Troopers arrested six people in domestic disturbance calls across Mat-Su and near Glennallen on June 12 and 13. • Charges included second-degree assault, third-degree assault, weapon misconduct, and criminal mischief. • Five arrestees were held at Mat-Su Pretrial Facility. One was transported to Glennallen Post. • All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.
Matanuska Electric wants you to go renewable without the rooftop. What it'll cost, and whether non-subscribers help pay, is the part nobody's said yet.
The Mat-Su Borough wants $400K to clean up "forever chemicals" in its groundwater — traced to old firefighting foam and found this spring near a Wasilla elementary school.

Tessera is hiring veterans, military spouses, and people with disabilities at the Mat-Su Job Center on July 29 for facility management, manufacturing, and warehousing roles.

Wasilla's sewer master plan hasn't been touched since 1999, and the gap is already slowing new housing — now the city may take $75K in state money to finally update it.

Emergency orders closed king salmon fishing across the Susitna River drainage, Little Susitna River, and West Cook Inlet, leaving the Eklutna Tailrace as the sole remaining location for king salmon harvest in Northern Cook Inlet during the peak third week of June.

Oh, Mushroom hunters / Information they kept close / Now for all to know

Alaska plans $4.4 billion refinery to make 150 million gallons of jet fuel yearly from beetle-killed trees. • Fischer-Tropsch technology costs $4.85 per gallon, cheaper than cooking oil methods. • State imports most aviation fuel despite handling 700 cargo flights weekly through Anchorage. • Federal energy office offers $289 billion in lending authority for qualified projects.

MEA is giving away EV chargers to Mat-Su hosts — but only the box is free; the host pays to install it, and the co-op pockets three years of charging data.
Up to 3 inches of rain is about to hit the Susitna Valley, and the gravel bars everyone camps on are exactly what floods first. Maybe move the tent.

Mat-Su Planning Commission voted May 18 to classify borough-owned land along the Deshka River as watershed to protect cold-water salmon habitat, forwarding the resolution to the Assembly for final approval.

The Matanuska-Susitna Borough Platting Board approved a preliminary plat for Settler's Bay Unit 11.

Alaska closed king salmon fishing in Susitna River, Little Susitna River, and West Cook Inlet through July 2026 due to low salmon numbers. • Gear restrictions apply to all fishing in those drainages, even when targeting other species. • Eklutna Tailrace opens late May with king salmon available if you buy a stamp. • Rainbow trout and northern pike fishing open at other Mat-Su lakes.

Matanuska-Susitna Borough approved a four-lot subdivision near Montana Creek and waived the requirement to build an improved road, allowing access only by existing pioneer road and trail.

Beluga Fire west of Susitna has grown to 65 acres and is 25 percent contained as of Saturday, with hot, dry conditions and evening lightning expected to keep fire danger high through the weekend.

Alaska Senate unanimously passed bill raising special education funding by 16 percent per student. • Senate also unanimously approved adding a fifth Superior Court judge in Palmer to cut case backlogs from 680 to 540 cases per judge.

Alaska closed all king salmon fishing in Mat-Su Valley drainages, shutting down Anchorage's closest king fishery as the first fish arrived. • The closures follow four years of declining runs and emergency restrictions nearly every season since 2022. • Mat-Su and Kenai rivers, Southcentral's two main king fisheries, are now both closed for 2026.

U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon visited two Mat-Su schools on May 7 as part of a 50-state tour celebrating the nation's 250th anniversary.
Wasilla set a June 9 public hearing for a 63-unit affordable housing project in North Star Estates as the Mat-Su Borough continues rapid growth and housing costs strain residents.

Alaska closed all king salmon sport fishing in the Susitna drainage and West Cook Inlet

Alaska borough transfers nine riverfront parcels to the state to build erosion barriers before the Matanuska River threatens the highway.

Matanuska Electric Association secured easements Wednesday to build 22 miles of new transmission lines in the Mat-Su, adding capacity as the borough's residential growth outpaces its electrical grid.

Mat-Su Planning Commission scheduled a presentation on annexing Chugiak and Eagle River from Anchorage, a preliminary step that does not endorse the idea or require a vote by the Borough Assembly.

A Willow woman faces 26 felony animal cruelty charges after 25 sled dogs were found starved to death on her property following months of ignored complaints to Mat-Su Animal Control.









