Mat-Su Valley
RSSNews from Mat-Su Valley, Alaska
Places
Local organizations and topics
Numbers are stories in the last 30 days.
Have a story from Mat-Su Valley? Send a tip
Week of Jul 13
Wasilla man dies after fleeing troopers at 100 mph following domestic assault
A Wasilla man died Saturday after fleeing state troopers at 100 mph following a domestic assault call.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
Week of Jul 6
Wasilla weighs retail on land that partly floods
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.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
Wasilla's sewer plan is 25 years old — and it's stalling development
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.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min readFrom 
Mat-Su sockeye opens up — but the kings stay closed
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.
by Bill AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
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.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
New York hiker airlifted after head injury on Reed Lakes trail
NY resident got hurt at Reed Lakes. Be careful Reed Lakes. The rocks can get slippery.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
Fatal crash at Glenn Highway S Curves kills two, closes corridor Thursday morning
A Ford F150 crossed the median at Glenn Highway S Curves on Thursday morning, killing two drivers and sending a child to the hospital with life-threatening injuries.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 4mo ago1 min read
Convicted child abuser killed by troopers after armed standoff near Whittier
A man convicted of child sexual abuse was killed by troopers near Whittier after he armored up and pointed a gun at officers from an anchored boat, days after fleeing sentencing.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
More from Mat-Su Valley
A Big Lake man is charged with assault after a report at a school parking lot
Alaska State Troopers arrested a Big Lake man Thursday after witnesses reported an assault inside a vehicle at Big Lake Elementary School parking lot.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
Alaska is about to burn 54,000 acres on purpose, to grow more moose
Alaska plans to deliberately burn 54,000 acres of the Alphabet Hills this month to reset old spruce into the willow and birch moose need — a bet that pays off in 5 to 15 years.
by Maggie AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
Fatal crash at Glenn Highway S Curves slows Anchorage commute Thursday
One person was killed in a multi-vehicle crash on the Glenn hwy.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
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.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
Mat-Su power bills climb as Alaska's energy squeeze bites
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.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
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.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
Convicted sex offender flees Palmer courthouse, departs Whittier by sailboat
A convicted child abuser fled the Palmer courthouse Monday. Philip Phillips sailed into Prince William Sound to evade capture.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 4mo ago1 min read
A hiker lost his shoes in the snow near Snowbird Hut — in July
A hiker lost his shoes in the snow near Snowbird Hut on the Fourth of July, stranding his group — a reminder that it can be summer in town and still winter up on the glacier.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 4mo ago1 min read
Coming up
Matanuska-Susitna Borough Assembly Regular Meeting
Assembly Chambers, 350 East Dahlia Avenue, Palmer, AK 99645; testimony by phone at 1-855-225-2326
Meeting
19th Annual Mat-Su Salmon Science and Conservation Symposium
Conference
Marijuana Control Board Meeting
Meeting
Alaska Supreme Court oral argument: Leif S. Backlin v. Matanuska-Susitna Borough
Hearing
Matanuska-Susitna Borough Assembly and School Board Joint Meeting
Meeting
About Mat-Su Valley
The Mat-Su Valley is a region of Southcentral Alaska that takes in the Matanuska-Susitna Borough. Its communities include Wasilla, Palmer, Big Lake, Houston, Willow, Talkeetna and Trapper Creek, and it is known for agriculture, Hatcher Pass and the Iditarod.
The Mat-Su Borough Assembly, its Platting Board and Planning Commission decide on land use, subdivisions, grants and library policy, while the Wasilla and Palmer city councils run their own towns. Port MacKenzie and its rail line draw industrial proposals such as a mineral refinery, and the Wasilla airport plans to lengthen its runway.
The Parks and Glenn highways carry traffic through the borough, and crashes along them recur. The region shares Southcentral Alaska with Anchorage, Cook Inlet and the Susitna River.
More from Mat-Su Valley
Free Fairbanks streambank workshop opens July 15 for landowners and anglers
Fairbanks landowners and anglers can register free for a two-day streambank restoration workshop July 15 and 16 that teaches erosion control and fish habitat work.
by Bill AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
Tessera hiring event comes to Mat-Su Job Center July 29
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.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
Deshka king run collapse forces Cook Inlet closures amid allocation fight
The Deshka king run is projected to come in at under half its minimum goal, and ADF&G is closing fisheries to save what's left.
by Bill AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
Anchorage man held without bail after 80 mph pursuit through Wasilla
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.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
Juneau airport to lease Texas fire truck while new ARFF rigs await delivery
Juneau airport will lease a Texas fire truck for $162,000 while two new rigs arrive, covering a gap when the airport would have minimal firefighting capacity.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
Helicopter sinks in Chelatna Lake; bystander pulls both survivors from water
A helicopter sank in Chelatna Lake near Skwentna on Sunday after a boater pulled both occupants from the water; both survived with minor injuries.
by Maggie AlaskaNewsadded 4mo ago1 min read
Wasilla man on parole clocked at 84 mph on Seward Highway, forces trooper to swerve
A Wasilla man on parole drove 84 mph into oncoming traffic on the Seward Highway on July 4, forcing a state trooper to swerve to avoid a head-on collision.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
Week of Jun 29
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.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
Willow man jailed without bail after threatening campers on Fishhook Road
A Willow man is jailed without bail after state troopers say he drove drunk and threatened campers on Fishhook Road during the July 4th weekend.
by Alaska News4mo ago1 min read
Surgery Center of Wasilla discloses $2.65M in completed equity raises
Surgery Center of Wasilla raised $2.65 million in private equity through two closed offerings, joining a wave of corporate investment in Alaska's outpatient surgery centers.
by Melinda Communities.Newsadded 4mo ago1 min read
A Wasilla argument ends with a gun pointed at a neighbor
Troopers say a Wasilla man pulled a .45 and pointed it at a neighbor during an argument on Big Dipper Drive. He faces a third-degree assault charge.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
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.
by Maggie AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
Troopers: hatchet attack on partner at a Kenai campground
Troopers say a Wasilla woman attacked her partner with a hatchet, choked him, and threw full beer cans at him at a Kenai Peninsula campground. She faces assault charges.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
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.
by Bill AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
Alaska's development bank meets behind closed doors on the Arctic Refuge, a mining road, and a port
Alaska's state investment bank meets privately July 8 on its biggest bets — Arctic Refuge oil, the Ambler mining road, Port MacKenzie — with public money on the line.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago3 min read
A Knik Arm bridge easement survives — and so does the debate
Anchorage kept a Knik Arm Crossing easement on a port plat — a small vote that keeps alive a long-debated bridge backers call vital resiliency and skeptics call unfunded.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
Alaska plans to burn the Alphabet Hills to grow more moose forage
Alaska plans to set the Alphabet Hills ablaze this July on purpose. Burning old black spruce regrows the willow and birch that moose, caribou, and hunters rely on.
by Maggie AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
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
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
After a lawmaker's mom lost $8,000, Alaska cracks down on crypto scam kiosks
Alaska's new law cracks down on the crypto machines scammers use to drain seniors — inspired by the sponsor's own mother, who lost $8,000 in minutes. Victims can now seek refunds.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
New federal money for small meat processors could help Alaska lean less on imported food
New federal money for small meat processors could nudge Alaska, which imports nearly all its food, toward processing more of its own — $60M in grants is due Aug. 7.
by Melinda Communities.News4mo ago2 min read
A lake-island fire hands Mat-Su crews a boat-only problem
A small fire on a Flat Lake island forced Mat-Su firefighters to boat their crew across to reach it — routine flames, minus the road to get to them.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
Week of Jun 22
Matanuska Electric offers free EV chargers to local businesses, but hosts pay install costs
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.
by Maggie AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
A plane flipped at Knik-Goose Bay, but everyone walked away uninjured
A plane flipped onto its back during a hard landing at Knik-Goose Bay on June 24, but all occupants walked away uninjured.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 4mo ago1 min read
Willow man, 85, missing since June 20; troopers seek tips
Alaska State Troopers seek tips on 85-year-old Willow resident missing since June 20; call (907) 352-5401 with information.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 4mo ago1 min read
