Mat-Su

Sherry Johnston, Levi's mother, is sentenced to 3 years

Sherry Johnston was sentenced Friday to three years in prison for dealing the prescription painkiller OxyContin. Johnston is the mother of Levi Johnston, who is the father of former Gov. Sarah Palin's grandchild, Tripp.

Dad charged in girl's slapping death

A 15-month-old girl who died of traumatic brain injury more than a year ago died at the hands of her father, who slapped her head into a highchair repeatedly because she wouldn't stop throwing food on the floor, according to court documents.

Car hits duo crossing Parks; 1 killed, 1 injured

A woman is dead and a man is in the hospital after they were hit by a car Wednesday night while trying to cross the Parks Highway near the intersection with Pittman Road, troopers say.

Flu vaccine clinics limited to risk groups

Free swine flu vaccinations are planned for some members of the public in Anchorage and Mat-Su in coming days.

Troopers in Saturday shooting identified

Alaska State Troopers on Wednesday identified the officers who shot and killed a woman who they say pointed a gun at them last weekend.

Driver sentenced for ATV accident that killed woman

Brandon Dickey of Wasilla received a 13-month sentence for a four-wheeler accident last April that killed Kirby Anderson, a 24-year-old Wasilla woman who was riding in the side-by-side four-wheeler he was driving.

New Susitna Valley school opens in January

When winter descends on the Mat-Su, Susitna Valley Junior/Senior High students have a special reason to beg to stay home from school.

Charges against man who shot four bears dismissed

The story of Yukon Don Tanner and the four bears has a happy ending -- for Tanner, at least. A judge last week dismissed all wildlife charges filed against the well-known 59-year-old Talkeetna man.

Wasilla-based Predators take to football field in March

From coaching pre-teens playing their first game to running professional-level players through drills, coach Hans Deemer lives and breathes football. Now the lifelong football fanatic is leading a professional indoor football team whose home is the Menard Sports Center in Wasilla.

Flooding makes roads slushy near Willow

Flooding of Willow Creek had some residents near Willow driving through 6 inches of slush to get to their homes on Tuesday, the Mat-Su Borough said.

Recession hasn't killed Knik Bridge

The proposed bridge across Knik Arm, estimated to cost about $680 million and held up by environmental studies, is still a high priority for the state, a high-level state transportation official told local decision-makers in Anchorage Tuesday.

Borough, insurance company negotiate over school cost

The Mat-Su Borough and its insurance company, Allianz, are still negotiating how much replacing Susitna Valley Junior/Senior High School will cost.

Fundraiser set Saturday for Tibetan school

A little bit of Tibet, in music, photos and handmade goods, is coming to Palmer.

Mat-Su community datebook (11/18-24/09)

Events scheduled this week in the valleys

Troopers shoot and kill armed woman

Alaska State Troopers shot and killed a 58-year-old woman who had threatened a companion with a shotgun and later leveled the weapon at troopers early Saturday morning, the agency says.

Julia O'Malley On the trailside, a sign of a troubled life

Wasilla man lottery winner

Jeff Hirsch, a 50-year-old hunting guide from Wasilla, learned Wednesday night that he was the winner of the $250,000 Lucky Times Veterans Day lottery.

Rogers sentenced to 309 years

Christopher Erin Rogers Jr. was sentenced today to 309 years in prison for his 2007 rampage in Anchorage that resulted in the murder of a UAA graduate student and the wounding of two other strangers.

Graphic: Timeline of Rogers' spree in Anchorage

Jury finds Rogers guilty of murder, attempted murder

Past coverage of Christopher Erin Rogers

Mat-Su hospital bars visitors under age of 12

Mat-Su Regional Medical Center is restricting visitors under the age of 12 to guard against the spread of the H1N1 virus at the hospital.

Masek starts her term at California desert prison

Former Alaska state Rep. Beverly Masek began serving her six-month prison sentence this week at the minimum-security Federal Correctional Institution-Victorville in Adelanto, Calif.

Fairbanks chamber backs Mat-Su rail plan

The Greater Fairbanks Chamber of Commerce has endorsed a plan by the Matanuska-Susitna Borough and the Alaska Railroad Corp. to extend track to industrial land at Point MacKenzie.

Mat-Su Borough hires two new directors

The Mat-Su Borough recently hired two new departmental directors, Shaune O'Neil in public works and Christine Nelson in planning, to replace directors Keith Rountree and Mark Mayo, both of whom retired this fall.