From scandal in the Wasilla mayor’s office to Gov. Sarah Palin making a bid for the vice presidency to the first-degree-murder conviction of a Palmer man for killing his father with a machete, news out of the Valley just kept coming. What follows is a recap of some of the top stories that made news in the Mat-Su Valley in 2008:
Gov. Palin picked as Republican vice presidential candidate (Aug. 29)
 Frontiersman file There was no shortage of news in the Mat-Su Valley in 2008. Some of the images that also show the past year include, clockwise from top left: Sutton area resident Daniel Dreyden was killed during an attack on his boat in Guatemala; former Valley state lawmaker Vic Kohring waving goodbye along the Parks Highway hours before surrendering himself to serve a prison sentence; Gov. Sarah Palin'۪s bid for the vice presidency; a 24-hour standoff in June between law enforcement and a Wasilla homeowner after he killed his neighbor; Elann Moren, who survived an attack that killed her fianc̩, was one of the witnesses to testify at the trial of Christopher Erin Rogers Jr., who was convicted of first-degree murder. |
Suddenly, the state — and more specifically Wasilla — was thrust into the national spotlight as voters clamored to get to know the 49th state’s governor.
Wasilla became Ground Zero for reporters vetting the newest addition to the GOP ticket, painting the town in both a positive and negative light, depending on who was doing the reporting.
Palin traveled much of the country stumping for McCain during the two months she was on the trail. Everywhere she went, the masses seemed to follow and Palin kept rally venues packed until the very last day on the campaign trail.
On Nov. 4, however, Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama won the presidency, and McCain and Palin conceded the election from Arizona.
Dianne M. Keller embroiled in corruption dispute while Wasilla mayor (June 30)
On June 30, in Wasilla City Council chambers, a controversy involving threats of eminent domain, accusations of corruption and the fate of local businesses boiled over.
Then-Mayor Dianne M. Keller had been accused by an independent investigation of working to benefit a private developer for that developer’s benefit.
Business owners on a frontage road parallel to the Parks Highway in Wasilla near Sportsman’s Warehouse were angry after receiving letters from the city saying eminent domain could be used to secure their properties if they did not cooperate with a plan by Meritage Development LLC to run a road through them.
The June 30 meeting of the City Council saw Keller take the stand to defend herself against the accusations of Denali Law Group, the independent investigator hired by the council.
Denali Law claimed that since Keller and some of her city staff had discussed the threatening letters with Meritage, it amounted to the city working to benefit a private company at the expense of local business owners.
The council eventually voted 4-1 asking for Keller’s resignation, although she never obliged the council.
Keller’s term ended in October.
Rupright and Metiva in run-off election (October)
All signs pointed to a likely run-off when five men vied for the job of Wasilla mayor this fall.
In Wasilla, if more than two people run for an elected office, one of them must receive more than 40 percent of the vote to be a winner. No one out of the five candidates got 40 percent on Oct. 7, leading to a run-off between Wasilla residents Verne Rupright and Marty Metiva.
Both men ran clean campaigns, though each candidate’s supporters seemed to wage a war of words. In the end, voters put Rupright in office.
Neighborhood dispute ends in murder-suicide (June)
Wasilla was rocked in June when an apparent neighborhood feud ended with two men dead. Neighbors on East Porcupine Trail said Fred Heilman and Michael Zagars used to be friends, but the relationship went south and Heilman became more reclusive inside his home.
During the first weekend in June, police said Heilman shot and killed Zagars as he drove by his home.
Heilman then holed up in his house, starting a 24-hour standoff with Alaska State Troopers that ended when Heilman emerged from his home and took his own life.
During the standoff, troopers were unable to retrieve Zagars’ body on a neighbor’s driveway.
In interviews following the standoff, neighbors said the two men, who lived across the street from one another, had feuded over Zagars’ dogs, which Heilman alleged had walked on his lawn without permission.
Court documents show multiple attempts by both men to get restraining orders against the other. The documents also reveal years of back-and-forth accusations between the men, some of which other neighbors said they knew about.
Family members said Zagars was selling his home at the time of his murder to get away from Heilman.
Vic Kohring goes to prison (June)
Former Republican state Rep. Vic Kohring began his 42-month prison sentence by waving goodbye to commuters on the Glenn Highway on June 30.
It was his way of saying thanks to those who voted for him and supported him over the years, he said at the time.
Amid a chorus of horns — and more than a few explicatives and middle-finger salutes — Kohring waved for nearly four hours along the highway before heading to Anchorage where he surrendered at the U.S. Marshal’s Office.
He’s now at a federal prison in Taft, Calif., about 120 miles east of Los Angeles.
Kohring’s prison termed stemmed from a December 2007 conviction for felony bribery, conspiracy and attempted coercion for taking money from former VECO oil field services company executives in return for political favors.
Throughout his trial and sentencing, Kohring has maintained his innocence, insisting he was not given a fair trial and charging the judge presiding over his case, U.S. District Court Judge John Sedwick, with bias.
Sedwick’s wife had been an ardent political adversary of Kohring’s while he served in the state House.
Kohring is set to be released from prison sometime in December 2011.
City of Houston in turmoil (Feb. 14)
The first in what would be a year of resignations in the city of Houston came on Valentine’s Day when Steve Frost threw in the towel as mayor.
Frost cited his inability to work with an intransigent council as his main reason for resigning. Sandy McDonald, who later declined to seek re-election, eventually replaced Frost.
After the fall elections, the council chose Roger Purcell to serve as mayor and newly elected Lance Wilson to serve as deputy mayor.
This year also saw the resignation of City Councilwoman Carla Hendrix, who said she wanted to spend more time focusing on family. A fourth councilmember, Glen Tilghman, declined to seek re-election.
The city also briefly lost its police force. In May, Capt. John Rhyshek left the city without much word as to why. The other Houston officer, Jason Holmgren, left to take a position with the Wasilla Police Department in November. By early December, two new officers had been hired. As of press time, the city was still seeking a replacement captain.
Central Mat-Su gets a new chief (Feb. 28)
James Steele was picked to head up the Central Mat-Su Fire Department.
Steele was an officer with the department before his hire. His selection brought to an end the saga of the previous chief, Jack Krill Jr., who was fired in March 2007 at the end of a four-month brouhaha in which the borough’s complaints against him were laid bare and he protested their validity.
Steele came to the full-time job from a position heading up the Wasilla branch of the Office of Children’s Services.
MEA members choose a change in direction (March 1)
The effects of this year’s Matanuska Electric Association election wouldn’t be clear for a number of months.
But on March 1, co-op members voted to oust Lee Jordan, until then president of the utility’s board of directors, and seat in his place Janet Kincaid.
The election seemed to mark a shift in power at the utility. In October, David Dahms resigned. Dahms tended to side with David Glines and Larry DeVilbiss in the minority against the new majority of Kincaid, Katie Hurley, Peter Burchell and Lois Lester.
In November, the board seated Kit Jones who, along with Hurley, Burchell, Lester and Kincaid, voted to tighten the reigns on MEA General Manager Wayne Carmony. DeVilbiss at the time said it was a move to find cause to fire Carmony, an allegation Kincaid denied.
That same month, old-guard MEA members — all past board members — formed a group called Friends of MEA to voice their opinions that board decisions were ruinous to the co-op’s bottom line.
Officers kill man in Houston (March 25)
John R. Rivera, 42, died after two Wasilla Police Officers shot him at the end of an hour-long standoff in Houston.
Police were called to the home by Rivera’s father, worried his son was suicidal. Rivera worked for a local youth gymnastics studios and was in Houston that day talking over his problems with a friend.
Houston and Wasilla officers showed up. They eventually heard shots fired from inside the home and Alaska State Troopers were summoned.
In the end, Rivera left the house and, according to Alaska State Troopers Investigators, fired in the direction of officers. Wasilla Police Officers Jentry Crain and Kelly Swihart returned fire, killing Rivera.
Wasilla mother accused of killing baby in Colorado (May 6)
Morgan B. Hite was arrested May 6 by Colorado investigators who traveled to the Valley to track her down.
Hite, 23, is accused of killing her baby shortly after it was born April 29, then stashing the baby’s body in a plastic tub at her parents’ house in Grand Junction, Colo.
In Hite’s discussions with Colorado police she said the baby was stillborn and that she didn’t know quite what to do.
Colorado police contend autopsy reports show the baby was born alive.
Before the month was out, Hite was sent back to Colorado where she is currently awaiting a resolution in her case.
Machete-wielding robbers attack Sutton couple in Guatemala
Nancy and Daniel Dryden were attacked Aug. 9 as they prepared dinner on their sailboat anchored in Guatemala.
According to Nancy Dryden, the machete-wielding attackers demanded money. Daniel Dryden died in the attack and Nancy Dryden was seriously wounded.
The Drydens were a well-known couple in Sutton where they were active in local issues and events.
Nancy Dryden returned to Sutton in November, where she said she healed fairly rapidly.
Machete killer convicted of murder (Dec. 18)
Christopher Erin Rogers Jr. was convicted of eight felonies, including murder, Dec. 18 in the machete attack that killed his father and wounded his father’s fiancée.
Rogers, 29, is still set to stand trial for murder and assault in Anchorage, where he is alleged to have shot Jason Wegner to death and wounded two others.
The machete attack happened Dec. 2, 2007. At trial, his attorneys argued not that Rogers Jr. didn’t attack Christopher Erin Rogers Sr. and Elann Moren, but that his actions didn’t amount to first-degree murder.
Rogers’ trial lasted a week and saw testimony from Moren, the wounded fiancée. In the end, the jury didn’t buy Rogers’ argument and saw fit to convict him of first-degree murder.
Comments
11 comment(s)spudcracker wrote on Jan 5, 2009 3:04 AM:
Good news all around wrote on Jan 2, 2009 10:09 AM:
Now we have a qualified, responsible, and ethical senator in Mark Begich! This is fabulous news for forward-thinking Alaskans.
Now we have Vern Rupert, an ethical, caring, and responsible mayor. This is the beginning of better days for Wasilla.
Obama won, the people won, and now we have a chance to begin to rebuild America's reputation, ethical standards, and hopes for prosperity and healling. "
lolly wrote on Jan 1, 2009 2:28 PM:
Goodbye 2008 wrote on Jan 1, 2009 10:15 AM:
MORONEY wrote on Jan 1, 2009 6:36 AM:
doc wrote on Dec 31, 2008 10:55 AM:
lisnup wrote on Dec 31, 2008 7:25 AM:
Spankles wrote on Dec 30, 2008 8:09 PM:
delano wier II wrote on Dec 30, 2008 11:41 AM:
tired of this paper wrote on Dec 30, 2008 10:32 AM:
P-Town Gal wrote on Dec 30, 2008 9:27 AM: