2006: The year in news

Natural disasters and politics dominated Mat-Su Valley news in 2006, with headlines announcing fires and floods, along with news that Valley favorite Sarah Palin had succeeded, first in beating incumbent Gov. Frank Murkowski in the Republican primary, and later beating former Gov. Tony Knowles for the state's top elected position.

Month by month - good, bad, funny and sad - the top news in 2006 included:

JANUARY

• Army National Guard Spc. Jacob Eugene Melson died in Iraq after the airplane he was in lost contact shortly before midnight Jan. 7, and never was heard from again. The door gunner and flight engineer was born and raised in the Valley, attended Colony High School and had married his high school sweetheart in a ceremony at Hatcher Pass.

• A January report from the Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development announced that the Valley was, still, the fastest growing part of the state. The population went up 4.9 percent in 2005, bringing the population to about 74,000.

•A new theater troupe in Palmer - City Lights Theatre - opted to produce its own version of the play &#8220Proof” after Valley Performing Arts moved the play on its lineup over concern that the dialogue contained profanity. Auditions were set in January with performances in March and April.

€ January became the unofficial &#8220armed robbery month” in the Valley when three area businesses were robbed at gunpoint, with one Jan. 11 at Susitna Professional Pharmacy, one Jan. 23 at The Store in the Butte, and one Jan. 28 at Palmer Carrs. Police identified and arrested suspects in all cases except for The Butte robber, a red-haired, husky woman, who remains at large.

FEBRUARY

€ Mat-Su Borough School District custodians and their supporters packed school board meetings, pleading with the board to keep custodians on staff and not contract janitorial services to NANA Management Services. More than 700 people filled the Feb. 15 meeting, and were disappointed when the board delayed its decision. The school board eventually voted in favor of the NANA contract.

€ A group of Chickaloon and Palmer students returned home from the Junior Native Youth Olympics in Anchorage with a handful of medals. Sydney Fouch was the only second-grader to participate in the games, and came home with two fourth-place medals, in the kneel jump and Eskimo stick pull. Simone Pushruk, who competed in the third- and fourth-grade group, won the gold medal in the high kick. Elia Fouch took second place for Team Chickaloon in the 2-foot high kick. Mary Johns took fourth place in the 1-foot high kick in the fifth- and sixth-grade competition. Jarret Johns, Cory Stuart, Kyle Stuart, Robert Hall and Gabbie Cherrier also competed.

• On Feb. 27, an Anchorage snowboarder, Brendan Smart, 24, was buried in an avalanche at Hatcher Pass, the fourth avalanche victim in Alaska this year.

MARCH

€ Borough residents filled the Mat-Su Borough Assembly meeting March 21 to express concern about how the borough's animal care officers handled a case involving a Belgian draft horse, Nick, who died of starvation the week before. The couple charged with the death, Gary Fank and Debra Michelle Nardini, had a history of abuse. Animal control officers had inspected the horse on several occasions before Nick's death, and found no indication of abuse until a third visit, when the horse appeared gaunt.

€ The 2006 Iditarod kicked off at 2 p.m. March 4 at the Willow restart. About 10 days later, 50-year-old Jeff King took the race, the oldest winner in the history of the Iditarod. Following King were Doug Swingley, 52, Paul Gebhardt, 50, and DeeDee Jonrowe, 52.

€ Seven-year-old McKenna Dinkel won the national Odor-Eaters Rotten Sneaker Contest for her smelly footwear - a pair of hand-me-down moccasin-style shoes that originally belonged to her older brother. McKenna traveled to Vermont for the contest, and brought home the trophy and a cash prize.

€ On March 17, an all-night search and rescue for a 12-year-old boy with Down Syndrome was successful. Temperatures were close to zero as eight troopers, 22 people from Central Mat-Su Fire Department and the Mat-Su water-rescue team searched for the boy, who was found out on the Hay Flats.

APRIL

€ Palmer's Friday Flings organizers decided to try something a little different by launching its &#8220Cabbages on Parade” art program. Through the program, artists decorated large fiberglass cabbages, which then were displayed around the Palmer area. Ten artists were chosen in April to create something visually interesting out of the cabbages, which were unveiled in July.

€ State and national biologists and health experts were concerned that if the bird flu pandemic spread into the United States, Alaska would be the first place hit with the virus. The threat would have been from migrating wild birds, and the public was warned to be cautious when coming in contact with such animals. Biologists studied wild birds in Alaska throughout the summer, collecting samples to look for evidence of the flu strain.

€ Sparky, a 4-year-old corgi-shihtzu mix, was named a &#8220Real Hero” by the American Red Cross for the help he provides his owners, Nick and Linda Markus. The dog is a trained assistance dog, and helps Nick Markus, who has a hearing impairment. The dog also supported the couple's son, Alan, who had been injured by a drunk driver.

€ An April 23 midair collision killed two experienced professional pilots and three children. William Smoke, 55, of Chugiak, piloted a Cessna 172 and David Beauregard, 45, piloted a Cessna 170-B with his children, Ryan, 16, Conner, 13 and Remi, 9, as passengers. The planes collided over the Palmer Hay Flats and hit the ground near Mile 1.3 Hayfield Road.

MAY

€ The summer fire season started with a blaze in the Point MacKenzie area in late May when heavy wind gusts topped a tree into a power line. The fire had consumed about 150 acres in 45 minutes, and was the fourth or fifth wildfire reported that day, officials said. Fires throughout the dry Valley continued through June.

€ Six Valley canines who were on death row received a second chance through the Mat-Su Borough Animal Control shelter's new canine obedience program at Hiland Correctional Center in Eagle River. Through the program, dogs that otherwise were considered unadoptable were taught obedience and social skills by inmates. The pilot program was successful, and two more groups of dogs went through the prison in 2006.

€ Although protests from area landowners did nothing to stop the state from offering a timber sale near Kroto Creek in Petersville, economics stalled the process. The state received no bids for the 1,300-acre timber sale. One potential bidder said the potential profit was too small to make logging the area worthwhile.

€ Voters approved $39.7 million for two new elementary schools in the Mat-Su Borough School District, and for renovations for Wasilla High School and Wasilla Middle School.

€ In May, fake checks showed up around the Valley in abundance. Forgers printed valid routing numbers on phony checks, a system that allowed the checks to pass for real until the checks reached financial institutions a week or more later.

JUNE

€ The Moving Wall, a half-size replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, came to the Valley. The wall was set up at Wasilla High School, and was welcomed by state and local officials. The names of more than 58,000 soldiers that appear on The Moving Wall - which are arranged according to the date they were listed as killed or missing - were read around the clock, nonstop, by community volunteers in a Debt of Honor ceremony.

€ Palmer police began investigating Matanuska-Susitna Borough assembly member Jim Colver regarding his actions and possible misconduct in securing a subcontractor's bid on the borough's $16.2 million vocational school construction project. The state later took over the criminal portion of the investigation, while the Mat-Su Borough Board of Ethics has planned a hearing on the matter in February.

€ Palmer Mayor John Combs suffered from a severe lung infection that sent him to Alaska Regional Hospital in Anchorage where doctors scraped the lining of his lungs. The mayor recovered.

€ Donald Roberts was arraigned in Palmer on charges of second-degree murder and manslaughter after Alaska State Troopers say he shot his nephew, Earl Roberts, 55, on June 18 with a rifle. The two men had been drinking at Donald Roberts' cabin on Alexander Creek.

€ In June, the Wasilla City Council voted to increase the rate of compensation for council members to an annual rate of $6,000, no matter how many meetings members attend.

JULY

€ Mat-Su Borough Assembly Member Bill Allen resigned July 6 from his position as director for rural development with the U.S. Department of Agriculture after he was accused by the United States Office of Special Counsel of involving his secretary in work related to his position on the assembly. The investigation stemmed from complaints from his secretary.

€ The Alaska State Fair opted to apply for a conditional-use permit from the city of Palmer for car races at the fair. This year marked the first time the city required a permit, a move prompted by noise complaints from residents near the fair.

€ The Wasilla City Council voted for a plan to change city traffic to make Main Street one way southbound, extend Talkeetna Street across the Parks Highway to Yenlo Street, and extend Yenlo Street from Swanson to Bogard Road for northbound traffic. Talkeetna Street also would extend south to connect with Knik-Goose Bay Road. The estimated cost of the project is $9.5 million.

€ The Valley hosted its first CSI camp, with 12 middle-school students learning how to investigate a crime scene. After four days, the students cracked the case of a kidnapped pooch and the instructors said they plan to hold more camps in the future.

AUGUST

€ Army Spc. Shane Woods of Palmer was killed in combat after an explosive detonated near the vehicle in which he was riding in Ar Ramadi, Iraq. Two other soldiers died with him.

€ Area flooding from heavy rains prompted Mat-Su Borough Mayor Tim Anderson to sign a disaster declaration as the borough worked with the Department of Transportation and Alaska State Troopers to warn residents of flooding. Bridges and roads were washed out, and many people were displaced from their homes. Some residents have yet to recover from the disaster.

€ Katie Hurley, 85, who served as secretary to the Alaska Constitutional Convention, opted to run as a Democrat against incumbent Vic Kohring for Legislature's District 14 seat. She replaced candidate Neal Lacy, who had to drop out of the race when he took a job with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. Her run against six-term Rep. Vic Kohring was unsuccessful, though, as Valley voters returned all incumbents to the Legislature.

€ Palmer City Council Member Tony Pippel resigned his seat after a closed executive session in which the council evaluated Palmer City Manager Tom Healy. Pippel changed his mind about a week later, and retained his seat.

€ The planned Wal-Mart superstore in Palmer was stalled by traffic mitigation requirements from the state Department of Transportation. Wal-Mart plans to locate a 190,000 square foot store on a 22-acre former horse field just south of Palmer High School. The site sits lower than most surrounding properties, and has inadequate access roads to accommodate traffic from a Wal-Mart Supercenter, which would include groceries, liquor, a garden center, an automotive center and general merchandise. The company hasn't given up the site, however.

SEPTEMBER

€ The Mat-Su Borough Assembly approved a rewrite of Title 16 - repealing the old document and adopting Title 27 - and ending about six years of debate over land-use regulations. Almost 75 amendments were put to the title. The 151-page document lays out a plan it says is meant to &#8220protect the health, safety and welfare of borough residents and to promote the orderly development of the borough.”

€ The weekend of Sept. 8 was marked by a standoff between law enforcement officers and a Talkeetna man who barricaded himself in his trailer. After receiving reports Donald Voorhis had pointed a gun at his neighbor and later returned to fire at his neighbor's house, Alaska State Troopers, officers from South Central Special Emergency Reaction Team, a crisis negotiator, a trooper canine and an investigator with the Alaska Bureau of Investigation surrounded the trailer. Voorhis resisted all efforts to remove him, including chemical irritants, for three days until troopers peeled away a side of the trailer with a borrowed bulldozer.

€ Artist James Haven, a 1986 Wasilla High School graduate, finished up two paintings at Grande Denali Lodge at Denali National Park. The paintings are 17 feet by 10 feet, and 10 feet by four feet. Both capture the historical side of the area.

OCTOBER

€ In October, National Domestic Violence Month, a Wasilla man was convicted of murdering his lover and their baby the previous October, and a Tatitlek man was arrested for killing his wife by stabbing her.

€ A school lockdown brought concerned parents to Big Lake Elementary after a 27-year-old parent threatened to shoot up the school and claimed to have a sniper. The suspect, a woman whose child attends Big Lake Elementary, was taken into custody by Alaska State Troopers and was charged with terroristic threatening.

€ The Mat-Su Borough started offering ballroom dance classes for residents through its community enrichment program run through the borough recreation department. About 50 people showed up for a salsa class, which lasted four weeks.

NOVEMBER

€ Sarah Palin took a decisive victory over former Gov. Tony Knowles in the gubernatorial election. The former Wasilla mayor and former chair of the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission said the election, both on the state and federal levels, should serve as a wake-up call to those in public service. The message, she said, was that voters want elected officials to work together toward progress.

€ The annual holiday shopping rush started in the wee hours in the Valley, with shoppers lined up at some stores as early as 10 p.m. Thanksgiving night, braving negative temperatures to have the first shot at good deals.

€ On Nov. 27, the Wasilla City Council tied in a vote on a proposed ordinance that would remove the city's exemption from the Public Employees Relations Act, and with the mayor not voting, the measure failed. A standing-room only crowd of city employees spoke in favor of allowing the ordinance to go forward, at least for discussion.

€ A former school bus driver wanted by police for inappropriately touching middle school students on a Laidlaw bus in September was arrested and arraigned. Martin Fleming of Wasilla was charged with multiple counts of first- and second-degree sexual abuse of a minor and harassment. Fleming's bail was set at $25,000 cash.

DECEMBER

€ Former Wasilla Mayor Sarah Palin took the oath of office in a ceremony in Fairbanks. She is Alaska's first female governor, is the youngest governor and is the first governor from the Mat-Su Valley.

€ Palin tapped Palmer attorney Talis Colberg as the state's new attorney general, a surprise to many people across the state because of his lack of political experience. That &#8220outsider” status was touted by Palin as a reason for choosing Colberg.

€ Convicted murdered Christopher Kevan, who killed his girlfriend and their 7-week-old baby in October 2005, was sentenced to 198 years in prison - 99 for each murder.

€ An apparent murder-suicide near Wasilla left two dead and two injured.

€ The year started with three armed robberies in January, and finished with one in December. Two armed intruders burst into Foxy Nails and Tanning at 419 W. Parks Highway on Dec. 22, ordering workers and customers to lie on the floor and wounding one worker with pellets from a shotgun, before robbing the business and two people present. The suspects were not identified.