Looking ahead

Northern Views, by Frank Ameduri

Welcome to Mat-Su North, the Frontiersman's new section serving the northern communities in the Mat-Su Borough. We have been working hard to increase our coverage throughout the Valley, and this new section is an exciting result of those efforts.

Mat-Su North will primarily cover news from Meadow Lakes through Talkeetna on the west side and through Sutton and Chickaloon on the east side. The primary reporter and contact person for the west-side coverage is Jodi Snyder, who worked for Frontiersman in the past. Jodi is a skillful reporter, and she is also familiar with all the faces and places on her beat, since she lives with her family in Willow.

News from the east side will be provided by Patricia Wade and will also be augmented by stories from some of our other newsroom reporters.

Valley North will publish as the Frontiersman "D" section the second and fourth Sundays of each month. It will include news and features from the northern communities as well as news briefs and event schedule information. Some news is timely, and can't wait for the second and fourth Sunday, and that news will continue to appear in the other sections of Frontiersman.

As with any section of Frontiersman, the strength and effectiveness of Mat-Su North will depend largely upon contributions and ideas from our readers. Many of the best stories we cover begin as tips from our readers, and we also depend upon readers to contribute photographs, articles and opinion pieces that all add to the richness and usefulness of our news coverage.

The communities covered in Mat-Su North are among the fastest growing in the country, and they each bring a unique personality and flavor to the Valley. We hope our readers will enjoy this new section, and we encourage all of our readers to let us know which parts of Mat-Su North are working best, and also how we can improve the section to make it more entertaining and useful.

In this first edition of Mat-Su North, you'll find articles about the new clinic at Sunshine Community Health Center, a new solar energy system in Chickaloon, the Curry Ridge Riders, a sled dog experience at a local school and much more.

We're very proud and pleased to add this new section to Frontiersman. It's the latest display of our commitment to cover all the news in our community, and to expand that coverage as our community grows and changes.

Thank you for taking time to explore this new section, and we look forward to hearing your comments and suggestions about this section and about all the news in Frontiersman.

Anyone with news tips or information pertaining to the northern Mat-Su can contact Jodi Snyder at 495-6857, or jodi@alaska.net