Peek at the Past

Here's what made the news 21 years ago, from the Feb. 20, 1991, edition of the Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman:

Mat-Su school budget tops $75 million

Mat-Su Borough School District officials have crafted a new, more expensive operating budget for the coming school year and is ready to take the spending plan to the public. According to the district's financial office, the grand total of the proposed 1991-92 budget - including local, state and federal funds - is $75,760,422. That's 10 percent higher than last year's budget, and the hike is making some school board members nervous. Besides inflation, there are two main factors driving the increase: the district wants to open the long-dormant Colony High School to ninth- and 10th-grade students and officials want to reduce the pupil-teacher ratio by one student per classroom districtwide. Opening the school will cost an estimated $2.2 million. At the same time, the district has found itself in the midst of a population boom. The Valley has 24 regular public schools, an alternative school and a correspondence program with total projected enrollment for next year of almost 10,000 students. By comparison, enrollment at the beginning of last fall was approximately 9,300 students.

No buyer found for closing mill

Friday came and went, and so did 34 years of history at Matanuska Maid Feed Mill in Palmer. The plant, in steady operation since 1957, closed its retail office for Good Friday under the orders from the state Division of Agriculture. The feed mill had been losing a lot of money - from $8,000 to $15,000 - and the state could no longer justify subsidizing the operation, state agriculture officials said last month. Officials were hoping a private company or individual would make an offer to purchase the mill before Friday's closure, but no one came forward to beat the deadline, Division of Agriculture Director Frank Mielke said. The mill will remain open for wholesale sales until its inventory is exhausted.

Shot eagle recovering

A bald eagle injured by unknown shooters almost two weeks ago is recovering and eating after being left for dead. The mature male bald eagle suffered .22-caliber gunshot wounds when two juvenile white males reportedly shot the bird near Lucille Lane off the Parks Highway in Wasilla. An anonymous caller reported the shooting to Alaska State Troopers. When troopers arrived at the scene, there were no suspects around and the bird was found clinging to life in nearby brush. The eagle was injured most heavily in the left shoulder joint with hemorrhaging in the chest cavity. Last week, the bird was feeding himself. "He's holding his own," caretaker Dr. Jim Scott said. The bird was coughing Sunday afternoon, but scolded Scott on Sunday, explained the veterinarian, who took it as a good sign.

It cost what?

According to advertisements, in 1991 you could:

• Fly round-trip to Hawaii for $279.

• Purchase a portable word processor for $359.99.

• Buy a 2-Lux VHS camcorder for $899.99.