Palmer City Manager Kolby Zerkel

Photo Credit: Mat-Su Sentinel 

Tim Zalinger had been doing construction work off and on for about 20 years. He saw lots of good stuff get dumped. Too many old cabinets, fixtures, and tools that were still usable were hauled off to landfills. Zalinger had an idea. 

He knew of stores that recycled those materials in other places. But not Mat-Su. So Zalinger decided to start a store here. He started the nonprofit Matsu Valley Rebuild.

There are lots of thrift stores with household items like furniture and artwork here. The Valley lacked any source for used construction materials before Matsu Valley Rebuild.

Our reporter visited the store. He saw sheets of plexiglass, lots of light fixtures, and some nice kitchen cabinets, including one set with vertical slots for dinner plates. All for sale. A customer asked about concrete siding. 

Matsu Valley Rebuild has changed locations twice since opening. It quickly outgrew the original space at the Trinity Lutheran Church. It moved to a warehouse in Wasilla. Then the owner sold the building.

The nonprofit purchased the property on the Palmer Wasilla Highway. Zalinger expects it to stay put.

Donations come in at a steady clip. Zalinger’s favorites are the antique tools. He also loves one-of-a-kind light fixtures. He’s happy whenever something sellable arrives that could have ended up in the landfill.

Zalinger is a man with lots of ideas. He hopes someday to have volunteers to pick up used construction materials. He hopes to offer bicycle repair classes and workshops on repairing things. 

He even hopes to have a deconstruction crew. Imagine a team of people who would come to you, take apart your old shed, garage, even an old house, and salvage what was possible.

But Zalinger isn’t rushing into these projects. His approach is slow and steady. He likes that the customer base is building slowly, maybe one new customer a day. That way, the nonprofit can grow at just the right speed. 

One dream almost came true this year: a tool library. When it opens, you’ll be able to borrow tools just like borrowing books from a library. Zalinger was ready to go and then the storms last winter interrupted. There’s an outbuilding by the parking lot, on its side with a slanted roof pointing down at the ground. That was going to be the tool library.

Zalinger is nonplussed. When he’s ready, he will hire a crew to rebuild. 

Meanwhile, stop by Matsu Valley Rebuild. They have screws, lumber, light fixtures, windows and doors, bathroom fixtures and more… 

It is open Wednesday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and on Saturday from noon to 5 p.m. Donations are accepted during store hours until 4 p.m. The store is at 12151 East Palmer-Wasilla Highway, just outside Palmer. Check out matsuvalleyrebuild.com for what they accept.

Page 2 airs weekdays at 7 a.m., 9 a.m., 11:50 a.m., and 6 p.m.

Tune in at 89.7 in Palmer, 89.5 in Sutton, 88.3 in Chickaloon and Glacier View or online at bigcabbageradio.org.

Please support Page 2 News and Big Cabbage Radio. Become a member: Donate today at bigcabbageradio.org. 

David Cheezem reported this Page Two article and yours truly, Lee Henrikson produced it. If you have an idea for a Page 2 topic, please email us at page2@radiofreepalmer.org.

That’s it for today and the news on Page Two on Friday July 31, 2026.

Join host Mike Chmielewski and his guest, Fred Becker V, Executive Director of the Mat-Su Food Bank. Fred is the recipient of the 2026 Bert Hall Award. Listen in as he describes his work at the Mat-Su Food Bank.

Fred Becker is awarded the 2026 Bert Hall Award

Fred Becker was presented this year’s Bert Hall Award at the Foundation’s annual membership meeting on June 8, 2026. In his acceptance speech, he honored the MatSu Food Bank team and board of directors, sharing that dignity and respect continue to guide their work in the Mat-Su. The MatSu Food Bank works to eliminate hunger and build lasting food security by providing reliable, barrier-free access to nutritious food and essential resources. Learn more about the MatSu Food Bank on the Mat-Su Food Bank’s website: matsufoodbank. org

Image and Text Credit: Mat-Su Health Foundation/ Food Bank of Alaska

Here’s a look at some of the happenings in the Greater Palmer MetroPlex for the weekend headed our way.

The Field Day at the Matanuska Experiment Farm and Extension runs from 2 to 6 p.m. today. Learn about the research at the farm at this free educational event. The event includes talks by agriculture researchers and farm tours. Dress for the weather and be prepared to walk up to a mile. All children must be accompanied by an adult and no dogs please. Find more information on the Matanuska Experiment Farm and Extension Center Facebook page.

The Palmer Museum of History and Art welcomes Artist of the Week Samantha Vetter tomorrow at 11 a.m. The landscapes, wildlife, and outdoor adventures of Alaska inspire this Palmer-raised artist. Come experience her collection and celebrate the beauty of the birds, forests, and wild places of Alaska

Tomorrow brings us one of the most anticipated musical acts of the Summer. The Reverend Peyton and His Big Damn Band play the Musk Ox Farm. They have been featured in Rolling Stone Magazine, have had #1 records on the Billboard Blues Charts, and have been nominated for three Blues Music Awards by the Blues Foundation in Memphis. Wow!

We are lucky to have them play here before heading over to Salmonfest. Matt Hopper and the Roman Candles will open the show. Gates at the Musk Ox farm open at 6:30 p.m. and the music starts at 7 p.m. Get the details at muskoxfarm.org.

Get ready for the Palmer FFA live auction on Saturday. Support hardworking students, agriculture, entrepreneurship, craftsmanship, and the future of Alaska agriculture. Auction items include livestock, plants, woodworking, welding, artwork, and student-built projects by Palmer FFA students.

Previews start at 11 a.m. and the live auction begins at noon at the Palmer High School Ag Building. All proceeds support Palmer FFA students and agricultural education opportunities. Come bid.

The Hatcher Pass Races return on Saturday for the fleet of foot type. These races are a staple in the Alaska running community. They feature an incredible location and an intense elevation gain and loss. For race details, sign-up, parking and start locations go to the ultrasignup.com website and search for Hatcher Pass Races.

Tow Letston and Ned Gaines play the Hatcher Pass Lodge on Saturday from 4 to 7 p.m.

The Eklutna Village Pow Wow & Potlatch runs 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. The theme is “Restoring Our River – 97 Years Later.” Join Eklutna Village in celebrating culture and community. Enjoy traditional dance and drum groups, cultural and educational vendors, a memorial tent, youth activities, drawings, and great food.

Eklutna Village is located at Mile 26 Glenn Highway. Follow the signs to the Pow Wow grounds. More details on the Native Village of Eklutna Powwow Facebook page.

The return of sunshine, Reverend Peyton, a crazy 50 mile foot race and a pow-wow. That’s a recipe for a tasty weekend in anyone’s book. Get outside, learn something new, get some live music into your soul and have a most excellent weekend.

Have a great day and a better tomorrow.

Page 2 airs weekdays at 7 a.m., 9 a.m., 11:50 a.m., and 6 p.m.

Tune in at 89.7 in Palmer, 89.5 in Sutton, 88.3 in Chickaloon and Glacier View or

online at bigcabbageradio.org.

Please support Page 2 News and Big Cabbage Radio. Become a member: Donate today at bigcabbageradio.org.

Keith Peticolas reported this Page Two article and yours truly, Lee Henrikson produced it. If you have an

idea for a Page 2 topic, please email us at page2@radiofreepalmer.org.

That’s it for today and the news on Page Two on Thursday July 30, 2026.

Palmer Mayor Jim Cooper discusses the recent city council meeting for July 28th. 2026, on this week’s Mayor’s Minutes with host Mike Chmielewski.

Mayor Jim Cooper

Photo Credit: City of Palmer

Does 75 degrees feel really hot to you? We Alaskans are tough and resilient at 40 below but give us sunny and 70 degrees and we start to wilt. It’s no laughing matter. Heat causes health problems and kills more people worldwide than any other weather-related event.

Alaskans are prone to feeling the heat. When the sun comes out, we want to soak it all in. We spend the long summer hours outside.

Temperatures can rise abruptly and our bodies have a hard time adjusting. The sun heats us up more because of its low angle. It beats down on our whole body, not just our head. Not just our bodies get hot. Our homes get hot. They are built to keep heat in and have no air conditioning.

Alaskans experience health problems at temperatures that wouldn’t bother people in the Lower 48. Emergency room visits increase in Anchorage and the Mat-Su when temperatures exceed 70 degrees. Heat messes with our hearts, our lungs, our organs, even our brains and mental health.

People with underlying medical conditions are especially vulnerable. Dehydrated lungs make asthma worse. Blood is pushed to the skin to dump extra heat. The heart must pump harder and this amplifies heart problems. And although we think of pneumonia as a winter disease, it increases in hot weather. Dehydrated airways are prone to infection as they struggle to keep up with an increased heart rate.

Even medications are affected by heat. Some are effective. Others counter what the body is doing to stay cool.

Heat records are being set in the Mat-Su. The hottest recorded year was 2016. The hottest month and day were in July 2019. You remember that one. Temperatures almost reached 90 degrees. Stores ran out of box fans and families crowded at lakes to cool off.

Heat events are becoming more frequent in Alaska. The National Weather Service has decided to start issuing Heat Advisories, yes Heat Advisories in Alaska. The advisories are triggered when two or more days have high temperatures.

The temperature triggers for the advisories are location specific. Heat Advisories occur in Palmer, Wasilla, or the Butte when temperatures reach 75 degrees or higher. Sutton, Chickaloon, Glacier View, and Hatcher Pass need to reach 80 degrees. Portage, the southern Kenai Peninsula, and Kachemak Bay are under Heat Advisories when temperatures reach 70 degrees.

Outdoor physical activity should be limited when there is a Heat Advisory. Stay hydrated and stay cool. Check on neighbors. Don’t leave pets and kids in vehicles.

Heat can lead to heat exhaustion and heat stroke. Heat exhaustion causes heavy sweating, muscle cramps, dizziness, and a racing pulse. Cool down and hydrate or heat exhaustion can worsen to heat stroke.

Heat stroke is deadly. The body can’t cool down when it experiences heat stroke even if it is moved to a cool place. The victim will be feverish with dry, hot skin. Medical attention is needed quickly to prevent unconsciousness and perhaps death.

It feels great to soak up the heat but learn the danger signs and listen to Heat Advisories. Love the summer but respect the heat. Let’s celebrate and enjoy the projected warm weather and be aware of its possible effects.

More information is available at weather.gov/afc/heatadvisories

Page 2 airs weekdays at 7 a.m., 9 a.m., 11:50 a.m., and 6 p.m.

Tune in at 89.7 in Palmer, 89.5 in Sutton, 88.3 in Chickaloon and Glacier View or online at bigcabbageradio.org.

Please support Page 2 News and Big Cabbage Radio. Become a member: Donate today at bigcabbageradio.org.

Kendra Zamzow reported this Page Two article and yours truly, Lee Henrikson produced it. If you have an idea for a Page 2 topic, please email us at page2@radiofreepalmer.org.

That’s it for today and the news on Page Two on Wednesday July 29, 2026.

(photo credit: Musk Ox Farm, Palmer, AK)

Join host Ken Hoffman and his guests Abby and Janice Raisanen of 5 Acres and Beyond Family Farm as they discuss small family farming in Alaska and the upcoming 4H and FFA farm auctions

Image and Photo Cedit: 5 Acres & Beyond Family Farm

Amy Gorn with the Mat-Su Health Foundation joins host Mike Chmielewski to discuss her work with the Healthy Families program and the state-wide Summer Camps the program sponsors

Amy Gorn

Interim Senior Program Officer, Healthy Families

Health starts with access to basic needs. The Mat-Su Health Foundation supports organizations that ensure people in the Mat-Su have access to affordable food, housing, and water, as well as to education, employment, healthcare, and places to play.

Photo/Image/Text Credit: Mat-Su Health Foundation

What does the term “Public and Charitable” mean?

The Alaska Department of Natural Resources, known as DNR, has a statute that allows land to be transferred from the State of Alaska without a competitive bidding process if it serves a public use and is in the public interest. It’s called the Public and Charitable Use of land.

DNR has applied this statute at least eleven times in the last ten years. Through it, state land has been leased, sold, or conveyed at no cost for public and charitable use. 

Most parcels are less than 15 acres.  They include a community space in North Pole, a public park in Delta Junction, and a fire hall in Tolsona.  600 acres were conveyed this year for a trailhead in the Butte. Land may be conveyed to cities or boroughs to fulfill municipal entitlements. 320 acres were transferred to the City and Borough of Wrangell.

Political subdivisions of the state are allowed to apply. This is how boroughs and cities qualify.  As a public corporation of the State, AIDEA also qualifies. 

AIDEA is the  Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority. It has applied for a DNR Public and Charitable Use land transfer for almost twenty thousand acres in the Mat- Su. Over seven thousand of those acres are wetlands. AIDEA would then sell or lease the land for commercial ventures.

AIDEA seeks to establish an industrial district in Houston. It would, quote “catalyze private investment”  unquote by building warehouses, gravel pits, and utility corridors. It could be a site for microgrids, energy storage, and data centers.

DNR needs to determine whether the intended use of the land would be for public benefit. Does a commercial industrial park qualify under the Public and Charitable Use statute?

DNR must decide whether this conveyance to AIDEA qualifies as a Public and Charitable use of land.  

DNR’s initial answer is yes. They justify it through the argument that the terms Public Interest and Public Purpose are mentioned in both DNR’s Public and Charitable Use statute and the language that created AIDEA. DNR also states there is a public benefit of construction jobs and the diversification of  the economy. 

The final decision matters because the answer may set precedent.

The project is commercial in nature. It is different from previous projects approved through the DNR Public and Charitable land use conveyance.

The size of the land conveyance is an order of magnitude greater than any previously conveyed.

AIDEA is clearly different from “political subdivisions” such as boroughs and towns. It is run by a Board of Directors, not publicly elected officials. In 2025 it reported over one billion dollars in assets and over $250 million in unrestricted cash.   

AIDEA was created in 1967 and has financed or facilitated financing for dozens of multi-million dollar projects. It does not appear to have received land through the Public and Charitable Use process, although it did apply over ten years ago for a lease of fifteen acres of land on the North Slope to build a liquefied natural gas plant. The project was abandoned before the lease was approved.

Should an Alaskan statute meant to ease the cost of land to be utilized for parks, community halls, and public utilities be used to transfer land at no cost for a commercial venture?

What precedent is being set? Where  may it lead in the future?

DNR is accepting comments on the proposed land transfer until August 19. You can send comments to dmlwprogramsupport@alaska.gov.

See bigcabbageradio.org  for the email link, the DNR Preliminary Decision, and the AIDEA application 

Page 2 airs weekdays at 7 a.m., 9 a.m., 11:50 a.m., and 6 p.m.

Tune in at 89.7 in Palmer, 89.5 in Sutton, 88.3 in Chickaloon and Glacier View or online at bigcabbageradio.org.

Please support Page 2 News and Big Cabbage Radio. Become a member: Donate today at bigcabbageradio.org. 

Kendra Zamzow reported this Page Two article and yours truly, Lee Henrikson produced it. If you have an idea for a Page 2 topic, please email us at page2@radiofreepalmer.org.

That’s it for today and the news on Page Two on Tues. July 28, 2026.

Photo is from a 2024 presentation by the Land Conveyance Section of the Division of Mining, Land, and Water of DNR.

Join Dr. Jill Valerius and host Lee Henrikson as they conclude a 2-part discussion on the pros and cons of Sunscreens.