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.

City of Palmer Finance Director Gina Davis has worked in the city finance department for over 15 years. She says that the department makes sure that public funds are responsibly managed. This means that revenues are collected and expenditures are tracked.

The city operates about a dozen funds. Each has its own account to track. The funds cover everything from the general fund to enterprise funds like water, sewer, and the airport.

Palmer’s 2025 audit received an unmodified opinion from the auditors. This is the highest level of assurance an auditor can give. It means that the city’s financial records accurately reflect its operations, funds were properly accounted for, and grant requirements were met.

Davis noted the temporary increase in the city sales tax is from 3% to 4%. The additional funds will help pay for construction of the new library. The sales tax will return to 3% in fall 2027.

Businesses collect the tax from customers and remit it to the city. They self-report the sales tax collected. It’s an honor system. However the possibility of an audit helps ensure compliance.

Davis explained that even temporary vendors operating within Palmer city limits are required to collect and remit city sales tax. This includes vendors at Friday Fling and the Alaska State Fair.

Palmer utilizes online systems for payment of utilities and sales taxes. Folks can still mail a check or or stop by city hall. Gone, though, are the days when people lined up at City Hall to pay at monthly deadlines.

Automated reminders also make compliance easier for businesses.

Property taxes work differently. The Mat-Su Borough collects both borough and city property taxes and distributes Palmer’s share back to the city each month. Palmer sets the city property tax rate at three mils. This is separate from the borough mil rate.

Residents inside the city pay both borough and city property taxes. Borough residents outside the city may instead pay fees for road or fire service areas. Their total tax rate may be less, the same, or more than what city residents pay.

One of the biggest changes in recent years has been the collection of sales tax for online purchases. Palmer joined the Alaska Remote Seller Sales Tax Commission in 2019. The city has received more than $1 million annually from taxes on remote sales since 2023. Davis says the program creates a more level playing field for local businesses who have to compete with online retailers in addition to providing revenue to the city.

City staff have started preparing the 2027 budget. The city manager will present the proposed budget to the City Council in October. Davis encouraged residents to attend or watch the public meetings. They provide insight into how local governments balance priorities and make financial decisions.

Enterprise funds, such as water, sewer, and airport operations, are largely self-supporting through the fees they collect. Other revenue sources include police citations and payments from the borough for fire services provided outside the city limits.

Davis emphasized that Palmer remains financially healthy. The city maintains a positive fund balance, or reserve. This is built when annual revenues exceed expenditures.

The full interview with Palmer Finance Director Gina Davis is found on bigcabbageradio.org in podcasts.

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.

Mike Chmielewski 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 Monday July 27, 2026.

Holly A. Bell

Holly A. Bell is an award-winning novelist and amateur voice actress. Following a 17-year business career, Holly settled in Alaska as a professor of business and economics and an administrator at the University of Alaska Anchorage.

Image/Photo/Text Credit: authorpages.com

Join us this week as we look at the federal connection to increasing rates of congenital syphilis and taxes on hockey gear. We also play Who Said It and read what George Washington said about political parties in his Farewell Address.

Taylor Raftery

Photo/Image Credit: Mat-Su Trails & Parks Foundation

The Mat-Su Trails & Parks Foundation partners with organizations and local governments on projects and efforts that expand and enhance the Mat-Su Valley’s network of trails and parks.

Join host Mike Chmielewski and his guest, Palmer’s Mayor Jim Cooper. Listen in as the Mayor gives an update on local construction projects and a preview of this week’s Celebrate Palmer Festival.

Image Credit: Greater Palmer Chamber of Commerce

Jim Cooper, Mayor of Palmer

Photo Credit: City of Palmer