Scott Blair with My Favorite Reality

Image Credit: My Favorite Reality

Leah Corbin & Kiara Biggs with Spring Creek Farm on the Kellogg Campus join host Ken Hoffman on this episode of Ag Matters to discuss ongoing activities at Spring Creek Farm.

Image Credit: Spring Creek Farm

The Mat-Su Borough Water Rescue Team, Emergency Medical Services and Butte Fire Department conducted complex rescue operations in the Jim Creek and Knik Glacier areas this past weekend.

The first incident occurred in the Knik Glacier area. A side-by-side vehicle rolled over into fast-moving water, resulting in injuries to the occupant. The rescue was prolonged and technically demanding. Water levels were rising rapidly due to increased glacial melt from warm temperatures. These conditions meant that traditional access methods, including ATVs, were ineffective.

The Matu-Su Department of Emergency Services personnel and the Water Rescue Team deployed specialized resources. These included a rescue airboat and an aluminum-hull jet ski. First responders utilized the smaller rescue craft to transfer EMS personnel and equipment to the patient.

The patient was assessed and stabilized after rescue personnel ferried EMS providers and medical equipment to the scene. Helicopter evacuation was determined to be the safest course of action to bring the patient to the hospital due to the severity of injuries and the remote location. The Rescue Coordination Center was contacted and Pararescue Jumpers were deployed. The Jumpers extracted and transported the patient to medical care.

A second incident occurred in the Jim Creek area involving a truck that became disabled during a water crossing while the first rescue was underway. The occupant became stranded in rising waters.

Resources staged for the first rescue, along with additional responders, rapidly redeployed. Utilizing a nearby rescue craft, crews quickly reached and safely recovered the individual without injury.

Department of Emergency Services leadership said, “These incidents highlight not only the inherent dangers of recreating in glacial river environments, but also the dedication, skill, and seamless coordination of our responders.”

DES encourages extreme caution when recreating on ATVs in the backcountry of Alaska. Water crossings are inherently risky. Conditions change rapidly. They can impact even seasoned outdoor enthusiasts. Rescues are difficult and time consuming.

It’s Wednesday. The Matanuska Community Farmers Market is open today from 4 to 7 p.m. in the parking lot of the Log Church.

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.

This Page Two article was summarized from a Mat-Su Borough press release and produced by yours truly, Lee Henrikson. 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 June 24, 2026.

Come to Big Cabbage Radio starting this week!

You’ll hear an eclectic range of music every week from singer-songwriters to bluegrass and Celtic. Listen to Traveling Music Thursday nights at 8, and Saturday afternoons at 4 on Big Cabbage Radio.

Tune in 89.7 in Palmer, 89.5 in Sutton, 88.3 in Glacier View or online at bigcabbage.radio.org.

image credit: Shonti Elder

Jessica Clarkson, Director of R.O.C.K. Mat-Su, joins host Mike Chmielewski to discuss R.O.C.K. Mat-Su and the work the organization does here in the Mat-Su valley.

Palmer Municipal Airport is entering its busy season according to Airport Superintendent John Diumenti in an interview on Big Cabbage Radio last Friday.

The airport has seen an increase in aviation activity with the arrival of summer weather. Aircraft that spent much of the winter and spring parked are now in use. Forestry operations are at full strength for the wildfire season. Local flight schools are busy, and recreational pilots are taking advantage of favorable flying conditions.

The unusual aircraft currently operating from Palmer is the fleet of Single Engine Air Tankers, or SEATs. These firefighting planes are equipped with floats that skim lakes, rivers, and other water sources. They collect water through a system that uses the aircraft speed and aerodynamic principles to fill onboard tanks.

The smaller size of the SEATs allows them to access water sources that larger firefighting aircraft cannot use. This means faster turnaround times when fighting wildfires. Larger aircraft such as the Q400 airtankers must return to tanker bases like Palmer to refill with water or fire retardant.

Diumenti also provided updates on airport development projects. Mat-Su Valley Avionics is expanding its operations. It plans to construct a new hangar. However, a new federal review process requires environmental and historic preservation analyses before airport development can proceed.

The new process adds time and complexity. However, the Federal Aviation Administration is working to move the project forward.

Another project is the airport lighting system. Construction is scheduled to begin this week and will occur in three phases of about 45 days each. The project will replace the aging lighting infrastructure with modern equipment, including LED technology. The completion is scheduled for December. However, Diumenti acknowledged that weather conditions and equipment changes could push the work into next year.

The most significant development on the horizon is the long-awaited Palmer Airport Master Plan. The FAA grant needed to launch the planning effort has been submitted. City officials expect to receive funding approval soon. The planning process could begin before the end of summer after the grant is approved by the City Council.

The master plan includes public participation. Initial work will focus on assessing existing airport conditions and identifying future needs. Community members, airport users, and local stakeholders will be invited to share their perspectives on how the airport should develop in the coming years. The resulting plan will guide future investments, infrastructure projects, and operational improvements.

Diumenti noted that Palmer is in a unique position because both the airport master plan and the city’s comprehensive plan are being developed around the same time. He encouraged residents to participate, emphasizing that this is an important opportunity to help shape the future of both the airport and the community.

Looking at current airport activity, Diumenti says overall traffic appears steady, though there has been an increase in larger turboprop aircraft such as King Airs and Caravans. He attributes this to expanded maintenance services and increased aviation business activity on the airport’s south apron.

Airport officials are focused on balancing current operational needs with long-term planning. They want to ensure that the airport remains a valuable transportation and economic asset for the region as the aviation sector of Palmer continues to grow.

The full interview with Diumenti is on bigcabbageradio.org under Inside the City 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.

This Page Two article was reported by Mike Chmielewski and produced by yours truly, Lee Henrikson. 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 Tuesday June 23, 2026.

Image credit: Air Tractor Inc.

It’s time for Page Two: News that might not make the front page for Monday Jun 22, 2026.

A moose calf was stranded on a gravel bar in the middle of the Matanuska River at milepost 71 of the Glenn Highway last Thursday. Cars stopped at the pullout. People were looking at the calf. The river was rushing by on both sides. The current was fast enough to make anyone think twice about jumping in.

One person said the mother had made it to the highway side of the river earlier. She called for the calf, but it was spooked by the people and traffic. Another reported the calf had been crying and trying to cross.

On Friday morning the calf was still there. Only now the river was higher. An adjacent gravel bar was under water. It had been visible Thursday. There was less dry land for the calf to move around on.

It was resting. Observers worried that it would get too weak to swim to shore. They wondered how to help. Rafters were camped on the opposite bank a few miles upstream. No one knew how to reach them to see if they could help.

Who helps wild animals in trouble?

Calls went out to NOVA Alaska Guides. They operate a river rafting business in Glacier View. Calls went out to the Mat-Su Borough rescue divers, the Mat-Su Borough Animal Control, the Chickaloon Village Tribal police, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, and colleagues that might have a raft.

No one could help. Either it wasn’t their jurisdiction or they couldn’t spare the people, or no one answered the phone on the holiday. State and Federal offices were closed for Juneteenth.

The Borough Animal Control was sympathetic. If it was the calf of a domestic cow they could get it. But not a wild moose calf. A State Wildlife Trooper was loading up a truck in Palmer. He was asked about helping. He was heading out the Glenn past mile 71. He said, “We just let nature take its course.”

The Matanuska River is eating towards the highway at mile 71. The bank is steep with big rocks. The calf would have had to swim at least a half mile downstream before there was a place to get up on shore. It wasn’t looking good for the little guy.

The water level had come down by about 2 p.m. on Friday. A resident said, “The calf walked upriver in the middle of the river, then tried to get to the woods on the highway side. Got caught in the currents and swam right past me. It ended up on an island downstream.”

Rumor has it that the calf may have been rescued by people with a red raft. A raft on a trailer was parked at the pullout Friday afternoon. A few hours later, the raft and trailer were seen heading towards Palmer and the calf was gone from the gravel bar.

If the rafters did rescue the calf, they must have quite a story to tell. If they, or anyone who witnessed the rescue, would like to tell it, they can reach out to us at manager@radiofreepalmer.org.

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.

This Page Two article was reported by Kendra Zamzow- and produced by yours truly, Lee Henrikson. 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, June 22, 2026.

(Photos: 1. View of the gravel bar across the river. The calf is the small dot below and to the left of the notch in mountains and to the right of a washed-up log. 2. Closer view of calf. 3. Calf caught in current. 4. Calf heading for a gravel bar. Photos by K. Zamzow and F. Barker)

This week, we review Trump’s plan to require grants and scientific research to pass his political litmus tests, we discuss the dismantling of Ocean Station Papa, the most sophisticated deep-sea monitoring system off Alaska’s coast, and we consider the Constitutional basis for federal funding of science.

Join host Emily Forstner as she interviews Mat-Su School Superintendent Dr. Randy Trani for Inside the District. Together, they discuss the June 3rd. Mat-Su Borough School Board meeting.

Mat-Su School Borough Superintendent Dr. Randy Trani

Photo Credit: Mat-Su School Borough

Join host Mike Chmielewski and his guest, John Diumenti, Superintendent of the Palmer Municipal Airport, as they discuss several types of aircraft at the airport and provide updates on the Airport Masterplan.

Image Credit: Mat-Su Sentinel