State troopers, Mat-Su emergency dive team rescue boy stuck in mudflats near Matanuska River

Over the weekend, Alaska State Troopers and Mat-Su Emergency Diver Rescue were called in to rescue a boy who was stuck in the mudflats near Milepost 32 of the Glenn Highway in the Matanuska River. According to an online dispatch, at approximately 12:50 p.m. Saturday, AST received a report that a juvenile male was stuck in the mudflats in the river about 1.5 miles downstream from the Glenn Highway Bridge. Troopers and a Mat-Su Emergency Services Dive rescue team responded to the location after receiving the notification of a boy who became stuck in the mud about waist deep. “With the use of portable water pumps responders were able to safely extract the juvenile around 4:30 pm. He was flown in DPS HELO 3 to a Mat-Su area hospital for treatment of minor injuries and has since been treated and released,” the release wrote.
Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman

A new storm could hit parts of Western Alaska pummeled by last month’s typhoon remnants

A storm is on track to hit a portion of the area pummeled last month by the remnants of Typhoon Merbok. National Weather Service meteorologist Scott Berg said the new storm developing in Russia is anticipated to move north of the Siberian Peninsula toward Alaska midweek. “And as it does that, it’s going to bring some strong southwesterly, south winds into areas —basically areas from Norton Sound north to Point Barrow,” he said. Berg said as the front makes it inland, winds will turn more westerly, and some storm surge is expected. “We’re looking right now at it being basically minor coastal flooding, but there could be quite a bit of erosion with the wind waves on top of the surge that may occur,” he said. Berg said erosion could be worse due to damage done by last month’s major storm.
KTOO-FM 104.3 Juneau

Follow Up: Forestry wildfire mitigation programs still underway in Alaska’s Interior

The Alaska Division of Forestry and Fire Protection (DOF) has been taking advantage of favorable conditions to continue burning piles of black spruce slash cut in recent years as part of wildfire mitigation programs for the community of Anderson and the Fairbanks North Star Borough. DOF’s Fairbanks Area Forestry office has burned over 900 piles, each about 10 feet around and four feet tall, completing their work near Milepost 4 of Goldstream Road in two parcels north of the road: one 16-acre parcel north of Clifden and Molly roads, and a 10-acre parcel south of Ballina Road. Firefighters have extinguished and mopped up the burned piles and will continue to monitor the area to ensure that nothing rekindles.
Alaska Wildland Fire Information