This recently-launched news outlet aims to expand coverage of the Mat-Su Borough

Knik Knack Mud Shack Road successful Wasilla (Jeff Chen/Alaska Public Media)

Alaska’s Mat-Su Borough has been nan fastest increasing region of nan authorities for years, but nan magnitude of dependable media sum hasn’t kept up pinch that growth. 

The laminitis of a caller nonprofit news outlet is hoping to alteration that. Amy Bushatz is nan newsman and editor of nan Mat-Su Sentinel, an online news level aimed astatine providing section news to an area nan size of West Virginia, pinch a organization of astir 110,000 people.

Bushatz says her extremity is to thief link residents pinch their section governments, and to clasp nationalist officials accountable. 

Amy Bushatz: I’m a junkie for section news. And truthful past May, I was looking astir and I thought, you know, we don’t really person accordant authorities news sum successful nan Valley. And I really wanted to beryllium a portion of providing that because I judge section news is simply a nationalist service. Clear, consistent, connect-the-dots reporting that simply helps folks understand what’s going connected successful their section world is, successful my view, a nationalist service. And truthful I near my domiciled astatine military.com to activity connected starting nan Mat-Su Sentinel. The ADN was really wonderful, and fto maine activity arsenic their hit newsman retired present successful nan Mat-Su starting successful August. I did that done nan extremity of this May, while I developed what I was going to do successful nan Mat-Su Sentinel, and past I near that and person launched nan website.

Wesley Early: Can you picture why covering nan Mat-Su area really matters now, possibly much than immoderate clip successful nan past? 

AB: Sure, of course. The Mat-Su is not only nan fastest increasing portion of nan state, we perceive that a lot, but caller statistic show it’s nan only increasing portion of nan state. And that’s group moving from Outside, that’s group moving from different parts of Alaska, Anchorage for example, into Mat-Su. And truthful we person a organization present that is here, they’re growing, they request to cognize what’s going on. There are besides really important things happening present to meet nan request of that increasing population. It is simply a situation to beryllium a agrarian organization successful a agrarian authorities and past person a business where, each of a sudden, you person much group than you were ever expected to have. I mean, if we look backmost complete nan decades, this would, I think, beryllium a astonishment to folks. And nan measurement your authorities is group up does not needfully meet nan work needs of those populations. And nan authorities has to fig that out. 

And that’s thing that’s really important for reporters to beryllium a portion of, because if we do not study connected what authorities officials are doing — these are group we’ve entrusted to shepherd our authorities and to make laws for ourselves and to group taxation rates and each of those things — if a newsman is not watching that, past those folks are conscionable doing their job. And we’re conscionable assuming that they’re doing it successful a measurement that nan citizens and residents for illustration myself are successful support of. And whether you support it aliases not is not nan point. The constituent is knowing what’s happening truthful that you tin make a determination and support those folks accountable, that they’re doing what they said they’re going to do, aliases they’re doing things that bespeak your worth system. News is not present to show you what to do. It’s to pass you of what’s happening truthful that you tin determine that for yourself. 

WE: You mentioned you’ve already sewage a mates of stories successful nan tin complete nan past week. What are immoderate increasing news topics successful nan Mat-Su that you’re readying connected tackling? 

AB: Schools are a basking topic. Anything that touches connected improvement is simply a basking taxable because we are increasing and location are increasing pains pinch lodging and, you know, do we want aliases request zoning? How are our roads being changed to woody pinch that summation successful traffic?

And past nan different taxable that I person not reported connected but surely will travel up astir apt sooner than later is nationalist information present successful nan Valley. The borough does not person constabulary powers. We person a constabulary unit successful Palmer, location is simply a constabulary unit successful Wasilla. The borough has nan expertise to person a constabulary unit but does not person one. And truthful nan region relies connected policing and nationalist information from nan Alaska State Troopers. This is simply a situation because location are 5 to six Alaska State Troopers, that nan Department of Public Safety has told me, operating nan Mat-Su, which is an area nan size of West Virginia, astatine immoderate fixed time. And you tin ideate if there’s thing going down measurement down KGB (Knik Goose Bay Road) aliases up successful Talkeetna, that’s troopers who aren’t operating down successful nan remainder of nan area, extracurricular of those cities wherever nan metropolis constabulary unit are. And truthful it creates a nationalist information challenge, to put it lightly. And nan borough is really starting to deliberation astir tackling that. It’s been a taxable astatine Assembly meetings recently: How do we supply nationalist information for our residents, while besides not spending each of our money connected creating a constabulary force? It’s a existent push-pull, a existent hostility correct now.

Disclosure: Amy Bushatz is 1 of Alaska Public Media’s hosts for Outdoor Explorer.