Local News

Transmission Line Problem Causes Outage

Shortly after 6:00 pm on Thursday, about 7,000 Matanuska Electric Association customers from Houston north lost power.  At the same time, areas of Fairbanks and North Pole also lost power.

Shortly after 6:00 pm on Thursday, about 7,000 Matanuska Electric Association customers from Houston north lost power.  At the same time, areas of Fairbanks and North Pole also lost power.

MEA’s Director of Public Relations, Julie Estey says the outage is due to an issue with the Alaska intertie, the transmission line that runs from Anchorage to Fairbanks. She says that MEA and Municipal Light and Power are both checking the line.

There are unconfirmed reports of a lightning strike near the line in the Houston area. Estey says that it might be possible to re-energize the line if there is no damage. If there is damage, then it may be possible to back-feed from generators that are currently spinning up in Fairbanks.

Read More

Su Valley Voice for August 20, 2026: River Erosion

This week on Su Valley Voice, the topic was erosion issues near Talkeetna. Host Phillip Manning was joined by guests from the Mat-Su Borough and Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities to discuss the current situation and plans.

By Phillip Manning
Live KTNA 88.9 FM