Posted inFeatured, Local News, News

Borough clashes with FEMA, Klukwan over canceled funding

The Haines borough manager said she thinks the Federal Emergency Management Agency erred when it found that the borough had broken federal rules in rebuilding Porcupine Trail Road last summer.  In a Dec. 22 memo, FEMA wrote that the borough, through its contractor Southeast Road Builders, had violated the conditions of its $1.4 million grant. […]

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‘Feels like a whole new school’: Klukwan school energized for new year

Each morning, students at Klukwan school begin the day by gathering in the cafeteria, sitting in a circle and reciting a Tlingit chant: “Our grandparents’ language/ It is inside us/ Our language is getting stronger/ It will go on forever.” The students then peel off to one of three classrooms, staffed by new teachers who aren’t entirely […]

Posted inLetters

Stand with Klukwan, Salmon Strong

Permanently storing toxic mine waste near the Klehini River? Many thanks to Haines Borough Assembly Members Debra Schnabel and Ben Aultman-Moore for hand digging through a pile of double speak and conflicts of interest. Might Dowa-Alaska’s new proposal for drilling and seismic testing near the Klehini River relate to siting a future mine tailings facility? After about ten minutes […]

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New Klukwan preschool boosts low enrollment

Klukwan reopened its preschool this week after four years without a program. The move could boost enrollment at Klukwan School, which has struggled with low student numbers in recent years. The preschool runs Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Free morning transportation, lunches and snacks are provided by the Chilkat Indian Village of Klukwan (CIV). The […]

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Klukwan, conservation groups appeal mining wastewater decision

he Chilkat Indian Village of Klukwan (CIV) and several conservation groups have appealed a recent state decision to approve a revised wastewater discharge plan at the Palmer Project, an exploratory mining operation northwest of Haines and Klukwan. In the appeal request, lawyers with Earthjustice argued that Constantine Mining, which operates the Palmer Project, needs a permit under the […]

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New superintendent garners warm welcome at Klukwan school

2022 school year enrollment remains low Low enrollment again this year could threaten state funding for Klukwan School, but a new superintendent has brought about a wave of optimism among families and administrators who last year were concerned the school would close. Ralph Watkins, who became superintendent in June, has embodied a stark shift in the district’s […]

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Sealaska publishes rare biography of Chilkat weaver from Klukwan

Chilkat weaving is one of the most demanding and complex weaving techniques in the world, yet it has received relatively little attention from mainstream historians. That lack of research inspired Zachary Jones, a U.S. National Park Service museum curator based in Anchorage, to write the first-ever biography of Clara Newman Benson, a Klukwan artist who was one […]