Chilkat Valley News - Serving Haines and Klukwan, Alaska since 1966

We’re publishing a story this week on Haines Borough fund balances to shed light on an element of the annual budgeting process that doesn’t get...

By extending a $53,000 “courtesy” bonus to police chief Gary Lowe, the Haines Borough Assembly last week bankrupted arguments that the... Full story

There was never a Chilkoot Lake Ice Classic, though Ted Gregg thought there should have been. Ted stood up at a Haines Chamber of Commerce meeting in... Full story

To demonstrate their respect for the law, Haines Borough leaders should refer the complaint against outgoing police chief Gary Lowe to the Alaska... Full story

As a matter of policy, the Chilkat Valley News does not publish allegations from anonymous sources. People accused of wrongdoing, we believe, deserve... Full story

The Haines Borough Assembly’s personnel committee should reduce allotted leave in the manager’s contract during its upcoming review of that...

Haines Borough Police Chief Gary Lowe this week told the borough assembly that I “threatened” him with negative coverage if he didn’t provide...

We ask that you look at the Babbling Book advertisement on page 8 of this newspaper. It’s the first part of a CVN advertising campaign to...

Some readers complained this week that my story and headline last week about the state trooper’s report on the Oct. 23 drowning death of Ted Lynch w...

A local motor vehicle tax to help clean up junked vehicles isn’t a bad idea, but critics seem to be saying they’d like to see the Haines Borough...

A photo posted during her remembrance ceremony in August showed a teenage Harriett Jurgeleit and her younger sister hiking on a ridge of Mount Ripinsk...

Like math students who must “show their work” when solving problems, leaders elected by the public are required to make their decisions in public...

Fall fishing in Haines is a long tradition and growing attraction. We can make it just right by addressing basic needs. Garbage cans and restrooms...

It’s typical for newspapers to reveal government secrets. That’s the role of the press in a free society: To tell people what’s going on, not...

Haines schoolmates of Eric McDowell this week described him as a role model and valued friend....

This week’s story about a high, per-capita income in Haines left us in the newsroom scratching our heads. If federal statisticians are correct,...

The Southeast Alaska State Fair seems to have hit its stride. By gradually adding rides, expanding participatory events (like this year’s Zombie...

In recent years, as the word “taxes” became lethal to political careers, savvy politicians turned to user fees to raise revenues. They hiked fees...

Haines Borough leaders need to make sure their good intentions concerning wood-pellet fuel don’t end up costing taxpayers. It’s one thing for priv...

If illegal dumping at roadsides weren’t a serious issue here, sorting through trash to identify its owner would seem a little funny, along the lines...

Whenever I start feeling that publishing a newspaper makes a difference in the world, I get news...

Instead of an old truck, suppose I owned a Bentley, a high-performance luxury car, a sophisticated piece of equipment requiring a specialized...

Haines Borough Assembly members should think long, hard and outside-the-box about their approach to hiring a new municipal manager. Since government...

In last week’s paper, we asked several Haines Borough leaders their views on what constituted economic development. Ideas ranged from attracting...

Closure of the Elks Lodge is a big loss for our community, but perhaps inevitable. Elks membership was in decline and there didn’t seem to be...