James Boon Ackerman was born Nov. 19 at Anchorage’s Alaska Native Medical Center to parents Sue and Tim Ackerman. James weighed seven pounds and nine ounces, and measured 20 inches. Grandparents are Tim Sr. and April Ackerman, and Miguel and Wanpen Ordonez. James has a 16-month-old brother, Timothy Mikael “JJ.”
Odis and Debby Ganey are moving back to Klukwan to pastor at the Assembly of God Church. The Ganeys served as pastors at the church from 1996 to 2000 before being reassigned to Anchorage. Odis said he and Debby have commitments through September 2016, so they will be in and out of Klukwan until then. Their son Michael Ganey lives in Haines with his wife Melissa and their four children.
Genny Rietze surprised husband Harry Rietze for his 30th birthday with tickets to Sunday’s Seattle Seahawks football game. The two run Haines Packing Co., including a storefront in Whitehorse, Y.T. On Friday, Genny told Harry they needed to pick up freight at the Whitehorse airport. In the parking lot, she surprised him with the tickets, and they flew to Vancouver, where Harry was greeted by three friends. In Seattle, the group met up with Harry’s sister Libby Rietze, brother-in-law Ben Kagy, and cousins Mark Putney and Emily Putney for the game, which the Seahawks won 29-13 against the San Francisco 49ers.
Jila, Mike, Allison and Willa Stuart recently returned from a week-long trip to Disney World and Universal Studios in Orlando, Fla. Highlights included meeting all of the princesses at Cinderella’s castle and eating at Epcot’s International Food and Wine Festival, which featured fare from more than two dozen countries. Jila and Willa liked the more low-key rides and shows, including “For the First Time in Forever: A Frozen Sing-Along Celebration” and Universal’s “Wizarding World of Harry Potter,” while Mike and Allison went on the rollercoasters.
Several Haines fishermen attended the Pacific Marine Expo in Seattle last weekend, including Norman Hughes, Cynthia Adams, Gary Graham, Ronald “Skipper” Sparks and Sabine Sparks. The annual event, also known as “Fish Expo,” includes more than 450 exhibitors of industry-related equipment, education sessions and other daily events. While in Washington, Hughes went skiing with former Haines resident Paula MacKenzie, and visited mother Colleen Hughes, sisters Annette Hughes and Claire Hughes, and brothers Joe Hughes and Mark Hughes.
Shannon Donahue recently returned from her fourth year teaching the Great Bear Foundation’s annual Polar Bear Ecology Field Course in Churchill, Manitoba. Donahue is the foundation’s executive director. The group of 35 spent five days in Churchill, where they saw 16 polar bears in the first three hours. They also saw a red fox kill a snowshoe hare. At one point, Donahue had to chase off a bear that was trying to get on the bus. During the trip, Donahue also stopped in Seattle to visit with friends Sam Edwards and Lindsey Moore, and in Missoula to attend a Great Bear Foundation board meeting.
Marnie Hartman’s parents Brenda and Gil Hartman of Decatur, Ala., visited Haines for 11 days, a trip they make every year. Gil helped Marnie with several house projects, and the two went snowshoeing to Lily Lake. They visited the Haines Brewing Co. – where Brenda enjoyed the root beer – and the Port Chilkoot Distillery – where Gil liked the Boatwright Bourbon. Commercial fisherman J.R. Churchill sent the Hartmans back to Alabama with a box full of frozen Alaska salmon.
Alisha Young’s volleyball team went undefeated to win the Fort Lewis College Women’s Intramural League tournament. Alisha, a Haines High School graduate, played alongside former high school competitors Krista Bontrager of Juneau-Douglas High School and Loni Buness of Wrangell High School. Alisha is a junior studying graphic design and will leave in January to study abroad for a semester at the University of Central Lancashire in Preston, England.
The Haines Borough Public Library jumped from a four-star library last year to a five-star library this year, according to the Library Journal’s Index of Public Library Service. The index compares libraries of similar budgets based on four criteria: circulation, library visits, program attendance and public Internet computer use. Six Alaska libraries received star ratings, though only Haines, Delta Junction, Sand Point and Unalaska received five-star ratings.
Amy Ware of Homer visited friend Jillian Rogers for four days. The two visited Steve Kroschel’s Wildlife Center, went cross-country skiing and sang karaoke at the Harbor Bar. Ware also visited the Haines Animal Rescue Kennel and spoke with Tracy Mikowski about how the nonprofit is run. Ware, who is currently a teacher, is trying to start a similar rescue organization in Homer.