Sean and Savannah Maidy, along with their children Piper and Rory, are quarantining with Sean Maidy’s parents, Kevin and Ann Maidy in Cary, Illinois where they’ve moved. The family took eight days to road trip south. They saw bears, bison, prairie dogs, and juvenile reindeer, said Savannah Maidy. “Caliber our dog loved it, but he wasn’t a fan of the bison.” Sean Maidy appreciates the food prices, work availability, pay rate, and the civility of the residents in Illinois. Savannah Maidy has already found employment in the customer service industry, which allows her to help Piper and Corey Maidy with distance learning, and Sean Maidy has had job offers.
Haines fishermen took advantage of an Alaska CARES Grant Webinar for fishermen, hosted by the Small Business Development Center and Alaska Department of Commerce. “The webinar was an hour-long Q and A session with the top dogs doing the policy for these grants,” said Tracey Harmon of the Haines Chamber of Commerce. Reimbursement of CARES funds for fishermen is different than for other small businesses, she said. “Some of their eligible expenses, such as groceries and freight, maintenance issues and repairs to a fishing vessel are unique to fishermen versus another business.” The chamber hopes to host another webinar geared specifically towards fishermen in Haines.
Lynn Canal Conservation and Dustin and Katie Craney of Sockeye Cycle teamed up to celebrate human-powered transport in Haines with a bike raffle. Although this event has historically occurred in conjunction with the Southeast Alaska State Fair, this year the raffle was held online. “Sockeye Cycle made possible the offering of a tantalizing prize, a Trek Verve +2 electric hybrid bike with a retail value of $2,500,” said Jessica Plachta, executive director of Lynn Canal Conservation. “We sold tickets for the month of July and drew a winner Aug. 1.” The initial winner was Clay Frick of Haines. However after Frick decided he didn’t need another bike, winner Susan Cable of Juneau was drawn. Cable is a runner and a bicyclist, but recent injuries have made these activities difficult. “Susan was thrilled,” Plachta said. “She doesn’t own a car, and the idea of an electric bike really appeals to her.”
Haines Friends of Recycling processed around 8,000 pounds of electronic waste over the last two weekends during the annual Electronic Waste Recycling event. Volunteers accepted electronics, deconstructed appliances, prepared scrap metal for shipping, crushed fluorescent tubes and captured toxic mercury, along with other necessary work involved with processing Haines’ recyclables. In the last 14 years, Haines Friends of Recycling has received 204,000 pounds of electronics.
Chad Bieberich and David Hertel have returned from more than two months of cutting timber on Prince of Wales Island. Bieberich was working at a logging camp across the water from Ketchikan, where he liked the trees and the work but had trouble sitting out the down time in camp. Hertel was working out of Thorne Bay, where he was cutting big timber in exceptionally steep terrain. It rained most days in Prince of Wales, with a few hot days interspersed. “I prefer 60s and rain,” Hertel said. “But I do get tired of being soaked all the time.”
In a cooperative effort between the Haines Borough Emergency Operations Center, the Haines Chamber of Commerce and The Haines Economic Development Corporation, personal protective equipment kits are available to businesses free of charge. The kits include disinfectant, disposable masks for customers and employees and educational material to promote safe business practices. Many businesses have taken advantage of the supplies, said Harmon. “It’s a great resource for businesses to have.” Kits can be picked up at the chamber office and HEDC office.