The Kluane Chilkat International Bike Relay is full, though there are still a few slots left for solo riders. Registration opened March 15 and by Saturday, March 23 it was full. KCIBR board member and longtime racer Chip Lende said it’s normal for the race to fill up in about a week. Final rosters are far from set though. “What you find is that people who want to get into the race are not quite sure who their team members are going to be so they just get registered with a team and then they put the team together now or later,” he said. “You do see people starting to buy and sell teams.” The race is Saturday, June 15.
Haines women competed in the finals of the Gold Medal Tournament in Juneau last week. The Haines team lost, 44-74, to Prince of Wales. “It was a rough tournament, very physical,” said Hannah Mason, who was playing in the tournament for the first time. She said the Haines team of eight was the smallest in the tournament, meaning the women didn’t get a lot of rest. Still, she said the team was excited to come back next year. She said other than Sunday scrimmages in the Haines gym, the women hadn’t practiced and the town hadn’t sent a women’s team since before the COVID-19 pandemic. “In talking to some of the other ladies, we are excited for next year. We’re excited to get a little more organized,” she said. Mason said it was fun to bring kids along with them, and the Haines crew got a boost from the Glacier Bears high school players, who were passing through Juneau on their way back from the state tournament in Anchorage. In the men’s B Bracket (over 18 years old), Haines bowed out in the quarter finals with a loss to Angoon. In the C Bracket (men over 32 years old), Klukwan fell to Metlakatla in the quarter finals and in the M Bracket (over 42 years old) Klukwan fell to Hoonah in the quarter finals. James Hart played in the C Bracket. He said the finish was in the middle of the pack. “We would rather have won but that’s okay,” he said.
Artist James Hart had his art featured on the flier for the Alaska Just Transition Summit, held recently in Juneau. Hart’s blue and ochre formline design was reminiscent of a Chilkat blanket design. He said he was approached by Haines resident Leah Wagner, who works for the Just Transition Alaska, about doing the art. “I just started drawing, it was really supposed to be a warm up but then I thought more and more, ‘’This is the design I’m going to use.’” He said the figure represents an idea he had about the “changing of the guard,” which in Hart’s mind referred to the transfer of leadership to a younger generation. Just Transition works to move away from fossil-fuels to create a sustainable economy with Indigenous voices at the center. Hart said his mom, Harriet Brouillette, also attended.
Southeast Conference Executive Director Robert Venables is in town this week (Thursday and Friday) with board members and family totalling about 28 people. Venables, who used to be the former president of the Haines Chamber of Commerce and former Haines Borough Manager, told the assembly to keep an eye out for the organization’s annual survey of business owners. He said they’re also looking at energy planning for the community, and exploring the idea of low-emission or no-emission electric ferries.
Royal Henderson is working for the Democratic National Committee on the president’s re-election. His dad is Bart Henderson of Haines and Lenise Henderson Fontenot of Sitka. He is a Haines High School grad and attorney.
The deadline to file for the 2024 senior citizen/disabled veteran property tax exemption is March 31, 2024. The exemption applies to residents who were physically in their permanent residence for 186 days per year. Applications are available on the Haines Borough website. Once an application is filed, an email confirmation is sent. If you do not get one, contact the borough.
March 31 is also the deadline for applying for the Permanent Fund Dividend. All eligible Alaskans — those that were residents for the entire calendar year of 2023 — can apply online at pfd.alaska.gov. Paper applications are also available. Last year’s PFD was $1,312 but it’s still not clear what the amount will be this year. Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s proposed budget for the year would have paid out more than $3,000 to qualified residents but has gotten pushback from the legislature.