(Lizzy Hahn/ Chilkat Valley News) Assembly member Mark Smith talks during the assembly meeting Tuesday, March 10, 2026 in Haines, Alaska.

Severance tax fails 

A flurry of final votes on major legislation, all coinciding at Tuesday’s meeting, came at somewhat of an inconvenient time. As has become familiar in recent weeks, the assembly requires four votes — a majority of the full body — to pass legislation. That remains the case even with assembly members…

Will Steinfeld is a documentary photographer and reporter in Southeast Alaska, formerly in New England.