(Courtesy/Heather Rogers) A group of 20 from the New Hope Fellowship Church drove up to Kelsall Lake to baptize two church members on Sunday, July 20, 2025, in the Chilkat Valley.

Four Haines High school students recently traveled to University of Alaska Fairbanks for a two-week summer program to prepare them for life after high school. Kaylah Moseley, Robin Oaks, Gauge Christensen and Milo Jensen lived in the UAF dorms and took part in the Upward Bound math and science summer experience. The summer program “Your Future Role in Alaska” let the students explore options for college degrees and also introduced them to occupational endorsements and certificates programs. They participated in a day of Service, held at the USDA Food and Nutrition Services warehouse in Fairbanks. The students assembled over 300 food boxes for families in Alaska experiencing food insecurity. They also toured UAF’s engineering, mining and science departments. With the help of Upward Bound staff they explored careers and left with a strong sense of direction for their future after high school. 

Norm Smith’s daughter, Janine Wilkinson, is visiting him for a week from Cochran, Alberta. Norm Smith shared a fun fact about his daughter. She was the last baby delivered in Haines before it became common practice to travel for the birth of a child. Janine was delivered by Jean Smith and Stan Jones. While Wilkenson is in town she plans to visit friends in the area, hike and spend quality time with her dad. 

A group of 20 from New Hope Fellowship Church drove up to Kelsall Lake after church on Sunday. Pastor Sage Thomas baptized church members Kim Rosado and Jim Bussey in the lake. The group took the opportunity to enjoy a beautiful sunny day with a picnic afterwards. Plenty of swimming, fishing and fun followed. 

Perry Bemalen and Natalie Sattler had the opportunity to use Chloe Copeland’s cabin at 38 Mile for a couple of days while they enjoyed Haines and Canada’s natural beauty. The duo encountered ptarmigan, squirrels, marmots and a beaver on their visit from Sitka. Bemalen and Sattler have been trading accommodations with Copeland as well as their friend, Jolene Cox, when they travel between Haines, Sitka and Juneau. They were ousted from the off-grid cabin to make room for Copeland and her daughter PhoebeSnow Desatoff, who are are back in town. Desatoff immediately took advantage of the perfect July weather and met up with friends for some paddle boarding at Mosquito Lake. 

(Courtesy/Jessica Massey) Gauge Christensen traveled to the University of Alaska Fairbanks with a group of Haines High School Students for a summer program preparing students for life after high school, in Fairbanks, Alaska. The program, assisted by Upward Bound staff, allowed students to explore potential future careers.

Haines newest EMT is none other than Nathanael Motes. When he and his wife Jen Motes moved back to Haines, he wanted to give back to the community, and volunteering at the fire department was a natural choice. Shortly after starting as a volunteer they offered him the chance to fill in at a temporary part-time position to fill the void of people on leave. He quickly jumped into the Alaska Pre-emergency Consortium (APEC) class learning anatomy, physiology and pharmacology, and passed his state exam as well as the Nati Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians (NREMT). Motes says that he is now working on his Firefighter 1 certification and is excited to have the opportunity to be a hero in Haines. 

An “unimaginable” spelling mistake hit the front page of the Chilkat Valley News last week. Editor and newspaper owner Rashah McChesney claimed responsibility for the shocking, highly-visible mistake as she continued to edit the edition after her copy editors, Tripp Crouse and Nancy Nash had already finished looking it over. McChesney said while the derision of Nash was hard enough to bear, she is most worried about what her mother and longest-running copy-editor, Beverly McChesney, will say when she spots it.