Reopening the Mosquito Lake School building may involve more than unlocking the door and turning up the heat. Haines Borough public facilities director Carlos Jimenez said this week that it’s his understanding from the state fire marshal that the building’s sprinkler system would need to be brought up to code for the structure to reopen […]
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Sosa seeks $100K for dock plan
Haines Borough manager David Sosa is asking the assembly to appropriate $100,000 from the Lutak Dock enterprise fund for continued planning and assessment of the deteriorating structure. The assembly introduced a budget amendment ordinance Tuesday that, if passed, would take $100,000 from the fund for expenses, including funding assembly member and harbormaster visits to Wrangell, Hoonah […]
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Chamber reorganizes; hires Schnabel
The Haines Chamber of Commerce is reorganizing its office functions. Barbara Mulford, president of the business group, said property manager and former assembly member Debra Schnabel has been hired as part-time administrator on a 10-month contract starting in the new year. She’ll work 20 hours per week through Oct. 31. Schnabel will work on membership outreach and […]
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Record pink return pushes raw fish tax to $438K
Haines Borough income from the state’s raw fish tax has hit a 25-year high – $438,390. That’s about twice last year’s fish tax income of $172,511 and $93,000 more than the $345,000 projected. The borough’s big bump owes largely to a record pink salmon harvest in 2013, including more than 20 million pounds of pinks […]
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Straps prohibited for long tow jobs
Using tow straps is still permitted in the Haines Borough, but Alaska State Troopers are cracking down on their use for longer trips. Trooper Drew Neason has warned a handful of motorists in recent months that using a tow strap to move a vehicle more than several hundred feet is illegal and potentially dangerous. Tow straps […]
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Audubon bird count will be held on December 27
With recent warm temperatures, the annual Audubon Christmas Bird Count on Dec. 27 could turn up some unexpected species. “We’re seeing more oddballs,” said Pam Randles of the Takshanuk Watershed Council. “Birds we wouldn’t expect at this time of year.” Since a local count started 17 years ago, species like hummingbirds and surf scoters have […]
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Day camp to teach adult dance, music
Haines Music and Dance Camp, a one-day series of workshops for adults and teens of all skill levels, will be held Sunday, Jan. 18, at the Chilkat Center. The inaugural event is aimed at expanding the knowledge and ability of residents who might not otherwise get the opportunity to learn, said organizer Sue Libenson, a […]
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Two charges in 2013 car break-ins
Eighteen months after more than 30 cars were ransacked downtown, the assistant district attorney has brought charges against two Haines men, though the charges aren’t what some might have hoped. Court documents filed Friday charged two Haines men, aged 19 and 20, for knowingly possessing stolen property. The two misdemeanor theft charges, one for each […]
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Crime, weather left mark on 2014
The Haines Borough, its school and police department, came under new management in 2014, a year marked by lopsided weather patterns, infrastructure worries and chronic crime. Acts of courage brightened a townscape clouded as much by economic uncertainty as by months of rain. Luke Marquardt ran back into a house fire to save a friend. Novice […]
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State approves electric rate hike
On a 2-1 vote, the Regulatory Commission of Alaska last week approved an 11.18 percent electric rate increase for more than 7,000 Alaska Power Company customers, including 1,450 in Haines. Users should see their rates increase by February, said Rod Crum, chief of the RCA’s consumer protection and information section. Alaska Power Company, the power […]