About a week ago, someone surrendered two large rabbits to the Haines Animal Rescue Kennel. They don’t often get rabbits in, but it’s not unheard of. Shelter manager TeoLani Baker said they had one over the summer. “But it turned out to be somebody in town’s. It was on a long walkabout,” she said. Shelter […]
Posted inLocal News, Haines Borough
Bell steps down as head of harbor department
After nine years as harbormaster, Shawn Bell is stepping down on Oct. 31. He’ll still be a borough employee as he took a job as a heavy equipment operator I, said interim borough manager Elke Doom. It’s not clear what drove Bell to move on; he did not return a phone call or message seeking […]
Posted inObituaries
Joanne Beckwith dies in Montana
Joanne (Reichert) Beckwith was born August 12, 1936 in Helena Montana. Joanne and her husband Ronald Reichert moved to Haines Alaska in 1974 where they raised their family. Joanne was a devoted, fun, loving mother to her 6 children. She loved going to all home basketball games and hosted many pizza, sledding parties as well […]
Posted inLocal News, Wildlife
Hunters take 22 moose, 2 illegal
The Alaska Department of Fish and Game counted 22 moose taken during the Haines area moose hunt this year. Two of them were illegal and later given to the local school districts for processing. Of the legal moose, five met the spike or forked antler configuration requirements, six had three or more brow tines and […]
Posted inLocal News, Environment & Natural Resources
A record breaking snow storm?
An early, heavy snowstorm blanked parts of the Chilkat Valley late last week. Local forecasters and weather experts said while it was an unusual event, historic data shows that it’s not entirely unheard of in the region. Even though the National Weather Service was not predicting a big storm at the time, Eric Stevens was […]
Posted inGovernment & Elections, Local News
After closed-door session, new assembly fires borough clerk
After just 11 weeks on the job, Kristine Kennedy is out as borough clerk. The Haines Borough Assembly fired her during its Oct. 22 meeting without cause after a closed-door executive session. Initially, Kennedy said her preference would be to have the meeting in public. The assembly justified going into executive session by citing an […]
Posted inNews, Courts, Economy
Alaska’s top marijuana, alcohol official resigns to become administrative law judge
The executive director of the Alaska Alcohol and Marijuana Control Office has resigned to become chief judge of the Office of Administrative Hearings, which handles most initial challenges to state administrative actions. Joan Wilson, the former director, had served as the state’s top alcohol and marijuana official since being appointed by Gov. Mike Dunleavy in April 2022. […]
Posted inNews, Government & Elections
Alaskans to vote on measure raising the minimum wage and mandating paid sick leave
Alaska voters will weigh in on a ballot measure that would increase the state’s minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2027 and require that workers get paid for up to seven days that they are off sick. To backers, Ballot Measure 1 is about fairness for workers and overall state economic vitality. “Fair wages and benefits make our […]
Posted inDuly Noted
Duly Noted: Student government and local gourmets
Three students from Haines attended the Alaska Association of Student Governments in Delta Junction recently. Selby Long, Maddox Rogers, and Aimee Lahr headed first to Fairbanks with their adviser Alex Van Wyhe and chaperone Pam Long. There they did a campus tour of UAF with Selby’s brother, Haines graduate Jackson Long. Then the group traveled […]
Posted inLocal News, Tourism
Haines resident pitches accessible rock climbing, hiking tour above the Taiya Inlet
An area of the Haines State Forest in Taiya Inlet could be open to amateur rock climbers and hikers if a newly-pitched tour gets permitted and developed. A Haines-based company, Halutu Sky Walk LLC, has applied for a land use permit with the state’s Department of Natural Resources proposing a via ferrata route and use […]