Haines Police were criticized when a garbage bear shot at the Haines School Oct. 25 escaped into nearby woods, but police department chief Gary Lowe last week said the officer involved followed department procedures and was using the right weapon. “When you’re in town, at a distance of 50 yards or less, a 12-gauge shotgun with slugs is […]

The “Lighting of the Fort” will be back with a bang on Saturday, Dec. 4, at the Fort Seward parade grounds. “It starts at 5 o’clock sharp,” said coordinator Annette Smith. “The great cannon here in front will blast, and all the lights of the fort will come up.” Fort Seward has hosted the celebration […]

The Nov. 26 “Lighting of the Library” raised about $3,300 for the Friends of the Library. More than 150 people attended the annual event at the Haines Borough Public Library, said Sara Chapell, Friends of the Library president. “Attendance was definitely up over last year,” she said. This year’s theme was “Home for the Holidays.” Volunteers contributed […]

The Haines Borough Assembly Tuesday adopted an ordinance that will increase pay for the assembly and Mayor. The change will cost the borough an estimated $11,172 annually. The assembly approved the ordinance by a 4-1 vote, with member Scott Rossman opposed and Greg Goodman absent. Assembly members have been paid $100 for assembly meetings, and Jan Hill, as Mayor, earned […]

Tlingits saw Pleiades, a constellation in the northern sky known as “The Seven Sisters,” as a sculpin placed in the heavens by Raven. Some western Alaska Natives described the cluster of stars as a “bundle of codfish” and the Inupiats of Barrow saw in the same stars a polar bear hunting scene. The lore of […]

“Gold Rush: Alaska,” a reality TV show featuring a crew of greenhorns who worked a gold claim in the Porcupine mining district last summer, airs Friday night on the Discovery Channel. Ten episodes are planned. Clips from the show posted on a series website promise drama, as well as dramatic narration and music to sauce […]

Haines needs to attract more industry in the face of a decline in North Slope oil production and potential cuts to federal entitlement programs that could deliver a double blow to the local economy, according to the Haines Chamber of Commerce’s economic development committee. In a five-page October report to the Haines Borough Assembly on the group’s […]

An apparent drop in the number of king salmon spawning in the Kelsall River is likely the result of years of clearcut logging in the drainage, and the area should be taken out of state plans for future harvest, according to Lynn Canal Conservation. State studies have shown the Kelsall produces half of all king salmon that return to the Chilkat River. State biologists […]