If you’re a low-income senior citizen or a disabled veteran and you applied for the state-mandated property tax exemption this year, then I have good news for you. For years you may have been unfairly disqualified from applying for the additional hardship exemption, because the value of your home exceeded the $250,000 limit imposed by […]
Posted inNews, Southeast News, Local News, State of Alaska, Alaska Marine Highway System, Transportation
Columbia out of service until end of the year
The Alaska state ferry Columbia — which has been out of service since late November for its annual overhaul and repairs but was supposed to go back to work this summer — will be laid up until the end of the year. Extensive corrosion in the 51-year-old ship’s fire suppression system is the reason for […]
Posted inCommentary
Imitation is not flattering, it’s embarrassing
The Republican-controlled Alaska House of Representatives last Saturday did their best impersonation ever of the U.S. House, spending all day on legislation that will never make it into law. It was the same kind of political circus that the nation has endured the past couple of years after a skinny margin of Republicans took control […]
Posted inBoarding Schools, Klukwan, News, State of Alaska
Alaska lawmakers support push to investigate, document forced assimilation in boarding schools
Alaska lawmakers overwhelmingly voted to support a federal proposal that would investigate and document the forced assimilation of American Indian, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian children in government-funded boarding schools. House Joint Resolution 17 acknowledges the trauma Indian boarding schools inflicted on Indigenous communities in Alaska and across the country, said the bill’s sponsor, Rep. […]
Posted inEducation, Local News, Tlingit Language, News, Sealaska Corporation
Sealaska launches multilingual dictionary with audio of Lingít, Xaad Kíl and Shm’algyack
There’s a new way to learn Native languages: Sealaska Heritage Institute has created an online searchable dictionary with accompanying audio. The online dictionary allows users to search words and phrases in English or Lingít (Tlingit language), Xaad Kíl (Haida language) and Shm’algyack (Tsimshian language). The audio recordings allow users to listen to heritage language speakers pronouncing words […]
Posted inNews, Southeast News, Local News, Wildlife, Environment
Fish & Game: Leave baby animals alone
By the end of the week, some of the estimated 350 moose in the Haines area could start dropping calves and state wildlife managers are asking people to leave them alone. There are a few reasons, but one big one is that cows get defensive about their calves. Alaska Department of Fish and Game wildlife […]
Posted inDuly Noted
Duly Noted: A candy-fueled Golden Circle trip, new owners for local businesses, Haines rallies for a surprise Mother’s Day cruise ship
A group of nine fourth-graders recently finished a two-day trip around the Golden Circle through Skagway and Whitehorse. Ten-year-old Piper Carlson said it was a good trip. “We did a lot of driving, but it was really fun and we got a lot of candy and sugar.”At one point Izzy Sweet was squirting a “weird Canadian […]
Posted inLocal News, Haines Borough, News
Assembly hires more oversight after surprise $2.8 million bill for Lutak Dock
Assembly members voted for additional legal review and to look into hiring new project managers after learning of a surprise bill for nearly $3 million from the contractor in charge of rebuilding the Lutak Dock. At a work session last week and at Tuesday’s assembly meeting, members and the borough’s attorney questioned the validity of […]
Posted inThis Week in History
This Week in History: Annexation, local literary excellence, and the Mount Riley Sledding Hill
50 years ago Byron I. Mallot, commissioner of the Dept. of Community and Regional Affairs, announced Monday that the Local Boundary Commission has accepted the petition of the Haines Borough proposing annexation of the southern portion of the Chilkat Peninsula. The decision was reached at a commission meeting held in Fairbanks April 26, Mallot said. […]
Posted inThank You Letters
Thanks for Hospice sale success
Thank you Haines and Klukwan for once again making the annual Hospice of Haines rummage sale a success. The funds raised are a major portion of our small budget and supports our hospice, bridge, and grief programs. It would not have been possible without over 50 hard-working volunteers, as well as support from Alaska Marine […]