An Anchorage Superior Court judge on Thursday put on hold through the end of the school year a ruling invalidating two provisions of state law governing correspondence education. Judge Adolf Zeman issued a hold, known as a “stay,” requested by plaintiffs on a ruling he made in April, that found the state violated the Alaska Constitution by providing […]
Posted inSports
Glacier Bears track and field prepares for home meet with small, dedicated team
The Glacier Bears track and field team is smaller than it’s been in the fast few years, but that hasn’t stopped them from turning heads at a recent meet in Ketchikan. The Bears posted several top performances, including a clean sweep of the girls triple jump, a division-best time in the boys 300-meter hurdles, and […]
Posted inNews
Haines assembly cleared of ethics complaints
The attorney’s memos — a total of 19 heavily annotated pages — found that the members actions did not constitute ethics violations, since the assembly members couldn’t be considered to have a “substantial financial interest” in the vote.
Posted inLocal News, Tlingit Language, Haines Borough
Haines signs altered, welcome people to Deishú
The “Welcome to Haines” signs at either end of town got a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it makeover over the weekend, but have since been restored to their original form. At some point last week, someone modified them to welcome people to Deishú, a word that means “End of the Trail” in Tlingít. It’s often used as the Tlingít […]
Posted inNews, Local News, Transportation, Business & Commerce, Tourism
There’s a ‘small possibility’ Haines could get an early cruise ship this weekend
Staff from the Cruise Line Agencies of Alaska reached out to Haines this week to find out if the Port Chilkoot Dock could handle a cruise ship this weekend. And it could happen a few times over the next few weeks as the new float for Skagway’s ore dock is still en route to the […]
Posted inSoutheast News, News
Alaska House passes bill that would put more guardrails on property assessments
The Alaska House of Representatives passed a bill on Wednesday that would put more guardrails around the state’s property assessment process. Last year, many residents in Juneau and Haines said they saw steep jumps in their property assessments — large enough that some questioned whether their assessors were being transparent and fair. Rep. Julie Coulombe, an Anchorage […]
Posted inCourts
Alaska tribal health consortiums are legally immune in many cases, state Supreme Court says
The Alaska Supreme Court overturned a 20-year-old precedent Friday by ruling that Alaska Native tribal organizations can more easily receive the kind of sovereign legal immunity that individual tribes have. Friday’s 4-1 decision means the tribal consortiums that provide health care for tens of thousands of Alaskans — both Native and non-Native — are largely immune from civil […]
Posted inEnvironment, News, Southeast News, Wildlife
Juvenile whale caught in heavy fishing apparatus freed by team effort
It took a village to save a juvenile whale in October of 2023, one that involved collaboration between people and agencies, and extended as far as a NOAA expert in Maui. That’s the story of “SEAK-5490,” a juvenile humpback whale who was successfully freed from crab fishing lines near Gustavus earlier this month. The effort […]
Posted inNews, Southeast News, State of Alaska, Alaska Marine Highway System, Transportation
Strained Alaska Marine Highway scales back marketing to tourists
Problems with the Alaska Marine Highway System’s operations and aging fleet are so acute that marketing efforts to potential visitors outside Alaska are being intentionally scaled back, Marine Director Craig Tornga said during an online open house meeting on Monday. “Because of our reliability with the fleet we have consciously pulled back our advertising in […]
Posted inNews, Southeast News
Public input sought as Tongass begins revising 25-year-old forest plan
For the first time in more than two decades, the U.S. Forest Service is revising the official forest plan that guides land management on the Tongass National Forest, and the public will have an opportunity to weigh in on those revisions. The agency is starting a multi-year process to adapt to significant changes in Southeast […]