Josh Dryden could become the next police chief of the Haines Borough if a contract agreement is reached with the current acting chief and is approved by the assembly. Manager Annette Kreitzer said she met with Dryden on Feb. 5 and presented a proposal. Dryden told CVN on Tuesday he is reviewing the contract and […]
Posted inNews, Local News
Small Tracts chimney fire leaves house uninhabitable
A tenant in a house on Small Tracts road noticed a fire early Thursday morning and called Haines Volunteer Firefighters around midnight. When they arrived there were “open flames coming up out of and around the chimney,” said Chief Brian Clay. Twelve volunteers responded and split into teams – one attacking the roof and the […]
Posted inBlotter
Police Report: Jan. 28-Feb. 3
Sunday, January 28An alarm was reported at a business.Caller reported a vehicle abandoned on the road near their residence.Caller reported smoke in the area.An avalanche was reported blocking the highway at 21 Mile Haines highway.Flooding was reported at 4 Mile Lutak road.Monday, January 29A flashing red light was reported at a water/sewer pump station.A rock […]
Posted inLetters to the Editor
Assembly meetings aren’t for personal beefs
I’m disappointed that the mayor’s refusal to allow a citizen the floor at the Jan. 22 assembly meeting has generated debate about citizen’s First Amendment Right to free speech (Mike Denker, letter of 2/1). The assembly meetings are business meetings. They are not forums for citizens to bring forward their personal issues with individual assembly […]
Posted inLetters to the Editor
Advisory council should be maintained
I was the Lead Park Ranger in Haines from 1977-1983 and I was in the room when language for the legislation that created the Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve and the Haines State Forest was developed. It was an endeavor that brought all interests together to resolve the deadlock over logging in the Chilkat Valley. The […]
Posted inNews, Health
Alaska must face food stamp litigation after a year of stays, court says
In January of last year, 10 Alaskans sued the state because they said the Department of Health failed to provide food stamps within the time frames required by federal law. The state has been able to push pause on litigation since last year, but now it has to begin the process. District Judge Sharon Gleason wrote in […]
Posted inNews, Health
Homelessness and other stressors linked to Alaska’s continued surge in syphilis at birth
Ten Alaska babies were born with syphilis last year, continuing a surge that puts infants at grave health risks, state Division of Public Health officials reported recently. The 2023 cases of congenital syphilis – the version of the sexually transmitted disease that is spread by pregnant women to their fetuses – were all reported to infants “born […]
Posted inCommentary
Herz: A dispatch from Canadian coal country
A few months ago, I was on vacation in Vancouver, riding a bike along the north shore of the city’s harbor. It’s Canada’s largest and a major port, with cranes and warehouses along the water’s edge and cargo vessels anchored offshore. At a certain point, I took a look back toward the water and beheld […]
Posted inNews, State of Alaska
Some skepticism as Gov. Mike Dunleavy proposes biggest use of executive power in decades
In an unusual use of executive powers, Gov. Mike Dunleavy this month issued 12 executive orders abolishing state boards and granting new powers to the heads of state departments. The orders, which account for almost 10% of all executive orders issued since statehood and are equal to the number of all executive orders issued in […]
Posted inHaines Herring
Haines Herring: The week’s weather report
Today, there’s a 100% chance of weather. There’s also a 50% chance that 100% of the forecast is wrong. There’s a 50% chance that it’s already started raining by the time you finish reading this. Tomorrow, there are increasing levels of confidence that the sky is blue but since no one has seen it for […]