Two tribal council members were reelected and one new member was seated in the Chilkoot Indian Association’s elections this month, with four candidates running for three open seats. New tribal council member Aubrey Katzeek was the top vote-getter with 63 votes. Incumbent council members Gwen Sauser and Georgiana Hotch won reelection with 61 and 52 […]
Posted inLocal News
Ministerial association holds annual blessing of the fleet
The Haines Ministerial Association held the blessing of the fleet Monday, an annual remembrance of community members lost at sea and a prayer for safety in this year’s season. A still afternoon at the Haines Harbor, the ceremony included a reading of names of those lost. The bell at the presbyterian church up the hill […]
Posted inLocal News
Beerfest 2026: By the numbers
$5,000 – the rough amount that Chef Travis Kukull spent on the Gourmet Brewers’ Dinner. He spent around $540 on jams, $1,100 on beef cheeks and $1,100 on cheese. Kukull bought a lot of little blocks of gjetost cheese, worth over $500, from Whitehorse, which he drove to pick up. The dinner featured appetizers as […]
Posted inEducation, Local News
State school funding helps but questions linger
The Haines Borough School District will likely see a funding boost from the legislature’s new budget, but may not know the final amount until after the next school year starts. In recent months, superintendents across the state have advocated for more funding from the state, including Haines superintendent Lilly Boron, who called the situation “dire” […]
Posted inDuly Noted
Duly Noted: Hidden paintings, fast runners and more
David Young Nanney, Jr., owner of the Chilkat Eagle B&B and long time Haines resident, died on May 13, 2026. A full obituary will follow. Jeff Evans was back in Haines for a magic show at the library kick-off for the children’s summer reading program. Participants earn prizes for reading through the summer. The window […]
Posted inLocal News
Chilkoot campground closed indefinitely
One of the most widely used campgrounds in the Chilkat Valley is closed. The Alaska Division of Parks, part of the Department of Natural Resources, has decided not to open the Chilkoot Lake State Recreation Area campground this summer “[It’s] kind of an alarming development,” said borough mayor Tom Morphet during Tuesday evening’s assembly meeting. […]
Posted inTourism, Local News, Transportation
Cruise passengers weigh-in on Haines, tourist attractions
Monday welcomed in the first real summer weather of the year, and the first real summer crowds: more than 2,000 passengers off Cunard Cruise Line’s Queen Elizabeth. Currently, there are just a handful of those high-volume, 2000-plus passenger days each year in the Chilkat Valley. That could change, as the community draws closer to a […]
Posted inNews
This convicted felon gets $1 million a year to sell obsolete internet service. You pay for it.
Slow internet? Read the text-only version. This article was produced for ProPublica’s Local Reporting Network in partnership with the Anchorage Daily News. Sign up for Dispatches to get our stories in your inbox every week. At the beginning of his three-year federal prison sentence for felony tax evasion, Roger Shoffstall lost his telephone privileges when a guard caught him […]
Posted inSoutheast News, Local News
Tour boat freed after being stranded in the Chilkat River Flats
A commercial tour boat ran aground during low tide Friday on the Chilkat River Flats near Pyramid Island. According to Haines Harbormaster Henry Pollan, no passengers were on board the Alaska Excursions vessel, just a captain and crew members. The vessel Klondike Kate set anchor and waited until the boat floated to start heading back […]
Posted in2026 Governor's Race
For Alaska’s gubernatorial candidates, a sprint to find running mates
Matt Heilala, a Republican and a podiatrist, says he’s running to be the next governor of Alaska, and he’s put up real cash to back it up: He’s invested more than $1 million of his own money in his campaign. But officially, Heilala isn’t a candidate. And he won’t be until he’s found someone to […]