The number of out-of-state workers in Alaska is continuing to rise and is near an all-time high, according to a new report published this week by the Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development. In 2024, almost 23% of non-federal jobs in Alaska were held by someone who did not live in the state. Nonresidents earned roughly […]
Posted inLocal News
CIA negotiates deal with American Cruise Lines
On the heels of the Haines Borough’s negotiations with American Cruise Lines falling through, the Chilkoot Indian Association is finalizing a similar deal with the company at the tribe’s Portage Cove dock. The company, in an effort to expand its small cruise-ship operations in Southeast Alaska, has been pursuing docking deals with nearby governments, including […]
Posted inDuly Noted
Duly Noted: Birthdays, basket-weaving, brunch and more
Former Haines Sheldon Museum Director Cindy (CJ) Jones hosted a brunch for former and current museum staff. Historically, she has organized a Christmas party well before January, but was out of town for most of December. Soon after returning to Haines, Jones ran into Blythe Carter, who kindly reminded her about the missed event. Jones […]
Posted inLocal News
Upper Valley residents come to the rescue after Haines school bus gets stuck
Late in the afternoon on Jan. 20, a Haines school bus making a turn in a driveway near 34 Mile of the Haines Highway got stuck. According to witnesses and the school district, the driver – Gary Grogan – was turning in a driveway and the back end of the bus got stuck. “That neighbor’s […]
Posted inLocal News
Local theatre group announces auditions
Lynn Canal Community Players has announced auditions for a play debuting in late April. The production is “Rumors” by Neil Simon, a comedy which will co-star eight cast members, with two additional supporting roles. In the play, four couples find themselves in an anniversary party gone awry. The play is a “farce,” a specific genre […]
Posted inLocal News
Chilkat Valley Pick.Click.Give. nonprofits listed
The Alaska Permanent Fund Corporation’s Pick.Click.Give program is in full swing as residents file for their Permanent Fund Dividends. Alaskans can donate $25 or more of their PFDs to eligible nonprofit causes during the online application process which ends on March 31, 2026. The Alaska Permanent Fund Corporation manages the 50-year-old fund which, as of […]
Posted inLocal News
State reverses cuts to senior benefit program
The state is reversing cuts to a benefit program for low-income seniors, governor’s office spokesperson Jeff Turner said this week. The program in question, the Senior Benefits Program, is run by the Alaska Department of Health and pays a set amount per month to low-income seniors. This year, that amount has been between $125 and […]
Posted inEnvironment & Natural Resources, Local News
State seeks to expand logging in Haines State Forest, some question economics
Proposed changes to Haines State Forest management could roll back restrictions on logging across wide swaths of the Chilkat Valley. But some say economics — not just government regulation — is preventing large-scale logging returning to the area. It’s been a half-century since the Chilkat Valley’s timber boom, which spiked in the early 1960s before […]
Posted inLocal News
Advisory committee, borough manager question Forestry consultation process
The Upper Lynn Canal Fish and Game Advisory Committee met four times in January, in part to talk about how the state is approaching changing its management of the Haines State Forest. Now the committee is set to meet again, this time with staff from the state Division of Forestry on Monday. That meeting comes […]
Posted inLocal News
Borough says Verizon 911 calling issues resolved
An issue with Verizon customers in the Chilkat Valley having problems calling 911 has been resolved. Haines Borough IT contractor Austin Neal said dispatchers reported audio quality issues with Verizon wireless 911 calls on Tuesday. “Calls were still coming in, but sometimes the audio was only one-way,” he wrote. Staff sent out an emergency alert […]