Gov. Mike Dunleavy last week released a proposed state budget which would hold funding mostly steady for many borough priorities — but only by spending half the state’s remaining savings. Under the state budgeting process, the governor is tasked with penciling out the starting point for the annual spending plan in December. In January, the […]
Posted inNews, Military
Alaska Native veterans and heirs race to apply for Native allotments
For those who haven’t filed for their Native allotments, Alaska Native veterans don’t have much time to claim 160 acres of federal land. The window for applications closes permanently on Dec. 29. ANCSA ended 1906 Native allotment program The land grants were part of a government program created over a hundred years ago, to promote […]
Posted inSoutheast News, Environment
Heat pump grants start going out in coastal communities
A program run by a pair of Alaska nonprofits has started paying out grants for new electric heat pump installations in homes from Metlakatla to Kodiak, with Wrangell also on the eligibility list. The grants range from $4,000 to $8,500 per household, depending on income, and are intended to reduce home heating costs while also […]
Posted inLocal News
State seeks comment on proposal to improve drinking water at Haines’ ferry terminal
A new project at the Haines ferry terminal could address a disinfection problem that has caused the building to be under a boil water notice since 2023. Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities and the Federal Highway Administration seek comments on a project to improve the drinking water treatment system at the terminal. The […]
Posted inNews, Health
Alaska Sens. Sullivan, Murkowski try unsuccessfully to prevent huge spike in health care costs
Alaska Republican Sens. Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan joined Senate Democrats and a handful of other Republicans on Thursday in voting to extend federal subsidies that would have prevented a major spike in health care prices at the end of the year. Sixty votes were needed to advance a bill containing the extension, but the vote […]
Posted inNews, State of Alaska
Alaska settles two lawsuits against vape companies for allegedly targeting kids for addiction
The state of Alaska has settled lawsuits against Juul and Altria, two nicotine vapor manufacturers, for a combined $7.8 million, the state Department of Law said on Friday. The suits were part of a nationwide pattern: Alaska and other U.S. states had alleged that the companies deliberately targeted children with advertising, something that likely contributed […]
Posted inSoutheast News, Environment
Abandon new Tongass management plan? Timber says yes, tribes say no ahead of meetings next week
Two meetings next week between U.S. Forest Service leadership and timber industry representatives in Southeast Alaska are raising concerns among tribal and other officials about the possibility a years-long revision of the management plan for the Tongass National Forest will be halted by the Trump administration. At least one additional meeting is now planned next […]
Posted inLocal News
Earthquake damage suspected in broken water pipe at Haines school
The vocational education building at the Haines School has been without water since Saturday when a magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck near Yakutat. Just about eight hours after that quake, and the dozens of aftershocks that followed, Haines water and sewer supervisor Dennis Durr got a call saying there was water coming up through the ground […]
Posted inHaines Herring
Cash, Hank, Zeppelin Still Top Artists On KHNS “Wrapped”
As various platforms and streaming services tabulate all the previous year’s data to show you your most played songs, videos, or paper towel purchases—local radio station KHNS’ year-end wrap-up shows that once again, Johnny Cash, Hank Williams, and Led Zeppelin are in the lead. General manager Mike Rafone said, “Since 1980, this station has been […]
Posted inObituaries
Garry Stewart remembered as a dancer, music-lover and firewood connoisseur
Longtime Haines resident Glenn “Garry” Stewart died Nov. 6 at home. Wife Kolia Ann Stewart remembers him as a man who protected her since the day they met at her favorite neighborhood bar near Los Angeles, California. “It was love at first sight,” she said of the first time she laid eyes on the tall, […]