Four Haines High school students recently traveled to University of Alaska Fairbanks for a two-week summer program to prepare them for life after high school. Kaylah Moseley, Robin Oaks, Gauge Christensen and Milo Jensen lived in the UAF dorms and took part in the Upward Bound math and science summer experience. The summer program “Your […]
Posted inLocal News
After years of decay, Mosquito Lake baseball field gets a facelift
It’s mid-morning on a Sunday in early July and Julie Korsmeyer has given up on a posthole digger. Instead, she kneels down and sticks her arm deep into the ground of the Mosquito Lake baseball field, to clear the last of the dirt out of the way for a wooden fencepost. Nearby, Jim and Deb […]
Posted inLocal News
Assembly Briefs: The Lutak Dock, cell tower regulations, historical preservation, sales taxes and boat storage
Lutak Dock Good news on the Lutak Dock has been hard to come by in recent years, but there seemed to be some of it last month when interim manager Alekka Fullerton announced the borough and dock contractor Turnagain Marine had agreed on a new design concept that would fit within the borough’s budget. That […]
Posted inEducation, Local News
Citing high costs, Haines school district suspends bus service
With less than a month before the first day of school, up to 30 students who normally rely on a bus will have to find other ways to get to and from the Haines School. That announcement came this week as Superintendent Lilly Boron started calling families who use the bus to let them know […]
Posted inEducation, Local News
Haines borough elementary students improve in reading, mirroring state results for K-3rd grade
Alaska students from kindergarten to third grade showed overall improvement in reading proficiency last year, according to preliminary data from the Alaska Department of Education and Early Development. DEED reported an overall increase in reading proficiency from the beginning to the end of the school year, for the second year in a row. “So year […]
Posted inLocal News
Borough staff to redact some permit documents after ongoing scam targets residents
Scam emails have targeted at least three people who applied for permits with the Haines Borough Planning Commission. The threat prompted borough staff to redact previously public information to avoid revealing personal information online that could be used to target someone in an attack. Haines borough IT contractor Austin Neal said the scam targets people […]
Posted inEnvironment, Southeast News
Forest Service flight moratorium lifted in Southeast Alaska
The U.S. Forest Service has received approval to resume aviation operations in Southeast Alaska after a flight moratorium that halted much of the forest management work across the region’s remote federal lands. “The Tongass National Forest has recently received approval to move forward with securing aviation support for its work,” Paul Robbins Jr., Public Affairs […]
Posted inDuly Noted
Duly Noted: Watermelon eating contest, a visiting trivia hero, competitive croquet, hazardous waste and an high-profile internship
The Victory Garden at Mosquito Lake work party and BBQ featured a dessert auction, a watermelon-eating contest and a community meeting with Mayor Tom Morphet. Morphet also participated in the watermelon-eating contest, as “Chompin’ Tom Morphet,” but he was no match for Austin “the belly-ache” Finnan. Finnan walked away with a free day at the […]
Posted inObituaries
Tom Healy remembered as approachable, open and kind.
A memorial party for former Haines, Skagway and Palmer municipal administrator and manager Tom Healy (74) was held at Woadie’s in Skagway on June 21. Healy died peacefully in Palmer on May 14 of complications from blood cancer. Healy’s public memorial service noted his pragmatism, diplomacy, patience, tact and goodwill. Tyler Healy praised his father’s […]
Posted inThis Week in History
This Week in History: Forking, hobbits, and a bridge over the Chilkat River
20 Years ago: Police are investigating an incident of “forking” last weekend in Fort Seward. Someone stuck about 750 plastic forks in borough assemblyman Norm Smith’s lawn Saturday night, where he found them the next morning. “The tines were stuck into the ground like they were growing,” he said. It wasn’t the first time Smith […]