Major party candidates vying to represent Haines in the Alaska Legislature have no opponents in Tuesday’s primary election. Incumbent Rep. Bill Thomas, R-Haines, will face challenger Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins, a Democrat from Sitka, in November’s statewide election to represent House District 34. Incumbent state senators Albert Kookesh, D-Angoon, and Bert Stedman, R-Sitka, will face off to represent […]
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Posted inNews
Third Avenue paving earmark lost
The Haines Borough will redouble efforts to secure $900,000 in funding for paving of Third Avenue after losing a federal earmark for the work. Funds for the work were removed from the federal Denali Commission. An Aug. 2 report by the U.S. General Accounting Office said the federal Department of Transportation properly redirected the money to the […]
Posted inLetters to the Editor
Thomas has public service experience
I have been a registered Republican for almost 60 years. For the first 10 years, I voted a straight Republican ticket. Afterwards, I almost always split my vote. I have voted for Democrats such as Al Kookesh, Tony Knowles, Bill Clinton and others. I did not vote for Mark Begich but probably will at the next election if there isn’t a real strong Republican candidate […]
Posted inNews
Service groups talk of merging efforts
Representatives of four Haines service organizations met Wednesday and discussed pooling volunteers and partnering to keep groups and events afloat in the face of aging memberships, declining volunteerism and a tightening economy. The meeting drew about 15 representatives of the American Legion, Legion Auxiliary, Emblem Club and Uglys of Haines, as well as Haines Borough mayor Stephanie Scott and […]
Posted inNews
Sidewalks, curbing may be expanded
State Department of Transportation officials this week said they’re hoping to secure money to expand curb and sidewalk replacement work adjacent to downtown paving this summer. “It’s looking pretty good but it’s still a week out before we could say one way or another,” said DOT Southeast director Al Clough. Money for the work would […]
Posted inNews
Residents to Fish and Game: Protect wild red runs
Residents at a June 6 meeting in Haines said they were afraid the state was repeating mistakes of the past, including boosting fishermen elsewhere at the expense of the valley’s wild sockeye stocks. Concerns included missed escapements at Chilkat Lake in recent years and relatively low numbers at Chilkoot Lake. The meeting, called by Haines Borough officials, included […]
Posted inNews
Partial sidewalk work irks leaders, merchants
State Rep. Bill Thomas, R-Haines, said this week a patchwork replacement of sidewalk and curbs downtown can’t be fixed this year, due to funding constraints. “It’s looking semi-tacky now, but it’s a start. If we finish the job next year, it’ll be okay,” Thomas said about a state Department of Transportation paving project that’s replacing only […]
Posted inElections, News
Haines, Juneau unlinked under new district plan
The path to re-election for State Rep. Bill Thomas, R-Haines, cleared a bit this week, as the Alaska Supreme Court reversed course and approved a redistricting plan that keeps Haines separate from Juneau. The state’s high court on Tuesday said a redistricting plan it ordered last week might violate the federal Voting Rights Act requirement for […]
Posted inNews, Elections
House district tilts toward Juneau
Haines would be included in a state House of Representatives district dominated by voters from Juneau’s Mendenhall Valley under a new plan adopted Monday by the Alaska Redistricting Board. The news triggered concerns among Haines leaders that the town could lose clout in the Alaska Legislature wielded by state Rep. Bill Thomas, R-Haines, who co-chairs the […]
Posted inNews
PC Dock rebuild will wait until 2013
Bolstered by an additional $3.4 million in funding secured by state Rep. Bill Thomas, R-Haines, the Haines Borough has nearly $6 million to devote to rebuilding the Port Chilkoot Dock. The project, initially scheduled for this summer, will wait until 2013 to coincide with about $1 million in improvements to the municipality’s Letnikof Dock, harbormaster Phil Benner said […]