Real estate agent Jim Studley said Picture Point owner Roger Beasley is interested in working with the Haines Borough to acquire two scenic pullouts there, including terms that would provide time for the municipality to use scenic highway funds for a purchase. “We’ve offered a very liberal acquisition process,” Studley said in an interview. Picture Point has […]

A planned meeting to discuss designating a portion of the Chilkoot Lake watershed a state recreation site or state recreation area has been postponed until further notice. State Rep. Bill Thomas, R-Haines, said this week that the replacement of state parks director James King will delay consideration of the idea. “(Parks officials) thought it best that we just […]

Loss of cruise ship head tax revenues and a leaner proposed spending plan by Alaska Gov. Sean Parnell will likely equate to a drop in state spending on local projects. “It’s early yet, but the concern is we’ve done well in Haines the last six years. We’ve been averaging $10 million to $13 million. It’ll […]

The Haines Borough Assembly Dec. 14 approved resolutions that ranked 2011 federal and state legislative priorities. The capital budget priorities for the Legislature, in order, were road upgrades, boat harbor improvements and the Lutak port facility master plan. “I always remember this list being way longer than this,” said member Scott Rossman. Borough manager Mark Earnest said he had consulted State […]

The Alaska Public Offices Commission last week rejected a staff recommendation to dismiss the bulk of allegations against the Bill Thomas campaign for a series of “thank-you” ads published last summer in the Chilkat Valley News. The commission also ordered a new investigation report of the matter. The ads were organized by Jim Studley, a Thomas campaign […]

The state’s Division of Parks will seek authority on the Chilkoot River Road, investigate bear-viewing platforms or elevated walkways, and pursue funding for a management plan of the area following a crowded Dec. 3 meeting in Haines. The state may try to get more “bear monitors” in the area next summer as an interim measure. […]

State Rep. Bill Thomas, R-Haines, at a Nov. 29 Haines Chamber of Commerce lunch discussed the impact of Southeast population declines and his new position as co-chair of the House Finance Committee. “I tell people, ‘In all honesty, I don’t think Haines realizes what a co-chair of finance means,’” Thomas said. “It’s big. It’s huge. Like […]

The Alaska Public Offices Commission heard testimony Friday involving a complaint against five Haines individuals for a series of 17 ads featuring state Rep. Bill Thomas, R-Haines, that appeared last summer in the Chilkat Valley News. The five-member commission is expected to act on the matter in the coming weeks. Complainant Linda Kellen, an Anchorage activist […]