Conflict between the state and a Haines Highway resident over property acquisition to accommodate the highway’s reconstruction is headed for a trial after months of failed negotiation. Although the state has the legal right to acquire private property when deemed necessary for the public good, property owner “Bud” Filipek says the state is lowballing the […]
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Posted inNews, Haines Borough
Assembly rejects taxes, leans toward cuts to close expected budget gap
Funding priorities in the upcoming budget cycle for the Haines Borough Assembly include education and public safety. For everything else, funding levels are negotiable, assembly member Paul Rogers said. An assembly meeting last week with borough department heads and Nils Andreassen, executive director for the Alaska Municipal League (AML), focused on ways the borough can accommodate state […]
Posted inNews
Flat budget still hurts, leaders say
Gov. Mike Dunleavy released his flat-funded 2021 budget last month, with the biggest threats to Haines being a prolonged hit to ferry service, a larger responsibility for school bond payments, and a one-third funding cut from the community assistance program that helps pay for areawide services. The proposed budget totals $4.5 billion in state spending […]
Posted inThank You Letters
Sauna possible thanks to your contributions
I encourage residents to try the new sauna at the Haines pool. Besides offering a respite from winter’s cold, saunas increase circulation and may also improve heart health, according to recent studies. They are an ancient and proven technology. The new sauna is also a great way to warm up before or after swimming in […]
Posted inNews
Plastic bag ban begins January 1
Beginning Jan. 1, an ordinance banning the distribution of plastic shopping bags will take effect in the Haines Borough, though some store owners say they still have questions. “I have so many (plastic) to-go bags that I’ve used before, can we use ones that have already been used?” Bamboo Room and Pioneer Bar owner Christy Tengs […]
Posted inNews
Residents felt the heat in 2019
Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s deep budget cut proposals and the ensuing battle for ferries, education, community assistance, public radio and a slew of other services dominated headlines this year. The town celebrated the Haines Glacier Bears cross country team after it won the state championship in October. The debate over borough-wide policing persisted another year. The […]
Posted inNews
Finance committee considers 1 percent art Finance committee
Similar to state law, a requirement to allocate 1 percent of a total project’s cost for art in public buildings might become codified in the borough. The assembly’s finance committee met Tuesday to discuss the proposal initiated last fall by Alaska Arts Confluence community engagement director Kerri Eggleson. Committee member Brenda Josephson said while she […]
Posted inNews
New data to drive policy making
The Haines Economic Development Corporation will use its newest data set to help answer the question: Who are the people of Haines? On Thursday, HEDC director Margaret Friedenauer presented the 2018 economic indicator report at the corporation’s annual meeting. The report is intended to give a snapshot of the Haines economy, including statistics on average […]
Posted inNews
Local groups protest Ring of Fire management plan
The Bureau of Land Management may expand allotted helicopter landings on the 320,000 acres of mountain terrain in the Chilkat Valley from 300 to 11,000 annual landings (5,500 in the Haines), though local protesters believe that might negatively affect mountain goat habitat. In October, BLM released its final environmental impact statement for the Haines amendment […]
Posted inDuly Noted
Duly Noted
Dana Noel Murray was born Jan. 7 to Cara and Rob Murray in Ketchikan. Dana weighed seven pounds, 15 ounces and measured 19 inches. Dana Noel joins big brother Taylor and big sister Eva. Cara’s mother, Cathy Houlberg, took the ferry to Ketchikan and arrived just in time for Dana’s birth. She was a great […]