The spring cleanup season this year coincided with discoveries of dumped trash and trashed areas. A retired teacher with a heart condition hauled bags of trash, an old TV and other junk from a pullout near 16 Mile Saturday, a site she said is becoming more trashed. “It’s increasingly getting worse. Last year it wasn’t […]
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Posted inNews
Chamber study quantifies nonprofit contributions
The financial impact of local nonprofits has come to the fore of political discussions in recent years, as state and federal funds dwindle and the Haines Borough questions what role it should take in supporting the organizations. A new report released by the Haines Chamber of Commerce offers perspective on how nonprofits contribute to the community through […]
Posted inNews
Chamber pushes council model for economy
The Haines Chamber of Commerce is continuing to push its goal of establishing a local economic development council, though it still needs to convince the Haines Borough to get on board with the idea. Mike Healy, president of the Skagway Development Corporation, recently spoke to the chamber about the benefits of an economic development council, which essentially […]
Posted inNews
Assembly OKs property tax exemptions
When the Soboleff-McRae Veterans Village applied for a property tax exemption for the second floor of its downtown building in 2014, the Haines Borough Assembly’s denial of the request sparked a discussion on how nonprofits apply and qualify for property tax exemptions. Last week, almost 18 months later, the assembly put into practice the new rules it […]
Posted inNews, Obituaries
John Schnabel dies at 96
NOTE TO NON-SUBSCRIBERS: THIS WEEK’S NEWSPAPER, INCLUDING THE JOHN SCHNABEL OBITUARY, AVAILABLE FOR $5. TO RECEIVE A PDF COPY VIA EMAIL, CALL 907-766-2688 WITH VALID CREDIT CARD INFORMATION. John Schnabel, a hard-driving sawmill owner and developer who became a gold miner and achieved national fame as a reality TV star, died March 18. Schnabel, 96, […]
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Interest in pot shop apparently low
Entrepreneurs in communities as far-flung as Sand Point and Coffman Cove are champing at the bit to get a marijuana business license from the State of Alaska, but interest in Haines appears to be lacking. The Alcohol and Marijuana Control Office recently published a list of more than 200 individuals or companies who have applied […]
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A range of ideas for economy
Encouraging commercial agriculture, adding special events, and developing the port were among economic development opportunities touted at a public forum Saturday at the Chilkat Center. Economic challenges that were cited included limited and expensive Internet access, out-of-town shopping, and monopolies on fuel, freight and banking services. About 25 residents turned out for the open-ended discussion, […]
Posted inNews, Alaska Marine Highway System
Study: 51 ferry workers claim Haines residence
A ferry system study by the McDowell Group on the economic benefits of the Alaska Marine Highway System also found that 51 ferry system employees were living in Haines in 2014, making the town Alaska’s third-highest for ferry employment, behind Ketchikan (318) and Juneau (297). The municipality also ranks third in the state behind those […]
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A detour for the borough’s motor vehicle tax
After being tasked with looking at the biennial $22 motor vehicle registration tax, the Haines Borough Government Affairs and Services Committee is recommending discussion of the tax program be lumped in with a larger discussion about solid waste management to be tackled by a new ad hoc group. The committee met last week to discuss the motor […]
Posted inNews
Assembly weighs ways to grow economy
The Haines Borough Assembly is returning to the idea of establishing a property tax waiver program to spur local economic development. The assembly voted in 2014 to establish an economic incentive program after it rejected specific property tax waivers for the Haines Brewing Company’s purchase of roughly 20,000 square feet of Main Street property. The idea was […]