The Haines Borough Police Department went for experience when adding two officers to the team this summer. Recently hired officers John Havard and Jason Rettinger both had worked as police officers in Alaska. Rettinger, 36, is a 1993 graduate of Haines High School who returned to the local department in August. He was employed as a Haines Police officer […]

Officer Simon Ford is the Haines Borough Police Department’s acting sergeant as of this month, a temporary promotion that police chief Gary Lowe said would be the first of a few trial runs for that supervisory position. “It’s going to be for a period of four months,” Lowe said of Ford’s sergeant tenure. “Just about everybody on the department […]

At least eight drivers went off the road Friday and others lost control as the first measurable snowfall of the season coincided with a dramatic drop in temperatures. Some drivers were fuming that Haines Borough sand trucks weren’t dispatched until Saturday, but plow drivers said they adhered to the municipality’s policy. Six-year resident Michelle Diggins’ Chevy Suburban […]

Police chief Gary Lowe said he wouldn’t seek changes in borough laws that effectively prohibit hunters from shooting big game with a rifle in the Haines townsite but allow such hunting with a bow. Some residents this fall raised questions about the laws after bow hunters went after a moose that survived a shooting at the golf […]

The Haines Alcohol Task Force is sending letters of support to help fund the group’s efforts. The Haines Sportsman’s Association donated $500 to the cause unsolicited this week. Police chief Gary Lowe said letters listed the names of about 25 task force members and were sent to organizations such as the Chilkat Indian Village, Chilkoot Indian Association, Haines […]

Members of the Haines Borough Assembly will return to the topic of all-terrain vehicles at their meeting Tuesday. A third public hearing will be held on the proposed ordinance that would allow ATVs on borough streets and roads for operators at least 16 years old who have a valid driver’s license and annual, borough road-use permit. The […]

A hunter who shot a bull moose at a local golf course Sept. 27 has been cited with discharging a firearm in the townsite. The incident near 2 Mile Haines Highway has raised questions about the fate of animals harvested in the townsite and whether the penalty for shooting is enough to deter hunters when […]

A task force aimed at combating alcohol abuse will launch a series of public service announcements aimed at discouraging drinking. Announcements will include teens giving a message that it’s “cool” not to drink, community members “telling their stories” and police providing information on penalties associated with alcohol-related offenses, including for providing alcohol to minors. A […]

The Haines Borough Assembly on Sept. 13 again delayed a proposed ordinance that would permit the operation of all-terrain vehicles on borough streets and roads. The ordinance, postponed in July, was listed under “unfinished business” at the meeting, with a suggestion to set a third public hearing for Tuesday, Sept. 27. Instead, the assembly scheduled the hearing […]