The Haines Borough Assembly voted 4-2 to develop a resolution placing a moratorium on issuing new tour permits on Chilkoot Lake and river corridor. Overcrowding on the road has led to potentially dangerous encounters with bears over the past several years. An Alaska Department of Fish and Game technician quit his job last year after a crowd of bear […]

The Haines Borough Assembly voted 5-1 to adopt a naming policy that allows the body to name public places and facilities for individuals five years after they’ve died, or in a group’s case been disbanded for at least five years. The action comes after revelations surfaced earlier this month that former Haines School teacher, principal and superintendent […]

The Haines Borough Assembly rejected Mayor Jan Hill’s recommendation to appoint Zach Ferrin to the planning commission—a decision that highlighted the political nature of the appointment process. The Mayor appoints board and commission members subject to assembly approval, according to borough code. When filling vacancies, local advisory bodies rank applicants based on a score sheet and recommend applicants to the Mayor, although […]

The Chilkat Valley Mining Committee hosted and organized a forum on water Wednesday evening where speakers outlined the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation’s discharge permit process, copper’s effect on salmon and other issues related to mining and water quality. Allan Nakanishi, with DEC’s wastewater discharge program, discussed how baseline data is key to monitoring future […]

The Haines Borough Assembly met Monday and discussed their effectiveness as a body and as individual representatives. The special meeting, which is slated to occur the third week of each month, is the latest effort from the assembly to increase its efficiency and engage in productive discussions. The meeting opened with assembly member Heather Lende proposing they […]

Zero-waste lifestyle expert and author Bea Johnson encouraged Haines to live simply and skip single-use plastics at her recent presentation. “If zero is not the goal in our waste reduction, then what is?” Johnson said. Haines Friends of Recycling brought Johnson to speak at the Chilkat Center Friday to kick off Earth Week events. Johnson […]

Plastic bags have a bad rap and Haines is taking strides to reduce their use. Haines Friends of Recycling’s zero-waste themed Earth Week has renewed talks about how to cut back on single-use plastics. Lynn Canal Conservation board member Heidi Robichaud said the nonprofit has been working to encourage the use of reusable bags in local […]

The Haines Borough Public Safety Commission recommended the borough research purchasing a drug-sniffing dog for the police department. Officer Chris Brown, who has five years of experience working in a K-9 unit, said a police dog could be valuable for sniffing methamphetamines and opioids at the ferry terminal, the post office, the Canadian border, on charter planes […]

The Haines Borough Assembly is exploring the possibility of hiring a new attorney. Haines Borough Manager Debra Schnabel asked the assembly Tuesday if they wanted current attorney Brooks Chandler to reapply for the position. “I have notified our existing attorney that you are interested in seeing who else is interested in serving as your legal counsel,” Schnabel said. Assembly member […]