A Juneau solid waste consultant recently backed the Haines Borough Solid Waste Working Group’s goal of creating a management plan, and warned of borough liability for the local landfill that he said is “in trouble.” Jim Penor, solid waste coordinator for the City and Borough of Juneau, spoke April 21 about Juneau’s waste management practices and recommendations […]
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Assembly seat open; deadline set May 15
A vacant seat is up for grabs on the Haines Borough Assembly, following the resignation of member Mike Case at the group’s April 25 meeting. Case disagreed with the assembly’s decision to hire borough manager candidate Debra Schnabel. Case’s resignation was official May 1 and the vacancy must be filled within 30 days of that date. The […]
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Pot farm applicant seeks store permit
Carol Waldo, who applied for Haines’ first marijuana cultivation facility license, also has applied for the borough’s first retail marijuana store license. She plans to locate the store at 77 Beach Road, across the street from the Port Chilkoot Dock. Waldo named her business Glacier Bay Farms and applied for a standard marijuana cultivation facility […]
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Manager hire vote roils community
The Haines Borough Assembly’s 5-1 decision to hire Debra Schnabel as borough manager Tuesday has further engulfed a community already embroiled in controversy. As it stands, three borough assembly members are in the midst of a recall effort, another resigned Tuesday night after the manager hire, Haines Police officers have filed a grievance against the borough and, for many reasons, distrust […]
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Union Files grievance against borough
The Alaska Laborers union filed a grievance against the Haines Borough after assembly member Tom Morphet released to the public earlier this month four complaints against local police officers. Morphet released the complaints during a borough assembly meeting April 11 and drew criticism from other assembly members, interim borough manager Brad Ryan and the police chief Heath […]
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Email an issue for targets of recall
The recall effort is generating distrust between several Haines Borough Assembly members and some borough staff after the recall’s sponsor requested a specific email between borough officials. In a March 7 public records request, Don Turner specifically requested “…information about police complaint to the manager about the police blotter that was sent on January 11, 2017 or […]
Posted inNews, Public Safety
All drug charges against Lari dropped
The state dismissed all drug charges against Dean Lari last week because of what a magistrate judge described as a “technicality” and Lari’s public defender characterized as “recklessness” on the part of Haines Police. Haines Borough staff and officials celebrated the felony drug bust publicly last October when Lari was arrested for possession of methamphetamine and marijuana […]
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Early data on goats presented
Alaska Department of Fish and Game biologist Kevin White presented Thursday preliminary findings of a seven-year study on regional mountain goat habitat, results which he said could help policy makers better identify and map heliski terrain. One heliski company operator this week said he disagreed with the state’s assessment of the location of goats. Local heliski mapping within the Haines Borough has faced […]
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Mining steering committee plans forum on issues
A new mining steering committee recently organized by Takshanuk Watershed Council plans to educate the public through a “comprehensive and nonbiased” mining education forum this fall. Takshanuk executive director Meredith Pochardt said the group, made up of representatives from the Haines Borough and various mining, fishing and conservation organizations, had its second meeting Friday to begin planning […]
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Planners mum on plans for pot farm
Marijuana cultivation is legal statewide, but municipalities have the option to more stringently regulate it or outlaw it all together. In the face of Haines’ first application for a marijuana establishment license, the Haines Borough Planning Commission took no action at its April 13 meeting, leaving the decision to the assembly. Borough planner Holly Smith recommended the […]