The Haines Borough Assembly on Tuesday certified results of the municipal election including directing the clerk and manager to investigate an election contest filed Oct 8 by Karen Hess. The assembly also certified Sean Cone as winner of school board seat “E.” Cone received 487 votes, compared to 466 for Jones, following the count of absentee and questioned ballots. […]
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Posted inNews, Haines Borough
Volunteer burnout, polarization cited as town’s impediments
A panel of 12 community leaders who gathered at the public library Sept. 29 said Haines could be strengthened through a loan program to encourage small businesses; by developing a central community garden; by growing the pool of active volunteers; and by adopting a code of ethics to guide contentious community discussions. An “us versus […]
Posted inNews
Borough works toward winter school route off highway
Haines Borough officials are planning to buy a snowblower and build a new trail to improve safety for students walking near the school. The project is the outgrowth of the Safe Routes to School committee, which in June drew up its first plan. It included moving students off the Old Haines Highway near its intersection with […]
Posted inNews
Stout resigns
The Haines Borough will have discussions with a firefighter applicant from Sitka following the resignation of Jeff Stout Tuesday. Stout was hired for a firefighter-EMT job with the borough in September. Last week questions were raised about an ongoing state investigation into irregularities involving Stout’s former work as a local insurance agent. “This is a tough situation. […]
Posted inNews, Elections
Vick, Goodman win votes for assembly; Hess says she’ll contest result
Haines Borough voters chose incumbent Steve Vick over opponents Linda Geise and John Winge in a three-way race for the assembly Tuesday. Voters also chose Greg Goodman over Karen Hess for an assembly seat, but Hess said this week she’d challenge the results on the basis of Goodman’s residency. A school board race between incumbent Brenda Jones and Sean Cone […]
Posted inNews, Haines Borough
Hearing set on bear ordinance
The Haines Borough Assembly will hold a first public hearing on a proposed bear attraction nuisance at its Tuesday meeting. Residents can be fined up to $200 for repeat offenses under the proposed law; a first offense would bring a warning, and a second, a fine up to $100. The ordinance prohibits residents from causing or creating […]
Posted inNews
Chamber: SEABA is business of year
The Haines Chamber of Commerce Saturday gave its “Business of the Year” award to heli-ski firm Southeast Alaska Backcountry Adventures, a company that’s been battling more than a year with critics and the Haines Borough over imposed limits on its operations. The award is one of four presented annually by the business group, and the only one […]
Posted inNews
Construction, health care wages add up
Last year, construction in the Haines Borough employed only about one-third as many people as tourism, but it accounted for onethird again as much in local wages, according to the most recent edition of “Alaska Economic Trends,” a monthly publication of the state Department of Labor. “The borough’s construction industry accounted for 18.2 percent of total wages […]
Posted inLetters to the Editor
Assembly needs conservative leadership
Being at every borough assembly meeting and most school board meetings for the past two years, it is obvious to me that we need new, experienced members on the assembly. We have the opportunity to do that by electing Linda Geise to seat “B,” and write-in candidate Karen Hess to seat “E.” We are at a point […]
Posted inNews
SEABA must seek new heli-ski permit: Assembly won’t levy fines, will rewrite regulatory ordinance
Following more than an hour of closed-door assembly discussion Tuesday, Haines Borough Mayor Jan Hill said the municipality won’t fine local helicopter-skiing firm SEABA for violations of the local laws regulating the industry, but will require the company to apply for a new permit to operate in 2011. Borough manager Mark Earnest at the same time will work with its attorney to draft […]