How will different needs be prioritized? Haines resident James Casper Donaldson, 66, has been living outside for more than two months. Even though he receives monthly payments as a senior citizen and disabled U.S. Army veteran, he can’t afford rent in Haines. “What I was looking for is a place to stay a month at […]
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Posted inHaines Borough, News
Commerce committee considers break from grocery sales tax
The Haines Borough Commerce Committee is considering a temporary tax exemption on groceries in Haines. While the committee still needs to iron out details and hasn’t made any recommendations, a Tuesday discussion centered on a suggestion to eliminate sales tax on groceries, or provide tax rebates, for three months in the winter. Committee member Carol Tuynman proposed […]
Posted inLetters to the Editor
Lutak cell tower to be moved near ferry terminal
The company building the wireless, 5G-communication tower that will provide cell-phone service to the Lutak area and the ferry terminal is seeking a new land-lease location. The original site, the mountainside across from the ferry terminal, was too steep for construction, according to Haines Borough planner Dave Long. The planning commission last week voted unanimously to recommend the new […]
Posted inNews, Housing
Committee seeks to, address Haines’ housing issues
The Haines Borough Finance Committee decided Tuesday to create a working group to address the borough’s housing needs. The borough faces a housing shortage, according to borough planner Dave Long, who gave a presentation for the committee on Tuesday. Committee members discussed various ways they could spur housing development: implementing a tax deferral for developers, seeking federal […]
Posted inElections, News
Final vote tally extends lead for Huling, Schnabel
The Haines Borough Assembly tallied the last votes—from mailed and emailed ballots—for borough assembly and school board on Tuesday. The final results show that Tyler Huling won the election with 605 votes, and Debra Schnabel placed second with 594. Brenda Josephson and Richard Clement ended up with 426 and 362 votes, respectively. Seventy-two ballots were counted on Tuesday. From those, Schnabel […]
Posted inNews
Assembly creates commercial fisheries advisory board
The Haines Borough Assembly created an advisory board to guide the borough’s response to state and federal regulations that affect Haines’ commercial fisheries. The board will comprise seven members: four permit holders, a seafood processor and two community at-large seats. Each permit holder will represent a different sector of Haines’ commercial fisheries. Seats are reserved for a […]
Posted inEducation, Local News
Haines teachers among lowest-paid in the state
While many policy makers and residents lament the lack of good-paying year-round jobs in the Chilkat Valley, most don’t address the fact that some of Haines’ largest employers, the school and the borough, are underpaid relative to the rest of the state and similarly-sized communities. Of the 54 school districts in Alaska, Haines teachers are […]
Posted inDuly Noted
Duly Noted
About 75 residents, including Haines Borough school board members, turned out Tuesday for the unveiling and dedication of the Skate Park art project, recently completed by the high school art club, led by art teacher Giselle Miller. The project added colorful murals and pop art stylings to ramps there, including flourishes by guest artist Jeremy Settem of Haines. Haines High senior Aubrey Cook leads […]
Posted inNews
Haines pays lion’s share of school bond debt as state funding falters
Over the last five years, the Haines Borough has spent $1.5 million more than it would have if the state hadn’t cut back on school bond debt reimbursements. For a decade, the state covered 70% of the borough’s annual school bond debt payments, each about $1.3 million, as part of a statewide program dating back to 1970 […]
Posted inNews, Education
Haines School raises pay to attract subs
The Haines Borough School District Board voted to increase substitute teacher pay to $18 per hour at its Tuesday meeting after the school has found it increasingly difficult to hire subs. “It’s a problem statewide and we’re trying to see if this step helps,” superintendent Roy Getchell said. “I know places that have substantially increased their pay […]