As the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issues new masking guidance for vaccinated individuals and the state opens up COVID-19 vaccinations to everyone 16 and up, Haines is loosening its pandemic restrictions. On Tuesday, the Haines Borough Assembly met in-person for the first time since last summer, and on Monday, interim manager Alekka Fullerton reversed […]
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Posted inLetters to the Editor
We’re behind the curve with heliski regulation
As we welcome our first visitors to Haines for the heliski season, the Borough is taking steps to safeguard our community with Covid mitigation protocols. The Borough should also be taking steps to safeguard our wildlife from the impact of recreational helicopter activity on public lands. The Alaska Dept of Fish & Game has documented a decline […]
Posted inLetters to the Editor
Misleading headline confuses readers
Last week’s front-page headline “Study suggests borough to owe $500,000 if museum separates” is unfortunately somewhat misleading. As correctly explained in the body of the article, the Haines Borough is liable for pension payments to former and retired employees of the museum. These liabilities have already been incurred. The headline implies that the museum’s separation* from the […]
Posted inNews
New bear attractant law on the books for 2021
A new bear attractant law will be in place in the Haines Borough this year. On Tuesday, the assembly adopted an ordinance clarifying the definition of a bear attractant and specifying acceptable ways to secure them in a 4-2 vote with assembly members Gabe Thomas and Jerry Lapp in opposition. Under the new law, a bear attractant nuisance is […]
Posted inNews
Popely to lobby for Haines for remainder of 2021
Lobbyist Ted Popely will represent the Haines Borough through the end of the year for $48,000. In keeping with a Government Affairs and Services (GAS) Committee recommendation from last week, the full Haines Borough Assembly voted 5-1 at a March 9 meeting to hire Popely. Assembly member Caitie Kirby was the sole “no” vote. During GAS Committee discussion, Kirby […]
Posted inNews
AIDEA to consider decommissioning Skagway ore terminal, seek alternative location
The Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority (AIDEA) is considering looking for a new location for an ore terminal to serve Yukon mining interests, which would leave Haines as the practical alternative. The board voted unanimously on March 3 to study the costs associated with modernizing the Skagway ore terminal versus decommissioning it. A resolution […]
Posted inNews
Upper Lynn Canal saw 16-20% decline in bear population in 2020
The Upper Lynn Canal Fish and Game Advisory Committee voted in support of the reduced brown bear harvest limit the Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADFG) announced last week. The new, seven-bear limit is designed to help regrow the population after Game Management Unit 1D, which includes Haines and Skagway, experienced an estimated 16-20% population decline […]
Posted inNews
Assembly narrows down manager applicants to four
Schnabel doesn’t make the cut Four Haines Borough manager candidates have advanced to the preliminary interview round after the Haines Borough Assembly met Monday in executive session to pare down a list of 12 applicants still under consideration. Former borough manager Debra Schnabel, who was fired without cause in May, applied for the position, but was rejected for an interview. […]
Posted inNews, Public Safety
Assembly funds avalanche center monitoring
The Haines Borough Assembly approved $8,680 to fund a Beach Road landslide area stability monitoring effort by the Haines Avalanche Center. Center staff Erik Stevens and Jeff Moskowitz have been involved in monitoring the area for signs of instability on a volunteer basis since Dec. 2. “When the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) started its response to the […]
Posted inNews
Major road repairs unlikely until 2022
Cathedral View Drive, Piedad Road and Young Road repairs likely won’t be completed until 2022. The roads were damaged during the widespread flooding and landslides in Haines in early December. Haines Borough facilities director Ed Coffland said the timeline has to do with the extent of the damages and the bid process required to award contracts […]