Norwegian Cruise Line has decided to give up on bringing its ships to Alaska even in late September and early October, putting an end to any chance of a large cruise ship season in the state. The other major cruises serving Alaska — Holland America, Carnival, Princess, Disney and Royal Caribbean — had already canceled […]
Search results
Posted inNews
July 10 deadline for borough grants to businesses, nonprofits
The application period for the Haines Borough’s small business and nonprofit COVID-19 relief grants opened on June 25 and will remain open until 5 p.m. July 10. As of Tuesday, the borough had received 24 applications, chief fiscal officer Jila Stuart said. She said so far, nearly all applications have come from businesses rather than […]
Posted inNews, Alaska Marine Highway System
New traveler recommendation creates testing gap in Haines
On Tuesday, the Haines Borough Assembly updated its 14-day quarantine recommendation to mirror the state’s new mandate for travelers entering Alaska. Under current state mandates, travelers are able to avoid quarantining for 14 days through a two-tiered testing system—once before departure and again seven to 14 days after entering Alaska. A traveler who took a test within […]
Posted inNews
$850,000 will fund first round of CARES Act business grants
On Tuesday, the Haines Borough Assembly passed a spending plan for $2.1 million in federal COVID-19 relief, the first of three installments the borough is scheduled to receive through the CARES Act. The CARES Act requires the money be used exclusively to cover “necessary expenditures incurred due to…COVID-19” between March 1 and Dec. 30 of this year, […]
Posted inNews
Marijuana businesses have been shut out from COVID-19 relief
Marijuana businesses are falling through the cracks when it comes to economic assistance for COVID-19. Although pot businesses were deemed essential and allowed to remain open throughout the pandemic, they haven’t been immune to its economic impacts. Upper valley resident Erika Merklin runs Resurrected Dreams, a state-licensed cannabis cultivation business. She said her business, like […]
Posted inNews
Without borough funding, HEDC faces uncertain future
Since losing borough funding, the Haines Economic Development Corporation faces an uncertain future. The uncertainty is making it difficult for the organization to commit to new projects. The Haines Borough Assembly eliminated all funding for HEDC in the budget for the fiscal year beginning July 1. In past years, borough funding has made up almost all of […]
Posted inNews
CARES Act distribution still a work in progress
In the next six months, Alaska municipalities will need to figure out how to distribute a total of $569 million in federal CARES Act coronavirus relief in a quick, effective and legal manner. There is little uniformity in the way local governments are tackling this challenge. “It feels like someone passed away and there’s a […]
Posted inNews
2020 Census could influence future COVID-19 recovery funds
After a month without much movement, Haines’ census response rate is now 27%, more than twice what it was a week ago. However, this is still 35% below the national average. The census, mandated by the U.S. Constitution, is a population count of everyone living in the United States that is used to determine congressional […]
Posted inNews
Final hour budget cuts reduce funding for museum, police
On Tuesday, the Haines Borough Assembly passed a $19.7 million operating and capital budget for the fiscal year beginning July 1, including $1,860,626 in CARES Act Funds and $7,209,000 in state and federal grants for capital projects. The budget’s final passage was marked by a number of last-minute amendments. This year, the borough faced unexpected shortfalls including […]
Posted inNews
Assembly will begin manager hiring process
The Haines Borough Assembly plans to discuss hire of a new borough manager at the end of this month. At Tuesday’s assembly meeting, members added the topic as an agenda item for the June 23 personnel committee meeting. Also Tuesday, assembly members approved a manager evaluation form and a timeline for conducting annual manager evaluations. Under the […]