Two brown bears shot and killed under defense of life and property provisions have state officials reiterating the importance of securing potential food sources. One of the two bears killed on private property in recent weeks has been identified as a two-and a-half-year-old male from a sow that frequents the Chilkoot River corridor. The other […]

Alaska Wildlife Trooper Ken VanSpronsen said this week that juvenile brown bears shot by residents at Beach Road and Cathedral View subdivision were allowable under defense of life and property provisions in state law. Both bears had ear tags. Trooper VanSpronsen replaces former wildlife trooper Ricky Merritt and started on the job Friday. The bear […]

Residents John Brower, Gary Lowe and Debra Schnabel and former Haines Borough Manager Tom Bolen are among 18 applicants for the borough’s top job. Applications were due May 10. Borough manager Mark Earnest has resigned effective June 15. Brower is the tribal administrator at Chilkat Indian Village, Lowe is Haines Police chief, and the self-employed Schnabel serves on the Haines Borough Assembly. Bolen was dismissed as […]

Haines Borough Police Chief Gary Lowe said he’s pursuing local hire in the wake of resignations from the department. Recent departures have reduced the force to Lowe and officers Simon Ford and Jason Rettinger, who both lived in Haines before starting careers in law enforcement. Lowe moved from Illinois to become Haines Police chief in June 2008 but said […]

In an interview this week, Haines Police officer Cassandra McEwen said she would plead guilty to three misdemeanor animal abuse charges filed against her and that she has resigned the force effective April 15. She said she has been on paid medical leave for a nervous breakdown she suffered and that she’s not fit for duty because […]

After considerable discussion, the Haines Borough Assembly has dropped the idea of making its harbormaster a “peace officer.” That puts the local job on similar footing with the harbor chief in Skagway, but with less authority than the same job in Juneau. Skagway harbormaster Matt O’Boyle said municipal code does not designate him as a peace officer, […]

Are security cameras around Haines waterfront locations a good security measure or an example of Big Brother government infringing on the privacy of residents? The question was zipping around the Internet this week, in advance of a resolution before the Haines Borough Assembly to accept a $233,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security for fencing […]

Despite his name and breed, Klondike, a Bernese Mountain Dog, found himself in a precarious situation over the weekend when he was trapped on a rocky ledge with no way out. But he kept his wits about him and thanks to some agile human friends, Klondike was safely recovered. Five-year-old Klondike belongs to the Podsiki […]