The long-running debate over resource development took a new turn this week when two Haines assembly members introduced a sweeping draft package aimed at regulating any future heavy industry in the borough. The proposal — described as a “safety belt” — lays out dozens of potential guardrails that could apply if projects like large-scale mining […]
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Posted inLocal News
Assembly takes up suite of industry regulation, drafted with help of ‘AI analytical tools’
Resource extraction vs. conservation: It’s a familiar fault line in the borough. But some say it shouldn’t be, at least not in such stark terms. Those who advocate for some sort of middle ground now officially include assembly members Kevin Forster and Gabe Thomas, who introduced this week their “safety belt” proposal — a 38-page […]
Posted inLocal News
Local organizations rush for large state pot before deadline
The state has been promised a more-than-quarter-billion dollar windfall, and some of it could end up in the Chilkat Valley. The $272 million materialized in Juneau just before New Year’s for the Rural Health Transformation Program — part of the Trump Administration’s tax and spending bill, often referred to as the One Big Beautiful Bill, […]
Posted inDuly Noted
Duly Noted: Chicken tragedy, romance books, ski-race disqualification and more
Haines resident Graham Kraft hosted a friend from Whitehorse, and one day turned into four with the closure of the Haines Highway north of the border. A highlight of the extended stay was that Canadian friend Ryan Bougie finally got to meet local Brian Rougie. Both are friends of Kraft, and he had eagerly awaited […]
Chilkat Valley Newsletter Friday March 6
Twenty years ago, a small brown bear cub was picked up near Mud Bay. Wildlife biologists discovered it had been fed dog food at a local home. The orphaned cub eventually left Alaska, becoming part of a trio of rescued bears who would spend their lives together at a major zoo exhibit thousands of miles […]
Posted inLocal News
A new climber finds a path in Haines
The sunlight is fading over the Haines Highway and it’s bitterly cold, but Robert Reid is moving methodically up a chunk of ice near the airport. Ten feet above the Haines Highway, he chips away at the face of a slab until he can find a steady hold, then tests his weight on it over […]
Posted inLetters to the Editor
LCC criticism is misguided
I listened to the last borough assembly meeting and heard some really inflammatory, untrue comments about Lynn Canal Conservation. How sad that some people who love this valley so much are so derogatory towards folks who support LCC’s efforts. Lighten up, will ya? LCC is not a group of “extremists,” but rather Haines residents and […]
Chilkat Valley Newsletter Friday Feb. 27
What started as a routine drive north for a new job nearly turned fatal for 25-year-old Haines resident Seth Waldo when his truck collided with an 18-wheeler near the Canadian border. His truck was so mangled that border officials told a passing long-haul trucker that the accident had been fatal. But Tristan Vogl didn’t take […]
Posted inLocal News
Q&A: A first-place finisher’s guide to the Kat-to-Koot
The winning Kat-to-Koot team made it to the finish line nearly an hour ahead of the rest of the pack of 27 racers during the Valentine’s Day race. Despite that commanding lead, one half of the winning duo, Erik Stevens, said the snow conditions were among the worst he’s ever skied during the annual alpine […]
Posted inLocal News
Assembly Briefs: Porcupine Road, ski permits, public use cabins, infrastructure
Small Tracts water main goes ahead Small Tracts is on its way to getting borough water. The borough approved a contract with HiEx Construction to take on the water-main extension project, which will be funded by a forgivable loan from the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation. The borough received two bids on the project, one […]