On Thursday, Feb. 13 the Haines Borough Planning Commission approved conditional use permits for two Constantine mine heliports that are currently in operation. “The heliports are already constructed and in use. We are looking for permission to operate them as they are,” Liz Cornejo, Constantine’s Vice President of Community and External Affairs, said. Cornejo explained that the […]
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Posted inNews
Town hall to chip away at biomass project
In a recent borough memo, public facilities director Ed Coffland said the Haines biomass boiler project isn’t economical, that the cost of purchasing wood chips is more than buying fuel oil. Coffland recommended to the borough manager that the government should not proceed with the project. In response, the borough assembly at its Jan. 28 […]
Posted inNews
Preserve council seeks to repeal Parks regulation
The Alaska Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve Advisory Council is seeking repeal of a regulation restricting firearms use in the preserve. Council members voted Wednesday to draft a request for immediate lifting of a ban on gun use within a half-mile of a developed facility in the preserve. The law was questioned after a citation was […]
Posted inNews, Alaska Marine Highway System
Borough-subsidized ferry untenable, assembly says
The Haines Borough Assembly voted to send a letter requesting the legislature allocate funds to cover service gaps after the breakdown of the Matanuska, the last state ferry serving many Southeast communities. The decision emerged from a discussion about the possibility of borough-subsidized ferry service at the Feb. 11 assembly meeting. Borough manager Debra Schnabel said she added the […]
Posted inSports
As travel breaks down, future school activities expected to change
Haines School activities travel costs are seeing a spike, although a boon from A&E’s Ghost Hunters film crew paid the way for the basketball teams’ travel to Juneau last weekend. “That was helpful because they had heard that schools in Southeast were having a hard time so they reached out to us and were very […]
Posted inNews, Alaska Marine Highway System
Only mainline ferry canceled until March
March 1 is now the earliest the Matanuska will be up and running, the Department of Transportation announced in a press release Wednesday evening. February sailings have been canceled while the vessel returns to the shipyard in Ketchikan for further troubleshooting. Casey Thomsen, an employee at the Haines ferry terminal, said he spent Wednesday morning […]
Posted inNews, Alaska Marine Highway System
Stranded passengers weigh the cost of travel after canceled ferries
Canceled ferries coupled with storm systems have left Haines residents and through travelers stuck without Upper Lynn Canal transportation, resulting in dwindling bank accounts and feelings of abandonment by government. Jim Studley and his daughter Nicole were faced with a 10-day layover in Juneau due to AMHS cancellations. Nicole broke her leg and was life-flighted to Anchorage. […]
Posted inDuly Noted
Duly Noted
Fred Shields and Greg Horner performed the song “Mr. Blue” at Sunday’s Northern Lights Showcase, a tribute to former resident DeWayne Blackwell, who penned the pop hit. As sung by The Fleetwoods, the song reached #1 on Billboard’s Top 100 list in November 1959, and was subsequently recorded by Frankie Avalon, Bob Dylan, and Garth Brooks, among others. Blackwell […]
Posted inNews
Cruise ship company considers Haines
Haines tourism director Steven Auch will travel to Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (RCCL) headquarters on Feb. 25 to pitch Haines as part of efforts to increase cruise-ship revenue after the loss of nearly three-quarters of Holland America’s business. Last year, Holland America announced that it was cutting sailings to Haines, causing concern in the local […]
Posted inNews, Alaska Marine Highway System
Consultant advises public corporations for AMHS
The Alaska Department of Transportation released the long-awaited draft study for reshaping the Alaska Marine Highway System with the aim of reducing state funding for ferry service to $24 million a year, which would be about half of this year’s appropriation The report recommends creating two public corporations, one for Southeast Alaska ferry service and […]