After tabling it for nearly 10 months, the Haines Borough Assembly passed an ordinance establishing a motor vehicle registration tax Oct. 8. The ordinance, which creates a $22 flat tax vehicle owners must pay every two years, came back before the assembly at the recommendation of outgoing manager Mark Earnest. The assembly voted 4-2 to approve the […]
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Local DOT unsure about herbicide use
A new Alaska Department of Transportation vegetation management plan which makes it easier for the state to spray herbicides and pesticides on state land and right-of-ways has the local DOT foreman scratching his head over whether and how to use the chemicals. Matt Boron, DOT’s maintenance and operations manager for Haines, said he attended a […]
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Schnabel not applying for manager
Haines Borough Assembly member Debra Schnabel will not vie for the borough’s top job. Schnabel had previously voiced her intention to apply for borough manager, but in a Sept. 30 email to the administration and other assembly members said she decided against it. In an interview Friday, Schnabel said several factors influenced her decision, including a lack […]
Posted inNews, Housing
Vets’ home draws tenants, concerns
Recent agreements with local nonprofits mean the ground floor of the Soboleff-McRae Veterans Village and Wellness Center will be fully occupied when it’s completed about a year from now, said Haines Assisted Living president Jim Studley, who’s leading the project. Tenants will include the physical therapy office of Southeast Alaska Regional Health Consortium (SEARHC), Southeast […]
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After 35 years, Nelson exits borough
Friends, co-workers and taxpayers turned out Sept. 25 to recognize retiring Haines Borough staffer Sue Nelson. Nelson worked most recently as property tax clerk but also handled sales taxes in her first years, and has served as interim borough clerk and assistant to the assessor. She was a “bright spot of color” in the government office, said […]
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Four residents qualify for business ‘boot camp’
Of nearly 60 applications submitted by aspiring entrepreneurs around Southeast, four Haines residents have reached the semifinals of the Path to Prosperity business competition and will travel to Juneau for a “business boot camp” Oct. 11-13. Scott Hansen, Tamsen Cassidy, Debra Schnabel, Carol Tuynman and eight others from around Southeast advanced to the semifinals in the […]
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Journal ranks town in top 12 in country
Executive Travel magazine has named Haines among 12 of “America’s Best Small Towns.” The brief write-up in the upscale, bimonthly magazine describes Haines as “a former U.S. Army outpost bordering 20 million acres of unprotected wilderness.” Haines Brewery’s spruce tip ale gets a mention, as do heli-skiers, the Fogcutter Bar, the bald eagle festival, artist […]
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Cozzi elevated to interim manager
Clerk Julie Cozzi will take the helm of the Haines Borough for up to three months while the assembly looks for a new manager to replace Mark Earnest. The assembly approved Earnest’s transition plan Tuesday, which moves Cozzi into the manager role and deputy clerk Michelle Webb into the clerk position upon Earnest’s departure. His last day is […]
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Voters urged to follow instructions on ballot
Haines Borough officials are urging residents to carefully follow ballot directions when casting their votes Tuesday. Voters will elect two assembly members and three school board members in Tuesday’s election. They’ll also decide on a proposed change to the borough charter limiting corporate personhood. Assembly candidates include George Campbell and write-in candidates Mario Benassi and Diana […]
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Begich weighs in on highway
State officials and organizations are weighing in on the proposed improvements to the Haines Highway, and a local environmental group is looking to spotlight the project in statewide and national press. U.S. Sen. Mark Begich, D-Alaska, submitted a letter to the U.S. Department of Transportation on Sept. 16 urging the agency to address concerns from […]