Posted inNews

Fort distillery delivers 1st spirits

The first bottles of locally made spirits have won some favorable reviews, following a debut last weekend in liquor stores and drinking establishments. Former Haines Borough Mayor Fred Shields, who has made three trips to Russia – “I had every kind of vodka they had over there, including the brown vodka, which they said not to drink” – […]

Posted inNews

Assembly lukewarm on manager finalists

The Haines Borough Assembly has whittled down a list of applicants for the manager position from 20 to four and will publicly conduct telephone interviews with finalists Oct. 29.   While assembly members saw positive characteristics in each of the four finalists – Susan Jensen of Anchorage, Carlo Pilgrim of Boothbay Harbor, Maine, Jim Pascale of Hopewell, […]

Posted inNews

Assembly OKs tax on vehicles

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 […]

Posted inNews

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 […]

Posted inNews

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 […]

Posted inNews

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 […]

Posted inNews

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 […]

Posted inNews

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 […]