Haines Borough Police Chief Gary Lowe this week said Chilkat Valley News editor Tom Morphet threatened him personally after a discussion about the newspaper’s access to police call logs. Lowe said he met Feb. 14 with Morphet, reporter Karen Garcia and manager Mark Earnest to discuss newspaper access to logs. Before Lowe was hired as chief, reporters had access […]
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Posted inNews, Alaska Marine Highway System
Borough’s ferry plan response
The Haines Borough Assembly voted Tuesday to establish an ad-hoc, three-person committee to follow issues related to the Alaska-class ferries, following the release of draft design plans for the two shuttle ferries last week by the Alaska Department of Transportation. Borough nominees for the committee to date include assembly member Joanne Waterman, borough planning commissioner Robert Venables, and […]
Posted inNews
Borough reviews not done
Although required to by code, Haines Borough Manager Mark Earnest has not provided for evaluations of employees since starting on the job three years ago. As manager, Earnest serves as the borough’s personnel director. He is responsible for supervising and evaluating about a dozen of the municipality’s upper-level employees, including department heads and three borough “officers”: police chief Gary Lowe, […]
Posted inNews
Police employees raise issues about chief
Haines Borough manager Mark Earnest is reviewing complaints from personnel within the police department about chief Gary Lowe, mayor Stephanie Scott confirmed this week. Scott said Tuesday Earnest is investigating complaints made by employees in the police department, but would not discuss the nature of the complaints. “I am aware that there are personnel complaints within the department regarding the […]
Posted inNews
Downtown revival effort to regroup
An upcoming meeting of the Downtown Revitalization Committee may help determine the direction of the group, which hasn’t met since June. Lenise Henderson Fontenot, who serves as volunteer chair of the informal organization, said that in the coming weeks she’ll call a committee meeting to be attended by Haines Borough Mayor Stephanie Scott and manager Mark Earnest. A date is […]
Posted inNews
Legislature loosens water regs
Haines Borough Mayor Stephanie Scott lamented recent action by the Alaska Legislature to loosen restrictions on cruise ship dumping in state waters. “I lobbied and lobbied and lobbied and lobbied. I’m just sick about it,” Scott said last week after the state Senate voted 15-5 for the bill that would roll back wastewater treatment requirements of the 2006 […]
Posted inNews
Prices push produce effort
The rising cost of local produce has prompted Whiterock Nursery to offer more edibles and to plant two months earlier in the year. The company also is investigating selling fresh greens in local grocery stores, co-owners Jack and Toni Smith said this week. Jack Smith said spending almost $7 on a six-ounce bag of spinach […]
Posted inNews
Assembly still grappling with nonprofit funding
How the Haines Borough should distribute money to local nonprofits has been discussed for years, and the issue continues to vex the assembly. Mayor Stephanie Scott proposed at a borough assembly meeting last month to establish an ad hoc committee to deal with the issue of doling out money to nonprofits, but the resolution failed after assembly members Norm Smith, Jerry […]
Posted inNews
Attorney says assembly erred
The Haines Borough’s attorney has concluded that the assembly committed a procedural error during its Jan. 22 closed-door meeting, but that no remedial action is necessary. Attorney Brooks Chandler wrote in a Feb. 5 memo to Mayor Stephanie Scott that the assembly failed to make a motion to enter into executive session to discuss manager Mark Earnest’s performance […]
Posted inDuly Noted
Duly Noted
Patty Brown attended the 57th Presidential Inaugural Ceremonies in Washington, D.C. She worked through U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski’s office to score a standing-room ticket to the Jan. 21 event on the Capitol Mall. Patty said ticketholders were packed into the viewing area, but the crowd was peaceful and celebratory. “It was inspirational and really connecting,” […]