Some Haines Borough officials are questioning whether the borough is spending its time and money wisely by sending three public officials to a Canadian mineral exploration conference. Borough Manager Mark Earnest, executive assistant to the manager Darsie Culbeck and assembly member Steve Vick are scheduled to travel to Vancouver, B.C., Jan. 28-31 for the Mineral Exploration Roundup conference. Assembly member Debra […]
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Board asked to explain spending
Haines Borough Assembly members say they want more information on school board spending decisions following the board’s approval of $619,000 for district facilities and equipment at a December meeting. The December action came a few minutes after a joint assembly-school board meeting about borough support for funding school capital projects through the Alaska Legislature, including upgrades to the […]
Posted inNews, Elections
Advisory committee elections scrutinized
Following an unusually large turn-out at the Upper Lynn Canal Advisory Committee’s Dec. 14 election, the Haines Borough Assembly will recommend the committee consider changing its election procedures. The election – which drew 78 people, packed the assembly chambers beyond capacity, and forced the creation of extra ballots – seated new members Julia Heinz and Kip Kermoian and reseated John […]
Posted inHaines Borough, News
Connelly Lake facing obstacles
Funding issues, local opposition, and permitting hurdles are grinding the progress of the proposed Connelly Lake hydroelectric project to a slow crawl. Officials from project developer Alaska Power & Telephone say public perception and opposition to the project have contributed to its under-funding. The Alaska Energy Authority’s Renewable Energy Fund recently ranked Connelly Lake 45th on its list of […]
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National heli-ski group focuses on standards
The Haines Borough’s heli-ski season is just around the corner, and in the wake of an accident that killed two people last spring, concerns about safety aren’t going away. Like much of the recreation industry, heli-skiing falls largely outside most state and federal regulations concerning occupational safety and health. Similarly, the borough, which requires heli-ski […]
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Schedule for Earnest review
Haines Borough assembly members have received evaluation forms for manager Mark Earnest and will submit the completed forms to the Mayor by Jan. 15. The assembly will meet with Earnest as a committee of the whole on Jan. 22 to discuss the evaluations. The meeting typically occurs in executive session, meaning it is closed to the public, but Earnest […]
Posted inDuly Noted
Duly Noted
Emmett Carpenter Williams was born Nov. 29 to former resident Rebecca Hylton and James Christopher Williams of Skagway. Emmett weighed 9 pounds, 15 ounces and measured 21 inches. Rebecca and Kristin White met for daily walks in Juneau while waiting for their babies to arrive. Friends stopped by the hospital to greet Emmett, including Jane […]
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2012: The Year in Review
The earth moved in 2012 and the shift wasn’t only the “slump” on the side of Mount Ripinsky that cleaved a house and split Lutak Road. Four-term incumbent state Rep. Bill Thomas, R-Haines, aiming to become Speaker of the House, lost his seat to Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins, a 23-year-old Sitkan seeking his first political office. Klukwan, Inc., once among the wealthiest Native […]
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Kreiss-Tomkins makes 4-day Haines visit
State representative-elect Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins visited Haines this week. His four-day visit included playing in community hockey games and meeting with interest groups. The 23-year-old Democrat arrived Monday afternoon with the goal of networking with local agencies and leaders to determine needs and priorities. Kreiss-Tomkins visited with borough and school board officials, spoke with senior center and pre-school […]
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BLM issues ‘Ring of Fire’ draft plan
More than 300,000 acres of currently off-limits mountain terrain near Haines would reopen to heli-ski use under a recent Bureau of Land Management plan. The BLM released its Ring of Fire Draft Resource Management Plan Haines Planning Area Amendment and Draft Environmental Impact Statement last week, which is used to determine land use designations, management […]