When Alaska House Speaker Bryce Edgmon toured the public school in Sleetmute last fall, he called the building “the poster child” for what’s wrong with the way the state pays to build and maintain schools. The tiny community 240 miles west of Anchorage had begged Alaska’s education department for nearly two decades for money to […]
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Posted inLocal News
Assembly evaluates interim manager, considers permanent hire
After seven months as a temporary hire, interim borough manager Alekka Fullerton could soon shed the interim tag. Fullerton filled the top job in the borough administration in December, but it was supposed to be on a short-term basis as the assembly searched for a long-term candidate. The job has been open since previous manager […]
Posted inEducation, Local News
‘We need a bus’ Parents weigh in after district drops busing service for students
What would it take to get the Haines Borough School district to bus students to and from school this year? That’s a question parents, students, and Haines school district employees tackled during a Monday evening meeting at the former Mosquito Lake school in the upper valley. An estimated 30 students bus to school from in […]
Posted inLocal News
After years of decay, Mosquito Lake baseball field gets a facelift
It’s mid-morning on a Sunday in early July and Julie Korsmeyer has given up on a posthole digger. Instead, she kneels down and sticks her arm deep into the ground of the Mosquito Lake baseball field, to clear the last of the dirt out of the way for a wooden fencepost. Nearby, Jim and Deb […]
Posted inLocal News
Assembly Briefs: The Lutak Dock, cell tower regulations, historical preservation, sales taxes and boat storage
Lutak Dock Good news on the Lutak Dock has been hard to come by in recent years, but there seemed to be some of it last month when interim manager Alekka Fullerton announced the borough and dock contractor Turnagain Marine had agreed on a new design concept that would fit within the borough’s budget. That […]
Posted inDuly Noted
Duly Noted: Watermelon eating contest, a visiting trivia hero, competitive croquet, hazardous waste and an high-profile internship
The Victory Garden at Mosquito Lake work party and BBQ featured a dessert auction, a watermelon-eating contest and a community meeting with Mayor Tom Morphet. Morphet also participated in the watermelon-eating contest, as “Chompin’ Tom Morphet,” but he was no match for Austin “the belly-ache” Finnan. Finnan walked away with a free day at the […]
Posted inObituaries
Tom Healy remembered as approachable, open and kind.
A memorial party for former Haines, Skagway and Palmer municipal administrator and manager Tom Healy (74) was held at Woadie’s in Skagway on June 21. Healy died peacefully in Palmer on May 14 of complications from blood cancer. Healy’s public memorial service noted his pragmatism, diplomacy, patience, tact and goodwill. Tyler Healy praised his father’s […]
Posted inLocal News
As Mosquito Lake asserts itself, some residents see borough as undercutting their success
Upper-valley community members gathered Sunday at the Four Winds Resource Center for a barbecue, and also a show of community strength as the borough government debates selling off the local community center. The resource center is housed in the former Mosquito Lake school, which was decommissioned in 2014. Since then, the borough-owned property has been […]
Posted inLocal News, Alaska Legislature
Chilkat Valley state reps answer questions during local meetings
The Chilkat Valley’s state legislative delegation held three local, question-and-answer sessions recently. The visit came during an eventful time in the state capital, just after Gov. Mike Dunleavy last week called a surprise legislative session, asking legislative allies to help him avoid overrides of his controversial veto choices this spring. In remarks Monday, Democrats Jesse […]
Posted inSoutheast News, Economy
Layoffs begin for Ketchikan shipyard workers
Vigor Alaska laid off about 40 union-represented Ketchikan Shipyard workers on Monday and Tuesday, according to representatives of Sheet Metal Workers Local Union 23. About 18 people remain employed as Vigor winds down its operation of the state-owned shipyard. Thirteen or 14 of the remaining workers are represented by the union. The Daily News was […]