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Mayor welcomes new SEARHC mental health clinicians at ANB hall

Haines Borough Mayor Douglas Olerud and manager Annette Krietzer welcomed two new Haines mental health providers on Tuesday at the ANB Hall. Olerud gave a short speech highlighting the need for Haines residents to find stability and certainty in light of local and national stressors. “It is becoming increasingly difficult to find those sources of grounding. We’re […]

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Beach Road residents request organized effort to winterize homes, mayor says landslide risk too high

Some Beach Road residents apparently made attempts to reach their homes Wednesday morning as observers witnessed a skiff traveling back and forth from the beach below the road where a massive landslide left two residents missing. “I have heard reports and I am very much discouraging that,” interim borough manager Alekka Fullerton said during a […]

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Beach Road residents ask for organized effort to winterize homes, Mayor cites ongoing landslide risks

Some Beach Road residents want to travel to their homes to winterize houses, dispose of food and bear attractants and retrieve valuables before cold weather sets in. Geoscientists say the area remains unstable and that more landslides could occur between the Chilkoot Indian Association dock and the Battery Point trailhead. The area remains under mandatory […]

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Mayor tells townsite residents to prepare for possible evacuation

Haines Mayor Douglas Olerud warned town residents Saturday evening around 9:45 p.m. to be prepared to evacuate in the event that weather conditions worsen. “We want people to be prepared in case they have to do an evacuation,” Olerud said. “We’ve got snow, followed by rain. They want us to be prepared.” A Haines Borough Emergency Operations Center preparedness […]

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Mayoral candidates contrast leadership styles at final forum

Haines’ two mayoral candidates—incumbent Jan Hill and challenger Doug Olerud—spent much of the Sept. 25 KHNS-CVN forum highlighting their similarities. Both grew up in the Chilkat Valley, say they want to promote civil discourse in borough government and describe a vision for Haines that involves job creation through expanded resource development. Candidates differ in the main message […]

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Two Candidates Running for Mayor

The following includes edited excerpts of CVN interviews with this year’s mayoral candidates. Jan Hill,70, is the incumbent who is serving her fourth term as Mayor. She was raised in Haines and earned a bachelor’s degree in early childcare education from Seattle Central Community College. She helped start the Haines Head Start preschool program and taught […]

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Doug Olerud running for mayor

Business owner and former borough assembly member Doug Olerud is running for Mayor in this October’s municipal election. Olerud owns and manages the Alaska Sport Shop and served on the former city council and assembly for nine years. He said recent challenges facing the borough due to the pandemic, along with public support, motivated him to seek […]

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Manager addresses assembly, mayor after her termination

Former Haines Borough manager Debra Schnabel on Tuesday night addressed the assembly members and Mayor who fired her last week, and placed final responsibility on Mayor Jan Hill, who broke a 3-3 tie vote in favor of firing Schnabel. “This decision was yours,” Schnabel told Hill. “I am very disappointed. It seems to me that this could have been an opportunity to lead, […]