Rahsaan Gregg has taken on the important role of cannoneer for the “Bloomer Blast” this year. The tradition started when Jim Shook originally stuffed the cannon with denim fabric, until Sue Waterhouse shared her idea to blast bloomers instead. The “Bloomer Blast” has seen distances of 49 ft. to 289 ft. in previous years. This […]
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Posted inLocal News
Assembly Briefs: Cemetery easement, housing, public safety, and fees
Cemetery easement denied The assembly voted Tuesday on an easement request that has brought a storm of controversy since it surfaced last month. The easement would have allowed Takshanuk Watershed Council use of an existing driveway running to its new composting facility at Jones Point – a driveway largely on Jones Point Cemetery land, which […]
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Borough, voters consider adding seasonal sales tax
The borough assembly is considering adding a seasonal sales tax proposal to the ballot in October in an effort to increase borough revenue. In the past year, the borough has seen major revenue streams drop off, including federal stimulus funding, school funding from the state, and property tax revenue lost to the borough’s newly-increased property […]
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Cemetery caretakers, Takshanuk in dispute over Sawmill Road parcel
A boundary conflict between neighbors on Sawmill Road exploded into the open last week, threatening the future of a community composting facility, and, some say, the future of the borough-owned Jones Point Cemetery. The composting facility, built by local non-profit Takshanuk Watershed Council (Takshanuk), sits on land diagonally across Sawmill Road from the nearest headstones […]
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Resident targeted by scam email imitating Haines borough staff
An scam email made to appear as part of the borough permitting process targeted at least one Haines resident this week. Haines resident Jacqueline Funkhouser received an email Monday morning that purported to be from the borough planning commission and signed by acting lands director Donna Lambert. The message asked Funkhouser to wire the borough […]
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Assembly Briefs: A Lutak Dock redesign and elected official removal
Lutak Dock redesign The borough has turned over a new page in the Lutak Dock saga, with litigation officially off the table for now, and a new design proposal back on it. Earlier this spring, the borough was set to begin mediation with dock contractor Turnagain Marine. But in May, borough officials announced they had […]
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Relay win a contest between cycling coach and his athletes
A cycling coach was edged out of a Kluane Chilkat International Bike Relay win by two of his athletes during last Saturday’s race. The three joined just under 1,000 cyclists who rode all or segments of the annual 150-mile relay from Haines Junction to Haines. Hudson Lucier completed the race solo with a final time […]
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The Bottom Line: Tacos, Portage Cove, and a long-awaited break
Julian’s Todos Tacos Mario and Natalie Benassi are back in Haines after a winter in Colorado and they’ve reopened their taco stand on Main Street. Julian’s Todos Tacos closed last year after Natalie Benassi had a stroke in the fall; the couple spent months in Anchorage, then headed to an intensive speech therapy program in […]
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Haines neighbors show up on opposite sides of demonstration lines
Saturday afternoon hit many of the notes of a holiday celebration: crowds filling spaces downtown blooming with early summer wildflowers, live music, flags, and spectators cheering a parade down Main Street. Mayor Tom Morphet even had his trumpet out. Passers-by wouldn’t have been remiss to think they had wandered into last month’s graduation celebration. Only […]
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Haines gears up for bike relay
The annual Kluane Chilkat International Bike Relay, a 148.4-mile race between Haines Junction and Haines, arrives in town Saturday afternoon. The event draws racers from as far away as Fairbanks and Seattle and allows riders to compete solo or in relay teams of up to eight riders. After an early morning start in Haines Junction, […]