More Chilkoot Tour Permits The assembly approved two more tour permits for operations in the Chilkoot Lake area The applications, from Cyclops Cycles and Sue Rakes Photography, come during renewed scrutiny on overcrowding and tourist behavior in the bear-heavy area. Rakes, and Cyclops owners Andrew and Natassja Letchworth, both submitted applications cognizant of this controversy, […]
Search results
Posted inLocal News
Borough manager to close pool early, proposes extended closure next year
Interim borough manager Alekka Fullerton is closing the pool two weeks earlier than was originally planned this year citing cost overruns. According to a Monday email, Fullerton said she decided to close the pool by May 15 to avoid having to bring a budget amendment — that is, asking for more money to cover costs […]
Posted inThis Week in History
This Week in History: Smithsonian exhibit, Steve Earle, ambulance fees, Pyramid Island condos?
10 years ago What types of food traditions make Haines distinct compared to other small towns in the United States? A new exhibit, “Key Ingredients: America by Food,” opening April at the Sheldon Museum and Cultural Center, sets out to explore the question. The exhibit is only the museum’s second from the Smithsonian Institution, and […]
Posted inLocal News, Haines Borough
Assembly Briefs: Lutak mediation, nonprofits, codes of conduct, police chief interviews
A start to Lutak Dock mediation Haines interim manager Alekka Fullerton warned the assembly last month that pending litigation with Lutak Dock contractor Turnagain Marine could be bogged down for the better part of the year. At that point, the borough had filed for a motion to hold, arguing Turnagain had no grounds to file […]
Posted inLocal News, Haines Borough
Questions raised about new Chilkoot-area tour permits
Up to three new tours may be operating in the Chilkoot Lake area this summer, renewing questions about how to manage people and bears in the popular tourism zone. Two of the new tours – including the one already approved – propose operating only up to the park boundary, which tour operators say poses less […]
Posted inDuly Noted
Duly Noted: A new author, a trip to Canada, Brewfest, a carving workshop, tomatoes in Klukwan
Camelia Bell joined the ranks of published authors in Haines with a piece called “The Road,” which came out in The Sun magazine’s March 2025 edition. In response to a prompt about “chores,” Bell wrote about how life in Haines and walking home is not a chore, but a way of life. Bell said she […]
Posted inLocal News, Haines Borough
Assembly Briefs: Bearproof trashcans, FEMA funding, Canadian sovereignty, water and sewer rates and more
Bear Trashcans After much discussion, bear-proof trashcans are finally on the way. The last remaining hold-up in a long saga of free trashcan delivery to Haines residents was approval of $2,250 needed to ship the trashcans from Seattle. On Tuesday, assembly member Mark Smith raised concerns about lack of documentation of the nonprofit donating the […]
Posted inSoutheast News, Local News
Juneau Access Road is on the map again, as DOT seeks bids for Lynn Canal transportation study
The Juneau Access Road, which was declared dead in 2017, is alive and back on the map. Proposals “to conduct a feasibility study on improving transportation access along the west side of Lynn Canal” are being sought, the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities announced last week. Such a study would revive a decades-long […]
Posted inState of Alaska, Local News
State Parks pitches new citizen advisory board
Alaska State Parks has announced the formation of a new Southeast Regional Citizen Advisory Board which will include two representatives from Haines. The board will provide non-binding feedback to the Division of Parks and Outdoor Recreation and will replace two existing advisory boards specific to Juneau and Ketchikan, as well as a Sitka advisory board […]
Posted inThis Week in History
This Week in History: Antiques Roadshow misses the mark, teen shoots a moose, the Juneau Road riles residents
10 years ago Did TV show exaggerate the rarity and cash value of artworks? “Antiques Roadshow” overestimated the value and rarity of two Tlingit masks that reportedly originated in the Chilkat Valley, according to experts in Haines and Juneau. “This is really, really remarkable material. These are among the rarest objects in North America,” appraiser […]