Smoke from a wildfire at the entrance area of Denali National Park hovers on June 30, 2024, on the hillsides behind hotels and businesses serving tourists. (Photo provided by National Park Service)
The Alaska Legislature has voted to mandate a three-step disaster evacuation scale for use statewide, a move inspired in part by a miscommunication in a wildfire near Denali National Park.
The state House voted 39-1 on Wednesday to pass Senate Bill 192 and require that state and local officials use the terms “Ready,” “Set,” and “Go,” defined on maps by the colors green, yellow and red, when providing public information about evacuations from the path of a disaster.
People in a “Ready” area should begin packing for an evacuation and preparing their homes or property. Those in a “Set” area should be prepared to leave quickly, and those in a “Go” area should evacuate.
Because the Senate passed the bill 19-0 on April 24, the House’s action sends SB 192 to Gov. Mike Dunleavy for final approval or veto. The bill was sponsored by Sen. Jesse Bjorkman, R-Nikiski.
The Ready-Set-Go system is already in broad use within Alaska, but not universally.
Last year, Brenda Ahlberg, emergency manager for the Kenai Peninsula Borough, testified that during a wildfire in the Denali Borough, local officials used green to designate an area that should evacuate immediately.
That caused confusion among affected residents, she said.
Michelle Weston, fire chief in Girdwood, also spoke in support of the bill last year, stating that coordinated evacuation information is particularly important for travelers who may be moving through different parts of Alaska and are unfamiliar with local standards.
One standard would prevent confusion caused by different rules, she said.
Senate President Gary Stevens, R-Kodiak, announces the final vote passing the operating budget of 17 to 3 on May 7, 2026. (Photo by Corinne Smith/Alaska Beacon)
The Alaska Senate has finalized its draft of the state’s operating budget for the upcoming fiscal year, moving lawmakers closer to the end of their last regular session before the 2026 election.
In a 17-3 vote, Senators approved a $13.1 billion proposal that includes a $1,000 Permanent Fund dividend for 2026, plus a $150 “energy rebate” for PFD recipients.
The Senate plan conflicts with a different version drafted by the House. Legislators are expected to convene a committee to negotiate a compromise plan that will be sent to Gov. Mike Dunleavy, following standard policy.
After the budget leaves the Legislature, the governor may veto individual line items but cannot add or increase items.
The operating budget is one of four budget bills that pass through the Capitol in a typical year. One, the supplemental budget, has already become law. A second, the $2.5 billion capital budget, is being considered in the House. The third, the state’s mental health budget, is advancing in the Senate as well.
With lawmakers’ attention focused on legislation addressing a possible trans-Alaska natural gas pipeline, this is the first time in several years that the budget isn’t the top unresolved item in the Capitol.
Senate Minority Leader Mike Cronk, R-Tok, said legislators entered the year anticipating a $500 million deficit. High oil prices caused by the Iran war erased that gap and left lawmakers with more than enough expected revenue to balance the books.
“I think the Senate did a really good job of trying to stay fiscally responsible and keeping a balanced budget at a certain level,” Cronk said.
“When you do that, there’s a lot less to argue about in the end,” he said.
Sen. Lyman Hoffman, D-Bethel and co-chair of the Senate Finance Committee, was the lead drafter of the operating budget.
He said the war may have made things easier for his committee, but it has made things much harder for the people of Alaska, because of the price of oil.
“That gave us more money to spend, but it provided additional hardships to the people and the organizations of the state of Alaska,” Hoffman said of the war. “That’s why we tried to concentrate on using that one-time money to give some more money to the individuals, through the dividend energy relief, helping school districts out … and to double the amount for community assistance so those communities can get some relief from the high prices of oil.”
On Wednesday, the Alaska Division of Elections made an unusual last-day request — a $4.75 million increase to cover spending for the 2026 election.
Senators instead approved $650,000 on Thursday, including $100,000 intended to cover the cost of prepaid envelopes for absentee ballots. Until now, the state has required absentee voters to pay for their own postage.
“It’s very unusual,” Hoffman said about the last-minute request, “but I felt we couldn’t ignore it. We don’t want to be blamed for a dysfunctional election, so we added the money at the last minute, so hopefully it will result in a better election.”
Senate Majority Leader Cathy Giessel, R-Anchorage, is seen during an at ease on the Senate floor on May 7, 2026. (Photo by Corinne Smith/Alaska Beacon)
Senate President Gary Stevens, R-Kodiak, announces the final vote passing the operating budget of 17 to 3 on May 7, 2026. (Photo by Corinne Smith/Alaska Beacon)
The Alaska Senate has finalized its draft of the state’s operating budget for the upcoming fiscal year, moving lawmakers closer to the end of their last regular session before the 2026 election.
In a 17-3 vote, Senators approved a $13.1 billion proposal that includes a $1,000 Permanent Fund dividend for 2026, plus a $150 “energy rebate” for PFD recipients.
The Senate plan conflicts with a different version drafted by the House. Legislators are expected to convene a committee to negotiate a compromise plan that will be sent to Gov. Mike Dunleavy, following standard policy.
After the budget leaves the Legislature, the governor may veto individual line items but cannot add or increase items.
The operating budget is one of four budget bills that pass through the Capitol in a typical year. One, the supplemental budget, has already become law. A second, the $2.5 billion capital budget, is being considered in the House. The third, the state’s mental health budget, is advancing in the Senate as well.
With lawmakers’ attention focused on legislation addressing a possible trans-Alaska natural gas pipeline, this is the first time in several years that the budget isn’t the top unresolved item in the Capitol.
Senate Minority Leader Mike Cronk, R-Tok, said legislators entered the year anticipating a $500 million deficit. High oil prices caused by the Iran war erased that gap and left lawmakers with more than enough expected revenue to balance the books.
“I think the Senate did a really good job of trying to stay fiscally responsible and keeping a balanced budget at a certain level,” Cronk said.
“When you do that, there’s a lot less to argue about in the end,” he said.
Sen. Lyman Hoffman, D-Bethel and co-chair of the Senate Finance Committee, was the lead drafter of the operating budget.
He said the war may have made things easier for his committee, but it has made things much harder for the people of Alaska, because of the price of oil.
“That gave us more money to spend, but it provided additional hardships to the people and the organizations of the state of Alaska,” Hoffman said of the war. “That’s why we tried to concentrate on using that one-time money to give some more money to the individuals, through the dividend energy relief, helping school districts out … and to double the amount for community assistance so those communities can get some relief from the high prices of oil.”
On Wednesday, the Alaska Division of Elections made an unusual last-day request — a $4.75 million increase to cover spending for the 2026 election.
Senators instead approved $650,000 on Thursday, including $100,000 intended to cover the cost of prepaid envelopes for absentee ballots. Until now, the state has required absentee voters to pay for their own postage.
“It’s very unusual,” Hoffman said about the last-minute request, “but I felt we couldn’t ignore it. We don’t want to be blamed for a dysfunctional election, so we added the money at the last minute, so hopefully it will result in a better election.”
Senate Majority Leader Cathy Giessel, R-Anchorage, is seen during an at ease on the Senate floor on May 7, 2026. (Photo by Corinne Smith/Alaska Beacon)
A drifted home on the outskirts of Kipnuk after Typhoon Halong flooded the Western Alaska village, underscoring the scale of erosion and storm damage facing climate-threatened communities. October 22, 2025. (Photo by Jenni Monet/Alaska Beacon)
Testifying before the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs about last fall’s deadly remnants of Typhoon Halong, Paul J. Paul, Chief of the Native Village of Kipnuk, recalled the moment his six-year-old granddaughter asked the family to sing “Silent Night” — in the dark — as early-morning floodwaters swirled violently around their home.
Lucy Martin, a tribal resilience assistant coordinator for Kwigillingok, listened as she dabbed her eyes dry. Earlier that day, she described graves and caskets unearthed by the storm rolling outside her window as her home broke free from its foundation and floated away. “It was a real-life horror movie for me,” she said.
Over two days of field hearings in Anchorage and Bethel, storm survivors from the hard-hit villages of Kipnuk and Kwigillingok offered a rare, emotional account of the fear and lingering hardships linked to the October 12 storm that killed at least one, left two others missing and displaced residents of both communities. Tribal leaders and policy officials used the hearings to urge Congress to rethink how federal agencies handle disaster recovery in rural Alaska.
Lucy Martin, a tribal resilience assistant coordinator from Kwigillingok, testified that Typhoon Halong was “a real-life horror story” for her. May 5, 2026. (Photo by Jenni Monet/Alaska Beacon)
Only Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska and chair of the committee, attended the hearings on behalf of the Senate panel. Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs Billy Kirkland also participated in the discussions alongside Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, who joined the first day of testimony in Anchorage.
“I know that this is not easy,” Murkowski told survivors Tuesday. “We’re here to better understand the impacts of Typhoon Halong, how the federal response worked, where it fell short, and what we need to do together as we move forward.”
No one wants to move back to Kipnuk, the tribal administrator, Rayna Paul said, as she spoke of the destruction and contamination that claimed 90% of village infrastructure. “Our lands have been forever changed by these disasters,” Paul said. “We are no longer safe there.”
Kipnuk has endured three federally declared disasters in just 37 months, each more destructive than the last. Viewing Typhoon Halong as a warning of what lies ahead, both Kipnuk and Kwigillingok — with a combined population of about 1,000 people — have voted overwhelmingly to relocate to higher ground.
But Wednesday’s hearing in Bethel exposed what tribal leaders have warned about for decades: The deep flaws in the federal government’s disaster recovery system — from delayed housing aid and fragmented funding programs to the absence of any formal framework for responding to climate-threatened villages.
Rayna Paul, tribal administrator and environmental director for Kipnuk, testified before the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, in Anchorage on May 5, 2026, urging federal lawmakers to support long-term relocation efforts for climate-threatened Alaska Native villages. (Photo by Jenni Monet/Alaska Beacon)
“The status quo is not sustainable,” Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium President and CEO Natasha Singh said, testifying how communities are often left navigating multiple agencies with overlapping rules and unclear authority—all while simultaneously responding to disaster impacts. “For the people we serve, the existing approach is unacceptable.”
Similar concerns were raised by leaders from the Association of Village Council Presidents, the Calista Corporation, the Yukon-Kuskwokwim Health Corporation and the Denali Commission.
Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs Billy Kirkland highlighted a recently announced $20 million emergency package from the Bureau of Indian Affairs, including $4 million for immediate fuel, water and firewood assistance in 16 Western Alaska villages and $16 million for erosion and infrastructure work in Chefornak.
But questions remained about the status of the BIA’s Tribal Climate Resilience Program, which was renamed the Branch of Tribal Community Resilience by the second Trump administration. The grant initiative represents one of the federal government’s primary funding sources for tribal climate adaptation and migration planning since its creation in 2011.
One tribal administrator taking in the talks, Noelle George from Akiachak, told the Alaska Beacon that roughly $250,000 in erosion mitigation funding awarded during the Biden administration had yet to be distributed under President Trump.
Kirkland, who was confirmed in October, did not directly address the resilience grants during the hearings despite repeated references to it by witnesses. It also remains unclear whether any new funding has been awarded to any new recipients during Trump’s second term. During his first, the administration unsuccessfully sought to eliminate the funding program altogether.
Bryan Fisher, director of Alaska’s Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, described Typhoon Halong as the most catastrophic disaster he has seen in 32 years, and warned that federal funding disruptions and staffing shortages have created new obstacles in the recovery process.
“FEMA is hard to work with,” Fisher said bluntly during a question-and-answer session following Wednesday’s hearing.
Bryan Fisher, Alaska’s top emergency management official, warned lawmakers that federal disaster systems are struggling to keep pace with increasingly severe storms in rural Alaska. May 6, 2026. (Photo by Jenni Monet/Alaska Beacon)
He added that furloughs and delays within the Department of Homeland Security slowed reimbursements and recovery planning. On April 29, FEMA implemented Immediate Needs Funding, limiting spending to only the most urgent, life-saving measures amid the partial government shutdown.
Still, FEMA said in a six month recovery update that the agency and the state had distributed more than $60 million in individual and public assistance funds tied to Typhoon Halong recovery efforts, including housing assistance, infrastructure repair and debris removal.
In a press conference afterward, Murkowski confirmed that some disaster recovery funds tied to Halong had been stalled in Washington awaiting approvals while DHS funding remained unresolved.
The strain of those delays emerged in the case of Rayna Paul, whose FEMA appeal reviewed by the Alaska Beacon showed the agency denied her request for continued housing assistance after determining her living expenses did not exceed 30% of household income. The denial suggested Paul had achieved some degree of financial and housing stability.
But that stood in stark contrast to her testimony, Tuesday, when she described displaced families in Anchorage facing looming evictions, suicides, depression, bullying in schools and deep cultural isolation far from their ancestral villages.
In that sense, Paul’s denial represented a broader concern raised throughout the hearings: that federal disaster assistance formulas often fail to reflect the realities facing Alaska Native families living on the frontlines of climate change.
As relocation plans slowly take shape, Paul urged lawmakers to support an interim village where displaced families could remain connected to their homelands, while also establishing a federal pilot relocation project for climate-threatened Alaska Native communities.
Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, speaks during a Senate Committee on Indian Affairs field hearing on Typhoon Halong recovery efforts in Western Alaska, as Natasha Singh, president and CEO of the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consoritum, listens. May 6, 2026. (Photo by Jenni Monet/Alaska Beacon)
Murkowski said she is already working with other senators on legislation aimed at reforming FEMA and improving disaster response systems. She also suggested Alaska could become a national model for climate-driven community relocation.
But not without tribal consultation and autonomy. The hearings also revealed growing tensions over agencies and contractors failing to communicate directly with tribal leadership in recovery efforts in Kipnuk and Kwigillingok.
“When you hear the tribal administrator say she learned of what was happening in her community because she saw a picture posted on Facebook, that’s wrong,” Murkowski said.
Tribal self-determination ran as a central theme throughout the hearings, among storm survivors and tribal leaders from across the Yukon-Kuskokwim region. Many stated that the federal government bears a trust responsibility to help Native communities threatened by climate change — particularly in Alaska where federal Indian boarding school policies forced the settlement of tribes now concentrated in some of the state’s most flood-prone danger zones.
For Paul, however, the crisis extends beyond federal policy and agency response. He described how, in his culture, nature is personified — but now storms no longer behave in ways elders recognize.
“Nature is talking to us,” he told the panel. “Remember that nature is stronger than man.”
After years of performing in makeshift tents, basements and other small venues around town, the Haines puppetry troupe Geppetto’s Junkyard is ready for the big stage.
Following three successful shows at Petersburg’s Little Norway Festival last weekend, Geppetto’s Junkyard is taking “Travels in the Belly of a Whale” to the Chilkat Center stage.
For more than a decade, the group of ragtag puppeteers has set up in cramped quarters, like the Chilkat Center basement, Mosey’s restaurant and the circus-esque tent at the Southeast Alaska State Fair. But when a Petersburg resident contacted the troupe to perform on the town’s main stage, they scaled their new props and puppets accordingly.
Puppeteer Debi Knight Kennedy said the show features a 15-foot whale, elaborate sets depicting the creature’s innards, and full-size mermaids made of cloth and found objects. The main character, Inar, is a wooden puppet that stands more than three feet tall.
Though he plays the adventure-seeking Viking fisherman Inar in “Travels in the Belly of a Whale,” the wooden puppet isn’t new to the Geppetto’s Junkyard repertoire, Knight Kennedy said.
“He’s become like a movie star kind of guy. He has different roles,” she said.
The nautical tale follows Inar’s escapades around the world, with scenes involving underwater black light magic, singing palm trees and plenty of the group’s signature shadow puppetry. Live music and original songwriting punctuate the performance, including a knockout ballad by Hannah Bochart about Davey Jones’ Locker.
“When a lot of people think about puppets they think about hand puppets or the Muppets,” said puppeteer Melina Shields. “But we’ve really taken it to a different place that’s less Mr. Rogers and more in the European tradition of puppetry. It’s a full theater performance.”
Petersburg residents were thrilled by the group’s whimsical, humorous and poignant performances last weekend, Shields said.
“It will leave you smiling and engaged. People were so psyched at the last show that we did that they didn’t want to leave. They all came up on the stage and got up into the belly of the whale. Little kids were hugging Inar and leaning on the boat,” she said.
The whole “swallowed by a whale” plotline isn’t supposed to be a biblical reference, she added. “The whale is really more of a therapist/philosopher.”
Fourteen of the troupe’s core members will perform this Friday, as will three of their children: Yarona Jacobson (daughter of Merrick Bochart and Joey Jacobson) plays a squid, Zorza Szatkowski (son of Jessica Plachta and Nicholas Szatkowski) appears as an underwater critter in the black light scene, and Garland Bishop (daughter of Sarah and Chorus Bishop) dons a tiny hat to transform into a “baby wave.”
“Garland just rode around on (mother) Sarah’s back the whole show (in Petersburg) with a little binky in her mouth. She was like Maggie from ‘The Simpsons,’” Shields said.
In addition to the main performance, “Travels in the Belly of a Whale” includes a “pre-show,” with Knight Kennedy and her husband Gene portraying clowns named “Major Disaster” and “Minor Dilemma.”
The show is appropriate for all ages. “We had happy babies in the audience and we had laughing 80-year-olds,” Shields said of the Petersburg show.
Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for children. They are available at the Babbling Book and at the door.
25 years ago
Haines fishermen aren’t opposed to paying for using the crane at the Small Boat Harbor, but they don’t want to have to go to city hall for a key to unlock it.
Gillnetters, city councilors and boat harbor committee members on Monday worked out a proposed ordinance change for using the crane that would require a seasonal or per-use fee.
Those paying a seasonal rate would get a key, otherwise keys would be available at the harbormaster’s office and at the police station. Proposed fees are $10 per use or $50 for a season.
“Everybody who understands the value of the crane, and that we’re going to have to pay for it,” said fisherman Stan Wood. An ordinance setting fees and key policy is being drafted to be introduced at the next council meeting.
Wood said he’d like to see penalties for unauthorized use of the crane. If funds raised by the fee exceed maintenance on the crane, the city should buy an additional, smaller lift, he said. “There’s no point wearing his big crane out to pick up 300 pounds at a time.”
City administrator Vince Hansen said he’d also like to establish a log of crane use, in part to determine wear and tear on equipment. Replacing the crane would cost an estimated $36,000.
50 years ago
The 1941 Howe fire truck—acquired surplus by the Haines Volunteer Fire Dept. in 1959—stands proudly but outclassed by the new Seagrave truck the HVFD received Wednesday.
The new 350 h.p. diesel truck has an automatic transmission; it will pump 1,500 gallons of water per minute and carries 3,000 feet of two and one-half inch hose. The 125 h.p. Howe is gasoline powered, will pump 750 gallons per minute, and carries 1,500 feet of hose.
The new truck, ordered 18 months ago, cost $64,900; today’s price would be $76,000, but the contract entered into a year and a half ago was binding, Fire Chief Frank Wallace said. He and Assistant Chief Chuck Jones drove the new truck 3,200 miles from Wisconsin to Prince Rupert, B.C. to catch the ferry Taku.
What’s the future of the Howe? It will continue to serve the area, Wallace said. However, the fire department has a problem: where to house it. Anyone with a secure garage at least 30 feet long might get in touch with the chief.
Kudos to the Southeast Road Builders’ fire brigade along with the all the others who responded to the fiery demise of my beloved SueBeeSue#6 along the highway just south of Klukwan. Thanks to the unknown driver of the blue pickup who I flagged down and dispatched to alert the SERB crew nearby. Thus, all the onboard fire extinguishers carried by SERB vehicles were promptly emptied, then topped off by the magical powers of Matty and his big hose knocking the flames down before the gas tank blew. Extra shout out to queen of the day, Helena Muench, who possessed the uncanny ability to drop her stop sign, enter the only phone booth south of the border clad as a fluorescent north-end flagger and appear on the other side donned in full fire turn-out gear driving a fire engine!
Appreciation for the arrival of both fire departments who then followed with mop up, Dakota Strong for the ride home, and all the others who radio relayed and helped with the efforts. It’s always heartwarming to see neighbors taking care of neighbors and this response could not have had a better ending. Many thanks to you all.
Fuel prices jumped Monday, up to $5.74 per gallon for gasoline and $6.53 for diesel at Haines Industrial’s pumps. At Delta Western across the street, prices are now $5.79 for gasoline and $6.58 for diesel.
Prices had held steady in Haines for weeks, even as global fuel prices skyrocketed following the United States’ war on Iran.
In mid-April, Delta Western spokesperson Di Do said the company hadn’t raised prices in Haines since March 13, the date of the most recent fuel delivery to the Lutak Dock. There has not been a new fuel delivery since then, Haines harbormaster Henry Pollan said.
Haines Industrial owner Haynes Tormey, who is supplied by Delta Western, said he was notified of its pricing change Monday morning.
An Alaska Power & Telephone worker inspects an exhaust stack after an explosion on March 27, 2025, at its power plant in downtown Haines. (Will Steinfeld/Chilkat Valley News)
After a unionization effort in the Upper Lynn Canal collapsed last year, a new group of Alaska Power and Telephone employees on Prince of Wales Island has voted to unionize.
It’s the third time in just over a decade that workers at the Southeast Alaska utility have tried to organize and join the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers.
Power crews in Haines and Skagway and Tok said the company has put them on notice that they may have to head to Prince of Wales and work if that crew decided to strike, said IBEW assistant business manager Jesse Young.
The Chilkat Valley News has tried to contact company vice president of development and spokesperson Jason Custer for several days via phone, email and text. He did not respond to requests for more information about the unionization efforts and if the company intended to weigh-in publicly on what it is doing in response.
“That effort fizzled out and, as a union, we agreed to walk away because that’s what the majority of the potential members wanted,” he said.
That same day, an AP&T worker on Prince of Wales called Young and asked about organizing.
“The crew down here was keeping an eye on what was happening up north because they wanted to get in and they were hoping the [Upper Lynn Canal] crew would get a contract,” Young said.
On Feb. 5, 2026 eight out of 10 eligible power division employees on the island voted for a labor union.
That includes Jacob Hoppe, of Klawock, who has been with AP&T since 2004. He’s a journeyman lineman. It’s a good-paying job that, he said, started with a company that felt like a family.
“They would have company picnics,” he said. “In one instance, we had a coworker whose father had a heart attack and he had to go down south. His water froze up. The vice-president of the company … sent a couple of guys over to his house to get it fixed. In my mind, right, wrong, or in-between, that told me that the company I was working for would take care of me.”
But over time, Hoppe said, the company has taken away benefits and flexible scheduling that were good for employee morale and saving customers money. He said the company also changed its sick and vacation time policy and cut the amount of time newer workers were accruing.
This isn’t the first time Prince of Wales AP&T workers have tried to unionize. In 2013, a group organized and Hoppe said the company fought back.
“They brought up a bunch of union-buster speakers. We had both power and telephone [staff] who had to sit in on these mandatory speeches and they’d go two to three hours,” he said. “You had to listen to this gentleman speak about how bad the unions were.”
At the time, Hoppe said the potential union members and AP&T argued over who should be allowed to vote. Hoppe remembers that the company took the stance of saying that its superintendents should be eligible to vote.
“They were vocal about not wanting to unionize so the company pushed for them to vote,” Hoppe said.
Now, the company has reversed course and is contesting the vote of two superintendents during the 2026 election, arguing that because they’re supervisors they should not be part of the bargaining unit.
“This time around, we have a superintendent who … has been vocal about his pro-union position. Now the company’s stance is that they don’t want superintendent votes to count,” Hoppe said.
After the vote was taken, the company changed the job class of two of the newly-unionized Prince of Wales workers.
“They were offered a substantial pay cut or termination,” Young said. “They’re claiming those positions don’t exist anywhere else. But they are basically doing the same job they did before but with a pay cut.”
But AP&T did that without consulting with the union first and when the union staff reached out to note that any changes should have been done at the bargaining table, he said they were told “we have the right to do whatever we want with our workforce.”
He said it’s very similar to what happened in the Upper Lynn Canal.
“A lot of companies do it because it drags things out and busts morale,” Young said. “It’s a common corporate playbook move, and the reality is the system often gives employers more leverage than workers.
The two workers chose to accept substantially lower pay and the union has filed an unfair labor practice complaint, but Young said the financial penalties to the company are minimal and it could take the National Labor Relations Board a substantial amount of time to take up the complaint and make a ruling.
“It could be a year before they get a decision,” he said. “Then these guys are out $20-$40k a year. That’s a substantial amount of money.”
On Prince of Wales, Hoppe said he understands why the company would fight a unionization effort.
“It’s taking control from them. They have all the control right now and they can do these things,” Hoppe said. “They can take somebody who, yesterday their job was important and needed, and reclassify them and say we’re dissolving that position but you can go over here. That person asks ‘do I have to perform my same duties’ and the answer is ‘yeah, but for less money.’ To me, that’s not ok.”
Former Upper Lynn Canal AP&T lineman Jordan Frost said he is also not surprised to see the company fighting a union. Frost was part of the Upper Lynn Canal organizing effort. He said in Haines and Skagway, workers were elated when the vote was successful.
“We were excited for the changes,” he said. “We were going to get a voice. The company was going to have to sit down with us and discuss wages, training and safety.”
But then when two of his coworkers were let go in the middle of winter, with no similar job prospects in Haines or Skagway, Frost said, morale hit an all-time low.
“I felt responsible for that. I was the one pushing it, telling these guys we’d be fine and the company can’t do anything and it turns out they can,” he said.
Frost quit his job and moved to Oregon, but has been following the Prince of Wales unionization effort.
The post-vote job reclassifications and pay cut are familiar, almost a company playbook to avoid having to negotiate with a union, he said.
“I’m not surprised. But it’s sad to see that they do this to these people. Without the guys they’re doing this to, they don’t really have a company to run,” he said.
Frost said from his perspective, what workers need in both the Upper Lynn Canal and on Prince of Wales is community support and for people in the communities to push the company to go to the bargaining table.
“I felt like it was more hush, hush in the canal. There were a lot of mixed reviews in the community,” he said. “And as soon as two guys ended up without jobs in the winter, I don’t think they were nearly as interested in seeing what could happen to the other workers. It’s a scary thing.”
Hoppe said he’s not sure how supportive the communities on Prince of Wales would be to the idea of a union. But they are supportive of the workers themselves.
“Our response time for outages here has been, in my opinion, incredibly fast. In the past during big storms or wrecks, people have come out and brought us coffee and have taken care of us,” he said. “I would expect to see the same thing during this time. Some people might look at unions in a negative light. But we wouldn’t have gone this route if the management or administration hadn’t pushed us in this direction. I feel like they painted us into a corner.”
There are some signs of community support for what the workers are trying to do. On Tuesday, the company posted on social media about its newest hire, Laura Desmond. She’s the new vice president and chief employee services officer. She’s to help emphasize a “holistic, employee-centered experience” and create an environment where employees “feel supported, heard, and empowered to do their best work.”
The first, and only, comment is from a woman who said she hopes Desmond helps AP&T realize they need to put their employees first and start by working with the union.
Desmond also did not immediately respond to a reporter’s phone inquiry.
In the Upper Lynn Canal, Young said, workers in a job class which voted to join a unionize in 2024 could still be included in this latest effort.
“They could be worked into this organizing drive on Prince of Wales. Same with Tok as well,” he said. “If these guys wanted to join IBEW and be part of one large group, there are ways to do that.”
Haines High senior JC Davis got a knock on his front door last week. When he answered it, he found a high-profile visitor.
It was the mayor, Tom Morphet, come on “bended knee,” as Morphet later described it, with $100 in hand. He needed the young Davis’ help.
The trouble had started a few weeks earlier, when the local marching band, Morphet included, had been contacted to be in a community play, the Thirty Nine Steps.
Many know the mayor as a trumpet player, having seen and heard him play music at parades and official events. Morphet, though, makes a distinction. He may play music, but he says he’s not a musician.
“I’m not a musician, but I am a big supporter of the marching band,” he said in an interview this week.
So, musician or not, he agreed to show up with the rest of the band to rehearse for the play. But quickly, there were warning signs.
For one, there were no other loud brass players to hide behind.
“My modus operandi with the marching band is to hide behind people who actually know what they’re doing,” he said.
No such luck this time. Then, he looked at the sheet music, and saw he was meant to be playing the lead trumpet part.
“When I sat down and saw the sheet music, I thought, this is not going to work,” Morphet said. “Too many high notes have to be played too fast. It gets hairy when I have to play (lead trumpet).”
There was only one trumpet player Morphet could think of in town with the chops to play the lead trumpet part, and it was Davis.
That night, Morphet knocked on his door, and Davis accepted the lucrative offer — to everyone’s benefit, the mayor said.
“My greater interest is in the band sounding good. With me as lead trumpet, that was a bridge too far.”
Davis showed up just a day later to opening night, his first time being a part of the cast or the band. He looked unfazed, the play’s director Annette Smith said, and the band performed well. That included Davis’ mother, Holly Davis, on flute.
“They’re such a talented family, and they’re so generous with their talents,” Smith said.
For Morphet, too, the whole saga ended well, even with his wallet $100 lighter. “It went to a good cause. The band sounded good and I got to sit in the audience and enjoy it.”
Ed and Yuko Hays visited Duluth, Minn. for the home birth of their granddaughter. Ariel Susan Hays was born to Mori Hays and Julia Hays on Jan. 15, 2026. She weighed 7 pounds 4 ounces at birth and was 20 inches long. The proud grandparents will get to visit her again when they attend the wedding of their son Kai Hays to Bailey Schroder on Aug. 28 in the Seattle area.
The newly refreshed ball field at Mosquito Lake Road saw heavy snow this winter, damaging the backstop hood. Glen Scott and Jim Stanford made a plan to fix it up. They donated the labor to the borough and righted the fencing. Stanford calls this “geezer power.” He and Scott take on projects, as older gentlemen sometimes do, and this ballfield repair was one of them. The duo cut parts of the twisted backstop, refabricated the pipe joints and fixed the damaged piece. Stanford and Scott were part of the original group who built the ball field, along with about 75 other people. Stanford has a new project in mind. He says that we can look forward to a pickleball court at the park in the near future. He encourages others to get involved and welcomes all community members to spruce up the neighborhood.
Rose Fudge graduated with a master of social work from the University of Alaska Anchorage. Instead of attending graduation she spent the special day with her son at the Chilkat River, where they found a heart-shaped rock. Fudge said she’s grateful to her husband Cosmo Fudge for being the best and most supportive spouse and dad while she completed her degree.
Tattooly-noted
Suns out, guns out. The springtime warmer weather has allowed everyone to catch a glimpse of some of the ink in town.
Brandy Peters’ left shoulder tattoo is a Harry Potter-inspired wand, stone and cloak. Peters got the tattoo with her friend Gina Randles right here in Haines to celebrate their 20-year friendiversary. Shelley Gasch has the Matagorda lighthouse from her hometown in Calhoun County, Texas on her left arm. This tattoo ties in with her mermaid, turtle and undersea life on the arm. Richard Cook has a stingray tattoo, to commemorate the unexpected sting he received from an unpredictable stingray in Baja, Mexico. Cook has another tattoo of a phoenix rising from the ocean and flying into a setting sun. It’s a memorial to his younger brother who loved the ocean and surfing. Cook said the tattoo allows him to remember his brother as memories of his face and voice fade. Lance Nesbitt has been taking wildlife photos in Alaska for 15 years, and two of his tattoos were created from his photos. A bear on his right forearm was from a photo featured in the January 2019 edition of Canadian Geographic, where you can see more of his work. He is such a fan of Fujifilm that you can find a tattoo of the company’s logo on his right arm. An eagle in flight depicts a photo he took in Juneau. An eagle on the center of his neck is not from a photograph he took, but ties in nicely with a bear in the northern lights right next to it, which is his. Possibly the most infamous tattoo in Haines currently is a Care Bear tattoo on Shannon Miller’s butt. He got the tattoo in the Chicago area when he was 22-years-old and said he has shown it to well over 200 people in Southeast Alaska. If you hear someone say “have you seen Shannon’s Care Bear?” you can assume that you are about to see it as well.
Codi Sambrano is currently getting some fresh ink from Haines’ very own Cassie Benassi. Yours truly was unclear on most of the references in the piece, but editor Rashah McChesney spotted the reference photo and stepped in to explain that it was a [Hayao] Miyazaki Masterpiece. She described it like this: “Ok, from bottom to top is Totoro, Calcifer, Ponyo, a group of Kodama, Kao-Nashi – but you can call him “No-Face–” more Kodama, Princess Mononoke, Haku surrounded by a group of Shikigami, then some soot sprites, Yu-Bird carrying Boh and then at the top is Sophie being carried by Howl on the right and a witch named Kiki on a broom but I haven’t seen that one.” If you, like I, have no idea what she’s talking about, she suggests watching My Neighbor Totoro, Howl’s Moving Castle, Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke, Ponyo and Kiki’s Delivery Service.
Thom Ely and Aimee Creelman arrived back in Haines recently from a vacation ferry-hopping the Ryukyu Islands in southern Japan. Ely read about the islands in a New York Times ‘50 places to go’ list about 15 years ago, and finally had the opportunity to plan the trip. Originally planned as a bike trip, they ended up bringing no bikes, but did include a stunning bike ride through rural Japan along the way. They also enjoyed snorkeling in the cobalt blue waters surrounding the Kerama Islands. They swam with turtles and walked on uninhabited beaches. Ely and Creelman used a language-translation app, but not always with success. They learned to carve chopsticks from ancient cedar when they visited Yakushima, a UNESCO world heritage site featuring 3,000 to 7,000 year-old trees resembling a fairy-tale landscape. They say the highlight of their trip was the natural hot springs, or Onsen. This location has a unique feature of being accessible only with the tide, as it is right at sea level.
Brooke Robison loved every bit of living in Haines during her seven months here. She loved the mountains, the moss, the borough assembly meetings, the chest-high snow, the dogs and especially the people. Robison’s plans to stay forever were derailed when she applied to grad school, and got in. So alas, Mountain Market is losing one fantastic worker, as she is off to Juneau to get some field experience in social work for her degree. Robison promises Haines is not truly safe from the likes of her. She will return.
