There’s anger among some about bear management, as bear break-ins and property damage have followed the recent mauling in town.
Around the Small Tracts Road and Fort Seward Area, residents this week described frequent sightings of bears roaming and feeding around the neighborhood. Fruit trees have been one target, with some frustrated over snapped limbs and proximity of the animals to homes as bears harvest cherries.
Small Tracts resident Don Turner Jr. said a bear…
10 Years Ago
The Haines Borough’s first avalanche-oriented weather station is a couple weeks from going online.
About 10 people climbed up Mount Ripinsky Saturday to assemble the solar-power station equipped with a rain gauge, anemometer and thermometer with an antenna setup to transmit information to the Haines Avalanche Information Center, where it is posted on the organization’s website.
At a later date, the center expects to install a sonic snow-depth sensor at the station,…
Monroe Hunsberger Jr.was born Oct. 2, 1937 and died Aug 24, 2026 in Sellersville, Penn. where he lived the last nine years. Prior to that, Hunsberger and his wife, Barbara, lived in Perkasia, Penn. for 57 years. Hunsberger’s funeral was held Sept. 3 at the Community at Rockhill, where he had been in nursing care since March. The Hunsbergers visited Haines many times, but it was when they both retired that they really settled…
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As someone who loves to follow fitness trends, my social media feeds are constantly filled with new wellness products. Vibration plates, kettlebells, protein powders — they all promise incredible results. I’m often left wondering how to navigate this booming wellness…
(The Center Square) – One year after Charlie Kirk, the Turning Point USA founder and president, was assassinated at a Utah Valley University event, the conservative organization reports continued growth in its campus chapters.
Boats in Sitka’s Crescent Harbor are seen on a clear winter day in 2024. (Photo by Meghan Chamberlain/U.S. Forest Service)
Three southeast Alaska commercial fishers accused of deliberately sinking their boats are now pleading guilty.
John Fisher of Sitka, Joseph Poling of Petersburg and Tony Vanveen of Sitka have each signed plea deals, according to documents filed with the U.S. District Court in the District of Alaska.
The three were initially charged earlier this year by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Anchorage. Despite similar details, the cases are not linked.
Fisher, whose plea deal was finalized on Aug. 27, was sentenced to 1 month in prison and one year on supervised release.
According to court documents, Fisher deliberately scuttled the fishing vessel Igloo near Sitka in March 2025 and admitted doing so to the U.S. Coast Guard.
“The navigable waters of Southeast Alaska are especially precious to the communities who depend on them,” said a sentencing memorandum signed by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jack Schmidt. “Illegally scuttling vessels creates risk to the environment and can create a hazard to navigation if done carelessly.”
By phone, Schmidt said it appeared as if Fisher was trying to dispose of his boat but forgot about the boat’s EPIRB — the emergency beacon that automatically deploys and messages the Coast Guard if a boat sinks.
When the Coast Guard contacted Fisher, he admitted sinking the Igloo.
Alaska has a chronic problem with abandoned and derelict vessels; maintaining boats is expensive, and disposing of an unseaworthy boat is also expensive.
The Alaska Department of Natural Resources has a list of more than 400 abandoned boats on state land and waters.
Poling pleaded guilty on Aug. 7 and is scheduled to have his sentence imposed Oct. 29. The Anchorage U.S. Attorney’s office is recommending a fine of $6,000 and five years of probation for sinking the fishing vessel Leeward in Thomas Bay, northeast of Petersburg.
Tony Vanveen entered his guilty plea on July 27 and is scheduled to have his sentence imposed on Oct. 29 as well. Prosecutors are recommending 30 days in prison and one year of supervised release for sinking the motor vessel O’Kisutch in late September or early October 2025.
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Harvest festivals in America started long before anyone carved a pumpkin or got lost in a corn maze. They run from late summer through November, … Read moreThe post Harvest festivals drew Americans long before pumpkins were a fall marketing…
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Having a vivid, detailed memory of a remarkable event like 9/11 can seem like a demonstration of patriotism and a connection with other Americans.
