Category: News Feeds

The long story about our town’s 20-year-old golf course published in last week’s CVN included my comments but omitted the very public matter that I was “talking loudly about” with a CVN reporter at Deerheart on the evening of May 26. (The reporter, who was not Will Steinfeld, was seated about four seats away from me.)

The matter I raised – which still has not been reported by the CVN – was why and how the FAA approved a private, golf course landing strip nearly adjacent to the Haines airport and in the apparent flight path of our town’s commercial air traffic.

Such an arrangement would seem to needlessly create an air traffic hazard both to the flying public and to amateur pilots landing at the golf course.
When Will Steinfeld interviewed me for his golf course story, I emphatically told him the greater public interest wasn’t that our town had a golf course – the course has generated dozens of news stories since its inception – but that there are now two airstrips operating in close proximity to each other.
At Deerheart on the evening of May 26, Clayton Jones approached me after overhearing my conversation about those concerns, assuring me the FAA had no problem with his new airstrip. Remarkably, when I asked Jones what would happen if his plane were landing at the golf course while golfers were golfing, he told me that any golfers playing Hole 6 would have to get out of the way.

The story is public safety.

Mayor Tom Morphet

The post Story about the golf course was incomplete  appeared first on Chilkat Valley News.

I’m a bit tardy getting this out, so apologies.  The Haines Woman’s Club’s 4th of July Pie Sale was a great success!  With the hard work of our members and generous non-member donors, we baked and sold 70 delectable pies!  That’s a tie with our biggest sale ever!  We also received cash donations, which boosted our take for the day and were greatly appreciated.  Pie or cash donations were received from: Teena Larson, Inez Gross, Clara Yoder, Anita Hunter, Bonnie Johnson and Tom Ganner.  Thank you so, so much!  I must commend my incredible club members.  Most of them are brand new to the club and this was their first club function.  I can say, they did a bang-up job — every one of them!  The community turned out in great numbers and didn’t let us down — without you, we would not be successful — so thank you Haines!  A special thanks to our “auxiliary,” (aka husbands), who worked behind the scenes to support us and do some of the heavy lifting.  We hope to see you at the Holiday Bazaar in November!

Susan Johnston, Acting President Haines Woman’s Club

The post Woman’s Club Pie Sale a resounding success! appeared first on Chilkat Valley News.

Amid the chaos of a busy Alaskan summer, KHNS listeners heeaded the call and helped us raise $80,000 toward our $90,000 goal during this year’s Summer Fund Drive! They also met the mark for a $25,000 challenge offered by major donors, swelling our campaign total past $100,000. Big thanks goes out to our members, volunteer deejays, board of directors, dessert bakers, area musicians, local businesses and others who contributed their talents, time and monetary support to lift up the community that is local radio! If you missed the drive and would like to give, visit khns.org today. In gratitude,

KHNS Development Director Dawn Drotos

The post Thanks for KHNS Fund Drive Support! appeared first on Chilkat Valley News.

Every summer, when the salmon start returning to the Chilkat River, I feel a sense of relief and gratitude. Like many people in the Chilkat Valley, my family and I look forward to harvest season.

The value of that harvest is hard to overstate. In a place where the cost of living is high and food often travels thousands of miles to reach our stores, salmon provide real economic value to local families. Wild salmon give us a measure of food security that can’t be taken for granted.

But the value of salmon goes beyond economics. For my family, salmon are what connect us to this place. The annual return of the fish ties us to the river, the seasons, and the generations of people who have depended on these waters before us. They remind us where we come from and why this place matters.

That’s why protecting the Chilkat River is so important. A healthy river supports healthy salmon runs. Healthy salmon runs support families, local businesses, traditions, and communities. The benefits ripple far beyond the riverbanks.

As we celebrate another salmon season, I’m thankful for what the Chilkat River provides. I hope we continue to protect this remarkable watershed so future generations can experience the same connection to place, the same food security, and the same sense of belonging. 

Scott C. Ramsey, PhD

The post The value of local salmon goes beyond economics appeared first on Chilkat Valley News.

The Haines Borough administration took a local church to court without Assembly direction.

The Assembly met on June 9. The court appeal was filed on June 10. When asked why the matter had not come before the Assembly before filing, Borough Manager Alekka Fullerton said, “By the time it came to me, it was, we need to file tomorrow or not.” That explanation exposes a lack of transparency. 

Why was direction not sought from the Assembly during its June 9 meeting before taxpayer funds were committed to litigation?

When the issue finally came before the Assembly on July 14, the Manager defended the effort to overturn the unanimous BOE decision because the contract assessor believed the church’s property was not used regularly enough to qualify. Yet the law establishes no minimum frequency of use. It mandates an exemption for property “used exclusively” for nonprofit religious purposes.

During that same meeting, the bBorough attorney was asked whether Haines could add a minimum-use requirement to its code. He advised that it could not because bBorough code must conform to the mandatory exemption established by state law and the Alaska Constitution. That exposes the central contradiction: Why pursue through litigation a minimum-use interpretation the BBorough cannot lawfully add to its own code?

The Assembly unanimously directed that the appeal be withdrawn. That discussion should have occurred before the bBorough went to court, not afterward. Every taxpayer should be concerned when public money is committed to litigation without Assembly direction, transparency, or public discussion.

Brenda Josephson

The post The decision to spend public funds on litigation should have been more transparent appeared first on Chilkat Valley News.