Public Information Release
HAINES–Emergency repair work to the sewer main running through the center of the slump area was completed around 3:45 pm Friday afternoon. Residence of the Highland Estates & Skyline Drive area can resume normal usage. Thank you for your patience. Read more->
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Public Information Release Crews from Southeast Road Builders Inc. and the Borough Water & Sewer Department started emergency repairs to this line before light this morning. Work is ongoing as of this report (3:00pm Friday afternoon) PSA’s asking residence above this area to restrict their use of water going into the sewer until crews finish emergency repairs today. [Borough officials] will place an announcement on KHNS when the work is completed and normal usage can resume. Crews will continue working until repairs are finished today. Thank you for your patience. No update is scheduled for the week‐end unless there are major changes to report. Command Center – 766‐2258 Roc Ahrens ~ Emergency Coordinator Click here to view all official updates on the Haines Borough Website. PUBLIC NOTICE According to the agenda, “The slump in the Oceanview Drive/Lutak Road area continues to move and has breached the sewer line. It is anticipated that the area will continue to move and destroy public facilities. The manager has deemed it necessary to declare a disaster and request state assistance at this time.” The Haines Alaska News will post more information as it becomes available; readers can also check the Haines Borough Website for updates. Public Information Release Activity in the active area of the slope movement appeared to calmed down today with very little new visual movement detected. The command center has been receiving very detailed information from several State and Federal offices in an effort to help in our planning efforts. Some of it is so detailed that we have to filter through the information to determine what is relevant to our event. If you have questions about any information you may be hearing rumors about, please contact the command center at 766‐2258. Warmer weather will still be with us for a few more days, which is helping melt the snow, but also brings added concern to the area that is already over saturated. Next scheduled update will be 3 PM Friday afternoon. Click here to view all official updates on the Haines Borough Website.  Former CIA Tribal Administrator Jim Carnahan Press Release: Carnahan said he is pleased this has finally come to an end and he has been absolved of all wrong doing. CIA made the following statement in the settlement agreement, “CIA is pleased that we could work out a settlement of our employment dispute. We withdraw our allegations of wrongdoing on your part. As we are sure you will agree, CIA regrets that this matter was not handled and resolved in a different manner.” Carnahan finished by saying, “CIA has tremendous potential to help its members and the people of Haines. I wish them the very best as they try to move forward.” Carnahan is represented by Michael Lessmeier from Juneau. “Mike is an incredible attorney and worked hard to resolve this claim,” said Carnahan. “He went above and beyond the call of duty.” Contact Jim Carnahan at 35th@msn.com for more information.  Connelly Lake outlet, photo by Danny Gonce Paid commentary:  AP&T Manager of Power Operations for Haines, Danny Gonce HAINES–The Connelly Lake hydro issue always draws a crowd in Haines, and last Friday’s Chamber of Commerce luncheon at the Chilkat Bakery & Restaurant was no exception. AP&T’s Manager of Power Operations for Haines, Danny Gonce, said that AP&T has applied to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) for additional permits to continue studying the Connelly Lake hydro site, and the comment period for that permit is now closed. Several comments were received, both for and against. Read more-> The election numbers have changed, but the basic outcome stays the same, following canvassing of the October 4th municipal election by the Haines Borough Assembly. The official final numbers are as follows:
The election will be certified by the assembly on October 25, 2011, and the new begin Monday, October 31, 2011. The first meeting of the new assembly will be November 15, 2011. By Gary Lidholm
Our hats are off to the political strategists on the left. With the mayor and all assembly seats but one on the ballot for either election or recall, they nearly achieved a clean sweep. Read more-> Alaska Dispatch HAINES—869 people voted today, 771 in Haines at the American Bald Eagle Foundation and 98 at the Mosquito Lake School. 272 absentee ballots were counted by machine, and up to 40 absentee ballots remain to be counted at canvassing time. All of the races have clear winners, with the exception of the mayoral race with only 30 votes separating Jan Hill and Stephanie Scott. In order to win, Jan Hill would have to receive 36 of the possible 40 outstanding votes. As of tonight’s count, here is how the numbers stack up — Borough Clerk Julie Cozzi reminds us that these are preliminary, unofficial numbers only:
Canvassing for this election will occur October 11. The whole community is a mess and there is no single member or entity to blame. The far left has made the debate plenty personal in recent years and the far right, now engaged, is calling them out by name. Ugly, yes. Necessary, I don’t know, but it sure makes the vast majority of those in the middle mighty uncomfortable and embarrassed. And to those outside of Haines, we are seen as either entertaining or just plain NUTS. Read more->  Cruise Ship Statendam at the PC Dock We’ve said it before: “We need more business-oriented people on the assembly.” Where non-business folks tend to look at the budget or the economy as a fixed pool of money that needs to be divided up fairly, an experienced private sector business manager realizes that the economy is something that can expand or contract, depending on sound management decisions. Decisions by a governmental body affect not only the government’s budget, but the health of the underlying private economy that the government depends on for income. This was best illustrated at the Chamber of Commerce candidates forum last Friday, when one question separated the wheat from the chaff. Read more-> After years of indecisiveness, the Haines Assembly was unanimous in its decision to raze the old school gym still standing at the corner of 3rd and Main Streets. The decision is based on recent information showing that restoration of the old building is too expensive, and the building is not ideal for either offices or a recreation center. There is currently no heat or electricity in the building, and it has been standing that way for at least 5 years. A small group led by Joe Poor and Jack Wenner argued to keep the building, and said they were working on a business plan to keep the building open as a recreation center for the community, but their efforts were too little, too late. Read more->
Commercial fishermen, for example, can vote early and not miss any of the commercial fishing days early next week. The elderly, or others who have difficulty getting to the polls can vote at their convenience by taking advantage of early voting. Read more->
This just in from the Haines Chamber: The Haines Chamber of Commerce General Meeting/Luncheon tomorrow, Sept. 23, 2011, noon, at the Haines Borough Public Library will feature as guest speakers Haines Borough Candidates Jan Hill, Stephanie Scott, Jerry Erny, Debra Schnabel, Karen Hess, Norm Smith, John Brower and Jerry Lapp. Hors d’oeuvres & Coffee will be available.
Haines, a small town on the road system in the Alaskan wilderness, has more than the usual degree of political buzz going on, with the mayor, and all but one assembly seat up for either election or recall. In a town sharply divided between radical left ideologies and a few radical right wingers as well, control of the borough assembly is up for grabs. Read more->  Click image to view sample ballot In some respects, local politics can have a more immediate and profound effect on our daily lives than national politics. Our local leaders make decisions that affect our tax rates, our laws and regulations, and our infrastructure. National politics may drive economics on a larger scale, but the assembly decides how much it costs to live in Haines. In Haines, this year’s political lineup is more intense than usual, with the mayoral race, two assembly races, a vacant assembly seat to fill, and a ballot recall question for two of the remaining seats. By the time this election is over, the assembly could look radically different from what it is been in the recent past. Read more-> by Thomas Sowell | TOWNHALL What most people are unaware of is that there was no Great Depression until AFTER politicians started intervening in the economy. Read Part I in Townhall.com.  Mayor Jan Hill and assembly candidates Jerry Erny and Karen Hess HAINES–Candidates for assembly, Karen Hess and Jerry Erny held a “Meet and Greet” at the Captain’s Choice Hotel Lounge on Saturday afternoon. Turnout was good, with the lounge packed for a couple of hours as Haines residents drifted in and out, and the candidates took time to speak with them about their concerns. Read more-> HAINES–We owe a big “thank you” to candidates who chose to run for office — to those serving, as well as those running in the current election. Serving on the assembly requires a huge commitment of time and energy, and sometimes there is little thanks for the effort. Read more-> by Brenda Jones |
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HAINES–Early voting is available weekdays from 8 a.m. through 5 p.m. at the Haines Borough Clerk’s office. It’s easy, and it takes the pressure off those who may have difficulty getting to the polls on Tuesday.
The smaller the community, the more the politics take on the intensity of a family feud.
