Corinne Smith, KHNS - Haines

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People disembark from a cruise ship on a sunny day

First cruise ship in 3 years docks in Haines, where residents worry about COVID coming ashore too

It marks the start of what could be a record-breaking cruise season for upper Lynn Canal communities.
A red and white plane flies over water, above someone in the water.

Search suspended for woman who fell overboard from a cruise ship in Southeast Alaska

A cruise ship camera showed the woman going overboard at approximately 3 a.m. Tuesday as the ship sailed from Juneau to Skagway.
A pavement break sign along a rural highway

Investigation underway after Haines Highway work crew finds human remains

Authorities have paused construction in an area where human remains were found by crews working on the Haines Highway project Monday.
A young woman standing on an empty street

Alaska renters face uncertainty as federal pandemic rental assistance nears end

One-third of all renters in the state applied for rental assistance, and over 66,000 Alaskans benefited, according to the Alaska Housing Corporation.
A map showing proposed legislative districts in Southeast Alaska

Alaska Supreme Court upholds district pairing Skagway and Haines with Juneau’s Mendenhall Valley

Skagway filed suit last year, challenging the redistricting board’s legislative map pairing it with the Mendenhall Valley by arguing that it was more socio-economically aligned with downtown Juneau.
A helicopter over a steep, foggy hillside

The Beach Road landslide in Haines is stable for now but could slide again, report says

Geologists say that loose, saturated soil and weak bedrock were behind the December 2020 landslide.
a building with a police car outside

All of Haines’ emergency dispatchers caught COVID but stayed on the job to answer 911 calls

All three of Haines’ emergency dispatchers have tested positive for COVID-19, but officials say they’ve elected to stay on the job anyway to field 911 calls from the public safety building.
A black bear peers into a window.

Haines police kill black bear that was pushing on restaurant doors, peering in homes

Haines' police chief said the bear was reported to be underweight meaning it was likely desperate for food. 
A black bear on a snowy roof.

Some bears are still out in Haines. Biologists say that’s not so unusual.

Recent bear activity around Haines — including bears peering into shop windows and lumbering down Main Street — has caught many residents by surprise. But a state wildlife biologist says it’s not so unusual for some bears in Southeast to still be out foraging this time of year.
Children on a snowy playground

Haines plans memorial playground for kindergarten teacher killed in last year’s landslide

This week marks the one-year anniversary of the extreme weather event in Haines that led to a deadly landslide and storm damage to dozens of homes and businesses. A playground project at the Haines school is one of several memorial projects planned to commemorate the disaster and honor those affected.
A man in a jacket stands in a museum.

Infrared photography reveals centuries-old formline paintings on Lingít bentwood boxes

“It just basically looks like a black surface on wood, and then these amazing images are able to be pulled out of it," said Haines Sheldon Museum collections coordinator Zachary James.
A band plays music outside of the Visitor Information Center.

‘Just happy to be back’: Haines welcomes its first Canadian visitor since March 2020

Bruce Funk of Whitehorse was Haines' first Canadian visitor since March 2020. He had tears in his eyes as he shook hands with the mayor. “It’s been a long time,” he said with a laugh. “Ah, just happy to be back.”
Fire engines and other big trucks surroung the scene of a plane crash.

No injuries reported after Alaska Seaplanes flight crashes on takeoff in Juneau

Flights across Southeast Alaska have been diverted or delayed after a small commercial plane crashed shortly after takeoff on Friday morning at Juneau’s airport.
A man and his dog high-five

She-Ra is a sailboat and a malamute. They stopped in Haines on their way around the world.

Lars Zika and his 7-year-old Alaskan malamute She-Ra are sailing around the world in a 62-foot sailboat. They stopped in Haines over the weekend.
Three peopole hold their paddles and pose in front of a small cabin in front of some mountains

Haines paddlers say dry suits, satellite phone may have been difference between life and death

A U.S. Coast Guard helicopter crew rescued three Haines paddlers on Sunday along the Tsirku River, east of Klukwan. One says that dry suits and a satellite phone may have made the difference between life and death.

Haines debates banning yurts as permanent structures

Recently Haines’ planning committee recommended prohibiting yurts as permanent structures. Existing ones would be grandfathered in. But going forward, any new yurt or similar tent-like structures would have to be relocated after 18 months.

Groundbreaking ceremony held for new Tlingit longhouse in Haines

The borough project is funded by a $350,000 grant from the National Park Service. It will include the longhouse pavilion and new trails connecting Tlingit Park to Front Street and the waterfront.
Workers gather outside a square, weathered one-story warehouse building

At closed campus seafood processors, workers swap freedom for paychecks

Workers, many of whom come from out of the country, say they weren't informed of the extreme restrictions before they arrived.
About 25 different people listen in on a screenshot of Zoom

Free online Tlingit language class sees widespread interest during pandemic

Over 100 people have been joining in the free online Tlingit classes

During pandemic, a ‘delicate balance’ between patient privacy and public health

HIPAA requires that officials protect the identity of people diagnosed with a disease, but public health officials also need to make sure people know where they might have been exposed.