Chilkat Valley News - Serving Haines and Klukwan, Alaska since 1966

It’s typical for newspapers to reveal government secrets. That’s the role of the press in a free society: To tell people what’s going on, not...

This week’s story about a high, per-capita income in Haines left us in the newsroom scratching our heads. If federal statisticians are correct,...

The Southeast Alaska State Fair seems to have hit its stride. By gradually adding rides, expanding participatory events (like this year’s Zombie...

In recent years, as the word “taxes” became lethal to political careers, savvy politicians turned to user fees to raise revenues. They hiked fees...

Haines Borough leaders need to make sure their good intentions concerning wood-pellet fuel don’t end up costing taxpayers. It’s one thing for priv...

If illegal dumping at roadsides weren’t a serious issue here, sorting through trash to identify its owner would seem a little funny, along the lines...

Instead of an old truck, suppose I owned a Bentley, a high-performance luxury car, a sophisticated piece of equipment requiring a specialized...

Haines Borough Assembly members should think long, hard and outside-the-box about their approach to hiring a new municipal manager. Since government...

In last week’s paper, we asked several Haines Borough leaders their views on what constituted economic development. Ideas ranged from attracting...

Closure of the Elks Lodge is a big loss for our community, but perhaps inevitable. Elks membership was in decline and there didn’t seem to be...

They say you’re a geezer if you spend your day wondering why things aren’t as good as they were back when you were a kid. Call me King Geezer, the... Full story

By many measures, the Haines Borough School District is doing a good job. It’s keeping up with “No Child Left Behind” standards and addressing... Full story

Former Alaska state Sen. Jan Faiks once made headlines with a remark, concerning a legislative junket to Hawaii, that “Waikiki is no picnic.” The... Full story

Let’s hope the Haines Borough Assembly will decide to fix the Chilkat Center roof without too much more deliberation. Facilities director Brian... Full story

A solitary leather work shoe, retrieved from a harbor snow bank and tacked up as a lost item on a Main Street bulletin board a few weeks ago, seemed... Full story

Haines High School’s four top wrestlers left Wednesday to ride in a car more than 1,000 miles to the state championship wrestling tournament in...

It’s prudent that the Haines Borough start socking away money for major repairs or replacement of its premier facilities, like the Chilkat...

That citizens are now leading Haines Borough officials by the nose to enforce the municipality’s laws on junk cars is only the most recent...

The Haines Assisted Living variance controversy, the assembly recall and now the junk cars issue underline a chronic reluctance of the Haines Borough...

It’s time to do away with designated seats on the Haines Borough Assembly. They limit our choices as voters, and can result in the election of...

Borough assembly members owe the public an explanation on what happened to the idea of renovating the old gym and classrooms into a recreation...

A task force to tackle underage drinking is a step forward in addressing this communitywide issue. Borough leaders have previously passed the buck to...

The Chilkat Valley News recently was criticized for its letters-to-the-editor policy. The policy is one of dozens we’ve developed as difficult...