It’s an interesting coincidence that the decline of our nation’s big-city newspapers and the fracturing of television and online journalism have paralleled breakdowns in the functionality of our state and federal governments. Is a functional, thoughtful press linked to functional, thoughtful governments and communities? My thoughts about this are reinforced by recent trips I made to my hometown of Media,…
One of the chronic shortcomings of local government is an institutional difficulty with nuanced ideas, including that its authority needn’t always be a hammer, as every issue is not a nail. This week’s assembly debate over 14-day quarantine is only its most recent failure to paint policy with anything other than black and white colors. Some assembly members wanted to…
We are taught as children in America that we’re free to do what we want, but of course that’s not the case. Our freedoms are limited by all kinds of things, all the time. First, there are physical limitations, imposed by nature and genetics. My freedom is limited to what my body, physically, can do. No amount of training is…
Before we give all credit for bungling the coronavirus response to Donald Trump, let’s acknowledge that our very own governor, Mike Dunleavy, also made – and continues to make – important contributions to the unfolding public health disaster right here in Alaska. Dunleavy, in announcing his emergency shutdown of the state, exempted from 14-day quarantine essential workers, including the guys…
They say a child never touches a hot stove twice. Lacking the acute memory of a child, the Haines Borough is about to be burned again. The borough is slowly gutting tourism regulations that kept the industry responsible here for 25 years. Changes to borough code regarding tourism have sailed through the assembly with little comment, including reducing review of…
Strange things happen here in February, especially in government. But few have been as strange or as damning as the attempt by townsite police chief Heath Scott to criminally prosecute his political opponents, three years ago this month. Arresting or locking up your political opponents is associated with tin-horn dictators in lawless, Third World nations, but Scott took action akin…
Last summer, draftsman and designer Larry Larson challenged residents to submit ideas for the future of the intersection of Third Avenue and Main Streets, a hole in our downtown since the old elementary school gym there was torn down in 2011. We should take up Larson’s challenge. The fate of the lot has been a topic of discussion at least…
Heath Scott is up to his old tricks. The chief of the townsite police department, who successfully soaked taxpayers for more than $200,000 in raises and extra manpower for himself and his officers while twice overrunning his department budget since his hire in 2016, now wants to hire a sixth officer, at your expense. Or, he’d like more money for…
The Haines Pool sauna project didn’t turn out as planned. It turned out much better. Understanding the history of this project is important to knowing how Haines works and to learning how citizens can advance projects in our community even in the face of indifference or opposition from powers-that-be. The sauna was proposed by former borough consultant Darsie Culbeck in…
Louie Nelson was a worker bee. The Mud Bay homesteader, inventor and musician liked getting things done. On the Haines Arts Council in the early 1990s, Louie could be counted on to advocate for more brass instrument music and to provide fruit juice for the refreshments stand at every performance. At council meetings, Louie also advocated for a marching band.…