Emily Files

When you think of Buffalo Soldiers, does Alaska come to mind? Probably not. But the African American units formed in the 19th century before the US military was de-segregated are a part of Alaska’s history – specifically, Skagway’s history – during the days of the Klondike Gold Rush.

For more than 20 years, Skagway School was small enough that all students were taught in multi-age classrooms. Listen now

A Canadian company conducting exploration for a potential mine about 35 miles north of Haines was recently granted permission to grow its project. Listen now

Skagway School went through a restructuring this year. An influx in students enabled the school to create single-grade classrooms in the elementary school, increase Spanish and music classes, and start an accelerated learning program. It also opened space for three new teachers.

Whether nonprofit and for-profit businesses should have an equal voice in the Haines Chamber of Commerce has been debated for a while. Members will vote this week on amended bylaws that would clarify the role of nonprofits — allowing them to be members and vote, but not to serve on the board.

Some of the circumstances that led to a brown bear attack near Haines this spring came to light when a wildlife biologist interviewed the victim recently.

Alaska is earthquake country. But many people don’t know the basic safety measures they should take to prepare for an earthquake. The Alaska Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management wants to change that. The Division hopes to jolt people into awareness with a mobile earthquake simulator. The ‘Quake Cottage’ is scheduled to visit ten communities in Southeast Alaska and the Yukon for the first time ever this fall. Listen now

The Haines Borough is working to replenish its water supply after storage tanks drained so low Sunday that some neighborhoods were left with dry taps. The water shortage sprung from a problem with the transmission line from the borough’s main water source, Lily Lake.

A Haines tribe is calling a recent decision by a U.S. Court of Appeals a ‘historic victory.’ The Chilkoot Indian Association was among five plaintiffs in a lawsuit challenging what is known as the ‘Alaska exception’ – which prohibited Alaska tribes from placing their lands into federal trust. After years of litigation, including an appeal from the state, the federal court sided with the tribes. Alaska tribes can now petition for sovereignty over their lands. Listen now

Earlier this year, dozens of dead seabirds washed up on beaches in Haines and Skagway. It wasn’t an isolated event. An estimated hundreds of thousands of dead common murres were found on shores across the West Coast.