Articles written by Larry Persily
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Columbia's return nowhere on the horizon
The largest of the state ferries, the 499-passenger Columbia, was still listed as inactive on the Transportation Department website as of Monday,...
Legislature moves closer to suspending motor fuel tax for one year
The state House has passed legislation that would suspend Alaska’s 8-cents-a-gallon motor fuel tax for a year to help consumers pinched by high pric...
Senate committee proposes full school debt repayment
The Haines Borough could receive about $2.1 million under a Senate Finance Committee plan to pay back municipalities across Alaska for years of...
It all adds up to the same $2,600
With just a few weeks left in the legislative session, House and Senate budget writers appear to agree that $2,600 is a good number to put into the...
Alaska Seaplanes will start Sitka-Wrangell service next month
Juneau-based Alaska Seaplanes will add Wrangell to its route map starting May 26. The company, which operates a fleet of 14 single-engine aircraft,...
Extra ferry sailing will pick up waitlist travelers in Bellingham
With more than 260 would-be ferry passengers stuck on a waitlist for travel out of Bellingham, Washington, and sailings full until late July, the...
Mortgage relief program draws 35 applications
A federally funded mortgage relief program to help homeowners hurt financially by the pandemic drew 10,737 applications in Alaska, with 35 from...
State ferry system silent on summer plans for Columbia
The Alaska Marine Highway System has been hoping since last August to bring back the Columbia to service this year after an almost three-year...
Campaign finance disclosure good for the public
A big part of a well-functioning democracy is running for office or, if you don’t want your name on the ballot, backing a candidate, taking a...
Legislators scale back governor's heavy reliance on federal money for ferries
The House Finance Committee has rejected the governor’s proposal to rely almost entirely on federal funds to operate the Alaska Marine Highway...
It's not that hard, just different
This year’s switch to ranked-choice voting in Alaska is something new, maybe even surprisingly new for those who missed or forgot about the 2020...
Columbia's return to service in doubt for lack of crew
A state Department of Transportation official told legislators that the ferry system is “burning out our crew” with lots of overtime amid staff sh...
High oil prices not a reason to boost profits
No, this column is not directed at oil producers. They are not the guilty party in this tale of cost escalation. Nor is this column about the many...
Winning plan for Malaspina would operate it as maritime museum
The state has started negotiations to sell the Malaspina to a company owned by a business that operates a new multimillion-dollar cruise ship...
Energy relief bidding could get out of hand
Many Alaskans will be hurting under $5-a-gallon gasoline, and rural residents who pay even higher prices will hurt even more. The state treasury,...
State to implement paid parking at Southeast airports
Sitka will switch from free to paid airport parking next month under a state program that later could come to other Southeast communities, although...
Ferry system still short of hiring target for summer schedule
State ferry system and Transportation Department officials plan to gather this week in Ketchikan to consider options for fulfilling the advertised sum...
State will provide financial aid for homeowners hurt by pandemic
Alaska’s state housing agency has distributed more than $243 million in financial aid the past year to help renters hurt economically by the...
House speaker questions ferry system's hiring expectations
State Department of Transportation officials last week told legislators the ferry system needs to quickly hire at least 166 new crew in order to meet...
Governor proposes new program to replace onboard cruise ship monitors
Almost three years after pulling pollution monitors — called Ocean Rangers — from large cruise ships, Gov. Mike Dunleavy has proposed legislation...
State seeks to sell the Malaspina
The Alaska Department of Transportation is asking anyone interested in taking ownership of the nearly 60-year-old Malaspina to speak up by March 7....
Ferry system may reconsider charging more when ships are fuller
State ferry management said they are working to be more responsive to community and passenger concerns, including reconsidering the use of “dynamic...
Lack of crew could keep Columbia unused
Unless the Alaska Marine Highway System can recruit enough workers by March 1 to restaff the unused Columbia, officials said the largest vessel in...
State contracts with search firm to help fill ferry system jobs
The state has contracted with an Anchorage-based search firm to help recruit and fill almost 50 job openings with the Alaska Marine Highway System,...
Coastal legislators dislike governor's spending plan for state ferry system
Though they say the level of funding for the state ferry system in Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s budget for the fiscal year that begins July 1 is adequate,...
