Articles written by Larry Persily
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State ferry system still comes up short on hiring
The Alaska Marine Highway System has enough crew to operate its summer schedule, though it still lacks a sufficient cushion to handle worker...
Bars reopen on two state ferries
Beer and wine have been available at the bars on board the state ferries Matanuska and Kennicott since late May after the amenities were closed seven...
Suspending taxes on gasoline doesn't deserve any mileage
Legislators, the governor, members of the public — and most certainly candidates in this year’s state elections — should be paying attention to...
Wrangell borough buys former sawmill property for $2.5 million
After finding a solution to a contractor lien against the property owner, the Wrangell Borough this week completed a $2.5 million purchase to take...
Losing money a lesson to remember
Legislators, the governor, members of the public — and most certainly candidates in this year’s state elections — should be paying attention to...
Haines may need to add disinfection to sewage treatment
Haines is one of nine Alaska communities operating under old federal permit waivers from secondary treatment for its sewage water discharge, and...
Malaspina will have new life as museum, employee housing and classroom
After 56 years of service in the Alaska Marine Highway System fleet and almost three years tied up at a Ketchikan dock, unused and in need of costly...
Election to fill Young's seat first chance to try new voting system
This is the first year for ranked-choice voting in Alaska, and the changeover will start next week. Voting in the primary election to choose from...
Senate Finance co-chair says state needs more in savings
If oil prices stay above $100 a barrel for the next 12 months, the state could end the fiscal year in June 2023 with about $2.3 billion in its...
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...
