Articles written by Larry Persily
Sorted by date Results 1 - 25 of 68
Guest Editorial
Election-year politics have a way of bringing bad ideas to the top — when they belong at the bottom of the settling pond. Yes, fuel prices are...
State ferry system still short of hiring needs
The Alaska Marine Highway System has enough crew to operate its summer schedule, though it still lacks a sufficient cushion to handle worker...
Guest Editorial
Legislators, the governor, members of the public — and most certainly candidates in this year’s state elections — should be paying attention to...
Guest Editorial
The weekend headline in Anchorage said an Alaska North Slope natural gas pipeline project “could be closer than ever, Alaska politicians say....
Guest Editorial
The Legislature adjourned on time last month, a nice change from past special sessions that got in the way of summer fishing, watching baseball,...
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...
Guest Editorial
Despite repeated claims and allegations conjured up from the thin air of political dishonesty, there has never been any proof, no charges and...
Senate Finance co-chair Stedman 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...
Guest Editorial
The amount of this year’s Alaska Permanent Fund dividend was still uncertain as of our publishing deadline, but it is certain that the payments...
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,...
Senator wants Alaska to set up its own flood insurance program
Alaska property owners have paid more than four times as much in premiums than they received back in claims under the National Flood Insurance...
Trident will keep Wrangell plant closed another year
WRANGELL - Seattle-based Trident Seafoods will not open its Wrangell processing plant this summer,...
Guest Editorial
The Legislature is working toward the largest capital budget in a long time. Municipalities are hearing “yes” instead of years of “no” to some...
Worker shortage 'is real,' says state labor economist
WRANGELL — Anyone who wants to get a pizza midweek at the Marine Bar or a steak or burger at the Elks Lodge knows that worker shortages have forced...
Legislation would allow online raffle sales to continue
Unless the Legislature acts, Alaska nonprofits will have to stop selling raffle tickets online June 30. The state has allowed online sales by register...
Senate committee questions definition of sportfishing guide
Legislation to restore and increase the state licensing fee on sportfishing guides and operators ran into problems in the Senate Finance Committee...
Kennicott delayed out of shipyard; parts part of the problem
Global supply chain shortages and delays have extended past grocery stores, car dealers and electron...
Guest Editorial
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...
House budget would send extra $263,000 to Petersburg School District
The state budget plan adopted by the House earlier this month includes an additional $263,000 in...
Alaska Seaplanes will start Sitka- Petersburg-Wrangell service next month
Juneau-based Alaska Seaplanes will add Wrangell to its route map starting May 26. The company,...
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...
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...
Guest Editorial
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...
Guest Editorial: Far too much of a good thing
Maybe Alaskans were tired of hearing the all-too-familiar refrains: Good candidates don’t run for public office anymore; it’s too expensive; ill-m...