Articles written by Larry Persily
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Ferry system short more than 100 crew to put Kennicott to work
The Alaska Marine Highway System is short more than 100 new crew to safely and dependably put the Kennicott to sea. Without enough onboard workers,...
Guest Editorial: Legislative voices of reason are talking louder
After years of legislative debate over the size of the Permanent Fund dividend, reasonable voices are starting to grow louder, maybe even hopefully...
Summer ferry schedule finally open for bookings
Just eight weeks before the start of the summer timetable on May 1, the Alaska Marine Highway System has released its schedule and opened its online...
PFD hearing brings out widely differing viewpoints
When Jan Kanitz of Juneau and Antonia Lenard of Eagle River testified before a legislative committee last Saturday about personal responsibility and...
Guest Editorial: State helps feed Alaskans, but it took too long
State officials have known for months that delays in processing applications for food stamp benefits were denying financial assistance to thousands...
Ferry system management says state is working to fix hiring problems
The Alaska Marine Highway System is working faster to hire more crew, trying to fix problems that slowed the process so much the past four years that...
House committee starts work on PFD legislation
A state House committee last week held its first hearing on a bill intended to settle the Legislature’s biggest annual political battle: The amount...
Ferry system lacks crew to operate the Kennicott this summer
In a change of plans from just a few weeks ago, the Alaska Marine Highway System reports it lacks enough crew to operate the Kennicott this summer. Th...
Guest Editorial Sen. Murkowski is in the right lane
Alaska’s senior U.S. senator — and former state legislator — Lisa Murkowski addressed a joint session of the Legislature last week, covering...
Guest Editorial: Governor's wise move to help fill vacant state jobs
Gov. Mike Dunleavy made a smart decision last week when he issued an administrative order directing state personnel officials to review and change...
Crew shortage continues to plague state ferry system
An ongoing shortage of crew is the “No. 1 risk factor” for the Alaska Marine Highway System, Transportation Department Deputy Commissioner...
Guest Editorial: Stop calling it a dividend, maybe stop paying taxes
There might be a way to avoid federal income taxes on the Alaska Permanent Fund dividend. But it would mean admitting that the annual payment to Alask...
Guest Editorial: The math is easy; the politics are hard
Getting caught between a rock and a hard place is easier. At least you can rent a backhoe and move the rock. Getting politically caught between more m...
Work gets started to build up seaweed, shellfish farming industry in Alaska
Organizers are creating programs to start using a $49 million federal grant and $15 million in matching funds to grow Alaska’s shellfish and...
Trident responds to market, plans to freeze more pinks at Wrangell plant
WRANGELL — As the market continues to shift from canned salmon toward more frozen product, “the company wants more frozen pinks,” said Trident...
Guest Editorial: Sen. Murkowski is right: Don't mess it up
Sen. Lisa Murkowski succeeded in convincing her colleagues that the Alaska Marine Highway System deserves more federal funding. The proof of her...
Trident will reopen this summer after 3-year shutdown
Wrangell — After a three-year closure blamed on weak chum returns, Seattle-based Trident Seafoods plans on running its Wrangell processing and cold...
State ferry system will get $284 million from federal treasury
The federal ship has come in for the Alaska Marine Highway System, carrying more than $284 million for upgrades to old vessels, money to help pay for...
Ferry system says it has enough crew to run summer schedule
Other than still needing crew if it is to put the Hubbard into service for the first time since it was built a few years ago, the Alaska Marine...
Matanuska out of service; Columbia coming back; no ferry until Feb. 17
The state ferry Matanuska will not return to service from its winter overhaul as scheduled next month and will require millions of dollars more of...
Guest Editorial: Alaskans heading south, which is not good
For the 10th year in a row, more Alaskans moved out last year than new residents moved in. That’s a draining fact, with no real plan to plug the...
New federal law will allow halibut charter fleet to buy commercial quota shares
The halibut charter boat fleet in Southeast and the Gulf of Alaska will be able to collectively buy quota shares from commercial fishermen under a pro...
Wrangell Borough commits $2.2 million to develop residential subdivision
Wrangell — The borough’s target date is 2024 for the sale of the first 22 residential lots in the proposed subdivision of the former Wrangell...
Guest Editorial: Just because it's popular doesn't make it right
Newly reelected Gov. Mike Dunleavy last week unveiled his proposed state spending plan for the next budget year. By far, the largest single expense...
Guest Editorial: Alaska needs to accept that the world is changing
The world will continue to need liquid fuels refined from crude oil for decades. But it likely will need less in the decades ahead as it transitions...
