Sorted by date Results 351 - 375 of 416
Repairs caused delays for those expecting to ride the Alaska Marine Highway System last week, after M/V Columbia was held up in Juneau. On its way south through Wrangell to Ketchikan and eventually Bellingham, Wash., the Columbia was not able to leave Juneau as scheduled on July 14. It eventually departed three days later. “It took a few days while it was in Juneau to discover the problem,” explained Jeremy Woodrow, public relations officer for the Alaska Department of Transportation. “It had an issue with the starboard engines—one of its gover...
The Alaska Department of Transportation (ADOT) has cancelled the scheduled summer sailings of the M/V LeConte that would have utilized the South Mitkof ferry terminal near Petersburg due to maintenance-related delays of the Alaska Marine Highway System’s (AMHS) vessels. Once a month sailings from May to September between Juneau, South Mitkof and Coffman Cove were planned to show the terminal was being used for its intended purpose and to avoid possible penalties or having to pay back federal funds used to construct the terminal. “We built tho...
Five of Alaska Marine Highway System’s 11 ferries will be laid up at some point next year under a draft vessel deployment plan released on June 24. The Taku will be held in layup status the whole year, while the Kennicott will be from October until entering overhaul in early January. The Fairweather and Chenega will enter federal projects in October and mid-September, respectively, and will both be laid up starting in May 2016. The Malaspina is also scheduled to enter layup status in late May of next year. Under the draft schedule, from O...
In the works for awhile, Rainforest Islands Ferry Service has been delayed yet again. The ferry was set to sail June 14, then postponed to June 28. “We were so close” to that start, spokeswoman Heather Hedges said, but work at the shipyard was delayed. The 65-foot landing craft made its way up to Ketchikan from Anacortes, Wash. on Monday and sea trials have just begun with another U.S. Coast Guard inspection scheduled. The first delay was due to a wait on USCG certification. “As long as everything goes smoothly,” Hedges said, service is expe...
As of Tuesday, the Alaska Legislature meeting in a special session in Anchorage had still not passed a budget for the new fiscal year, which begins July 1. On Sunday, the Senate Finance Committee rejected a compromise budget passed by the House the previous day, which included some small concessions to the minority such as reversing cuts to the ferry system and per-student funding. A conference committee between the two chambers was being organized to negotiate an amended budget as legislators posture around various funding priorities....
The Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities (ADOT) announced this week that Alaska Marine Highway System (AMHS) ferry service for summer 2015 will proceed as scheduled with the exception of one significant revision. Governor Walker restored funding to the AMHS fiscal year 2016 operating budget by allocating $5.5 million of unused fiscal year 2015 fuel trigger funds. The additional funding allows for ferry service to run as previously scheduled, with the exception that the M/V Taku will not sail in July and August this year. “T...
The Alaska State Legislature is in special session. We adjourned out of regular session on the evening of April 27 without fulfilling our constitutional duty as appropriators for the State of Alaska. In response, Governor Walker called the legislature into special session to deal with the state budget, Medicaid expansion and House Bill 44 (Erin’s Law), which relates to sexual assault prevention programs. Although we are days into the special session, we have not addressed any of those topics. The issue we have been discussing is where and w...
At its regular Tuesday-night meeting, Wrangell's City and Borough Assembly passed an amended ordinance proposal, creating a chapter on abuse of the 911 emergency system and amending chapters 10.32 and 10.36 of the Municipal Code regarding the carrying of concealed firearms in town. First reviewing the proposal in January, objections were raised by various Assembly members and residents about some preexisting language in the ordinance, such as where firearms could be fired in relation to the borough limits and near roadways. Subsequent meetings...
Wrangell residents and other Alaskans from around the state were given more opportunity to voice concerns over impending cuts to state programming during a public hearing held Monday evening for the draft of next year's budget being considered by the Senate Finance Committee. Six Wrangellites came to their local Legislative Information Office to provide testimony via telephone, along with residents of Petersburg and Ketchikan. “I am speaking in opposition to the cuts to the Alaska Marine Highway System,” borough manager Jeff Jabusch told the...
While the threat of service reductions looms over the Alaska Marine Highway System as the Legislature devises its budget, starting this summer travelers will at least have another option to hop between islands in the area. The North End Ferry Authority (NEFA) in Coffman Cove is starting up Rainforest Islands Ferry, a three-stop service between Wrangell, Petersburg and Prince of Wales Island. Beginning June 14, the ferry's new public passenger-vehicle service will connect stops at Coffman Cove,...
From the beginning of this legislative session, everyone knew the $3.5 billion budget deficit would be the driving force behind nearly all legislative considerations. With oil tax revenue making up over 90% of all state revenue, and oil prices dropping from an average of $110 a barrel to approximately $50 a barrel, there was no escaping the necessity of making some extremely difficult budget reductions. The decisions made in each legislative committee resulted in budget cuts across the board to all regions of the state. However, because of the...
KETCHIKAN, Alaska (AP) – The Kennicott, a ferry in the Alaska Marine Highway System, set sail earlier this month from the Ketchikan Shipyard with more than $13 million in repairs and refurbishments complete. The ferry, which underwent work over the past two winters at the shipyard, is returning to service after undergoing extensive upgrades on systems ranging from electrical, refrigeration and information technology to the vehicle elevator. The project also included adding heated windows to the bridge and a main engine overhaul, according to T...
As legislators in Juneau prepare a budget for the state's next fiscal year, Alaska residents have been urged to contribute their say as cuts are considered. Since the Legislative session began on Jan. 20, lawmakers have been weighted with the task of finding ways to address a more than $3.6 billion deficit. To that end, the State House was looking at making a nearly 10 percent, or about $240 million, cut from state spending over the previous fiscal year. Among areas affected by the cuts would be capital improvements, education, transportation,...
Leave our highway open Despite the proposed statewide budget cuts, our legislators will not close paved highways elsewhere in the state. Likewise, they won’t restrict two-lane highways down to a single lane. But that will be the effect of a proposal by a legislative subcommittee that is proposing a 10-percent cut to the Alaska ferry system. Some proposals call for taking ferries out of service, including replacement vessels that go into service when vessels are taken out of service for repairs or annual Coast Guard required overhauls. Southeast...
As the fisheries industry continues to expand and Wrangell's Marine Service Center's services demand increases, I believe Wrangell's economy has nowhere to go but up. However, to accommodate this growth, the state must maintain their services in Wrangell. I am particularly concerned about the conservation of state jobs in Wrangell. Several years ago, Wrangell lost its social worker and its fisheries biologist. Now, the loss of the Wrangell trooper and the potential of reduced funding to the city...
A number of public hearings on Alaska Marine Highway System’s operating budget have been scheduled this week, allowing ferry users the opportunity to give their input to state legislators as they draw up a budget. In a media release, Southeast Conference highlights the ferry system’s importance to the region’s communities, and further warns of a possible $9.5 million cut to AMHS being weighed as the Legislature finds ways to address a $3.5 billion deficit anticipated for the 2016 fiscal year. If that sized cut goes ahead as planned, servi...
Following the endorsement by Alaska voters of Ballot Measure 2 in November, marijuana consumption is scheduled to become legal for adults aged 21 and older beginning Feb. 24. The Alcoholic Beverage Control Board has within nine months from that date to adopt regulations governing marijuana-related entities and then regulate the newly-formed industry. Currently in Alaska, the possession of an ounce or less within the privacy of one’s home is legal. Outside the home, use or display of any amount or possession of an ounce or less of marijuana i...
The Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities (ADOT&PF) announced travel fares on the Alaska Marine Highway System will increase 4.5 percent starting May 1. The new fare structure went into effect with the new year, but will not affect reservations already made in advance. Some fares will not be affected by the new structure. The ADOT&PF release said fares that are “disproportionately higher” than the majority of AMHS fares will remain unchanged. The department reports the fare increase will help cover operating costs and mee...
Recently-elected Alaska House District 36 Representative Dan Ortiz paid Wrangell a visit Tuesday, meeting with Mayor David Jack and Borough Manager Jeff Jabusch at City Hall that afternoon. Since the Nov. 4 election, Ortiz explained he has been connecting with his constituent communities, and gathering input for setting goals for the next legislative session when it starts in January. As Wrangell's future representative, he said three local projects stood out. The first was final phasing for the Wrangell Marine Service Center, which is...
After about three weeks of tallying, Alaska’s general election results were finally certified by Lieutenant Governor Mead Treadwell on Nov. 26. Turnout in the state was the third-highest turnout of any state, with 284,925 of the 509,011 registered voters participating. High-profile races and a trio of contentious ballot measures may explain the figures: as a result of the election Alaska has become the fourth state to legalize recreational marijuana use and will tout one of the highest minimum wage levels in the country. Some of the s...
It’s the time of year when Alaska’s fishery meetings kick into high gear - with five set for this week alone. The industry will get a first glimpse of potential 2015 halibut catches when the International Pacific Halibut Commission convenes in Seattle, WA. It’s been a wait and see attitude among fish circles - will Alaska’s catch limits again be reduced, down already 70% over a decade to just 16 million pounds? Or has the Pacific halibut stock started to rebound as some of the science indicates? Tune into the IPHC meetings live via webinar...
The Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities announced Friday it will be delaying the implementation of its upcoming unaccompanied minor policy for Alaska Marine Highway System (AMHS) services. The new policy would no longer allow children under the age of 18 to travel unaccompanied on the ferry system. Currently, travelers aged 12 to 15 can show a note from their parents or legal guardians allowing them to travel alone, and no restrictions are in place for those aged 16 and older. Exemptions to the new policy include...
Alaska Governor Sean Parnell announced Saturday that Ketchikan-based Vigor Alaska will construct two new day ferries for the Alaska Marine Highway System (AMHS). Construction of both vessels is scheduled to begin in October, and completion is estimated to take four years. Each vessel will be a 280-foot, "roll on–roll off" type passenger ferry, capable of carrying 450 passengers and up to 60 vehicles. The ships will cost $101 million to construct. “I’ve lived in Ketchikan all my life,” said Ketchikan shipyard worker Norm Skan. “It’s such an hon...
By the time the fog finally dissipated Tuesday afternoon, the 56th annual Southeast Conference (SEC) was already underway at Wrangell's Nolan Center. Poor visibility prevented the appearance of the conference's opening speaker, Alaska Governor Sean Parnell, but there were a number of interesting presenters on hand to cover a wide array of topics near and dear to the region. “It's just a great opportunity to learn about all of Southeast,” commented Chere Klein, the Republican candidate for House District 36 in November's upcoming election. “It...
As 180 delegates converge on Wrangell this week for the 56th annual Southeast Conference, Alaska State House hopefuls have likewise paid a visit in order to meet some of the people one will eventually represent after November's election. Independent candidate Dan Ortiz and Republican Chere Klein are competing for the District 36 seat, which was created during 2011 redistricting and includes Ketchikan, Saxman, Wrangell, Metlakatla and Hydaburg. The incumbent, Rep. Peggy Wilson, is stepping down this year after serving 14 years in the Alaska...
