"Dan Ortiz"

Ferry officials put the route on hold in September 2019 over a dispute about whether U.S. Customs officials could carry guns

The payments would be a combination of a one-time $1,300 “energy rebate” and a Permanent Fund dividend of about that size.

A dispute over whether U.S. border guards would be allowed to carry sidearms on Canadian soil led authorities to pause sailings in 2019. Then the pandemic hit.

Ortiz says he’s concerned that the governor’s current budget relies too much on federal funding for the marine highway.

The board is asking for public comment on whether to move the postponed meeting back to Ketchikan after originally rescheduling it for Anchorage.

Redistricting is shaping up to be the opening of a high stakes political exercise that will play out through the Nov. 10 deadline to settle political boundaries.

The governor and legislative leaders have agreed on a rough plan to use federal pandemic relief from Congress to help stabilize Alaska’s beleaguered ferry system.

Throughout Alaska’s waters, shellfish populations have been in decline for decades — decimated by overfishing in the 1980s and by changing ocean environments in the years since.

The bill would add about 251 acres of state land, including the cemetery, to Funter Bay State Marine Park. It heads to the state Senate next.

“We need to get more ships in the water,” said Sen. Bert Stedman. He’s concerned about long gaps despite lawmakers’ efforts to fully fund the marine highway system.