Wrangell Sentinel -

A new state advisory board intended to provide more public input over operations and investment decisions for the Alaska Marine Highway System is starting to gather up its members, with five of the nine positions filled.

None of the board members named so far are from southern Southeast Alaska.

The Legislature this year approved the new panel’s composition and advisory responsibilities to replace a board structure under an 18-year-old law that had been criticized as ineffective and often ignored by state officials.

House Speaker Louise Stutes, of Kodiak, introduced the bill to change the...