Wrangell Sentinel -

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 steel replacement work if it is ever to get back to work.

In its place, the Alaska Marine Highway System plans to put the Columbia back to sea after almost 30 months in layup status to save money.

The loss of the Matanuska will mean more than a month without ferry service for Wrangell. The ship had been scheduled to resume sailings the first week of February to replace the Kennicott, which was pulled out of service last week for its annual winter ov...