Wrangell Sentinel -

It took a consultant’s report for the collective management of the Alaska Marine Highway System and state Department of Transportation to realize that of 250 job applicants over the past year, just four were hired to work on the ships.

At that rate, the ferry system would need close to 10,000 applicants to reach full staffing.

The system has been seriously short-staffed for more than two years, losing crew to resignations and retirements faster than it could hire new workers. The crew shortage forced cutbacks in service, keeping ships tied to the dock. It forced a lot of overtime and canc...