The vetoes, which took funding away from the Alaska ferry system and the state's school bond debt reimbursement program last summer, required a three-fourths vote of the Legislature to override, a 45-vote threshold that lawmakers were unable to achieve.
A much-anticipated draft report outlining ways the State of Alaska could overhaul its ferry system largely confirms what many stakeholders have long suspected: some combination of deep service cuts and fare hikes is the only way to drastically reduce the annual subsidy the system needs to operate.
The plan — originally put forth by Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s administration last year as the Corrections Department began taking bids from out-of-state private prisons to accommodate 250-500 prisoners — immediately drew backlash from Republican and Democratic lawmakers alike.Â
The second bear, nearly twice the size of the first, was shot and killed on Tuesday. Alaska Fish and Wildlife officials in Kodiak estimated the second bear to weigh nearly 1,200 pounds and measure more than 10 feet tall.
