Winnipeg Free Press By: Rosanna Hempel
Daniel Crump / Winnipeg Free Press
Milania Porpiglia meets a tiger as the Assiniboine Park Zoo reopened Saturday for the first time since it was forced to close under COVID-19 public-health orders in mid-November.
Families and onlookers gasped, laughed and shrieked as a curious polar bear at the Assiniboine Park Zoo pressed its face near a viewing barrier, only inches away from young Milania Porpiglia on Saturday morning. Within minutes, two bears gave the delighted visitors a close-up play-fighting show, standing on their hind legs.
Families and onlookers gasped, laughed and shrieked as a curious polar bear at the Assiniboine Park Zoo pressed its face near a viewing barrier, only inches away from young Milania Porpiglia on Saturday morning. Within minutes, two bears gave the delighted visitors a close-up play-fighting show, standing on their hind legs.
By Susan Montoya Bryan Associated Press
A proposal that would allow community solar programs to be established in New Mexico has cleared its first legislative hurdle despite questions from some lawmakers and concerns among investor-owned utilities.
The bill cleared the Senate Conservation Committee on a party-line vote Thursday. Democrats said it would complement state mandates for generating electricity from renewable resources by expanding access to solar energy for businesses and residents who are unable to put up their own solar panels.
Republican lawmakers said there are still uncertainties about the costs for utility customers. Some lawmakers also said the bill should include a preference for New Mexico-based solar providers.
Associated Press
New Mexico health officials say almost all of the state s 33 counties have shown improvements over the last two weeks when it comes to reducing daily case totals and test positivity rates.
The latest data released by the state Health Department shows seven counties have improved and moved into the yellow category, while sparsely populated Harding County remains green.
The rest of the counties including those that span New Mexico s most populated areas remain in the red zone due to higher risks.
However, state officials say more than two-thirds of counties are on the cusp of reaching the metrics required for yellow classification.
New Mexico Senators, Advocates Back Biden Oil And Gas Plans -
By Susan Montoya Bryan, Associated Press
Local officials and residents in New Mexico s oil patches are anxious as the Biden administration takes aim at the oil and natural gas industry with a series of new executive orders.
But the state s two U.S. senators, both Democrats, are supporting the actions, saying it s time to rethink the nation s energy policies.
Sen. Martin Heinrich said he would not support a permanent, unilateral ban on new oil and gas leases but he believes a pause is appropriate despite concerns from industry groups and others that doing so could have immediate implications for the state s bottom line.