- SNOW LEOPARD-DEAD
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — A zoo in Albuquerque has announced that its longtime resident snow leopard named Azeo has died. The ABQ BioPark Zoo says the 19-year-old snow leopard was found dead in his outdoor exhibit space Thursday after spending more than 15 years at the zoo. Results from a necropsy are pending. Snow leopards usually live up to 12 years in the wild and up to 15 years in captivity. Park officials say most snow leopards are elusive and solitary but that Azeo was gentle with the female leopards and interacted with zoo employees. Azeo came to New Mexico from the Assiniboine Park Zoo in Canada.
- SCHOOL REOPENING HURDLES
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — After nearly a year on lockdown, the governor says New Mexico school districts can offer in-person learning starting on Feb. 8 regardless of virus levels in their county. That's a relief for students who miss their friends or fell behind because they didn't have internet or electricity. So what happens now? Teacher unions say members need vaccines and COVID-19 sick leave. Rio Rancho Public Schools struck a deal with the union for 10 days of virus-related leave. They can't use it for quarantine due to out-of-state-travel, though. Vaccine shortages have led to clinics at large public schools getting canceled.
- ROUTE 66-VISITOR CENTER
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — A construction contract worth nearly $10 million has been awarded to an Albuquerque-based company to build the Route 66 Visitors Center on the western edge of the city along the historic roadway. Bernalillo County commissioners approved the contract with Enterprise Builders on Tuesday. The visitors center is a collaborative effort between the county, the city of Albuquerque and local stakeholders. The project will include a museum, a tap room, office space and outdoor amphitheater. Albuquerque is home to the longest urban stretch of Route 66. One of the first roads in the U.S. highway system, the route spanned eight states.
- SOUTHWEST WEATHER
Crews used a helicopter and a tracked vehicle to rescue a total of five people in two incidents in areas blanketed by snow from a major storm. The National Guard said a helicopter on Tuesday hoisted up three climbers who were stranded in rugged terrain in the Sedona area. .The Navajo County Sheriff's office said crews from several agencies used a track vehicle to rescue two Phoenix-area men with four dogs after their vehicle got stuck on a forest road at Black Canyon Lake near Heber-Overgaard. That rescue began Monday night and ended early Tuesday. Major highways closed by the storm reopened Tuesday.
- LEGISLATURE-NEW MEXICO
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — An economic relief package is taking shape at the New Mexico Legislature as a Senate panel endorsed a $600 rebate to low-income workers and a separate bill that would waive licensing fees on liquor stores. Residents of New Mexico who earned up to $31,200 during 2020 would be eligible for the $600 payout or credit against tax liabilities under a bill that also provides a temporary tax break for restaurants as they endure restrictions on indoor dining. A panel of lawmakers unanimously advanced those proposals on Tuesday.
- VIRUS OUTBREAK-NAVAJO NATION
WINDOW ROCK, Ariz. (AP) — Navajo Nation health officials on Tuesday reported 87 new COVID-19 cases and eight more deaths. The latest figures bring the total reported coronavirus cases on the reservation to 27,665 with 985 known deaths. On Monday, the tribe extended its stay-at-home order with a revised nightly curfew to limit the spread of COVID-19. The Navajo Department of Health has identified 53 communities with uncontrolled spread of the coronavirus, down from 75 communities in recent weeks. The Navajo Nation also is lifting weekend lockdowns to allow more vaccination events. The actions in the latest public health emergency order will run through at least Feb. 15. The Navajo Nation extends into Arizona, New Mexico and Utah.
- EDUCATION-IN PERSON SCHOOLS
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham says the state will soon reopen schools to students of all ages. The vast majority of New Mexico students have been consigned to distance learning during the pandemic, which has led to a slowdown in learning and failing grades. The Democratic governor has pushed back the start of in-person learning since August, citing COVID-19 case numbers. The governor said Tuesday in her State of the State address that New Mexico will be ready by Feb. 8 with a plan for in-person learning. It will include middle- and high-school students who until now have not been allowed to participate in any partial in-person programs.
- AP-US-BIDEN-CLIMATE
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden is undertaking what would be the most ambitious effort ever to cut America's oil, gas and coal emissions and stave off the worst effects of climate change. New executive orders will target federal subsidies for those industries and halt new oil and gas leases on federal lands and waters. The orders awaiting his signature Wednesday aim to conserve 30 percent of the country's lands and ocean waters in the next 10 years, move to an all-electric federal vehicle fleet and elevate climate change to a national security priority. The conservation plan would set aside millions of acres for recreation, wildlife and climate efforts by 2030.