Metro recently expedited approval of federal and state air quality reviews to help a package of road improvements stay on pace to be finished in time for the expected opening of Intel's D1X facility next year.

Metro's Natural Areas Program has purchased 550 acres in western Multnomah County during the past two years, including a significant addition last month. As this network of wildlife habitat grows, so do the possibilities for restoration and recreation.

Members of the Metro Council and the Metro Exposition and Recreation Commission generally agree that there need to be more hotel rooms near the Metro-owned Oregon Convention Center. But it's unlikely that a massive, publicly financed "headquarters hotel" will be built in the Lloyd District.

Metro invites the region to view and comment on the upcoming four-year schedule of federal transportation investments in the Portland area. The four-year schedule, known as the 2012-2015 Metropolitan Transportation Improvement Program, encompasses all federal spending on transportation, including highways, public transit, pedestrian and bike projects in the three-county metropolitan area.

Metro planners are wrapping up the first phase of their study of the region's greenhouse gas emissions, focusing primarily on exhaust from cars and light trucks. The work was prompted by legislation at the state, which required the Portland region to reduce its per capita vehicle emissions by 20 percent by 2035.

After 16 months of careful construction and equipment installation, the Oregon Zoo's new Veterinary Medical Center will open its doors on Thursday, Jan. 19. The public can peek inside Jan. 20-22, when the zoo will offer behind-the-scenes tours.

The typical American household spent 8.4 percent of their income, or $4,155, buying gasoline this year. According to The Oregonian, that's the highest it has been since 1981. The average American family now works one month each year to buy fuel for the car, SUV or pickup.

The sun came out Thursday – and so did a bald eagle – for a celebration of Hillsboro’s newest natural area: Orenco Woods. Metro teamed up with the City of Hillsboro to protect the 42-acre site, which will be transformed into a nature park.

At a work session Tuesday, Metro Council discusses whether the Tualatin Valley Highway should be thought of as an arterial or throughway, a definition that will help officials planning for the the future of the road.

Hello and Happy New Year! I love the turning of the calendar to a new year. It offers a new slate to set goals and measure progress.  Like you, I am a resident of the region, and have found that there are some services Metro provides which I intend to take better advantage of – services that can help me reach some personal goals in this new year.