Complete: Sargent- Berry Hospitality has announced that Andy Zhao is appointed the new general manager and Rocheen Samorodny the new director of sales of Hampton Inn By Hilton Winnipeg Airport. The hotel is located at 730 Berry St. and is scheduled to open its doors in the spring of 2013. Zhao joins the Hampton Inn by Hilton from his previous role as general manager of the Humphry Inn downtown Winnipeg. He studied hospitality and tourism management at the University of New Brunswick and worked at various roles at hotels in Jasper and Edmonton. Rocheen Samorodny joins the Hampton Inn from her previous role as general manager at Comfort Inn Winnipeg Airport. Prior to joining the hospitality industry Samorodny studied at the University of Manitoba. She brings more than 10 years of experience in various roles of the hospitality industry and has a proven track record in strategic sales initiatives.

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/business/manitoba-movers-190642981.html

A gurgling baby gently shushed by his mom at a packed meeting may have plenty to cry about when he grows up, a panel of environmental experts warned a standing-room only crowd in Winnipeg on Sunday.

Growing water pollution woes in Manitoba and eroding federal protection of the environment could leave irreparable damage for future generations to face, the Save Lake Winnipeg forum heard at River Heights Community Centre.

"I feel sorry for the young people that are going to be around when that does happen," said John Shearer, the former senior biologist and operations manager for the soon-to-be-closed Experimental Lakes Area.

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/manitobas-water-bodies-threatened-forum-hears-190643341.html

Canada is in danger of losing a major international battle over its management of polar bears with former allies reversing their position and supporting a proposed ban on cross-border trade in parts of the animals.

At stake is a growing and lucrative business for Inuit hunters, who sell the skins as a byproduct of their traditional hunt. A defeat would also be a "warning" to Canada's self-image as a responsible steward of the mighty Arctic predator.

Early next month, countries from around the world will meet in Bangkok to consider changes to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species. Among the proposals is one from the United States that would place polar bear hides, heads or other parts in the same category as elephant ivory, forbidding their cross-border sale.

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/canada/canada-in-danger-of-losing-fight-that-could-put-polar-bear-parts-with-ivory--190586441.html

Twenty-five years after the Calgary Winter Olympics, a local tourism organization is researching how the city ranks as an international sports destination.

SportBusiness International magazine recently labeled Calgary as "tipped for success in the future on the global sports event stage."

Tourism Calgary is researching whether the city has the resources to be an international sport destination. CEO Randy Williams said the city has strong infrastructure, but he sees room for improvement.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/story/2013/02/11/calgary-olympic-sports-destination.html

NEW YORK, N.Y. - As the Northeast braces for its largest winter storm in more than a year, airlines are already employing a strategy that has served them well in recent years: Cancel flights early and keep planes and crews — and passengers — away from snowed-in airports.

By Thursday night, up to 2 feet of snow was forecast along the densely populated Interstate 95 corridor from the New York City area to Boston and beyond. In response, airlines cancelled hundreds of flights for Friday, a figure likely to eventually surpass 1,000.

That means emergency planning for Boston's Logan International Airport, the three major airports in the New York Metropolitan area and smaller airports around the region.

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/travel/after-getting-snowed-in-for-years-us-airlines-find-its-best-to-cancel-before-the-storm-190372041.html

DALLAS - The boards of American Airlines parent AMR Corp. and US Airways have pushed back meetings to consider final plans for their merger, Associated Press sources said Sunday.

If American and US Airways combine, it would create the world's biggest airline as measured by passenger traffic.

A source close to the matter said the AMR board wants to meet in person, and that the US Airways board would only meet after the AMR board approves a deal. The source requested anonymity because the talks are private.

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/business/source-amr-us-airways-boards-push-back-meeting-as-airlines-continue-to-negotiate-merger-190605001.html

BOEING acknowledged on Friday it might not be able to deliver its 787 as fast as hoped.

The company said it has told customers expecting the next 787 deliveries that those planes have either been delayed or are at risk for a delay.

Boeing is still building the long-range, fuel-efficient planes, and it said Friday it has no plans to slow production.

Norwegian Air Shuttle confirmed it got such a warning from Boeing. The Oslo-based budget airline's spokesman, Lasse Sandaker-Nielsen, said delivery of the planes, scheduled to be flying for the airline in May or June, might not be possible. He gave no reason for the delays. Norwegian is one of Europe's fastest-growing airlines and had planned to begin its first long-haul flights to New York and Bangkok with the Boeing 787s.

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/business/boeing-warns-of-delay-in-delivery-of-grounded-787-jetliners-190521481.html

Driven by frequent no-vacancy weekends, construction in Grand Forks’ hotel market has been hot for a few years, with no sign of cooling yet.

“Grand Forks has some really great weekends,” said hotel developer Norman Leslie. Occupancy rates during the week show “pretty decent average demand, but the weekends are so over-the-top.”

But as new hotels open and newer ones break ground, will Grand Forks’ busy weekends make up for slower weekdays when there are more businesses vying for guests?

http://www.grandforksherald.com/event/article/id/256061/group/homepage/

MANILA, Philippines - A remote southern Philippine town has gone into mourning over the death of the world's largest saltwater crocodile in captivity, even though it was blamed for the deaths of several villagers.

Bunawan town plans to preserve the remains of the 1-ton crocodile, named Lolong, in a museum to keep tourists coming and stop the community from slipping back into obscurity, the mayor said Monday.

Lolong was declared dead Sunday after being found floating on its back with a bloated stomach in a pond in an ecotourism park which had begun to draw tourists, revenue and development because of the immense reptile, Mayor Edwin Cox Elorde said.

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/world/worlds-largest-crocodile-in-captivity-dies-in-philippines-sending-villagers-to-tears-190592391.html

DES MOINES, Iowa - The smell of bacon was in the air Saturday as thousands converged on Iowa's capital city for an increasingly popular festival celebrating all things connected with the meat.

Some people wore Viking hats and others walked around with makeshift snouts for the Blue Ribbon Bacon Festival. The annual event featured more than 10,000 pounds of bacon served in unusual ways, such as chocolate-dipped bacon and bacon-flavoured cupcakes and gelato.

"I love bacon more than I love my job," said Katie Nordquist, who was dressed in a tuxedo T-shirt that looked like bacon Saturday for her first time at the festival.

And there was a lot of bacon to choose from. The smell of unique concoctions like bacon gumbo and chocolate bacon bourbon tarts wafted through one of two buildings at the Iowa State Fairgrounds. The other building had an Iceland theme, with a Viking boat and Icelandic dishes with bacon, to honour a group of delegates visiting from the country.

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/world/thousands-gather-at-iowa-state-fairgrounds-in-des-moines-for-annual-bacon-festival-190542551.html

(Excerpts from an complete article published originally in the WFP, Feb.  '65)

W. Culver Riley, president of the Pan American Games (1967) Society, has told Mayor Stephen Juba that the 25-member society will disband if financing of the games isn't settled by next week.  Mr. Riley made the statement in a letter dated Feb. 9 to Mayor Juba. Copies of the letter have been sent to Canada's Health Minister Judy LaMarsh, Premier Duff Roblin and Metro Chairman R. H. G. Bonnycastle. The games are scheduled to be held here in 1967. In his letter Mr. Riley said the games society will hold a meeting Wednesday at which a decision to disband will probably be made. He said the society would be sorry to disband because it has worked hard on the project but if adequate funds can't be provided "then our responsibility has been discharged and we have no further obligation." Meanwhile, in a Wednesday interview, Mayor Juba said if j further financing isn't available from the senior governments and area municipalities, an emergency meeting will be held Tuesday to consider relinquishing the games. The mayor said financing cannot be "delayed any longer." A decision had to be reached. Monday night, Winnipeg city council increased its contribution by $200.000 — to $460,000 — to help meet an anticipated $3,077,000 games deficit. Council also voted to ask the senior governments to increase their contributions by $250,000 each and to ask the area municipalities to make grants according to their means….        …In a long-distance telephone interview Thursday; Mr. Riley said his letter .wasn't an. Attempt to persuade the levels of government to change their views. He said its purpose was to let the political levels know how the society feels" and what its probable course of action would be. "We have asked for so much money to run the games and if the city can't afford them, then we will have to disband the society and abandon the games," Mr. Riley said. He said the society was formed only to run the games and couldn't be expected to undertake the task of raising the money, too. Mr. Riley felt the federal and provincial contributions were fair although he, too, had hoped the federal government would pick up a larger portion of the tab. "But if the city can't raise one-third of the deficit, then we should face facts now and give up the games. ”The games committee and 1,600" people doing volunteer work for the project-had been "marking time" for financial arrangements to be completed.