🌱 Gun Buyback Event + First Penguin Born At Zoo + Winter Break Camps

Good morning, everybody. It's me, Helen Eckhard, your host of the Albuquerque Daily — here to tell you everything you need to know about what's happening locally.

But first, today's weather:

Partly sunny. High: 56 Low: 34.

🏠 The competition is fierce in Albuquerque to be the top local real estate agent. With our exclusive newsletter sponsorships, you can stand out from your competitors and attract local clients. Click here to learn more.

Here are the top 3 stories today in Albuquerque:

1. The Albuquerque Police Department and the District Attorney's Office are collaborating with Guns to Gardens to host a gun buyback event this Saturday. The drive-through event will run from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at La Mesa Presbyterian Church, and participants who turn in a firearm will receive a gift card up to $250. The guns will be checked through the National Crime Information Center to ensure they were not stolen, then be dismantled and turned into gardening tools for community gardens. (KRQE News 13)
2. The ABQ BioPark Zoo recently welcomed its first-ever baby penguin. The Penguin Chill exhibit at the zoo has partially reopened following a bird flu scare in October, but zookeepers say the newborn is mostly sleeping and eating right now. They expect the baby, whose gender and name have not yet been determined, to be active with its penguin family in the next few weeks. (KOB 4)
3. Registration opens today (Dec. 7) for winter break camps hosted by the City of Albuquerque. The Department of Arts and Culture, the Parks and Recreation Department, and the Family and Community Services Department will all offer camps for Albuquerque Public School students during the holiday break. Space at the camps is expected to be limited. Click here to learn more about camp offerings and register. (KRQE News 13)

From our sponsor:

Today’s Albuquerque Patch newsletter is brought to you in part by T-Mobile. T-Mobile has invested billions to light up their best network ever, covering 99% of people in America with LTE, which helps to keep communities like ours informed and connected. We thank T-Mobile for their support and for making today’s Albuquerque newsletter possible.

Today in Albuquerque:

• Ikebana At Albuquerque Garden Center (11:00 AM)
• Orchestra, Choir, And Silent Auction At La Cueva (7:00 PM)

From my notebook:

• Heads up, house hunters! Here are the latest homes to hit the market in the Albuquerque area. (Albuquerque Patch)
• Want to spread a little extra cheer this holiday season? Albuquerque Isotopes reminds you that you can drop off a new, unwrapped toy at the ballpark for the City of Albuquerque’s Mesa Verde Community Center's Toy Drive. (Albuquerque Isotopes)
• Holiday fun in Albuquerque has only just begun! Stop by the Albuquerque Convention Center at 7:00 p.m. tomorrow, Dec. 8, for A Night of Stars and enjoy music by Fat City with Master of Ceremonies Steve Stucker. (City of Albuquerque)

You're officially in the loop for today. I'll see you back in your inbox soon with another update!

— Helen Eckhard

About me: Helen Eckhard is a marketing associate at Lightning Media Partners. Outside of work, she enjoys constructing crossword puzzles, knitting, or devising increasingly crafty ways to kill off characters in her mystery novels.