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Metro ridership declines during SafeTrack
Riders took 12 percent less rail trips from June through December compared to the same period the year before, while bus trips were down 6 percent. The ridership loss has impacted Metro’s $1.73 billion budget, which is expected to have a $75 million shortfall by the end of the fiscal year (June 30). [WAMU]
Garland accepts missing out on Supreme Court seat
Bethesda resident Merrick Garland isn’t sour about not being confirmed for the Supreme Court seat that former President Barack Obama nominated him to fill, according to his friends and close associates. After President Donald Trump nominated Neil Gorsuch for the seat, Garland returned to serve as chief judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia. [New York Times]
Guinness owner says changing brewery laws will create brewery tourism
Dwayne Kratt, a spokesman for Guinness owner Diageo, told legislators in Annapolis on Monday that allowing breweries in the state to sell more beer would boost tourism. Guinness is seeking a law change to allow it to serve more beers at a new brewery it’s constructing in Baltimore County, but other brewers in the state, such as Flying Dog, testified Thursday that legislators should make the change for all breweries.
Maryland currently caps the amount of beer that can be served on site at a brewery to 500 barrels per year, but Guinness wants that changed to 5,000. Opponents include retail beer stores and restaurants, which say allowing breweries to serve more alcohol will hurt their businesses. [Baltimore Sun]
D.C. area ranks sixth in traffic congestion study
The research firm INRIX analyzed traffic in major cities around the world and the Washington, D.C., area did not fare well. The District came in as the sixth most congested metro area in the U.S.—behind Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, Atlanta and Miami—and 15th in the world, behind cities such as Moscow, Bogota, London, Paris and Bangkok. [INRIX]
Another nice day expected
The National Weather Service predicts a partly sunny high near 55 degrees with a low dropping to 45 degrees tonight.
In case you missed it…
Fire Breaks out on Roof of Bethesda Salon
