Breakfast links: Metro’s doomsday budget is officially no more thanks to federal aid
Image by Daniel Kelly licensed under Creative Commons.
Federal aid will allow Metro to avoid the worst layoffs and service cuts
While a recent infusion of federal funding means Metro will likely avoid the most drastic of its proposed service cuts and layoff, General Manager Paul Wiedefeld has warned that some cuts are still possible due to the drop in ridership and resulting financial strain. (Martin Austermuhle / DCist)
Maryland begins the search for new Purple Line builders
The search for a new group of private companies to build the Purple Line has officially kicked off after the first agreement fell apart. A final decision is expected by mid-June. (Briana Adhikusuma / Bethesda Beat)
Fairfax County will start vaccinating teachers
Teachers and childcare workers in Fairfax County will be eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine as soon as January 16, officials announced Sunday. (InsideNoVa)
Fortress DC was a myth all along
Since 9/11, a Slate author writes that DC residents have accepted a vast security landscape limiting public space, assuming if something were to happen, those security measures would offer protection — a theory disproved by Wednesday’s breach of the Capitol. (Brian McEntee / Slate)
Rockville officials weigh improvements to Town Center
Rockville city officials are looking into ways to increase the number of shoppers at its Town Center. Some city council members are calling for a review of height limits, increasing density, and adding balconies to all residential projects in the town center. (Briana Adhikusuma / Bethesda Beat)
One Pro-Trump group scraps plans for January 16 demonstration
The Eighty Percent Coalition, a Pro-Trump organization, has withdrawn its application to the National Park Service to hold a demonstration on January 16. NPS is still sorting through applications for demonstrations as inauguration week approaches. (Andrew Beaujon / Washingtonian)
The design for a Georgetown redevelopment gets revamped
A proposed redevelopment of a parking lot in Georgetown has been revised from a mixed-use project with ground-floor commercial space to an all-residential project with five stories and 45 units. (Nena Perry-Brown / UrbanTurf)
Three teams submit proposals to expand I-495, I-270
Three teams of companies have submitted proposals to the Maryland Department of Transportation widen and add toll lanes to I-495 and I-270. The companies would be responsible for financing the project in exchange for keeping most of the toll revenue over 50 years. (Katherine Shaver / Post)
Biden’s inauguration will continue as planned, officials say
President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration is still scheduled to take place on the West Front of the US Capitol despite last week’s violent pro-Trump mob. Damage to the inaugural platform and other areas of the grounds used for the ceremony is still being assessed. (Luke Mullins / Washingtonian)
Have a tip for the links? Submit it here.