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It’s day 26 of the federal government shutdown. Credit unions are now offering a variety of programs to keep you afloat, including interest-free loans and fee waivers. City Paper has listed the options, as well as a new marijuana discount, in its shutdown guide.  

LEADING THE MORNING NEWS:

  • Trump’s pick for U.S. attorney general, William Barr, says he will not continue with former AG Jeff Sessions’ archaic view on marijuana, potentially clearing a path for full legalization and regulation in the District. Speaking in a Senate confirmation hearing yesterday, Barr said he would return to an Obama-era policy of not interfering with states that have legalized pot.

  • Karen Pence, wife of the Vice President, will begin teaching art at a Christian elementary school in Virginia.

  • Some local furloughed federal workers are now having to choose between critical medication and electricity. “I was going to pick the prescription, but the electricity bill is automatically withdrawn from my account,” one 24-year-old worker told WAMU. “I ran out of money, basically.”

    • The Internal Revenue Service is now requiring about 46,000 employees to work without pay during this tax season. That’s 60 percent of its workforce.

  • In a speech on Tuesday afternoon, Mayor Muriel Bowserannounced the creation of a new office in the city: Deputy Mayor for Operations and Infrastructure, which will oversee a handful of District agencies that deal with transportation, development, and the environment.

    • The mayor’s office is also converting the Deputy Mayor for Greater Economic Opportunity position into an “Office of East of the River Coordination,” to be overseen by the City Administrator.

    • Another new office, the Mayor’s Office of Policy, will focus on generating “fresh ideas” for old problems, like transportation delays and the dearth of affordable housing.

LOOSE LIPS LINKS, by Mitch Ryals(tips? mryals@washingtoncitypaper.com)

  • Mayor Bowser’s pick to lead the D.C. Office of Planning, Andrew Trueblood, pledges to earn the trust of residents as the mayor seeks to change the city’s land use guidelines. [DC Line]

  • As the D.C. Council again considers a regulatory scheme for marijuana, a debate over the drug’s connection to violent crime is gaining steam. [The Marshall Project]

  • Atlas Brew Works is suing the federal government because the agency that must approve the labels it puts on kegs is closed. [DCist]

  • Lobbyists in D.C. will be required to disclose more information about who they’re talking to and what they’re talking about. [Twitter]

  • Found in a D.C. coffee shop: a Minnesota senator’s logo for her (potential) presidential campaign. [Twitter]

  • Money that is supposed to be designated for at-risk students was instead used for routine school expenses. The D.C. Council is looking to correct course. [Post]

  • The first of two public roundtables on Bowser’s pick for D.C. schools chancellor, Louis Ferebee, is scheduled for Jan. 30. [Twitter]

YOUNG & HUNGRY LINKS, by Laura Hayes(tips? lhayes@washingtoncitypaper.com)

  • With a lack of commuters, the Union Station food court limps through the fourth week of the shutdown. [WCP]

  • Help a furloughed fed cut grocery costs at Glen’s Garden Market. [WCP]

  • Eastern Market’s forthcoming wine bar from the owners of Barreldoesn’t want to be pretentious. [WCP]

  • Trump saved a local restaurant from getting skewered by serving fast food. [Washingtonian]

  • At long last, you can make a reservation at Filipino hotspot Bad Saint. [Washingtonian]

  • Food company Kraft has found a way to help furloughed workers. [DCist]

ARTS LINKS, by Matt Cohen (tips? mcohen@washingtoncitypaper.com)

  • D.C. post-punks Gauche sign to Merge Records. [Brooklyn Vegan]

  • In 1951, an African-American theater company in D.C. staged a production of Hamlet and it caused quite a controversy. [DC Theatre Scene]

  • Simone Eccleston, the Kennedy Center’s Director of Hip-Hop Culture, outlines her perfect day in D.C. [Express]

HOUSING COMPLEX LINKS, by Morgan Baskin (tips? mbaskin@washingtoncitypaper.com)

  • A receiver will temporarily take over responsibility for abating housing code violations in two Deanwood apartment buildings. [WCP]

  • The D.C. Housing Authority’s board of commissioners will hold an emergency meeting on Thursday to adopt a framework for how to rehabilitate 2,500 units of “extremely urgent” public housing. [Twitter]

  • D.C.’s new law aimed at addressing climate change will force building owners to improve energy efficiency. [Bisnow]

  • Tweaked plans for Waterfront Station. [Urban Turf]

  • D.C. is looking for a developer to build a new homeless shelter for men on the St. E’s campus. [Curbed]

SPORTS LINKS, by Kelyn Soong (tips? ksoong@washingtoncitypaper.com)

  • Hyattsville native Frances Tiafoe scored the biggest win of his career by beating two-time Grand Slam finalist and No. 5 seedKevin Anderson in the second round of the Australian Open. [Twitter]

  • Bruce Allen is once again failing upward. [WCP]

  • The Caps hosted a Maryland youth hockey club after one of its players faced racist taunts. [NBC Sports Washington]

  • Here are the local places you can run during snow days. [RunWashington]

HAPPENING TODAY, by Kayla Randall (tips? krandall@washingtoncitypaper.com)

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