Happy New Year, Washington, and welcome back to District Line Daily. Looks like we’re in for a cloudy week, with temperatures in the upper 40s—perfect weather for staying in and reading the City Paper staff’s favorite articles of 2018.

LEADING THE MORNING NEWS:

  • It might be a new year, but D.C. is dealing with the same old problems: The federal government shutdown will affect a number of local institutions, including the Smithsonian, which has said it would shut down its museums on January 2 should the shutdown continue.

  • Mayor Muriel Bowser, along with Attorney General Karl Racine and six D.C. Council members, will be sworn in Wednesday morning for another term at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center. Expect a number of road closures from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. that day for the event, which begins at 9:30 a.m.

  • A U.S. Marine was shot and killed Tuesday morning inside the barracks on Capitol Hill; police are not reportedly investigating criminal charges. Another D.C. man is in critical condition after he was shot near the intersection of First and Kennedy streets NW, also on Tuesday.

  • D.C.’s new ban on plastic straws went into effect Jan. 1, with all businesses in the city that sell food or drinks now required to replace them with reusable or compostable straws.

  • City Paper event: Come to Solid State Books at 6 p.m. on Jan. 6 to celebrate City Paper’s Fiction Issue. The winning writers will read their stories. Each one takes the reader deep into D.C. neighborhoods and offers a glimpse at what life is like in the District. (We’ll publish the winning stories on Thursday!)

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

  • ICYMI: The year 2018 in local D.C. politics. [WCP]

  • Councilmembers Chehand Allen push for fixes to fire and EMS fleet. [Times]

  • Post Ed Board says Councilmember “Jack Evans owes D.C. residents some answers.” [Post]

  • How Mary Klein fought for the right-to-die law, and then looked to using it herself. [Post]

  • The Council’s Performing Arts Promotions Amendment Act of 2018 could benefit area musicians. [AFRO]

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

  • Critic Tom Sietsema recommended Rasika or Rasika West End in 47 percent of his chats in 2018. [WCP]

  • Hen Quarter closes in Penn Quarter, leaving only the Alexandria location. [WCP]

  • Ten controversies tied to dining and Donald Trump. [Washingtonian]

  • Win a walrus head at an auction as a longtime Virginia restaurant closes its doors. [WBJ]

  • What’s changed after a year of the #MeToo movement in restaurants? [Eater]

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

  • Andras Fekete, the leader of the art-rock ensemble Boat Burning, has died. [WCP]

  • The ever-evolving art of Cynthia Connolly. [WCP]

  • Yung Manny, Black Fortune, Q Da Fool, and more of the DMV’s best upcoming rappers. [Passionweiss]

  • 9:30 Club’s new LGBTQ dance night, BENT, aims to fill the void left by Town. [WCP]

  • The Museum of African Art is a nice (and far less crowded) compliment to the African American Museum. [AFRO]

  • The year in local theater. [WCP]

  • The year in local music. [WCP]

  • After a stellar 2018, the future looks even better for the National Gallery of Art. [WCP]

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

  • A DC Superior Court judge appoints a receiver for a Brightwood Park apartment complex. [WCP]

  • Housing Complex reviews the year 2018. [WCP]

  • Homeless families living in a city-funded motel report severe mold issues. [Washington Times]

  • This nonprofit in NE D.C. helps support mothers and their babies. [Post]

  • ICYMI: One-third of the DC Housing Authority’s public housing stock is very nearly uninhabitable. [WCP]

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

  • John Wall is feuding with Stephen A. Smith. [USA Today]

  • Dan Snyder doesn’t seem to understand that what the problem is with his franchise. [Deadspin]

  • “I feel like people are starting to know who I am,” says Thomas Bryant, who is giving the Wizards a jolt of energy as an unexpected starting center. [WCP]

  • D.C. United welcomes Argentine midfielder Lucas Rodriguez to the team on a year-long loan. [mlssoccer.com]

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

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