We often flip through the Washington Times, sometimes for some comic relief, sometimes to see how the conservative newspaper views local news. In perusing its pages today, we came across a column written by Tom Knott, the Times’ answer to the Post’s well-known and well-liked Metro columnist Marc Fisher. Today Knott — often known for taking some creative license with his writing — describes a conflict between a neighborhood bar and residents who want it gone. The obvious reasons are listed — noise; young, drunken patrons. The bar is Town Hall, a fancy restaurant-cum-bar along Wisconsin Avenue near Glover Park, known recently for hosting Jenna Bush’s drinking habits. Knott, who sides with Town Hall in the conflict, describes the area as such:

…a fading commercial strip that features two topless nightclubs, two “massage” parlors and an assortment of cart-pushing vagrants lured by a nearby homeless shelter. It is a cold, impersonal strip of petty thieves, the occasional stabbing and a high number of consumers with bladder-control trauma.

Is this the same stretch of Wisconsin Avenue we know?

Council Debates Smoking Ban Details: The big picture is in place, but the devil is in the details. Members of the City Council are looking into fine-tuning provisions of the smoking ban they overwhelmingly endorsed on Tuesday, reports the Post. Council-member Adrian Fenty (D-Ward 4), has announced that he will introduce an amendment that would grant economic hardship waivers only to those businesses that show that the ban provoked a 15 percent decline in sales, a standard used in New York City, which also has a ban. Council-member David Catania (I-At Large), who supports the ban, has argued that exemptions should be more flexible, and not based on standards used elsewhere.

Butterstick Makes First Public Appearance Today: Butterstick, the National Zoo’s newest and favorite pet, is making his first public appearance today, notes WJLA. Well, it’s not really his first public appearance. Zoo donors, special guests, and a wide-eyed pack of journalists have all had a shot at seeing the playful panda in the flesh, but today marks the day that members of general public can file past the ‘stick’s habitat for 10-minute intervals. Some 13,000 tickets to see the panda cub from now until January were snatched up in just two hours two weeks ago, but zoo officials have announced that they will have same-day tickets on hand for those willing to brave the cold. Who’s not going to go see ‘stick? That’s right — us.

First Stage of Dulles Metrorail Extension Presented: The first leg of the controversial 11.6-mile Orange Line extension to Dulles International Airport will be presented to the public today, writes the Examiner. The project will include five stations along Wiehle Avenue west of Tysons Corner, with the train line running along Route 123 and down Route 7. The extension has long attracted fierce opposition and dedicated support, with some claiming it will do nothing to alleviate traffic in the congested area and other arguing that it will provided easier access to suburban areas, Tysons Corner, and Dulles. Newly-elected Virginia Governor Tim Kaine has endorsed the project, which is slated to cost $1.8 billion, down from a $2.4 billion estimate in July.

Briefly Noted: Virginia Governor Mark Warner raises $2.5 million for possible presidential candidacy … Problems emerge with new Metro contractor charged with helping disabled commuters.

Picture snapped by randomduck.