JUDGE BLOCKS CLOSURE OF U.S.D.A. RESEARCH CENTER IN MARYLAND

A federal judge is putting the brakes on the planned closure of a USDA research facility in Prince George’s County.  Yesterday’s ruling will temporarily prevent the shutdown of the Beltsville Agricultural Research Center, preserving around one thousand jobs.  The move to close the facility is part of a broader push by the Trump Administration to reorganize the USDA.  The administration had argued that the research center is old and too expensive to maintain, and that its work could be done better at other facilities.