Small Earthquake Shakes D.C. Area

USGS Says 3.6 Magnitude Quake Centered Near Suburb of Gaithersburg, Maryland; No Immediate Reports of Damage

A minor, 3.6 magnitude earthquake shook Washington D.C.-area residents out of bed early Friday morning - a rare occurrence for the nation's east coast dwellers.

CBS News staff in the Maryland suburb of Bethesda and the Virginia suburb of Arlington both reported feeling the tremor, which the U.S. Geological Survey said was centered 20 miles northwest of the nation's capital in Gaithersburg, Maryland.

There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries, only surprised people being woken up at just past 5 a.m. Eastern time.

Lucille Baur, public information officer for the Montgomery County Police Department in Maryland, said the department received a lot of calls from people wondering what had happened.

Baur said her husband woke up when the quake struck.

"At first he thought it was a big truck going through," she said. "He felt the house shake and the windows rattle a little bit."

www.cbsnews.com

Washington's Rye Whiskey Set For Sale Again

MOUNT VERNON, Va. - The public has a chance to buy rye whiskey made from the same recipe George Washington used.

The first public tasting will be held on Thursday at a reconstructed version of Washington's original distillery near his Mount Vernon estate. Bottles are being sold for $85 apiece and the proceeds will benefit Mount Vernon's education programs.

The Virginia General Assembly previously approved the sale of limited quantities of the whiskey.
Washington was the nation's most successful whiskey maker in the years after his presidency.

By 1799, he was producing 11,000 gallons of whiskey a year. Washington died that year, and soon after the business fell off. In 1814, the distillery burned to the ground.

www.wtkr.com