The cover of the April 17, 1980, issue of the Park Labrea News featured a photograph of Mark Birchall, who received a free annual supply of bus passes from the Rapid Transit District (a precursor agency to Metro) in celebration of his 100th birthday. The passes were given to Birchall as part of a community relations program. The celebration also included Birchall’s favorite bus driver, Orville Hatfield (right). Construction continues on the Metro Purple Line Extension project and progress is being made with expedited work in Beverly Hills. Metro buses and trains continue to run during the COVID-19 emergency.