Good morning, Washington. And what a good morning it is. It’s the first day of meteorological autumn, the brutal D.C. summer finally behind us. And is it just us, or was it cool enough last night to very nearly feel “chilly”? So breathe deep the cool, non-swampy air, and maybe skip out of work a little early on this long Labor Day weekend to enjoy the…um…torrential rains. CapitalWeather reports that Tropical Storm Ernesto, which made landfall just before midnight on the North Carolina coast, will head through the area Friday. We can expect to see rain throught the day and well into the nighttime hours, which should make for some spectacularly tense gridlocked family trips out of town this evening. We’re sure they’ll be fondly revisited for years to come in photo albums and family counseling sessions. The region can expect 2-5 inches by the end of the storm, and D.C. and Virginia have already declared storm emergencies. With any luck we can avoid the type of flooding we had in June, that turned Constitution Avenue back into the canal that L’Enfant had originally envisioned. In the event flash flooding is a problem, the usual precautions apply: be careful, and don’t drive through standing water if you don’t know how deep it is, unless you’re angling for a mention in Tuesday’s “Morning Roundup: Ernesto Flood Casualties Edition”.

When it Rains, It Pours Settlement Dollars: A Prince George’s County man was awarded $6.4 million, according to today’s Post, in a suit against the county for the eight months he spent in jail while under suspicion for a crime he didn’t commit, when the only evidence against him is a confession he claims he never made during a 38 hour interrogation session. It’s believed to be the largest award ever in PG County on such a case. Not that the county is exactly frugal when it comes to police abuse payouts: during the last fiscal year the tally reached $4.6 million.

No Child Left Behind; Teachers Another Matter: NBC4 reports that a teacher at Wilson High School claims he has been disciplined for criticizing the school earlier this year. Erich Martel, a teacher with nearly 20 years experience at Wilson, found that his AP classes had been stripped from him when he returned for the new school year. Councilmember Kathy Patterson has expressed concern over the matter, and the Superindendant is launching an investigation. We’re glad they’re looking into it, but we have to ask: where is the investigation into Martel’s original allegations of grade fraud and claims that nearly a third of Wilson graduates haven’t actually earned the diplomas they’re handed?

Briefly Noted: The Army promises they’ll finish the Fairfax County Parkway before they flood the area with new residents…SE community crime prevention group calls on DC to provide more than a “band-aid” in dealing with city crime… the Nationals trade two players.

This Day In DCist: A year ago today we vowed to cover the upcoming mayoral race with the type of dogged determination that you’re now thoroughly tired of, and reported on a food-based fundraiser for Katrina victims. The year before that, we talked about the lack of undergarments for sniper John Allen Muhammed and we were surprised yet again with just how bizarre Craigslist posts can be.

Photo by Flickr user zachstern.

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