Morning, Washington. First things first: how freaking awesome was that field goal? Second, how wonderful was the gorgeous fall weather we had all weekend? Hope you all got out to enjoy the colors of the trees a bit — 25,000 of which Mayor Williams has planted since he first took office eight years ago. This past Sunday, the city’s biggest tree was honored (which begs the question of how one honors a tree, exactly). Turns out the very largest is a tree on Northhampton Street in Northwester; it’s 105 feet tall with a crown that’s 122 feet across and a trunk that is 220 inches in circumference. Neato. Anyways! Real news time.

Election Approaches, Pundits Hedge Bets: With the elections coming up on Tuesday, and nobody really knowing what’s going to happen in several races, including the senatorial ones in Maryland and Virginia, basically all anyone can do is sit around and freak out. Polls show Webb and Allen in a total dead heat. And if Webb does win, it could signal a new power for NoVa, as the Post mentions in this article that proposes that how the suburbs in Maryland and Virginia vote will be the true determining key in the outcome of the elections. Either way, we’re going to be ready with a beer and a bowl of popcorn on Tuesday night. Got any fun election night plans?

Tysons Could Get Even More Hugely Terrifying: Fairfax County is on the verge of approving a plan for Tysons Corner Mall that would “reshape the heart of Tysons with a ring of office towers, more than 1,000 apartments and a hotel,” ABC 7 News reports. The eventual plan is to make it a walkable downtown center! Of the future! Sounds fun! Some folks are quibbling with the plan, though, especially because Fairfax County is just on the verge of establishing its own master draft of expansion. A new plan for Tysons Corner Mall could screw that all up.

Female Bishop Takes Spot: Yesterday morning during a ceremony at Washington National Cathedral, the first female bishop of the Episcopal Church in the U.S. was installed. 3,000 people watched the ceremony for Jefferts Schori, who will lead more than 2 million Episcopalians.

Briefly Noted: Arson suspect arrested in fire near UMD … Dan Tangherlini officially stepped down as interim manager of Metro on Sunday … Police shootout leaves one dead in College Park …

Photo from Flickr user Samer Farha

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