>> D.C.’s first elected Ward 7 Council member, Willie Hardy, has passed away at the age of 85. [WJLA]

>> Shuttle Endeavour landed safely this afternoon in Florida, a day early due to fears Hurricane Dean would close the Kennedy Space Center tomorrow. The shuttle traveled about 5.3 million miles, suffered from heat shield tile damage that was eventually deemed not hazardous, and was the first flight for Mission Specialist Barbara R. Morgan, an educator who was originally a back-up for Challenger astronaut Christa McAuliffe. [NASA]

>> Another local D.C. band bites the dust: Cedars, formerly Cartel, are calling it quits. The band played the very first DCist Unbuckled concert over two years ago, and they say a farewell show is being discussed about and will most likely take place within the next few weeks. [Instrumental Analysis]

>> The difficultly of prosecuting even a criminal caught red-handed stealing a bicycle chained to a sign, and later items from a car. [Logan Circle News]

>> “The accounting company hired by the city to help straighten out the books for its troubled school system last week found itself on the wrong side of a half billion dollar negligence verdict.” [Examiner]

Heather Goss contributed. Photo by lifeinthedistrict