Good morning, Washington. It’s going to be 84 degrees today! Kicking up your heels as you walk down the sidewalk this morning is more than understandable. As is grabbing an ice cream cone on your way home form work.

Pope Makes His Exit: Pope Benedict XVI boarded the “Shepherd One” Alitalia plane at 8:30 a.m. at Andrews Air Force Base this morning to head to New York. Before Benedict left Washington, he met and prayed with a small group of victims of clergy sex abuse and urged Catholic universities to emphasize adherence to church teachings.

Another Club Shooting, Another Club Closure: The Examiner reports on the shooting death of a 30 year-old man on Wednesday night outside The Meeting Place, a jazz and go-go club near the Farragut North Metro Station. D.C. Police Chief Cathy Lanier has ordered an emergency 96-hour closure of the club in the wake of the shooting. Initial evidence indicates there was no altercation inside The Meeting Place that spilled out in to the street, and neighborhood watchers say the club was not on their radar as a potential spot for trouble.

Briefly Noted: St. Elizabeth’s avoids legal action … Window washer falls to his death at Smithsonian … Capital Beltway closures in Prince George’s County planned this weekend … Two police officers, three others injured in car crash.

This Day in DCist: In 2007 we noticed an awful lot of the city’s pedestrian “walk” signals were facing the wrong way, and in 2006 we daydreamed about express service Metro trains.

Photo by noahdevereaux