Welcome to Friday, D.C. We hope you manage to get an early start on your weekend, since there sadly aren’t that many more of the season to go around. To the ten percent of you who last year reported that your entire office gets half-day Fridays during the month of August, well done. To the rest of you, start coming up with a good reason to leave early. At the very least, pick up an ice cream cone for yourself on the way back from lunch. It’s summer! For a limited time only.

Man Found Dead in Parking Garage Elevator Shaft: An unidentified man was found dead in an elevator shaft of a downtown parking garage. The body was discovered at about 5 a.m. this morning, having been crushed underneath a moving platform. The AP take on the story was that the body was found “near the White House,” since it is located he garage is located a block away, next to the Mills Building at 1700 Pennsylvania Avenue that houses several law firms.

Lew Defends Construction Concerns: After news broke earlier this week that construction at many of D.C.’s public schools would not be complete on time, construction chief Allen Lew told the Post that all classrooms and common areas in schools under renovation would be ready on Monday, the first day of school. Lew also pointed his finger at the D.C. Council for their delay in approving parts of the construction funding.

Briefly Noted: Homeless people demonstrate outside Mayor Fenty’s house … Caceres ordered to remain in jail … Empty Metrobus slams into Alexandria apartment.

This Day in DCist: In 2007, the agency that had employed pants judge Roy Pearson was being reviewed, and in 2006, we were griping about Verizon gouging its customers.

Photo by cornflakegirl