Photo by Karon

Good morning, Washington, and welcome to September! As a sign that the region’s politics may be slowly coming back to life now that the summer is drawing to a close, it looks like Virginia Democrats are having a whole lotta fun with the Washington Post’s big scoop from the weekend, about how Republican candidate for governor Bob McDonnell wrote his masters thesis on how “feminists,” i.e. women who work, people who have sex out of wedlock, and gays are basically ruining America. In the paper’s follow-up this morning, they note that all the big lefty blogs have since picked up the story, but it’s still too early to tell how much of an impact this 20 year-old thesis could end up having on the race. Polls conducted shortly before this story broke put McDonnell in a comfortable lead, and the candidate insists his views have changed since he was a student in 1989.

Another Veto for Board of Ed. Funds: D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty got out his line-item veto pen for the second time this summer at the beginning of this week, in order to scrub $950,000 from the 2010 budget that the D.C. Council had allocated to give the State Board of Education a little more autonomy. The Examiner reported the news late Sunday night, noting that this is the exact same veto Fenty used in June, and The Post follows up today. The D.C. Council could vote to override the veto again when it returns to work on Sept. 14.

Pizza Mart Murder Linked to Green Card Scam: More details are emerging in the murder of 44-year-old Shahabuddin Rana, the co-owner of the Edgewood Pizza Mart. A witness told police that Rana had been involved in a scam to pay Shanika Robinson, 26, $500 a week to be in a sham marriage with his brother, the restaurant’s other owner, in order to help the brother could become a legal citizen, the Post reports. But Rana later reneged on the deal, leading to a confrontation between him, Robinson and three unidentified men she brought with her. Robinson has already been arrested and charged in the slaying of Rana.

Briefly Noted: One killed, three wounded in spray of gunfire in Petworth/Brightwood Park area … D.C. summer jobs payroll will near $28 million … Florida Ave. fire was the result of a domestic dispute … Police looking for help on Silver Spring hit-and-run.

This Day in DCist: In 2006, we dished up our recommendations for late summer grilling, and in 2005, the American Political Science Association was in town for its annual convention.