Photo by Karon.

Good morning, Washington. It’s finally September, which means that we can start putting the doldrums of August behind us, right? Well, let’s see what’s the big stories are in today’s news. Michelle Rhee is divisive? Yup, got it, thanks. Hurricane Earl, which is already weakening, might affect this weekend’s beach trips? Eh, we’ll probably be fine. Homeowners trying to pay off their mortgage? Bridge troubles in Fairfax? MPD Chief Cathy Lanier’s soft spot for shelter dogs? While the last one is certainly adorable, that’s hardly an inspiring bunch of top stories. I suppose we’ll just have to wait a few more days until after Labor Day to shake the summer slowdown.

Fenty, Gray Debate At Newseum Today: The two major candidates for Mayor will debate at the Newseum at noon today, the first time that the two will tangle after polls revealed the challenger, Vince Gray, holds a large lead over Mayor Adrian Fenty. The Post’s Eugene Robinson will moderate the debate, while NBC4’s Tom Sherwood, Post reporter Nikita Stewart and WAMU reporter Patrick Madden will be launching questions at the candidates. We’ll have full coverage of the debate later this morning from Martin Austermuhle, who will be on site at the proceedings — the debate will also be streamed live here.

Search For Alleged Child Abductor Called Off: The Post reports that police are no longer searching for a Washington man who was thought to have abducted his one-year-old son at gunpoint on Monday night, even though they have not yet located the man or the child. The boy’s mother accused Cornell Antonio Bennett of taking him from her at her home in Landover, but the police said that both have custody of the child and that investigators “feel” the child is okay,

See Something, Say Something: A man from Michigan was arrested on Monday after he left a 8-year-old Chihuahua inside his minivan for nearly an hour while he walked around the Holocaust Memorial Museum. The dog was stuck inside a plastic storage bin and eventually succumbed to heat stress. There was also an elderly beagle mix who was inside the car that barely survived. With the incredibly hot summer we’ve had, there have been a lot more reports about dogs being left inside vehicles than usual — if you see any animal stuck inside a car that looks like its in trouble, you can contact the Washington Humane Society to report it at 202-BE-HUMANE (202-234-8626).

Briefly Noted: Strasburg surgery scheduled for Friday…Eleanor Holmes Norton takes her annual safety walk around the National Mall…Three veteran D.C. Superior Court judges will retire…Due to DMV mess, Virginia authorities won’t ding drivers for licenses that expired between August 25 and September 30…What happens when your friends D.C. wedding is on the same weekend as a Tea Party rally?…There are some who probably think this is a fair offer.

This Day in DCist: In 2006, we examined the text message-based punk rock nostalgia tour.