Photo by Amber Wilkie Photography

Well, that’s it. Summer’s officially coming to an end, though with the almost 60 days above 90 degrees that we’ve had so far, that’s certainly not a bad thing. As of next week, the District will pick up its somewhat regular rhythm, as Congress slowly makes it way back to town, everyone comes back from their extended vacations, and we finally get this whole local election thing over with. It’s a bummer that we’re that much closer to winter, but we gave this whole summer thing a try, and maybe we’re ready for a break. (Of course, we’ll probably have a freak mid-Fall heat wave, knowing our dramatic weather these days.)

Earl Downgraded to a Category Two Storm: The Post writes that Hurricane Earl has been downgraded to a Category 2 storm, and while it’s currently hitting the North Carolina coast, everything should be somewhat in the clear for the weekend beach-goers in Maryland, Delaware and north. (Ocean City has closed its beaches until Saturday, though Sunday looks OK.) It may still be a somewhat nightmarish drive out to the beach, though, and TBD’s got all the details you need to miss the traffic. In summary: leave at 5 a.m.

Gray Cost D.C. $2 Million in Fines: Mayor Adrian Fenty has made challenger Vince Gray’s leadership of the Department of Human Services in the 1990s a key part of his re-election campaign, using Gray’s stint as evidence that he’s not fit to be the city chief executive. (A new TV ad admits that Gray isn’t a bad guy, just a “bad manager.”) The Examiner today digs into Gray’s record, and finds that his slow reaction to a congressional mandate that the city close down the Cedar Knoll youth detention center over two decades ago cost the city over $2 million in fines. Gray claims that the deadline imposed by Congress was too tight to effectively move kids into other facilities.

Avoid the Red Line This Weekend: We may often complain about Metro being slow, but it well be very slow this weekend as five stations along the Red Line close down for repairs. WTOP writes that the Glenmont, Wheaton, Forest Glen, Silver Spring and Takoma stations will be closed Friday, Sept. 3 at 10 p.m. until Tuesday, Sept. 7 at 5 a.m. Shuttle service will be offered for those that use those stations.

Go-Go a No-No, Says Gray Volunteer: The City Paper is reporting that a volunteer for the Gray campaign has filed a complaint with the D.C. Office of Campaign Finance, asking that the go-go concerts put on by Fenty ally Ron Moten be regulated as if they were events put on directly by the campaign. James Abely argues that Moten works closely enough with the Fenty campaign that the event he puts on, as well as his publication The Otherside Magazine, should be considered campaign materials and subject to the $2,000 cap on donations.

Briefly Noted: I.M.P. adds MoCo to suit over Silver Spring Filmore venue … New D.C. gang law gets tested in court … Teens on Metro beware … Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.) called a “dinosaur.”

This Day in DCist: On this day in 2009, a murder suspect walked out of the Washington Hospital Center and Metro asked riders to report on those pesky kids. In 2008, alcohol was ruled a factor in the death of two men on a double-decker bus, and more and more people were being cited for talking on their cell phones while driving.