Photo by abe.o

Good morning, Washington. A few weeks ago, we opened up our official DCist Merchandise Shop, with the proceeds of all the sales going to Bread for the City. So far, sales have been plugging along nicely, but if you want a t-shirt (or onesie!) to give as a Christmas present, today is the last day to place an order so that it gets to you on time.

DPW is Out to Get You Cat Litter Scofflaws: In what’s likely to be the story of the day, Fox 5 reports that a Dupont Circle woman has been fined $2,000 for not recycling her cat litter. Patricia White says that she uses old newspapers for cat litter instead of the store-bought alternative, but a Department of Public Works inspector apparently searched through her trash and fined her eight times for not recycling the waste. A judge upheld the fines, saying that it’s within DPW’s purview to look for violations of D.C. recycling laws and that yes, newspapers should be recycled. If you live in a single family home or small building, you needn’t worry much, though — in a statement, DPW said it focuses its enforcement efforts on buildings and businesses.

Microsoft Looking at St. Elizabeths for Tech Campus: Now, you could make any number of jokes that one of the world’s largest (and likely most reviled) software companies is looking to set up a new outpost on the site of a former mental hospital, but it’s good news for the redevelopment prospects of the St. Elizabeths campus in Southeast. The Examiner reports that Microsoft executives are inching towards building a new research and development center on the grounds of the old hospital, a move that could help push development of the eastern side of the site along. West St. Elizabeths is being used for the future headquarters of the Department of Homeland Security, while city officials look to the remaining space to help transform the Ward 8 neighborhoods around it.

Crime Falls on Metro: Good police work seems to pay off, or so discovered Metro Police, which saw a decrease in crime in the transit system in the third quarter of the year due to improvements in tactics and strategies. The Post reports that Metro police used computers to track crimes, patrolled more strategically and launched public awareness campaigns, leading to decreases in just about every category of crimes, from car thefts to assaults. Crime is still higher than it was in 2007, but the chances of being a victim remain relatively low — in the third quarter of 2011, there were 4.75 crimes occurred per million riders.

Briefly Noted: The right way to do bike racks … Meeting between Democrats and Occupy Wall Street scuttled … More on the 2012 D.C. fundraising reports, omissions and all … Virginia Tech gunman purchased gun legally … There will be a disaster at Nats Park today, and its unrelated to baseball … Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley wants Lady Gaga over for dinner, while Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell is only meeting with Jon Huntsman … Pedestrian killed on I-270 this morning.

This Day in DCist: On this in 2010, the first proposal for more clearly including the Nats name or symbol in the Navy Yard Metro station name emerged, the House debated giving us just one statue in the Capitol and the D.C. Council argued over whether or not to extend a liquor license moratorium in Georgetown. In 2009, Google’s street view caught something interesting on H Street NE and supporters of same-sex marriage got ready for a celebration.