>> D.C.’s first elected Ward 7 Council member, Willie Hardy, has passed away at the age of 85. [WJLA] >> Shuttle Endeavour landed safely this afternoon in Florida, a day early due to fears Hurricane Dean would close the Kennedy Space Center tomorrow. The shuttle traveled about 5.3 million miles, suffered from heat shield tile damage that was eventually deemed not hazardous, and was the first flight for Mission Specialist Barbara R. Morgan, an…

>> In case you missed this story in the Washington Post this morning, it seems another one of D.C. Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton’s favorite long-term projects, expanding the District’s Home Rule Charter to give the District budget and legislative autonomy, is actually getting some play up on the Hill. We can’t even count how many times she’s introduced bills like the two currently before the House, but it’s been at least 15 years since Congress…

As fall settles in and another calendar page gets turned, thoughts turn from bbq’s and vacations to holidays and the realization that ’06 is coming to an end. With all that going on, with change in the air, we wonder what is it that made that makes the -ists ponder? Phillyist is concerned that the war on Trans fats could affect it’s beloved cheese steak sandwiches, something for which we should all be concerned. They…