Tom Howell Jr.
Articles by Tom Howell Jr.
D.C. lawmakers consider bill to protect emails
The sudden resignation of former CIA Director Gen. David H. Petraeus over an extramarital affair turned heads for many reasons — not least of which was the way a few Gmail messages brought down a man who handled sensitive information for a living. Published December 19, 2012
D.C. Council pushes campaign finance to ’13
Despite months of rhetoric and proposals, D.C. lawmakers failed to pass sweeping campaign finance reforms by the end of a legislative period that was historic for all the wrong reasons. Published December 18, 2012
Use of coal in Capitol plant draws protesters
A power plant that provided electricity to the U.S. Capitol for decades and still heats and cools the iconic building and its surrounding offices is raising questions about whether coal's days are numbered as an American fuel of choice, particularly in the symbolic heart of the nation's capital. Published December 17, 2012
Sometimes toes get stepped on when Barry takes a stand
Marion Barry doesn't quit — ever. Published December 17, 2012
Backers of gun rights hit some big targets
Florida is preparing to issue its 1 millionth concealed-carry permit while a federal court ruling this week left the nation's capital as the only place in the United States with a total ban on carrying concealed weapons — developments that have gun advocates feeling that momentum is on their side in the national debate over whether Americans can remain armed once they leave home. Published December 13, 2012
D.C. students’ test scores better on health than reading and math
Standardized test scores released Wednesday show select students in the nation's capital answered questions about disease prevention and nutrition correctly last spring at better rates than they did on the reading and math sections of their tests. Published December 13, 2012
Military maps out Obama inauguration security
This year's presidential inauguration parade route runs about 30 feet and looks to take about 20 seconds to traverse — or at least it does on the scale model laid across the floor of the D.C. Armory. Published December 12, 2012
King’s words will be struck, not replaced
The Department of the Interior announced Tuesday it will remove a controversial "drum major" quote on the Martin Luther King Jr. National Memorial that paraphrased the late civil rights leader's words, scrapping its initial plan to replace it with the full quote. Published December 11, 2012
Bonds wins interim D.C. Council seat
The D.C. Democratic State Committee selected its chairwoman, Anita Bonds, to fill a vacant seat on the city's legislative body until a special election this spring. Published December 10, 2012
Choosing a color for all D.C. cabs
Visitors to New York City see a golden horde hurtling down Broadway, passengers in Boston wheel around the harbor in snowy white cars and London's black cabs are as iconic as Big Ben. Published December 10, 2012
CFO: D.C. ‘ballpark fee’ not going to increase
The District's top budget minder says the city does not need to raise the "ballpark fee" it imposes on businesses to pay down the massive debt it took to build a home for the Washington Nationals, a long-term endeavor in the nation's capital as other sports-crazed cities grapple with the role of public funds in high-stakes stadium deals. Published December 9, 2012
Security plans developing for smaller inauguration
President Obama's second inauguration is expected to draw less than half the number of visitors who descended on the Mall for his historic oath-taking in 2009, the top D.C. security official said Thursday. Published December 6, 2012
D.C. gets federal aid for Sandy clean up
President Obama has signed a disaster declaration that will help the District defray $4 million in clean-up and recovery costs after Hurricane Sandy swept through the northeast United States at the end of October, closing schools and government offices in the nation's capital. Published December 6, 2012
D.C. moves forward on budget autonomy
While Congress keeps its daggers drawn over the best way to avert the "fiscal cliff," city lawmakers are forging ahead with a novel plan to divorce their local spending from budgetary stalemates on Capitol Hill — despite warnings about its legal validity from the D.C. mayor and a powerful House member. Published December 5, 2012
Bill authorizing WWI memorial advances in House
A House committee approved a bill on Wednesday to establish a World War I memorial in the District — a plan that has faced controversy despite its noble goal of honoring those who served in the Great War. Published December 5, 2012
Former D.C. Council chairman’s brother charged with bank fraud
The brother of former D.C. Council Chairman Kwame R. Brown has been charged with bank fraud — the same offense that brought down the erstwhile lawmaker — on accusations he submitted documents to a mortgage company to make it look as if he earned $35,000 in income he never actually received. Published December 5, 2012
D.C. Council moves to lower fines for speeding, most by $50
D.C. lawmakers on Tuesday signaled they will lower fines for speeders and other scofflaws caught by traffic cameras even as the city expands the program across the city — a trade-off that reflects the fragile business of letting machines issue tickets instead of live officers. Published December 4, 2012
Smartphone thieves lose connection
Smartphones can hail a cab, stream football games and take high-quality photos, so the wireless industry's latest trick may seem as out of place as it was long in coming — rendering the phone as useless as a plastic brick. Published December 3, 2012
Interest shown in buying shadowy campaigner’s managed care firm
A Philadelphia-based health company is interested in purchasing a managed care firm in the District owned by the man at the center of a federal probe into Mayor Vincent C. Gray's 2010 campaign, D.C. insurance officials said Monday. Published December 3, 2012
Barry: ‘It is wrong’ to deny ex-cons jobs
Former D.C. Mayor Marion Barry has joined a chorus of lawmakers across the country pushing legislation that prohibits employers from discriminating against applicants with a criminal record unless there is a significant nexus between the crime and the job. Published December 2, 2012
