Tom Howell Jr.
Articles by Tom Howell Jr.
Federal government to study height restrictions on D.C. buildings
A powerful member of Congress has authorized a study of the long-standing law that restricts the height of buildings in the District. Published November 8, 2012
Grosso’s victory suggests an affinity for progressives
Stacks of pizza sat untouched, the salad bowls kept their plastic lids and roughly a dozen red-shirted volunteers sat in a circle Tuesday night, gazing at a lone television in search of pleasant news inside their small campaign office on Florida Avenue Northwest. Published November 7, 2012
Grosso upsets incumbent Brown in D.C. Council bid
Upstart challenger David Grosso, a relatively unknown former D.C. Council staffer who started campaigning a year ago, unseated incumbent Michael A. Brown on Tuesday for an at-large seat in the only significant upset in the city's elections. Published November 6, 2012
O’Malley tours Md. polls in support of Obama, ballot questions
Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley said Tuesday he expects his state to give its electoral votes to President Obama, once again, by a double-digit margin. Published November 6, 2012
Long lines expected at local polls despite early voting
Officials in the D.C. region predict heavy turnout at the polls despite the long lines that marked pre-Election Day voting, as campaigns urge citizens to flock to the ballot box on Tuesday to decide a deadlocked presidential race, heated local contests and controversial ballot questions. Published November 5, 2012
Ethics issue looms over D.C. campaigns
Voters in the District will decide Tuesday whether to reshape the D.C. Council in election contests that serve as a referendum on the makeup of a body that has faced a steady trickle of ethical problems in the past two years. Published November 4, 2012
Gray lowers some D.C. speed camera fines
D.C. Mayor Vincent C. Gray on Friday lowered the fines for all but the most egregious speeders who are nabbed by traffic cameras in the District, pledging to use higher-than-anticipated revenues from the automated enforcement program to hire 100 new police officers. Published November 2, 2012
Catholics want $50K returned by grantee because of ‘Hey Grrl!’ pamphlet
If you run the risk of arrest for drug possession, make sure you "don't keep all of your stash on you." Advice such as this has made a District-based nonprofit the target of outrage from a coalition of 24 Catholic organizations. Published November 1, 2012
Prosecutors want six days in jail for Kwame Brown
Federal prosecutors think former D.C. Council Chairman Kwame R. Brown should serve six days in jail and spend three years on probation for submitting false information on loan applications while he served as a city lawmaker, according to papers filed Thursday in federal court. Published November 1, 2012
A return to normal for Washington after Sandy
The view from the Southwest Waterfront has seen better days. Published October 31, 2012
Sandy is almost gone but not forgotten as D.C., East Coast deal with aftermath
Governors, mayors and millions of Americans on the East Coast braced for a "superstorm" of unprecedented strength — and it delivered. Published October 30, 2012
Gray begins assessing storm damages
D.C. Mayor Vincent C. Gray set off on a tour of shelters and sites along the Potomac River Tuesday morning to examine the damage and debris left by a one-two punch of harsh weather in the capital region. Published October 30, 2012
Sandy socks East Coast
Swirling from the nation's capital to New England, a hurricane-fueled superstorm struck the most populous region of the United States on Monday with the type of brute force that had been predicted for days. Published October 29, 2012
Sandy brings wet weather to D.C. area
Commuters who would normally flow through the turnstiles of the busy Silver Spring Metro station to start the workweek heeded alerts to stay away from the dormant transit system as Hurricane Sandy and its unprecedented date with wintry weather set in on the area Monday morning. Published October 29, 2012
Sandy a ‘unique, large, dangerous’ storm
Officials on Sunday implored residents of the Washington area to use common sense and respect nature's will as Hurricane Sandy steered toward its clash with wintry weather from the north. Published October 28, 2012
Gray: Storm is ‘unlike anything our region has experienced in a very long time’
D.C. Mayor Vincent C. Gray said traditional public schools will be closed on Monday as the city girds for "what could be one of the strongest tropical systems in memory to affect our region." Published October 28, 2012
D.C. area declares state of emergency as Sandy approaches
Officials in the D.C. area girded for heavy rains and dangerous winds on Sunday into next week, as Hurricane Sandy creeps up the eastern seaboard. Published October 27, 2012
D.C. begins storm prep for Sandy
D.C. residents in flood-prone areas such as Bloomingdale are on "pins and needles" as city agencies put the final stamp on plans to deal with heavy rains and potentially dangerous winds on Sunday into next week from Hurricane Sandy's creep up the eastern seaboard, officials said Friday. Published October 26, 2012
Chartered Health Plan’s finances draw scrutiny
The embattled managed-care company owned by the man at the center of a federal probe into D.C. Mayor Vincent C. Gray's 2010 campaign was carrying $3 million in unexplained revenue on its books and had transferred $1 million to an unknown recipient, city agency directors said Thursday. Published October 25, 2012
Getting an early jump on voting
Alejandra Baez will be visiting Spain for three weeks, Chadon Smith gets anxious in big crowds and Michael Hardiman doesn't know what his busy schedule will bring Nov. 6. Published October 24, 2012
