Tom Howell Jr.
Articles by Tom Howell Jr.
New D.C. statehood plan: Strategize with Puerto Rico?
D.C. officials have bandied about a number of strategies in recent months to increase the city's voting rights in Congress or achieve statehood, but one stands above the rest in terms of novelty — strategize with Puerto Rico. Published September 6, 2012
D.C. corporate political donations ban will not be before voters in November
Activists hoping to ban direct corporate contributions to D.C. political campaigns are no longer trying to put their issue before voters in November so they can focus on preserving thousands of petition signatures they gathered earlier this year and make the ballot in a special election next spring. Published September 4, 2012
Gray campaign investigation is ongoing, say investigators
Federal prosecutors indicated Tuesday that their investigation into D.C. Mayor Vincent C. Gray’s 2010 campaign is still in full swing by delaying the sentencing of a campaign aide who pleaded guilty to destroying a record of furtive payments to a minor mayoral candidate. Published September 4, 2012
Court ruling idles new D.C. taxi meters
A decision by a judge on the D.C. Contract Appeals Board has put on ice the District's highly touted plans to install "smart meters" in its taxicabs and prompted the city's "Mayor for Life" to gloat that he warned officials to delay the gadgets, which are intended to improve the city's fleet. Published September 3, 2012
McDuffie adamant about emergency funds as Bloomingdale floods
A D.C. lawmaker is calling on the city to establish an emergency relief fund for residents of the Bloomingdale neighborhood reeling from flood damage after fierce rains backed up their outdated sewer once again during the Labor Day weekend. Published September 3, 2012
Police ID victim, suspect in fatal Sunday stabbing
Police identified a 27-year-old Northeast man as the suspect arrested in connection with a deadly stabbing near the Waterfront Metro station just after midnight on Sunday. Published September 3, 2012
Derwood man drowned in his pool
Montgomery County police say a 59-year-old man drowned Sunday afternoon in the pool at his Derwood home. Published September 3, 2012
Protocol breach led to firing of agency chief
D.C. Mayor Vincent C. Gray's administration said Friday it had fired the city's environment director, Christophe A.G. Tulou, for what officials termed a "serious breach of protocol" in negotiations over a long-term sewer project. Published September 2, 2012
Gray takes D.C. rights lobbying to convention
D.C. Mayor Vincent C. Gray is poised to use the Democratic National Convention to promote the District's right to local budget autonomy, a goal apparently within grasp as the city battles for voting rights in Congress or even statehood. Published September 2, 2012
D.C. environment department director abruptly fired
D.C. Mayor Vincent C. Gray's administration said Friday it had fired the city's environment director, Christophe A.G. Tulou, for what officials termed a "serious breach of protocol" in negotiations over a long-term sewer project. Published August 31, 2012
Petitioners for D.C. corporate political donations ban sprint to get the issue before voters
D.C. activist Bryan Weaver said he was surprised to find his name missing from a master list of voters that the D.C. Board of Elections considers to be valid signers of a petition that may lead to a ban on direct corporate contributions to the city’s political campaigns. Published August 30, 2012
Washington planning more speed cameras
Members of a D.C. Council task force on traffic fines agreed on Tuesday that speed limits and red-light cameras improve safety, but city officials need to show "a rational nexus" between hefty fines that can reach $150 and drivers' willingness to change their behavior. Published August 28, 2012
Gray proposes D.C. campaign reforms
D.C. Mayor Vincent C. Gray and the city's attorney general unveiled a long-awaited proposal on Tuesday to curtail pay-to-play politics in the city, including a ban on contributions from contractors who do business with the city. Published August 28, 2012
MLK’s quote goes unfixed for six months
Martin Luther King Jr. didn't say it exactly that way, but an inaccurate quote remains etched into his granite memorial in Washington more than six months after National Park Service officials vowed to fix it. Published August 27, 2012
When Nationals win, D.C. budget-minders let out big cheers
Good defense and timely hitting have been a boon this year for the Washington Nationals, and officials who mind the city's balance sheet are hoping for a share of the good fortune. Published August 26, 2012
D.C. task force to evaluate traffic-camera fines
A new D.C. Council task force will evaluate hefty fines levied on motorists caught by speed cameras and other forms of automated traffic enforcement, a controversial and expanding system that has some wondering if city leaders care more about revenue than public safety. Published August 23, 2012
D.C. takes revised look at underground power lines
Members of a newly formed task force looking at ways to reduce power outages in the District said it might be wiser to bury power lines only in high-risk areas than shell out billions for a citywide project. Published August 23, 2012
‘Smart meter’ contract in court
A technology firm on the losing end of a contract to install "smart meters" in the District's taxicabs filed a complaint Wednesday in D.C. Superior Court to stop the city from installing its competitor's machines. Published August 22, 2012
D.C. resident contracts West Nile virus
D.C. officials are asking city residents to do what they can to prevent mosquito bites after several samples of the insects tested positive for West Nile virus and one person contracted a non-fatal infection. Published August 22, 2012
Gray urges DNC to put D.C. statehood in its platform
D.C. Mayor Vincent C. Gray is lobbying the Democratic National Committee to put D.C. statehood in its party platform ahead of its convention next month in Charlotte, a hopeful push within his own party after Republicans slapped away any talk of D.C. voting rights and urged city lawmakers to relax gun laws in the nation's capital. Published August 22, 2012
