Tom Howell Jr.
Articles by Tom Howell Jr.
Barry’s opposition a speed bump for taxi ‘smart meters’
Washington, D.C., is forging ahead Wednesday with plans to install "smart meters" in about 6,500 taxicabs that offer pay-by-credit-card readers and other amenities, despite a mystifying dispute initiated by D.C. Council member Marion Barry over how to pay for it all. Published August 21, 2012
D.C. medical marijuana firms moving slowly through regulatory process
Months after the D.C. government gave 10 firms the go-ahead to start growing medical marijuana and sell it to qualified patients within the city’s borders, none have acquired the regulatory documents needed to begin the program, city officials said. Published August 20, 2012
Activists file challenge to get corporate political donations ban on D.C. ballot
A group of activists hoping to ban direct corporate contributions to D.C. political campaigns is challenging an Aug. 8 ruling by the city's Board of Elections in a last-ditch effort to put their initiative on the November ballot. Published August 20, 2012
Young people’s pro-gun rally alters debate in D.C.
It's hard to say whether it was a first, but it was certainly unusual: a pro-gun rally in the District of Columbia. Published August 19, 2012
Gray cheers slight drop in D.C. unemployment rate
D.C. Mayor Vincent C. Gray said Friday that a slight drop in the city's unemployment rate, from 9.1 percent in June to 8.9 percent in July, shows his workforce efforts "continue to pay off." Published August 17, 2012
Young people protest for gun rights in front of D.C. city hall
About 40 young people waved signs and voiced loud support for Second Amendment rights in the front of D.C. city hall on Friday, an unusual sight in a heavily Democratic city that is known for its strict gun-control laws. Published August 17, 2012
Mayor Gray vows to ‘preserve’ D.C.’s gun-control laws
D.C. Mayor Vincent C. Gray said Thursday he will "work hard to preserve our gun-control laws" in the nation's capital, one day after police say a Virginia man shot a security guard who prevented him from entering a conservative research group's offices in a busy section of downtown. Published August 16, 2012
Storm result: D.C., Pepco to study underground utilities
D.C. Mayor Vincent C. Gray said Thursday a newly formed task force will explore the best way to bury power lines in the District, a costly game changer intended to thwart the kind of long-term power outages that plagued the capital region after a fierce windstorm on June 29. Published August 16, 2012
D.C. clarifies error on after-school program
After a press release containing not-entirely-correct information went out Thursday, D.C. officials took pains to clarify that any parents who wish to enroll their children in after-school programs at city schools will not be turned away, even though the District must verify the citizenship status of students who benefit from federally subsidized programs. Published August 16, 2012
Family Research Council, Southern Poverty Law Center have war of words over shooting
The president of a conservative Christian-based family organization said Thursday that the blame for the shooting of a colleague was shared between the man with the gun and groups that practice "reckless use of terminology." Published August 16, 2012
Gray defends District’s gun laws, says he will work to preserve them
D.C. Mayor Vincent C. Gray said he will "work hard to preserve our gun control laws" in the nation's capital one day after police said a Virginia man shot a security guard who prevented him from entering a conservative research group's offices on Wednesday in a busy section of downtown. Published August 16, 2012
D.C. submits plan for health-benefits exchange to feds
The D.C. government submitted a detailed proposal to the federal government on Wednesday outlining its vision for a consumer-friendly marketplace of insurance plans as part of President Obama's health care law, a controversial package of reforms that the District embraced from the start while other states wait for its legal and political narrative to play out. Published August 15, 2012
D.C. supports right to consider race in university admissions
The District has joined more than a dozen states in supporting public universities' right to consider race during their admissions processes. Published August 14, 2012
LaHood, local leaders demand reforms from airports authority
Elected leaders from the District, Maryland and Virginia joined the nation's top transportation official on Tuesday calling for immediate reforms at the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority in the wake of recent reports that raise "serious doubts" about its effectiveness. Published August 14, 2012
D.C. Council candidates ramp up fundraising
New campaign finance reports show D.C. Council incumbents with adequate war chests or recharging their fundraising efforts with about three months to go before the Nov. 6 election. Published August 13, 2012
D.C. residents among the fittest in the nation
D.C. residents are among the fittest in the nation. But that isn't saying much. Published August 13, 2012
Health law readiness follows state, party lines
The District of Columbia and Maryland are moving aggressively to implement virtual markets of insurance plans, becoming national leaders in carrying out President Obama's vision for health care reform, while their Republican neighbors in Virginia remain less than eager to implement the controversial law. Published August 12, 2012
IG report: No widespread school-test cheating in D.C.
A long-awaited report by the D.C. office of the inspector general says investigators found no evidence of widespread cheating among city public school students from 2008 to 2010, despite alarming testimony that some teachers at Noyes Education Campus in Northeast pointed out incorrect responses on standardized tests until students filled in the right answers. Published August 8, 2012
Petition to vote on banning corporate political donations fails
A volunteer effort to ban direct corporate contributions to D.C. political campaigns failed to gather enough valid signatures to put the issue before city voters on Nov. 6, officials said Wednesday. Published August 8, 2012
Users of some D.C. online services get malware warning
Local residents looking to pay parking tickets or use other online services from the D.C. government in the past week were greeted with an ominous message, saying their use of the city's website could expose them to malicious software. Published August 7, 2012
