Tom Howell Jr.
Articles by Tom Howell Jr.
Hill panel set to weigh curb on D.C. abortions
The House Judiciary Committee will consider a bill Wednesday that would ban abortions in the District 20 weeks into pregnancy, a measure that pro-life advocates tout as a moral approach to abortion policy in the nation's capital even as city officials decry it as affront to their home rule. Published July 17, 2012
Health director taking year leave to work on Obama reform panel
As of 5 p.m. Tuesday, Mohammad N. Akhter will no longer be the District's health director. Published July 16, 2012
D.C. residents rail against Pepco at council hearing
Pepco officials told a D.C. Council committee on Friday they are ready and willing to enter serious talks with customers and the city government about burying power lines in the District, an expensive proposition that is viewed as an antidote to power outages like those that afflicted the region during a heat wave this month. Published July 14, 2012
For D.C. Mayor Gray, ‘what did he know and when?’
D.C. Mayor Vincent C. Gray on Thursday said the swirl of suspicion around an off-the-books effort during his 2010 campaign is "as frustrating for me as it is for others." Published July 12, 2012
Three on D.C. Council ask Mayor Gray to resign
Three D.C. Council members called on embattled Mayor Vincent C. Gray to resign Wednesday, just hours after he defended his integrity in his first public comments since federal prosecutors outlined a politically damaging "shadow" effort by members of his 2010 campaign. Published July 11, 2012
Three D.C. Council members call for Gray’s resignation
Three D.C. Council members called on embattled Mayor Vincent C. Gray to resign on Wednesday, mere hours after the mayor defended his reputation in the wake of startling revelations about a "shadow" effort by members of his 2010 campaign. Published July 11, 2012
D.C. mayor deflects ‘shadow campaign’ questions
Mayor Vincent C. Gray defended his integrity and the reputation of his administration on Wednesday in his first public comments since federal prosecutors outlined a politically damaging "shadow" effort by members of his 2010 campaign. Published July 11, 2012
‘Shadow’ campaign for D.C. Mayor Gray detailed
D.C. Mayor Vincent C. Gray's 2010 campaign took part in a secret and illegal effort that funneled hundreds of thousands of dollars to the candidate — a scheme the city's top prosecutor on Tuesday said "compromised" the election. Published July 10, 2012
About 30,000 sign petition to ban corporate money in D.C. politics
Activists hoping to eliminate pay-to-play politics in the D.C. government dropped off 30,000 signatures at the D.C. Board of Elections on Monday in support of a ballot initiative that would ban direct corporate contributions to local political campaigns. Published July 9, 2012
D.C. Council to consider breath testing return
The D.C. Council will consider a bill Tuesday that clears the way for breath testing by police, a critical component of drunken-driving cases that has been dormant for more than two years. Published July 9, 2012
Gray probe widens as big donor’s associate charged
Federal prosecutors on Monday accelerated their ongoing probe into Mayor Vincent C. Gray's 2010 campaign by charging an associate of one of the District of Columbia's most prolific political contributors. Published July 9, 2012
D.C. takes steps to make cabs more rider-friendly
The District has selected Verifone Systems to install credit card readers, GPS tracking and news programming in the city's taxicabs as part of promised reforms to make the system as rider-friendly as those in cities like New York, officials said Thursday. Published July 5, 2012
Power finally back on for 90% of Pepco’s customers
Pepco boasted on Wednesday it had "beat by two days" its estimate for restoring power to 90 percent of its customers in the wake of a fierce storm that devastated the region on Friday night. Published July 4, 2012
D.C.’s Palisades Parade is canon on Fourth of July
"It's got a patriotic quality about it," Even if they don't know how or why it became a tradition, politicians in the District know they'd better head to the Palisades for its annual Fourth of July parade. Published July 4, 2012
Pepco brags it beat power-restoration deadline by 2 days
Pepco boasted on Wednesday it had "beat by two days" its estimate for restoring power to 90 percent of its customers in the wake of a fierce storm that devastated the region on Friday night. Published July 4, 2012
Silver Spring man charged in stabbing death
A 38-year-old Silver Spring man was charged with first-degree murder after police say he stabbed a man multiple times on Tuesday during a dispute that escalated into a knife fight. Published July 4, 2012
Woman sexually assaulted on Arlington trail
A man sexually assaulted a 23-year-old Arlington woman at knifepoint on Tuesday during her job along the Four Mile Run bike trail, according to police. Published July 4, 2012
D.C. Council member calls for Pepco investigation
D.C. Council member Mary M. Cheh is calling for a formal investigation into Pepco's response to the storm that thrashed the D.C. area Friday and caused widespread power outages, a multiday trial that has city leaders talking about a piece-by-piece effort to bury power lines underground despite an astronomical price tag. Published July 3, 2012
D.C. Council committee approves ethics panel nominees
A D.C. Council committee Tuesday approved a trio of nominees to serve on the city's newly created Board of Ethics, despite lingering concerns about the number of times its chairman-to-be must recuse himself from cases. Published July 3, 2012
Outages put Pepco on multiple hot seats
D.C. Council members planned to meet face-to-face with officials from Pepco as soon as Tuesday to address the "unacceptable" pace of the utility's recovery efforts after Friday night's fierce storm swept through the region and left hundreds of thousands without power in stifling heat. Published July 2, 2012
