Tom Howell Jr.
Articles by Tom Howell Jr.
D.C. DOH director to take leave of absence
D.C. Department of Health Director Mohammad N. Akhter will request a leave of absence from his Cabinet post to serve on a board governing the city's health care exchange, a key ingredient of President Obama's reforms that were upheld last week by the U.S. Supreme Court. Published July 1, 2012
Storms leave 9 dead in Md., Va. and D.C.; 4 in N.J., Ohio and Ky.
Devastating thunderstorms Friday left nine people in Virginia, Maryland and the District of Columbia dead and hundreds of thousands without power in the region as residents across the area face more extreme temperatures and the possibility of additional thunderstorms this weekend. Published June 30, 2012
D.C. DOH director to request leave of absence
D.C. Department of Health Director Mohammad N. Akhter is poised to request a leave of absence from his cabinet post to serve on a board governing the city's healthcare exchange, a key ingredient of President Obama's reforms that were upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court, he and city officials said Friday. Published June 29, 2012
D.C. Council committee advances Gandhi reappointment
Natwar M. Gandhi moved closer to another five-year term as the primary gatekeeper of the District's piggy bank on Friday. Published June 29, 2012
D.C. Council member ‘very disappointed’ by theft of funds
D.C. Council member Michael A. Brown said Friday he is "very disappointed" that it appears someone on his campaign staff stole funds. Published June 29, 2012
Brown: ‘Unauthorized disbursements’ made from campaign account
D.C. Council member Michael A. Brown announced Thursday that a longtime campaign assistant made unauthorized payments from the campaign's bank account. Published June 28, 2012
Cuccinelli finds solace in aspects of ruling; Maryland, D.C. officials cheer
Virginia Attorney General Kenneth T. Cuccinelli II said the U.S. Supreme Court's decision Thursday upholding health care reform was a loss on policy but a victory for the Constitution, while across the Potomac in Maryland leaders said the ruling affirmed their decision to act quickly to implement the controversial law. Published June 28, 2012
Supreme Court health care ruling draws mixed reaction locally
The U.S. Supreme Court's landmark decision on Thursday to uphold President Obama's health care mandate as a tax prompted Democratic leaders in the District and Maryland, as early adopters of Mr. Obama's vision, to rejoice while Virginia's Republican governor denounced it as "a blow to freedom." Published June 28, 2012
Lieberman defends D.C. on city affairs
Sen. Joe Lieberman on Wednesday publicly defended the District's right to govern its local affairs, noting "no one in Congress would dare to impose laws on any of the states." Published June 27, 2012
Sen. Paul proposes more D.C. budget autonomy for abortion restrictions, looser gun laws
Sen. Rand Paul plans to amend a bill that allows D.C. officials to spend local dollars without waiting for approval on Capitol Hill by tacking on provisions that restrict abortions in the District and relax the city's gun laws. Published June 26, 2012
Congressman abandons plan to ‘nationalize’ D.C. WWI memorial
A Texas congressman is no longer pursuing a plan to nationalize the District's World War I memorial, a contentious proposal that had prompted D.C. officials to focus on downtown's Pershing Park as a "fitting alternative" to the local monument's prized site on the National Mall. Published June 26, 2012
Conflicts will be few, says D.C. ethics panel pick
Former D.C. Attorney General Robert Spagnoletti told a D.C. Council committee on Monday he can be an effective member of the newly created ethics board - despite what his critics may say - and that his ties to city government are unlikely to force his recusal from many cases. Published June 25, 2012
Council hears Gray’s outline in reforming campaign finances
D.C. Mayor Vincent C. Gray will send a package of campaign finance reforms to the D.C. Council by mid-July that answers mounting calls to eliminate pay-to-play politics without resorting to sweeping bans that the nation's highest court has deemed unconstitutional, the city's top legal officer said Monday. Published June 25, 2012
Mendelson will tackle campaign finance, education in D.C. Council
Newly appointed D.C. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson said Monday he will tackle campaign finance and education reforms after the legislative body's recess from mid-July to mid-September. Published June 25, 2012
Investigation finds cheating at D.C. schools
Standardized test scores from three D.C. classrooms were invalidated because teachers helped students choose the right answers or flouted security protocols in April 2011. Published June 22, 2012
Leonsis: Flat screens on arena mean cash
Ted Leonsis told a D.C. Council committee on Wednesday that his controversial plan to put high-definition flat screens outside the Verizon Center could help teams inside the downtown arena lift the Stanley Cup or don championship rings one day. Published June 20, 2012
At-large races for D.C Council draw a crowd of non-Democrats
The field of candidates for the pair of at-large seats on the D.C. Council is taking shape, an uphill battle against incumbents Michael A. Brown, an independent, and Vincent B. Orange, who earned the Democrats' nomination in April. Published June 19, 2012
Gray administration hired new DHCD head despite scandal
D.C. Mayor Vincent C. Gray's pick to lead the D.C. Department of Housing and Community Development had an affair with a subordinate at his last job in Philadelphia but was hired anyway after an investigation debunked claims that he offered her preferential treatment, officials said. Published June 19, 2012
White House relents on D.C. school voucher bill
The Obama administration reversed course Monday and agreed to fully implement a controversial school voucher program that provides federal tuition assistance to a limited number of D.C. youths despite historically mixed opinion of the program among city leaders and the White House's own efforts to eliminate it. Published June 18, 2012
Gandhi formally reappointed D.C. CFO
D.C. Mayor Vincent C. Gray formally transmitted his reappointment of the city's chief financial officer, Natwar M. Gandhi, to the D.C. Council on Friday, a move that had been widely anticipated, but is already facing criticism from some city lawmakers. Published June 15, 2012
