Tom Howell Jr.

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

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