Tom Howell Jr.
Articles by Tom Howell Jr.
D.C. officials optimistic about getting budgetary independence
D.C. officials remain upbeat about their prospects for getting the right to spend local funds without prior approval from Congress, despite a lack of tangible progress on Capitol Hill more than a year after a powerful House member floated a plan to grant the city “budget autonomy.” Published May 29, 2012
In Gray government, questions won’t stop
Federal prosecutors provided answers last week to one of the most-pressing questions about D.C. Mayor Vincent C. Gray's 2010 primary campaign - whether or not staffers paid a minor opponent to stay in the race with the hope he would continue his verbal attacks on incumbent Mayor Adrian M. Fenty. Published May 28, 2012
Gray-Norton coalition fights federal meddling
D.C. Mayor Vincent C. Gray and the District's nonvoting member of Congress are touting a coalition that will serve as allies in the city's fight to stave off any interference from Capitol Hill in local affairs. Published May 27, 2012
Campaign payments nab 2nd Gray aide
A second aide to D.C. Mayor Vincent C. Gray's 2010 campaign pleaded guilty Thursday to lying about furtive payments he made to another candidate and in the process revealed that there were at least several thousand dollars in unattributed donations to the Gray team. Published May 24, 2012
D.C.’s bid for increased autonomy unhurt by election cases
A formal admission that members of D.C. Mayor Vincent C. Gray's 2010 campaign team paid a minor candidate to bash incumbent Mayor Adrian M. Fenty — whether Mr. Gray knew it or not — has not upset the city's fragile relationship with Capitol Hill at this stage, an official said Wednesday. Published May 23, 2012
Second Gray aide charged in campaign probe
D.C. Mayor Vincent C. Gray implored city residents to "let this investigation play out" after a second operative from his 2010 campaign was criminally charged Wednesday with lying to FBI agents investigating whether the mayor's campaign illegally provided cash to another candidate. Published May 23, 2012
Gray under cloud in campaign fraud case
Federal prosecutors dealt a major blow to D.C. Mayor Vincent C. Gray on Tuesday by validating high-profile claims by a minor 2010 candidate that Mr. Gray's campaign paid him to bash incumbent Mayor Adrian M. Fenty during the race. Published May 22, 2012
Campaign aide for Gray cuts plea deal
A senior member of D.C. Mayor Vincent C. Gray's campaign team in 2010 has been charged with destroying a spiral notebook that contained records of payments from the campaign to another mayoral candidate, according to court papers. Published May 21, 2012
Barry treated for blood clot in Las Vegas
Council member Marion Barry took to the Internet to say he is doing well after sustaining a blood clot in his leg on the way to an international retail convention in Las Vegas. Published May 21, 2012
Gray seeks eateries for Southeast as part of development at St. E site
When the U.S. Coast Guard opens its new headquarters in Southeast next year, it will house a cafeteria that is "significantly undersized" for the 4,400 people it expects to employ. Published May 20, 2012
April unemployment down in D.C.
Statistics released Friday show the District's unemployment rate dropped from 9.8 percent in March to 9.5 percent in April, a positive sign that Mayor Vincent C. Gray touted as proof his employment programs have been effective although there is “more work to do.” Published May 18, 2012
Capitol Hill eyes limiting abortions in D.C.
A House subcommittee heard diverging opinions on a bill that would ban abortions in the nation's capital once a fetus is 20 weeks past fertilization, a Republican-backed effort that city officials decried as a "cheap and cynical" way to promote an agenda on the backs of women in the District without any input from the city's sole voice in Congress. Published May 17, 2012
D.C. Council members take a ride in self-driving car
A pair of D.C. Council members on Thursday took a quick jaunt around the block toward the future and they like what they see. Published May 17, 2012
City wants its form of Hatch Act to prevail
The District's top attorney on Wednesday asked members of Congress to let the D.C. government rely on its own version of a federal law that polices public employees' participation in partisan politics, arguing the city is plagued by confusing applications of law. Published May 16, 2012
Gray: McDuffie ‘an outstanding choice’ for Ward 5
Mayor Vincent C. Gray said voters in Ward 5 made “an outstanding choice” in picking Kenyan McDuffie to be their voice on the D.C. Council and restore integrity to a seat marred by scandal. Published May 16, 2012
McDuffie wins Ward 5 D.C. Council seat handily
Kenyan McDuffie, a born-and-bred resident of the District's Stronghold neighborhood who touted public policy experience and a laundry list of labor endorsements, soundly defeated a crowded field on Tuesday to replace former D.C. Council member Harry Thomas Jr. and begin a new chapter for Ward 5 leadership at city hall. Published May 15, 2012
D.C. Council approves budget without tax hikes
The D.C. Council tentatively approved a fiscal 2013 budget on Tuesday that does not include new taxes or fees, but dedicates more than $20 million to affordable housing programs by leveraging funds tied to the sale of city-owned land. Published May 15, 2012
D.C. Council to consider Brown’s budget plan
The D.C. Council will consider its chairman's fiscal 2013 budget today, which dedicates more than $20 million to affordable housing programs by leveraging funds tied to the sale of city-owned land, and issue the first of two votes on the plan. Published May 15, 2012
D.C. budget proposal leaves out tax hikes
D.C. Council Chairman Kwame R. Brown indicated on Monday he will deliver a fiscal 2013 budget plan that does not impose new taxes or fees — a feature that Mayor Vincent C. Gray emphasized in his blueprint for the council — but does tweak a proposal to expand alcohol sales at bars and taverns across the city. Published May 14, 2012
Voters head to polls to pick replacement for Thomas
Voters in Ward 5 will replace former council member Harry Thomas Jr. on Tuesday by choosing from a long menu of candidates who hope to restore confidence and integrity to the Northeast ward's seat at city hall. Published May 14, 2012
