Tom Howell Jr.
Articles by Tom Howell Jr.
Upheaval at Thomas trust needs explaining
A nonprofit organization that former D.C. Council member Harry Thomas Jr. used as a pass-through to steal public funds from 2007 to 2009 needs to tighten its books, find more private dollars to complement its public funding and explain the recent firing of its president and CEO, council member Jim Graham said Monday. Published April 23, 2012
D.C. Council member calls for health care overhaul
D.C. Council member David A. Catania put forth game-changing proposals Thursday intended to save money in the District's public health care framework — one to scrap the city's managed care system and another that requires many low-income patients to start paying monthly premiums for services "so that everyone is pulling the wagon." Published April 19, 2012
D.C. government website downed by hackers
City government websites in the District failed to load for hours on Thursday, the apparent victims of hackers who wanted to target government sites. Published April 19, 2012
‘Ambitious’ goals in D.C. schools’ five-year plan put focus on teaching
D.C. Mayor Vincent C. Gray and public schools Chancellor Kaya Henderson outlined an ambitious five-year plan Wednesday to improve student performance, increase graduation rates and fund pilot programs that could lengthen the school day or academic year at specified schools in the District. Published April 18, 2012
Repaying D.C. workers for unpaid furloughs debated
Mayor Vincent C. Gray on Wednesday declared his commitment to reimbursing city workers who took four unpaid furlough days last year, a plan that has been complicated by slippery dollar amounts and diverging priorities among city lawmakers. Published April 18, 2012
Budget add-ons diminish council’s good will
D.C. Council members on Tuesday worried that friction with Mayor Vincent C. Gray is "escalating dramatically" because of contentious mid-year spending plans that are causing heartburn around city hall. Published April 17, 2012
Late-arriving D.C. budget proposals increase friction between mayor, council
D.C. Council members on Tuesday worried that friction with Mayor Vincent C. Gray is "escalating dramatically" because of contentious mid-year spending plans that are causing heartburn around city hall. Published April 17, 2012
Hill weighs ‘budget autonomy’ for D.C.
Sen. Joe Lieberman plans to introduce legislation that would grant "budget autonomy" to the District, a key priority for Mayor Vincent C. Gray and other city leaders that would allow them to manage their fiscal year and local dollars without being tethered to congressional approval, a Senate committee aide said Monday. Published April 16, 2012
Orange triumph wraps sweep for D.C. Council incumbents
Council member Vincent B. Orange has rounded out a full sweep by five Democratic incumbents in the D.C. primary elections, defeating challenger Sekou Biddle by more than 1,700 votes after special ballots were tallied Friday. Published April 13, 2012
Final results expected in Biddle-Orange D.C. Council race
Elections officials in the District are counting nearly 5,000 absentee and provisional ballots today to determine the final result of a hotly contested Democratic primary race on April 3 for at-large member of the D.C. Council. Published April 13, 2012
Sequestration a ‘major issue’ for D.C.
The District of Columbia is "very much worried" about cuts on Capitol Hill that could eliminate millions of dollars in revenue and spending capacity in the city, a potentially austere task as the D.C. government simultaneously learns to wean itself off one-time stimulus money it became accustomed to in recent years. Published April 12, 2012
Separating from pack in Ward 5 race tough
A major labor union has endorsed Kenyan McDuffie for the Ward 5 seat on the D.C. Council ahead of the special election next month. It's a boon that could help separate his candidacy from a crowded field despite recent evidence that organized support does not guarantee victory. Published April 11, 2012
D.C. Mayor Gray announces plans for China junket in June
D.C. Mayor Vincent C. Gray on Tuesday announced he and a delegation of economic development officials will visit three cities in China in June to set up business contacts and tout foreign investment in the city's hot real estate market. Published April 11, 2012
National initiative would disable stolen smartphones
D.C. Mayor Vincent C. Gray and police chiefs from the District, Philadelphia and New York City announced a nationwide strategy on Tuesday to make stolen smartphones "as worthless as an empty wallet." Published April 10, 2012
D.C. elections board condemns Holder-inspired voter ID sting
The D.C. Board of Elections and Ethics on Tuesday condemned a hidden-camera stunt that shows a man inquiring about voting as U.S. Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. at a city polling precinct during the April 3 primary elections. Published April 10, 2012
Gray’s D.C budget plan slips in bid to control city spending
D.C. Mayor Vincent C. Gray is hoping Congress looks the other way when it finds a provision in his budget plan that would allow the District to spend its own money the way it sees fit. Published April 9, 2012
Voter ID activist posing as Eric Holder OK’d at D.C. primary polls
James O'Keefe, a conservative activist known for using hidden cameras on unwitting participants to lend support to his views, turned his lens on the District's primary elections last Tuesday to weigh in on voter ID laws. Published April 9, 2012
In Ward 5 special election, no Thomas on ballot
Electioneering door-to-door, Ron Magnus likes to remind Ward 5 voters there has been a "Thomas" on their ballots since 1986. That won't be the case May 15, where 11 candidates hope to replace former D.C. Council member Harry Thomas Jr. in a special election. Published April 5, 2012
Outcry over Barry’s ‘deplorable’ comments is quick and harsh
Two days after he celebrated a resounding victory at the polls, D.C. Council member Marion Barry found himself fending off a battery of backlash for comments he made that derided certain Asian-owned businesses in his Ward 8. Published April 5, 2012
Effort to recall D.C. mayor is dropped
A D.C. man who was organizing a recall of D.C. Mayor Vincent C. Gray and council Chairman Kwame R. Brown because of ethics scandals that hit shortly after their election in 2010 has abandoned his effort. Published April 4, 2012
