Tom Howell Jr.
Articles by Tom Howell Jr.
No big shakeup on D.C. Council
Modest numbers of voters hit the polls throughout the District on Tuesday with the potential for altering the makeup of the beleaguered D.C. Council and decide who will carry their political party's flag into the general election in November. Published April 3, 2012
Voters trickle to polls for D.C. primary races
Modest numbers of voters hit the polls throughout the District on Tuesday to potentially alter the make-up of the beleaguered D.C. Council and decide who will carry their political party's flag into the general election in November. Published April 3, 2012
Some fear low turnout in early D.C. primary
Candidates vying for party nominations and an eventual spot on the D.C. Council say most city voters are familiar with the dark cloud that has gathered over city hall amid a series of ethics-related scandals, even if they can't explain what "bundling" is or why money orders are suddenly a key part of campaign-finance reform. Published April 2, 2012
D.C. OKs first six applicants to grow pot
The D.C. Department of Health has notified six applicants they can register to grow medical marijuana in the city, jump-starting an effort to aid the sick and dying that had languished under congressional interference and complex rulemaking since voters approved the program in 1998. Published April 1, 2012
D.C. Council challengers hope turnout translates into turnover
Voters have the chance to oust one-third of the D.C. Council in primary elections Tuesday, but that doesn't mean it will happen. Published April 1, 2012
Six applicants selected to grow marijuana in D.C.
The D.C. Department of Health has notified six applicants they may register to grow medical marijuana in the city, jump-starting an effort to aid the sick and dying that had languished under congressional interference and complex rulemaking since voters approved the program in 1998. Published March 30, 2012
D.C. Mayor Gray’s plan to extend hours of night life a volatile issue
Landlords in D.C. night-life hot spots are requiring prospective tenants to attest they know what to expect after midnight when the music is cranked up and drunken revelry abounds along streets outside their apartments. Published March 29, 2012
Gray eyes city full of traffic cameras
Mayor Vincent C. Gray told the D.C. Council on Tuesday he hopes to cover "the entire city" with traffic cameras, providing fuel to critics who feel his pro-safety message is a smoke screen for reaping greatly needed revenue. Published March 27, 2012
AAA says D.C. ‘addicted to revenue’ from tickets
D.C. Mayor Vincent C. Gray's plan to raise $30 million by expanding a traffic-camera program is evidence the city is "addicted to revenue" and balancing its books on the backs of out-of-District drivers with no say in city hall, AAA Mid-Atlantic says. Published March 26, 2012
Budget belt-tightening concerns D.C. lawmakers
Contentious battles over police staffing and tax increases that marked last year's D.C. Council budget debate likely won't be repeated this year, but competing priorities for future revenue again will offer an invitation for mischief. Published March 25, 2012
Gray’s D.C. budget calls for many more traffic cameras
D.C. Mayor Vincent C. Gray presented a $9.4 billion spending plan on Friday that does not impose any new taxes or fees but relies on about $30 million in new traffic fines generated by automated-enforcement cameras. Published March 24, 2012
Thomas pays $20,000 toward settlement
Former D.C. Council member Harry Thomas Jr. came up with $20,000 this week to chip away at the $300,000 sum he agreed to pay back to the District for stealing public funds from 2007 to 2009, the D.C. Office of the Attorney General said Thursday. Published March 23, 2012
D.C.’s campaign-finance law rife with gray areas
A serious turn in the federal probe of D.C. Mayor Vincent C. Gray's 2010 campaign and a recent trickle of subpoenas to D.C. Council members is delving into the tricky — and supposedly arms-length — role that candidates play at the roulette wheel of political funding and influence. Published March 22, 2012
Campaign finance fix ‘daunting,’ Gray says
D.C. Mayor Vincent C. Gray said Wednesday that it is time to take a "broad look" at staffing levels in the Office of Campaign Finance and the laws that govern political contributions to city races. Published March 21, 2012
New limits put on D.C. medical marijuana
The D.C. Council on Tuesday imposed new limits on the city's medical marijuana program about two weeks before the long-awaited initiative is expected to begin in earnest. Published March 20, 2012
Cheh targets money orders
D.C. Council member Mary M. Cheh is set to introduce legislation on Tuesday that puts contributions in the form of a money order on par with cash, capping them at $25 to avoid the suspicions and federal inquiries that shook the D.C. campaign process last week. Published March 18, 2012
Graham’s treasurer says he has complied with subpoena
A campaign treasurer for D.C. Council member Jim Graham says he has already complied with a subpoena the U.S. Attorney's Office sent on Wednesday in connection with a broad investigation into one of the city's most prolific political donors. Published March 16, 2012
Nominee for D.C. utility regulator defeated
A sharply divided D.C. Council committee rejected Mayor Vincent C. Gray's nominee to a three-member commission that oversees public utilities, citing her temperament and the need to recuse herself from more than half of the current caseload. Published March 15, 2012
D.C. Council Chairman Brown ordered to turn over records
Federal prosecutors ordered D.C. Council Chairman Kwame R. Brown to turn over campaign records on Thursday, adding to the list of city lawmakers who have been linked to an investigation of one of the District's most prolific campaign contributors. Published March 15, 2012
Subpoenaed D.C. Council members to comply in Thompson investigation
The District's political scene was abuzz when federal agents raided the home and offices one of the city's most prolific campaign donors about two weeks ago. But when the feds came looking for answers from elected officials' campaign teams, things got messy around city hall. Published March 14, 2012
