Tom Howell Jr.
Articles by Tom Howell Jr.
Former D.C. Council chairman Brown faces new charge
Federal prosecutors accused former D.C. Council Chairman Kwame R. Brown on Thursday of violating the city's campaign finance laws by allowing a relative to set up a "side account" for his 2008 re-election campaign as an at-large member of the council. Published June 7, 2012
Brown resigns as D.C. Council chairman
D.C. Council Chairman Kwame R. Brown resigned Wednesday after federal prosecutors accused him of lying on a loan application — a historic blow to a city government that has suffered unprecedented legal woes and eroded the public's trust. Published June 6, 2012
Criminal charges filed against D.C. Council chairman
D.C. Council Chairman Kwame R. Brown was charged Wednesday with one count of bank fraud for lying on a loan application between 2005 and 2007, delivering a historic blow to a city government that has seen unprecedented legal woes and eroded the public's trust. Published June 6, 2012
Norton opposes another federal bill seeking to limit D.C. abortions
The District's sole voice in Congress is lambasting another Republican-backed bill aimed at limiting abortions solely within the nation's capital. Published June 6, 2012
D.C. Council unanimously approves $9.4B budget
D.C. Council Chairman Kwame R. Brown on Wednesday shepherded unanimous approval of the city's $9.4 billion fiscal 2013 budget hours before he was forced to address mounting questions about his political future amid a federal probe into the finances of his 2008 campaign. Published June 5, 2012
Gray nominates 3 to ethics board
D.C. Mayor Vincent C. Gray on Tuesday named three attorneys to serve on the newly created D.C. Board of Ethics and Government Accountability, which emerged as part of legislative reforms intended to restore faith in city hall after a year of scandals and ongoing criminal probes by the U.S. Attorney's Office. Published June 5, 2012
D.C. prepares to walk fine line on deportations
D.C. Mayor Vincent C. Gray assured immigrant groups Monday that the city is doing all it can to make sure a program aimed at deporting violent aliens does not erode trust between residents and law enforcement after it goes into effect on Tuesday. Published June 4, 2012
Pot policies in California can’t rely on D.C. program
A decision by Congress in 2009 to stop blocking the District's medical marijuana program should not be construed as federal permission to grow and use the drug, according to a recent legal opinion from California. Published June 3, 2012
D.C. will defend resident hiring law
Mayor Vincent C. Gray and D.C. officials are girding for a legal battle over a highly touted law that ensures city residents are hired to work on projects that receive public assistance from the District. Published May 31, 2012
Man tells officers he murdered, ate roommate
A 21-year-old Maryland man charged with murder told authorities he killed his roommate and then ate his heart and portions of his brain, according to court papers. Published May 31, 2012
Judge sides with Thomas on restitution payments
A federal court judge sided with lawyers of former D.C. Council member Harry Thomas Jr. on Thursday by ordering the prison-bound Ward 5 resident to pay $353,000 in restitution to the District instead of a higher figure demanded by prosecutors. Published May 31, 2012
McDuffie takes D.C. Council seat amid several ovations
Kenyan McDuffie had taken only a few steps into the D.C. Council chamber on Wednesday when a standing-room-only crowd applauded and cheered wildly for the newly elected lawmaker. Published May 30, 2012
Brown to introduce plan to repay furloughed employees
D.C. Council member Michael A. Brown will introduce a proposal on Tuesday that would compensate city workers for four furlough days it took in 2011, only to see the District gain a windfall of revenue by the end of the year. Published May 30, 2012
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
