Tom Howell Jr.
Articles by Tom Howell Jr.
Marion Barry to undergo minor surgery
Marion Barry is scheduled to undergo what his staff described as a "minor" surgical procedure on Friday. Published January 20, 2012
D.C. foundation principal pleads guilty in Thomas case
The manager of a Ward 5 golf course admitted on Wednesday he allowed former council member Harry Thomas Jr. to use his nonprofit as a conduit for a scheme that bilked more than $300,000 from the District. Published January 18, 2012
Another guilty plea in D.C. public corruption case
Federal prosecutors on Tuesday charged a second person accused of serving as a pass-through for public funds that former council member Harry Thomas Jr. stole for his personal use. Published January 17, 2012
D.C. Council reaches compromise on medical marijuana facilities
The D.C. Council struck a deal on Tuesday to avoid the clustering of medical marijuana facilities in a single part of the city, grandfathering in applicants who got preliminary approval to grow the drug in Ward 5 but potentially altering the plans of companies who hoped to join them in the industrial slice of Northeast. Published January 17, 2012
Ward 5 needs rise with Thomas’ fall
Less than two weeks after Harry Thomas Jr. stepped gave up his Ward 5 seat on the D.C. Council and pleaded guilty to stealing District funds, the saturation of medical marijuana centers and other issues in his Northeast ward will take center stage at the first legislative session without him. Published January 16, 2012
Will D.C. statehood effort in Florida have sunnier outcome?
If a snowstorm foils an upcoming pro-D.C. statehood vote in Florida this year, then the city's decades-long voting-rights effort might indeed be ill-fated. Published January 15, 2012
Gray releases records for funding of D.C. transition
D.C. Mayor Vincent C. Gray has released a long-awaited record of the funds he raised and spent for his transition into office last year, revealing more than $30,000 in payments to the Maryland man at the center of an investigation into Mr. Gray's campaign activities. Published January 15, 2012
Thomas associate admits role in D.C. lawmaker’s theft
The director of a golf-oriented nonprofit in Northeast D.C. admitted in federal court on Friday that he failed to disclose his role as a pass-through for public funds stolen by former D.C. Council member Harry Thomas Jr. from 2007 to 2009. Published January 13, 2012
Gray wants Occupy D.C. out of McPherson Square
D.C. Mayor Vincent C. Gray is pressuring federal park officials to address the Occupy D.C. encampment in McPherson Square, suggesting protesters should "at a minimum" be consolidated with an anti-war camp on Freedom Plaza "for elimination of the rat infestation, clean up and restoration" of the downtown park. Published January 13, 2012
Foundation chief linked to Thomas faces charges
A key figure in the corruption probe of former D.C. Council member Harry Thomas Jr. has been formally accused of failing to report that city funds were being stolen in 2008 and 2009. Published January 12, 2012
Activists begin recall effort against D.C. mayor, council chairman
Political activists filed paperwork on Wednesday to begin a recall effort against D.C. Mayor Vincent C. Gray and council Chairman Kwame R. Brown, asserting that well-publicized missteps in the early months of each official's term amount to "breaches of office through unethical behavior." Published January 11, 2012
D.C. Council’s New Hampshire trip postponed
Citing up to 6 inches of snow in their forecast, state legislators in New Hampshire canceled a Thursday hearing in which Mayor Vincent C. Gray and several council members were slated to testify on a resolution in support of D.C. statehood. Published January 11, 2012
D.C. school scorecards posted online
D.C. Public Schools released scorecards Tuesday that grade 119 campuses on safety, student progress and other measures, allowing parents to decide where to send their children in a system attempting to rise above past failures. Published January 10, 2012
Medical marijuana approvals clustered in Ward 5
Before he resigned and admitted to stealing $350,000 from the District, former D.C. Council member Harry Thomas Jr. expressed concern that much of the city's medical marijuana cultivation would take place in a small slice of his Northeast ward. Published January 9, 2012
Thomas’ guilty plea months in the making
U.S. Attorney Ron Machen had for months heard the public's cry for him to say whether D.C. Council member Harry Thomas Jr. indeed had stolen from city taxpayers. Published January 8, 2012
D.C. Council member Thomas pleads guilty
Former D.C. Council member Harry Thomas Jr. pleaded guilty in federal court on Friday to felony counts of stealing more than $350,000 in taxpayer funds and failing to report income on his tax returns. Published January 6, 2012
D.C. Council member Thomas resigns, will plead guilty
Embattled D.C. Council member Harry Thomas Jr. on Thursday evening resigned from office and said he will plead guilty in the morning to two federal charges of stealing more than $350,000 in taxpayer funds and failing to report income on his tax returns. Published January 5, 2012
Embattled Thomas skips D.C. Council meeting
The D.C. Council's first legislative session of 2012 was overshadowed Wednesday by the conspicuous absence of Harry Thomas Jr., whose empty seat fueled speculation of an imminent plea deal on accusations that he spent hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars on himself. Published January 4, 2012
D.C. bill mandates college application for high school diploma
D.C. Council Chairman Kwame R. Brown will introduce a bill Wednesday that would require all city high school students to apply to at least one college before graduating. Published January 3, 2012
Gray, others taking their D.C. campaign to New Hampshire
Mayor Vincent C. Gray and D.C. Council members are heading to New Hampshire this month to promote statehood for the District, kick-starting an effort that uses state politicians as leverage in their pitch for full voting rights in Congress. Published January 2, 2012
