Tom Howell Jr.
Articles by Tom Howell Jr.
D.C. agency head named in Thomas probe resigns
Millicent West, who recently found herself linked to the corruption investigation into former council member Harry Thomas Jr.'s theft of more than $350,000 from the District, has stepped down from her position as director of the city's homeland security agency. Published January 31, 2012
D.C. Council committee to consider iGaming repeal
A D.C. Council member with oversight of city finances has scheduled a Wednesday hearing that will allow lawmakers to weigh in, for the first time, on a bill to repeal the city's controversial online gambling program. Published January 30, 2012
Audit shows D.C. with $240M windfall
An audit of the District's finances shows a windfall of about $240 million in savings, a financial boon that will prompt debate on how much should be stowed away to impress Wall Street or committed to tax relief and services for city residents. Published January 30, 2012
No satisfaction in New Hampshire on D.C. statehood
For three hours on Friday, a D.C. delegation tried to explain to a panel of New Hampshire legislators why they should obtain rights inherent from birth but not explicitly stated in the Constitution, that the District raises its own money and that Maryland will probably not ask for its land back if the nation's capital is recognized as the 51st state. Published January 28, 2012
D.C. Council faulted on Internet gambling
The D.C. inspector general testified Thursday that the city's lottery contract should have been rebid because the D.C. Council could not have known that first-in-the-nation Internet gambling was in the cards when it approved the deal with Greek company Intralot in 2009. Published January 26, 2012
Limits on medical pot cause concern in D.C.
The District's medical marijuana program is still months away from sprouting, but some advocates already worry that there won't be enough cannabis to go around. Published January 25, 2012
IG: D.C. Lottery partner misrepresented experience
The local half of a joint venture that runs the D.C. Lottery misrepresented its business activities during its bid for a stake in the $38 million contract, according to a report by the D.C. inspector general. Published January 23, 2012
D.C. fights Congress on national World War I memorial
Officials in the District are accustomed to asking Congress for full voting rights on behalf of the city's 600,000 residents or for greater control of city finances — and getting no satisfaction. Published January 23, 2012
D.C. schools chancellor supports teacher-incentive program
D.C. Public Schools Chancellor Kaya Henderson broadly supports a bill that would entice high-performing teachers to the schools that need them the most, citing human capital as the "cornerstone" of her reform efforts. Published January 23, 2012
Victim’s family redirects DYRS lawsuit
The family of a Catholic University student who was fatally shot while bicycling through the Petworth area in 2010 has dropped the District and its juvenile justice agency from a lawsuit that had accused the city of failing to supervise the 16-year-old murder suspect committed to its custody. Published January 22, 2012
13 candidates seek to fill Thomas’ D.C. Council seat
A string of Ward 5 hopefuls picked up paperwork on Friday as part of the race to replace former council member Harry Thomas Jr. in a special election on May 15, less than two weeks after the ousted legislator is scheduled to be sentenced for theft and tax fraud involving public funds. Published January 20, 2012
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
