Tom Howell Jr.
Articles by Tom Howell Jr.
Redskins, celebrities get behind D.C. rights
A trio of Washington Redskins players and actress Della Reese of "Touched by an Angel" TV fame are among the celebrities who taped pro-D.C. rights segments as part of Mayor Vincent C. Gray's push this month for city autonomy. Published October 6, 2011
Why are Maryland, Virginia students in D.C. schools?
D.C. Council Chairman Kwame R. Brown wants to find out why students from Maryland and Virginia are attending the District's public schools illegally, forcing city taxpayers to subsidize their education and potentially robbing students of a "quality seat" in their own schools. Published October 5, 2011
Orange’s ethics reform effort defeated; Bowser to offer bill
D.C. Council member Muriel Bowser on Tuesday promised to deliver a comprehensive ethics reform bill by the end of the year, positioning herself as a sobering voice on a hot-button issue that at times has descended into political theater. Published October 4, 2011
D.C. lawn-mowing contracts come under scrutiny
D.C. Council member Mary M. Cheh wants to "clear the air" concerning a pair of city lawn-mowing contracts that raise questions about political influence and what it means to be a District-based business. Published October 4, 2011
Graham requests new audit on Peaceoholics
D.C. Council member Jim Graham requested a supplemental audit Monday on the nonprofit Peaceoholics, reigniting political controversy around the group as its co-founders prepare to run for office. Published October 3, 2011
Gray finds money to keep D.C.’s MLK Library open on Sundays
Mayor Vincent C. Gray says he has found $316,000 in the city's budget to keep the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library open on Sundays. Published September 30, 2011
Lincoln Theatre seeks cash infusion
The historic Lincoln Theatre, the 1920s-era stage often described as the heart of the District's "Black Broadway," will close before the end of the year if it does not get a cash infusion from the city, its board members said Thursday. Published September 29, 2011
Evans: Arrest of D.C. employee in $400,000 theft shows reforms are working
A D.C. Council member with oversight of the city's finances says the arrest of a government employee accused of bilking more than $400,000 from the Office of Tax and Revenue shows security reforms are having an effect. Published September 29, 2011
Gray lauds language in plan for D.C. spending
Mayor Vincent C. Gray on Wednesday praised the insertion of language into a short-term federal spending plan that allows the District to use local funds for the fiscal year that begins on Saturday while Congress continues to debate its financial plan for 2012. Published September 28, 2011
Chancellor sees major emotional problems in D.C. schools
Schools Chancellor Kaya Henderson says 10 percent of the city's eighth-graders have attempted suicide. Published September 27, 2011
D.C. officials to meet on police funding
D.C. officials will meet Tuesday to make sure spending pressures do not trip up plans to keep at least 3,800 Metropolitan Police Department officers on the street — a goal that was established during budget talks for the fiscal year that begins Saturday. Published September 26, 2011
D.C. tax hike on top earners took tortuous route to passage
A contentious and unexpected vote to raise taxes on the District's highest-income earners took shape largely behind the scenes, as council members revived an old proposal, wrangled votes and found common ground with reluctant colleagues. Published September 25, 2011
Mayor strengthens nominee process to avoid surprises
D.C. Mayor Vincent C. Gray says his administration will alter its policy for reviewing nominees for city oversight bodies by sending them through the city's Office of the Attorney General before they are announced to the public. Published September 25, 2011
Gray withdraws Mallett nomination
D.C. Mayor Vincent C. Gray has withdrawn the nomination of Robert L. Mallett to be chairman of the Board of Elections and Ethics because he does not meet a residency requirement — an embarrassing conclusion to an incident that mirrored a string of missteps by the administration. Published September 23, 2011
Bill to repeal D.C. online gambling shelved until public comments
The D.C. Council will not consider a bill that would repeal first-in-the-nation efforts to implement online gambling in the District until the completion of community meetings on the controversial program. Published September 22, 2011
D.C. freezes fire, EMS Twitter account
The D.C. government has temporarily halted use of one of its most popular Twitter accounts in order to get a tighter handle on information disseminated about emergency operations. Published September 21, 2011
Residency issue arises for nominee to D.C. elections board
Mayor Vincent C. Gray's pick to head the increasingly vital D.C. Board of Elections and Ethics faces an uphill route to confirmation because of his residency status, an issue that derailed another mayoral pick mere weeks ago. Published September 21, 2011
D.C. Council passes tax hike
The D.C. Council approved an income-tax increase on the city's highest earners on Tuesday, after a proposal dismissed in the spring was revived during closed-door negotiations and hotly debated by council members returning from summer recess. Published September 20, 2011
Term limits, council salary increases among proposed D.C. ethics reforms
A D.C. Council member is proposing a package of ethics-reform bills that would impose term limits on officeholders while raising to $170,000 the salaries of city lawmakers who are already among the most highly paid in the nation. Published September 19, 2011
Gray puts a different spin on jobs for jobless
D.C. Mayor Vincent C. Gray's new job-creation effort is modeled after a program that created 13,000 jobs in Atlanta, but the initiatives are more similar in spirit than in execution. Published September 18, 2011
