Tom Howell Jr.
Articles by Tom Howell Jr.
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
Campaign aide for Gray cuts plea deal
A senior member of D.C. Mayor Vincent C. Gray's campaign team in 2010 has been charged with destroying a spiral notebook that contained records of payments from the campaign to another mayoral candidate, according to court papers. Published May 21, 2012
Barry treated for blood clot in Las Vegas
Council member Marion Barry took to the Internet to say he is doing well after sustaining a blood clot in his leg on the way to an international retail convention in Las Vegas. Published May 21, 2012
Gray seeks eateries for Southeast as part of development at St. E site
When the U.S. Coast Guard opens its new headquarters in Southeast next year, it will house a cafeteria that is "significantly undersized" for the 4,400 people it expects to employ. Published May 20, 2012
April unemployment down in D.C.
Statistics released Friday show the District's unemployment rate dropped from 9.8 percent in March to 9.5 percent in April, a positive sign that Mayor Vincent C. Gray touted as proof his employment programs have been effective although there is “more work to do.” Published May 18, 2012
Capitol Hill eyes limiting abortions in D.C.
A House subcommittee heard diverging opinions on a bill that would ban abortions in the nation's capital once a fetus is 20 weeks past fertilization, a Republican-backed effort that city officials decried as a "cheap and cynical" way to promote an agenda on the backs of women in the District without any input from the city's sole voice in Congress. Published May 17, 2012
D.C. Council members take a ride in self-driving car
A pair of D.C. Council members on Thursday took a quick jaunt around the block toward the future and they like what they see. Published May 17, 2012
City wants its form of Hatch Act to prevail
The District's top attorney on Wednesday asked members of Congress to let the D.C. government rely on its own version of a federal law that polices public employees' participation in partisan politics, arguing the city is plagued by confusing applications of law. Published May 16, 2012
Gray: McDuffie ‘an outstanding choice’ for Ward 5
Mayor Vincent C. Gray said voters in Ward 5 made “an outstanding choice” in picking Kenyan McDuffie to be their voice on the D.C. Council and restore integrity to a seat marred by scandal. Published May 16, 2012
McDuffie wins Ward 5 D.C. Council seat handily
Kenyan McDuffie, a born-and-bred resident of the District's Stronghold neighborhood who touted public policy experience and a laundry list of labor endorsements, soundly defeated a crowded field on Tuesday to replace former D.C. Council member Harry Thomas Jr. and begin a new chapter for Ward 5 leadership at city hall. Published May 15, 2012
D.C. Council approves budget without tax hikes
The D.C. Council tentatively approved a fiscal 2013 budget on Tuesday that does not include new taxes or fees, but dedicates more than $20 million to affordable housing programs by leveraging funds tied to the sale of city-owned land. Published May 15, 2012
D.C. Council to consider Brown’s budget plan
The D.C. Council will consider its chairman's fiscal 2013 budget today, which dedicates more than $20 million to affordable housing programs by leveraging funds tied to the sale of city-owned land, and issue the first of two votes on the plan. Published May 15, 2012
D.C. budget proposal leaves out tax hikes
D.C. Council Chairman Kwame R. Brown indicated on Monday he will deliver a fiscal 2013 budget plan that does not impose new taxes or fees — a feature that Mayor Vincent C. Gray emphasized in his blueprint for the council — but does tweak a proposal to expand alcohol sales at bars and taverns across the city. Published May 14, 2012
Voters head to polls to pick replacement for Thomas
Voters in Ward 5 will replace former council member Harry Thomas Jr. on Tuesday by choosing from a long menu of candidates who hope to restore confidence and integrity to the Northeast ward's seat at city hall. Published May 14, 2012
D.C. budget vote scheduled for Tuesday
The long, tortured path toward compensating city workers for four furlough days will get a little longer, as the D.C. Council looks ahead to fiscal 2013 instead of taking up the issue on Tuesday during its first round of voting on the upcoming year's budget. Published May 14, 2012
D.C. Council explores avenues for reducing traffic fines
D.C. Council members are actively looking at ways to reduce traffic fines in light of Mayor Vincent C. Gray's recent plan to greatly increase the use of automated enforcement on the city's streets. Published May 13, 2012
D.C. woman connected to Thomas scheme pleads guilty
A 46-year-old woman linked to former council member Harry Thomas Jr.'s scheme to steal public funds pleaded guilty on Friday to failing to report income on her tax return in 2010, including a "fee" she obtained for surreptitiously redirecting more than $100,000 in grant funds to cover the costs of an inaugural ball in January 2009. Published May 11, 2012
Graham not sold on compromise over bar hours
D.C. Council member Jim Graham is not abandoning his proposal to increase the excise tax on alcohol sales in lieu of Mayor Vincent C. Gray's money-raising plan to expand bar hours, despite the appeal of a compromise plan that could render the tax moot and keep the booze flowing until 4 a.m. on holidays instead of year-round. Published May 10, 2012
