Tom Howell Jr.
Articles by Tom Howell Jr.
D.C. Council advances ethics-reform bill
A D.C. Council committee sent up ethics reforms to the full legislature on Monday despite concerns that late changes to the expansive bill warrant a delay that could extend deliberations into the new year. Published December 5, 2011
D.C. Council to hold closed-door talks after Thomas raid
D.C. Council members are to meet Monday behind closed doors to discuss the latest development in the federal investigation of colleague Harry Thomas Jr., whose house was raided Friday by federal agents. Published December 4, 2011
Early-childhood education has new meaning
D.C. Mayor Vincent C. Gray's administration is preparing to be the county's role model for early-childhood education through programs for children as young as 6 months. Published December 4, 2011
FBI raids D.C. Council member Thomas’ home
FBI and IRS agents on Friday were searching the Northeast home of D.C. Council member Harry Thomas Jr., a significant uptick in the pace of a criminal investigation into whether the council member used public funds for personal gain. Published December 2, 2011
Proposed marijuana dispensaries scattered around D.C.
Television personality Montel Williams wants to set up a medical marijuana dispensary in Adams Morgan as one of 17 applicants vying to set up shop in and around notable neighborhoods of the District. Published December 1, 2011
Council puts the brakes on 15 mph speed-limit proposal
A pair of D.C. Council members on Thursday withdrew their bill to reduce residential speed limits to 15 mph, citing a call from residents to "take a step back" and rethink the proposal. Published December 1, 2011
D.C. Council committee approves nominee to run 911 center
Mayor Vincent C. Gray's pick to lead the agency that handles 911 calls in the District has received a green light from D.C. Council members who oversee the agency. Published December 1, 2011
D.C. firefighters pour cold water on chief’s rescheduling plan
The D.C. fire chief is girding for a public battle with the firefighters union over a plan to switch from the 24-hour shifts firefighters have been working for more than two decades to 12-hour shifts - a plan the chief expects will reduce by about 26 percent the number of firefighters in the District. Published November 30, 2011
D.C. drivers may soon display their team spirit on plates
D.C. officials are paving the way for license plates that promote the Washington Redskins and eight other home teams, a quick-and-easy proposal intended to satisfy sports fans without sliding into a slew of offerings that have roiled political waters in various states. Published November 29, 2011
Changes unlikely for online gambling in D.C.
D.C. Lottery officials do not plan to change the essential components of their controversial online gambling plan after holding nine community meetings to hear concerns and dispel myths about the program. Published November 28, 2011
Education group on D.C. plan: Teachers want more than money
The National Education Association has responded to a D.C. proposal to give city teachers a bonus to transfer to underachieving schools by saying money is not what motivates great educators. Published November 24, 2011
District shines light on HIV/AIDS awareness, prevention
The John A. Wilson Building may cast a reddish glow next week to signal a series of efforts aimed at increasing awareness of HIV/AIDS in the District. Published November 24, 2011
Wal-Mart jobs set aside for D.C. residents
D.C. officials and Wal-Mart agreed to an "unprecedented" community-benefits package on Tuesday that should ease the retail giant's controversial entry into the nation's capital. Published November 22, 2011
D.C. Mayor Gray replaces chief spokeswoman
D.C. Mayor Vincent C. Gray has tapped two Capitol Hill veterans to help him trumpet his "ambitious agenda" to the public after a string of personnel blunders threatened to obscure any progress during his first year at the helm of the city. Published November 21, 2011
Bowser introduces D.C. ethics-reform bill
A D.C. Council member has circulated a widely anticipated ethics-reform bill that creates a three-member oversight body and cuts in half the amount of money lawmakers can raise for funds that are supposed to address constituents' dire needs but have been used for catering, office space and sports tickets. Published November 19, 2011
Budget autonomy for D.C. still on the table
A Republican House leader pledged Thursday to press ahead on crafting a bill that gives the District more control of its budget process, even after city leaders rejected his initial proposal because it included a ban on funding elective abortions. Published November 17, 2011
D.C. spurns budget-autonomy deal
D.C. leaders say they cannot support a Republican proposal on Capitol Hill that would give the city greater control over its budget process yet ban local funding for elective abortions. Published November 16, 2011
Wal-Mart planning for 6 D.C. locations
D.C. Mayor Vincent C. Gray said Wednesday that Wal-Mart plans to build six stores across the city and threw his full support behind the proposal, saying the company opening two more locations than planned is a much-needed job creator in a city with pockets of 20-percent unemployment. Published November 16, 2011
New D.C. bill cuts time frame for detaining illegals
The D.C. Council introduced a bill Tuesday that cuts in half the amount of time U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has to pick up illegal immigrants placed on a civil detainer. Published November 15, 2011
D.C. bides its time on budget proposal
D.C. Mayor Vincent C. Gray and council members are taking their time with a proposal from House Republicans that gives the District more control over the city's budget process, despite an attached ban on locally funded abortions that could have made the offer dead on arrival. Published November 15, 2011
