Tom Howell Jr.
Articles by Tom Howell Jr.
D.C. council gives up seeking lost $15M
D.C. Council members abandoned efforts Thursday to try to recoup roughly $15 million in uncollected taxes as a result of a city agency quietly changing an obscure tax policy in 2007. Published October 20, 2011
Inquiry into Gray campaign allegations heating up
D.C. Mayor Vincent C. Gray said Wednesday that he has not been summoned to appear before a grand jury investigating allegations of corruption in his mayoral campaign, even as reports suggest prosecutors are accelerating their probe and that a Gray campaign consultant is playing a pivotal role. Published October 19, 2011
D.C. prohibits agencies from asking immigration status
D.C. Mayor Vincent C. Gray signed an order Wednesday that prohibits public-safety officers from asking people about their immigration status. Published October 19, 2011
D.C. Council ends arrests for expired vehicle tags
The D.C. Council unanimously changed a law on Tuesday that had allowed police officers to arrest drivers simply for having expired tags. Published October 18, 2011
NE warehouses popular as D.C. sites for medicinal pot
Twenty-seven of the 28 applicants hoping to grow medical marijuana in the District want to set up shop in Northeast, particularly in warehouse space near strip clubs and other commercial properties. Published October 17, 2011
Gray finds a fitting platform for D.C. rights
D.C. Mayor Vincent C. Gray took advantage of the dedication for the Martin Luther King Jr. National Memorial this weekend to highlight efforts to get voting rights for the city. Published October 16, 2011
D.C. gun laws test tea party’s principles
The House Judiciary Committee's decision last week to leave the District's strict gun laws alone — at least for now — appears consistent with the tea party's resistance to federal "tyranny" but at odds with the GOP-backed movement's strict adherence to language in the Constitution. Published October 16, 2011
Mayor, demonstrators renew call for D.C. voting rights
D.C. Mayor Vincent C. Gray told hundreds of demonstrators on Saturday he is "sick and tired" of waiting for Congress to give the District full democracy and the time has come for city residents to "take" their rights. Published October 15, 2011
Gray trying to refocus push for voting rights at dedication
D.C. Mayor Vincent C. Gray is again using the dedication of the Martin Luther King National Memorial to help draw attention to the city's efforts to achieve voting rights in Congress. But this time he must also rekindle the momentum he generated earlier this year and channel the energy of competing interests. Published October 13, 2011
House committee defeats D.C. concealed gun amendment
The House Judiciary Committee easily defeated a proposal Thursday that would have allowed out-of-state residents to bring concealed weapons into the District, an unusual vote in which conservative members put their allegiance to states' rights ahead of their frequent forays into D.C. affairs. Published October 13, 2011
D.C. at crossroads on collecting commercial property taxes
D.C. Council member David A. Catania says the city must "fish or cut bait" regarding how it collects certain taxes on commercial properties in the District — a confusing topic that nonetheless has put millions of dollars at stake during the past decade. Published October 12, 2011
D.C. Council pins hopes on new General Services office
A newly formed D.C. agency that consolidates the city's capital projects and maintenance duties under one roof should benefit the District financially, but its team must act quickly to justify the faith of city legislators who stepped "out on a limb" in support of the endeavor, council members said Tuesday. Published October 11, 2011
Slain D.C. teen was DYRS ward
A D.C. teen fatally stabbed Saturday was a ward of the District's Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services who had fled the agency's custody, The Washington Times has learned. Published October 11, 2011
Medical marijuana applicants facing D.C. deadline
Applicants hoping to dispense medical marijuana in the District have until Halloween to submit their plans to city officials, pushing the long-awaited program forward even as federal prosecutors put a scare into the cannabis industry's prospects in California and other states. Published October 10, 2011
D.C. officials revisit contract regs after lawn mowing deal
District officials agreed Friday to take another look at city regulations on awarding contracts, following a dispute about a company awarded a landscaping job with the lowest bid but no D.C. residents as employees. Published October 7, 2011
Bill combating D.C. school residency fraud gains traction
When Gina Arlotto's children meet classmates at D.C. public schools, they sometimes get invited to pool parties at their new friends' homes out in Maryland. Published October 6, 2011
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
