Tom Howell Jr.

No summer break for some on D.C. Council

After spirited budget talks and scandals du jour emanating from City Hall in recent weeks, D.C. Council members have a summer recess to relax, barbecue and, in one case, show off a cocktail. Published July 14, 2011

D.C. chancellor ‘serious’ on education reforms

Kaya Henderson was for years the right-hand woman to an education pioneer who gained celebrity status. Published July 13, 2011

D.C. report urges changes to celebrity escort policies

A Metropolitan Police Department escort for celebrity bad-boy Charlie Sheen in April was "not extraordinary," but highlighted the casual manner in which the agency documents and carries out such duties, according to a report released Wednesday by the D.C. Office of the Inspector General. Published July 13, 2011

D.C. Council OKs bond-tax delay

The D.C. Council narrowly passed a bill Tuesday that will keep the city from imposing a tax on residents who hold out-of-state bonds retroactively and without fair warning. Published July 12, 2011

D.C. Council Chair Brown rearranges committees

D.C. Council Chairman Kwame R. Brown on Tuesday shuffled the leadership of key council committees, leaving one member "baffled" and raising questions about political payback. Published July 12, 2011

Questions remain as DYRS nominee nears confirmation

Mayor Vincent C. Gray's pick to lead the District's juvenile justice agency will likely be confirmed this week by running out the clock on any objections to his nomination. Published July 11, 2011

D.C. Council to vote on DYRS chief

The D.C. Council will hold a confirmation hearing Tuesday on Neil A. Stanley, the nominee to lead the District's juvenile justice agency, after a council committee disapproved the nomination last week. Published July 10, 2011

D.C. Council committee rejects Stanley’s nomination as DYRS chief

A D.C. Council committee formally disapproved the nomination of Neil A. Stanley to lead the District's juvenile justice agency, citing concerns about his lack of relevant experience, ongoing troubles in the agency and an inquiry into how a key post had been filled. Published July 8, 2011

D.C. middle school test scores up; some elementary scores slip

Recent test scores show long-term improvement among D.C. students, despite concerns about cheating and a dip in reading proficiency this year at the elementary school level, city officials said. Published July 8, 2011

D.C. elections board refers Kwame Brown case to prosecutors

The federal prosecutor for the District will investigate Kwame R. Brown's re-election committee for suspected criminal violations of campaign finance law after city elections officials Thursday substantiated findings of widespread irregularities during the D.C. Council chairman's 2008 re-election race. Published July 7, 2011

D.C. cops feckless on bias crimes, gays say

Leaders of D.C. lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender groups say there is an "obvious disconnect" between the Metropolitan Police Department's public condemnation of hate crimes and actual concern on the beat. Published July 6, 2011

Questions linger in DYRS hiring

A D.C. Department of Human Resources investigation failed to address lingering questions about how a key post was filled in the District's Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services - creating uncertainty over the fate of Mayor Vincent C. Gray's pick to lead the troubled juvenile justice agency. Published July 6, 2011

Investigation mum on DYRS chief’s role in questionable hire

A D.C. Department of Human Resources investigation has failed to address lingering questions about how a key post was filled at the District's juvenile justice agency. Published July 6, 2011

Medical marijuana proceeds in D.C. as feds reconsider enforcement

The District passed its first milestone in selecting who gets coveted licenses for the city's burgeoning medical marijuana program — even as the federal government takes a second look at its hands-off approach to those who grow and sell the drug for patient use. Published July 5, 2011

I-Gaming plan caps losses at $250 per week

Players can lose only as much as $250 a week in the D.C. Lottery's upcoming online gambling program, but there is no limit on how much they can win on a hot streak, said Buddy Roogow, executive director of the city-run D.C. Lottery and Charitable Games Control Board. Published July 4, 2011