Tom Howell Jr.
Articles by Tom Howell Jr.
Brown’s 2008 campaign hearings get under way
D.C. Council Chairman Kwame R. Brown was a no-show Monday at a hearing seeking answers from his 2008 re-election campaign as to why it failed to report numerous transactions and maintain proper records. Published April 18, 2011
OCF holds hearing on Brown campaign finance violations
The District's Office of Campaign Finance met Monday with representatives of council Chairman Kwame R. Brown's 2008 re-election campaign seeking answers as to why it failed to report numerous transactions and maintain proper records. Published April 18, 2011
‘Arrest’ raises Vincent Gray’s street cred
A large number of D.C. residents are fuming over a federal budget deal that they say took a swipe at the District's autonomy. That fervor, it seems, might save Vincent Gray's political career. Published April 17, 2011
Study finds chronic truancy in D.C. schools starts early
Thirteen percent of D.C. high school students missed at least 15 days of classes without a valid excuse during the first half of this school year, according to a report released Thursday. Published April 14, 2011
D.C. online poker talks going nowhere
Just because Congress didn't object to a bill authorizing online gambling in the District doesn't necessarily mean that federal lawmakers agree that the city can start running online poker. Published April 13, 2011
City State: Respect the bracelet
Mayor Vincent C. Gray is still wearing his bracelet. Published April 13, 2011
Union: Out-of-service trucks affected response to fire, injuring 5
A Districtwide shuffle to fill in gaps left by out-of-service ladder trucks adversely affected the response to a Friday blaze that injured five firefighters, one critically, in Northeast, according to union leaders. Published April 12, 2011
Webb tells how she got swept up in scandal
Rochelle Webb has had a week to "get over the shock" of the abrupt end of her city job on April 1 — a parable of sorts on how an outsider was swept into the gears of local influence and the roulette known as the excepted service, a system of political hires who serve at the will of the executive. Published April 11, 2011
Gray ex-aide concedes errors
D.C. Mayor Vincent C. Gray's former chief of staff testified Thursday that she made errors in hiring for the administration and allowed informal standards to guide how much appointees were paid. Published April 7, 2011
City State: Gray ‘cronyism’ hearing in progress
Updates from the D.C. Council hearing on the personnel practices of Mayor Vincent C. Gray Published April 7, 2011
Spending increase proposed for office with ties to Gray
A D.C. Council member on Wednesday cried foul over a four-member city agency slated for a budget increase that would cover the salary of the daughter of a close confidante of Mayor Vincent C. Gray. Published April 6, 2011
City State: Catania questions increase for D.C. movie office
A D.C. Council member is questioning a 22 percent budget increase for the District's Office of Motion Picture and TV Development. Published April 6, 2011
Brown moves to keep out non-resident students
D.C. residents have told officials that for years they have seen cars with Maryland license plates pull up to their schools and drop off students. Published April 5, 2011
City State: Wal-Mart protesters disrupt Council
A pack of vocal protesters barged into the D.C. Council chamber Tuesday with a gift for Ward 4 Democrat Muriel Bowser. Published April 5, 2011
CityCenterDC a ‘piece of the puzzle’ downtown
Standing on the edge of the long-awaited CityCenterDC real estate project, D.C. Council member Jack Evans joked that he had met with George Washington and Pierre L'Enfant to "talk to them about how to get this done." Published April 4, 2011
Gray confidante withdraws name from nomination
A close confidant of Mayor Vincent C. Gray withdrew her nomination Monday to be the chairman of the Washington Convention Center and Sports Authority, the mayor's office said. Published April 4, 2011
Qatari money funds D.C. city center project
An investment arm of oil-rich Qatar is putting up the equity needed to fund the massive CityCenterDC project, officials said moments before breaking ground Monday at the site of the old downtown convention center six blocks from the White House. Published April 4, 2011
D.C. budget has ‘deal-breakers’ for 2012
Mayor Vincent C. Gray's fiscal 2012 budget proposal already has drawn sharp criticism from D.C. Council members who either oppose tax increases for the city's top earners or cuts to social services, providing a glimpse into the potential battles in the coming weeks. Published April 3, 2011
Gray pulls nomination of embattled appointee
D.C. Mayor Vincent C. Gray on Friday withdrew the nomination of a Cabinet-level appointee under fire for using an employee as a chauffeur and staying at an expensive hotel at taxpayer expense. Published April 1, 2011
Gray introduces ‘very difficult’ budget
D.C. Mayor Vincent C. Gray on Friday announced plans to levy higher taxes on the city's wealthiest residents while steeply cutting human services programs in a fiscal 2012 budget proposal that favors education and keeps public safety funding steady. Published April 1, 2011
