Tom Howell Jr.
Articles by Tom Howell Jr.
Officials say 130 D.C. employees claimed unemployment benefits
The D.C. government is placing 90 of its employees on leave for their roles in a pattern of pilfering from the city's unemployment-insurance that totaled $840,000. Published February 6, 2012
Alexander’s petition challenged
The D.C. Board of Elections and Ethics will decide by Monday whether council member Yvette M. Alexander's petition to be on the primary election ballot is legally sound or if her campaign ignored election laws and imperiled her bid to retain her Ward 7 seat. Published February 2, 2012
iGaming repeal to go before full D.C. Council
D.C. Council member Jack Evans has wasted no time in requesting the full council weigh in on the repeal of the District's controversial online gambling program. Published February 2, 2012
D.C. recall effort postponed after organizer misses meeting
A city resident attempting to recall current Mayor Vincent C. Gray and council Chairman Kwame R. Brown will have to wait until Feb. 13 to hit the street with petitions for the effort, D.C. elections officials said. Published February 1, 2012
D.C. Council committee votes to repeal online gambling
A D.C. Council committee finally showed its cards in the tortured bid for Internet poker and other games through the city's lottery system — and it's game over. Published February 1, 2012
D.C. agency head named in Thomas probe resigns
Millicent West, who recently found herself linked to the corruption investigation into former council member Harry Thomas Jr.'s theft of more than $350,000 from the District, has stepped down from her position as director of the city's homeland security agency. Published January 31, 2012
D.C. Council committee to consider iGaming repeal
A D.C. Council member with oversight of city finances has scheduled a Wednesday hearing that will allow lawmakers to weigh in, for the first time, on a bill to repeal the city's controversial online gambling program. Published January 30, 2012
Audit shows D.C. with $240M windfall
An audit of the District's finances shows a windfall of about $240 million in savings, a financial boon that will prompt debate on how much should be stowed away to impress Wall Street or committed to tax relief and services for city residents. Published January 30, 2012
No satisfaction in New Hampshire on D.C. statehood
For three hours on Friday, a D.C. delegation tried to explain to a panel of New Hampshire legislators why they should obtain rights inherent from birth but not explicitly stated in the Constitution, that the District raises its own money and that Maryland will probably not ask for its land back if the nation's capital is recognized as the 51st state. Published January 28, 2012
D.C. Council faulted on Internet gambling
The D.C. inspector general testified Thursday that the city's lottery contract should have been rebid because the D.C. Council could not have known that first-in-the-nation Internet gambling was in the cards when it approved the deal with Greek company Intralot in 2009. Published January 26, 2012
Limits on medical pot cause concern in D.C.
The District's medical marijuana program is still months away from sprouting, but some advocates already worry that there won't be enough cannabis to go around. Published January 25, 2012
IG: D.C. Lottery partner misrepresented experience
The local half of a joint venture that runs the D.C. Lottery misrepresented its business activities during its bid for a stake in the $38 million contract, according to a report by the D.C. inspector general. Published January 23, 2012
D.C. fights Congress on national World War I memorial
Officials in the District are accustomed to asking Congress for full voting rights on behalf of the city's 600,000 residents or for greater control of city finances — and getting no satisfaction. Published January 23, 2012
D.C. schools chancellor supports teacher-incentive program
D.C. Public Schools Chancellor Kaya Henderson broadly supports a bill that would entice high-performing teachers to the schools that need them the most, citing human capital as the "cornerstone" of her reform efforts. Published January 23, 2012
Victim’s family redirects DYRS lawsuit
The family of a Catholic University student who was fatally shot while bicycling through the Petworth area in 2010 has dropped the District and its juvenile justice agency from a lawsuit that had accused the city of failing to supervise the 16-year-old murder suspect committed to its custody. Published January 22, 2012
13 candidates seek to fill Thomas’ D.C. Council seat
A string of Ward 5 hopefuls picked up paperwork on Friday as part of the race to replace former council member Harry Thomas Jr. in a special election on May 15, less than two weeks after the ousted legislator is scheduled to be sentenced for theft and tax fraud involving public funds. Published January 20, 2012
Marion Barry to undergo minor surgery
Marion Barry is scheduled to undergo what his staff described as a "minor" surgical procedure on Friday. Published January 20, 2012
D.C. foundation principal pleads guilty in Thomas case
The manager of a Ward 5 golf course admitted on Wednesday he allowed former council member Harry Thomas Jr. to use his nonprofit as a conduit for a scheme that bilked more than $300,000 from the District. Published January 18, 2012
Another guilty plea in D.C. public corruption case
Federal prosecutors on Tuesday charged a second person accused of serving as a pass-through for public funds that former council member Harry Thomas Jr. stole for his personal use. Published January 17, 2012
D.C. Council reaches compromise on medical marijuana facilities
The D.C. Council struck a deal on Tuesday to avoid the clustering of medical marijuana facilities in a single part of the city, grandfathering in applicants who got preliminary approval to grow the drug in Ward 5 but potentially altering the plans of companies who hoped to join them in the industrial slice of Northeast. Published January 17, 2012
