Tom Howell Jr.
Articles by Tom Howell Jr.
Cheh blasts Gray’s veto of D.C. Council bonds-tax compromise
D.C. Council member Mary M. Cheh is livid about Mayor Vincent C. Gray's use of a pocket veto to make a tax on out-of-state bonds retroactive, even though the D.C. Council fought to delay its implementation until 2012. Published August 3, 2011
Council members disclose campaign finance totals
Eight months ahead of primary elections, D.C. Council member Muriel Bowser has raised $85,000 as part of early efforts to retain her seat in Ward 4. Published August 2, 2011
D.C. officials felt impasse on Capitol Hill keenly
For the second time this year, D.C. officials drew up memos, planned inter-agency briefings and put vacation plans on ice while power brokers on Capitol Hill worked through a stalemate with major implications for the District. Published August 1, 2011
D.C. medical marijuana applicants must pass scrutiny
District officials are being painstakingly careful in proceeding with the city's medical-marijuana program, even rejecting applicants for such seemingly simple mistakes as failing to sign and date letters of intent to grow or dispense the drug. Published July 31, 2011
D.C. culls applicant list for medical marijuana
The fiance of rapper M.I.A. did not make it past the first cut in the District's long-awaited program to deliver medical marijuana to qualified patients. Published July 28, 2011
Gray appoints D.C. Taxicab Commission chairman
D.C. Mayor Vincent C. Gray on Wednesday appointed an urban planner with decades of experience in the capital region to take over the embattled D.C. Taxicab Commission. Published July 28, 2011
Ticket amnesty may put D.C. scofflaws in gear
Motorists who flouted D.C. traffic laws, then left their tickets in the glove box will get a reprieve in coming months. Published July 27, 2011
D.C. medical marijuana backers still waiting
Two D.C. patients' rights groups are decrying the absence of seeds in the ground to grow medical marijuana and a clear timetable for when patients can obtain the drug, though a full year has passed since Congress approved the program. Published July 26, 2011
D.C. Council’s Wells latest to call for Thomas resignation
D.C. Council member Tommy Wells has joined the chorus of legislators calling for colleague Harry Thomas Jr. to resign, amid allegations he spent public funds intended for youth baseball programs. Published July 26, 2011
Calls for D.C. Council’s Thomas to quit rise after payback pact
D.C. Council Chairman Kwame R. Brown declined Monday to join in calls for council member Harry Thomas Jr. to resign amid corruption investigations, instead urging Mr. Thomas to do "what is best for his family and his constituents." Published July 25, 2011
D.C.’s Mayor Gray in Hollywood, trying to bring it to the Potomac
Many people are familiar with the notorious horse head scene in "The Godfather," in which a stubborn Hollywood mogul is strong-armed by out-of-towners with a disturbing surprise. Published July 21, 2011
D.C. police department sets up gun dealer in its headquarters
The District of Columbia has cleared the way for its lone licensed gun dealer to set up shop in police headquarters, an unusual short-term fix to a problem that has left the city with a de facto ban on handguns and vulnerable to lawsuits by gun rights groups. Published July 20, 2011
Gray cites haste in assembling campaign
D.C. Mayor Vincent C. Gray on Tuesday responded to charges that his 2010 campaign team accepted cash donations over the $25 legal limit by converting them to money orders, attributing the possible slip-ups to aides during his "truncated" campaign. Published July 19, 2011
Lottery postpones online ‘demo’ games
The D.C. Lottery is tapping the brakes on every aspect of its unprecedented Internet gambling plans, even though city residents wouldn't have lost a dime by playing demo games initially slated to roll out this week. Published July 18, 2011
D.C. Council recess gives members time to reflect
The D.C. Council's two-month recess is expected to be a quiet departure inside city hall from the recently ended legislative session in which allegations of wrongdoing by several members created a tense and difficult situation. Published July 17, 2011
D.C. school system gets rid of 413 teachers, staff
The D.C. public schools system laid off 413 teachers and staff Friday for failing meet expectations in its teacher-evaluation system or falling short of other requirements. Published July 15, 2011
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
