Matthew Cella

Supreme Court extends gun rights to states

The Supreme Court on Monday extended the Second Amendment's right to keep and bear arms to the states in the second major victory for gun rights supporters in as many years.

June 28, 2010

South Dakota claw enforcement nabs 15 cats

How many cats is a person legally allowed to let roam the inside of his or her car while they travel the country? The South Dakota Supreme Court weighed in on that very issue last week, setting the bar somewhere below 15.

June 27, 2010

Building oversize federal courts wastes millions

Federal courthouses built larger than necessary have cost taxpayers $835 million in wasted construction funds since 2000, the GAO told a congressional committee.

May 25, 2010

Violent crimes drop in U.S. for third straight year

Violent crime nationwide dropped 5.5 percent in 2009, a third straight year of declines that have challenged a commonly held notion that crime rates increase during periods when the economy struggles.

May 25, 2010

Violent crimes drop in U.S. for third straight year

Violent crime nationwide dropped 5.5 percent in 2009, a third straight year of declines that have challenged a commonly held notion that crime rates increase during periods when the economy struggles.

May 24, 2010

No penalty for federal credit-card misuse

An investigation that found thousands of dollars in unauthorized purchases of clothing, gold coins, flat-screen televisions, gym memberships and college tuition payments by employees of the Federal Protective Services using government purchase cards has resulted in no disciplinary action.

May 21, 2010

No penalty for misuse of federal credit cards

An investigation that found thousands of dollars in unauthorized purchases by employees of the Federal Protective Services has resulted in no disciplinary action.

May 20, 2010

Stimulus errors leave police shortchanged

Inaccuracies in a formula used to rank grant applicants led to more than $14 million in federal funds being given this year to 45 police agencies that should not have received them, while 34 departments that qualified for the funds were deprived.

May 20, 2010

Stimulus math leaves police shortchanged

Inaccuracies in a math formula used to rank grant applicants led to more than $14 million in federal stimulus funds being given this year to 45 police agencies that should not have received them, while 34 departments that qualified for the funds were deprived, a review by the Justice Department's office of inspector general has concluded.

May 19, 2010

Maryland group sues over training center

A conservation group based on Maryland's Eastern Shore has accused the federal government in a lawsuit of withholding information on how their rural county became the preferred site for a controversial combat training center to be funded in part with $70 million in stimulus funds.

May 6, 2010

Federal bills would repeal D.C. gun laws

Federal lawmakers Tuesday introduced bills into the House and Senate that would repeal most of the local gun laws in Washington, D.C.

April 28, 2010

Lawmakers push to repeal D.C. gun laws

Federal lawmakers Tuesday introduced bills into the House and Senate that would repeal most of the local gun laws in Washington, D.C.

April 27, 2010

‘Price too high’ for D.C. voting rights

Democrats withdrew a bill on Tuesday to give the District the voting rights it has long sought in the House of Representatives, saying the "price was too high" after learning of Republican plans to introduce an amendment that would eviscerate the city's gun laws.

April 21, 2010

Ex-chief regrets D.C. fire merger with EMS

The former D.C. fire chief now says the department should be divided, partly because the "culture" of the historically white fire service makes employees indifferent to needy city residents.

March 12, 2010

D.C. paramedics’ response studied in child’s death

D.C. fire officials are investigating the death of a Southeast Washington child who died hours after a paramedic responding to a 911 call complaining that the child was having trouble breathing told the mother to run a hot shower to clear the congestion from the child's lungs.

March 4, 2010

Supreme Court appears set to widen gun rights

The Supreme Court majority that two years ago ruled a near-total ban on handguns in the District to be unconstitutional seemed equally willing on Tuesday to extend the Second Amendment's right to keep and bear arms to the states.

March 3, 2010

Gun rights lawyer gives hope to liberal causes

An attorney who won a landmark case overturning the District's handgun ban has rankled conservatives who say a Second Amendment case he will argue Tuesday before the U.S. Supreme Court could be fodder for liberal judges to mandate constitutional guarantees for gay marriage, abortion rights or government-provided health care.

March 2, 2010

Deputy fire chief resigns from D.C. job

A deputy fire chief placed on leave-without-pay status in Washington so he could stay on the department's books after he took a job as a fire chief in Florida has resigned from the District's fire department.

February 1, 2010

Winter storm slams D.C.

The region's largest December snowstorm played havoc with the area on Saturday, choking off highways, halting most public transportation and prompting officials to plea to residents to stay indoors.

December 20, 2009

Tiger Woods to take break from pro golf

Tiger Woods on Friday announced he was taking an "indefinite break" from golf, capping a dramatic two weeks since a car accident sparked a string of revelations about the athlete's troubled personal life.

December 12, 2009