Tom Howell Jr.
Articles by Tom Howell Jr.
Park Service to replace quote on MLK Memorial
The National Park Service announced on Friday it will correct a paraphrased "drum major" quote etched into the Martin Luther King Jr. National Memorial to "more accurately reflect" King's words. Published February 10, 2012
D.C. fires city workers for unemployment fraud
The D.C. government has begun firing city workers identified in a probe that found rampant abuse of unemployment benefits by employees in most of the city's agencies, officials said Wednesday. Published February 8, 2012
New Hampshire rejects D.C. statehood resolution
The New Hampshire House of Representatives defeated a resolution on Wednesday to recognize the District as the 51st state, with members noisily ignoring its sponsor before one critic instructed his colleagues to "save money on the parchment, not that it's much." Published February 8, 2012
D.C. Mayor Gray makes amends for his missteps, looks ahead
D.C. Mayor Vincent C. Gray acknowledged the missteps of his administration on Tuesday and pledged to regain his footing after a scandal-plagued first year in office that featured hiring missteps and allegations of nepotism and campaign payoffs. Published February 7, 2012
New Hampshire House weighs D.C. statehood
A resolution by the New Hampshire legislature to recognize the District as the 51st state reaches the House floor Wednesday, a last-ditch hope for D.C. officials who looked to Granite State lawmakers to jump-start their quest for statehood. Published February 7, 2012
Evans wants to repeal new tax on out-of-state bonds
D.C. Council member Jack Evans introduced a bill on Tuesday to repeal a new tax on out-of-state municipal bonds held by District residents, potentially reversing a revenue generator that prompted hours of debate in last year's in budget talks. Published February 7, 2012
D.C. Council member preps last-minute bid to save iGaming
The D.C. Council's top proponent of online gambling through the city's lottery system plans to offer a compromise bill on Tuesday to avoid a complete repeal of the program that was passed into law in 2010. Published February 6, 2012
D.C. elections board dismisses challenge to Alexander’s petitions
The D.C. Board of Elections and Ethics ruled on Monday there is insufficient evidence to suggest D.C. Council member Yvette M. Alexander should be kept off the April 3 primary ballot despite accusations her petition circulators did not witness many of the signatures they authorized in their filings to the board. Published February 6, 2012
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
