Tom Howell Jr.
Articles by Tom Howell Jr.
D.C. ethics bill to address constituent services spending
D.C. Council Chairman Kwame R. Brown on Monday pledged to revisit open-ended laws that govern how city legislators can spend money from constituent service accounts as part of a sweeping ethics reform bill that he says is decades overdue and intended to diffuse mounting distrust of city government. Published September 12, 2011
Barry disapproval ties up DYRS security funding
D.C. Mayor Vincent C. Gray says Council member Marion Barry's efforts to hold up $1.5 million in funding for a trouble-plagued juvenile detention center has delayed security upgrades by "more than a month." Published September 11, 2011
Gray plans to fill D.C. senior staff position vacated after voting scandal
D.C. Mayor Vincent C. Gray says his administration will fill the deputy chief of staff position suddenly vacated by Andi Pringle, who resigned Wednesday amid reports she voted in September's D.C. primary while living in Maryland. Published September 8, 2011
Gray staffer quits amid uproar over vote in D.C.
Mayor Vincent C. Gray's deputy chief of staff resigned from her post barely a week after she arrived at city hall, citing the "distraction" created by revelations she voted in September's D.C. primary despite living in Maryland. Published September 7, 2011
D.C. taps $10M in reserves for quake damage
The District has followed through on plans to borrow $10 million from its contingency reserve fund to cover damage from last month's earthquake — a conservatively high estimate of what it will actually need — as it continues to assess the monetary fallout from the hurricane that passed the region days later. Published September 6, 2011
Nationals fans jazzy for ‘Strassy’ (Stephen Strasburg)
The return of the Washington Nationals Stephen Strasburg has yet to reach the excitement level created when the pitching ace made his major league debut last year, but he is still on the minds - and jerseys - of baseball fans. Published September 5, 2011
Gray should not have to testify in lottery case
Mayor Vincent C. Gray should not have to testify this month about the D.C. Lottery contract because it is "unduly burdensome" and his legislative activities as council chairman are shielded by law, according to papers filed by D.C. Attorney General Irv Nathan. Published September 4, 2011
Motion seeks to spare Gray from testifying on D.C. Lottery contract
Mayor Vincent C. Gray should not have to testify this month about the D.C. Lottery contract because it is "unduly burdensome" and his legislative activities as council chairman are shielded by law, according to papers filed by D.C. Attorney General Irv Nathan. Published September 2, 2011
‘Other’ tops D.C. Council uses of funding for constituents
The law governing how D.C. Council members can spend money collected in "constituent service funds" is written so broadly that more than 60 percent of the 11,000-plus expenditures they have made in the past decade are classified in public records simply as "other." Published September 1, 2011
D.C. I-Gaming plans proceed despite delay in public input
A Greek company charged with running the D.C. lottery system is hiring personnel as part of their online gaming "strategy" in the city and three unidentified states, even though the program has not passed key hurdles in the District. Published August 31, 2011
Gray appoints Obama official as new chief of staff
Mayor Vincent C. Gray on Monday introduced his new chief of staff and a deputy to handle community outreach, frankly accepting that early "hits" to his administration besmirched his office ahead of more recent, positive strides. Published August 30, 2011
Washington area continues recovery from quake-storm combo
The D.C. region returned to relative calm Monday after an "extraordinary week" in which a rare earthquake damaged two national icons, then Hurricane Irene arrived and knocked out power to roughly 1 million customers. Published August 29, 2011
Former D.C. council member Winter to lie in repose
The body of former council member Nadine P. Winter will lie in repose at the John A. Wilson Building on Thursday, from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., council Chairman Kwame R. Brown said Monday. Published August 29, 2011
D.C. residents heed call to shelter as Irene approaches
D.C. residents appeared to be heeding the call to stay indoors as the worst of Hurricane Irene's wrath approached the city, Mayor Vincent C. Gray said late Saturday. Published August 27, 2011
Quake damage keeps School Without Walls closed
School Without Walls, a high school in Northwest, remained closed Friday while crews repair its chimney and bell tower damaged in Tuesday's earthquake. Published August 26, 2011
Gray says D.C. is ‘as ready as we can be’ for Irene
Mayor Vincent C. Gray urged city residents on Friday to stock up and form emergency plans as Hurricane Irene threatens to produce tropical storm-like rain and winds in the capital region. Published August 26, 2011
Hurricane delays King dedication
An impending storm threatening to be the worst to hit the region in nearly a decade has prompted evacuations and declarations of emergency and forced the postponement of the Sunday dedication of the Martin Luther King Jr. National Memorial on the Mall. Published August 25, 2011
Gray unveils ‘MLK Drive’ in D.C., cancels statehood march
Mayor Vincent C. Gray unveiled street signs designating "Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive" on Thursday, hours before Hurricane Irene disrupted his plans to tout D.C. statehood and voting rights in a march framed from the spirit of the late civil rights leader. Published August 25, 2011
Gray cronyism probe sparks call for reform
D.C. Council member Mary M. Cheh plans to introduce legislation next month that reduces the number of political appointees afforded the mayor, calls for proper screening of appointees and sheds light on their qualifications. Published August 24, 2011
D.C. ‘red flags’ 13 schools for quake damage
D.C. officials closed schools on Wednesday and "red-flagged" 13 educational facilities as they inspect damage from a 5.8-magnitude earthquake that surprised residents up and down the East Coast on Tuesday afternoon. Published August 24, 2011
