Tom Howell Jr.

‘Chairman Brown and the Navigators’ back in the news

The saga behind D.C. Council Chairman Kwame R. Brown's fully loaded Lincoln Navigators just won't go away.

June 5, 2011

D.C. juvenile facility chief’s selection raises questions

A council member with oversight of the District's juvenile justice agency says the hiring of a U.S. Coast Guard officer to lead the city's troubled two-year-old secure placement facility for D.C. youth may not pass "the smell test."

June 2, 2011

DYRS nominee faces rocky confirmation hearing

A D.C. Council committee's confirmation hearing on Mayor Vincent C. Gray's pick to lead the District's troubled juvenile justice agency began Wednesday with one member declaring that he would not support the nominee.

June 1, 2011

D.C. court orders Sulaimon Brown to testify

A D.C. Superior Court judge on Tuesday ordered reluctant witness Sulaimon Brown to testify next week before a D.C. Council committee exploring Mayor Vincent C. Gray's hiring practices.

May 31, 2011

D.C. medical marijuana program draws eclectic mix of applicants

With names such as "District of Cannabis" and "Jahrock," hopeful entrepreneurs eager to grow or sell medical marijuana in the District of Columbia are touting their business acumen, green thumbs, or desire to aid the ill and dying in applications submitted to the city.

May 31, 2011

Document outlines attrition of D.C. police

An internal Metropolitan Police Department document shows that 20 officers left the force in a recent four-week period, a statistic that speaks to recent debate about the rate of police attrition in the District and how to keep staffing at safe levels.

May 30, 2011

D.C. Council committee advances redistricting map

A D.C. Council subcommittee on Thursday approved a draft plan that redistricts the city's eight wards and notably shifts part of the Capitol Hill neighborhood into Ward 7.

May 26, 2011

D.C. Council approves $10.8B budget without income tax increase

The D.C. Council on Wednesday unanimously approved a $10.8 billion budget plan, rejecting Mayor Vincent C. Gray's proposal to raise income taxes on the wealthy but reviving a once-unpopular proposal to tax out-of-state bonds.

May 25, 2011

D.C. budget proposal up for first vote

The D.C. Council on Wednesday will deliver a vote on the budget for the upcoming fiscal year, placing its stamp on a plan that has hinged on taxes, cuts and political wrangling to close a $322 million budget gap.

May 24, 2011

City State: Cheh memo outlines committee ‘priorities’

D.C. Council member Mary M. Cheh's lightened the tone of what's been a fairly contentious budget process with the release late Tuesday of a memo outlining her committee "priorities" in advance of an initial vote Tuesday on the city spending plan.

May 24, 2011

Barry rails against pension changes

Flanked by more than a dozen D.C. firefighters in red T-shirts, council member Marion Barry on Monday voiced his opposition to legislation that would place tighter fiscal controls on the District's pension obligations to police, firefighters and teachers.

May 23, 2011

Brown’s D.C. budget markup eliminates many tax hikes

With the D.C.'s spending plan now in his hands, D.C. Council Chairman Kwame R. Brown is steadfast on what will happen to Mayor Vincent C. Gray's proposal to raise the income tax on wealthier households. No way, no how.

May 21, 2011

Medical examiner loses key approval

The D.C. medical examiner's office is "at a loss" to explain why a professional association declined to renew the office's accreditation, while questions remain about the potential impact on law enforcement initiatives and perceptions in the courtroom, city officials said.

May 19, 2011