Tom Howell Jr.

‘Arrest’ raises Vincent Gray’s street cred

A large number of D.C. residents are fuming over a federal budget deal that they say took a swipe at the District's autonomy. That fervor, it seems, might save Vincent Gray's political career.

April 17, 2011

Study finds chronic truancy in D.C. schools starts early

Thirteen percent of D.C. high school students missed at least 15 days of classes without a valid excuse during the first half of this school year, according to a report released Thursday.

April 14, 2011

D.C. online poker talks going nowhere

Just because Congress didn't object to a bill authorizing online gambling in the District doesn't necessarily mean that federal lawmakers agree that the city can start running online poker.

April 13, 2011

City State: Respect the bracelet

Mayor Vincent C. Gray is still wearing his bracelet.

April 13, 2011

Union: Out-of-service trucks affected response to fire, injuring 5

A Districtwide shuffle to fill in gaps left by out-of-service ladder trucks adversely affected the response to a Friday blaze that injured five firefighters, one critically, in Northeast, according to union leaders.

April 12, 2011

Webb tells how she got swept up in scandal

Rochelle Webb has had a week to "get over the shock" of the abrupt end of her city job on April 1 — a parable of sorts on how an outsider was swept into the gears of local influence and the roulette known as the excepted service, a system of political hires who serve at the will of the executive.

April 11, 2011

Gray ex-aide concedes errors

D.C. Mayor Vincent C. Gray's former chief of staff testified Thursday that she made errors in hiring for the administration and allowed informal standards to guide how much appointees were paid.

April 7, 2011

City State: Gray ‘cronyism’ hearing in progress

Updates from the D.C. Council hearing on the personnel practices of Mayor Vincent C. Gray

April 7, 2011

Spending increase proposed for office with ties to Gray

A D.C. Council member on Wednesday cried foul over a four-member city agency slated for a budget increase that would cover the salary of the daughter of a close confidante of Mayor Vincent C. Gray.

April 6, 2011

City State: Catania questions increase for D.C. movie office

A D.C. Council member is questioning a 22 percent budget increase for the District's Office of Motion Picture and TV Development.

April 6, 2011

Brown moves to keep out non-resident students

D.C. residents have told officials that for years they have seen cars with Maryland license plates pull up to their schools and drop off students.

April 5, 2011

City State: Wal-Mart protesters disrupt Council

A pack of vocal protesters barged into the D.C. Council chamber Tuesday with a gift for Ward 4 Democrat Muriel Bowser.

April 5, 2011

CityCenterDC a ‘piece of the puzzle’ downtown

Standing on the edge of the long-awaited CityCenterDC real estate project, D.C. Council member Jack Evans joked that he had met with George Washington and Pierre L'Enfant to "talk to them about how to get this done."

April 4, 2011

Gray confidante withdraws name from nomination

A close confidant of Mayor Vincent C. Gray withdrew her nomination Monday to be the chairman of the Washington Convention Center and Sports Authority, the mayor's office said.

April 4, 2011

Qatari money funds D.C. city center project

An investment arm of oil-rich Qatar is putting up the equity needed to fund the massive CityCenterDC project, officials said moments before breaking ground Monday at the site of the old downtown convention center six blocks from the White House.

April 4, 2011

D.C. budget has ‘deal-breakers’ for 2012

Mayor Vincent C. Gray's fiscal 2012 budget proposal already has drawn sharp criticism from D.C. Council members who either oppose tax increases for the city's top earners or cuts to social services, providing a glimpse into the potential battles in the coming weeks.

April 3, 2011