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Articles by Tom Howell Jr.

City’s attorney general takes a stand

In the course of five days last week, the District's mayor was called a "crook" at a public hearing, the council chairman's campaign committee was accused of widespread reporting violations, one council member disclosed he had been offered bribes, and another council member was accused of using his charity as a slush fund.

June 12, 2011
Flanked by his attorney, Frederick D. Cooke Jr., D.C. Council member Harry Thomas Jr. (right) refuted the city attorney general's allegations regarding the use of grant money and charitable donations at an afternoon news conference. (Rod Lamkey Jr./The Washington Times)

Thomas steps down from council committee chairman post

Citing his "highest regard" for the District's legislative body, council member Harry Thomas Jr. says he will step aside as chairman of a key committee as he fights a lawsuit accusing him of siphoning public funds for personal use.

June 8, 2011
The city government has accused D.C. Council member Harry Thomas Jr. of using grant money and donations for trips and expenditures. (Rod Lamkey Jr./The Washington Times)

Announcement on Thomas expected this afternoon

D.C. Council Chairman Kwame R. Brown is expected to announce this afternoon whether fellow member Harry Thomas Jr. faces sanctions, voluntarily or otherwise, after a lawsuit filed this week accused him of siphoning off public funds for personal use.

June 8, 2011

D.C. Council approves boundary changes

The D.C. Council on Wednesday approved a draft plan that repositions the boundaries of the city's eight political wards after making concessions to Ward 6 residents who protested the division of its eastern neighborhoods on Capitol Hill.

June 7, 2011

Decision pending on Thomas sanctions

D.C. Council Chairman Kwame R. Brown said an announcement will be made Wednesday on whether Harry Thomas Jr. faces sanctions from his colleagues in light of a lawsuit that accuses him of funneling money for youth baseball programs to his own pocket.

June 7, 2011
The city government has accused D.C. Council member Harry Thomas Jr. of using grant money and donations for trips and expenditures. (Rod Lamkey Jr./The Washington Times)

D.C. sues council member Thomas; federal case filed

The District government Monday filed a $1 million civil lawsuit against D.C. Council member Harry Thomas Jr., accusing the Ward 5 Democrat of using grant money and charitable donations for personal golfing trips, hotel stays and a new sport utility vehicle.

June 6, 2011
Sulaimon Brown arrives on June 6, 2011, to testify before a D.C. Council committee at the Wilson Building in Washington about allegations that he was paid off by Mayor Vincent C. Gray, then promised a government job. (Rod Lamkey Jr./The Washington Times)

Ex-D.C. mayoral candidate Brown testifies of alleged Gray deal

The D.C. politician whose allegations wreaked havoc on the Gray administration before it ever got rolling, strode into city hall on Monday to finally give his on-the-record account about purported campaign payoffs and other electoral irregularities.

June 6, 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
Neil Stanley

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. 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
D.C. Council Chairman Kwame R. Brown

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