District of DeBonis: The District


Posted at 05:57 PM ET, 06/14/2011

Kwame Brown addresses campaign finance allegations
By Mike DeBonis
The D.C. Council chairman addressed accusations

By Mike DeBonis  |  05:57 PM ET, 06/14/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Mike Debonis, Kwame Brown, The District

Posted at 07:51 PM ET, 03/14/2011

Elections board could boot Patrick Mara from at-large ballot
By Mike DeBonis
Patrick Mara, seeking to fill a vacant at-large Council seat, is in danger of being ousted from the special election ballot after officials identified possibly falsified signatures on his petitions.

By Mike DeBonis  |  07:51 PM ET, 03/14/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  DCision 2010, The District

Posted at 11:06 AM ET, 03/03/2011

DeMorning DeBonis: March 3, 2011
By Mike DeBonis
TODAY IS MARCH 3, 2011 -- DAY 60 OF THE GRAY ADMINISTRATION PREVIOUSLY -- Coming soon: Wilson Building baristas? -- D.C. property assessments rise modestly for 2012 Mayor Vincent C. Gray appears to have a vetting problem. A week after...

By Mike DeBonis  |  11:06 AM ET, 03/03/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Morning Mike, The District

Posted at 06:00 PM ET, 03/02/2011

Coming soon: Wilson Building baristas?
By Mike DeBonis
Staffers and visitors to the John A. Wilson Building might soon be able to enjoy a grande latte with their governance. The Department of Real Estate Services has been tasked with exploring the feasibility of locating some sort of food-and-beverage...

By Mike DeBonis  |  06:00 PM ET, 03/02/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  The District

Posted at 09:42 AM ET, 03/02/2011

DeMorning DeBonis: March 2, 2011
By Mike DeBonis
TODAY IS MARCH 2, 2011 -- DAY 59 OF THE GRAY ADMINISTRATION Here's the number: $322 million. That is the bona fide, Nat Gandhi-certified amount of the District of Columbia's fiscal 2010 budget gap. Expect to hear that number several...

By Mike DeBonis  |  09:42 AM ET, 03/02/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Morning Mike, The District

Posted at 05:38 PM ET, 02/28/2011

Gray heads back to Capitol Hill to talk vouchers
By Mike DeBonis
Mayor Vincent C. Gray will return to Capitol Hill Tuesday morning to once again answer questions regarding a possible revival of the D.C. school voucher program. Gray attended a Senate hearing this month hosted by Sens. Joseph Lieberman (I-Conn.) and...

By Mike DeBonis  |  05:38 PM ET, 02/28/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Congress, The District, Vincent Gray

Posted at 04:57 PM ET, 02/28/2011

Biddle campaign aims to oust three competitors from ballot
By Mike DeBonis
A member of D.C. Council member Sekou Biddle's campaign is moving to toss four three competitors from the ballot in the April 26 special election, threatening to vastly alter the race to fill an at-large seat. Bandele McQueen, a lawyer...

By Mike DeBonis  |  04:57 PM ET, 02/28/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  The District

Posted at 03:16 PM ET, 02/28/2011

Lopez supporter to challenge Mara's ballot petitions
By Mike DeBonis
A supporter of D.C. Council candidate Joshua Lopez (D) is taking aim at the ballot petitions filed by Republican opponent Patrick Mara.

By Mike DeBonis  |  03:16 PM ET, 02/28/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  The District

Posted at 09:59 AM ET, 02/28/2011

DeMorning DeBonis: Feb. 28, 2011
By Mike DeBonis
TODAY IS FEB. 28, 2011 -- DAY 57 OF THE GRAY ADMINISTRATION PREVIOUSLY -- D.C. summer jobs program filling up quickly -- Potential Wal-Mart landlord accused of hosting massage parlor -- Patrick Mara is indeed a Republican, says Web site...

By Mike DeBonis  |  09:59 AM ET, 02/28/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Morning Mike, The District

Posted at 06:24 PM ET, 02/01/2011

D.C. report reveals surplus, management issues
By Nikita Stewart and Mike DeBonis
Several weeks after then-Mayor Adrian M. Fenty (D) and the D.C. Council, led by then-Council Chairman Vincent C. Gray (D) scrambled to close a budget gap for fiscal 2011, Chief Financial Officer Natwar M. Gandhi announced Tuesday that an annual...

By Nikita Stewart and Mike DeBonis  |  06:24 PM ET, 02/01/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  The District, The District, The District, The District

Posted at 06:07 PM ET, 02/01/2011

January poll has Orange leading at-large D.C. Council race
By Mike DeBonis
UPDATED 8 P.M. For the upcoming D.C. Council special election, some pundits might be looking at a two-way race between Sekou Biddle and Patrick Mara. But Vincent Orange still has some juice, leaked poll numbers indicate. A survey of 476...

By Mike DeBonis  |  06:07 PM ET, 02/01/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  The District

Posted at 04:05 PM ET, 01/26/2011

Could Civil War link endanger Ward 4 Wal-Mart?
By Mike DeBonis
Stunning news out of the Commonwealth of Virginia today: Wal-Mart has given up on building a store in Orange County, on the site of the Battle of the Wilderness. The decision means a coalition of preservation groups, led by...

By Mike DeBonis  |  04:05 PM ET, 01/26/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  The District

Posted at 05:28 PM ET, 01/25/2011

Gray, Brown differ on school vouchers
By Mike DeBonis
UPDATED 8:45 P.M. A popular Wilson Building parlor game of the moment is trying to discern where exactly Mayor Vincent Gray and D.C. Council Chairman Kwame Brown will part political company in the coming weeks, months or years. So far,...

By Mike DeBonis  |  05:28 PM ET, 01/25/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  The District

Posted at 09:25 PM ET, 01/24/2011

Boehner, Lieberman aim to revive D.C. voucher program
By Mike DeBonis
House Speaker John Boehner will introduce a bill Wednesday that aims to revive a school voucher program in the District, nearly two years after Democratic opposition to the program led to its phase-out. Boehner is set to unveil the bill...

By Mike DeBonis  |  09:25 PM ET, 01/24/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  The District

Posted at 11:37 AM ET, 01/19/2011

DeMorning DeBonis: Jan. 19, 2011
By Mike DeBonis
TODAY IS JAN. 19, 2011 -- DAY 18 OF THE GRAY ADMINISTRATION PREVIOUSLY -- Patrick Mara to run for D.C. Council at-large seat The special election for an at-large council seat has gotten a lot more interesting in the past...

By Mike DeBonis  |  11:37 AM ET, 01/19/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  The District, The District

Posted at 06:00 AM ET, 01/19/2011

Patrick Mara to run for D.C. Council at-large seat
By Mike DeBonis
UPDATED 7:30 A.M. Patrick Mara, newly elected member of the State Board of Education, will mount a run for the at-large D.C. Council seat vacated by new Chairman Kwame R. Brown. Mara said Tuesday evening that he will pick up...

By Mike DeBonis  |  06:00 AM ET, 01/19/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  The District

Posted at 09:51 AM ET, 01/18/2011

DeMorning DeBonis: Jan. 18, 2011
By Mike DeBonis
TODAY IS JAN. 18, 2011 -- DAY 17 OF THE GRAY ADMINISTRATION PREVIOUSLY -- Is Michelle Rhee becoming a Republican darling? Meet the new boss: House Oversight Committee Chairman Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) has at last named the chair of...

By Mike DeBonis  |  09:51 AM ET, 01/18/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  The District, The District

Posted at 10:00 AM ET, 01/13/2011

DeMorning DeBonis: Jan. 13, 2011
By Mike DeBonis
TODAY IS JAN. 13, 2011 -- DAY 12 OF THE GRAY ADMINISTRATION PREVIOUSLY -- William Lockridge, D.C. school board member, dies at 63 -- The problem with the D.C. Democratic State Committee State Board of Education member William Lockridge, 63,...

By Mike DeBonis  |  10:00 AM ET, 01/13/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  The District, The District

Posted at 06:43 PM ET, 01/12/2011

William Lockridge, D.C. school board member, dies at 63
By Mike DeBonis
William O. Lockridge, a longtime Ward 8 political activist, education advocate and sitting member of the D.C. State Board of Education, died Wednesday evening at George Washington University Hospital. He was 63. Natalie Williams, a spokeswoman for the Lockridge family,...

By Mike DeBonis  |  06:43 PM ET, 01/12/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  The District

Posted at 06:20 PM ET, 01/12/2011

The problem with the D.C. Democratic State Committee
By Mike DeBonis
In the run-up to last Thursday's vote to appoint an interim at-large D.C. Council member, a high-ranking member of the D.C. Democratic State Committee asked me how he thought the DCDSC could improve its reputation. It was a question that...

By Mike DeBonis  |  06:20 PM ET, 01/12/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  The District

Posted at 04:13 PM ET, 01/11/2011

Irv Nathan keeps mum on Team Thomas probe
By Mike DeBonis
UPDATED 5:30 P.M. Make no mistake: There's a new attorney general in town. And he's much quieter than the last one. In contrast to his voluble predecessor, Acting Attorney General Irvin B. Nathan is keeping mum about the hot topics...

By Mike DeBonis  |  04:13 PM ET, 01/11/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  The District

Posted at 12:44 PM ET, 01/11/2011

DeAfternoon DeBonis: Jan. 11, 2011
By Mike DeBonis
TODAY IS JAN. 11, 2011 -- DAY 10 OF THE GRAY ADMINISTRATION PREVIOUSLY -- D.C. special election isn't going to be cheap It's not often that a U.S. cabinet secretary weighs in on a mayoral appointment, but in D.C., not...

By Mike DeBonis  |  12:44 PM ET, 01/11/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  The District, The District

Posted at 05:59 PM ET, 01/10/2011

D.C. special election isn't going to be cheap
By Mike DeBonis
Back in November, I wondered whether the District's special election to fill an at-large D.C. Council seat could be done on the cheap -- that is, less than the $500,000 the Board of Elections and Ethics estimated it would cost...

By Mike DeBonis  |  05:59 PM ET, 01/10/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  The District

Posted at 05:42 PM ET, 01/05/2011

Mega Millions sales put $200K in city coffers
By Mike DeBonis
Sadly for the District treasury, a city resident did not win last night's Mega Millions multi-state lottery drawing -- which could have sent $19 million into the D.C. coffers. But D.C. Lottery officials say the high interest in the near-record...

By Mike DeBonis  |  05:42 PM ET, 01/05/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  The District

Posted at 05:27 PM ET, 01/05/2011

Robert Bobb ready to get back in the D.C. mix
By Mike DeBonis
Among those who witnessed Sunday morning's swearing-in of new District leaders was Robert C. Bobb, the former city administrator and school board president who is now emergency financial manager for the Detroit Public Schools. Make no mistake, Bobb is...

By Mike DeBonis  |  05:27 PM ET, 01/05/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  The District

Posted at 01:56 PM ET, 01/05/2011

DeAfternoon DeBonis: Jan. 5, 2010
By Mike DeBonis
TODAY IS JAN. 5, 2010 -- DAY 4 OF THE GRAY ADMINISTRATION PREVIOUSLY -- Adrian Fenty signs with speakers bureau as 'education advocate' -- Local Mega Millions winner could mean windfall for ailing governments Thursday! Thursday! Thursday! The week's biggest...

By Mike DeBonis  |  01:56 PM ET, 01/05/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  The District, The District

Posted at 12:30 PM ET, 01/04/2011

Adrian Fenty signs with speakers bureau as 'education advocate'
By Mike DeBonis
Former D.C. Mayor Adrian M. Fenty has signed with a major speakers bureau, which is marketing him as a "national leader in the area of urban education reform" -- another sign that Fenty is looking to capitalize on his school-overhaul efforts in his life after the mayoralty.

By Mike DeBonis  |  12:30 PM ET, 01/04/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  The District, The District

Posted at 10:50 AM ET, 01/04/2011

DeMorning DeBonis: Jan. 4, 2010
By Mike DeBonis
TODAY IS JAN. 4, 2010 -- DAY 3 OF THE GRAY ADMINISTRATION PREVIOUSLY -- Attorney general to move out of Wilson Building -- At-large appointment meeting moved out of Wilson Building "Misunderestimate" me at your peril, new D.C. Council Chairman...

By Mike DeBonis  |  10:50 AM ET, 01/04/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  The District, The District

Posted at 05:53 PM ET, 01/03/2011

Attorney general to move out of Wilson Building
By Mike DeBonis
The District's incoming attorney general, Irvin B. Nathan, will not be working out of the John A. Wilson Building, members of the Gray administration say.

By Mike DeBonis  |  05:53 PM ET, 01/03/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  The District

Posted at 11:10 AM ET, 01/03/2011

DeMorning DeBonis: Jan. 3, 2010
By Mike DeBonis
TODAY IS JAN. 3, 2010 -- DAY 2 OF THE GRAY ADMINISTRATION Welcome to Vincent Gray's Washington. The 68-year-old D.C. native became the city's sixth elected mayor shortly before noon yesterday, in a swearing-in ceremony heavy on the "one city"...

By Mike DeBonis  |  11:10 AM ET, 01/03/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  The District, The District