District of DeBonis - More than a city. Not quite a state. Enough for a blog.

Posted at 04:24 PM ET, 04/29/2011

Cathy Lanier addresses D.C. summer crime concerns

By Mike DeBonis

This summer, many kids who want summer jobs won’t be getting them — meaning more kids will be unsupervised during the day. Police Chief Cathy L. Lanier addressed the politically sensitive matter on WAMU-FM’s Politics Hour.

By Mike DeBonis | 04:24 PM ET, 04/29/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)

Posted at 10:42 AM ET, 04/29/2011

DeMorning DeBonis: April 29, 2011

By Mike DeBonis

A comprehensive roundup of D.C. politics news and opinions

By Mike DeBonis | 10:42 AM ET, 04/29/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)

Posted at 08:01 PM ET, 04/28/2011

Leon Swain’s firing fulfilled Gray promise to cab industry

By Mike DeBonis

Leon J. Swain Jr.’s dismissal from the D.C. Taxicab Commission came after Gray pledged to fire him to cab insiders during his campaign.

By Mike DeBonis | 08:01 PM ET, 04/28/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)

Posted at 12:51 PM ET, 04/28/2011

DeMorning DeBonis: April 28, 2011

By Mike DeBonis

A comprehensive roundup of D.C. politics news and opinions

By Mike DeBonis | 12:51 PM ET, 04/28/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)

Posted at 12:25 PM ET, 04/27/2011

DeMorning DeBonis: April 27, 2011

By Mike DeBonis

A comprehensive roundup of D.C. politics news and opinions

By Mike DeBonis | 12:25 PM ET, 04/27/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)

Posted at 02:14 PM ET, 04/26/2011

Uneven turnout, scattered polling problems in D.C. special election

By Mike DeBonis

As expected, voter turnout for today’s D.C. special election is light — but not evenly light. Several campaigners say that more voters than expected are coming to polls in the city’s western reaches, while eastern wards are lagging.

By Mike DeBonis | 02:14 PM ET, 04/26/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)

Posted at 10:00 AM ET, 04/26/2011

DeMorning DeBonis: April 26, 2011

By Mike DeBonis

A comprehensive roundup of D.C. politics news and opinions

By Mike DeBonis | 10:00 AM ET, 04/26/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)

Posted at 07:40 PM ET, 04/25/2011

D.C. IG report finds faults in fire truck donation, two years later

By Mike DeBonis

An D.C. Inspector General investigation has concluded that deputies of former Mayor Adrian M. Fenty flouted procurement regulations, broke personnel rules and otherwise “failed to exercise proper oversight” of a fprocess meant to send a fire truck and an ambulance to a poor seaside town in the Dominican Republic.

By Mike DeBonis | 07:40 PM ET, 04/25/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)

Posted at 04:49 PM ET, 04/25/2011

Vincent Orange and the mystery of ‘Cleopatia Smiles’

By Mike DeBonis

A campaign donation has highlighted at-large D.C. Council candidate Vincent Orange’s ties to the film industry.

By Mike DeBonis | 04:49 PM ET, 04/25/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)

Posted at 01:14 PM ET, 04/25/2011

Absentee voting heralds lower black turnout in D.C. special election

By Mike DeBonis

Ballots from the city’s four least African American wards represent more than 60 percent of the absentee and early ballots for Tuesday’s special election.

By Mike DeBonis | 01:14 PM ET, 04/25/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)

Posted at 10:03 AM ET, 04/25/2011

DeMorning DeBonis: April 25, 2011

By Mike DeBonis

A comprehensive roundup of D.C. politics news and opinions

By Mike DeBonis | 10:03 AM ET, 04/25/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)

Posted at 10:18 AM ET, 04/22/2011

DeMorning DeBonis: April 22, 2011

By Mike DeBonis

A comprehensive roundup of D.C. politics news and opinions

By Mike DeBonis | 10:18 AM ET, 04/22/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)

Posted at 07:00 PM ET, 04/21/2011

Campaign attacks to hit mailboxes during D.C. Council race’s closing weekend

By Mike DeBonis

At-large D.C. Council candidates are making their final arguments. While most involve “vote for me,” there is now some “don’t vote for him.”

By Mike DeBonis | 07:00 PM ET, 04/21/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)

Posted at 05:53 PM ET, 04/21/2011

Gray responds to GOP abortion letter with Fenty slam

By Mike DeBonis

While 94 Republicans accused Mayor Vincent Gray of snubbing requests for abortion information, the Gray administration said it will meet their demands.

By Mike DeBonis | 05:53 PM ET, 04/21/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)

Posted at 10:55 AM ET, 04/21/2011

DeMorning DeBonis: April 21, 2011

By Mike DeBonis

A comprehensive roundup of D.C. politics news and opinions

By Mike DeBonis | 10:55 AM ET, 04/21/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)

Posted at 05:34 PM ET, 04/20/2011

Marion Barry remembers William Donald Schaefer

By Mike DeBonis

The four-term D.C. mayor looks back on the four-term Baltimore mayor.

By Mike DeBonis | 05:34 PM ET, 04/20/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)

Posted at 11:03 AM ET, 04/20/2011

DeMorning DeBonis: April 20, 2011

By Mike DeBonis

A comprehensive roundup of D.C. politics news and opinions

By Mike DeBonis | 11:03 AM ET, 04/20/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)

Posted at 07:00 PM ET, 04/19/2011

Just how ‘spontaneous’ was Vincent Gray’s arrest?

By Mike DeBonis

While Mayor Vincent C. Gray has portrayed his April 11 arrest as ‘spontaneous combustion,’ a union leader says his top deputy knew ahead of time.

By Mike DeBonis | 07:00 PM ET, 04/19/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)

Posted at 04:22 PM ET, 04/19/2011

D.C. moves to restore federal scholarship program

By Mike DeBonis

Congressional budget machinations have meant the end of the federal Leveraging Educational Assistance Partnerships program, which provides scholarships to low-income students.

By Mike DeBonis | 04:22 PM ET, 04/19/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)

Posted at 12:51 PM ET, 04/19/2011

Gabe Klein tapped to run Chicago transportation department

By Mike DeBonis

Mayor-elect Rahm Emanuel has tapped Fenty transportation chief Gabe Klein to joins his administration.

By Mike DeBonis | 12:51 PM ET, 04/19/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)

Posted at 10:41 AM ET, 04/19/2011

DeMorning DeBonis: April 19, 2011

By Mike DeBonis

A comprehensive roundup of D.C. politics news and opinions

By Mike DeBonis | 10:41 AM ET, 04/19/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)

Posted at 01:49 PM ET, 04/18/2011

Former D.C. Council member Carol Schwartz calls for tax resistance

By Mike DeBonis

Carol Schwartz suggests in a Washington Post letter that District residents withhold their federal income taxes to protest the city’s lack of congressional representation.

By Mike DeBonis | 01:49 PM ET, 04/18/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)

Posted at 09:31 AM ET, 04/18/2011

DeMorning DeBonis: April 18, 2011

By Mike DeBonis

A comprehensive roundup of D.C. politics news and opinions

By Mike DeBonis | 09:31 AM ET, 04/18/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)

Posted at 06:31 PM ET, 04/15/2011

Passover won’t mean change in special election, judge rules

By Mike DeBonis

An upcoming District special election will not be extended to accommodate Jews observing Passover, a federal judge ruled Friday.

By Mike DeBonis | 06:31 PM ET, 04/15/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)

Posted at 05:50 PM ET, 04/15/2011

Tardy tax day? Thank Vincent Orange.

By Mike DeBonis

America, today is April 15, but you have until Monday to file your taxes. For that, you can thank Vincent B. Orange Sr.

By Mike DeBonis | 05:50 PM ET, 04/15/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)

Posted at 11:51 AM ET, 04/15/2011

DeMorning DeBonis: April 15, 2011

By Mike DeBonis

A comprehensive roundup of D.C. politics news and opinions

By Mike DeBonis | 11:51 AM ET, 04/15/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)

Posted at 11:47 AM ET, 04/15/2011

Adrian Fenty at Harvard: ‘Governments have grown too big’

By Mike DeBonis

Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government this week posted video of an interview with former Mayor Adrian M. Fenty, who visited the university last month to talk about his term as mayor

By Mike DeBonis | 11:47 AM ET, 04/15/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)

Posted at 07:52 PM ET, 04/14/2011

UDC board chair responds to Sessoms audit

By Mike DeBonis

University of the District of Columbia Board of Trustees Chairman Joseph L. Askew Jr. says it is

By Mike DeBonis | 07:52 PM ET, 04/14/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)

Posted at 10:26 AM ET, 04/14/2011

DeMorning DeBonis: April 14, 2011

By Mike DeBonis

A comprehensive roundup of D.C. politics news and opinions

By Mike DeBonis | 10:26 AM ET, 04/14/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)

Posted at 06:41 PM ET, 04/13/2011

Rabbi sues D.C. election board over Passover conflict

By Mike DeBonis

A local rabbi is suing the District’s elections board, claiming that observant Jews will be precluded from voting in a special election set for later this month

By Mike DeBonis | 06:41 PM ET, 04/13/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)

Posted at 03:13 PM ET, 04/13/2011

Meet the ‘D.C. 41,’ arrested during protest

By Mike DeBonis

The U.S. Capitol Police have released a list of the 41 people arrested Monday evening for unlawful assembly during a protest of the federal budget deal

By Mike DeBonis | 03:13 PM ET, 04/13/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)

Posted at 01:20 PM ET, 04/13/2011

Vincent Gray debates Bill O’Reilly

By Mike DeBonis

Mayor Vincent Gray appeared Tuesday night on Fox News’ “O’Reilly Factor” to discuss the District’s struggle for autonomy.

By Mike DeBonis | 01:20 PM ET, 04/13/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)

Posted at 12:02 PM ET, 04/13/2011

DeMorning DeBonis: April 13, 2011

By Mike DeBonis

A comprehensive roundup of D.C. politics news and opinions

By Mike DeBonis | 12:02 PM ET, 04/13/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)

Posted at 06:03 PM ET, 04/12/2011

White House on D.C. deal: ‘Tough choices were made’

By Mike DeBonis

In response to furious District officials, White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said the decision to restrict D.C.’s funding of abortions saved other health funding

By Mike DeBonis | 06:03 PM ET, 04/12/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)

Posted at 12:50 PM ET, 04/12/2011

DeAfternoon DeBonis: April 12, 2011

By Mike DeBonis

A comprehensive roundup of D.C. politics news and opinions

By Mike DeBonis | 12:50 PM ET, 04/12/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)

Posted at 09:39 PM ET, 04/11/2011

D.C. abortion funding: the facts

By Mike DeBonis

Since District-funded health plans started covering abortions last August, taxpayers have been billed for 117 elective abortions, totaling about $62,000.

By Mike DeBonis | 09:39 PM ET, 04/11/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)

Posted at 05:09 PM ET, 04/11/2011

Marshall Brown dismissed from Biddle campaign after Post comments

By

The father of D.C. Council Chairman Kwame R. Brown has been sacked as an adviser to a D.C. Council campaign after racially charged comments were published in a Washington Post article

By | 05:09 PM ET, 04/11/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)

Posted at 02:27 PM ET, 04/11/2011

D.C. fleet management needs improvement, draft report finds

By Mike DeBonis

A D.C. Council review of city vehicle management finds multiple lapses in oversight.

By Mike DeBonis | 02:27 PM ET, 04/11/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)

Posted at 12:01 PM ET, 04/11/2011

D.C. budget roundup: Everybody hurts!

By Mike DeBonis

By Mike DeBonis | 12:01 PM ET, 04/11/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)

Posted at 11:58 AM ET, 04/11/2011

DeMorning DeBonis: April 11, 2011

By Mike DeBonis

A comprehensive roundup of D.C. politics news and opinions

By Mike DeBonis | 11:58 AM ET, 04/11/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)

Posted at 05:36 PM ET, 04/08/2011

Emails, testimony reveal details of Sulaimon Brown hire

By Mike DeBonis

A D.C. Council inquiry has provided new details on how a minor mayoral candidate landed a city job.

By Mike DeBonis | 05:36 PM ET, 04/08/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)

Posted at 03:08 PM ET, 04/08/2011

Gray calls emergency cabinet meeting to finalize shutdown plan

By Mike DeBonis

A Gray spokesman calls the 4 p.m. meeting “an opportunity to go over the plan once again and make sure everyone’s on the same page.”

By Mike DeBonis | 03:08 PM ET, 04/08/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)

Posted at 12:37 PM ET, 04/08/2011

DeMorning DeBonis: April 8, 2011

By Mike DeBonis

A comprehensive roundup of D.C. politics news and opinions

By Mike DeBonis | 12:37 PM ET, 04/08/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)

Posted at 10:30 AM ET, 04/07/2011

DeMorning DeBonis: April 7, 2011

By Mike DeBonis

A comprehensive roundup of D.C. politics news and opinions

By Mike DeBonis | 10:30 AM ET, 04/07/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)

Posted at 01:40 PM ET, 04/06/2011

Sekou Biddle deals with his Kwame Brown problem

By Mike DeBonis

Sekou Biddle, running for an at-large council seat, has learned that an endorsement from the embattled D.C. Council chairman has come with more drawbacks than benefits

By Mike DeBonis | 01:40 PM ET, 04/06/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)

Posted at 09:52 AM ET, 04/06/2011

DeMorning DeBonis: April 6, 2011

By Mike DeBonis

A comprehensive roundup of D.C. politics news and opinions

By Mike DeBonis | 09:52 AM ET, 04/06/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)

Posted at 04:48 PM ET, 04/05/2011

Audit: Kwame Brown’s 2008 campaign sent funds to brother’s company

By Mike DeBonis

A new D.C. Office of Campaign Finance audit finds numerous and significant irregularities in D.C. Council chairman’s campaign filings.

By Mike DeBonis | 04:48 PM ET, 04/05/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)

Posted at 02:32 PM ET, 04/05/2011

Theater, music, art shows to be subject to sales tax under Gray proposal

By Mike DeBonis

A budget plan submitted by Mayor Vincent Gray would extend the city sales tax to dance performances, concerts, plays, musicals, art exhibitions and more.

By Mike DeBonis | 02:32 PM ET, 04/05/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)

Posted at 01:22 PM ET, 04/05/2011

DeAfternoon DeBonis: April 5, 2011

By Mike DeBonis

A comprehensive roundup of D.C. politics news and opinions

By Mike DeBonis | 01:22 PM ET, 04/05/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)

Posted at 09:38 PM ET, 04/04/2011

Does the D.C. pension system already need to be saved?

By Mike DeBonis

The District of Columbia has the enviable and fairly unique position among local governments of having its employee retirement obligations fully funded. But D.C. Council member David A. Catania says that the District is tiptoeing down a path to insolvency.

By Mike DeBonis | 09:38 PM ET, 04/04/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)

Posted at 05:45 PM ET, 04/04/2011

Anniversary: 43 years after the riots

By Mike DeBonis

By Mike DeBonis | 05:45 PM ET, 04/04/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)

Posted at 02:29 PM ET, 04/04/2011

D.C. fire protection gets high marks from raters

By Mike DeBonis

Almost four years after a pair of devastating blazes raised questions about the District’s fire protection system, city residents have a new reason to have confidence

By Mike DeBonis | 02:29 PM ET, 04/04/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)