Phew! It's been quite the year, huh? In this periodic end-of-the-year series, we look at the people and places that made 2011 what it was. In this installment, it's Sulaimon Brown. more ›

After Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) angered the D.C. Council by proposing legislation in late October that would require background checks for senior government officials, councilmembers moved today on their own version of the legislation that would prevent many of the hiring scandals that have plagued Mayor Vince Gray this year. more ›

The last we heard from Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA), he was talking about expanded budget autonomy. Today, he's apparently headed in the opposite direction, introducing legislation that would dictate D.C. government hiring practices. more ›

Good morning, Washington. Howard University refuses to relegate homecoming to a single weekend’s football game. Instead, the historically black university boasts a multi-day bash that’s said to be unrivaled in the Mid-Atlantic. The 87th annual cultural celebration kicked off last week, and this morning is the university's spirited homecoming parade. The event kicked off at 9:30 am, so go grab a spot along Georgia Avenue near Banneker High School for a good view of the procession. more ›

We all know that federal prosecutors are still looking into Mayor Vince Gray's 2010 campaign, notably claims that campaign staffers paid fellow candidate Sulaimon Brown to attack Adrian Fenty and that they illegally accepted cash contributions and turned them into money orders. more ›

Earlier this morning, Brown was arrested in the District for driving on a suspended Maryland license. more ›

When the D.C. Council committee investigating the Sulaimon Brown scandal rolled out its final report a few weeks back, D.C. Councilmember Mary Cheh (D-Ward 3) was careful to note that because of an unfulfilled subpoena for documents from Brown, the whole affair could be dragged back into public view at any time. more ›

The flirtations were intense and the relationship rocky, but the District's affair with Sulaimon Brown and the wide-ranging investigation he provoked came to a quick and quiet end today. more ›

Nepotism. Cronyism. Excessive salaries and bonuses. Perjury. These are all acts that a D.C. Council committee has found were committed by the Gray administration earlier this year, which are outlined in a 47-page report (with hundreds of pages of accompanying documentation) detailing how former failed mayoral candidate Sulaimon Brown got himself a $110,000-a-year government job despite scant qualifications for it. more ›

Yup, this is awesome. I mean, "Sunglasses at Night"? Well done, WAMU producer Michael Martinez, well done. more ›

It should have been clear from the outset that it wasn't going to be any normal D.C. Council hearing. The star witness, after all, refused to take off the sunglasses he was wearing. more ›

UPDATE: Oh, it looks like it's back up. Go, go, go, local political wonks! more ›

Tomorrow, Sulaimon Brown will finally testify in front of Mary Cheh's Council committee on government operations. And there'll be something new to talk about: the Post's Nikita Stewart reports that while preparing for his testimony, Brown located the money orders he claims the Vince Gray campaign gave him to disparage former mayor Adrian Fenty during last fall's election. more ›

Earlier today, we suggested that someone from the Council's subpoena-serving office get down to Moultrie Courthouse, where Sulaimon Brown was to testify this afternoon. Turns out that wasn't necessary: Brown voluntarily said he'd testify during the hearing, reports Mike DeBonis. He'll appear June 6. more ›

Sulaimon Brown, the elusive individual who has so far done quite the job ducking the D.C. Council's attempts to subpoena and compel him to testify about the hiring practices of the Gray administration, will appear in D.C. Superior Court this afternoon. more ›

Since January, Sulaimon Brown has been the center of attention. But our crack team of satirical investigators has uncovered a fairly damning record of where Brown has been for the last few months. more ›

The D.C. Council passed emergency legislation yesterday which would allow it to take Sulaimon Brown and Cherita Whiting to court in order enforce subpoenas to compel their testimony -- and the strategy might actually work. more ›

UPDATE: Quick work by the Council! (Hey, maybe they all wanted to go get in line at Shake Shack.) After introducing the bill, Cheh and Tommy Wells had a brief back and forth regarding punishments for ducking the subpoena (basically, anyone doing so would be held in contempt), then the bill passed. more ›

Both Sulaimon Brown and Cherita Whiting, who the Council spent serious time and effort subpoenaing to appear at a hearing on the hiring practices of the Gray administration, didn't show up as expected at the Wilson Building today. more ›

Somewhat lost in the Sulaimonmania has been the hiring of Cherita Whiting, who got a plum job in the Department of Parks and Recreation before resigning in April because she failed to disclose a 2001 felony conviction. But the Washington Times' Jeffrey Anderson has remained on the case! more ›

The lengthy quest of Mary Cheh's office to serve a subpoena to Sulaimon Brown and Cherita Whiting has ended! A statement released this afternoon by the Councilmember says that Brown and Whiting were served notice via certified mail and are expected to appear before the Committee on Government Operations and the Environment on May 13. Mark your calendars, people. more ›

No, really: have you seen Sulaimon Brown? If so, Mary Cheh would really appreciate it if you would let her know. more ›

You think the District's the only place where people with connections (allegedly) proposition the guy in charge for a high-paying job? Think again. Confederate General Robert E. Lee was fielding these kind of requests back in the 1860s, guys. more ›

Since Sulaimon Brown appears to have no intention of abiding by Councilmember Mary Cheh's subpoena to testify in front of the Council about his claims that the Gray campaign paid him and gave him a job, we're left to hope that other people can piece together the gaps in the story. For example: on this morning's "The Politics Program" with Mark Plotkin, Mayor Vince Gray was finally able to recall the subject of a 14-minute phone call he had with Brown on July 15. more ›

Sulaimon Brown apparently made an appearance inside the Wilson Building this afternoon, told reporters that he wasn't going to testify, then left as staffers for Councilmember Mary Cheh scattered to try and serve him with a subpoena. So, yeah, that happened. more ›

We've now passed the hour mark on Ward 3 Councilmember Mary Cheh's oversight hearing on the hiring policies of Mayor Vince Gray and his administration. But so far, the most notable news is who isn't testifying at the hearing: Sulaimon Brown, former Gray Chief of Staff Gerri Mason Hall, Gray campaign chair Lorraine Green and campaign consultant and alleged bag man Howard Brooks, who weren't even on the hearing's witness list. more ›

At a press conference today, Mayor Vince Gray announced that the District is filing a lawsuit against a surprising target -- the Travelocity gnome. more ›