D.C Mayor Fenty takes care of his friends

The D.C. Housing Authority cut a check on Christmas Eve for $2.5 million to Banneker Ventures, the firm at the center of the D.C. Council probe into recreation construction projects, despite the council's unanimous vote earlier last month to terminate a contract with the company owned by a friend of Mayor Adrian M. Fenty's.

The holiday payment, disclosed at a Friday hearing, angered council members, who questioned whether the Fenty administration had once again circumvented the legislative body. Some council members said the payment was illegal. Fenty's aides said the check was for services rendered by Banneker and its subcontractors. The council vote, they said, ended work by the firm.

Council members said they were in awe of the recent events, considering the ongoing investigation and the council's Dec. 15 vote to remove Banneker as manager of the construction projects. The vote effectively terminated Banneker's base $4.2 million contract and the agreements with several subcontractors that the firm selected to complete $82 million in construction.