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Must reads: Texas watchdog journalism roundup for July 9, 2017

Lost Immigrants
Credit: San Antonio Express-News

Investigative stories across Texas about the death of immigrants on the border, trouble at the TABC and a crisis at the Dallas police Department:

Lack of sharing, limited resources impede identification of migrant remains | San Antonio Express-News

“Funded by a grant from the Pulitzer Center for Crisis Reporting, reporter Aaron Nelsen and photographer Julysa Sosa traveled more than 3,000 miles for three weeks chronicling a caravan of Central American mothers and other family members on a heart-wrenching journey: trying to find out what happened to their loved ones, who disappeared while making the dangerous trek to the United States. But many are denied even the bitter closure of burial because lack of shared DNA databases, international conflicts and shifting immigration policies are preventing the identification of an untold number of remains.” Story by Aaron Nelsen

Two more liquor regulators leaving troubled TABC | The Texas Tribune

“Two fresh departures from the troubled Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission bring to five the number of high-level officials calling it quits since The Texas Tribune began publishing a series of stories about lavish spending, mismanagement and regulatory overreach at TABC.” Story by Jay Root

Dallas police in ‘crisis situation’ fueled by low morale, pension mess, veteran exodus | Dallas Morning News

“Community leaders in Pleasant Grove tell anyone calling 911 to say they saw a gun or a knife — whether they did or not. It’s a tactic Bonnie Mathias learned from a police officer to trigger a quicker response from authorities. And as the Dallas Police Department continues to shrink, the chairwoman of the Texas Organizing Project of Pleasant Grove said her neighborhood is bracing for slower response times. ‘Our officers are spread so thin that response times are just ridiculous.'” Story by Tasha Tsiaperas and Naheed Rajwani

Military still booting troops with service-related mental health disorders for misconduct | San Antonio Express-News

“Greco belongs to the multitudes of Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans separated from the military for misconduct while coping with mental health disorders connected to their service. During a recent five-year period, tens of thousands of troops with diagnosed conditions received less than honorable discharges, stripping them of some or all of their medical, housing, education and additional benefits that could ease their re-entry to the civilian realm.” Story by Martin Kuz

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