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Texas watchdog journalism roundup for Oct. 21, 2018

Wage theft on the Texas border
Credit: San Antonio Express-News

Welcome to the latest installment of the Texas watchdog journalism roundup, a showcase of investigative stories that uncover hidden facts, hold officials accountable and demonstrate why journalism matters.

Immigrant who sued, won back pay, now in hiding for his life | The San Antonio Express-News

Trapped between the Rio Grande and border checkpoints, Sandro Garcia Moreno is among thousands of undocumented immigrants being ripped off by unscrupulous employers. The Express-News analyzed a database of federal wage-theft investigations and found the Rio Grande Valley is a prolific source of worker complaints.

“Since the Labor Department began keeping public records in 1984, three of the five cities with the highest number of wage theft investigations are in Texas. And eight of the top 20 ZIP codes in the country with the most investigations are in South Texas. Five of them are in the Rio Grande Valley.” Story by Luke Whyte

Out of Control | The Houston Chronicle

Traffic deaths kill hundreds of people every year in the Houston area, which leads the nation in fatal crashes involving drugs and alcohol, but little is done to stop the carnage. The Houston Chronicle analyzed traffic data and police records and interviewed scores of experts and victims to put the staggering problem in perspective.

“The death toll is the equivalent of three fully-loaded 737s crashing each year at Houston’s airports, killing all aboard. Losing that many planes and passengers would lead to federal hearings, but the Houston roadway deaths are met largely with silence, other than the occasional warning from public safety officials to drive safely and be careful crossing the street.” Story by Dug Begley and St. John Barned-Smith

How Atmos Energy’s natural gas keeps blowing up Texas homes | The Dallas Morning News

A review of thousands of regulatory records, lawsuits and news reports by the Dallas Morning News revealed that more than two dozen homes across North and Central Texas have blown up since 2006 because of leaking natural gas, killing nine people and injuring 22 others. The investigation focused on old, corroded gas pipes owned by Atmos Energy. Story by Cary Aspinwall and Holly K. Hacker

What do we owe her now? | The Washington Post

Elizabeth Bruenig visited her old high school in Arlington, Texas, to learn the real story behind an ugly memory — rumors of a student who was raped, ostracized and forced to leave the school. Bruenig reviewed police documents, interviewed witnesses, and talked to the victim, Amber Wyatt, to find out what really happened and why the case was never prosecuted.

“Making sense of her ordeal meant tracing a web of failures, lies, abdications and predations, at the center of which was a node of power that, though anonymous and dispersed, was nonetheless tilted firmly against a young, vulnerable girl.” Story by Elizabeth Bruenig

Inside Texas State’s year of hate: neo-Nazi propaganda fight | The Austin American-Statesman

Internal emails obtained by the Austin American-Statesman reveal how Texas State University struggled to respond to dangerous hate speech spreading across campus. The emails, which the university tried to withhold from the newspaper, showed the problem wasn’t entirely coming from outside agitators as school officials claimed — students were actually behind some of the inflammatory fliers being posted on campus and inside dorms. Story by Jeremy Schwartz

Breaking all the rules: Lax oversight undercuts Houston housing program goals | The Houston Chronicle

An investigation of the Houston Land Bank revealed there was “little to no oversight” from city officials who said they had no idea how many reduced-prices homes actually went to low-income buyers.

“It was not until the Chronicle started asking questions last year that housing department leaders grasped the rules surrounding the program, and it took them a year to take steps to begin enforcing them, undercutting Houston’s housing goals at a time when rising prices are putting homeownership out of reach for an ever-growing share of families,” the investigation found. Story by Mike Morris

Federal agency sent immigrant kids to dangerous youth facility, despite warning signs | Reveal from the Center for investigative Reporting

Despite multiple deaths and complaints at the Shiloh Treatment Center south of Houston, the federal government has signed lucrative agreements worth $33 million with the center to hold immigrant children.

“The federal Office of Refugee Resettlement continued to send immigrant children to Hill’s care after another teenager was killed during a restraint and the state of Texas shut down one of his facilities, deeming it unsafe for children,” the investigation found. Story by Will Evans, Lance Williams and Matt Smith

Farenthold tried to steer federal contract to Calhoun port chairman | The Victoria Advocate

Records obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request show that former Texas Congressman Blake Farenthold tried to steer a federal contract to a business owned by the chairman of the Calhoun Port Authority. The authority later hired the former congressman after Farenthold resigned amid a sexual harassment scandal. Story by Jessica Priest

Dallas housing agency gave deals worth at least $50,000 to its board members | The Dallas Morning News

The Dallas City Council stopped the Dallas Housing Finance Corporation from awarding contracts to its board members after a newspaper investigation revealed the obscure city housing agency had been awarding thousands of dollars to members of its board. Story by Sue Ambrose

El Paso police overtime policy doesn’t stop dangerous shifts, big payouts | The El Paso Times and Reveal from The Center for Investigative Reporting

An analysis of El Paso Police Department overtime data shows that some officers worked dangerously long hours and dramatically increased their taxpayer-funded salary. The officers have crashed cars and at least one was accused of being asleep at the wheel. Story by Elida Perez

Texas prisons often deny dentures to inmates with no teeth | The Houston Chronicle

The Texas prison system is changing its policies after the Houston Chronicle revealed that prisoners with few or no teeth are routinely denied dentures and must eat pureed food.

“In 2016, prison medical providers approved giving out 71 dentures to a population of more than 149,000 inmates, many of whom are elderly, have a history of drug use or came from impoverished backgrounds with sub-par dental care to begin with.” Story by Keri Blakinger

Unpaid: Inside the ‘lawless jungle’ of worker exploitation after Hurricane Harvey | The Dallas Morning News and Reveal from the Center for Investigative Reporting

In the blitz of construction and rebuilding after Hurricane Harvey, state officials were ill-prepared to handle claims of wage theft from workers who said they were shortchanged or never paid by their employers.

“Texas’ process for investigating unpaid wages is ill-suited to tackle the problem,” the investigation found. “Over the last nine years, the commission investigated an average of 13,180 wage claims annually. Splitting the claims among the 19 labor law investigators on staff gives each one nearly 700 cases a year.” Story by James Barragan

Dallas police sergeant collected millions for fallen officers. A fraction went to the families | The Dallas Morning News

After a gunman killed five Dallas police officers in 2016, millions of dollars were raised in donations for the fallen officers’ families. But most of that money instead went to telemarketing companies and obscure charities overseen by a Dallas police sergeant named Demetrick Pennie.

“Last year, for every $100 donated to Pennie’s Texas Fallen Officer Foundation, just $5 went to families, while $74 went to telemarketers, $15 to cash reserves and $6 to travel, meals and expenses for Pennie and his team,” the Dallas Morning News reported. Story by Naomi Martin Ariana Giorgi

Even after Harvey, Houston keeps adding new homes in flood plains | The Houston Chronicle

An analysis by the Houston Chronicle shows that one in five new homes being built in Houston in the year after Hurricane Harvey is in a flood plain — even as new rainfall data showed existing flood maps understate the risk posed by strengthening storms. “The city just lets it happen over and over again,” one resident complained. Story by Mike Morris and Matt Dempsey

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