Investigative Journalist in Houston, Texas
A look at enterprising journalism at the San Antonio Express-News and how it’s done.
If you’re voting today, Josh Baugh explains what Proposition 1 is really about: In spring 2008, local lobbyist David Earl began touting a plan that he said would simultaneously curtail encroachment on Camp Bullis and relieve gridlock on the far North Side. Estimated to cost as much as $190 million, the project called for the …
Reporter Karisa King wrote a story published Sunday that revealed state Rep. David Leibowitz, D-San Antonio, is accused of defaulting on $5.5 million in debt. Aside from being an interesting read (Leibowitz denies owing that much money), the story is a good example of the power of public documents. Related: Different ways to contact a …
Express-News reader Jamie Blount might have shown us the future of newspapers in this letter to the editor today: While I don’t like the dismal news about how newspapers have fallen on hard times, I like the way the San Antonio Express-News has confronted the problem. I read the complete edition of the SAEN online …
Last week, sports editor Brad Lehman asked me to look into the death of Mark Pace, a 58-year-old jockey who died Oct. 18 at an Oklahoma racetrack. Brad wanted to know how this old jockey, who had little recent experience racing, ended up on that horse. Finding the answer was difficult because it turned out …
One of the interesting things about journalism is you learn something new every day. And this odd story definitely qualifies. Jarrette Schule found what appears to be an anti-tank missile launcher on his rural property in the Hill Country. When I visited Jarrette and saw the missile launcher, I realized I would have to try …
Whenever a real estate developer bulldozes majestic oaks or paves over environmentally sensitive land on the Edwards Aquifer recharge zone, it’s usually because he has “vested rights.” He’s grandfathered from city codes, and he can do whatever he wants on a property. But sometimes trees are cut down not because of vested rights, but because …
We’ve all heard of ambulance-chasing lawyers who prey on vulnerable accident victims to get their business. But how exactly do these lawyers get around anti-barratry laws? Who’s doing it? And who gets hurt? Investigative reporter John MacCormack wrote an intriguing story that dives into the shady world of ambulance chasing. He names names and explains …
Scott Huddleston continues to dig up interesting stories about the Daughters of the Republic of Texas, the caretakers of the Alamo. In today’s story, Scott looked at how the nonprofit organization spends proceeds from the sale of Texas license plates. Scott discovered the Alamo isn’t getting a very big cut: Since the sale of the …
The San Antonio Express-News has been delving into many story angles about the proposed expansion of the South Texas Project nuclear plant near Bay City. CPS Energy wants to invest more than $5 billion for two new reactors, which has touched off a heated debate in San Antonio. For today’s story about nuclear safety, I …
Randy Bear, one of the more thoughtful bloggers in the San Antonio area, lamented the slow decline of newspapers and cautioned his readers yesterday that blogs aren’t authoritative: Bloggers such as myself don’t have the time to invest in vetting stories to make sure the information is completely accurate. In many cases I rely on …