Investigative Journalist in Houston, Texas
If you drive through the bustling oil patch of the Eagle Ford Shale near San Antonio, it won’t take long to find the surreal sight of flares burning natural gas like perpetual bonfires. Natural gas is cheap. Pipelines are expensive. So instead of collecting the fossil fuel, many oil and gas operators build tall, metallic …
If you live in Bexar County, someone claiming to be with the Deputy Sheriff’s Association of Bexar County might have called you recently, asking for money. The caller probably promised that every penny of your donation stays in Bexar County. You were probably told that it all goes to a worthy cause. Like most sales …
This must be the first time in history when a comedian analyzed IRS tax records for nonprofits, uncovered unflattering news about the Miss America pageant, and boiled it all down in hilarious fashion. John Oliver is amazing.
I couldn’t attend the 2014 Investigative Reporters and Editors conference in San Francisco this year. But thankfully, Google researcher Daniel Russell was there. He gave another excellent presentation about search-engine strategies and posted his advice online. As the Uber Tech Lead at Google, Dan studies how people search the web. He started sharing little-known search …
How Castro went from having “zero interest in Washington” to being a possible contender for vice president. Storify byJohn Tedesco 4 years ago Edit Julián Castro’s journey to Washington Last week, San Antonio Express-News columnist Brian Chasnoff broke the news that Mayor Julián Castro could be moving to Washington to join the Obama …
In February 2009, an 8-year-old girl from Schertz died, alone, of acute appendicitis — a disease that could have easily been treated if caught in time. In the hours leading up to her death, people concerned about the girl — including officers from the Schertz Police Department — had warned the Texas Department of Child …
Express-News Reporter Guillermo Contreras, who covers the federal courts beat, has been writing scoop after scoop about an FBI investigation at the Bexar County courthouse in San Antonio. The latest bombshell is a story about a plea deal for local defense lawyer Alberto “Al” Acevedo Jr., who lays out in excruciating detail how he bribed …
Last night Jen and I enjoyed a rare date night at one of our favorite restaurants downtown, Bohanan’s, a swanky oasis of cocktails, jazz — and no screaming Tedesco children. If you’ve ever wondered exactly how much money your favorite haunt makes in alcohol sales, there’s now an easy way to find out. Joe Kokenge, …
Express-News reporter Michelle Mondo spent 18 months investigating the bizarre case of the “San Antonio Four” — four women accused of sexually assaulting two girls over the course of a weekend filled with debauchery and Satan worship. Michelle’s meticulously researched article raised questions about the evidence and the credibility of the accusers, who might have …
In March 2010, San Antonio police detectives and FBI agents visited the city’s Planning and Development Services Department, the place where real estate projects go to live or die based on whether the necessary permits are approved. One of the officials who signed off on those permits was Fernando De León, the department’s friendly, soft-spoken …