Investigative Journalist in Houston, Texas
More outstanding reporting by Tracy Idell Hamilton and Anton Caputo, who have been writing story after story about the secrecy at CPS Energy. The city-owned utility spent the summer touting a proposed $13 billion expansion of the South Texas Project nuclear plant. Problem is, the actual price could be as much as $4 billion higher …
Check out this Chesterfield Cigarette ad published in the San Antonio Express newspaper in 1919: Chesterfields satisfy your smoke-hunger just as a drink of cold water satisfies your thirst. They go straight to your smoke-spot. Anita Baca, a photo editor at the Express-News, brought in a gigantic volume of aged, crinkly newspapers from 1919. The …
Mayor Julian Castro and San Antonio City Council members are criticizing CPS Energy for failing to disclose the true financial costs of a proposed expansion at the South Texas Project nuclear plant. They’re asking why a city-owned utility can’t be more transparent. All this cloak-and-dagger suspense reminded me of a weird encounter I had with …
Nice scoop by Anton Caputo and Tracy Idell Hamilton: CPS Energy knew a year ago that contractor Toshiba Inc. wanted at least $4 billion more than San Antonio was willing to pay for the nuclear expansion, according to several sources close to the deal. Despite this, utility officials used a much lower figure as they …
Once upon a time, Body Solutions was the talk of San Antonio and no one questioned the company’s weight-loss claims. Then the Express-News published two outstanding watchdog stories revealing how the company was founded by a tabloid journalist named Harry Siskind, and no proof existed that the diet products actually worked. That’s why newspapers are …
The Air Force nurse accused of killing three civilian patients at Wilford Hall Medical Center in San Antonio was acquitted Saturday of murder charges. Scott Huddleston writes: In a swift verdict Saturday, a military judge acquitted Capt. Michael Fontana, an Air Force nurse being tried on charges of murdering three patients. “Capt. Fontana, this court …
You can also be your own title company and conduct your own research for any property.
This weekend my cousin and I used Bexar County’s amazing Web site of historical documents to research the history of my stucco house near Woodlawn Lake, which was built in 1924. I blogged yesterday about the racial restrictions that were written in the first deed for my home. The deed prohibited the homeowner from selling …
The old but well-constructed houses in my neighborhood near Woodlawn Lake have always interested me. The homes are all different — my house is stucco, while my neighbor’s house is brick. But they share stylistic touches, like the tiny octangular bathroom tiles, the smooth fireplaces, and the phone nooks built in the walls. There must …
What others are saying about watchdog journalism: Columbia Journalism Review: Stop the grave dancing and figure out how to support full-time journalism. Poynter: Mallary Jean Tenore reviews the offerings of public data and watchdog stories posted by the new Texas Tribune.