Mexican authorities arrest “La Barbie”
You can hear a Mexican ballad that extols the virtues of the drug boss, and how he’s such an intelligent businessman. Great stuff.
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How to spark readers’ interest and tell a hell of a story they won’t forget
Chivers left us hanging. He didn’t immediately tell us if the boy lived. And that suspense is a good thing.
Windcrest had poor oversight of Rackspace deal; financial controls were a ‘gooey mess’
Windcrest officials put too much faith in the Cains and failed to closely watch the deal with Rackspace.
Constitution of the Mexican Mafia: Democracy, respect and no bets worth more than ice cream
Constitution of the Mexican Mafia in Texas by John Tedesco Express-News Reporter Guillermo Contreras is covering a federal trial involving the Mexican Mafia, and he wrote about a fascinating court exhibit: The constitution of the Mexican Mafia in Texas. This document was posted on mySA.com today, and it’s all about setting a strong social structure … Read more
Does risk of police chases outweigh benefits of capturing suspects?
I had always wanted to write a story about police chases after I watched a crazy high-speed pursuit unfold on local TV. I wondered how often these chases go bad, and how the San Antonio Police Department keeps track of that information. Law enforcement agencies usually churn out paperwork for every situation known to man. … Read more
Firm tied to San Antonio official landed plum job at the Rim shopping center
City hall reporter Josh Baugh and I learned a few more scraps of information about fired city employee Fernando De León; the permit company owned by his sister; and possible reasons why the FBI and police are investigating them. First, some background: On March 26 — a lazy, Friday afternoon in the newsroom — Josh … Read more
San Antonio police officer accused of digging up personal data of women while on duty
Earlier this month, Express-News reporter Brian Chasnoff learned the San Antonio Police Department was investigating one of its own, officer Gabriel Villarreal, after a woman complained about the officer’s behavior. The woman worked at the Art of Shaving boutique at the Shops at La Cantera. She met Villarreal and his family and sold him $400 … Read more
Texas Rangers: Cain brothers conspired to defraud Rackspace, city of Windcrest
Business writers Patrick Danner and Jason Buch wrote a story today that revealed new details about an investigation of brothers Ronnie and Gary Cain, who had played a key role in helping Rackspace Hosting Inc. set up its headquarters at the old Windsor Park Mall in Windcrest, outside San Antonio: The former city manager of … Read more
The stories behind the Pulitzer winners
The Pulitzer Prizes were awarded to some outstanding journalists today. Long before the awards were announced, several of the reporters had already been interviewed about how they chased down difficult, complex stories that made a difference: Poynter’s Mallary Jean Tenore interviewed Daniel Gilbert about how he found the time at a small newspaper to uncover … Read more
FBI examined records at Pape-Dawson Engineers in probe of permit company
Last week, FBI agents and white-collar crime police detectives questioned Fernando De León, a city official in San Antonio who oversaw the permitting process for real estate development. We published a story today with more details: Related: Former San Antonio official Fernando De Leon faces federal charges in alleged bribery scheme Federal authorities subpoenaed records … Read more