Schlitterbahn co-owner plagued with financial, legal troubles before murder charge in boy’s death | The San Antonio Express-News

Express-News reporters dug through court files and state records to reveal the troubled history of Schlitterbahn co-owner Jeff Henry, who was arrested in connection with the death of a 10-year-old boy who died on a towering, 17-story tall Schiltterbahn water slide in Kansas. Story by Joshua Fechter, Zeke MacCormack and Patrick Danner

Sid Miller put ex-doctor with 2 revoked licenses on rural health panel | The Austin American-Statesman

Rick Ray Redalen, a former physician who had his medical license revoked or suspended in three states, was appointed by Texas Agricultural Commissioner Sid Miller in 2016 to the state’s Rural Health Task Force after contributing $17,000 to Miller’s campaign. Buck Wood, a lawyer who helped write many of Texas’ ethics laws, said the situation “sure stinks to high heaven.” Story by Sean Collins Walsh

Silent Spills: In Houston and beyond, Harvey’s spills leave a toxic legacy | The Houston Chronicle and the Associated Press

A review of county, state and federal records by reporters reveals far more toxic impact from Hurricane Harvey than authorities publicly reported after the storm slammed into the Texas coast in late August. “Benzene, vinyl chloride, butadiene and other known human carcinogens were among the dozens of tons of industrial chemicals released throughout Houston’s petrochemical corridor and surrounding neighborhoods and waterways following Harvey’s torrential rains,” the review found. Story by Frank Bajak and Lise Olsen

City official placed on leave after newspaper investigation found he helped friend get $825,000 housing gig | The Dallas Morning News

At least eight houses, paid for by the city of Dallas for people with limited incomes, have suffered construction problems — and all the homes were built by the friend of a city official who sought special permission to help get his pal some work, a Dallas Morning News investigation found. The city official was placed on leave as a result of the newspaper’s story. Story by Sue Ambrose and Sarah Mervosh

As wait times grow, calls to the Texas abuse hotline go unanswered | The Austin American-Statesman

A newspaper investigation found that “more than 100,000 callers each year to report potential child or elder abuse and neglect in Texas are hanging up before reaching an operator because of long wait times.” The Texas Department of Family and Protective Services is on track this year to exceed 180,000 abandoned calls to the agency’s abuse hotline, the most in at least a decade. Story by Julie Chang

Most homes damaged by Harvey were outside flood plain, data show | The Houston Chronicle

A new analysis by the Houston Chronicle shows most of the homes damaged by Hurricane Harvey’s floodwaters were outside the federally regulated 100-year flood plains. “The findings raise questions about local government plans to prevent flooding that focus on tightening building codes inside the flood plain. They also cast further doubt on the accuracy of the maps used to identify housing most in danger of flooding.” Story by David Hunn, Matt Dempsey and Mihir Zaveri

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The post Must reads: Texas watchdog journalism roundup for April 9, 2018 appeared first on John Tedesco.

The latest investigative stories in Texas that uncovered hidden facts and held officials accountable:

Apple served with search warrant in Sutherland Springs shooting | The San Antonio Express-News

Texas Rangers investigating the mass shooting in Sutherland Springs have served a search warrant on Silicon Valley giant Apple Inc. and are seeking digital photos, messages, documents and other types of data that might have been stored by gunman Devin Patrick Kelley, who was found with an iPhone after he killed himself. Story by John Tedesco and Kelsey Bradshaw

At the Texas Capitol, victims of sexual harassment must fend for themselves | The Texas Tribune

“Interviews with more than two dozen current and former lawmakers and legislative aides indicate sexual harassment regularly goes unchecked at the Texas Capitol. And sexual harassment policies rely on officials with little incentive or authority to enforce them, particularly in cases of harassment by lawmakers.” Story by Alexa Ura, Morgan Smith, Jolie McCullough and Edgar Walters

Reversing course, Austin council to reveal city manager finalists | The Austin American-Statesman

“Austin City Council members will reverse course on their secret search for a city manager and release up to five finalists’ names in the next few days, a week after the American-Statesman staked out candidate interviews and sued the city over refusing to release records on the search.” Story by Elizabeth Findell

Arkema documents: Planning, mechanical failures led to Harvey chemical fires | The Houston Chronicle

Poor planning and a series of cascading equipment failures led to dangerous chemicals erupting into flames in late August during the height of Hurricane Harvey at Arkema’s Crosby plant. “The miscalculations indicate the company’s lack of preparation for more than 3 feet of flooding, reflected by an emergency management plan that barely addressed how to handle such a storm.” Story by Matt Dempsey and Jacob Carpenter

Investigation finds corruption, intimidation at Temple VA campus | The Austin American-Statesman

Struggling veterans who work at the Department of Veterans Affairs’ Temple campus have lodged nearly 50 grievances in the past decade, claiming they’ve endured verbal tirades, witnessed thefts and were forced to perform personal work at the homes of high-ranking VA officials. An internal VA inquiry has finally corroborated their complaints. Story by Jeremy Schwartz

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The post Must reads: Texas watchdog journalism roundup for Nov. 19, 2017 appeared first on John Tedesco.

How renting furniture in Texas can land you in jail | The Texas Tribune and NerdWallet

“Rental companies can avail themselves of a little-known law written decades ago by the rental industry lobby — in Texas and in many other states — that can turn a dispute over a love seat or big screen TV into a criminal offense report, a trip to jail and even felony theft charges.” Story by Jay Root and Shannon Najmabadi

Tricentennial leaders crafted partnership with local TV station before releasing RFP | The San Antonio Express-News

“Emails obtained by the San Antonio Express-News under the Texas Public Information Act show that Tricentennial Commission officials, operating under city authority, had been discussing a partnership with KSAT since January 2016, raising questions about whether the commission appropriately handled the process of selecting that outlet as its broadcast partner.” Story by Josh Baugh

Charities still waiting for millions pledged for Harvey relief | The Houston Chronicle

“After Hurricane Harvey made landfall Aug. 25, major corporations such as Exxon Mobil Corp., Home Depot Inc. and Kellogg Co. announced big financial pledges to help the people of Texas and Louisiana feed their families and rebuild their homes. Two months later, at least $76 million in pledges from companies, foundations and individuals still has not been delivered to the designated charities, a Houston Chronicle review found.” Story by Emily L. Mahoney

Mayor Adler aide’s nonprofit benefited from lax oversight on city contracts | The Austin American-Statesman

“A nonprofit co-founded and once run by an Austin City Hall insider reaped $1 million in public money for programs he helped create, a seven-month American-Statesman investigation found. It was possible thanks, in part, to a city procurement system that allows departments to award millions in contracts with little oversight or accountability — or even having to put the work up for bid.” Story by Nolan Hicks

Cameras on school buses catch thousands breaking law; less than half of drivers pay fines | KSAT

School districts are trying to discourage drivers from endangering students who ride school buses. “But the KSAT Defenders have learned less than half of the drivers who are issued citations aren’t actually paying them and there’s not much that can be done to force drivers to pay up.” Story by Tim Gerber

Some high-profile local divorce cases are hidden from the public. Why? | The Fort Worth Star-Telegram

“A Star-Telegram investigation found a number of cases that cannot be accessed through the county’s computer system. The documents for about a half-dozen cases the Star-Telegram researched don’t appear, raising concerns about whether the public can actually find all the open records in Tarrant County’s family courts.” Story by Max B. Baker

Emails: ICE whiffed in hunt for Austin’s ‘egregious’ criminal immigrants | The Austin American-Statesman

“As the first nationwide immigration raids of the Trump administration were unfolding in February, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials struggled to justify their claims that they had netted serious criminals in the Austin area, according to internal emails published this week.” Story by Sean Collins Walsh

Everyone knew Houston’s reservoirs would flood — except for the people who bought homes inside them | The Texas Tribune and ProPublica

None of the residents interviewed after the floods say they knew they were living inside Addicks or Barker reservoirs — many of their neighborhoods are several miles away from the dams. Several local officials — including Houston’s ‘flood czar’ and a neighboring county executive — said they had no idea the neighborhoods had been built inside the flood pools. Several real estate agents said they didn’t realize they were selling homes inside the pools.” Story by Neena Satija, Kiah Collier and Al Shaw

How dozens in southern Dallas were swindled out of homes — under the government’s nose | The Dallas Morning News

“Alleged scammers took at least $320,000 from victims and were about to close on another $223,500 worth of deals when police intervened in 2016, according to a Dallas Morning News review of deed records and court documents.” Story by Naomi Martin

Excited. Delirious. Dead. | The Texas Observer

Is excited delirium syndrome a medical phenomenon, or a convenient cover for deaths in police custody? Thanks to Vincent Di Maio, a former Bexar County medical examiner turned celebrity scientist, it’s a diagnosis police know well. Story by Michael Barajas

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The post Must reads: Texas watchdog journalism roundup for Oct. 29, 2017 appeared first on John Tedesco.

Fifty-one inches: Terror, heartbreak and heroism as five souls brave the worst storm in U.S. history | Houston Chronicle

A gripping narrative that focuses on the plight of five people caught in the path of Tropical Storm Harvey. Story by Mike Hixenbaugh, David Hunn and Mark Collette

As Houston grew, officials ignored ‘once-in-a-lifetime’ chance to spare thousands from flooding | The Dallas Morning News

“My embarrassment is that I knew enough that this was going to happen. And I was not smart enough, bold enough to fight the system, the politics, and stop it.” Story by Steve Thompson

Houston’s Floodwaters Are Tainted, Testing Shows | The New York Times

Scientific tests paid for by The New York Times found troubling levels of E. coli, lead, arsenic and heavy metals that wound up in homes. Story by Sheila Kaplan and Jack Healy

Government ill-equipped to monitor industrial plants damaged by Hurricane Harvey | The Houston Chronicle

“More than a dozen Texas chemical and refining plants reported damaged storage tanks, ruptured containment systems and malfunctioning pressure relief valves as a result of Hurricane Harvey, portending safety problems that might not become apparent for months or years, according to a Houston Chronicle review of regulatory filings.” Story by Mark Collette and Matt Dempsey

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The post Texas watchdog journalism roundup: The impact of Tropical Storm Harvey appeared first on John Tedesco.