Abuse of Faith: Southern Baptist sexual abuse spreads as leaders resist reforms | The Houston Chronicle and the San Antonio Express-News

A team of reporters compiled news stories and court records to document cases of sexual abuse in the Southern Baptist Convention, the largest coalition of Baptist churches in the United States. The journalists discovered that church pastors, employees and volunteers sexually abused more than 700 people — most of them children — in the past two decades. Stories by Robert Downen, Lise Olsen and John Tedesco

Spirit of Fear: Hundreds of sex abuse allegations found in fundamental Baptist churches across U.S. | The Fort Worth Star-Telegram

“Women and children have faced rampant sexual abuse while worshipping at independent fundamental Baptist churches around the country. The network of churches and schools often covered up the crimes and helped relocate the offenders, an eight-month Star-Telegram investigation has found.” Stories by Sarah Smith

Unwatched | The Austin American-Statesman

“A yearlong American-Statesman investigation for the first time reveals in stark detail the dangerous conditions that exist inside many Texas daycare sites, leaving hundreds of children with serious injuries and nearly 90 dead as a result of abuse or neglect since 2007.” Stories by Andrea Ball and Tony Plohetski

Houston police officer in drug raid had previous allegations against him | The Houston Chronicle

Before a deadly drug raid in Houston left two civilians dead, Houston Police Officer Gerald Goines had been involved in “multiple shootings, racked up a smattering of written reprimands, faced several lawsuits and is currently accused of fabricating a drug deal then lying about it in court to win a conviction against a man who has long maintained he’s innocent, according to a Houston Chronicle review of internal police records and court documents.” Story by Keri Blakinger and St. John Barned-Smith

Serial crimes, no hard time | The San Antonio Express-News

Repeat DWI offender James Preston Green managed to stay out of jail for years, even though he repeatedly violated conditions of his probation, lied to law enforcement and berated and threatened the officers who chased and arrested him. After the Express-News published an investigative story about Green, a warrant was issued for his arrest. Story by Brian Chasnoff

Amid historic flooding, Austin water systems sank | The Austin American-Statesman

Records obtained by the American-Statesman shed new light on the water crisis that caused Austin to issue a rare, citywide boil-water notice last year. Story by Elizabeth Findell

Section 8 vouchers are supposed to help the poor reach better neighborhoods. Texas law gets in the way | The Texas Tribune and Reveal

“While states and cities across the U.S. have outlawed discrimination against voucher-holders, Texas is one of just two states that’s done the opposite. In 2015, Texas passed a law that ensured landlords cannot be punished for discriminating against families with vouchers. The law essentially legalized a long-standing practice among landlords that blocked voucher-holders, who are overwhelmingly black and Hispanic, from moving to better neighborhoods.” Story by Edgar Walters and Neena Satija

Signs and blunders | The Texas Observer

The Texas Observer investigated the sudden opposition to a proposed Texas historical marker detailing how, in 1918, Texas Rangers and other vigilantes massacred 15 unarmed civilians in the border town of Porvenir. “An Observer investigation, involving dozens of interviews and hundreds of emails obtained through an open records request, reveals a county still struggling to move on from a racist and violent past, far-right amateur historians sowing disinformation and a state agency that acted against its own best judgment.” Story by Daniel Blue Tyx

He’s built an empire, with detained migrant children as the bricks | The New York Times

An investigation of the nonprofit Southwest Key Program, which provides housing to migrant children, reveals how chief executive Juan Sanchez “built an empire on the backs of a crisis.” Sanchez was paid $1.5 million — twice as much as his counterpart at the Red Cross — and his organization has a record of “sloppy management and possible financial improprieties.” Story by Kim Barker, Nicholas Kulish and Rebecca R. Ruiz

Texas police made more than $50 million in 2017 from seizing people’s property. Not everyone was guilty of a crime | The Texas Tribune

“Last year alone, law enforcement agencies and prosecutors throughout Texas grew their coffers more than $50 million by seizing cash, cars, jewelry, clothing, art and other property they claimed were linked to a crime.” Some of those seizures involved people who were never charged with a crime, but Texas officials don’t keep track of how often that happens. Story by Edgar Walters and Jolie McCullough

Rape suspects walk free. Victims don’t get justice. And police get to count it as a success | Reveal, Newsy and ProPublica

“Across the country, dozens of law enforcement agencies are making it appear as though they have solved a significant share of their rape cases when they simply have closed them, according to an investigation by Newsy, Reveal from The Center for Investigative Reporting and ProPublica based on data from more than 60 police agencies nationwide.” Story by Mark Greenblatt, Mark Fahey, Emily Harris and Bernice Yeung

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The post Texas watchdog journalism roundup: Sexual abuse in Baptist churches appeared first on John Tedesco.

Uresti found guilty on all charges in end to salacious month-long fraud trial | The San Antonio Express-News

More than a year after the Express-News first revealed how state Sen. Carlos Uresti, D-San Antonio, had persuaded a former client to invest hundreds of thousands of dollars in a Ponzi scheme, Uresti was found guilty last week of 20 felony charges in a month-long criminal trial. Patrick Danner, the reporter who first broke the story, covered the trial and was on hand for the verdict. Story by Patrick Danner and Guillermo Contreras

As Wolff remained free, others with fewer probation violations rearrested | KSAT 12 Defenders

Bexar County Commissioner Kevin Wolff, who is on probation in a drunken driving case, remained free despite more than two dozen probation violations that included skipping breath tests. Records show 40 other DWI defendants on probation were arrested for similar violations, according to a months-long investigation by KSAT 12. Story by Dillon Collier

Record reservoir flooding was predicted even before Harvey hit Houston | The Houston Chronicle

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers knew heavy rains would overwhelm reservoirs and flood neighborhoods in Houston before Hurricane Harvey made landfall in Texas. But records obtained by the Houston Chronicle show the Corps did not share its predictions with the public. One lawmaker is already calling for an investigation. Story by Lise Olsen

Congressional candidate exaggerates background | The Victoria Advocate

Republican Congressional candidate Jerry Hall claims he’s “overqualified” for the job and touts a long list of credentials. But an investigation by the Victoria Advocate found there’s little support for his claims. Story by Marina Riker

Downtown nonprofit spent thousands of tax dollars to entertain, lobby | The San Antonio Express-News

Centro San Antonio, the troubled nonprofit organization that lost $291,0000 from an accountant suspected of embezzlement, spent taxpayer money on ritzy meals, cross-country trips and music festival sponsorships, according to financial records obtained by the Express-News. Story by Richard Webner

Too Big To Fine, Too Small To Fight Back | The Texas Observer

The Texas Observer analyzed a database of more than 300,000 records to determine the enforcement priorities of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. The analysis found the state agency aggressively went after mom-and-pop gas stations while taking a softer approach with thousands of big-money industrial facilities. Story by Naveena Sadasivam

Women describe 14 years of Austin Opera maestro’s lewd talk, touches | The Austin American-Statesman

Seven women say a culture of permissiveness at the Austin Opera allowed conductor Richard Buckley to touch women inappropriately and engage in lewd talk. The women say executives and board members of the opera knew about Buckley’s behavior but failed to intervene because he was a star. Story by Andrea Ball

On Karolyi Ranch, gymnasts with Olympic dreams endured ‘perfect environment for abuse’ | The Dallas Morning News

The Karolyi Ranch in Texas trained the elite of the elite of U.S. gymnasts. But its severe, secretive training regimen created a culture of intimidation that enabled Dr. Larry Nassar, the women’s national gymnastics team doctor, to sexually abuse young gymnasts over nearly two decades, according to critics and two recently filed lawsuits. Story by David Tarrant and Terri Langford

Anti-Escobar PAC fails to report campaign spending on advertisements | The El Paso Times

A new political action committee targeting Democrat Veronica Escobar has spent $10,000 in advertising that went unreported to the Federal Election Commission — a possible violation of campaign finance laws. Escobar is competing with five other Democratic candidates for the seat of U.S. Rep. Beto O’Rourke. Story by Madlin Mekelburg

George P. Bush’s secret mansion is financed by an undisclosed loan from Texas donor’s bank | The Texas Tribune

Texas Land Commissioner George P. Bush took elaborate steps to hide his ownership of an Austin mansion. Financed with an $850,000 mortgage by a Republican donor’s bank that also employs Bush’s wife, the tony property doesn’t show up in Bush’s state-mandated financial disclosure report. After the Texas Tribune discovered the reporting lapse, Bush’s political director dismissed the reporting as “another absurd fake news story from the liberal media” — but the Tribune’s discovery later prompted the campaign to promise that Bush will amend his ethics filings. Story by Jay Root

Suicide and assaults: Which Dallas psychiatric hospitals have bad safety records? | The Dallas Morning News

Half the psychiatric hospitals in the Dallas-Fort Worth area have suffered at least one major safety incident since 2011, according to a review of inspection records and lawsuits. “Nearly anyone in Dallas could end up there in a crisis,” the Dallas Morning News reported. “If your teenage daughter starts cutting herself. Or your husband confesses he wants to crash his truck head-on. Or your son overdoses and ends up in the emergency room. In these emergencies, there is no easy way to check a hospital’s safety record.” Story by Sarah Mervosh and Sue Ambrose

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The post Must reads: Texas watchdog journalism roundup for Feb. 25, 2018 appeared first on John Tedesco.

Investigative journalists are still writing powerful, evidence-based stories that help us understand a complicated world.

Here are the latest examples of watchdog stories in Texas that show why facts still matter

Bigger wells, but more water | The San Antonio Express-News

“Shale wells are swallowing twice as much water as they did a few years ago — around 10 million gallons each, or about 15 Olympic-sized swimming pools. The process of making a Texas oil well has grown increasingly intense since the start of the shale boom, with more water, more sand, and more stages in the hydraulic fracturing process leading to wells that make more oil, but also require more resources, according to a San Antonio Express-News analysis of the data drillers have reported to the industry website FracFocus for the past seven years.” Story by Jennifer Hiller

Dangerous Deliveries: Is Texas doing enough to stop moms from dying? | The Texas Tribune

“Researchers were stunned by Texas, where the maternal mortality rate had apparently doubled between 2010 and 2012. That year, 148 women died as the state’s mortality rate hit its highest level since the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention started recordkeeping with its current disease codes in 1999. The study’s authors called the increase troubling and difficult to explain ‘in the absence of war, natural disaster, or severe economic upheaval.’ But the state’s real maternal mortality rate is now a matter of debate.” Story by Marissa Evans and Chris Essig

Emails show aide to Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner repeatedly used city resources for personal business | The Houston Chronicle

“Darian Ward sent or received roughly 5,000 pages of emails about personal business from her government account over the last four years, some of which dealt with a reality series she was pitching to television networks.” Story by Rebecca Elliott and Mike Morris

As storms batter Texas, billions in state property goes unprotected | The Austin American-Statesman

“You are a responsible property owner, so you make sure to buy insurance to pay for repairs or rebuilding in the event of a disaster. Unless you’re the state of Texas.” Texas leaders erroneously claim that state-owned property is self insured, when in fact Texas is one of the few states that carries no property insurance at all. “Analysts say the unprotected system adopted by state leaders has probably cost taxpayers millions of dollars, the difference between an insurance premium and regularly siphoning general revenue fund money to cover big fixes.” Story by Eric Dexheimer

Rape allegations embroil Kingwood Pines psychiatric hospital in Houston | The Houston Chronicle

“A Houston Chronicle review of medical records, court filings, hospital accreditation reports and records from state and federal regulators, and interviews with parents, portray an understaffed facility that has failed to watch over patients, leaving the most vulnerable among them open to further victimization.” Story by St. John Barned-Smith

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The post Must reads: Texas watchdog journalism roundup for Jan. 21, 2018 appeared first on John Tedesco.

Investigative journalists are still writing powerful, evidence-based stories that help us understand a complicated world.

Here are the latest examples of watchdog stories in Texas that show why facts still matter.

Gov. Greg Abbott’s appointees have given him more than $14 million | The San Antonio Express-News

“Despite pleas for more diversity and less of a big-money presence, Gov. Greg Abbott’s appointments to state boards and commissions remain mostly Anglo, largely male and liberally sprinkled with donors to a giant campaign war chest years in the making, a San Antonio Express-News analysis shows.” Story by Peggy Fikac and Annie Millerbernd

Cruel and unusual: Dallas County teen inmates locked indoors for months | The Dallas Morning News

“Death row inmates in Texas are given at least an hour a week outdoors. Hardened criminals inside California’s famous San Quentin prison get 10 hours. Yet kids at a Dallas County correctional center for boys went months, sometimes more than a year, without going outdoors more than a few times.” Story by Steve Thompson and Naomi Martin

How a South Texas bureaucrat became a multimillionaire amid the rush to build a border fence | The Texas Tribune and ProPublica

“A decade ago as the federal government rushed to construct 60 miles of barrier in the Rio Grande Valley, it entrusted the chief of a little-known local agency to execute a compromise project. What it didn’t know was that he — and his family — stood to make millions from it.” Story by Kiah Collier, T. Christian Miller and Julian Aguilar

Records: County housing official tried to get herself big raise weeks after starting job |KSAT 12

“Email records obtained by the KSAT 12 Defenders confirm that the recently hired operations coordinator for the Housing Authority of Bexar County tried to arrange a large raise for herself, 10 weeks after starting her position. The employee, Amy Hopper, resigned in October, hours after the Defenders requested emails related to the pay increase.” Story by Dillon Collier

Bibles, boots and booze: Lawmakers go big with campaign cash gifts | The San Antonio Express-News

“It’s the season for giving. But state lawmakers already have been gifting generously all year, using campaign cash to buy spa services, alcohol, porch rockers, Bibles and other items for their staff, constituents and fellow legislators.” Story by Allie Morris

For buyers within ‘flood pools,’ no warnings from developers, public officials | The Houston Chronicle

“A Houston Chronicle review of how more than 100 subdivisions were approved shows that flooding spawned by Harvey was predicted for 26 years in obscure local and federal reports that were either ignored or not widely distributed. The record rainfall came from nature, but its impact was multiplied by man.” Story by Lise Olsen

Transportation commissioner billed taxpayers for trips while advocating for auto industry | The Texas Tribune

Texas Transportation Commissioner Victor Vandergriff repeatedly conducted private business in Austin while the Texas Department of Transportation paid for his travel and other expenses, blurring the lines between his role as a gubernatorial appointee and his paid consulting gigs, according to a Texas Tribune investigation of government travel vouchers and agency correspondence. Story by Jay Root

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The post Must reads: Texas watchdog journalism roundup for Jan. 14, 2018 appeared first on John Tedesco.

Investigative journalists are still writing powerful, evidence-based stories that help us understand a complicated world.

Here are the latest examples of watchdog stories in Texas that show why facts still matter.

Accountant tied to embezzlement at Centro San Antonio has history of bank fraud, bankruptcy | The San Antonio Express-News

The accountant suspected of embezzling $260,000 from Centro San Antonio, a nonprofit organization focused on revitalizing downtown, was hired without a background check. It turns out she had been convicted of felony bank fraud and theft by check. Story by Richard Webner

Blockback: How police put guns on the street and Congress hides what happens to them | The Texas Standard and Reveal from the Center for Investigative Reporting

Nearly half of Texas’ 50 largest law enforcement agencies sell their used firearms to the public, creating a pipeline of guns flowing right back into communities and potentially putting weapons in the hands of criminals.

“The San Antonio Police Department, which faced a series of city audits for inadequate tracking of departmental guns, appealed to the Texas attorney general’s office to hide specifics of its weapons sales. When the attorney general forced the department to release information this year, it reported selling 2,855 handguns in the last decade.” Story by Alain Stephens

The Taking: How the federal government abused its power to seize property for a border fence | The Texas Tribune and ProPublica

“An investigation by ProPublica and The Texas Tribune shows that Homeland Security cut unfair real estate deals, secretly waived legal safeguards for property owners, and ultimately abused the government’s extraordinary power to take land from private citizens.” Story by T. Christian Miller, Kiah Collier and Julian Aguilar

Unresponsive: More women are going to jail in need of drug and alcohol treatment. Help often comes too late | The Dallas Morning News

“As a record number of women go to jail in Texas, sheriffs are increasingly coping with a special class of inmates: women with minor criminal records but major mental-health and addiction problems. A recent federal survey found that almost a third of women in jails showed symptoms of serious psychological distress, even higher than the rate for men.” Story by Cary Aspinwall and Stephanie Lamm

After the deluge: Unfettered building, scant oversight add to cost of hurricanes in U.S. | Reuters

“Across the country, newer construction in flood-prone areas generated more than $9 billion in claims for structural damage on the cash-strapped flood insurance program between 2000 and 2015. Flood-management authorities say that some of those claims probably never would have been filed had proper building controls and accurate flood maps been in place.” Story by Benjamin Lesser and Ryan McNeill

How the oil industry set out to undercut clean air | The Center for Public Integrity and the Guardian

“Air quality is the new frontier for climate-change skeptics long tied to the American Petroleum Institute. The institute has fueled uncertainty on climate by producing what critics call misleading scientific and economic studies. Now, by attempting to discredit established research on ozone and fine particles, API and its cadre of doubters are trying to undermine the Clean Air Act — the landmark U.S. law credited with saving millions of lives.” Story by Jie Jenny Zou and Tom Dart

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The post Must reads: Texas watchdog journalism roundup for Dec. 19, 2017 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.

Investigators: Gym owner started deadly blaze that killed firefighter Scott Deem | The San Antonio Express-News

Local officials have released few details about a deadly blaze that killed San Antonio firefighter Scott Deem. But an arrest warrant affidavit obtained by the Express-News reveals that arson suspect Emond Javor Johnson was plagued by financial problems and confessed to starting the fire to get out of a monthly $2,500 lease at the Spartan Gym. Authorities arrested Johnson Wednesday. Story by Emilie Eaton, John Tedesco, Caleb Downs, Fares Sabawi and Kelsey Bradshaw

The Wall | USA Today Network

More than 30 reporters and photographers interviewed migrants, farmers, families, tribal members — even a human smuggler — to examine the feasibility of President Donald Trump’s border wall. “In this report, you can watch aerial video of every foot of the border, explore every piece of fence, even stand at the border in virtual reality.”

Harvey laid bare lack of resources, training at Houston Fire Department | The Houston Chronicle

When Houston firefighters rushed into Tropical Storm Harvey’s currents in late August, they were hobbled by a lack of resources, old equipment and a shortage of manpower ready to go when the storm hit, according to a Chronicle review of internal reports and emails, and dozens of interviews with firefighters and other officials. “Internal reports show fire department leaders should have known they weren’t prepared for a catastrophic hurricane.” Story by St. John Barned-Smith

Texas official after Harvey: The ‘Red Cross was not there’ | The Texas Tribune and ProPublica

“The Red Cross’ anemic response to Hurricane Harvey left officials in several Texas counties seething, emails obtained by ProPublica show. In some cases, the Red Cross simply failed to show up as it promised it would.” Story by Justin Elliott, Jessica Huseman and Decca Muldowney

Police responded to his 911 call for help. He died. What happened to Tony Timpa? | The Dallas Morning News

Dallas media organizations spent more than a year examining Tony Timpa’s mysterious death and fighting for public records from the city of Dallas and Dallas County after Timpa’s family complained that police were stonewalling. They discovered that Timpa, unarmed and frightened, died in the custody of police officers as they mocked him. Story by Cary Aspinwall

Kilgore College VP was told quit or be fired, files show | The Longview News-Journal

At the time of his June resignation, records obtained by the News-Journal reveal that former Kilgore College Vice President of Finance Duane McNaney was set to be fired over performance issues and “serious misconduct” — problems that weren’t previously known until the newspaper filed an open records request. Story by Meredith Shamburger

Amid staff exodus at health agency, some say chief has political agenda | The Texas Tribune

Dozens of experienced senior staff members have left Texas’ health and human services agency, saying morale has sunk after the arrival of Executive Director Charles Smith, a longtime ally of Texas Gov. Greg Abbott. “Current and former employees attribute the exodus to widespread dissatisfaction with the executive commissioner, whom they say lacks technical knowledge of the agency and pushes a political agenda backed by the governor.” Story by Edgar Walters

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The post Texas watchdog journalism roundup: Arson, the Red Cross and Trump’s wall appeared first on John Tedesco.

Texas cities unprepared for monster floods | San Antonio Express-News/Texas Tribune/ProPublica

With Hurricane Harvey bearing down on Texas and forecasters warning the storm could dump 20 inches of rain in some counties, it’s a good time to revisit news stories about the monster floods that keep striking Texas.

Hell and High Water and Boom Town, Flood Town by ProPublica and the Texas Tribune reveal why Houston is woefully unprepared for big storms.

The San Antonio Express-News detailed how the spread of parking lots, buildings and other forms of “impervious cover” worsens the impact of flood waters. “It’s only in the past two decades that San Antonio has had drainage regulations,” the newspaper reported. “Before that, developers were required to do very little to address excess stormwater runoff caused by their projects.” Stories by Vianna Davila, Brendan Gibbons, Neena Satija, Kiah Collier and Al Shaw

‘This is not hazing. This is rape’: Inside a Texas town’s football nightmare | The Daily Beast

How the quiet town of La Vernia is dealing with brutal hazing allegations involving the high school football team and casting blame.

“After the accusations came to light, other students harassed the alleged victims in the halls, calling them ‘rats’ and ‘snitches.’ … “High-schoolers were largely instructed by teachers to keep quiet about the allegations.” … At a school event that turned tense, La Vernia Police Chief Bruce Ritchey “hid behind a column in the very back of the room, where extra chairs were stacked, where no parents or reporters could see him.” Story by Olivia Messer

Former mayor Ivy Taylor sought unemployment benefits from the city of San Antonio | San Antonio Express-News

In an unusual move, ousted San Antonio Mayor Ivy Taylor sought unemployment benefits from the city, even though elected officials are ineligible for such benefits. Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff called Taylor’s actions “really strange.”

“I lost two races. I should have thought of that when I lost,” Wolff joked. Story by Josh Baugh

Spring Hill ISD email offers details on scoreboard investor | Longview News-Journal

A controversial, $500,000 scoreboard at the Spring Hill Independent School District was supposed to be paid with private funds, not taxpayer dollars. But an email obtained under the Texas Public Information Act shows no private donations had been secured when officials announced taxpayers wouldn’t have to foot the bill for the scoreboard. Story by Meredith Shamburger

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The post Texas watchdog journalism roundup: Floods, hazing and an unemployed mayor appeared first on John Tedesco.

Decision to ‘end this’ after 12-minute standoff left Gilbert Flores dead | San Antonio Express-News

After a 12-minute confrontation with a belligerent, knife-wielding man who said he wanted to die, two Bexar County sheriff’s deputies turned to each other and agreed on “ending this,” according to their sworn civil depositions obtained by the San Antonio Express-News. But the deputies decided to open fire moments after the man, Gilbert Flores, raised his arms in apparent surrender. Story by Guillermo Contreras

A pass to poison | The Texas Tribune

“How the state of Texas allows industrial facilities to repeatedly spew unauthorized air pollution — with few consequences.” Story by Kiah Collier and Ryan Murphy

Mr. Smith goes to Greenland | BuzzFeed

“This Congressman doesn’t think climate science is real. He just went on a secret tour of the melting arctic.” Story by Zahra Hirji

Cost of corruption leaves Crystal City struggling | San Antonio Express-News

“With five former city officials now awaiting sentencing for federal public corruption crimes, the city leaders who replaced them last year are struggling with the financial mess they inherited.” New audit shows Crystal City’s budget is $2 million in the red. Story by John MacCormack

American Dream Denied | Dallas Morning News

“America is supposed to offer the promise of upward mobility for those willing to put in the labor. So why are nearly 31,000 Dallas residents, and their families, working full time but still mired in poverty? The Dallas Morning News editorial board has researched for months to learn more about the city’s working poor, the obstacles they face and how the city can restore faith in a path to the middle class.” Story by the Dallas Morning News editorial board

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The post Must reads: Texas watchdog journalism roundup for July 23, 2017 appeared first on John Tedesco.