Looking forward to the future of journalism

The Houston Landing has big plans for local news. Join us.

A group of philanthropists last year pledged to donate an eye-popping $20 million to support a nonprofit newsroom that will offer quality journalism to everyone in the Houston region, with no paywalls and no subscription fees. Now that digital newsroom has a name, a website and a growing roster of journalists — including yours truly. … Read more

Texas watchdog journalism roundup for Oct. 21, 2018

Wage theft on the Texas border

Welcome to the latest installment of the Texas watchdog journalism roundup, a showcase of investigative stories that uncover hidden facts, hold officials accountable and demonstrate why journalism matters.

Trapped between the Rio Grande and border checkpoints, Sandro Garcia Moreno is among thousands of undocumented immigrants being ripped off by unscrupulous employers. The San Antonio Express-News analyzed a database of federal wage-theft investigations and found the Rio Grande Valley is a prolific source of worker complaints. Read more …

Must reads: Texas watchdog journalism roundup for August 1, 2018

Iconic Village Apartment Fire in San Marcos, Texas

Welcome to the latest installment of the Texas watchdog journalism roundup, a showcase of hard-hitting investigative stories in Texas that uncovered hidden facts, held officials accountable and demonstrated why journalism matters.

Must reads: Texas watchdog journalism roundup for June 2, 2018

Hugo Rodriguez

Welcome to the latest installment of the Texas watchdog journalism roundup, a series that showcases hard-hitting investigative stories in Texas that uncover hidden facts, hold officials accountable and demonstrate why journalism matters. Read more …

Must reads: Texas watchdog journalism roundup for April 9, 2018

Schlitterbahn slide kills boy

Welcome to the latest installment of the Texas watchdog journalism roundup, a series that showcases hard-hitting investigative stories in Texas that uncover hidden facts, hold officials accountable and demonstrate why journalism matters. Read more …

Must reads: Texas watchdog journalism roundup for Feb. 25, 2018

Carlos Uresti convicted in criminal fraud case

Welcome to the latest installment of the Texas watchdog journalism roundup, a series showcasing hard-hitting investigative stories in Texas that uncovered hidden facts, held officials accountable and demonstrated why journalism matters. Read more …

Must reads: Texas watchdog journalism roundup for Feb. 14, 2018

Fatal fire in San Antonio

Welcome to the latest installment of the Texas watchdog journalism roundup, a series that showcases hard-hitting investigative stories in Texas that uncovered hidden facts, held officials accountable and demonstrated why journalism matters. Read more …

Must reads: Texas watchdog journalism roundup for Feb 5, 2018

Luxury condos in San Antonio received tax incentives

Welcome to the latest installment of the Texas watchdog journalism roundup, a series that showcases hard-hitting investigative stories in Texas that uncovered hidden facts, held officials accountable and demonstrated why journalism matters.

City of San Antonio awards developers $10 million in incentives for luxury condo tower — $173,400 for each unit | The San Antonio Express-News

A city program to encourage people to live in downtown San Antonio is spending $10 million in tax incentives and fee waivers on the Arts Residences and Thompson San Antonio hotel, a 20-story luxury tower of hotel rooms and condos. Critics call it a “ludicrous” amount of money to spend on housing that few residents can afford. Read more …

Must reads: Texas watchdog journalism roundup for Jan. 21, 2018

Eagle Ford Shale Water Usage Increasing

If it seems like facts no longer matter in politics, there’s a sliver of good news:

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 | 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.” Read more …