{"id":14321,"date":"2018-02-25T18:59:20","date_gmt":"2018-02-25T23:59:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/johntedesco.net\/blog\/?p=14321"},"modified":"2024-12-23T14:31:02","modified_gmt":"2024-12-23T19:31:02","slug":"must-reads-texas-watchdog-journalism-roundup-for-feb-25-2018","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/johntedesco.net\/blog\/2018\/02\/25\/must-reads-texas-watchdog-journalism-roundup-for-feb-25-2018\/","title":{"rendered":"Must reads: Texas watchdog journalism roundup for Feb. 25, 2018"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><em>Welcome to the latest installment of the Texas watchdog <a href=\"https:\/\/johntedesco.net\/blog\/tag\/journalism\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"2\" title=\"journalism\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">journalism<\/a> roundup, a series <a href=\"https:\/\/johntedesco.net\/blog\/category\/must-reads\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">showcasing hard-hitting investigative stories in Texas<\/a> that uncovered hidden facts, held officials accountable and demonstrated why <a href=\"https:\/\/johntedesco.net\/blog\/tag\/journalism\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"2\" title=\"journalism\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">journalism<\/a> matters.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.expressnews.com\/business\/local\/article\/Uresti-verdict-write-through-12633662.php?utm_campaign=twitter-premium&amp;utm_source=CMS%20Sharing%20Button&amp;utm_medium=social\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Uresti found guilty on all charges in end to salacious month-long fraud trial<\/a> | <em>The San Antonio Express-News<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>More than a year after the <a href=\"https:\/\/johntedesco.net\/blog\/2016\/09\/19\/how-shoe-leather-reporting-uncovered-an-unusual-legal-dispute-against-state-sen-carlos-uresti\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Express-News first revealed how<\/a> 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. <em>Story by Patrick Danner and Guillermo Contreras<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ksat.com\/news\/defenders\/as-wolff-remained-free-others-with-fewer-probation-violations-rearrested\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">As Wolff remained free, others with fewer probation violations rearrested<\/a> | <em>KSAT 12 Defenders<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">As Bexar County Commissioner Kevin Wolff remained free, despite more than two dozen probation violations, 40 defendants in adjudicated Bexar County drunken driving cases were rearrested last year for possible violations: <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/HrPV85AU4c\">https:\/\/t.co\/HrPV85AU4c<\/a>  via <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/dilloncollier?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@dilloncollier<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ksatnews?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@ksatnews<\/a><\/p>&mdash; Ellie Holmes (@ellierosetx) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ellierosetx\/status\/964462751736320002?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">February 16, 2018<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>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. <em>Story by Dillon Collier<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20210204082803\/https:\/\/www.houstonchronicle.com\/news\/houston-texas\/houston\/amp\/barker-addicks-dams-flooding-predicted-army-corps-12632041.php\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Record reservoir flooding was predicted even before Harvey hit Houston<\/a> | <em>The Houston Chronicle<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Days before Hurricane Harvey hit, the Army Corps knew its giant flood-control reservoirs in Houston would back up into residential neighborhoods &#8212; and didn&#39;t warn the public. &quot;This is a bona fide public policy debacle.&quot; Terrific scoop by <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/chrondigger?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@chrondigger<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/tsHiYBlgPc\">https:\/\/t.co\/tsHiYBlgPc<\/a><\/p>&mdash; Marc Duvoisin (@MarcDuvoisin) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/MarcDuvoisin\/status\/966558932297764865?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">February 22, 2018<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>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 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.houstonchronicle.com\/news\/houston-texas\/houston\/article\/Lawmaker-calls-for-probe-of-whether-Corps-knew-of-12705152.php\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">calling for an investigation<\/a>. <em>Story by Lise Olsen<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.victoriaadvocate.com\/news\/officials-couldn-t-verify-congressional-candidate-s-work-education-experience\/article_a1f66078-1814-11e8-874d-8b7cad156135.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Congressional candidate exaggerates background<\/a> | <em>The Victoria Advocate<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Congressional candidate exaggerated background <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/ZafAptm7uc\">https:\/\/t.co\/ZafAptm7uc<\/a><\/p>&mdash; Victoria Advocate (@Vicadvocate) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Vicadvocate\/status\/967641567937916929?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">February 25, 2018<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Republican Congressional candidate Jerry Hall claims he&#8217;s &#8220;overqualified&#8221; for the job and touts a long list of credentials. But an investigation by the Victoria Advocate found there&#8217;s little support for his claims. <em>Story by Marina Riker<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.expressnews.com\/real-estate\/article\/Downtown-nonprofit-spent-thousands-of-tax-dollars-12704761.php?utm_campaign=twitter-premium&amp;utm_source=CMS%20Sharing%20Button&amp;utm_medium=social\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Downtown nonprofit spent thousands of tax dollars to entertain, lobby<\/a> | <em>The San Antonio Express-News<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Nice digging by <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/RWebner?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@RWebner<\/a>:  Downtown nonprofit Centro San Antonio, which employed an accountant who is now suspected of embezzlement, spent thousands of tax dollars on entertainment and lobbying: <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/NeLzriJAM2\">https:\/\/t.co\/NeLzriJAM2<\/a> via <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ExpressNews?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@expressnews<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/LFRqoThpQE\">pic.twitter.com\/LFRqoThpQE<\/a><\/p>&mdash; John Tedesco (@John_Tedesco) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/John_Tedesco\/status\/967828752452472833?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">February 25, 2018<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>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. <em>Story by Richard Webner<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.texasobserver.org\/too-big-to-fine-too-small-to-fight-back\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Too Big To Fine, Too Small To Fight Back<\/a> | <em>The Texas Observer<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Every enforcement agency makes decisions about whom to police and for what. This is a story about the Texas environmental agency\u2019s priorities. <br>Read the story in English: <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/UrW2GbYRmw\">https:\/\/t.co\/UrW2GbYRmw<\/a><br>Or Arabic: <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/oKZNyL8WVw\">https:\/\/t.co\/oKZNyL8WVw<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/navJGjYw5R\">pic.twitter.com\/navJGjYw5R<\/a><\/p>&mdash; The Texas Observer (@TexasObserver) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/TexasObserver\/status\/967782488692154373?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">February 25, 2018<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>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. <em>Story by Naveena Sadasivam<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20180220025110\/http:\/\/www.mystatesman.com:80\/news\/women-describe-years-austin-opera-maestro-lewd-talk-touches\/XG2V4fzC1YVgvMQP0emMrK\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Women describe 14 years of Austin Opera maestro\u2019s lewd talk, touches<\/a> | <em>The Austin American-Statesman<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">This is a hard one to read but important: Seven women talked to the American-Statesman to describe 14 years of Austin Opera maestro\u2019s lewd talk, touches via <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/andreeball?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@andreeball<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/zP76VsmF9e\">https:\/\/t.co\/zP76VsmF9e<\/a><\/p>&mdash; Taylor Goldenstein (@taygoldenstein) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/taygoldenstein\/status\/964213438821142528?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">February 15, 2018<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>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&#8217;s behavior but failed to intervene because he was a star. <em>Story by Andrea Ball<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dallasnews.com\/news\/investigations\/2018\/02\/23\/karolyi-ranch-gymnasts-olympicdreams-endured-perfect-environment-abuse\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">On Karolyi Ranch, gymnasts with Olympic dreams endured \u2018perfect environment for abuse\u2019<\/a> | <em>The Dallas Morning News<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Re:Karolyi Ranch investigation.<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/TxDPS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@TxDPS<\/a> is mum. But we learned Texas authorities first began reaching out to <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/gymnast?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#gymnast<\/a> attorneys late last year, before <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/LarryNassar?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#LarryNassar<\/a>&#39;s sentencing in January and before <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/GovAbbott?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@GovAbbott<\/a> brought in <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/Texas?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#Texas<\/a> Rangers. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/ZDWo63Zczv\">https:\/\/t.co\/ZDWo63Zczv<\/a><\/p>&mdash; T.L. Langford (@tlangford) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/tlangford\/status\/967066726759387137?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">February 23, 2018<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>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\u2019s national gymnastics team doctor, to sexually abuse young gymnasts over nearly two decades, according to critics and two recently filed lawsuits. <em>Story by David Tarrant and Terri Langford<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.elpasotimes.com\/story\/news\/politics\/elections\/2018\/02\/16\/anti-escobar-pac-ramping-efforts-march-primary-el-paso\/335407002\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Anti-Escobar PAC fails to report campaign spending on advertisements<\/a> | <em>The El Paso Times<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">A PAC campaigning against <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/vgescobar?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@vgescobar<\/a> in <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/CD16?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#CD16<\/a> in <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/ElPaso?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#ElPaso<\/a> hasn&#39;t submitted required financial disclosure reports for advertising expenses:  <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/AvAuglKN0N\">https:\/\/t.co\/AvAuglKN0N<\/a> via <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/elpasotimes?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@elpasotimes<\/a><\/p>&mdash; Madlin Mekelburg (@madlinbmek) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/madlinbmek\/status\/964636248378892289?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">February 16, 2018<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>A new political action committee targeting Democrat Veronica Escobar has spent $10,000 in advertising that went unreported to the Federal Election Commission &#8212; a possible violation of campaign finance laws. Escobar is competing with five other Democratic candidates for the seat of U.S. Rep. Beto O&#8217;Rourke. <em>Story by Madlin Mekelburg<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.texastribune.org\/2018\/02\/16\/george-p-bushs-secret-mansion-financed-undisclosed-loan-texas-donor\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">George P. Bush\u2019s secret mansion is financed by an undisclosed loan from Texas donor&#8217;s bank<\/a> | <em>The Texas Tribune<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">NEW: George P. Bush\u2019s secret mansion is financed by an undisclosed loan from a bank owned by a major Republican donor. We started asking questions and Bush\u2019s campaign called it an \u201cabsurd fake news story.\u201d Then they promised to amend his ethics filings. \ud83e\udd14 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/N7gLRPw0PW\">https:\/\/t.co\/N7gLRPw0PW<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/Pp5tkSPRJD\">pic.twitter.com\/Pp5tkSPRJD<\/a><\/p>&mdash; Texas Tribune (@TexasTribune) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/TexasTribune\/status\/964484865440837633?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">February 16, 2018<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>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&#8217;s bank that also employs Bush&#8217;s wife, the tony property doesn&#8217;t show up in Bush&#8217;s state-mandated financial disclosure report. After the Texas Tribune discovered the reporting lapse, Bush&#8217;s political director dismissed the reporting as &#8220;another absurd fake news story from the liberal media&#8221; \u2014 but the Tribune&#8217;s discovery later prompted the campaign to promise that Bush will amend his ethics filings. <em>Story by Jay Root<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dallasnews.com\/news\/investigations\/2018\/02\/18\/safety-dallas-psychiatric-hospitals-suicide-sexual-assault-millwood-sundance\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Suicide and assaults: Which Dallas psychiatric hospitals have bad safety records?<\/a> | <em>The Dallas Morning News<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">1\/ hi, hello. we found some concerning things about psychiatric hospitals in the dfw area. <br><br>think this doesn&#39;t apply to you?<br><br>think again. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/xzCwI4u0Wh\">https:\/\/t.co\/xzCwI4u0Wh<\/a><\/p>&mdash; Sarah Mervosh (@smervosh) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/smervosh\/status\/965648093684346880?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">February 19, 2018<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>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. &#8220;Nearly anyone in Dallas could end up there in a crisis,&#8221; the Dallas Morning News reported. &#8220;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\u2019s safety record.&#8221; <em>Story by Sarah Mervosh and Sue Ambrose<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Did I miss a good story? <a href=\"http:\/\/johntedesco.net\/blog\/contact\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Contact me<\/a> or leave a comment below. Don\u2019t forget to <a href=\"https:\/\/johntedesco.net\/blog\/about\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">sign up for blog updates<\/a> and check out more <a href=\"https:\/\/johntedesco.net\/blog\/category\/must-reads\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">watchdog journalism from the great state of Texas<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p><em>Welcome to the latest installment of the Texas watchdog journalism roundup, a series <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/johntedesco.net\/blog\/category\/must-reads\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">showcasing hard-hitting investigative stories in Texas<\/a><\/strong> that uncovered hidden facts, held officials accountable and demonstrated why journalism matters.<\/em> <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/johntedesco.net\/blog\/2018\/02\/25\/must-reads-texas-watchdog-journalism-roundup-for-feb-25-2018\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Read more &#8230;<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":14324,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"generate_page_header":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4,5,759],"tags":[763,5144,242,766,451,526,5129,587],"class_list":["post-14321","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-express-news-stories","category-journalism","category-must-reads","tag-dallas-morning-news","tag-el-paso-times","tag-houston-chronicle","tag-must-reads","tag-san-antonio-express-news","tag-texas-tribune","tag-victoria-advocate","tag-watchdog-journalism","infinite-scroll-item","masonry-post","generate-columns","tablet-grid-50","mobile-grid-100","grid-parent","grid-50"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v25.4 (Yoast SEO v27.4) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Must reads: Texas watchdog journalism roundup for Feb. 25, 2018 | John Tedesco<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"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.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/johntedesco.net\/blog\/2018\/02\/25\/must-reads-texas-watchdog-journalism-roundup-for-feb-25-2018\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Must reads: Texas watchdog journalism roundup for Feb. 25, 2018\" 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