AltWeeklies Wire
Can Rick Perry Govern?new
Rick Perry is a terrific campaigner, but has accomplished little in office.
The Texas Observer |
Dave Mann |
08-15-2011 |
Elections
Did Texas Execute An Innocent Man?new
DNA tests undermine key evidence in the 2000 death penalty case of Claude Jones.
The Texas Observer |
Dave Mann |
11-12-2010 |
Crime & Justice
Tags: Death Penalty, Claude Jones
In a New Memoir, Attorney Offers a Glimpse Inside Texas’ Death Penalty Machinenew
A law professor at the University of Houston and a death penalty lawyer with the nonprofit Texas Defender Service, David Dow has for two decades represented inmates facing execution. His memoir, The Autobiography of an Execution, is a revelation, even for people who follow criminal justice issues.
The Texas Observer |
Dave Mann |
04-21-2010 |
Author Profiles & Interviews
The Case of Otty Sanchez Exposes Holes in Texas' Mental Health Care Systemnew
Andrea Sanchez was suffering from postpartum psychosis, a rare but severe form of postpartum depression. Sanchez had been enduring a mental-health crisis for at least a week, but when she reached out for help—like so many Texans with severe mental illness—she was left to fend for herself.
The Texas Observer |
Dave Mann |
01-21-2010 |
Crime & Justice
Did a False Confession and Faulty Arson Science Land Alredo Guardiola in Prison for 19 Years and Counting?new
A six-month Observer investigation of the case -- using new research into arson and false confessions -- shows that he is probably innocent.
The Texas Observer |
Dave Mann |
10-14-2009 |
Crime & Justice
White Man's Burden: A Dallas Suburb Struggles With its Sudden Diversitynew
Like many suburbs, Irving is becoming much less white. According to the latest Census Bureau figures, in 2007 Latinos made up about 41 percent of Irving’s population. Yet one place in Irving remains unchanged -- city hall. Anglos make up 35 percent of the population, but the mayor and all eight City Council members are white.
The Texas Observer |
Dave Mann |
08-26-2009 |
Politics
Ed Graf May Be a Victim of Flawed Arson Sciencenew
Ed Graf was sentenced to life for burning his two young stepsons alive. Two decades later, science may exonerate him.
The Texas Observer |
Dave Mann |
06-03-2009 |
Crime & Justice
Curtis Severns Is Serving 27 Years for an Arson He Almost Certainly Didn't Commitnew
Over the past 15 years, many unscientific assumptions about how fire spreads have turned out to be wrong. Using newer methods, an arson expert has helped exonerate dozens of people wrongly convicted of arson. He believes Severns was railroaded.
The Texas Observer |
Dave Mann |
04-08-2009 |
Crime & Justice
Turning Houston Bluenew
If Democrats hope to once again win statewide elections in Texas, they first must takeover the state's biggest city. Toward that end, Dems are pouring lots of money into a coordinated campaign to sweep Harris County this year. And everything was seemingly going their way -- until Hurricane Ike hit.
The Texas Observer |
Dave Mann |
10-22-2008 |
Politics
The Gospel According to John Cornynnew
Nearly 40 percent of Texans wouldn't know their junior senator if he fell on them. But Cornyn's dull exterior masks one of the most conservative records in the U.S. Senate.
The Texas Observer |
Dave Mann |
08-13-2008 |
Politics
Texas Republicans Sport Stiff Upper Lips at Their State Sonventionnew
Discord and infighting set the tone of the Republican convention in Houston, which saw a smaller and more subdued turnout than in recent years. The GOP event included many who felt betrayed by broken promises and false conservatism from current state and national leadership.
The Texas Observer |
Dave Mann and Forrest Wilder |
07-02-2008 |
Politics
At Their State Convention, Texas Dems Looked Like a Party on the Risenew
You couldn't look at the packed main hall of the Austin Convention Center -- where Democratic delegates, alternates, and guests filled nearly 15,000 chairs -- without thinking that perhaps Republican dominance of Texas politics was beginning to end.
The Texas Observer |
Dave Mann |
07-02-2008 |
Politics
Systemic Neglect at Texas' Troubled Insitutions for the Mentally Retardednew
Texas has the largest remaining set of mental institutions in the nation, housing the state's most vulnerable: some can't feed or dress themselves, and others can't even rise from a gurney or speak. And according to government records, the very people charged with caring for these patients are victimizing them.
The Texas Observer |
Dave Mann |
05-07-2008 |
Science
Getting Pluckednew
AltWeeklies Award - News Story -- In-Depth
The Texas Observer |
Dave Mann |
04-21-2008 |
Media
Tags: media
A Death in McAllennew
AltWeeklies Award - Investigative Reporting
The Texas Observer |
Dave Mann |
04-21-2008 |
Media
Tags: media
