Books
January 28, 2021
Why Is the Death Penalty on the Decline in Texas?
Maurice Chammah’s “Let the Lord Sort Them” is a searing history of the rise and fall of capital punishment.
Harris County
Politics & Policy
November 23, 2020
Record Turnout Helped Texas Republicans, So Why Are They Still Pushing to Make It Harder to Vote?
GOP state legislators have proposed bills that could make it more difficult to cast a ballot in 2022. Some might backfire on the party.
Politics & Policy
October 30, 2020
Meet the Harris County Voters Who Showed Up After Midnight to Cast a Ballot
The county’s decision to open eight locations for round-the-clock early voting drew workers too busy to vote during the day—and others eager to send a message about voter suppression.
Politics & Policy
October 16, 2020
The Early Voting Numbers in Texas Are Bonkers. Here’s What That Does and Doesn’t Tell Us.
“Bonkers” is, of course, a technical term.
Politics & Policy
September 24, 2020
Drive-through Voting. 24-Hour Polling Places. Finger Condoms. Welcome to Election 2020 in Harris County.
After some Houstonians had to wait in six-hour lines to vote in the March primary, new county clerk Chris Hollins is determined to help every eligible Houstonian cast a ballot this fall.
Politics & Policy
May 15, 2020
The Hunt for a Leaker at the Harris County District Attorney’s Office
While the rest of Houston’s legal community was adapting to COVID-19, DA Kim Ogg was determined to find who leaked an internal document.
Politics & Policy
March 20, 2020
How Will Texas Conduct Elections in the Wake of the Coronavirus?
Governor Greg Abbott is letting counties decide whether to postpone certain May elections. For the general, expanded vote by mail may be necessary.
Politics & Policy
February 19, 2020
Criminal Justice Reform Moves Pretty Fast. Just Ask Harris County DA Kim Ogg.
Four years ago, Ogg won election by promising to reform the county’s justice system. Now she’s getting primaried by two of her former prosecutors, who say she hasn’t done enough.
Politics & Policy
February 19, 2020
Lina Hidalgo’s Year of Living Dangerously
Led by a twentysomething Latina, Democrats now run Harris County, offering a glimpse at what things might look like—for better or for worse—if the party finds itself back on top across Texas.
Politics & Policy
December 5, 2019
How Houston Is Leading the Way on Keeping Poor Defendants Out of Jail
In a landmark legal case, Harris County has agreed to release the vast majority of misdemeanor arrestees instead of locking them up. But reformers aren’t done yet.
News & Politics
August 24, 2018
Harris County May Have Violated Federal Election Law, Expert Says
The National Voter Registration Act prohibits removing ineligible voters from voter rolls within 90 days of a federal election. That’s just what the Harris County registrar tried to do.
Politics & Policy
May 23, 2016
A Harris County GOP Precinct Chair Tried To Block A Muslim Man From Serving In The Same Role
That’s one way to do outreach to voters who may feel alienated by the presumptive Republican nominee for President.
Health
January 26, 2016
Everything You Need To Know About The Planned Parenthood Videographer Indictments
That’s definitely not how anyone saw that investigation going.
The Daily Post
September 16, 2015
An Undocumented Harris County Woman Faced Deportation After Being Arrested At Her OB-GYN
According to Blanca Borrego's family, she was taken into an exam room where sheriff's deputies were waiting for her.
The Daily Post
April 13, 2015
Firefighter Hazing, Police Abuse, and Officer Indictments in Texas
Lots of bad news—often caught on camera.
The Daily Post
July 29, 2014
Is The Grand Jury System In Texas Broken?
After the Houston Chronicle's shocking and revealing depiction of what can happen with a grand jury, the Greater Houston Coalition for Justice is pushing for change. …
Politics & Policy
April 11, 2014
Cities, Slicker
Mimi Swartz on how the rise of our cities will lead to a new kind of government.
The Culture
March 7, 2014
After His Defeat, He Probably Said the Same Thing About Being District Attorney of Harris County.
Bum Steer of the Month…
Politics & Policy
February 6, 2014
Slate Card Politics in Harris County
For years Harris County politics has been controlled by a small group of political operatives and consultants. Foremost among these is Steven Hotze, a doctor who heads an organization called the Conservative Republicans of Texas (CRT). The CRT and other groups Hotze is affiliated with send out mailers…
The Daily Post
January 13, 2014
Harris County Jail Has One of the Worst Sexual Assault Rates in the Country
Sheriff Adrian Garcia spent part of his week last week testifying before the Department of Justice about the rate of abuse that occurs under his watch. …
Politics & Policy
January 21, 2013
Romney Fundraises in Dallas While Obama Rubs Elbows With Beyoncé
Texans feted both presidential candidates Tuesday as Mitt Romney's campaign coped with the fallout from the candidate's latest blunder. …
January 21, 2013
HPD Crime Lab To Be Revamped?
Houston Mayor Annise Parker suggested making the city's crime lab independent and adding a Innocence Project representative to the board overseeing it.
Politics & Policy
January 20, 2013
Other Shoe Drops—But Not On Allen Fletcher
Tomball state representative Allen Fletcher is on his way to a second term. His former business associate may be on his way to the federal penitentiary.
Feature
January 20, 2013
Dome Away From Home
Inside the Eighth Wonder of the World—the largest shelter ever organized by the American Red Cross—faith, hope, and charity helped the survivors of Hurricane Katrina begin the process of rebuilding their lives.
December 16, 2011
Texas Executions Drop to Fifteen-Year Low
The number of people Texas executes each year is steadily declining as public sentiment in America turns against the death penalty.
Web Exclusive
June 30, 2011
Rick Perry v. Forensic Science
Larry Swearingen has ten scientists and doctors who say he isn't a killer. He also has a new execution date.
Politics & Policy
July 2, 2010
Ethnic change in Houston
Dr. Richard Murray, the University of Houston political scientist and TV commentator, recently posted on the Channel 13 Web site some numbers about population trends in Harris County. The latest estimates show most of the growth in Texas and the Houston metro area is driven by the increasing…
Politics & Policy
May 5, 2010
Richard Murray: D’s will win House majority before 2020
Murray, the University of Houston political science professor and pollster (although he says he doesn't do much political polling any more), spoke yesterday at the LBJ School of Public Affairs. I asked him beforehand about the Thibaut-Murphy race. (His son is a consultant for Thibaut.) He said that it was…
Crime
March 31, 2010
The Lost Girls
Every year thousands of women are smuggled into the United States and forced to work as prostitutes. Many of them end up in Houston, in massage parlors and spas. Most of them will have a hard time ever getting out.
Politics & Policy
February 2, 2009
The Gallup Poll: Is Texas Blue?
The Gallup organization released a nationwide poll last week showing the partisan preference in every state. The daily tracking poll, conducted during the election campaign, sampled 19,415 adult Texans concerning their self-identification by political party and found that 43.4% identified themselves as Democrats compared to 41.0% who identified…
Politics & Policy
November 3, 2008
Early Voting: Day Twelve (final numbers)
I am going to use this format to update daily the number of early votes cast in the fifteen counties with the most registered voters, ranked by the Secretary of State in the order of most to least registered voters. I am also going to include the numbers for the…
Politics & Policy
October 26, 2008
Chronicle poll: Emmett leads race for Harris County judge; other Republicans running behind
As Dallas goes, so goes Houston. Two years after Democrats swept Republicans out of control in the Dallas County courthouse, it appears that the D’s will do the same in Harris County, with one exception: county judge, Ed Emmett, whom many will remember as a former legislator in the eighties.
Politics & Policy
October 25, 2008
Zogby: Obama, Noriega lead in Harris County (but read the fine print)
In a Zogby poll taken for the Houston Chronicle to coincide with the start of early voting, the results showed Barack Obama with a 7-point lead over John McCain in Harris County and Rick Noriega with a similar lead over John Cornyn. The poll was published by the…
Politics & Policy
October 25, 2008
One more look at early voting
Fort Bend County is off the charts: up 142% compared to the votes cast here in 2004. Harris County is up 117%. The lowest six of the top fifteen counties (based on registered voters) have combined to cast just 4,000 votes more than Harris County. The six are Fort Bend,…
Politics & Policy
March 1, 2008
Chuck It
How soon before the Harris County DA makes his exit? Not soon enough.
Feature
November 1, 1975
Ah, Sweet Mystery of Death
The friendly folks at the morgue speak a body language all their own.